He Chan spread her hands. "What do you think? He Nanfeng is still bedridden. Everyone thinks it's because my father was too brutal. Lu Wanning, you've gotten all the good things. Why?"
"Jiang Shishi is getting better thanks to my cousin. Since my cousin could make her better, she could also make her worse."
"You're threatening me?"
He Chan sat on her horse, looking down at Lu Wanning. "If you insist on calling it a threat, so be it. Lu Wanning, you're the person I hate the most in the entire capital. I was too young to compete with you before, but now that I've grown up and practiced equestrianism diligently, there's no way I'll lose to you again."
It was just a race, and Lu Wanning wasn't afraid. But given He Chan's personality, she shouldn't have said something like making Jiang Shishi's condition worse. It was probably instigated by Shi Aohan. Whenever Shi Aohan was involved, Lu Wanning had to be on guard.
"Another day. I'm not feeling well today."
"Today," He Chan said stubbornly. "I won't wait. Most of the noble ladies in the capital are at the racetrack today, but Jiang Shishi isn't here, right? She was supposed to go to the bookstore in the east of the city today."
Lu Wanning's eyes widened slightly, and anger welled up in her heart. Jiang Shishi wasn't there, and neither was Shi Aohan. Shi Aohan, a talented woman, could do everything except ride a horse. How could a delicate woman know how to ride a horse and shoot arrows?
So Shi Aohan must be looking for a way to deal with Jiang Shishi!
Without hesitation, Lu Wanning whipped her horse and said, "Let's go to the racetrack."
But He Chan shook her head. "When I said a race, I didn't mean an equestrian competition. Your equestrian skills are the best in the capital. I might not be able to beat you even if I practice for a few more years."
"Then what do you want to do?"
He Chan said, "We'll race for speed, but not on the racetrack. We'll race in the hunting ground. It's more than two hundred feet from here to the other side of the hunting ground. Whoever gets there first wins. How about it?"
Lu Wanning looked at her warily. The racetrack was spacious and crowded. Even if something happened, it could be dealt with in time. The hunting ground wasn't anything special, but the dense forest made it inconvenient to ride a horse, and it was easy to waste time. He Chan must have already set up the route and was just waiting for her to lose.
"No problem, but let's first talk about what will happen if we win or lose."
He Chan chuckled lightly. "Don't worry. I've never been able to beat you, and I don't think I can this time either. But there has to be a prize. If you lose, Lu Wanning, I want the amulet you've always worn around your neck."
Lu Wanning subconsciously reached for the amulet around her neck. It was said that after she was born, the Empress Dowager went to the Wanfo Temple herself and asked a high - ranking monk to pray for it for her. In the book, Fu Rongxuan was once ordered by the crown prince to inspect a dangerous place, and the original owner gave the amulet to him.
She didn't know if that was the reason, but after that, the original owner's tragic fate began.
Of course, Lu Wanning believed that people determined their own fates, and the amulet mainly had a psychological effect. "Okay. What if you lose?"
Hearing Lu Wanning's agreement, He Chan didn't show any excitement. She just said, "If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me!"
Ready to face death?
Lu Wanning was surprised. He Chan was acting strangely today. This girl was usually as hot - tempered as a firecracker, but today she was so calm. And the coldness in her eyes seemed to carry a hint of despair and fear.
Fear of what? Fear of losing? He Chan didn't seem like someone who was afraid of losing. She was more likely afraid of death.
Death? Did He Chan think that if she lost today, Lu Wanning would kill her?
Actually, He Chan's situation wasn't good. There had been a lot of rumors about what happened at the Qin family. Although the He and Fu families said that Fu Rongli had taken the blame for theft, as a girl, He Chan had still suffered a lot of contempt.
She didn't know why, but many rumors said that He Chan might have had some kind of relationship with Fu Rongli. After all, her cousin Shi Aohan was such a shameless woman.
Before she could figure it out, He Chan had already turned around and pointed to a tree not far away. "Let's go. We'll start from there."
Just as Lu Wanning was about to go, the Crown Prince of Jia stopped her.
"Boss, is it okay?"
Lu Wanning looked back at him, smiled lightly, and patted his head reassuringly. "It's okay. Do you want to come with us? As long as you don't disturb us."
He Chan immediately said, "No. I don't want anyone following. It's just you and me."
The Crown Prince of Jia disagreed. "How can that be? Are you trying to play dirty?"
He Chan looked at him contemptuously. "Me, play dirty? Can I beat her? She even has a saber on her waist. I'm not as barbaric as she is."
Ignoring them, she spurred her horse towards the agreed - upon location.
Lu Wanning was suspicious. She didn't dare to let the Crown Prince of Jia leave. She just whispered, "Don't follow too closely, but find some servants to follow from a distance. If anything happens to either me or her, they should help immediately."
The Crown Prince of Jia was confused. "What could happen to her?"
Lu Wanning sneered. "Just in case. It's not the first or second time she's tried to frame me at the risk of her own safety. I don't mind if she wants to be a scheming girl, as long as she doesn't get in my way."
The Crown Prince of Jia was very obedient and immediately ordered the servants to make arrangements.
Lu Wanning came to He Chan's side. Seeing her calm face and not caring about the Crown Prince of Jia's actions at all, she was even more curious. What on earth was He Chan up to today?
He Chan seemed to be in the mood for the race. She shouted "start" and galloped away. Lu Wanning followed at a leisurely pace. Wherever He Chan turned, she followed, not even thinking about taking a shortcut.
Actually, the result of the race could be predicted from the start. Even though He Chan was going all out, she was only less than a foot ahead of the calm Lu Wanning.
This one - foot lead was left by Lu Wanning, who was afraid that He Chan might suddenly go crazy and rein in her horse to collide with her.
In the dense forest ahead, every now and then, there were young men hunting. Most of these young men were young, and the beasts were mostly non - aggressive. The older men wouldn't bother coming here.
All the way to the edge of the dense forest, the tall fence could be seen in the distance. He Chan didn't slow down. Instead, she whipped her horse and galloped forward, as if she was determined to be the first.
Lu Wanning also whipped her horse and followed. There were not many trees here, so it was the most suitable place to accelerate if she wanted to overtake He Chan.
But she was always a bit surprised. Was He Chan doing this on purpose? If she overtook He Chan now, what was waiting for her ahead?
A simple race? She didn't believe it.
Lu Wanning caught up with He Chan, reducing the distance from one foot to half a foot. He Chan's speed was getting faster and faster, and Lu Wanning's speed was also increasing, but she didn't go any faster or overtake He Chan.
When turning the corner, Lu Wanning looked up and saw a big gap in the fence.
So this was where they were waiting for her.
Lu Wanning sneered. If she had used all her strength to overtake He Chan just now, she wouldn't have been able to rein in her horse in time. The inertia would have made the horse rush forward and taken her crashing through the fence with the gap.
What was waiting for her on the other side of the fence was, of course, a high cliff.
But He Chan showed no sign of slowing down. Her horse seemed out of control and kept charging forward.
What was going on? Was the horse out of control?
"He Chan, rein in your horse! He Chan, can you hear me!" Lu Wanning shouted desperately, but there was no response from He Chan. The horse charged straight towards the fence.