She was gentle and did her utmost to make Fu Xunzhi like her. "Young Master Fu's horse is next to mine. I chose you among so many princes and nobles. Young Master Fu, don't you think this is fate?"
"I guess...it is." Fu Xunzhi's earlobes turned red as he led his horse over.
Gu Ying was usually gentle and proper.
But upon seeing her horse, he kept leaning towards it, constantly sniffing its scent with his horse's nose.
Fu Xunzhi was so embarrassed that his whole face turned red. He wanted to pull it back a bit, but it was reluctant, blasting hot air from its nose at him.
"Rufeng, be good, be good. Even if you're just a horse, you should know, as a gentleman among horses, you must not peep, sniff or touch improperly."
Even his voice reprimanding the horse was extremely gentle and pleasant.
Gu Ying laughed briskly and tenderly. The more she looked at Fu Xunzhi, the more satisfied she was.
"My little white horse doesn't have a name yet. Young Master Fu is so literary, could you give my horse a name?"
Fu Xunzhi shyly looked at Gu Ying's beautiful and spirited horse, and shyly said, "The young lady's horse has a snow-white body, just like the white snow in sunny spring. Why not call it Chunyang?"
Gu Ying clapped and said, "What a nice name, Chunyang, it sounds really good!"
Fu Xunzhi became even more shy. He was a virtuous gentleman who had barely interacted closely with a young lady, let alone one as beautiful as her.
He tried hard to stay calm, scratching his head foolishly, and asked, "Miss Gu, what shall we do next?"
Gu Ying knew he was shy, so she said, "The others are still preparing. Since we are both simple people, why don't we go to the woods first?"
With that, she nimbly mounted her horse, carrying her quiver and longbow behind her back. Her posture was carefree and full of heroic spirit, captivating people's eyes.
"Young Lady, please wait a moment..." Fu Xunzhi said with a red face as he pursed his lips, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I'm not good at riding and shooting. I might slow you down."
Gu Ying laughed and said, "It's fine. I just want to hunt with Young Master Fu. Whether we can actually hunt anything, Young Master Fu just needs to watch my performance."
It was rare to see such a carefree heroism in a young lady.
Fu Xunzhi's face was flushed with inexplicable emotions. He didn't dare meet Gu Ying's piercing gaze directly. Steadying himself, he slowly climbed onto the horseback. He missed the stirrup and nearly fell off the horse.
Everyone was laughing at him, their eyes nailed to his back, making his scalp tingle.
But Gu Ying covered her tender lips and smiled gently, sincerely reaching out her fair little hand to him. "A gentleman stands between heaven and earth. He doesn't have to know how to ride and hunt to be a gentleman. Don't be nervous Young Master Fu. Just follow me, I'll go slowly."
Hearing this, Fu Xunzhi felt the unnamed emotions surging in his chest. Her soft and delicate voice seemed to seep into his heart.
"Tha...thank you, Young Lady Gu..."
He didn't dare take Gu Ying's hand. Carefully he grabbed her sleeve, full of gratitude as he climbed onto the horse's back.
The two rode side by side towards Heimu Forest.
Along the way, Gu Ying took the initiative to chat with him, asking about his interests and hobbies, and the type of girl he liked.
She was determined to make Fu Xunzhi unable to forget her after this winter hunt.
Once she cleaned up those worms in the Marquis Fu's residence, she would take the initiative to get engaged to him.
Fu Xunzhi looked at Gu Ying in confusion. Why did he feel that everything the young lady said and did seemed to imply that the two of them were a good match?
But how could such a peerless beauty, the proper daughter of Marquis Fu, be interested in him?
He couldn't help touching his own face. The more he touched, the more he felt his ordinary face without any distinctive features was like a toad compared to the young lady's snow-white face.
The contrast made him feel inferior.
However, if the young lady chose him, perhaps it was not because she valued him, but because he was the only option left among the few men present.
Thinking of this, Fu Xunzhi felt somewhat relieved of the discomfort. Feeling sorry for her, he hurried to carefully survey the terrain with her.
"Young Lady, do you not have any attendants?"
Gu Ying shook her head. "No, what about you?"
"I only have a boy servant. He doesn't ride well, so he didn't come." Fu Xunzhi stammered, "Young Lady, don't worry. If there's any danger, I will do my utmost...to protect you well."
The imperial hunting grounds actually had Forbidden Guards arranged everywhere to protect the safety of the young masters and ladies. They just wouldn't provide close protection.
So it was fine for her to come without attendants.
But Fu Xunzhi's words clearly showed his sincere desire to protect her.
The feeling of being treated with someone's wholehearted devotion made her feel so warm and moved. Looking back at his worried eyes, mist even rose in her eyes.
"Thank you, Liuguang."
Fu Xunzhi's pupils froze. "How does Young Lady know my courtesy name?"
Only then did Gu Ying realize she had let his name slip. How could she have such poor control?
Only his close few knew this courtesy name Liuguang. She had happened to hear it when Jiang Yin was chatting about his profile with a subordinate.
Liuguang, meaning "light passing swiftly", suited his name very well.
She smiled and patted her forehead, rolled her eyes coyly, and had to change the topic. "We're about to reach deep into the woods. There are many fierce beasts in the woods. Young Master Fu, please be very careful."
An indescribable atmosphere flowed slowly between them. Fu Xunzhi's heart beat rapidly as he stared at Gu Ying's back as she moved forward, his earlobes burning hot.
Heimu Forest was very big with tall trees. Covered in heavy snow, it was dark deep inside. The deeper they went, the more complex the terrain became.
At the far east of Heimu Forest was a very high cliff called Jixue Cliff.
Gu Ying knew that in her previous life, someone had hunted four celestial deer near Jixue Cliff.
So she planned to get ahead of others. Instead of wasting time elsewhere, she would go straight to Jixue Cliff.
However, this hunting ground was so huge. After galloping through a stretch of flat woods, the path became very dangerous. Especially as they headed towards Jixue Cliff, the terrain became steeper and steeper.
Gu Ying's horse was a warhorse raised by the second branch of the Marquis Fu, so it could still adapt.
But Fu Xunzhi's Rufeng was just an ordinary people's means of transport. After running through the woods for a while, it was starting to struggle.
Before long, it started snowing again. The cold wind howled as the woods became misty and visibility dropped.
Worried that Fu Xunzhi might get separated from her and accidentally eaten by some beast, Gu Ying suggested they ride together.
But as soon as Fu Xunzhi heard this, he hurriedly waved his hands, blushing, "No no, absolutely not. That would damage the young lady's reputation. It's not gentlemanly!"
