Liu Shaoming was an archery genius. But he could only hit another 15 tigers with his arrows. In other words, they were level!
"The contest between Young Master Liu and Princess Jinghua is... a draw!"
Xiaolizi dragged his voice, announcing the verdict. Liu Shaoming flung down his bow and arrows angrily. "I challenge this verdict!"
Hua Qiyue lifted her eyebrows. She did not expect Liu Shaoming to be such trouble. The Changlong Emperor said quietly with some displeasure, "Young Master Liu, your contest with the Princess is a draw. Don't hinder the rest from their hunt."
The Emperor had spoken. No matter how unhappy, Liu Shaoming could not do anything. Liu Mo was so anxious that he nearly leapt up. Although his daughter was the Queen, the Emperor was now guarding against the Liu family more and more.
If Liu Shaoming threw another tantrum, the Emperor would be even more displeased.
Hua Qiyue was about to turn and head back to her seat, when she heard the ferocious roar of a tiger!
The crowds were astounded. The tiger's roar quaked with anima energy, causing the eardrums of all present to tremor with pain. Even Hua Qiyue felt that!
Yun Shimo's pupils dimmed. He stared coldly at the colorful, striped tiger cavorting in front of him. The tiger stared at Hua Qiyue with some awe. Then, in a flash, it bounded into the large forest on the other side.
"Stone Gnawing Tiger!" Someone cried in alarm.
The Stone Gnawing Tiger was an extremely rare beast of the Tianyuan Continent. It was even rarer than a Fiery Tiger. It only ingested stones and was not hostile toward humans. However, if humans tried to attack it, it would still get angry and retaliate.
There were only about 100 such Gnawing Stone Tigers in the Tianyuan Continent. What did it signify for such a rare beast to appear here?
The Changlong Emperor was overjoyed. He shouted hurriedly, "Capture... capture that Stone Gnawing Tiger, quick! Princess Jinghua, Prince Nan... be quick..."
The Changlong Emperor was beginning to ramble. Few had seen the Emperor in such a state. It proved that he really longed to capture the Stone Gnawing Tiger. No matter what, he was still the sovereign of the state. His words were orders. Several Qi Artists quickly dashed after the disappearing Stone Gnawing Tiger.
Hua Qiyue's reaction was slower. Ouyang Liuer smirked coldly. "What? Is Princess Jinghua defying imperial order? Or is she afraid to die? After all, there are many ferocious beasts out there..."
Hua Qiyue cast a glance at the florid Emperor and her figure streaked away. Yun Shimo also stood up, going in the direction Hua Qiyue had left...
Most of the people present did not know Qi Art. Soon, even Princess Mingzhu and Ouyang Liuer had departed.
Hua Liting was worried about Hua Qiyue and left as well.
The rest were Qi Artists left to protect the Changlong Emperor. All were waiting excitedly.
Although the Stone Gnawing Tiger was rare, it was still classed as a savage beast. If humans attacked it, it would retaliate to save itself. According the historical records, it could only be subdued by at least four Qi Artists above the Dragon Diagram Realm.
About 20 Qi Artists had departed, most below the Dragon Diagram Realm.
There were only three Qi Artists above the Dragon Diagram Realm. But with so many people, they could probably subdue this Stone Gnawing Tiger. The tiger, however, was so swift that few Qi Artists could keep up with it.
To put it bluntly, one should disqualify Qi Artists below the lower levels of the Dragon Diagram Realm. It left only three in the hunt: Hua Qiyue, Yun Shimo and Shui Qianruo!
Queen Liu sat there calmly, a tinge of joy flashing across her eyes.
Their scheme ought to be thorough enough this time!
—
Hua Qiyue's speed was really fast, although her initial reaction was quite slow. She did not want to subdue such a beautiful Stone Gnawing Tiger for the Changlong Emperor.
She had no feelings for the Emperor. Although she was his subordinate, it did not mean that she was willing to do everything for him. A Stone Gnawing Tiger was so precious. The sovereign of a state ought to be magnanimous enough to let it go.
After all, they reproduced really slowly. It made these Stone Gnawing Tigers even more rare.
The Changlong Emperor had ordered her to capture the Stone Gnawing Tiger. She was unwilling to. Of course, she reacted slowly.
Now, the Stone Gnawing Tiger slowly appeared before her eyes.
Hua Qiyue could faintly hear the Stone Gnawing Tiger's plaintive roars. It seemed to realize that she and Yun Shimo were going after it. It must believe that there was no way out.
Hua Qiyue wanted to see the Stone Gnawing Tiger clearly for herself. She quickened her pace. She had been cultivating all this while in the Mysterious World. Naturally, she could move faster than the other Qi Artists. Yun Shimo managed to catch up with her.
Whizz, whizz, whizz...
She heard the sound of a third person skimming against the wind. It sounded exceptionally clear in the forest. Strangely, that person did not catch up.
Hua Qiyue suddenly recalled the lifeless face of Shui Qianruo. She knitted her brows without any show of feeling.
That person was a cancerous tumor.
After all, Tianci had suffered from that man's poison. If Princess Huizhen could ask for his poison, the Queen could too. She must be more careful this time!
As she mused, she could already discern the Stone Gnawing Tiger's body.
The Stone Gnawing Tiger had beautiful stripes like auspicious clouds. Its five colors— red, yellow, blue, green and cyan— were evenly distributed on its body, soothing the eyes. The Stone Gnawing Tiger knew that three Qi Artists above the Dragon Diagram Realm were coming after it. It gave a low, tense growl, trying its best to flee.
Pity arose in Hua Qiyue's heart. She slackened her pace and soon Yun Shimo was by her side.
"The Stone Gnawing Tiger is a very rare sort of tiger. If we humans don't attack it, it will not retaliate... The Emperor had set his eyes on this tiger, so we must capture it." Yun Shimo spoke quietly. He had read Hua Qiyue's mind at once.
Hua Qiyue cast Yun Shimo a glance. This man was Tianci's benefactor. She felt indebted to him, but she wouldn't agree with him in this matter.
The scene before their eyes immediately changed. The Stone Gnawing Tiger gave a plaintive growl. Its body fell like a meteor, dropping like a stone down the deep abyss before their very eyes...
Hua Qiyue immediately leaped down and watched the Stone Gnawing Tiger disappear. The Stone Gnawing Tiger had a strong will to live. Dropping at this velocity, it should survive. If Hua Qiyue and Yun Shimo had gone after it, they could easily capture the Stone Gnawing Tiger.
But Hua Qiyue only stood there. Even Yun Shimo had stopped. His white robes were fluttering, his inky-black hair flapping in the wind. An unconcerned expression was on his handsome face.
Behind him came the sound of someone arriving. Hua Qiyue did not turn back. Shui Qianruo had arrived. He threw himself into the deep abyss while smirking coldly. "Prince Nan and Princess Jinghua, are you two defying imperial orders? I am most devoted to my country. The Stone Gnawing Tiger is injured. Three of us will share the honors if I capture the tiger. How easy it is for you, Prince Nan!"
Shui Qianruo's sarcastic voice disappeared with his body.
Hua Qiyue frowned. She did not expect Shui Qianruo to be so adamant. She must be wary of this man. He had simply leapt down. This meant...
Hua Qiyue observed the environment around her. She suddenly detected a faint scent in the air and immediately held her breath!
"The air's poisoned!"
Yun Shimo gave a stunned gasp. He did not expect Shui Qianruo to be so bold as to poison them openly. Hua Qiyue and Yun Shimo quickly leapt onto another road, avoiding the poisonous area.
It was too late. Although Hua Qiyue had found a safe place, she still felt her head swim. The scene before her eyes began to shake. The world seemed to be spinning.
"Hua Qiyue, what are you doing?"
"Hua Qiyue! Stop!" The dazed Hua Qiyue did not have any conscious will. She only heard Yun Shimo's angry bellow.
What was she doing?
Yun Shimo was such a cold and emotionless man. And yet he was angry... he must have been very furious. His face had always been expressionless!
"Hua Qiyue..." An even more ferocious bellow resounded in her ears, almost shuddering her eardrums. Hua Qiyue felt that someone had her in his arms. She had no power to resist...
Right now, in the green jade gourd's Mysterious World, the red-robed Tianpi was very anxious, as if ants were up his pants. "Hua Qiyue, you stupid fool! Can't you get your whole body into the jade gourd?... You nitwit... you shouldn't have stripped like that!"
Hua Qiyue was indeed stripping off her clothes.
She was suffering from Shui Qianruo's spiritual poison. It was a kind of poison which could make women act crazy. In fact, Queen Liu had arranged for Chongxiao to sneak Hua Qiyue an attack. She did not expect Prince Nan to take Hua Qiyue away.
One must know that Prince Nan had always been a celibate. Still, Queen Liu had underestimated his feelings for Hua Qiyue.
After all, Hua Qiyue was the only guest ever to have graced Prince Nan's mansion.
Of course, Shui Qianruo had released more than one type of poison. The other kind, a gnawing worm poison, was directed at Yun Shimo. This poison had been taught for tens of thousands of years to the members of the Shui family. No one could neutralize this poison. If it hit Yun Shimo, he would soon die. The toxic fume began to encroach Yun Shimo like a serpent.
Shui Qianruo did not expect Yun Shimo to knock Hua Qiyue unconscious after taking her into a cave and placing her down.
Hua Qiyue lay slumped on the dry grass in the cave. Its inside was rather dry, unlike most caves which were quite humid.
She was half-undressed, revealing her enticing curves. She was showing off her feminine allure unreservedly.
Yun Shimo took just a glance before his heart started to beat frantically. An orangey blush suffused his face. He had never felt this way before.
His chest was hurting. Yun Shimo was shocked. He immediately discovered a worm-like toxic fume dissipating within his meridians.
He quickly mobilized his anima energy to brutally dispel the toxic fume.
However, the toxic fume was like a cockroach that refused to die. Yun Shimo wasted a lot of anima energy but failed to force it out.
The black toxic fume was the color of the night. It spread rapidly. Before 15 minutes was up, Yun Shimo's handsome face was already clouded over with black.
"Hee, hee, hee..." A sinister laughter rang out. Before Yun Shimo's eyes, something thrust up from below and rapidly broke the ground apart. An arm appeared.
The arm looked pale, colorless and ghastly against the reddish-dark earth.
Soon, the arm extended upward, slowly revealing a person's head. The black hair on the head had been soiled by earth.