Yu Mingyue knew she wasn't enough on her own and didn't want to trouble others by going into the deep mountains.
Moreover, the Seventh Prince was there, and she didn't want to encounter him.
The snow had just cleared today, and not only were they out hunting, but the small beasts in the mountains had also crawled out of their dens to forage.
She followed the tracks of the small beasts, walking along the nearby branching paths.
Everyone else was hunting large beasts, and no one cared about these small ones, which allowed her to pick up a bargain.
Because she found many footprints, some of which led directly to their dens.
As expected, Yu Mingyue discovered a den of badgers. Zhu Yu and Dang Kang, afraid of harming Yu Mingyue, quickly blocked her path.
Yu Mingyue told them to move aside, drew her bow, and shot an arrow. A whole den of badgers was thus captured.
Yu Mingyue smiled, her eyes curving. These catches alone were enough for her to brag about.
Continuing forward, she suddenly saw a white shadow flash before her eyes, moving incredibly fast. Yu Mingyue didn't even have time to see what it was. m..oΓg
"Miss, it looks like a fox," Zhu Yu said excitedly. It ran so quickly, it must have been fleeing for its life to this place.
"Is it really a fox? It seems we're going to strike it rich," Yu Mingyue's eyes lit up.
Although it was a fleeting glimpse, the fox was pure white, almost blending into the snow. Such fine fur would be perfect for a scarf for her mother.
"You all wait here, Zhu Yu and I will go ahead," Yu Mingyue said.
This was to avoid scaring the little fox away with too many people.
Chi Dan nodded eagerly, afraid of startling the fox, and lowered her voice, "Miss, you can do it!"
Yu Mingyue and Zhu Yu quietly followed the tracks forward and finally found the fox's trace.
The fox was indeed cunning, even knowing to use the snow to conceal itself.
Yu Mingyue stopped, made a shushing gesture, and had no intention of getting closer. This distance was within her range.
She took out an arrow, drew her bow, found the angle, and aimed for the fox's hind leg.
The fox was agile and noticed Yu Mingyue. It leaped, and Yu Mingyue's arrow missed.
She quickly nocked a second arrow. As she shot it, another arrow suddenly flew from the opposite direction, hitting the fox's right hind leg before hers.
Yu Mingyue felt a pang of regret. She had been chasing this fox for so long, only to have someone else snatch it away.
Just as she was about to see who it was, she looked up and saw a figure in green partially hidden behind a tree, a fair and slender hand still in the posture of having just drawn a bow.
Without needing to see his face, Yu Mingyue knew who was behind the tree; she recognized the fabric of his clothes.
So it was him.
Yu Mingyue's earlier annoyance instantly vanished.
Never mind, her mother didn't lack a fox fur scarf from her hunting anyway.
Yu Mingyue ran forward, her red cloak like a ball of flame against the vast expanse of white snow.
She bent down and picked up the fox from the ground. With practiced skill, she struck it at the neck, and the fox tilted its head and fainted.
Yu Mingyue, with a smile, carried the fox to Xie Jiayan and said, "Brother Jiayan, your prey."
Xie Jiayan saw Yu Mingyue's clean and decisive action in knocking out the fox, which was completely unlike a child.
He quickly realized that the Duke of Dingguo's mansion was a military family, and the young men of the clan would undoubtedly be skilled in archery and horsemanship, likely due to frequent hunting.
When he arrived earlier, he had heard from a friend that Xie Jiayan had hunted a bear. It was indeed true, they were siblings.
"This fox is yours," Xie Jiayan shook his head.
He had been tracking a small deer.
Unexpectedly, the small deer had disappeared, and he happened to see Yu Mingyue chasing a small fox.
Fearing she would be anxious about losing her prey, he had intervened to help her.