In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

Li Yuanchang already sensed the impending death; the hairs on his body stood on end, and he felt as if he had stiffened and could no longer move.

At that moment, too many things flashed through his mind: Situ Lan, Wu Meiniang, Fang Weng, everything in the Prince's mansion...

People will roar in extremely dangerous situations.

"ah!!"

His survival instinct made him roar out; he couldn't run away, but he still had a knife in his hand!

He would never admit defeat!

"die!!"

He roared and plunged his knife fiercely into the gaping maw.

boom! !

The massive body pounced on Li Yuanchang, the powerful inertia sending him flying several meters before he slid into the deep pit, raising a cloud of dust.

The entire mountain forest fell silent instantly.

Under the torchlight, all the guards experienced a moment of breathlessness, followed by panic.

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness!!"

Everyone jumped down and pushed Black Bear away with all their might.

The Tang sword pierced through its mouth and completely through the back of its head—something difficult for a human to do, but the inertia of the black bear's body helped send it to its death.

Li Yuanchang lay there covered in blood.

"Your Highness!" Yuan Tong and everyone else turned pale with fright.

Li Yuanchang, who was unconscious, suddenly coughed violently, and his body reacted: "Cough cough cough!"

"I'm fine, I just hit the back of my head on a rock."

His voice sounded pained, and he groggily touched the back of his head with one hand. His whole body ached, especially his chest.

"Your Highness, I'm so glad you're alright!"

"I was terrified!"

"We failed in our duty of protection; please punish us, Your Highness!"

"We failed in our duty of protection, Your Highness! Please punish us!" Everyone knelt down and clasped their hands in respect.

Li Yuanchang was helped to sit up. His hair was disheveled, his face was covered in blood, and he was breathing heavily. He had almost been suffocated to death by the black bear.

He glanced at the corpse of Black Bear beside him: "Get up, all of you."

"Be careful, there might be another black bear."

"Where is that guard? Did you manage to save him?"

A guard knelt down, tears of gratitude streaming down his face: "Your Highness, I am unharmed. I thank Your Highness for your great kindness. In this life, I will surely shed my last drop of blood for the Prince of Han."

Li Yuanchang smiled and patted his helmet.

"Alright, drag these two black bears out first."

"Yes!!" Everyone shouted, their morale soaring. Li Yuanchang's single stab to kill this adult black bear had earned their respect.

But in reality, Li Yuanchang himself was also frightened. His back was still sweating. If that knife hadn't succeeded, the black bear would have bitten off his neck or head.

Being the King of Han is incredibly dangerous!

However, anything that cannot kill him will become his whetstone.

Not long after.

The two enormous bear carcasses were dragged to an open space by hundreds of people. With the help of numerous torches, everyone was finally able to see the true appearance of the two black bears.

Its entire body is covered in glossy black fur, like silk, making it a natural and effective way to keep warm.

Standing upright, it has a terrifying height of nearly three meters, with powerful muscles on its shoulders, like a small mountain. Huge and strong are its synonyms.

Its fangs exude absolute wildness, unlike any bear in a zoo; one look from it could scare an adult to tears.

"Oh my god!"

"His Highness just stabbed this thing to death."

The guards whispered amongst themselves, all trembling with fear.

Li Yuanchang has recovered; the wound on his ribs has been re-treated, and he has washed his face with water.

"Hey, a few quick ones, skin the bear, chop off four of its claws and take them with you. Divide the rest up and eat them to help everyone get some nutrition."

"Remember, the water must be boiled and the meat must be cooked through!" he emphasized seriously.

"yes!!"

The guards shouted excitedly, thinking they could finally satisfy their cravings.

It's worth noting that such wild game is quite rare, especially the meat; they hadn't had any in Luomayi for a long time.

This kind of treatment is something that only generals who lead troops can enjoy, but Li Yuanchang gave it to them directly. If you don't follow such a master, who will you follow?

Immediately afterwards, hundreds of people began to get busy, some fetching water, some sharpening knives, and some standing guard; everyone had a part to play.

Yuan Tong and his group were all able-bodied men rescued from Lu's Stone Village, and many of them came from hunter backgrounds.

He was adept at hunting and skinning, and in just half an hour, two huge black pelts were removed.

Although there are some holes, they do not affect the overall integrity; those holes can be repaired.

Li Yuanchang stroked the fur and couldn't help but smile.

He planned to give it to Situ Lan as a gift. This thing was a rare item, usually reserved for the royal family. The tributes that some foreign tribes gave to Li Shimin were nothing more than this.

Even in later generations, it would be priceless and unavailable.

After carefully storing the fur, he gave a few instructions and then went to sleep.

He was exhausted. The fight with the black bear hadn't actually taken long, but he seemed to have exhausted all his strength and finally fell into a deep sleep.

When I woke up again, it was the next day, and the sun was shining brightly.

Li Yuanchang was awakened by a rich aroma of meat.

Stepping out of the tent, I saw more than a dozen large pots steaming, the meat having been processed and cooked overnight and was fully cooked, but it didn't look very appetizing, due to limited resources.

"Your Highness, you're awake?"

"How are you feeling?" Yuan Tong and his men surrounded them.

Li Yuanchang said, "It's nothing, I'm just hungry."

After he finished speaking, his stomach growled a few times.

All the men couldn't help but laugh.

"Go and bring out all the salt, pepper, and other seasonings that the Queen prepared for me, add them in, let the brothers have a good meal, and then we'll set off."

"I reckon we're going to run into a tiger someday!" Li Yuanchang couldn't help but swallow hard.

As long as there is salt, pepper, and the natural oils from the ingredients, the taste will definitely be good!

It must be said that Situ Lan was farsighted; she brought him everything, fearing he wouldn't eat well.

"Your Highness, pepper is a rare delicacy from the Western Regions. Please add it to your bowl; it would be a waste for us to eat it."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Nonsense! We share the good times and the bad, everyone gets a share!" Li Yuanchang waved his hand, extremely generous and without any airs.

In ancient times, the hierarchy was very strict. Not to mention giving subordinates something as rare as pepper, even salt had to be rationed.

Most importantly, Li Yuanchang, a prince who treated his subordinates like human beings and brothers, was truly a first in history.

Upon hearing this, the guards were deeply moved and almost became his loyal followers!

"We are deeply grateful for Your Highness's kindness!!"

"..."

Soon after, the sounds of people enjoying their meals filled the open space, along with the aroma of meat, salt, and pepper – a truly luxurious experience in the Tang Dynasty!

More than two hundred people shared the large piece of meat, their mouths dripping with oil and their bodies drenched in sweat.