Resplendent – Chapter 552

Chapter 552: Uninvited Guest

There were no large predators in these mountains, so safety wasn’t a concern. As for Prince Ning, wasn’t her Second Brother keeping an eye on him?

However, Chu Mufeng had been assigned to protect His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. When the Crown Prince, full of enthusiasm, took the Fourth Prince hunting for a fox to present its pelt to Her Majesty the Empress, he had no choice but to part ways with his younger sister.

“Be honest. Did you signal His Royal Highness to distract my second brother?” Gu Ye pointed a mud-covered shovel at Ling Juechen’s straight nose, wearing an expression that screamed, ‘I saw right through your little scheme.’

Ling Juechen gently pressed her hand down, took the shovel from her grasp, and murmured softly, “You’re always so quick to accuse me. Your Crown Prince is, after all, a teenager of seventeen or eighteen. He rarely visits Xiang Mountain, so how could he not want to play?”

“Brother Chen, let’s have a contest catching live prey! Within one hour, whoever catches more living games wins. What do you say?” Gu Ye’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she grinned at Ling Juechen, clad in white robes.

“Agreed. But since it’s a contest, there should be stakes. How about this: if you lose, you promise me one thing. If I lose, I’ll do the same. What do you say?” Ling Juechen’s lips curved slightly, a hint of mischief flashing in his lowered eyes.

Gu Ye blinked rapidly, grinning widely. “Deal! It’s settled. Brother, you be the judge.” With that, he winked at him.

If she won, she could get Brother Chen to make a promise. If she lost… Well, she could always play dirty. Brother Chen probably wouldn’t force her anyway, and in the end, she’d just sweep it under the rug.

With a shout of “Go!”, the two split up. Gu Ye downed potions for strength and speed, making it a breeze to capture rabbits, pheasants, and other game. The deeper she ventured, the more prey appeared. Each capture was swiftly bound with rope and tossed into her spatial pouch. Before long, she’d lost count of her haul.

The mountain’s outer reaches held no large game, with prey mostly wild rabbits and pheasants. She even raided several pheasant nests, gathering over a dozen eggs.

Suddenly, her footsteps halted. Carefully parting a thicket of bushes, she was thrilled to discover a plump wild boar, leading two piglets, gnawing at something beneath a pine tree.

Hahaha! Capture this family of three, and victory would be hers! Gu Ye rubbed her hands together, creeping closer on tiptoe. With a swift kick, she lunged at the massive boar.

Empowered by the speed potion, her movements were lightning-fast, more ferocious than any top-tier martial artist. The boar didn’t even register the danger before Gu Ye’s fist knocked it unconscious. Before the two piglets could react, she struck one of them down.

The other let out a shrill squeal, tucked its tail between its legs, and bolted into the nearby thicket… escaping! There was no way Gu Ye would let it slip away right before her eyes. She stowed the two stunned boars into her space and gave chase at breakneck speed.

The little boar fled in panic, Gu Ye hot on its heels. The little boar seemed possessed, deliberately zigzagging in paths filled with obstacles and difficult terrain. Though Gu Ye was fast, she had to navigate around the hindrances, and for a time, she couldn’t catch it.

“Damn little beast, you better not let this lady catch you!!” Gu Ye lunged fiercely, but the little boar slipped away from her grasp once more. She spat out the threat viciously.

The mountains blazed crimson, forests dyed in layers of flame. The maple groves seemed ablaze, a sea of scarlet—like dazzling dawn light, or spilled cinnabar, blazing bright and vivid.

As autumn descended upon the mountains, the maple leaves blazed crimson across the slopes, creating a breathtaking spectacle that drew poets and scholars alike to compose verses in its praise. 

Students gathered here for elegant literary gatherings. Beneath a towering maple tree, scholars sat or stood—some delightedly admiring the scenery, others furiously scribbling, and still others murmuring verses softly.

Suddenly, this scene was shattered by a piercing squeal. A frantic young boar burst from behind a clump of bushes, knocking over the nearest unfortunate soul before charging wildly through the gathering. The scholarly scholars instantly lost their composure and elegance, their faces turning pale as they scattered in all directions.

“Brother Ziyan, watch out!” A scholar in blue, seeing the half-grown boar charging headlong toward a scholar in white, swiftly grabbed him and pulled him aside just in time, saving him from the boar’s pursuit.

Clearly frightened and enraged by the crowd, the little boar stopped fleeing. Its eyes glowing crimson, it charged at the helpless scholars, goring and biting them. The saying ‘Scholars are useless’ proved true—not a single scholar present could do anything against this wild boar. Among those being chased, some screamed in terror, others wept bitterly, and still others crawled away on their knees… The scene descended into utter chaos.

Just then, a petite figure darted out of the bushes with speed beyond human comprehension. As the wild boar knocked over a scholar in blue robes and lunged to bite his face, the figure seized the boar’s body and yanked its ear, pinning it to the ground.

The boar’s snout was pressed flush against the scholar’s face, appearing as if it had planted a tender kiss.

Gu Ye stifled a laugh as he reassured the trembling scholar, who had nearly had half his face bitten off: “Hey, mate, it’s okay now. I’ve got the boar. You… you alright?”

The scholar pulled his sleeve away from his face, revealing a pale, delicate beauty. His brows were like distant mountains, his eyes like autumn waters. His pink lips had lost their color, and his panicked expression seemed flushed, stirring uncontrollable imagination.

When his gaze met Gu Ye’s bright smile, he stiffly tried to force a smile but failed. His eyes darted to the wild boar she was pinning down, struggling desperately. His face drained even paler. He scrambled backward on all fours, trembling fingers pointing at the boar, speechless for a long moment.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s okay now! Look…” Gu Ye smacked the little boar on the forehead. It kicked its legs once, then passed out. She had made a pact with Brother Chen: the challenge was to hunt live game. If it died, it didn’t count.

The expression on the scholar in blue robes as he looked at her was priceless. His gaze darted between her and the boar, filled with gratitude, fear, and awe—a complex mix indeed.

Gu Ye shrugged, hoisted the small wild boar—weighing dozens of pounds—onto her slender shoulders, and turned to leave with a flourish. She was that kind of person: a living Lei Feng who did good deeds without seeking recognition.

“Cousin Ye, what are you doing here?” Jun Qicheng, who was tending to an injured scholar, looked up and saw her familiar silhouette. Thinking he must be mistaken, he couldn’t help but call out to her.

TL’s Note

*Lei Feng – a selfless, helpful person, a model citizen