The General Says She Won't Marry - Chapter 33 Part 2

The princes rode out ahead, eager to showcase their skills. The Third Prince, in particular, was the first to charge into the forest, swiftly shooting down a running rabbit with a single arrow, drawing cheers from those around him.

General Guo Wencheng and other military officers also rode ahead on their own. However, due to Beichen Ling’s special status, she was required to bring a personal attendant. Beichen He instructed Lin Aoxue to watch over Beichen Ling. Only after Lin Aoxue agreed did Beichen He allow them to depart together.

Beichen Ling was visibly displeased with Beichen He’s arrangement. As soon as he finished speaking, she turned and rode off on her horse without another word. Lin Aoxue followed behind, maintaining a short distance between them, neither too close nor too far, as they entered the forest together.

Lin Aoxue found it odd that Beichen Ling carried a light bow on her back—the weakest type, with a short range, only capable of hunting small animals like rabbits. Moreover, Beichen Ling didn’t seem to possess any martial skills. Even with a bow and arrow, it was unlikely she would be able to hunt much.

This made Beichen Ling’s participation in the spring hunt all the more puzzling. There was no way she could achieve a ranking in the competition. If she had merely wanted to practice archery, she wouldn’t have needed to go through such trouble to join the hunt.

Despite her curiosity, Lin Aoxue wisely refrained from questioning Beichen Ling about it. Her task today was simply to stay by Beichen Ling’s side, ensure her safety, and symbolically hunt a small animal or two—just enough so that Beichen Ling wouldn’t lose too miserably.

Mingting Mountain was vast, and the imperial hunting grounds were even more expansive. The forest was eerily quiet, with no sign of the princes or generals who had entered before them. As Lin Aoxue rode alongside Beichen Ling, Beichen Ling suddenly spoke in a cold tone, “You’re not allowed to make a move today.”

Lin Aoxue was taken aback. Since there was no one else around, she knew Beichen Ling was speaking to her. However, the words themselves were puzzling. She turned to glance at Beichen Ling but did not respond.

Beichen Ling didn’t seem to care whether Lin Aoxue agreed or not. Without another word, she spurred her horse forward and rode deeper into the forest.

Spring had only just begun, and remnants of snow still lingered in the woods. The muddy paths were slippery, slowing the horses’ pace. Fortunately, the soft earth muffled their steps, making little noise.

After following Beichen Ling for a while, Lin Aoxue heard rustling sounds coming from behind a thicket ahead. She glanced in that direction and concluded that a rabbit was likely hiding there.

She withdrew her gaze and did not reach for her bow. Since Beichen Ling had ordered her not to interfere, she would obey and see what the proud commandery princess intended to do.

Beichen Ling also noticed the movement behind the thicket. A sharp glint flickered in her deep, silent eyes. She took a deep breath, nocked an arrow onto her light bow with a focused and solemn expression—one that Lin Aoxue had never seen before, not even in the days when they were still on good terms.

Lin Aoxue abruptly tightened her grip on the reins, her face tense as she watched Beichen Ling intently.

With a swift release of the bowstring, the arrow whizzed through the narrow gaps in the thicket and disappeared into the brush. A small animal behind the foliage struggled for a brief moment before falling still. Lin Aoxue urged her horse forward, parting the thicket, only to see a feathered arrow embedded precisely in the rabbit’s head.

That accuracy was superior to that of many trained soldiers.

A flicker of shock crossed Lin Aoxue’s face, but she quickly pressed her lips into a firm line, regaining her composure. With a cold gaze, she picked up the rabbit and placed it in an open clearing.

Each hunter’s arrows bore unique markings, and each was given thirty arrows, more than enough for the hunt. Once an animal was struck, the arrow would not be removed, as attendants from the hunting grounds would later collect the game and record the participants’ scores.

Beichen Ling didn’t linger after making her kill. Lin Aoxue continued to follow her, but now her gaze had turned more complicated. Beichen Ling’s behavior was becoming increasingly strange, deepening Lin Aoxue’s confusion.

Before her father passed away, she and Beichen Ling had once been the closest of friends, growing up together as childhood companions.

Lin Aoxue had always enjoyed wielding weapons and practicing martial arts, whereas Beichen Ling preferred reading. Their contrasting personalities—one active, the other quiet—had often been a source of amusement among their parents.

Once, after finishing her martial training, Lin Aoxue had asked Beichen Ling why she never learned any self-defense skills. Beichen Ling had simply laughed and replied, “As long as you master martial arts, you can protect me. So why should I bother learning them?”

True to her word, Beichen Ling had never dabbled in combat training. Even now, despite how much things had changed, Lin Aoxue had still subconsciously believed that Beichen Ling was frail and incapable of even drawing a bow.

But reality was far from what she had imagined. While Beichen Ling had not formally studied martial arts, she was no longer a delicate noblewoman with no means of self-defense.

Lin Aoxue didn’t know why Beichen Ling had learned archery or what had driven her to do so. But the revelation had shaken her greatly, leaving her momentarily disoriented and unusually silent.

Since Beichen Ling had forbidden Lin Aoxue from participating, Lin Aoxue truly refrained from interfering. She simply followed quietly, collecting the small animals Beichen Ling hunted and placing them in visible spots for the attendants to retrieve.

Beichen Ling seemed well aware of her limitations—she knew she couldn’t take down larger prey with her archery skills. So she focused solely on rabbits, badgers, and other small creatures. After nearly two hours, she had accumulated a decent number of kills. Lin Aoxue estimated that she had scored around thirty points.

That was not a bad score for the competition. More importantly, Beichen Ling had hardly missed a shot.

Lin Aoxue was astonished but also, in some measure, impressed. This admiration was separate from the resentment between them—one could still recognize an opponent’s skill, even if they were an enemy.

The Commandery Princess of Ling was no longer the same person Lin Aoxue had once known.

There was less than an hour left in the spring hunt. Beichen Ling continued to venture deeper into the forest. Along the way, they encountered several princes, but the princes had no interest in the small beasts hiding in the underbrush. Instead, they competed fiercely to hunt larger prey, and it was not uncommon to see several of them working together to take down a single deer.

Beichen Ling did not join in their contest, maintaining her own steady pace.

Lin Aoxue remained silent the entire time. As dusk approached, her vigilance only increased. This spring hunt had been far too peaceful. While she didn’t wish for anything unexpected to happen, she also didn’t believe the event would conclude so uneventfully.

Beichen Ling once again drew her bow and nocked an arrow, but just before releasing the shot, something unexpected happened.

Her horse suddenly grew restless, its demeanor turning panicked. Startled, Beichen Ling lost control of her shot—the arrow whistled off course, sinking into the mud instead. A rabbit, previously hidden in the underbrush gnawing at tree roots, bolted in terror and disappeared into the forest.

Beichen Ling frowned. Though she regretted the missed shot, she was more puzzled than anything. She patted her horse’s neck, put away her bow, and tightened the reins, intending to find another target. She didn’t dwell on the incident.

Just then, not far from where the rabbit had been hiding, a fierce leopard leapt down from the tree canopy. Its long tail flicked behind it, and its glowing green eyes locked onto Beichen Ling with a savage intensity.

Beichen Ling’s face paled in shock. The moment the leopard appeared, her horse was utterly terrified. It let out a frantic neigh, reared up on its hind legs, and nearly threw her from the saddle. When its hooves hit the ground again, the horse instinctively tried to flee.

But the leopard struck first.

Like a bolt of lightning, it lunged forward, sinking its teeth into the horse’s neck. The horse screamed in agony, its legs buckling as it collapsed. Beichen Ling, still on its back, faced the imminent danger of being crushed in the fall.

Everything happened too fast. Before she could react, a powerful force hurled her from the saddle. Her vision blurred, the sounds of the horse’s dying screams and the leopard’s snarls crashing into her eardrums, overwhelming her senses. As she plummeted, time seemed to slow.

An uncontrollable pain surged through her body, but the ache in her heart was even worse. She had so many regrets in this life—she had never uncovered the truth behind the downfall of her dearest friend’s family, nor had she managed to free herself from her own struggles. She was drowning in endless remorse, about to die burdened with regret and guilt. And in death, she would have no face to see the one she had buried deep in her heart.

Above her, the sky was clear and radiant, vast and unchanging, just as it had been in her childhood. But while the sky remained the same, the people had changed. The emptiness and sorrow in her heart were far more terrifying than the looming shadow of death.

Just before she hit the ground, someone caught her.

The chaotic motion around her abruptly stopped, and a cold, resolute face came into view. In that instant, the features overlapped with a distant memory, leaving her momentarily dazed.

Lin Aoxue had grabbed Beichen Ling’s arm, pulling her backward with a swift movement. Beichen Ling’s horse was bleeding profusely, its throat torn open. Despite its desperate neighing and struggling, it could not stop the blood from pooling beneath it. Under the leopard’s relentless attack, the horse soon fell still.

Sensing the danger, Lin Aoxue dragged Beichen Ling away. The sudden appearance of a leopard in the royal hunting grounds was shocking and unnerving. Though Lin Aoxue harbored resentment toward Beichen Ling and could have taken advantage of the situation, now was not the time for revenge.

She could not let Beichen Ling die here.

Beichen Ling seemed numb, as though still in shock. She stared blankly at Lin Aoxue, noting the deep crease in her brow. The previous trace of disdain that had always lingered on her face was now gone. A storm of emotions surged within Beichen Ling, loud and unrelenting.

Lin Aoxue released the reins she had been holding and had long since dismounted. She pulled Beichen Ling along on foot, knowing they could not ride—the other horse had also become agitated at the presence of the leopard. Attempting to mount now could result in further disaster.

The sound of the panicked horses had drawn others nearby. The first to arrive was the Third Prince.

Upon seeing the leopard in the hunting grounds, rather than fear, he displayed an expression of pure excitement. Raising his bow, he spurred his horse forward, determined to take the beast down.

Lin Aoxue stared in stunned disbelief. She halted her retreat and inwardly cursed, What a fool.

The Third Prince swiftly notched an arrow and fired, but he missed. The agile leopard dodged with ease, and the failed attack only provoked its fury. It roared ferociously and, in the next instant, sprang toward the prince.

With reckless bravery but no strategy, the Third Prince was thrown from his saddle as the leopard tackled him. His horse panicked and bolted.

Lin Aoxue had no choice but to stop her retreat. Urgently, she told Beichen Ling to flee before turning back to face the leopard. If this beast killed a prince, even if Lin Aoxue had nothing to do with the situation, the emperor’s fury would demand consequences. And she would be the one held responsible for failing to protect him.

Beichen Ling, as a commandery princess, would be safe. But Lin Aoxue was merely a low-ranking officer. With such a serious incident, someone would have to take the blame. If the Third Prince died, she would be the scapegoat.

Lin Aoxue knew this with crystal clarity. Given the circumstances, she could not run. The only way forward was to kill the leopard and ensure the prince’s survival.

She pulled a dagger from the side of her boot. Just as the leopard was about to sink its teeth into the Third Prince, she drove the blade into its neck.

The leopard roared in pain, releasing the prince as it violently shook free from the knife. Blood drenched its fur, yet it remained just as ferocious. Snarling, it turned its aggression toward Lin Aoxue.

Though she was highly skilled in combat, she was still human, and the leopard’s strength far exceeded her own. Locked in a vicious struggle, she found herself in a dire situation.

The Third Prince, who had been stunned into fear after being knocked from his horse, finally realized the recklessness of his actions. Trembling, he began inching backward, attempting to flee while Lin Aoxue distracted the leopard.

It wasn’t until Lin Aoxue lunged at the beast once more that Beichen Ling finally snapped back to her senses. The shock of survival pulsed through her veins, but there was no relief, no fear—only a hollow void, as though winter’s chill had seeped into her very bones.

She watched as Lin Aoxue fought the leopard with everything she had. Her mind gradually cleared. She had intended to follow Lin Aoxue’s instruction and retreat, but her feet felt like they were made of lead, heavy and unmoving.

Frozen in place, she could do nothing but stand there, watching.

The commotion in the forest grew louder, and the urgent sound of galloping hooves echoed from the distant jungle—reinforcements were arriving soon. Lin Aoxue once again drove her dagger into the leopard’s neck, but the beast, as if oblivious to pain, sank its fangs into her shoulder.

The sharp teeth tore through her flesh, ripping muscles apart, and with a sickening crunch, her bones shattered. The pain was so intense that for a moment, Lin Aoxue felt as if her arm was about to be bitten clean off.

Her face turned pale, but she clenched her teeth and forcefully dragged the dagger downward.

The blade sliced open a massive wound from the side of the leopard’s neck, splitting its throat apart. Blood gushed out, drenching Lin Aoxue from head to toe, mixing with her own blood and torn flesh, staining her entire outfit a deep crimson.

The powerful jaws clamped around her shoulder finally loosened. She had escaped death by mere inches. Completely drained, she collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, her body soaked in blood and sweat. The agony from her shoulder, where the fangs had pierced through, was excruciating beyond words.

Beichen Ling ultimately did not escape. She watched as Lin Aoxue staggered free from the leopard’s grasp before the beast collapsed with a heavy thud. Lin Aoxue was covered in blood, her appearance so gruesome that it seemed as if she had just crawled out of a vat of gore. It looked as though she might succumb to blood loss at any moment.

A surge of indescribable emotions rushed through Beichen Ling. Her hands trembled, panic filling her heart. Uncontrollably, she took a step forward, instinctively wanting to ask about Lin Aoxue’s condition.

Lin Aoxue took two unsteady steps forward, her vision dimming. Even her footing became unstable. She gasped for breath, her shoulder wound a gruesome mess of torn flesh. Blood had fused her clothing with her lacerated skin, and any slight movement sent unbearable pain piercing through her body.

Just as she thought everything was finally over and the greatest threat had been eliminated, a sudden arrow shot out from the underbrush with a sharp whistle. It was a dark, lethal streak of light, flying straight toward the Third Prince.

Lin Aoxue was gravely injured—she could barely keep her eyes open, let alone react to this unexpected attack. She was a fraction of a second too slow. In that instant, the arrow sliced through the air and struck the Third Prince’s knee with pinpoint accuracy.

A heart-wrenching scream tore from the prince’s throat. Beichen Ling’s face contorted in shock and panic. She instinctively turned toward the direction the arrow had come from, catching only a glimpse of a dark figure disappearing into the shadows of the trees after firing the shot.

At last, the imperial princes and military officers arrived. Outside the hunting grounds, the emperor and his entourage had already been alarmed when they saw the Third Prince’s carriage rush out of the jungle. The emperor, along with his attendants, hurried into the forest—just in time to witness the aftermath.

Lin Aoxue suddenly found it all painfully ironic.

Even though she had fought with everything she had to kill the leopard, suffering severe injuries in the process, she still couldn’t escape the schemes of others. That single arrow had not only stripped the Third Prince of his military authority but had also, in an instant, pushed Lin Aoxue into an abyss from which there was no escape.

The appearance of a leopard in the imperial hunting grounds was already suspicious enough. But an unmarked, stealthy arrow? That was even harder to guard against.

In the blink of an eye, realization struck her like lightning—she understood who was orchestrating everything behind the scenes.

She wanted to sigh in frustration, even laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all, but her exhausted body could no longer muster such emotions.

There was no doubt—this was the work of the Prince of the First Rank. His invitation for Lin Aoxue to join the spring hunt had been carefully calculated. He had known that with Lin Aoxue present, she would undoubtedly save Beichen Ling. And with Beichen Ling as the one attacked, the Prince of the First Rank could easily absolve himself of any involvement. That final arrow had been launched with complete confidence.

Beyond that, Lin Aoxue suspected there was another reason behind Beichen He’s actions—she had never fully earned his trust. Compared to his other confidants, she was far less important, making her an easy pawn to sacrifice.

Prince Beichen He had played his hand masterfully. She was simply no match for him.

The emperor had fallen into the trap without question. His furious roar shook the forest, nearly as wild and primal as the beasts within it. He pointed a trembling finger at Lin Aoxue, cursing her in outrage, venting his fury without a care for whether she was truly guilty.

Even though Lin Aoxue had given everything she had, she was still accused of failing to protect her master. The emperor’s guards wasted no time in seizing her. No one cared about the gaping wound on her shoulder, nor did anyone question whether she truly deserved this punishment.

The spring hunt abruptly ended due to this unexpected incident. The emperor, too enraged to bother declaring a winner, ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into how a leopard had infiltrated the hunting grounds. He bellowed that the person responsible for firing the hidden arrow must be captured and torn apart.

With the emperor seething, the court officials who had participated in the hunt had no choice but to remain at the palace for several more days, awaiting the truth to surface.

As for the outcome of the investigation, Lin Aoxue no longer had the strength to care. She was easily overpowered, her head forced down as the emperor’s guards restrained her. After he had screamed out his fury, he waved his hand dismissively, ordering her to be taken away.

She was locked in the palace dungeon.

Cold and lightless, the darkness stretched endlessly around her.

She had always known that one day her identity might be exposed, that she might be shackled in chains, dragged before the execution platform, her blood splattering the cold stone, her name cursed for generations.

But never had she imagined that the reason for her downfall would be so utterly absurd.