FIMA Ch93: Suitable

A young noble feeding the tiger was so startled by the sudden roar that he stumbled back several steps, eventually losing his balance and falling to the ground.

Tigers are inherently fierce.

Moreover, Xie Xuan’s voice was so low that apart from those nearby, no one else heard him clearly.

Seeing the tiger’s sudden aggression, everyone thought it was angered by the teasing of the person feeding it and laughed heartily.

The Second Prince, Xie Kuan, had a peculiar taste. Despite his scholarly appearance, he privately enjoyed watching tigers and leopards in bloody hunts.

At this moment, he even stepped closer, standing directly in front of the cage, and instructed the servant beside him to throw a live deer inside.

As soon as the deer was in the cage, it trembled and quickly tried to escape the tiger, running frantically around the edges.

But the previously ferocious tiger, with its golden eyes tinged with red, just watched the prey escape without any intention of chasing it.

In the treetop at the edge of the field, Gu Siyuan straightened his back slightly, his sharp eyes narrowing.

Something was off about this tiger.

In front of the cage, Xie Kuan was displeased, feeling the tiger was disrespecting him. He angrily said to the nearby servant, “Give it to me. I’ll throw one in myself.”

The servant quickly complied.

Just as Xie Kuan was about to take the fat rabbit handed to him, Wang Chengying’s voice came from above, “Second Prince, the old servant guesses this tiger has just hunted and is already full!”

Xie Kuan looked up at Wang Chengying, somewhat surprised.

This guy is a real old fox, rarely speaking up, let alone interfering in their affairs. This must be the Emperor’s will.

The Emperor had previously scolded him twice for this hobby.

Thinking of this, Xie Kuan’s expression changed slightly. He casually threw the rabbit into the cage and was about to turn away.

Unexpectedly, the fat rabbit landed right on the wounded forehead of the tiger. Its golden eyes instantly turned red, it let out a thunderous roar, and with its powerful front paws, it tore the rabbit in half, blood splattering.

Xie Kuan’s steps faltered slightly, and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes.

However, the tiger did not stop its movements. Instead, its entire body lunged forward fiercely, with its sturdy limbs directly hitting the iron cage door and chains, producing a series of sharp metallic clashing sounds.

The faces of the guards turned pale.

Xie Kuan’s heart also trembled.

The beast tamer under The King of Northern Borders immediately explained, “Your Highness, rest assured, the iron cage and chains are made of cold iron, a specialty of the Northern Border, extremely sturdy. When this fierce beast was first captured, its ferocity was hard to tame. It tried to break out with its head until it was injured to the bone but failed to open the cage. The scar on its forehead is from that time.”

But at that moment, Xie Kuan heard a loud shout, “Get out of the way!”

In the next moment, with a loud “crack,” the supposedly indestructible iron cage and chains were broken by the tiger’s paws. The iron door fell to the ground with a bang, raising a cloud of dust.

The beast tamer from the Northern Border turned pale instantly.

Xie Kuan was so frightened that he was paralyzed, unable to move.

Although Xie Xuan was sitting in the back, he was also stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Suddenly, a familiar, calm voice sounded in his ear, “Quick, go to His Majesty immediately!”

Xie Xuan then reacted, shouting, “Protect the Emperor!”

After shouting, he ran towards Emperor Jianzhao with the fastest speed he could muster, shouting anxiously, “Father, run, Father, there’s a tiger…”

Emperor Jianzhao’s face first stiffened when he saw Xie Xuan running towards him. But upon seeing his expression and hearing his words, he seemed to recall some past event and was momentarily dazed.

It wasn’t until Wang Chengying pulled him hard that he snapped out of it.

Xie Xuan quickly reached his side, grabbed his other arm, and hurriedly started running towards the exit of the training ground.

Emperor Jianzhao never expected that after the tiger went mad, Xie Xuan’s first thought would be to drag him away to escape.

Because he was too shocked, his steps faltered, and he almost stumbled.

Xie Xuan, looking back anxiously, shouted, “Father, run, the tiger…”

After saying this, he pulled Emperor Jianzhao and started running frantically.

From the tiger’s escape to this moment, only a brief instant had passed.

But the banquet scene had already turned chaotic. People were running frantically, some were too scared to move, and some even wet their pants.

Earlier, Xie Kuan, being the closest to the tiger, saw the huge shadow pouncing and the blood-red eyes like lanterns. He thought he was doomed.

But after the tiger’s sharp claws grabbed him, it only sniffed and then quickly tossed him aside.

Xie Kuan was overjoyed, although injured, his life was spared.

Then the surrounding guards reacted and rushed forward to stop it, but were directly knocked away by the tiger, which was on the verge of madness.

The tiger was extremely powerful. When The King of Northern Borders captured it, he made full preparations and brought enough people, finally catching it with a trap.

Tonight, due to the daytime martial arts contest, the highest-ranking warriors from both Da Liang and the Northern Border were not present, either recuperating or resting.

However, the remaining guards were well-trained and soon began to organize a coordinated attack, with some shooting arrows and others using fire.

But the tiger seemed oblivious to pain, swatting away anyone in its path without caring about the injuries it sustained on its back and rear.

Everyone present quickly realized that the tiger, though appearing mad, was intentionally pursuing someone.

They all looked up to see that it was heading straight for Emperor Jianzhao and the Sixth Prince.

There was a collective gasp…

Another assassination attempt?

The King of Northern Borders and others looked extremely grim.

Although Xie Xuan started running immediately after being reminded by Gu Siyuan, he was still dragging someone along. No matter how fast he was, he couldn’t outrun a tiger.

He could almost feel the pungent, bloody smell of the tiger getting closer.

He let go of Emperor Jianzhao’s hand, shoved him forward, and shouted, “Father, run.”

Then he spread his arms to shield him.

Emperor Jianzhao looked at the figure standing in front of him, thinner than an average adult man, unable to provide any real protection.

That was because Xie Xuan had been frail since childhood…

Thinking of this, his face turned pale.

At that moment, the tiger had already caught up with Xie Xuan.

The heavy, foul-smelling tiger breath was in his ears.

Xie Xuan saw the tiger’s whiskers magnified before his eyes, its barbed, blood-red tongue, and sharp teeth still with bits of flesh…

His mind went blank, left only with cursing and random thoughts.

First, he cursed Gu Xun, wondering why that bastard hadn’t come to save him yet. If he died, Gu Xun wouldn’t have such a perfect lover to have an affair with anymore.

Then he thought about Gu Xun again, regretting not having finished things with that annoying guy before leaving the tent. Dying as a virgin would be too tragic…

“Xuan’er.” Emperor Jianzhao suddenly shouted, “Protect the Sixth Prince.”

Upon hearing this, a few guards who had been moving slowly suddenly gripped their weapons tightly, their movements becoming extremely swift and fierce, rushing towards the tiger.

Not far away, Xie Huan, watching this scene, had a face that turned somber.

Heh, getting old really does make one soft-hearted.

However, faster than those guards was a silver-white sword light, descending from the sky like heavenly thunder, instantly covering all the fear in front of Xie Xuan.

Xie Xuan only felt his face warm, as if splashed with warm water.

He couldn’t help but stick out his tongue and lick it. Tsk, it was hot, bloody, and bitter.

This wasn’t tea, it was fresh blood, and it was the blood from the severed head just now…

Xie Xuan blinked and looked at the fierce tiger, which had just been extremely ferocious, now beheaded, with blood gushing from its neck. The body still maintained a pouncing posture before it fell to the ground with a “bang…”.

Blood splattered all over the special guards who had just rushed forward.

A cold yet familiar voice rang out, “This subordinate was late in rescuing, please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Emperor Jianzhao looked at Gu Siyuan and was slightly stunned.

He had deliberately sent him away in the evening but did not expect him to arrive at the last moment.

His peripheral vision caught sight of Xie Xuan’s thin, trembling back, dripping with tiger blood. Remembering Xie Xuan’s choice at the critical moment, he steadied himself and said warmly, “You are a meritorious person; there is no need to ask for forgiveness. Rise.”

Gu Siyuan stood up, his indifferent gaze swept over Xie Xuan without stopping.

Xie Xuan glanced at the guards, then turned to look at Gu Siyuan. The dark red blood on his fair face had a kind of eerie beauty, “It was General Gu who saved my life again.”

“Indeed, what a coincidence. General Gu always manages to save the Sixth Prince at critical moments. It seems your bond is not shallow.”

At some point, Xie Huan had walked over.

And not only him, the Crown Prince Xie Hong and a large group of courtiers had also arrived.

There was a tiger just now, so they did not dare to come over, but now, if they did not come, it would raise suspicion.

Gu Siyuan lifted his eyelids, glanced at him lightly, and said coldly, “Probably because the Sixth Prince loves to stay close to His Majesty. Unfortunately, the Fourth Prince seems to dislike coming near; otherwise, it would have been the Fourth Prince that I saved.”

His tone was very rude, much sharper than his usual indifference.

It seemed he found Xie Xuan troublesome and Xie Huan talkative.

But Lord Ding, among the crowd, immediately grasped the deeper meaning and stepped forward, loudly saying, “This shows the deep father-son affection between His Majesty and the Sixth Prince. The Sixth Prince is extremely loyal and filial, sacrificing himself during the assassination at the ceremony and just now during the tiger attack. The world will be moved by the profound father-son bond in the imperial family!”

“His Majesty is wise and virtuous as a father, and the Sixth Prince is loyal and righteous, setting an example for the people of the empire!” The officials present reacted and immediately echoed.

The King of Northern Borders and his entourage also hastened to offer sincere praise.

After all, if something had happened to the Emperor of Da Liang today, it would not only jeopardize their future alliance but also their ability to leave Da Liang alive.

Xie Huan’s face turned extremely grim, and he looked deeply at Gu Siyuan.

He had not expected that someone who was always taciturn would be so sharp once he spoke.

Xie Xuan was loyal and filial, deeply bonded with his father?

Then what about him?

He was also the Emperor’s son. Because he did not rush forward, was he disloyal and unfilial?

Xie Huan’s eyes turned venomous.

It was all Xie Xuan’s fault, trying to show off?

According to the plan, he should have been the one to pull Emperor Jianzhao away, but Xie Xuan suddenly rushed over.

Xie Xuan’s wine cup had been tampered with; the tiger would have really chased him. How could he have gone over?

Meanwhile, Xie Xuan, the target of this resentment, had no time to pay attention. He only said to Emperor Jianzhao, “Father, I want to go back and clean up.”

Emperor Jianzhao immediately nodded.

As Xie Xuan was leaving, his gaze lightly swept over Gu Siyuan.

Emperor Jianzhao did not notice. He looked at the chaotic scene before him and then at Xie Xuan’s appearance, feeling extremely complicated.

At this moment, Gu Siyuan suddenly pointed at the tiger’s corpse and said, “Your Majesty, when I heard the commotion and rushed over from the tent, it seemed that the beast was intentionally chasing after you. I fear this tiger attack was man-made. I request a thorough investigation.”

Emperor Jianzhao’s face changed drastically.

Everyone thought this was due to excessive anger.

Then, they heard Emperor Jianzhao turn to Gu Siyuan and say, “I understand. You were on leave but rushed to rescue at a critical moment and performed meritoriously. In addition to your performance during the day, I have decided to confer a title upon you when we return. For now, take a few days off according to the original plan. I will arrange for someone to investigate this matter thoroughly.”

Gu Siyuan naturally did not refuse and immediately accepted the order, “Yes.”

After speaking, he withdrew.

Many officials and young people present cast envious glances at his departing figure.

So young, holding real power, and now possessing a hereditary title. Truly a source of honor for his family…

Why didn’t they have such luck and ability?

Gu Siyuan cared little for titles, as he had no descendants to inherit them.

His sudden suggestion was merely to prompt Emperor Jianzhao to dismiss him quickly, for those matters couldn’t withstand scrutiny.

He wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Firstly, because the little prince’s gaze earlier had been fearful and pitiful, he surely needed comfort and consolation.

Secondly, he himself was feeling quite restless. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have shown such impatience and aggression towards Xie Huan’s probing.

Hmm, since the little prince needed comfort and consolation, why not make it more thorough? It should be more effective.

With this thought, Gu Siyuan quickened his pace.

The guards nearby only saw a black shadow flash before their eyes. Concentrating, it seemed like nothing was there.

Surely, it was just their nerves being too tense after the recent incident.

In the tent.

Xie Xuan had just removed half of his blood-stained clothes, leaving only his inner garments.

At that moment, he felt a breeze behind him.

Before he could say anything, he felt his waist tighten, and then he was lifted horizontally.

Then his body was lifted into the air, carried away from the tent and the brightly lit, noisy military camp at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people.

It wasn’t until he saw the dark forest below and heard the occasional sound of branches snapping and leaves crunching that he realized he had been forcibly taken away.

This wasn’t a secret tryst; this was the village chief forcibly taking a bride!

Xie Xuan had always been open-minded; this seemed even more exciting.

He stretched out his slender arms, wrapped them around Gu Siyuan’s neck, and pretended to be angry, “You didn’t even look at me just now, but now you’re in such a hurry.”

Gu Siyuan’s expression remained unchanged, “When I was sitting in the tree, I was watching you. The wine was very good.”

Xie Xuan furrowed his brow, realizing, “You were at the banquet the whole time?”

Gu Siyuan nodded, “Yes.”

Xie Xuan pouted, “I thought it strange how, when the tiger went crazy, you reminded me to run towards Father. You knew the tiger was targeting me?”

Gu Siyuan, “Ninety percent sure, but regardless, heading towards His Majesty maximized the benefits.”

Xie Xuan glared at him, “How can you be so calm? I was about to be killed, and you were still thinking so much and waited until the last moment to come out?”

Gu Siyuan glanced at him and said indifferently, “It’s not the first time I’ve seen you almost get killed.”

“…” Xie Xuan.

He couldn’t refute that. It was infuriating.

At this moment, a deep, magnetic voice whispered in his ear, bringing immense peace, “With me here, I will never let anything happen to you.”

Xie Xuan’s heart felt warm and secure.

How could this man know him so well?

But, who made him fall in love?

He raised his head slightly, moving closer to plant a gentle kiss on that cold, chiseled face.

But his tongue first tasted a bitter, bloody taste.

The tiger’s blood was still on his face, seemingly dried and scabbed.

“…” Xie Xuan.

Gu Siyuan had just said sweet words to him with his face all dirty?

What to do, he seemed to love Gu Siyuan even more now.

He had always thought Gu Siyuan was merely infatuated with his youthful, beautiful body.

Xie Xuan whispered, “We ran so fast just now, I’m all dirty and haven’t had a chance to clean up.”

Gu Siyuan, “No rush.”

Xie Xuan felt increasingly smug and sweet, continuing to ask, “You don’t mind me being like this?”

Gu Siyuan glanced at him, thinking: What kind of question is this?

“There’s a hot spring on the mountaintop. We’ll wash there.”

“…” Xie Xuan.

Alright.

He couldn’t help but be curious, “Do you come here often? You’re familiar with this place? You even found a hot spring in this wilderness? I thought all the hot spring areas were taken by those in the capital for their estates. How could there be one left?”

Gu Siyuan said indifferently, “Not familiar, never been here. I just discovered it during a patrol the day before yesterday.”

Xie Xuan frowned, “Just discovered it the day before yesterday?”

He thought of something and teased, using a lock of hair to brush Gu Siyuan’s face, “Oh, General Gu, did you plan this when you saw the hot spring? Have you been coveting me for a long time?”

Gu Siyuan looked down at him seriously, “It seems we indeed understand each other’s hearts; we thought of the same thing immediately.”

“…” Xie Xuan.

Don’t wrong people.

Who thinks the same as you, this outwardly cold but inwardly wanton person?

Just as he was thinking this, he realized Gu Siyuan had quickly descended, and his feet were on solid ground.

At the mountain’s peak, it was quiet and open.

There was only the bubbling sound of the hot spring, and beside it, an old, gnarled plum tree stood.

Xie Xuan looked up and felt as if he was incredibly close to the starry sky.

What a wonderful place.

Having the first time here was quite fitting and beautiful.

Then the next moment, he was directly thrown into the hot spring.

“…” Xie Xuan.