Chapter 204 Yun Shang Is Attacked

Surprised, Yun Shang exchanged a glance with Prince Jing. They hid behind a tree and held their breath as they waited. Before long, the footsteps approached their vicinity before stopping. Yun Shang wasn't quite sure, but she thought it sounded like they had been followed by more than one person, but no more than two.

She quickly calculated the odds of a confrontation. She and Prince Jing were quite capable of dealing with one or two enemies. And they could certainly make their stalker disappear without alarming the others.

As she continued thinking about their strategy, she felt a warm breath tingle her ear. Yun Shang was startled, but soon, she calmed down as she realized that it was Prince Jing. Prince Jing whispered in her ear, "You're worrying too much. We were not being followed by a hostile entity."

What did that mean? Yun Shang was puzzled. She shot a questioning look at Prince Jing as she contemplated what he meant.

Prince Jing craned his neck and looked past Yun Shang in the direction where the footsteps had stopped. After a few quick glances, his expression relaxed. He grinned as he spoke, "I was right. Come, take a look."

Yun Shang was even more puzzled now. She guessed that since Prince Jing was asking her to step out from behind the tree, they were safe. But why did Prince Jing talk like that? It sounded like he had seen an old acquaintance. Driven by curiosity, she hastened to follow the Prince. She saw an elk standing not far away. The magnificent creature stood with its back toward them. It seemed to be looking into the distance.

As if aware of their presence, the elk suddenly turned and glared at them with large, shinny eyes. In the next moment, the elk bellowed before galloping away.

The Prince and Princess were astonished by the beauty of the elk. Equally, they were amused by the elk's quick exit. As Yun Shang watched the graceful animal flee, she suddenly came up with an idea. She said to Prince Jing, "Follow the elk."

With that said, she ran ahead. It took the Prince a few seconds to react. Fearful that they might get separated, he quickly followed.

As they gave chase, Yun Shang explained to the Prince, "We haven't met any living creatures along the road, not even an ant, let alone something as big as an elk. I assume the miasma killed most animals. But the elk wandered through the forest and showed no symptoms of poisoning. I believe that if we follow it, the elk might lead us to the antidote."

Prince Jing nodded. They desperately needed to find the antidote to the miasma, or else they would die in the forest.

The elk was running so fast that it took quite an effort for the Prince and Princess to keep up with it. They only slowed down when they saw the elk approaching a small pond. The elk seemed tired and stopped long enough to drink some water.

When Yun Shang looked around,

he had no ambitions of his own. It was also highly unlikely that the Grand Councilor was simply carrying out the Xia Emperor's orders.

Even if the Grand Councilor wanted to be so selfless, he would've been stopped by his family members. However, she still stood a chance to defeat him and his net of power, as long as she could defeat the core members of Li Clan individually.

As she was thinking of her plan against the Li Clan, a voice suddenly broke the silence. It was soft, but sounded dangerous. Yun Shang felt goose bumps spread throughout her body. She shuddered as she heard the voice, "The Imperial City has been fortified and the number of guards has been increased. It might take some time for the new weapons to get into the city. Ning Ye, is everything settled as I ordered?"

Shocked and surprised, Yun Shang held her breath as she listened to the voices. She wondered what these people were doing here, and why Ning Ye was with them.

"It's done. From tomorrow, the soldiers can start to sneak into the city. When the time comes, we will congregate at the meeting point and catch the cursed Emperor off guard. Victory is so close that I can almost taste it! I'd love nothing more than to see the expression on the Emperor's face when he is confronted by our soldiers. By then, it will be too late for him to do anything."

What was he talking about? Alarmed by what she had heard, Yun Shang reached out and held a nearby branch. Unfortunately, it snapped. As the snapping sound echoed through the forest, Yun Shang realized her mistake. But it was too late. The men who had been talking were now aware that someone was nearby and had heard their conversation.

Before she could think of her next move, one of the men spoke, "Who's there?"

Yun Shang panicked and searched her surroundings. A moment later, she felt the air stir as an attack headed her way. Sensing the danger, Yun Shang dodged.