Chapter 44: A Fatal Encounter

Editors: Snowy, Divine

The nobles of Lijing liked to hunt, and almost every day, they would come together to hunt and play. It wasn’t easy to come across a deer before spring, so the young men were shouting and whistling and didn’t hear her.

Only that purple-dressed young man seemed to hear her. He turned his head and looked at her from a distance, his narrow and long eyes shining with a bright smile. After he saw her clearly standing there holding a paintbrush, he was stunned.

“Can you please not shoot it?” Bai Suxuan also knew that it was impolite to stop him from hunting, but she couldn’t stand the little deer’s pitiful eyes and couldn’t bear to see this little deer die in front of her.

At that time, she was wearing a pure white dress, covered with a snow-colored cloak. She stood beautifully on the snow, and behind her there was a shining lake full of trees like red clouds in the background. She didn’t know that she looked as pure as the white plums, as pretty as a fairy.

The young man in purple clothes looked at her and lowered his long black eyelashes. He didn’t dare look straight at Bai Suxuan’s beautiful eyes, but he slowly put down the bow and arrow in his hand.

Whistles sounded and more guys came on horseback. Another one in blue clothes held a bow, ready to shoot.

The purple-clothed youth stopped him, “Dichen, don’t shoot!”

Bai Suxuan’s heart went up and down, and seeing that the purple-clothed youth stopped him, she felt a little at ease.

The young man named Dichen put his hands down and saw the stunning Bai Suxuan. He winked and said, “You want to please the lady?”

The young man wearing purple had a suspicious red on his face. He took out the arrow on the bow and played with them in his hands. He suddenly took out three arrows from the side of the saddle and put them on the bow. Again, he bent his bow and aimed at the deer, which ran around but was always blocked by hounds and horses.

Bai Suxuan’s face suddenly turned white. She had thought the young man in purple clothes wouldn’t shoot the deer again, but she was wrong.

It happened so suddenly that it was too late to stop him. The three long arrows had already shot out.

The young man was accurate, the three long arrows hitting the deer in the chest and abdomen. The deer groaned and fell to the ground, and a servant dismounted to check the deer.

Bai Suxuan thought the deer was dead and was very sad and stomped hard, “Hmph, a group of bastards.”

Zirong and Zhiye had already placed the table. Bai Jinxiu whispered, “Sister, do you still want to paint?”

Bai Suxuan didn’t have any mood to paint now and threw the brush away, “No. Zirong, Zhiye, clean up and we will leave here. I don’t want to see any people I don’t like, it will ruin my clean eyes.”

Zirong and Zhiye covered their mouths and laughed. They didn’t start to pack up, and even Bai Jinxiu was a little surprised.

At this moment, Bai Suxuan heard a low voice come from behind her. That voice belonged to a young man in the voice-changing period, low but very pleasant to hear.

“Miss, if you like this deer, I’ll give it to you.”

Suxuan looked back and her sight met a pair of clear eyes with shining light, gentle and charming, and also with a little pride.

The young man in purple got off the horse and led the deer behind him.

Suxuan was surprised to see that the deer wasn’t dead. She clearly saw three arrows hit the deer in the chest, but now she could see that the deer wasn’t hurt.

The young man in purple saw her doubt and smiled and said, “I took off the heads on my three arrows. I just wanted to catch it. I will give it to you.”

Suxuan saw that the deer wasn’t hurt and felt that what she just said was improper. She looked up and saw a young handsome man in a purple riding suit standing in the snow, full of nobleness.

He looked at her eagerly, and she could even see herself in his eyes. Bai Suxuan’s white face quietly turned red. She was annoyed that the young man just teased her, so she raised her head and her voice was still cold, “I don’t want it. I don’t want your things, take it away! Don’t bother me with my drawing.”

Bai Suxuan sat proudly on the stone, intending to paint again. However, her eyes couldn’t help pass over him and saw that the purple young man’s hand holding the deer was stiff, his handsome face disappointed…

“Oh, Miss, which family are you from? My brother never sends any girls gifts. He promised his sister to hunt a deer for her to keep in the garden, but now he’s willing to give it to you and you don’t want to accept it?” the youth named Dichen in blue said.

“Take it! Ha ha……” The rest of the young men whistled and jeered.

The cherry blossom forest resounded with the hoots of the young man.

“Xie Dichen!” the young man in purple suddenly threatened with a cold voice.

Xie Dichen shut up immediately, those noisy young men also stopped, and the cherry blossom forest suddenly became quiet.

Bai Suxuan’s hand shook a little.

She didn’t expect that Dichen’s last name was Xie. Xie family and Bai family were two big families in this country, and Xie Dichen sounded somewhat familiar. She thought carefully and realized that he was the eldest grandson of the Xie family. She knew that Xie Dichen was the lesson companion of the Emperor’s second son, so that purple-clothed young man, was Prince Yan Su?

No wonder why he was so proud.

Every year, Bai Suxuan went to the palace with her mother to see her aunt Empress Bai, she would hear her aunt praising Prince Yan Su for how excellent he was.

Bai Suxuan guessed his identity at this time, but she deliberately ignored him and sat at the table and began to draw.

She purposely ignored Yan Su, but after she picked up the brush, she forgot about everything around her. She painted lightly and heavily, concentrated and focused.

She changed a variety of times as she painted strong branches and colorful blossoms.

The first snowflake in the sky fell onto the xuan paper. The mystical element of this painting was completed.

She looked down, dripping ink down onto the paper, brush flying. The distant mountains were majestic, the strokes of the brush rugged; the water was elegant and beautiful, and the brush was quiet; for the light, the brush was clever.

She set down her brush and suddenly realized that someone was watching.

Yan Su was standing by her side, still holding the deer in his hands, but his eyes were looking at Bai Suxuan’s side profile. When he was aware that she looked over, his eyes moved to her painting.

He stood there tall and straight, his cool eyes shining.

Suxuan deliberately ignored him and ordered Jinxiu to fold up the painting.

Yan Su’s lips moved as he wanted to speak, but suddenly he turned around and calmly said to Xie Dichen, “Dichen, you said you wanted deer meat a while back. The meat of this young deer must be very tender, send someone to make a fire and we’ll grill it here. I’ve got some spices, and we can have a good meal here and share with these young ladies.” After he finished his speech, he handed the deer to Xie Dichen.

Xie Dichen was shocked for a moment and then smiled, “Oh yeah, I haven’t had deer meat for a long time and missed it a lot.” Then, he led the deer away and wanted to order people to take a knife to kill the deer.

Bai Suxuan was surprised and stopped them right away, “Didn’t you say that you wanted to keep it?”

“Who said that? I wanted to give it to you, but you didn’t want it, so I can only kill it.” Yan Su smiled and said.

Suxuan knitted her eyebrows, “Then, just give it to me.”

Yan Su walked away and ordered his servant to light a fire near the lake. His words were sent by the wind, “Now I don’t want to give it to you, you have to exchange it with your painting.”

(DL Scanlations)