Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
This group of young men was planning to set up camp here. And, seeing that the Young Marquis also planned to set up camp here, the bodyguards who’d been following Xiao Anning all this time at a distance also dismounted their horses and prepared to set up camp.
Out of the corner of his eye, Tan Weizhi looked at the bodyguards, who were following closely behind them, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes. With these people keeping close watch over their master without so much as blinking, how would he be able to make his move?
Coming to this conclusion, he looked away from the bodyguards. With a cold expression on his face, he looked at Xiao Anning, who seemed like an ordinary person, not a blind man, when he moved, and felt his displeasure and anger grow stronger.
No matter how normal Xiao Anning might seem, he was still blind! Xiao Anning was just plain lucky that he came from a family of good background, was he not? While his poor cousin’s beautiful life would be ruined in the hands of such a person!
No! He would never allow something like that to happen.
Such a beautiful woman like his cousin deserved much better.
Although Xiao Anning was able to move about like any other ordinary person, with him being visually handicapped and having the highest rank out of anyone in the group, naturally no one really expected him to help with pitching the tent. Soon, the tents were set up and the firewood for the campfire was also piled up.
“Let’s go somewhere not too far ahead and hunt for some animals. Young Marquis, I heard about your sound localization abilities, so hunting probably isn’t a difficult task for you. How about we all go together? You could hunt for a rabbit or something for my cousin and give it to her when we go back to the city. It could be a gift from you to express your affection for her, Young Marquis. I think my cousin would be very happy to receive a token of your affection,” Tan Weizhi suggested to Xiao Anning.
A young man who was standing to one side, his head as round and smooth like a ball, echoed this suggestion and said, “Yes, I’d also like to see Young Marquis’s sound localization ability.” His face was full of anticipation.
“I feel that the Young Marquis would have no problem shooting a deer, to say nothing of a rabbit,” another youth quickly chimed in.
Tan Weizhi lowered his eyelids to hide the contempt and spite in his eyes. What a bunch of bootlickers. The people he’d brought with him today were all his friends. His father was only a sixth-grade official, but then, his aunt had married into the Prime Minister’s family, and his family had benefitted by rising in social status. Those who were his friends were either sons of families with lower official ranks or sons of merchants.
On a normal day, there was no way anyone from this group would come into contact with someone of such status as the Young Marquis. Since they were able to go on an outing with him today, naturally they would do their best to fawn over him and get close to him. They were all trying to see if they could make their presence known to the Young Marquis and build a friendship with him.
Xiao Anning smiled gently and nodded. Then, good-naturedly, he said, “Let’s go hunt some small beasts for roast meat. That’ll be a totally novel experience.”
As soon as Xiao Anning said this, everyone picked up their bows and arrows in high spirits and headed to the dense forest not too far ahead. His bodyguards, who were close by, also got to their feet, ready to follow the crowd.
Tan Weizhi, on the other hand, stopped in his tracks. He frowned at Xiao Anning and said, “Young Marquis, if we’re going to go hunting as a group, there’s no need for your guards to tag along. Anyway, we’re not going to venture too far into the forest, and we all want to see your sound localization ability. If your bodyguards tag along with us, there’ll be too many people, and the prey will all be alarmed and run away.”
The bodyguards, who weren’t too far away from the group, heard what Tan Wizhi said. Although their faces were expressionless, their thoughts were: “This Tan Weizhi really thinks too highly of himself. It’s only because the Young Marquis is so good-tempered that he doesn’t bother arguing with him.” Entrusted with the task of being the Young Marquis’ personal bodyguards, they were was naturally a group of well-trained soldiers with outstanding martial arts skills. Only coxcombs like these young men would do something like alarm the prey.
Xiao Anning waved his hand and said, “In that case, you guys can wait here. We’re not going to go too far into the forest.”
His guards respectfully nodded and withdrew.
Xiao Anning and the others walked into the forest together. There were no ferocious beasts at the outskirts of this dense forest, just some little animals. So after giving it some thought, his guards decided that they could put their minds at rest and let him go in without them.