Pursue and kill

  Arriving at the back mountain of the imperial palace, people from all sides made preparations. With a single order from Zhendi, a large group of children rushed into the forest.

  Li Dongyun pulled out the sleeping little pig from his arms and put it on the ground. Little Pig Nini, still in a daze, shook her plump body back and forth, muttering that she wanted to continue sleeping in Master's arms.

  "Nini." Li Dongyuan flickered his small eyes, whispering to Xiaozhuazi, "If you can find the treasure here, I'll bring you a reward later - a jar of Wan Nian Peach Blossom wine that even your master can't drink."

  The sleeping pig's eyes suddenly sparkled like they were hit by gold, opening wide, and drooling: I want it!

  Little hand pats pig's head: "Work hard."

  The little pig's eyes immediately turned into two coin slots: Yes sir!

  After noon, the sun was shining in the sky. Hua Xiuyan raised her eyebrows and looked up at the sky, the ancient trees were lush and dense, with thick branches and leaves, and the sky above the forest became a thin line. The forest was not small, nor was the mountain. In an instant, the large crowd of people rushing in from the starting line seemed to be swallowed by the forest and the mountain, and soon, there was no one in sight around her.

  Little Piggy NiNi was rooting around in the grass with her snout, sniffing left and right, and when she caught a whiff of something delicious, drool started dripping from her mouth. But thinking about that thousand-year-old peach blossom wine, she shook her head and continued on her way.

  At this, someone hiding behind a rock cursed: Dead pig, how dare you not fall for it!

  Little Piggy NiNi darted into the shrubs like a little mouse, all for the sake of the Millennium Peach Blossom Wine. Li DongYun followed closely behind Little Pig, sprinting along the way, and wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve. For this young prince, being so disheveled might be a first in his life. The feeling in his heart was hard to describe, but the slight curve of his lips remained unchanged.

  Following closely behind, Hua Yuye gazed at the excited look on his pale little face, as if he had never been so happy before. A wave of sympathy swept across her heart. This child, who looked similar to her own son, suddenly made her feel a twinge of pity.

  "Be careful, little wooden one, don't fall." If it were her own son, she would let him fall, because she believed that a child who had never fallen wouldn't grow up. But this child made her feel like glass, not like the sturdy little wooden one, and she quickly grabbed his outstretched hand to prevent him from getting tangled in the underbrush.

  "It's all right, mom." Little Yan turned around, putting on her usual serious and calm expression.

  A flash of intolerance suddenly floated up in her mind, and she tapped the small brow that was furrowed like an adult's with her finger, saying softly: "I've told you many times, children are just children, there are some things children can't do, being stubborn is not heroic. Mom doesn't want Mùmù to be a foolish child who likes to show off."

  Sweat beaded on his small nose, and his slightly battered eyebrows furrowed, fully revealing the shock her words had given him.

  Is an overly obedient child not likable?

  My heart skipped a beat.

  Huā Yù Yán looked at this little face that was furrowed in worry, just like her son's, and couldn't help but stretch out a finger to pull up the small face: "Are you awake? If not, Mama will give you another pull."

  Little face was pulled like a noodle, and he hastily spat out: "Mother, mother, I know, I dare not."

  This kid is just like her son Xiao Mu Mu, with exactly the same stubborn temper.

  He gently touched his face, which had just been pulled and rubbed, and Li Dongyuan quietly gasped for air. He thought of Xiao Mu Mu telling him that his mother was gentle, and he couldn't say that Hua Xiayan wasn't gentle, it's just that sometimes she was a bit violent.

  The mother and son were searching for the little piglet who had gone missing while they were looking for treasure, possibly because it was too busy making peach blossom wine. As they searched everywhere, they suddenly heard a pig-like cry, and Li Dongyu rushed forward shouting: "Nini!"

  The archer hiding behind the tree trunk looked at the small figure running towards him with a loud oink, drew his bow to its full length and suddenly released it.

  An arrow flashing with a fatal glow flew over, just about to accurately hit the small body's back when suddenly a figure flashed through the air, lightly and easily lifting up the small body, instantly avoiding the arrow's light. The deadly black arrow could only fly forward, flying straight into the grass thicket on the opposite side, immediately followed by a string of ah yo miserable cries, blood splattering on the leaves. The person who was shot covered their wound, desperately running backwards.

  "Sister!" Even Lei Dongyuan was shocked. Who would ambush them and want to kill them? This was just an ordinary treasure hunt, there was no need to kill anyone.

  She gently held her son and landed in a safe place. A needle flew out of Huayexuan's sleeve, hitting the arm of an archer hiding behind a tree trunk who was about to escape. With a clatter, the bow and arrow fell to the ground, and the archer fled in disarray.

  Li Dongyun looked clearly at the bow and arrow that had fallen to the ground, his eyes widening in surprise: The Imperial Royal Forest Army's?

  "Daughter?"

  Do the royal people want to kill them? Whose order is it? The wise king's?

  Huā Yùyán covered her son's small mouth, let out a soft hiss, and carried her son up the tree trunk to find a spot with dense branches and leaves to hide. Lí Dōngyù held his breath at the same time. Below them, where they had just stood, a group of royal guards carrying spears soon arrived. Seeing the appearance of these royal guards, it didn't seem like they were there to rescue them after hearing the commotion. The guard captain shouted: Search! They must be hiding somewhere nearby, they can't run far. By order of Her Majesty the Queen, they have tarnished the reputation of the virtuous king, and will be executed without pardon.

  Several guards searched around below and unexpectedly found the bow and arrow that the archer had just dropped, picked them up and handed them to the captain of the guard: "It seems to be one of ours?"

  Hua Yuexuan and Xiao Erzi exchanged a look: it seemed that those who wanted to kill them were not just the Empress Dowager.

  The guard commander seemed to have guessed who had sent them, and a look of difficulty appeared on his face. He waved his hand: "Withdraw first! This matter cannot be perceived by others, it will damage the reputation of Her Majesty the Queen."

  A group of people hastily took another road to avoid another killer on the other road.

  Huā Yùyán held her son and gently fell to the ground, grasping her son's small hand: "Mùmù, don't leave Mother, do you understand?" As she spoke, her apricot eyes were stern, then her lips curled into a cold smile. Before, I had only read books and didn't know that these royal people would actually do anything for the sake of their so-called reputation.

  The most urgent task now is not to search for treasure, but to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

  Taking her son down the mountain, Li Dongyun was a bit worried: "What about Nini?"

  "It's indestructible." Huā Xīyán had no doubt about the survival ability of that pet pig, which only knew how to eat.

  The mother and son rushed to the middle of the mountain, and three figures suddenly rolled out from behind a large stone that was blocking the small mountain road. They stopped in their tracks, looked up, and saw that the three people were lying straight on the ground, dressed exactly like the royal guards they had just seen.

  She lifted her son under her arm, retreated half a meter back, and stopped in her tracks. Behind her, several black shadows flew out, along with others on the left, right, and front, totaling over ten masked black-clad men, who surrounded the mother and son.

  Digression

  Making up for yesterday's second update.