Castle of Black Iron

It was a major event for the prince's mansion that the third prince was going to hunt today.

This early morning, an airboat had hovered above a square inside the third's mansion. Compared to various luxury airboats across the country, this pale airboat was only a bit longer than 100 m in the shape of sturgeon. It appeared pretty flexible. This kind of airboat was especially for hunting, being exclusive to princes.

When Lan Yunxi and Elder Muyu arrived at the third prince's mansion, everything in the mansion was almost ready. After being arranged to meet Xuanyuan Wuji by the butler of the mansion, they boarded the airboat. After that, the airboat left for the east of Datang City.

Although being a simple hunt, Xuanyuan Wuji still took over 100 people, which felt like a bit grand. Besides the four bodyguards and Xue Fucius, there were also 60-70 guards and a lot of servants and cooks, even an employed professional animal controller.

Of course, those servants and cooks were in charge of cooking the freshest food. The animal controller was necessary in this case. It would be too embarrassing if the prince failed to hunt anything. If there was an animal controller, the prince would catch something regardless.

In remote subcontinents, such a legion could almost sweep over a small country. However, it was just a hunting team of the third prince.

They would hunt in Dragon-Tiger Mountain, Jinghe Prefecture, which was over 400 miles away from Datang City. The region covering hundreds of miles around Dragon-Tiger Mountain had been purchased by Xuanyuan Wuji after Datang City became his bounty city. Additionally, he built a Dragon-Tiger Palace on Dragon-Tiger Mountain, where he would avoid heat stroke in summer and hunt in winter.

400 miles was a bit far for commoners; however, it only took about 40 minutes to arrive there by airboat.

...

"Miss Lan, don't you feel comfortable today?"

Xuanyuan Wuji fixated onto Lan Yunxi as he asked out of concern.

Lan Yunxi appeared to be in a low mood as she didn't look good. Since she boarded the prince's mansion, she had been silent. Even in the airboat, when so many major figures were in the airboat, Lan Yunxi just squinted at the snow-covered landscape outside the airboat where rivers flowed by, mouth pursing. It appeared that she was thinking about something and didn't feel like talking at all.

Conversely, Xuanyuan Wuji looked pretty spirited today. In a trim blue suit and a pair of tiger-hide hunting boots, he was sitting there and playing with his fingerstall. Meanwhile, he talked with Xue Fucius about lending grain seeds to those cities within Jinghe Prefecture in the spring as if he was a merciful and able master of the country. Some guards were carrying some containers of arrows and a heavy crossbow for him.

After talking with Xue Fucius, Xuanyuan Wuji found Lan Yunxi had been silent for a while, he then fixated onto her and asked her.

"The cuisine in Datang City is a bit different than that in Youzhou Province. Miss isn't used to the local food. Therefore, she feels a bit fatigued!" Elder Muyu explained for Lan Yunxi after finding that Lan Yunxi became silent for two seconds.

Lan Yunxi was just in a bit low mood; however, Elder Muyu had been looking black since he entered the prince's mansion.

Commoners might not be suitable for the local food; however, it was just a decent reason for Lan Yunxi, as a knight, to be not suitable for the local food.

"According to the rule in the prince's mansion, the one being asked by His Majesty has to answer. As His Majesty was asking Miss Lan, Elder Muyu, you'd better not interrupt!"

Jiang Feng who posed a threat to Elder Muyu in the prince's mansion looked straight into Elder Muyu's eyes as he said with a jeer.

Elder Muyu raised his eyebrows as he couldn't help standing up out of fury...

"I'm thinking as same as Elder Muyu!" Lan Yunxi opened her mouth as she turned around and took a cold and sharp glance at Jiang Feng, "Although Huaiyuan Palace is not an imperial household, at least we know how to treat guests well. At least bodyguard or servant in Huaiyuan Palace is not allowed to interrupt when the master is talking with the guest. Is this rude behavior a rule in the prince's mansion?"

"You..." Jiang Feng changed his face at once...

"Hahaha, we're hunting. As it's not in the prince's mansion, we don't pay attention to so many rules. From then on, we will be a family. Hopefully, we could live harmoniously..." Xuanyuan Wuji said with a smile as he waved his hand to calm down the two parties. After that, he watched Lan Yunxi with a smile, saying, "I thought you're going to be silent for the whole day!"

"Archery is an ancestral battle skill of Zhang Clan. Almost every one of Zhang Clan gets hang of archery. Huaiyuan Palace carries it forward from Lord Huaiyuan. Lord Huaiyuan is well known for using crossbows. I learned archery at a young age; therefore, I'm not interested in hunting! Please forgive me!" Lan Yunxin explained calmly.

"Oh, really? I almost forgot it!" Xuanyuan Wuji smiled as he continued, "There's a grand event above Yinhai, Gobi Desert; pitifully, as a prince, I couldn't leave my bounty prefecture freely. Otherwise, I might have reached there if we set off a few days ago. Immortal Qianji was from Huaiyuan Palace. However, he might not excel at archery; instead, his spear throwing skill is well-known across the country!"

Being expressionless, Lan Yunxi replied, "Not each posterity of Lord Huaiyuan could awaken the talent and bloodline of Lord Huaiyuan!"

"True!" Xuanyuan Wuji nodded as he continued with a smile, "It's said that Gold and Power Law opens a gamble on this duel. Miss Lan, which party would you support if you were there?"

"Immortal Qianji has nothing to do with Huaiyuan Palace. Nor will Huaiyuan Palace pay attention to him!"

"Really? I'm reassured by your words!" Xuanyuan Wuji said. After that, he turned around and asked Xue Fucius, "How many element crystals could I use?"

"10,000 earth element crystals and 10,000 water element crystals in total!" Xue Fucius, who was always quiet, answered.

Lan Yunxi and Elder Muyu both regarded Xue Fucius as an aide of Xuanyuan Wuji. Therefore, they didn't pay much attention to him.

"Has the battle at Yinhai come to a start?"

"Not yet. It starts at 3 pm!"

"Well, contact Gold and Power Law. I choose the sect of Miss Lan as the winner with all my available earth element crystals and water element crystals at stake!" Xuanyuan Wuji said with a smile.

After hearing Xuanyuan Wuji's words, Elder Muyu's heart pounded as he clenched his fists. Lan Yunxi turned around and watched the scenery outside the airboat with a distant look again while her elegant cheek and neck looked as snow-white as ice sculpture...

...

After such a small episode, the airboat soon arrived at Dragon-Tiger Palace.

The Dragon-Tiger Palace had already prepared over 100 handsome rhino-dragon horses and over 20 hounds for them.

Xuanyuan Wuji's rhino-dragon horse was a stronger top-quality mutated species. It was pitch-black all over, except its snow-white hoofs. There was another outstanding snow-white one which was Lan Yunxi's mount. The two rhino-dragon horses matched each other pretty well.

The prince's team mounted their rhino-dragon horses the moment they got off the airboat.

Before mounting her horse, Lan Yun felt being noticed by a strange eye light from back using her instinct. She turned around at a stroke as she found the animal controller in fox hide was watching her.

Lan Yunxi became slightly stunned. She had seen that animal controller before boarding airboat. He was an annoyed tough half-breed at his 40's with slightly curled hair and a gloomy look.

When Lan Yunxi turned around, the animal controller avoided her eyesight at once as he galloped the rhino-dragon horse and came to the front while blowing a long whistle.

At the same time, a snow-white huge eagle flew out of the clouds and hovered above them for a while before flying away. Those hounds also barked and rushed onto the mountain slope and woods as fast as bolts, closely followed by the animal controller and over 100 mounts.

The iron hoofs of over 100 handsome rhino-dragon horses broke the tranquility of Dragon-Tiger Mountain in a split second as they rushed into the woods.

Only after a short while, some boars had been driven out of the woods by fierce hounds.

Xuanyuan Wuji burst into laughter as he extended his arms and opened his crossbow to break through a strong boar's head from over 300 m away on the mount...

...

Half an hour later, over 20 beasts, including pheasants, boars and kelbi had fallen onto the ground.

Lan Yunxi only shot off an arrow which was shot towards a doe coming out for food with her deerlets by one guard of Xuanyuan Wuji.

After seeing that, Xuanyuan Wuji burst into laughter instead of condemning her. They then continued.

...

"Your Majesty, a trace of a rare mutated iron-claw tiger is discovered in the woods ahead of us..."

The animal controller who had just caught a snow fox turned around and reported Xuanyuan Wuji.

As one of the top nine immortal provinces in Taixia Country, Jiangzhou Province contained many population and cities. Over the past hundreds of years, those fierce wild beasts had long been exterminated by people. In this case, a mutated iron-claw tiger became a rare fierce beast and unrivaled animal in the woods of Jiangzhou Province. It could even match a LV 9 fighter in battle strength. After hunting so many years here, Xuanyuan Wuji had not caught such a fierce beast at all. Therefore, after hearing the animal controller's warning, Xuanyuan Wuji instantly became interested in it as he wove his hand and rushed into the woods, followed by his team.

...

Ten minutes later, Xuanyuan Wuji got off his mount and squatted on a hillside, observing an area of blood stains and the incomplete corpses of some hounds. There were some deep claw prints of a fierce beast behind those corpses and blood stains, which stretched all the way to the depth of the woods. Over 100 mounts became restless as they circled on the ground as if they were wild and fierce.

Xuanyuan Wuji wove his hand while everyone got off their mounts and entered the woods by foot, including Xue Fucius.

"It's rugged in front. Xue Fucius, do you go there too?" Elder Muyu warned Xue Fucius when he saw Xue Fucius following the team.

"It's fine. Thanks for your concern, Elder Muyu. After staying in the prince's mansion for so long, I'd like to warm up outside. I could stand it!" Xue Fucius replied with a kind smile as he exhaled towards his hands and rubbed them before following the footstep of Xuanyuan Wuji, panting.

Watching this scene, Elder Muyu became silent.

After walking along the trace left by the iron-claw tiger for over 20 minutes, they had come out of the woods to a high granite. There were many broken stones on the ground near here while the trace of the claw prints disappeared. No snow could be found here.

"Watch out, Your Majesty..."

When Xuanyuan Wuji was discovering the trace of the iron-claw tiger, the beast had already shown up on a cliff nearby. With a growl, it charged at Xuanyuan Wuji from over 30 m high.

Xuanyuan Wuji responded as fast as a lightning bolt. The moment the iron-claw tiger charged down, he had held his long crossbow. When the tiger reached half in the air, he had already made his crossbow round and shot into one eye of the animal.

The iron-claw tiger fell down. When everyone recovered composure, Xue Fucius, who was panting, suddenly changed his face.

The falling iron-claw tiger broke into a bloody rain in the air like a broken bag. Right in the bloody rain, a bloody figure came out of the location of its belly as he threw his spike towards Xuanyuan Wuji's throat as fast as a lightning bolt with an extremely strong killing intent...