Chapter 483.2: The Hunt (II)
Beneath the hill, the wolves had scattered the gazelle herd. Wild wolves were exceedingly intelligent and disciplined. Though they herded the gazelles away, they"d only killed a few of their prey. A few howls from a particularly majestic gray male were enough to command cooperation from the other wolves. The pack"s direction s.h.i.+fted as they tried to send the herd in another direction.Qin Yining pointed her arrow tip at the alpha male and took a breath to steady her focus, releasing the arrow with decisiveness.
With his keen senses, the wolf instantly sniffed out the danger. He jumped to the side to evade, but Qin Yining"s arrow had already arrived and sank into his hind leg.
Whimpering, the wolf limped two steps forward before viciously looking in the direction of the arrow"s origin. He bared his fangs at the sight of the human pulling back on the bow and yipped a few times.
However, her second arrow arrived at this moment and connected with the alpha again, sending the murderous wolf collapsing to the ground with a trickle of blood.
“Nicely done!”
“Wonderful shooting skills!”
Lu Heng and Siqin shouted with praise despite themselves. Even the guards and slaves following them looked probingly at the princess consort. Who would"ve thought that such a charming beauty, as pretty as a jade sculpture, would take down the alpha in two arrows?
Ruddy-faced with anger, Anari wanted to feed Qin Yining to the wolves. The khan had wanted her to dismount and take on the wolf herd herself—who would"ve thought she"d be this slippery!
“Khan.” The princess consort smiled. “The alpha is injured. Please create an opening and allow the rest of the wolves to leave.”
“Who the h.e.l.l do you think you are to direct this kahn"s actions? I happen to want to kill them all! You!” A glowering Anari pointed at the group of slaves behind them and coldly s.h.i.+fted her finger to the wolf herd. “Go and capture all of those wolves alive!”
Qin Yining"s brows knit together with an almost audible click. “What does the khan think her people are? Animals to be treated as such? Look at them, there"s elderly, sick, women, and children among them. How can you bear to have them capture wild wolves? You"re sending them to their deaths!”
Towering rage built in Anari and she glared back at Qin Yining"s furious eyes, waving a hand at her soldiers.
The men immediately grasped their liege"s intentions and charged into the group of slaves, cracking their horse whips to drive the slaves into the wolves. Some who refused to go were killed on the spot.
Shrieks of terror and despair abounded. The slaves could only close their eyes and haphazardly charge downwards, as if choosing to end their desperate and hopeless lives in this fas.h.i.+on.
Another wolf had already replaced the alpha"s position. Champing at the bit to avenge their previous leader, no fear sprouted when they saw such a ma.s.s of humans coming at them. They ignored the gazelles and dashed at the slaves, howling and whining with savagery.
The slaves were completely unarmed and typically worked to the bone on insufficient food. No matter what lofty status they had before or privilege treatment they previously enjoyed, they were all skin and bones now. Add to that having followed the group on bare feet, they were already on the dregs of their energies.
Casualties soon appeared with the maddened wolves" attacks. The frightened gazelle herd bounded away to safety in all directions.
Qin Yining"s heart broke to pieces. “Khan, please take back your order! Do you not want to acc.u.mulate good karma? Are you not afraid of heaven"s judgment in harming your people like this??”
“Judgment? I occupy my position with heaven"s will—what judgment will there be? And I don"t care, even if there is any! Look for yourself if these people die innocent deaths. Of course not! There"s so many of them, but they can"t even handle some wolves! How are they supposed to serve under my banner? They"re lowly slaves alright, utterly unfit to serve me! They deserve their deaths!”
Qin Yining ground her teeth with wrath. “You should really repeat this for all of your people to hear! Is the khan going to imitate tyrants in enjoying life and not caring about the people?”
“Shut up!” Anari angrily cracked her whip and snapped it at Qin Yining"s face.
The princess consort reacted as soon as the khan lifted her hand, but her condition wasn"t the best lately and her energy levels low. Her body refused to listen to her commands and almost dumped her to the floor instead of avoiding the whip.
Seeing the whip about to connect, Lu Heng threw caution to the wind and grabbed it with one hand.
“Please calm down, khan!” Born of a n.o.ble household and the ill.u.s.trious Lu aristocracy, Lu Heng had thought he"d seen all manners of people in his years of commerce. However, it was his first time seeing someone so ruthless that they were inhumane.
Anari tugged firmly on the whip, but Lu Heng had no intention of relaxing his tight grip. Many slaves were being torn to pieces and bitten, their cries and wails deafening to the ear.
Anari wanted to tell Qin Yining that this was what happened to whomever didn"t obey her in her territory, and more than anything wanted to turn the princess consort into wolf food. She"d never antic.i.p.ated that Lu Heng would stand forth at a crucial moment in an act of public defiance!