Farm Girl's Manor

The black bear, whose intelligence was hardly less than that of the tiger, temporarily abandoned its pursuit upon seeing so many humans with ill intentions present and charged towards Prince Qi as well.

Upon witnessing this, King Heng hastily drew his Sharp Sword from his waist and engaged the black bear to entangle it.

For a moment, the entire forest was filled with the roars of tigers and bellowing of bears.

Both King Heng and Prince Qi were skilled in martial arts, and their opponents were injured beasts, with more than half of their strength depleted. After fighting for a short while, they successively slew the ferocious tiger and the black bear with their swords.

The Princes watching on the sidelines felt envious, their eyes betraying their jealousy. After all, they were all sons of Emperor Huian. They might not compare with Chu Heng, the Crown Prince and Empress’s legitimate son, but they were unwilling to be outdone by other brothers of similar standing, born from concubines.

They could somewhat accept King Heng being superior to them since childhood, both in literature and martial arts, but seeing Prince Qi, who was not particularly talented, hunt down a ferocious tiger unsettled their sense of balance.

The thoughts of these Young Masters from prominent families were much simpler; each one’s blood boiled with excitement, wishing they could immediately encounter and fight a wild beast. Wasn’t the reason they came to the Savage Beast Forest to impress Emperor Huian with their hunting prowess and secure a future for themselves?

Observing these excited figures with their eyes turning red, a hint of darkness flashed in Xiao Ruiyuan’s eyes.

He was not certain of the martial skills of these Young Masters from prominent families, but he was aware of the capabilities of several Princes. Against the ferocious beasts in their prime, they stood not the slightest chance of victory.

Could it be that King Heng wished to stimulate these men into battling the wild beasts, thereby setting a trap for him? After all, should there be excessive casualties, someone must bear the responsibility, and he, as the commanding Guard on the scene, was the most suitable candidate!

Yet, in the next instant, he dismissed this thought, gaining a deeper understanding of King Heng’s ruthlessness.

"Ah—tigers! There’s a tiger hidden in the grass; I saw it!" An excited voice rang out, startling the crowd gathered around King Heng and Prince Qi.

The next moment, another voice, filled with terror, poured cold water over the excitement: "No, not just one tiger! There’s a wolf from the west—ah, not one, a pack! Run, run fast, it’s a pack of wolves, a pack of wolves—"

Before the terrified voice had fully dissipated, the next instant was filled with successive cries of alarm echoing throughout the entire forest!

Aside from the steadily converging wolf pack, ferocious beasts like tigers and black bears, even more formidable than the wolves, poured in from all directions, along with five or six pythons, each seven to eight meters long. These beasts appeared without warning, as if burrowing out from the ground, and encircled everyone at the center in an instant.

Xiao Ruiyuan masked the shock in his eyes and instinctively looked towards King Heng. Upon seeing his utterly astounded face mingled with disbelief, Xiao’s heart sank a notch deeper...

These savage beasts, each acting independently based on their pack or group, numbered over fifty wolves alone. Adding the tigers, black bears, and pythons, their total surpassed forty.

On the human side, even with fifty guards, the count barely reached over eighty individuals. Moreover, some Princes knew no martial arts and lacked even the means to protect themselves. The additional two hundred guards dispatched would need at least an hour to arrive. In half an hour, these wild animals could easily carry out a frenzied slaughter of the humans.

Those piercingly sharp eyes coldly stared at the group of people, ready to pounce at any moment and partake in a rare gluttonous feast.

Except for the wolves, which were social animals, the other three types of beasts had a strong territorial instinct and rarely convened peacefully. When different species of wild animals met, a vicious fight was inevitable. Yet, now they seemed to overlook their former adversaries, and anyone could see something was amiss.

Xiao Ruiyuan vigilantly watched the beasts, keenly noticing their eyes shone with an abnormal scarlet, making them appear extremely agitated as they paced restlessly back and forth. A few wolves that attempted to lunge forward were stopped by a warning growl from the pack leader.

The unusual behavior of the beasts, coupled with King Heng’s seemingly unfeigned shock, was enough to confirm the suspicion in his heart—a suspicion he lacked the courage to delve into further...

At that moment, King Heng regained his composure from the shock. Facing the fiercely gazing beasts, he took a deep breath, shifted his gaze to Xiao Ruiyuan, and spoke without his usual genteel composure, his voice even slightly altered, "General Xiao, we must do our utmost in this perilous situation to secure a chance for survival. Have you thought of any strategies to extricate us from this predicament?"freewebnoveℓ.com