Xiang An rode his old yellow horse out of the forest and reached the riverbank. The deer was already lying on the ground, blood spilling from its mouth.
"Heh heh, just like I said." Xiang An swung down from his horse and walked toward the deer, which still had one breath left in it. "Deer are nice and fat this season!"
"Hm?" Pulling out his dagger and slicing open the deer's throat, Xiang An noticed something else.
He crouched down and gently brushed one hand over the patch of dry mud, sinking into thought.
They were hoofprints.
"Oh, Xiang An's back." Xiang Lu was searching for prey. In that short while, two more animals had been added to his horse.
They were not large game, though. Aside from the muntjac and rabbit he had caught earlier, he had caught another rabbit and a little savage critter?
Calling it a little savage critter was a little inappropriate now. The squirrel had clearly been shot in the head. Given a squirrel's size, its head had practically exploded, leaving it dripping with blood.
"Fourth Uncle, why did you hunt that thing?" Xiang An really wanted to make a snarky comment, but he did not know where to begin.
"Uh, it was just a coincidence." Xiang Lu awkwardly waved a hand. "I didn't mean to hunt it. It's too small, and there's hardly enough meat to eat, but... well, anyway, it was already dead. We couldn't just waste it."
"...As long as you're happy." Xiang An rolled his eyes and turned to leave.
While Xiang An and the others hunted in the woods near the Huai River, a young man and woman were sparring in the Xiang residence's training yard.
"Hey—" Zi Juan gave a light shout and thrust her spear toward Xiang Jing's