On that day, on the official road leading to Mount Li, colorful flags were flying, and guards were lined up in black armor and white feathers, standing with guns in hand, like a black dragon lying across the official road.
At 1:00 pm, a large group of people, including General Murong Chui and State Elder Di Renjie, arrived in person, leading the civil and military officials of the court, followed by their descendants, disciples, and imperial guards. They all arrived at the foot of Sui Mountain half an hour earlier to wait for the emperor to arrive.
At three quarters of an hour, drums and horns blew. The guards knelt down in unison, shouting "Long live the emperor". Wu Zhao, dressed in a golden flying dragon costume, rode a horse and galloped over.
Today, Wu Zhao is wearing a tight-fitting outfit that highlights her beautiful figure. She rides a horse and whips the whip, looking so heroic that Zhou Yi can't help but praise her: She is worthy of being the empress who dominates the world. It is this heroic spirit that makes the countries outside the Great Wall lose heart and tremble with fear!
At 1:00 pm, Wu Zhao led her team into the royal enclosure, with civil and military ministers on her left and right. Li Hao and Wu Chongye followed closely behind Wu Zhao, walking side by side. It seemed that there would be a fierce battle between the two during today's hunting meeting.
On both sides of the stands in the middle of the paddock, ten guards stood with swords in hand, looking solemn.
Suddenly, a group of people came slowly. There were about fifty people in this group. Every one of them was tall and majestic, and they looked very heroic. Even among the ace black-armored elite cavalry of the Great Zhou Dynasty, they stood out like a crane among chickens.
The leader of this team was a young man in black, with heroic appearance and imposing bearing. He stood out among hundreds of riders, with a lazy smile on his lips. He was none other than the Tubo prince Hengkong Muye.
But Hengkong Muye slowly rode his horse to the front of Wu Zhao's carriage, put one hand on his shoulder, and saluted, saying: "It is inconvenient to salute on horseback, I am here to see your majesty!"
Wu Zhao said: "Your Highness, there is no need to be polite! Today is the hunting day, just enjoy yourself!"
Hengkong Muye said: "Of course!"
Murong Chui suddenly rode up to him. Today, he was wearing a black armor that highlighted his tall and majestic figure. His back was straight and he had an indescribable aura that intimidated everyone. He was like a demon from the underworld who had come to the human world.
Murong Chui looked at them with a haughty look, and said proudly, "I have long heard that His Royal Highness Prince Hengkong is the number one master in Tubo, and his horsemanship is unparalleled in the world. I am lucky enough to be ranked among the top three in the Great Zhou army in horsemanship. How about asking His Royal Highness for some advice today?"
"How dare you!" Wu Zhao shouted angrily, "Your Highness is so noble, how can a mere cavalry general like you be qualified to compete with Your Highness?"
"Hey!" Hengkong Muye glanced sideways, smiled and looked at Murong Chui, who was slightly taller than him, and said, "General Murong's name as the Northern Tyrant is well-known even in our Tubo. It is my honor to compete with General Murong today!"
"Okay!" Murong Chui pointed to a dense forest ahead and said with a smile, "Let's set a time limit of one hour to see who can catch the more powerful prey."
"Hey! Wouldn't it be boring if it was just me and General Murong?" Hengkong Muye turned his head and looked at Wu Zhao, asking: "I hope Your Majesty will show mercy and invite brave men to participate in the competition. Wouldn't it be more lively if everyone went out together?"
Wu Zhao frowned slightly, secretly wondering what Hengkong Muye was up to. She turned her head and looked at Murong Chui, only to see that this peerless general who had fought for her on the battlefield without a single defeat had a confident look on his face. She slowly felt relieved and said, "Okay! Let's do as His Royal Highness said. I will reward the victor of today's hunting meeting handsomely!"
As soon as Wu Zhao issued the decree, hundreds of cavalrymen rushed into the forest one after another, including the two princes Li Hao and Wu Chongye.
Zhou Yi had never tried hunting before, and he had never been interested in it. He was riding his horse leisurely in the army, basking in the sun, when suddenly Hengkong Muye came riding over, handed a bow to Zhou Yi, and said, "Mr. Wang Zhe, would you like to join us?"
Zhou Yi looked embarrassed and was about to refuse with his hand, but he heard Wu Zhao's voice: "Go! Since His Royal Highness the Prince wants you to go hunting with him, just give it a try!" The empress gave the order, and Zhou Yi dared not refuse, so he rode into the dense forest with Hengkong Muye.
Murong Chui, who was unwilling to take advantage of Hengkong Muye and had been waiting outside, snorted when he saw Hengkong Muye riding his horse into the woods, and rode his horse straight into the woods.
As soon as Hengkong Muye entered the forest, he said to Zhou Yi, "You can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, and your name is known all over the Central Plains. Finally, I have a chance to have a good chat with you!"
Zhou Yi was surprised and said, "Your Highness, you are too kind. I am just a commoner. I wonder what you want to talk about?"
Hengkong Muye said in a deep voice: "What do you think of your Holy Emperor?"
Zhou Yi pondered for a moment, with a look of sincere admiration on his face, and said: "The Demon Sect Empress is so powerful that she dominates the world and makes people admire her!"
Hengkong Muye said: "Indeed, she is an awe-inspiring person. Just think about how a woman could become the ruler of Middle-earth, and you can see how amazing she is. It's a pity that we are in a foreign country. After all, we are rivals!"
Zhou Yi said: "But if Your Highness is willing, Great Zhou and Tubo can remain brothers forever!"
Hengkong Muye shook his head slightly and said, "The current situation is beyond our control! The Turks and Khitans, the two overlords outside the Great Wall, are now confronting each other on the grassland. No matter who wins, they will point their troops directly at Tubo. If we have to deal with the aggressive Great Zhou army in the south at this time, Tubo will undoubtedly perish, so we can only strike first!"
"Fortunately, whether it's Crown Prince Li Dan, or Wu Chengsi, Wu Sansi, or Wu Chongye or Li Hao among the players, none of them are worth much at all. The succession rights have not been decided. Once Wu Zhao is gone, Wu Zhou will no longer pose a threat within a few years!"
Zhou Yi chuckled and said, "Your Highness, what the prince said makes Qianbeibuzu feel like a traitor to the country!"
"Haha!" Hengkong Muye laughed, "But according to Hengkong's understanding, Brother Qianbei is from the Ming Dynasty?"
"We are all Chinese people, why should we distinguish between Ming, Song, and Zhou?" Zhou Yi said with a smile, "What do you think, Your Highness?"
Hengkong Muye waved his hand and said, "No need to be so unfamiliar, Brother Qianbei, just call me Hengkong!"
“Hiss!”
While riding in the woods and chatting, Zhou Yi's ears suddenly moved, his eyes slightly narrowed, and he turned his head slightly to look far ahead to the right.
After a while, a nearly two-foot-long shadow appeared from the tips of the grass, spitting out a bloody red snake tongue from time to time, and approached quickly. Zhou Yi looked at the snake shadow with a faint golden glow and was quite surprised.
Hengkong Muye narrowed his eyes and looked at it carefully for a moment, then said, "It's the Pusiqu snake!"
"This snake has been mentioned in Buddhist scriptures. It glows faintly with golden light all over its body, so it is also called the Curved Bodhi Golden Snake. It has a fleshy horn on its head and moves as fast as the wind. It is extremely poisonous and very difficult to catch. Its gallbladder is dark purple. After taking it, you will feel refreshed and your strength will increase greatly."
Hearing the name of this snake, Zhou Yi suddenly realized that in "The Return of the Condor Heroes", after Yang Guo's right arm was cut off by Guo Fu in Guo Jing's mansion, he fled to the Condor Valley and was saved by the Condor he had met before. The Condor went out every day to catch this snake, and took its gallbladder to give to Yang Guo. After Yang Guo took it, his internal strength and energy increased greatly, and his meridians were unobstructed. With this, he practiced the extremely powerful Xuantie heavy sword technique.
Zhou Yi said: "I didn't expect Brother Hengkong to be so knowledgeable. I admire you so much!"
"No, no!" Hengkong Muye said modestly, "All the Tubo people worship Buddhism. I have read many Buddhist scriptures, so I naturally know about this snake! What's the matter? Brother Qianbei, are you interested in testing your skills?"
"That kid is really embarrassing himself!" (To be continued)