"Something else?" The emperor frowned at him. "You mean the third prince and those people all died under the claws of that wild beast?"
Thinking this way, the emperor frowned and looked at Lord Zhang. Generally, it was Lord Zhang who took care of matters in the royal hunting ground.
"Well..." Reminded by Gu Ruobai, Lord Zhang suddenly remembered something. "Lately, there have indeed been some corpses with their bellies ripped open found in the hunting ground."
"But everyone thought it was caused by the fierce beasts released by Your Majesty... so we didn't think much about it... But now that I think about it carefully, there seem to be too many such corpses?"
Hearing what Lord Zhang said, everyone present grew tense.
The emperor's face was so gloomy that it seemed to drip water. Those who participated in the autumn hunt today were all the sons of officials in the court, and they could be said to be the future vital force of the entire court.
If those who hadn't returned were all massacred by that wild beast in the forest, it would truly be a big problem.
For a moment, the whole venue was in an uproar. Everyone was extremely panicked. Even some strong - bodied people stood up and wanted to go into the mountain to look for their sons.
The emperor also realized the seriousness of the matter. He waved his hand. "Come! Gather my imperial guards and go into the mountain to search for people!"
The venue was in chaos. The brave ones wanted to go and have a look, while the timid ones, although they didn't dare to go, looked very nervous.
Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly let out a scream. Then everyone's eyes followed the direction pointed by that person. They saw a horse and two people slowly walking out from the edge of the forest.
When everyone saw clearly who the two people were, they couldn't help but be stunned. Especially when they saw what was on the horse, they were so surprised that they couldn't close their mouths.
"Su... Su Mingyu! And Tuoba Wuyi!"
"What's that tied behind their horse? It's so black?"
Someone's surprised voice almost drowned out everyone's whispers. "It's actually a black bear!"
"Ah!"
"A black bear?"
"Why is there a black bear here?"
"On the horseback, there seems to be a person. Is it the third prince?"
Everyone started to ask questions again. Only Gu Ruobai, almost without thinking, wheeled his wheelchair to Su Mingyu.
He nervously sized Su Mingyu up and down. After finding that she wasn't injured, Gu Ruobai let out a sigh of relief. "You encountered a black bear?"
Su Mingyu nodded, then whispered in Gu Ruobai's ear. "You only told me that fierce beasts would be released, but you didn't tell me there would be a black bear. That's too cruel, isn't it?"
Seeing her frightened look, a wave of pity welled up in Gu Ruobai's heart. He reached out and held Su Mingyu's hand. "I'm sorry. I made you take risks."
Su Mingyu grinned at him. "It's okay. Tuoba Wuyi had it worse than me."
Following Su Mingyu's gaze, Gu Ruobai finally saw that there wasn't a single intact piece of clothing on Tuoba Wuyi's body. His embarrassed appearance clearly showed that he had been through a fierce battle.
Noticing Gu Ruobai's gaze, Tuoba Wuyi met his eyes and nodded as a greeting.
Tuoba Wuyi carried Yelv Yanqi off the horseback, then came to the khan with a solemn look on his face. "Khan! Tuoba Wuyi is ashamed for failing to live up to the khan's trust. I couldn't protect the third prince well. Although I managed to save his life, his hand was severed and it's probably impossible to reattach it."
The khan quickly reached out to help him up, his face full of relief. "When encountering such a fierce beast, it's understandable that you were helpless."
"Moreover, Yelv Yanqi was able to survive only because you fought with the black bear. In this regard, we should thank you. It was you who saved him."
After saying this, the khan glanced at the King of Yu with a haughty look. "Your Majesty, King of Yu, may I ask which one is more ferocious, the black bear or the tiger?"
The King of Yu clenched his fists tightly. He had planned for so long for this perfect appearance, but it was all ruined by a black bear.
The emperor's face wasn't much better either. He had just teased the khan, but now this man not only regained his face but also showed off.
Seeing that they didn't say a word, the khan laughed out loud and pulled Tuoba Wuyi up. "This time, you not only saved the king but also won this competition. By the way, you also saved this young lady. After we return to Mongolia, I will surely reward you handsomely."
He said this very loudly, and almost everyone in the venue could hear it. Those who had been happy for the King of Yu just now immediately fell silent.
Especially the King of Yu. His face was as gloomy as ten - thousand - year - old black iron, and his narrow eyes were full of restraint.
However, unlike the happy khan, Tuoba Wuyi's face had never been very good.
He frowned tightly. After a long time, his knees went weak and he knelt down again.
The khan was a bit confused by his actions. "What are you doing? You've made great contributions today. You don't need to kneel anymore."
Tuoba Wuyi took a deep breath, then hung his head low, as if extremely unwilling. "My khan, actually... it was Miss Su Mingyu who saved me... and she was the one who hunted down the black bear..."
"What!" The khan was so shocked that his beard almost stood on end. "Tuoba Wuyi, I won't blame you for failing to protect the third prince, so you don't have to blame yourself for this and give your credit to others."
Tuoba Wuyi still hung his head low, but his voice was firm. "My khan, it was really Miss Su Mingyu who saved me..."
"When I encountered this black bear, it had already bitten off the third prince's arm. I was eager to save the third prince, so I fought with the black bear."
"But in the end, I was no match for the black bear. Just when I was about to be killed by it, Miss Su Mingyu, who had rescued the third prince, appeared."
"It was her accurate archery skills that hit the black bear right in the middle of its forehead and killed it."
As soon as Tuoba Wuyi said this, everyone's eyes in the venue were fixed on Su Mingyu.
Some were curious, some were surprised, some were completely incredulous, and some were contemptuous.
The emperor gave a look to Lord Zhang beside him. Lord Zhang immediately understood and started to clap his hands. "Miss Su is really a heroine who outshines men! She has such skills. She's truly amazing. And she even saved the third prince without bearing a grudge."
The last sentence was obviously meant for the khan.
Following Lord Zhang's applause, the people below also started to clap.
Even the King of Yu couldn't help but cast a suspicious look.
Listening to the thunderous applause in her ears, the khan's face was as gloomy as water. "I don't believe it! Look at the three arrows in the black bear's forehead. They all hit exactly the same spot. How could a woman have such good skills?"