Chapter 54: Ah-Gou

Song Pu broke off his conversation with Cao Xi and set out with Xie Nuoyu and Chang Jiangming to look for prey.

He had absolutely no experience in hunting. All his prior practice had been with fixed targets, never moving ones, so the difficulty for him was on an entirely different level.

Still, he had watched a few episodes of Bear Grylls’ survival programmes and knew that animals often gathered near water. With that in mind, he led the others towards a stream.

Fortune seemed to favour them. A young deer stood there, head lowered as it drank.

Song Pu raised his bow and nocked an arrow… then hesitated. After a moment, he lowered it again.

Chang Jiangming whispered, “What are you doing?”

“It’s rather cute…”

“…Cute or not, if you don’t shoot it, we’ll lose.”

His voice trembled slightly at the mere thought of defeat.

After a pause, Song Pu said, “Then let’s not shoot. We can set traps instead.”

Chang Jiangming stared at him as though he were mad. “Have you lost your wits? We don’t have time for that!”

“It won’t take long.”

There were lines he simply could not cross. Once crossed, he would truly become part of this cruel world. Deep down, he still thought of himself as a law-abiding citizen of another life. Back there, these animals would be protected species. He simply could not bring himself to kill them.

Chang Jiangming still looked unconvinced, but Xie Nuoyu nodded. “You’ve never done it before. It’s understandable. You and Jiangming set the traps. I’ll use the bow.”

Song Pu agreed.

In truth, hunting was no simple matter. The animals in these deep forests, though unfamiliar with humans, were part of a complete ecosystem and were keenly alert. The slightest disturbance would send them fleeing. None of them were particularly skilled, and wandering aimlessly would only guarantee defeat against Tantai Yi.

“His Majesty’s eyesight is exceptional,” Xie Nuoyu added. “With that Sun-Shooting Bow, he can strike prey from a hundred zhang away. We have no real advantage. At best, we have numbers.”

They had already wasted time. Without further talk, they split up.

Xie Nuoyu headed south. Song Pu had Chang Jiangming fetch nets, ropes, a hoe, and bait.

Though often called delicate, Song Pu still possessed a man’s strength. Digging pits was no difficulty.

He dug them deep, shaping the sides into smooth curves so that anything that fell in would struggle to climb out. He covered them with dry grass, then laid bait on top… fresh meat, grains wrapped in leaves, even pastries.

The traps were, all things considered, quite well made.

Chang Jiangming set snares alongside his own pit. The whole process took just over an hour.

Only then did they take up their bows, intending to drive animals towards the traps.

As Song Pu turned his head, he froze.

The same little deer stood there again.

It seemed unafraid, gazing at him quietly. He could see its eyes clearly. They were dark, bright, almost luminous, fringed with long lashes.

Such a delicate creature. How could he shoot it?

His heart softened at once.

Just as he lowered his bow, a sharp whistle split the air.

An arrow flew into view and pierced the deer’s hind leg.

The deer cried out, trying to rise, but the arrow had driven so deep it pinned the leg to the ground. It could not stand.

Song Pu let out a short cry and turned sharply.

As expected, it was Tantai Yi.

Riding at an unhurried pace, he came to a stop before Song Pu and looked down at him. “That deer is mine now.”

Song Pu glanced back at the animal, anger rising in his chest. “…Why is Your Majesty here?”

“Where there are beasts, there am I,” Tantai Yi replied coolly.

Song Pu walked over, gripped the arrow, and pulled it free with effort.

Tantai Yi narrowed his eyes. “Are you trying to steal my prey?”

“How would I dare.”

A mocking smile curved Tantai Yi’s lips. “Three half hours, and not a single catch. Aside from that clever tongue of yours, what else do you have to offer?”

“…I am dull,” Song Pu said, anger evident now. “I have nothing to offer. I cannot win this contest. Your Majesty may punish me as you please. I will not protest.”

The mockery on Tantai Yi’s face stiffened slightly.

“Do you even know how I intend to punish you?” he said. “If you did, would you still speak so meekly?”

“Your Majesty will only beat or punish me,” Song Pu replied. “I fear pain, but whatever Your Majesty grants, I will accept. I only hope that in my next life I may still serve at Your Majesty’s side.”

The words were sharp, and they struck home.

Tantai Yi’s expression darkened, a chill settling over him.

Neither spoke again.

Song Pu simply tore a strip of cloth and bound the deer’s injured leg.

Tantai Yi watched coldly. “It is only a beast, yet you pity it so.”

Even he did not understand his own emotions. Only that something in Song Pu’s behaviour left him unsettled.

He would show kindness to a beast, yet not to him? How dared he treat him so?

Tantai Yi raised his bow and drew an arrow. “That is my prey.”

Only then did Song Pu speak again, tension in his voice. “It cannot stand. Your Majesty might as well spare it. It is still young, its fur not yet grown. You would not eat it. To kill it needlessly would go against the natural order.”

“You plead for it?” Tantai Yi said, displeasure and ridicule mingling. “You will speak for a beast, yet when I ask you to speak, you fall silent?”

Song Pu could no longer hold back. “Since Your Majesty has no need of me, why be angered with me at all? If I were to harm Your Majesty’s health, I could not atone even in death.”

The words were respectful in form, yet stubborn at their core.

Tantai Yi laughed in anger. “Outrageous. Your boldness grows by the day. Is this how Duke Song taught you to speak to me? Do you truly think I would not punish you?”

Song Pu’s eyes stung. Embarrassed, he lowered his head, wiping away tears under the guise of brushing sweat aside.

“Your Majesty is the ruler of all under heaven. I am but insignificant. Aside from my family and a glib tongue, I have nothing of worth. If Your Majesty grows weary of me, it is only natural. I ask only to be released, in consideration of my service. I will never enter officialdom again, so that Your Majesty need not see me.”

“If Your Majesty wishes to punish me, then let it be this. It is punishment enough. I will regret it all my life.”

Tantai Yi’s smile vanished. He dismounted and strode over, gripping Song Pu’s chin and forcing his face up.

“Open your eyes,” he said coldly. “Look at me.”

Song Pu had no choice but to comply.

His eyes were still wet, the rims flushed red, his lashes damp and clinging together.

Tantai Yi’s tone softened abruptly. “Outrageous… how dare you say such things. You truly mean to anger me to death.”

There was frustration in his voice, but also something else. Something almost helpless.

He wiped the moisture from Song Pu’s eyes, then held his face, gazing down at him.

The intensity of that gaze made Song Pu feel faint.

“You may not be the cleverest,” Tantai Yi said more quietly, “but you are not without wit. I have taken you for a confidant. Why, at a moment like this, do you become so blunt and obstinate? You grow more like Li Zongyi by the day. Had you spoken a few soft words, how could I have blamed you?”

A faint smile touched his lips.

“That mouth of yours… when it should not be used, it knows no restraint. When it should be used, it says only what angers me. And yet you expect me to grant your wish?”

His voice lowered.

“You want me to punish you and send you away. I refuse.”

“I want you by my side in this life, the next, and the one after. Those were your own words. Do you mean to take them back?”

For reasons he could not explain, Song Pu’s heart began to race, a dizzy warmth rising within him.