Li Jin Qing: The one behind it all

Chapter 5

Movement caught Jin qing's eyes.

Without moving her body, her eyes followed the small bird that has wandered into her sight.
Moving her body only slightly, she notched an arrow, and began to wait for the bird to settle down and stop moving.

Zip

Thud

Jin qing smiled, bird's eye.

Dismounting her horse, she slid down and picked up her prize. It was a nice sized bird worth a few points. Tossing it into her basket, Jin qing continued her search.

She believed the best way to hunt was to limit any sort of movement from the head down. Any slight sort of movement can scare any game away, and keep speaking to the minimum.

Jin qing is used to it anyway, not speaking, so this is purely a simple game of shooting and aiming.

She urged her horse slightly, and they inched forward, her faithful steed's hooves barely making any noise besides soft thumps on the ground.

Her horse stopped, and Jin qing listened.
The wind blew slightly to the east, tossing her hair around, blowing softly at her horse's mane.  A small rustle to her left, but she knew it was because of the wind.

A soft crunch and snap of a tree branch.

Jin qing's eyes flew open, and only moved her eyes. 
Her hands moved as fast as lightning, neatly killing the small bird.

Another arrow pierced the dying animal, and Jin qing turned to see who it was.

Shang ye came riding in with a handsome brown horse. His basket almost full and his bow was at his side.

"If it isn't the second daughter of the advisor Li. Your skill at the bow is quite formidable." 

"Greetings to the Prince Shang ye. And thank you." Jin qing replied, some of her usual shyness coming back to her.

Shang ye laughed softly. "Why did your expression suddenly change? You looked so confident before."

Jin qing lowered her eyes and lowered her bow, thinking how should she form her words. "I was so concentrated on the prey that I forgot to worry."

"That happens to me, too." He replied, then nodded at her basket. "You've got quite a basket there."

"Thank you."

His servant and body guard handed him the bird they shot. He took his arrow out and placed the bird in Jin qing's basket. "You shot the bird first, you keep it."

"But your highness shot the killing arrow, the bird belongs to the highness" Jin qing replied politely. 

"I insist." 

"Thanks to the highness" 

He let out a genuine and hearty laugh. "You are always so stiff and formal, unlike your sisters! So hard to read! What's underneath that gentle smile and pretty face?"

Jin qing faked a shy smile. "I am an open book."

"Or are you? Then that book must be quite mysterious."

Jin qing didn't reply.

"A shy little lady." He nodded, then looked in the opposite direction. "My brothers are over there, would you like to join us?"

Jin qing had a feeling she couldn't say no, so she nodded.

Following closely behind, she wondered why could Shang ye possibly want her with his brothers.