An Eight-year-old Princess novel Chapter 204

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, she noticed several other elks had collected near the pond. There were even a few rabbits nibbling on some nearby grass. Yun Shang was delighted. She walked toward the pond. As she approached, the elks fled in terror. Yun Shang looked into the pond. The water was clear, but there were no fish in the pond. No plants grew on its shore either. The only exception was the patch of grass that the rabbits had been eating.

Yun Shang continued to stare at the grass as she pondered over the clues. "Perhaps I've found the antidote, " she said with a little uncertainty.

Prince Jing looked delighted. He said, "There was no grass growing on the forest floor. Since this kind of grass survived the miasma, there must be something about it. It could be the water flowing beside the patch. But the water seems poisonous. You see, there are no fish swimming in it, nor any plants growing by. So the only possibility is that the grass is a kind of herb, and the antidote to the miasma."

Yun Shang chuckled as she spoke, "I can't believe it. Apart from fighting, you're also an expert at deductive reasoning, uncle."

As she spoke, the Princess gathered some grass. Then she took a close look at the herb, and sniffed it thoroughly. After her examination, Yun Shang put a blade of grass in her mouth and chewed it.

Prince Jing frowned at the Princess's method. But he didn't say a word. After a long while, Yun Shang nodded to him, "It's not poisonous." She gathered more herbs. "But it tastes a little fishy. If I had brought my medical kit, I could've made it into a pill, which would taste better."

"I'm thrilled that we've found the antidote in time. In such situation, no one will pay attention to taste." Said Prince Jing in return. He crouched and helped Yun Shang gather the herbs.

As they had found the antidote, Yun Shang and Prince Jing felt at ease. They then headed south.

It was getting dark, but neither of them dared to light a fire for fear of being seen. As they walked on in silence, Prince Jing whispered, "I've thought of a way to find out where the soldiers are."

Joy appeared in Yun Shang's eyes. She turned to Prince Jing, and asked, "Really? Can you elaborate on your idea?"

"It would be necessary to light a fire on such a dark night. There are a hundred thousand soldiers, and so, they must have lit several small fires at their camp. The light from the fires would make it easy to find them. I can use my Qinggong to search around the forest." Prince Jing hesitated as he spoke.

Yun Shang noticed his hesitation. She quickly asked, "It's a great idea, uncle. I think it will work. But why are you hesitating?"

Prince Jing gazed at her intensely. He said, "The size of the forest is enormous. And you are not quite good at Kung Fu. You'll be vulnerable when I am away."

Yun Shang knew that he was worried for her safety. "Don't worry, uncle, " she said with a smile. "You might as well go. There are no dangerous wild animals in this forest. I will be okay. On the other hand, I am not a timid girl who is unable to protect myself. Please go, uncle. I'll wait for your return."

Prince Jing paused for a long while as he thought over Yun Shang's explanation. Then he took out a small bell and tied it to Yun Shang's belt. He told her, "This is the bell I use to communicate with my guards. If anything happens, just ring the bell. If I try to communicate with you, my bell will also ring. Just shake it several times, and I will know where you are."

Yun Shang winked. She took the bell, examined it, and shook it cautiously. As she did so, the bell Prince Jing was holding began to ring.

"I see. What a marvelous design. But uncle, it's getting darker now. You should start the search before it gets too dark. I will wait for you here."

Prince Jing nodded before turning and jumping onto a tree. Then he disappeared from Yun Shang's sight.

It was indeed getting dark. Before long, night came, and darkness engulfed the forest. Under the heavy foliage, it was so dark that Yun Shang couldn't even see her own fingers. Yun Shang sat leisurely under a tree. She leaned against the trunk, and started to contemplate the situation. It was beyond her expectation that the Grand Councilor would be a descendant of the Xia royal family.

The Grand Councilor had been in control of the government of Ning for many years. What was worse was that he had misused his power. Under his guidance, all the male members of the Li Clan had either become officials in the government or successful merchants. And the female members had been offered to Emperors or married to senior officials. The Grand Councilor had indeed built his net of power. But Yun Shang didn't believe that the Grand Councilor did all this for Emperor Xia's benefit. She didn't believe that 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.