All the way, Concubine Mei was sizing up the surrounding forest, looking for a way out.
Si Junlin noticed her actions and only sneered inwardly. How could he not see what this woman was up to? He just didn't bother to care.
"Roar!" A sudden gust of wind blew out of nowhere. The grass beside them rustled, and then a large bright - yellow striped tiger appeared in front of everyone.
This striped tiger was taller than ordinary tigers. Its appearance...
"It's a biao! It's actually a biao! Everyone, run!" Even the soldiers who had seen countless battles on the battlefield showed fear in their eyes when they saw this striped tiger.
This was the legendary biao that might not appear even among a thousand striped tigers. It was stronger than ordinary tigers in both size and strength. They ordinary people were no match for it.
Concubine Mei was both scared and delighted at this moment. She was scared because they had encountered a biao, and delighted because she could find an excuse to run away.
The crowd scattered and fled. Concubine Mei rode her horse through the crowd.
"Stop! All of you stop for this princess!" Si Junlin shouted several times, but the people around him were only focused on running for their lives and ignored him.
It wasn't their fault, because even the horse Si Junlin was riding was trembling. If Si Junlin hadn't been pulling on the reins, the horse might have collapsed on the ground.
The striped tiger roared again. The horse under Si Junlin's feet couldn't hold on any longer and knelt directly on the ground.
Si Junlin's body rolled uncontrollably onto the ground.
"Roar!" Another roar. Instead of chasing the running horses, this biao stared intently at Si Junlin who had fallen on the ground.
A solemn look appeared in Si Junlin's eyes. He slowly took out his bow and arrow and aimed at the striped tiger.
"Roar!" Another roar. The striped tiger leaped into the air and rushed towards Si Junlin with its mouth wide open.
The arrow in Si Junlin's hand was also released at this moment.
The arrow whistled as it entered through the striped tiger's scarlet mouth and then pierced out from the back of its neck. Scarlet blood splashed everywhere.
The striped tiger, using the last bit of its strength before death, slapped heavily, directly shattering Si Junlin's shoulder. Its body then fell on top of Si Junlin.
"Ugh!" Si Junlin groaned. He had never been so seriously injured since he was born. He felt his vision go black and his body sway. He almost fainted.
He picked up the bow and arrow on the ground and gritted his teeth as he stood up from the ground.
The horse was nowhere to be seen. He could only walk step by step along the path they had come.
He hadn't walked far when he finally couldn't bear it anymore and fainted on the ground.
Su Wan'er had returned at noon on the pretext of being unwell.
She didn't know why, but as noon approached, she felt her heart pounding wildly, as if something bad was about to happen.
She had to hurry back to the camp.
Looking around, she didn't see Si Junlin's figure. The bad feeling in her heart grew stronger.
She turned to General Yu at the hunting ground and asked, "Where's the queen?"
General Yu was also stunned. He turned around and called over a few soldiers who had accompanied the queen in.
After asking, they learned that they had encountered a biao in the forest. These were all green recruits. When they encountered danger, they only ran. As for where the queen had gone, they knew nothing.
Seeing Su Wan'er's increasingly gloomy expression, General Yu couldn't help scolding them, "You useless fools! Hurry up and look for her! If anything happens to the queen, even if your nine - generation families are exterminated, you won't be able to bear the responsibility."
He just hoped that this could alleviate the emperor's anger.
The soldiers agreed and began to search one after another. General Yu also came to Su Wan'er's side and reported to her, "Your Majesty, Concubine Mei has also returned with the soldiers. Maybe she has some clues about the queen?"
Su Wan'er flung her sleeve and walked directly towards Concubine Mei's tent.
Hearing that the emperor was coming, Concubine Mei immediately put on a look of being frightened.
When Su Wan'er entered, she saw Concubine Mei looking frightened and staring blankly at the door.
Concubine Mei's personal maid bowed to Su Wan'er and said, "Greetings to Your Majesty. Since Concubine Mei came back, she has looked frightened. She hasn't said a word or made a move until now. Please forgive her, Your Majesty."
A cold sneer appeared on Su Wan'er's lips. She slowly walked to the bedside and grabbed Concubine Mei's collar, "Concubine Mei, it's not interesting to act at this time, is it?"
Concubine Mei's heart skipped a beat. But since she had already started acting, it would be considered an act of deceiving the emperor if she stopped now.
Su Wan'er cared about her own body. Seeing that Concubine Mei still wanted to act stupid at this time, she became even more angry.
A cold smile appeared on her lips, "Fine, very good. Concubine Mei wants to act to the end, right? Then I'll grant your wish."
"Come here!" Immediately, several imperial guards entered from outside the door.
Su Wan'er directly ordered, "Since Concubine Mei likes to act stupid so much, let her act to her heart's content in the cold palace."
After saying that, she flung her sleeve and walked out.
Only then did Concubine Mei realize that Su Wan'er was serious. She quickly got out of bed and wanted to chase after her, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Unfortunately, by this time, Su Wan'er had already mounted her horse and, guided by the soldiers, quickly headed towards the forest.
Si Junlin opened his eyes and found that the sky was gradually getting dark. His shoulder had lost all sensation, and his whole body had become weak due to excessive blood loss.
"Ugh!" He gritted his teeth and sat up from the ground, leaning against a tree trunk beside him.
He didn't know if Concubine Mei and the others had already returned to the camp at this time, but he was sure that Su Wan'er would come to find him. He just didn't know how long he would have to wait.
"Neigh!" A horse's whinny, accompanied by a rush of hoofbeats.
"Si Junlin!" A familiar voice directly penetrated his ears, making his somewhat sluggish spirit immediately clear up.
"I'm here!" Si Junlin shouted back loudly.
Against the backdrop of the setting sun, Su Wan'er rode a jet - black horse and stopped in front of him.
"Are you okay?" Su Wan'er immediately dismounted and quickly came to his side.
Si Junlin shook his head, "I'm fine. I... Ouch!" In his excitement, he pulled on his wound again.
Su Wan'er reached out and rubbed his scab - covered shoulder, causing him to suck in a breath of cold air again.