Chapter 40: Younger Brother, I sought you out today because I have something to give you.

As soon as Su Yingxue entered the carriage and saw the cold, aloof man before her, she spoke softly, “Younger Brother, I sought you out today because I have something to give you.”

Su Yingxue had long grown accustomed to the male lead’s icy detachment. She smiled warmly, trying to ingratiate herself—there was no helping it, since he would become the ultimate boss in the later stages. It was like exploring maps in a game; no matter how much you wandered, you’d eventually encounter this final boss. She didn’t want to end up like the original Su Yingxue in the Original Work’s conclusion, so she would exhaust all means to earn some favor from the male lead, hoping to offset the mistakes committed by the original body!

“Younger Brother,” Su Yingxue clapped her hands lightly, and Qiushuang entered the carriage holding a slender golden nanmu wood box in both hands. She gently placed the box on the desk and opened it with care, revealing an exquisitely crafted bow and arrows that quietly appeared before Chu Xingchen’s eyes.

Chu Xingchen was a connoisseur of fine goods—the materials selected for this bow and arrows were of the highest quality. He examined the breathtakingly beautiful set before him: the arrows forged from darksteel, paired with a lightweight and graceful bow, even the bowstring was specially crafted in the palace.

With this bow and arrows unveiled, all others paled in comparison. His bow and hers—one pure as snow, the other dark as ink—were both masterpieces of exquisite craftsmanship and unparalleled beauty, as if evenly matched like two majestic dragons and phoenixes racing side by side.

“Younger Brother, a few days ago, I noticed you seemed to be struggling with archery practice. Thinking it might be an issue with your bow, I had the palace craftsmen make you a suitable set.”

Su Yingxue smiled as she pushed the wooden box toward him. Watching Chu Xingchen’s ink-dark eyes fixed intently on her, his expression neither pleased nor displeased but distantly indifferent, she continued warmly, “After all, Elder Sister only came to deliver this bow set. I hope you’ll accept it gladly. You can try it during this afternoon’s lesson—if anything feels uncomfortable, you can have someone inform Qiushuang, and she’ll arrange for adjustments.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Xingchen remained silent. His pitch-black pupils, calm as still lake water, quietly observed her.

Su Yingxue couldn’t decipher his gaze, nor did she receive any response. Assuming he might be overwhelmed by receiving such an extravagant gift for the first time, she found an excuse to prepare to leave the carriage.

Just as Su Yingxue lifted the carriage curtain and stepped halfway out, she heard a low, husky voice from behind. Chu Xingchen murmured softly, “Thank you, Elder Sister.”

“Don’t mention it.” With those words, Su Yingxue departed, leaving Chu Xingchen alone to carefully examine the bow and arrows before him.

During the afternoon Drill Ground practice, they had been training fixed-target shooting for some time. Today, Mr. Liu announced he would take them for mounted archery practice in the woods.

This wasn’t Su Yingxue’s first mounted archery lesson. Though her riding skills were merely passable—barely qualifying her as a beginner who could stay on horseback—somehow she felt she might be slightly more skilled than Chu Xingchen, who had never learned anything about riding.

Therefore, when the attendant led her small white pony to her and stopped, Mr. Liu originally intended to stand by her side for guidance. But Su Yingxue smiled and suggested that since Chu Xingchen couldn’t ride at all and needed more instruction, the teacher should remain by his side instead.

Su Yingxue thought to herself: Riding was such a dangerous activity—if Chu Xingchen were to learn completely unsupervised, it would surely be extremely perilous.

Chu Xingchen’s horse was unlike her little white pony; it was the Eldest Princess’s personal mount, gentle and slightly smaller in stature—a pedigreed thousand-li steed meticulously selected from countless candidates.

After all, she had been learning for over a month and often rode independently. As long as she didn’t gallop at full speed, it was perfectly safe.

Chu Xingchen’s horse, however, was an ordinary brown one randomly chosen from the stables—not a thousand-li steed, just a common mount.

Just as he noticed Mr. Liu standing beside him, reciting precautions for first-time riders, he glanced up and met Su Yingxue’s gaze—she was already seated on her horse, her eyes fixed on him.

Hearing her earlier concern, Chu Xingchen felt no gratitude, only a cold sneer. She assumed he was a novice at riding and archery, needing Mr. Liu’s guidance for safety. But she forgot he was from Da Qi. Since ancient times, Da Qi had been renowned as a capital on horseback—with vast grasslands, herds of cattle, sheep, and horses, and galloping across the plains was the essence of his homeland.

Although Chu Xingchen hadn’t learned riding in his childhood due to being a hostage in his youth, equestrian skills were an innate talent ingrained in the bloodline of the Da Qi people. Moreover, since this year, he had been secretly trained by Shadow Guards and had long mastered riding.

Not to mention Su Yingxue, who had only studied for a month with mediocre aptitude—even his instructor, Mr. Liu, could now barely match him. After all, the Shadow Guard who covertly took him out of the palace to teach him riding and archery was Lord Luo Jun, the royal tutor of the Great Qi Dynasty, celebrated as the divine archer on horseback.

Even the riding and archery instructors for the royal heirs of the Great Sheng Dynasty had been introduced from Da Qi in recent years as tributes.

How could Su Yingxue know any of this? Chu Xingchen reflected briefly: she was merely a vicious, spoiled woman, infatuated with appearances yet foolish as a pig, indulgent in luxury and depravity, with a heart as poisonous as a serpent’s.

If not for her high status and the favor and protection of the Dasheng Emperor, with Su Yingxue’s behavior, she would have long been eliminated in the treacherous Dasheng Royal Palace.

Yet, precisely because Su Yingxue was almost entirely guileless, Chu Xingchen didn’t take her seriously. Her thoughts were so easily discernible, and now she was exerting herself to curry favor with him in front of the Dasheng court, repeatedly vowing to protect him.

Indeed, Chu Xingchen had to admit that under her shelter, his life in the Dasheng Royal Palace had improved significantly. Thanks to her protection, his nighttime explorations and consultations with the Shadow Guards had become much more convenient.

Thus, after weighing the benefits, even though Chu Xingchen disliked this woman, for the sake of the bigger picture, he had to use the Eldest Princess’s authority as a cover. After all, the most skilled strategists don’t necessarily rely on their own power; they excel at leveraging external forces to achieve their goals.

Today’s noon lesson involved riding through the forest and hunting with arrows. This was the Imperial Palace’s Drill Ground forest, maintained year-round by attendants. The forest where Su Yingxue and Chu Xingchen now practiced wasn’t the winter hunting grounds but an elementary hunting forest open only to students of Juxian Elegant Lodge. It contained only small, harmless animals for students to learn riding, archery, and hunting techniques—making it extremely safe.

When the afternoon lesson began, Su Yingxue rode a white steed, with a Drill Ground attendant mounted beside her as a training partner to ensure her safety. Mr. Liu, a military officer by background, rode a black warhorse—his own fine mount—and was assigned by Su Yingxue to guard Chu Xingchen.