The Vicious Empress's Scum Wife (GL) - Chapter 017

After Lin Yanran led her team into the forest, she casually chose a direction to advance, seemingly without any method. In reality, she was scattering beast-repelling powder along the way.

By evening, her small team had cornered their prey in a narrow mountain valley.

Lin Yanran fired two arrows in quick succession, and a deer and a fat, sturdy wild boar fell. Chi Bao hunted a fox, while the remaining Zhongyongs collectively caught several wild rabbits and pheasants.

They dragged their prey back, all beaming with joy, their eyes filled with adoration for Lin Yanran.

“Yanran, you’re truly amazing!”

“Yanran hunted a deer and a wild boar on the first day! She’s definitely going to be the champion of this spring hunt!”

Lin Yanran smiled and instructed them, “You all watch the prey. I’m going out for a bit.”

She had thought it would take time to adapt to the original owner’s hunter life, but surprisingly, once she entered the mountains, she felt right at home, instinctively knowing where to go and where to stop. Archery felt like an innate body instinct; as soon as an arrow was nocked, she knew exactly how to control the string and apply force.

She moved through the vast, dark forest like a nimble leopard, light yet full of powerful grace.

After running for over half an hour, she abruptly stopped, realizing she was only slightly out of breath and hadn’t expended much strength.

She grew even more astonished.

In her memory, the original owner was just a low-level Qianyuan, with no such physical prowess. Could it be that her Qianyuan rank had increased, stimulated by Qin Mingyue’s pheromones?

Just one bite, and her strength doubled? If she took a few more bites, wouldn’t she become increasingly strong?

Lin Yanran’s eyes suddenly lit up, shining like stars in the night.

Somehow, the scene of her holding Qin Mingyue and wiping her body with wine immediately flashed through her mind.

Just a fleeting thought, and her bl00d began to stir. She quickly stopped the thought, not daring to delve deeper. The desire of a Qianyuan for a Kunze was innate. Moreover, some beauty, once witnessed, could never be forgotten.

She sniffed around the dense forest and quickly found the scent of the medicinal powder she had left, then dashed off in that direction again.

••••

After a little over half an hour, she stopped, lurking in a bush.

Ahead was a clearing in the forest where two small teams were resting. They had built a bonfire, spread fur blankets, and their prey hung from nearby trees.

She had odor-masking powder on her, so the vulture and hunting dog were completely unaware of her presence.

Ten people were gathered around the bonfire, eating meat, their voices carrying from afar.

Guo Wang said, “Lin Shan, I’m just saying, you’re too timid. A low-level Qianyuan from the same village actually managed to suppress you, the young master of the village fortress?”

“Can you really accept that?”

Lin Shan snorted, “Of course I can’t accept it, but that damned Lin Yanran is incredibly strong, and her archery is superb. It’s not easy to beat her.”

Guo Wang said, “My previous offer is still valid. As long as you convince your father to marry your sister to me as a concubine, I’ll find a way to get you a level-up potion. Then, you can whip her whenever you want, and she won’t dare to utter a sound in front of you!”

Lin Shan suddenly raised his voice, very agitated: “Are you serious?”

Guo Wang chuckled, “Your sister will be my concubine, and you’ll be my big brother-in-law. We’re family, why would I lie to you?”

Lin Shan gritted his teeth and said, “Okay, wait for my good news!”

Next came the drinking and eating segment. These people ate meat heartily and laughed loudly. After they were full, eight of them fell asleep, and two remained on guard.

“Whoosh!”

Lin Yanran used a slingshot to launch some medicinal powder.

“What’s that smell, so fragrant?”

The two Zhongyongs on guard sniffed, then their bodies swayed, and they fell to the ground with a thud.

“Woof woof woof!” The hunting dog rushed over, barking wildly at the bushes.

Lin Yanran remained motionless, silently counting: “One, two, three.”

The hunting dog let out a yelp and also fell to the ground.

The vulture sensed danger and flapped its wings, about to take flight. “Whoosh!” Another puff of medicinal powder shot over, exploding in the air.

The vulture swayed twice, then tumbled from the tree. The sleeping people had been startled awake, but before they could even struggle to get up, they smelled a strong fragrance and immediately fell into a deep slumber.

Only then did Lin Yanran emerge from the bushes where she had been hiding.

She kicked the hunting dog, then kicked Lin Shan and Guo Wang fiercely, finding no reaction from any of them.

“Good, this time the sleeping drug was mixed perfectly.” She stroked her chin, quite pleased with her masterpiece.

Then she squatted down and searched, unexpectedly finding one hundred and fifty taels of silver notes on Guo Wang. Lin Shan, however, was empty-handed.

Well, this covered most of the money owed for the usury debt.

She stuffed the money into her pocket, then kicked Guo Wang a few more times, put some croton powder and hallucinogenic medicine in his water skin, and fed some hallucinogenic medicine to the vulture and hunting dog before leaving.

This time, she had specifically brought three newly formulated medicines.

One was a sleeping medicine that could instantly knock someone out. Another was a hallucinogenic medicine; a small amount could make someone delirious, insane, and forget many things, while a large amount was lethal. The third was the beast-repelling powder.

She had originally intended to test the medicines on prey, but since Guo Wang had stumbled into her path, why not be a good Samaritan?

Now that she had tested them, the effects were all very good.

Lin Yanran left satisfied.

••••

After she had gone far, the sounds of the hunting dog’s wild barking and the vulture’s screeching could be heard. They seemed to have gone mad, furiously attacking and tearing at the prey on the trees.

Soon, Guo Wang and the others woke up and discovered that their beloved dog and eagle had actually stolen and eaten their prey. They cursed furiously, jumping in anger. After everyone had controlled the hunting dog and vulture, Guo Wang suddenly felt parched. Lin Shan obligingly handed him his water skin, and Guo Wang grabbed it and gulped down the water.

After drinking, he cursed and grumbled himself back to sleep.

But not long after, he let out an “ouch,” jumped up clutching his stomach, and rushed into the dense forest.

Everyone smelled the foul odor and covered their noses.

That night, Guo Wang almost emptied his bowels. He unleashed all his fury on Lin Shan, who had handed him the water, ordering his five followers to beat Lin Shan severely.

At dawn, his stomach finally stopped hurting, but then his head started aching—the hallucinogenic medicine was taking effect.

Fearing something bad would happen to him, everyone had no choice but to carry him back to Fenghuang Town overnight. As it turned out, Guo Wang started going mad and hitting people, so his servants had to tie him up and take him back to Shimen County.

But none of this concerned Lin Yanran; she was leisurely hunting with her small team.

The next day, they had another bountiful harvest, so much prey that five Qianyuans couldn’t carry it all.

However, after two days of trekking, they had delved deep into the mountains, and it was already dark. Returning was impossible.

Lin Yanran instructed everyone to rest early, planning to return to Fenghuang Town at dawn. She was still worried about Qin Mingyue.

••••

The next day, as dawn barely broke, everyone shouldered their prey and set off to return.

Passing through a valley, Lin Yanran suddenly caught a faint fragrance. Her expression changed, then she sniffed a few more times, and her brows immediately relaxed.

This fragrance was exactly the same as the last ingredient in the Cooling Pill, and the scent was even richer.

It was the scent of a mature medicinal herb!

She was overjoyed; this was like a pillow delivered when one was sleepy.

“You all go back to town first. I’ll search around a bit more.”

Chi Bao offered to accompany her, but she refused. So, everyone carried their prey and set off ahead. Once they were out of sight, Lin Yanran entered the valley. The entrance to the valley was extremely narrow, allowing only one person to pass sideways. But unexpectedly, after entering, it opened up dramatically. Wildflowers covered the ground, and a stream gurgled, leading into the distance. She quickly followed the fragrance and found a medicinal herb with pale purple flowers growing by the water.

Lin Yanran dug it out, roots and all, wrapped it in the fur she carried, and put it in her backpack. Just as she was about to search for more herbs, she suddenly heard a “roar!” The forest trembled, birds flew in alarm, and a robust, grayish-brown figure lumbered through the bushes.

Lin Yanran’s vision was excellent, and her eyes lit up when she saw it.

It was a grizzly, a brown bear!

During this spring hunt, everyone had mentioned that if they could hunt a brown bear, it would be truly exhilarating, because brown bears were incredibly strong and bad-tempered. Hunting a bear meant the hunter’s courage and archery were extraordinary. Moreover, bear meat was one of the “Eight Mountain Delicacies,” and bear paws were even imperial tribute. Ordinary people wouldn’t even hear of them, let alone eat them!

If one could hunt a bear, the money it sold for would be dozens of taels!

But along the way, they hadn’t seen any trace of brown bears. It turned out they were hiding deep in this valley.

Lin Yanran wasn’t particularly interested in the money. She cared more about the bear paw. This was a legendary delicacy she hadn’t had the chance to taste in her previous life. If she could catch it and bring it back, wouldn’t it be perfect for Qin Mingyue’s recovery?

“Chase!”

She made an immediate decision, her figure darting out like a leopard.

••••

Qin Mingyue stood quietly by the window in her room.

The day Lin Yanran departed, Lin Cuicui and Chen Xiaohua, along with Black Tiger, brought back five pigeons.

Fenghuang Town, located on the border of Longyuan Country, neighbored Shenyao Country. It was a seemingly inconspicuous yet very important pass. The two nations were currently jointly resisting the northern barbarians, and there must have been secret communications between them, meaning carrier pigeons.

In her previous life, by this time, her personal guards would have already found the capital city, and they would certainly have communicated through carrier pigeons as well.

Indeed, her gamble paid off.

The five pigeons Lin Cuicui brought back were all carrier pigeons, and one of them even had a secret message from her personal guard on its leg.

Lin Cuicui’s archery was indeed good; all five pigeons had been hit in the leg and fallen. The ointment for her ankle injury was just right for treating these pigeons.

After a day and a night of rest, they were released.

According to the timing, it should be about now.

Lin Cuicui and Chen Xiaohua were cooking in the kitchen.

The aroma of food was wafting out in delicate wisps.

Before Lin Yanran left, she had specifically bought a lot of vegetables and pork, instructing them to cook whatever they wanted. For the past two days, they had eaten and drunk to their hearts’ content, very satisfied.

Black Tiger, lying in the courtyard, suddenly pricked up his ears, then his back bristled, and he barked towards the main gate.

Grape also scrambled to her feet.

Chen Xiaohua immediately shouted from the kitchen, “Black Tiger, what are you barking at?”

Behind Black Tiger, who was glaring intently at the main gate, a black shadow suddenly appeared. Two tiny, hair-thin hidden weapons shot out, and Black Tiger and Grape silently fell.

Laughter from Lin Cuicui and Chen Xiaohua came from the kitchen.

The shadow drifted in like a wisp of wind.

Soon, the laughter inside stopped. When the shadow emerged, Lin Cuicui and Chen Xiaohua were already lying unconscious on the ground.

The shadow made no sound, came to the center of the courtyard, and knelt respectfully.

“Your subordinate was late in rescuing Your Highness. Please punish this subordinate!”