116 Possession (one more update)

Now Wei Jiaoniang has lost interest in hunting and is absent-minded. She lets the horse walk forward on its own while she keeps practicing with her fingers on her left palm.
She couldn't figure out why, she couldn't draw it in one stroke, the strokes of the seal characters would always accidentally break at some point.
Wei Jiaoniang was not discouraged, she continued to practice repeatedly, over and over, over and over again...
She didn't even know how many times she had practiced, but she gradually felt that her brushstrokes for drawing talismans were becoming more and more fluent, and she was becoming more and more skilled.
Just a little bit more...
It took her more than an hour to do this tiny bit.
She didn't know how far she had walked, but she could faintly hear the clear sound of a spring in front of her. However, Wei Jiaoniang was completely unaware, her index finger drawing on her left palm for the 101st time, and she finished with the last stroke at the base of her palm.
In an instant, she had a sudden realization as if a voice in her heart said, "This time it will work."
Indeed!
Her palm lit up faintly, and in the next moment, a small cut on her fingertip, just caused by a tree branch, healed itself.
Wow! Amazing!
Weijiao Niang looked incredulously at the fingertip of her left hand.
The skin of the fingertip was intact, tender, and smooth, as if the three-inch-long scratch that had existed before had never happened.
"Yan Fei, I did it!"
"Quick, look, I did it!"
Wei Jiaoniang exclaimed excitedly, as if she had obtained some precious treasure.
"Jiaoniang, why are you so happy?" Lu Qin and the others heard the sound and came over. From afar, even before they arrived, their voices had preceded them, "Did you hunt down some fierce beast?"
"..." Wei Jiaoniang froze for a moment.
She had been busy learning how to draw talismans all the way, but apart from the first mountain chicken and a badger she hunted, she didn't catch any other prey.
Therefore, from the moment she met Lu Qin and others, until the group left the hunting ground together, along the way, Wei Jiaoniang received many caring glances and inquiries.
"Huh? Jiaoniang, did you only catch these two?"
"Jiaoniang, you had bad luck today, didn't you?"
"Were you just taking a nap in the mountains?"
“……”
Outside the hunting ground, acquaintances came to talk to Wei Jiaoniang one after another, and in no time, she was surrounded by seven or eight people.
Many people are puzzled by the meager harvest of Wei Jiaoniang this time.
They have known each other for many years and have come to winter hunt with Wei Jiaoniang every year. Wei Jiaoniang has inherited some of her ancestors' skills and her harvest is always among the best.
"No, no, I think it's the mountain game fleeing in panic, all scared of the delicate maiden..." a petite girl in green clothes said playfully, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Young boys and girls in the countryside are all familiar with each other and often come out to play. Therefore, they speak without any scruples, teasing Wei Jiaoniang. The sound of hearty and cheerful laughter echoes in the air.
The sun was high in the sky in the afternoon, shining directly overhead. People were coming and going around, and many had already left the hunting ground before Gu Yanfei and her companions. They grouped together in twos and threes, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.
In the face of everyone's mockery, Jiaoniang Wei didn't care and smiled gracefully, saying, "I'm giving you all a chance."
As she spoke, she quietly hooked her little finger with Yanfei Gu's little finger, meaning that this was their little secret.
Lagou stays hanging, not allowed to change for a hundred years.
Gu Yanfei, besides pinching the paws of his own cat, hasn't had such childish behavior for a long, long time. It feels extremely fun.
She gently hooked Wei Jiaoniang's little finger, meaning that they agreed.
Wei Jiaoniang looked around in a circle, and half of the sheds around were empty. The noble ladies of those prominent families were gone, leaving only a few servants cleaning up something.
Weijiaoniang didn't pay much attention and casually asked a few friends, "Has anyone hunted any powerful beasts?"
Lvqin's fourth brother, Lu Si, immediately revealed a mysterious smile and said slowly, "Not yet."
"What does that mean?" Lu Qin grabbed Lu Si's sleeve and urged, "Don't keep me in suspense."
"I heard someone found the tiger," Lu Si said with a smile.
Tiger?! Gu Yanfei, who was feeding the horse with sugar, also became interested when he heard the sound.
Wei Jiaoniang and others also became excited, their eyes shining like lit lanterns.
Ru Si felt quite satisfied with the effect and took the tea brought by his younger sister Lu Qin. Then he slowly said, "Several Royal Guards who were exploring the hunting ground near the foot of Wufeng Mountain found a tiger by a river. After hearing about it, many people went there, some wanting to hunt the tiger, others wanting to watch."
韦娇娘若有所思，又朝庾朝云他们的棚子看了一眼，下巴往那边顶了顶，问道：“他们几个也跟去看热闹了？”
“是啊，他们一炷香前就进林子去了。”路似点点头，“我要不是为了等你们，早就跟过去看热闹了。”
When it came to the end, Lu Shi couldn't help but complain about them.
"Hah," Lu Qin didn't conceal her contempt, mocking, "They are even afraid of dirtying their shoes while walking, aren't they afraid of fleas from tigers jumping on them?"
With that, she couldn't help but burst into laughter, causing everyone else to laugh uncontrollably.
After laughing for a while, Wei Jiaoniang sighed and said, "I never expected there to be tigers in the hunting ground."
Although they had agreed before the winter hunt began that the victory would be in hunting tigers and wolves, in reality, this area belongs to the hunting grounds of Shanglin Court, where the Emperor occasionally visits. In order to ensure the Emperor's safety, those fierce beasts have long been driven deep into the mountains. The Imperial Army also comes regularly to sweep the hunting grounds, so there are basically no fierce beasts. Nobody expected that a tiger would actually appear.
"Let's go and have a look too," Wei Jiaoniang proposed excitedly. "I should know the river you mentioned."
She has hunted eagles, wolves, and wild boars, but she hasn't hunted tigers and bears and other fierce beasts yet!
"This is necessary," Lu Qin agreed, and before the words had even left her mouth, she had already leapt onto her horse.
The group had just left the mountains when they changed direction again and headed back towards the hunting ground.
A few horses galloped out like the wind, their hooves flying and stirring up dust and grass.
Along the way, their conversation revolved around the fierce tiger:
"Brother Lu, do you know how big that tiger is? What does it look like?"
"Where did it come from? I heard that there haven't been any tigers around here for years."
"I wonder if we'll have time to go over there and see if we can find anything..."
Ru seemed to relish in the feeling of being the center of attention, meticulously selecting her answers to the crowd's questions.
For those he didn't know about, Road directly skipped over, only answering those he knew, saying that the tiger didn't know how it came to a nearby village, not only stealing and eating chickens, but also biting to death a child and injuring several adults.
Villagers chased the fierce tiger with hoes, but it escaped into the forest. This forest is the royal hunting ground, so the villagers naturally dare not continue to pursue and can only give up.
Lou Si said, "The tiger injured someone, and after receiving the news, the eldest prince personally led people into the woods."
Gu Yanfei and his group entered the mountains and immediately felt that the atmosphere had changed.
Every now and then, they would see some tall, strong and dignified soldiers patrolling in the woods. There are also others who heard that there are fierce tigers roaming around and are heading towards Wufeng Mountain.
Gu Yanfei also learned more information from these people, saying that King Kang Chu You and the Hundred Miles of Yin from Yue State also went to the foot of Wufeng Mountain, and they said that Hundred Miles of Yin was determined to win that fierce tiger.
Weijiaoniang became anxious, afraid that they would be late and miss the excitement, so she increased the speed of the horse a little bit.
With her leading the way, everyone arrived at the destination after burning an incense stick.
"Go down further ahead, and you will find the foot of the Wufeng Mountain. There is a river there," Weijiaoniang pointed southeast confidently.
"Awoo!"
As if in response to her, there came a fierce roar from ahead, filled with a murderous intent, causing even the surrounding air to tremble for a moment.
This was the intimidating power emanating from the King of Beasts.
Lu Qin's eyes lit up and said, "We made it in time to join the fun..."
"Master Yi," came Bai Li Yin's sharp and assertive voice from up ahead, "this tiger has a fierce look in its eyes, surely it has just eaten a human."
Immediately, Chu Yi's warm and gentle voice sounded like the clash of jade stones: "The Third Prince of Baitian is truly perceptive."
"Hahaha!" Bai Li Yin let out a proud laugh from his throat, "I have been hunting with the saint since I was six years old. I have heard and seen a lot."
Gou Yanfei, Wei Jiaoniang, and others immediately went to find out the source of the sound.
They passed through a dense thicket and saw a crowd of people not far ahead. Standing in front of the crowd were Chu Yi and Bai Li Yin, two young men with different temperaments. They were each riding a tall and mighty horse, one gentle and the other arrogant.
King Kang, Chu You, rode a black horse standing to the left and behind of Chu Yi, seemingly observing and contemplating.
Meanwhile, those noble sons of prominent families all looked down eagerly at the foot of the mountain ahead, rubbing their hands in anticipation.
They have been in the hunting ground for half an hour and finally found this fierce tiger, following its tracks in the mountains and forests.
"Awoo!"
About sixty yards away, a tall and majestic tiger paced back and forth by a small river at the foot of the mountain, issuing a deafening roar as a display of power.
Everyone stood on the hillside, occupying the advantageous position, overlooking the fierce tiger below.
It was a white tiger, pure white all over, with a huge body. When it opened its mouth and roared, its large white teeth were revealed chillingly.
The sharp teeth were still stained with some flesh and blood.
A circle with a diameter of a hundred feet had formed around the white tiger. The imperial army and the Imperial Guards, armed with swords or bows, were all completely focused and vigilant. They neither dared to get too close nor let their guard down, lest this ferocious tiger escape.
"Young Master Yi," the playful voice of Bai Liyin sounded again from ahead, filled with a hint of confidence, jest, and provocation, "Not only is this prince's vision accurate, but his aim is as well. Do you dare to challenge me?"