"Is it wild boars?"
The cry was unusually sharp, "They're up ahead."
The game in this area had been almost completely cleared, not even a pheasant feather left for them. There was no point in lingering, and judging by the sounds, there seemed to be plenty of game ahead.
The three followed the sound on horseback, and screams continued all the way.
Gradually, all three felt something was amiss. The cries of wild boars were incessant and heart-wrenching.
"How many wild boars did they encounter? Did they stumble upon a boar's den?"
"Ransacking a boar's den is the kind of insane thing Xie Jiang would do."
These past few days, Lu Yuqing had gained a new understanding of Xie Jiang's character.
"Wild boar meat isn't very tasty, why would she raid a boar's den? Could it be a new dish?" Xu Hengyi became excited at the thought. Although Xie Jiang was cruel, for the sake of new dishes, it wasn't entirely unforgivable.
He wasn't particularly interested in wild boar meat, but Xie Jiang's hands possessed the power to turn decay into magic. How could he not look forward to it?
"What kind of new dish requires the annihilation of an entire boar family, a wild boar banquet feast at the Marquis of Nanhai's estate? I think it's simply that Xie Jiang got bored at the estate, her demonic nature took over, and she decided to prey on these wild boars. These boars had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to..."
Seeing the scene ahead from a distance, the three who had been complaining about Xie Jiang's dark and cruel nature couldn't help but gasp.
The scene before them was the complete opposite of what they had imagined. It wasn't Xie Jiang's demonic nature causing her to raid a boar's den to research new dishes; it was the wild boars going berserk and wanting to tear them apart to feast on them.
"It's Ruan Ziji and them!"
"I don't see Xie Jiang. Brother Yue and Brother Xu aren't here either, they must have split up."
It was normal for so many people to split up and chase prey in such a large hunting ground. Ruan Ziji's group sometimes had six or seven people, but now they only saw Ruan Ziji, Jin Haolin, and Zhu Zhou.
Dozens of wild boars had surrounded the group at the bottom of a steep pit. There were many bloody wild boar carcasses on the ground, indicating they had been fighting the boars for a long time.
"What kind of luck did they have to encounter so many wild boars!"
As they rode closer, they found Ruan Ziji and the others in a sorry state. The more than ten accompanying guards were also mostly injured, struggling to hold their ground against the onslaught of the wild boar herd.
"Go help them."
Xia Zeshi calmly instructed the accompanying retainers. Normally, he only needed two attendants when going out, but today they had brought guards for the hunt.
Lu Yuqing and Xu Hengyi both signaled their guards to go rescue them.
No matter how much they disliked Ruan Ziji's group, they would never stand by and watch in such a situation.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Foul-smelling blood splattered through the air with the sound of breaking wind.
The guards struggling at the bottom of the steep pit immediately felt the pressure lessen.
Xu Hengyi and the other two were not to be outdone, immediately drawing their bows and shooting down wild boars.
In an instant, the situation reversed.
The remaining few wild boars, sensing the unfavorable turn of events, prepared to flee.
How could Ruan Ziji, who was in a blood frenzy, let these beasts escape!
He lunged forward ferociously with his sharp blade. The guards of the Marquis of Anyuan's estate did not dare to slacken in the slightest, rushing forward to protect their young lord.
The screams of the last wild boar came to an end.
Zhu Zhou collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily, exhausted.
With the help of Xia Zeshi and the other two, after fighting at the bottom of the steep pit for a long time, the group, covered in foul-smelling wounds, climbed up the ropes one by one.
Although the two groups usually didn't get along, Xia Zeshi and the others did not refuse to help. Ruan Ziji and his group were not ungrateful and thanked Xia Zeshi and the other two generously.
"What happened? Was there a boar's den down there?" Lu Yuqing asked.
"Who knows what happened," Jin Haolin himself hadn't figured out the situation. "We were chasing a deer, and who knew we'd run into wild boars as soon as we went down."
Wiping the blood from his face, he said, "Could it be that we accidentally stumbled into the wild boars' base camp?"
Wild boar blood had splattered all over Jin Haolin's face. Wiping it with his hand was useless, and Jin Haolin felt so nauseated he wished he could just pass out.
Zhu Zhou speculated indifferently, "We did hunt a wild boar earlier, perhaps they came to seek revenge."
All thirty-odd wild boars were slaughtered by them. Zhu Zhou felt, did the reason matter?
Everyone thought it was bad luck, but only Ruan Ziji knew the truth.
From the moment some people first saw others, they had formed the intention to kill them.
They thought they were so capable, yet a group of wild boars looked down on them?
Even if Xia Zeshi and the other two hadn't arrived in time, they wouldn't have fulfilled the wishes of some people and ended up buried in the bellies of wild boars. At most, they would have sustained a few more injuries.
Xia Zeshi and the other two didn't think their timely assistance had saved Ruan Ziji and his group's lives. They were all valued juniors from their respective estates, and the guards accompanying them were also skilled individuals from their estates. Dozens of wild boars in a berserk state were indeed terrifying, but it wasn't difficult for them to escape, it would just mean losing a few more guards.
Ruan Ziji sneered and raised his hand to wipe the bloodstains from the corner of his eye.
Some people were wishful thinking, regarding Young Master Xie as their possession, unable to tolerate them being around Young Master Xie, and wishing to eliminate them!
Ruan Ziji was not to be trifled with either. He now only prayed that some people wouldn't die too soon, it would be a pity to die like this.
It would be better to have their arms and legs chewed off by ferocious beasts, but their eyeballs must be kept intact, so that they could only watch helplessly in the future as he stayed by Young Master Xie's side day and night.
Ruan Ziji's group had sustained some injuries and needed to be moved to a safe place to recuperate.
Xia Zeshi and the other two still wanted to continue hunting. Since they had come out to play, they had to hunt something big.
The two groups parted ways.
By the gently flowing river in the afternoon, the aroma of various grilled meats drifted far away with the wind. Xia Zeshi and the other two returned fully laden.
"Huh? Xie Jiang and they haven't returned yet?"
It was already past the afternoon. Xu Hengyi had initially thought they would be the last to return, especially since lunchtime had passed. However, he found that apart from Nie Tong and a few others who had stayed behind from the start, no one else was in sight.
Nie Tong stood by the barbecue grill, looked up at Xia Zeshi and the other two, and replied while basting with sauce, "Young Marquis Ruan and his group ate their fill and left before you returned."
"They're still not settling down even though they're so injured?" Xu Hengyi jumped off his horse, his stomach rumbling, and walked towards Nie Tong.
Nie Tong gestured for them to take the freshly grilled food themselves. "They're all minor flesh wounds, which don't hinder their archery and riding."
The more seriously injured were a few guards. After their wounds were briefly treated, they were now lying nearby resting.
Xia Zeshi specifically went to take a look. Fortunately, none of the injuries were severe, just that they were not suitable for strenuous activity in the short term.
The accompanying guards unloaded the morning's catch from their horses.
Xu Hengyi ate grilled skewers and asked, "Besides Ruan Ziji and his group, Xie Jiang and the others haven't returned at all?"
"No."
Xu Hengyi was puzzled. "Where did they all go? Apart from Ruan Ziji's group, we haven't encountered anyone else."
Lu Yuqing said, "Could they have gone too far? After all, Marquis Xie has been cooped up for so long, wouldn't he want to vent today?"