Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 202

Yun Shang selected ten servants who had performed well in several previous missions before turning to Prince Jing and asking, "Uncle, isn't there thick miasma in the forest on Mount Kirin? How can we get in?"

Prince Jing took out a map and pointed at a place on Mount Kirin, "There is a river here. We can climb the mountain along the river."

Yun Shang was surprised. She took the map and examined it for some time. "If its possible to go into Mount Kirin by climbing along the river, then why isn't there any information on the map? The map doesn't show the river's length, nor does it mention the terrain..

"Because even with the help of the river, it is still difficult to get on Mount Kirin. There is a cliff halfway up the mountain. The river plunges into a waterfall at this point. The cliff is about three hundred and thirty three meters high and its slippery and smooth surface makes the cliff impossible to climb. Only a person with great Kung Fu can climb the mountain." Prince Jing said calmly.

"..." Yun Shang turned and looked at the ten servants

who seemed stunned. She murmured to Prince Jing, "No wonder you didn't ask me to bring servants." Then Yun Shang couldn't help but get upset with Prince Jing. 'Why didn't you tell me earlier.' she thought.

Then Yun Shang turned to Prince Jing as she thought of something important, "Did you just say that a person needs to be good at Kung Fu to go up the mountain? So, if a person is not very good at Kung Fu, he or she can't go up?"

Prince Jing nodded. Then he heard Yun Shang's calm declaration, "That is unfortunate as I am not good at Kung Fu."

Yun Shang had learned some Kung Fu. But she was not great at it since she had been really ill as a child and her health conditions didn't allow her to practice much. She had been eating special herbs to strengthen her Kung Fu skills. Flowever, despite the help, she found it hard to master techniques like Qinggong*.

(*TN: A Chinese martial arts technique that supposedly helps one lift and travel in the air.)

Yun Shang's statement astonished Prince Jing. On several occasions, she had surprised him with her abilities. Fie had, therefore, always wondered whether or not she had mastered certain Kung Fu techniques. Fie remembered being amazed with Yun Shang's Qinggong once and thought that the Kung Fu she practiced was a special kind.

Prince Jing kept silent for a while before he said, "If the cliff weren't so steep, I could have taken you with me. But...."

"Don't worry too much. We'll see what we can do after we get to the cliff." Eager to leave, Yun Shang stood and walked to her horse.

"Now is not the best time for us to go into the mountain. We didn't hide our traces, so even though Xia Houjing doesn't know our identity, he must have been informed that some strangers have come to Peach Stream Village. Fie will definitely place more guards. And I'm afraid that we have already been noticed by him. If we want to go into Mount Kirin, we need to take a detour and get rid of our stalkers." Prince Jing sat down and acted casual.

Yun Shang nodded. She blamed herself for the situation in which she found herself. When around Prince Jing, she followed his instincts and let him take the lead. It seemed that she didn't take the precautions she normally would have.

Fortunately for them, the secret guards were good at hiding themselves. After a while, Yun Shang and Prince Jing were alone as the guards had taken care of the stalkers. When it started getting dark, Prince Jing stood and said, 'Til go hunt for some food. Be careful while I'm gone."

Yun Shang nodded and watched Prince Jing leave. After a while, she stood and looked around for some branches to burn. When she was about to start a fire, Yun Shang found that she wasn't carrying any flint. Yun Shang forced an awkward smile and leaned against a tree as she waited for Prince Jing's return. It seemed that they would spend the night here.

It didn't take Prince Jing long to find them some food. After a short while, he returned with two pheasants in his hands. Prince Jing grinned when he saw that Yun Shang had forgotten to carry any flint. He knelt quickly and started the fire. Then he took the pheasants to the stream to clean them. After he walked back to the fire, he skewered the pheasants with branches and set the branches above the fire to roast.

"I'm starting to feel that I'm a burden." Yun Shang smiled and said to Prince Jing. Even though she had learned a lot during these years, she was never put in a position where she couldn't feed herself. So Yun Shang didn't have the experience of surviving in a forest. She might know what to do in theory, but when it came to practice, she was almost useless.

Luo Qingyan raised his eyes and looked at Yun Shang. "I don't think so. You have skills that no one else has. As I remember, you have valuable medical knowledge, which means you can tell poisonous herbs from harmless ones. I always believed that nature is balanced in its own way. If the miasma is poisonous, there must be a cure for it. The place near the miasma must also be the place where we can find a curing herb for the poison in the miasma. The soldiers of the State of Xia hold the advantage that they don't fear the miasma. So if you can find the curing herb, you will make a great contribution."

Yun Shang smiled. "I know that you're saying all this to comfort me. Thank you, for I do feel better now."

After the pheasants were roasted, Prince Jing took a crispy yet tender leg and handed it to Yun Shang. The Princess took a bite. She felt the fragrance of the pheasant spread in her mouth. Although there was no salt and not much taste, the meal still tasted good, as its original flavors had been preserved.

After Yun Shang and Prince Jing enjoyed their meal, they both leaned against a tree to rest.

As the night drew on, the forest seemed to come alive. Leaves rustled as small animals foraged for food. Yun Shang's ears pricked when the crickets began chirping. It wasn't long before the fire turned to embers and darkness enveloped the Prince and Princess. Secure in the knowledge that Prince Jing was by her side and shadow guards protected them, Yun Shang closed her eyes. A moment later, she heard a low rustling sound near them. Yun Shang's drowsiness disappeared. She kept her eyes closed and pulled her right hand into her sleeve. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt her weapon, a silver needle.

Yun Shang slowly reached out with her left hand. She remembered that Prince Jing was on her left. As her fingers inched closer to where she remembered the Prince to be, Yun Shang first felt the cold steel of Prince Jing's sword. Then, as her fingers moved upward, she touched a hand which felt slightly cold. The hand held Yun Shang's hand. As fingers grazed her palm, Yun Shang noticed the words, 'Someone is here' being traced on her palm. Yun Shang felt relieved that Prince Jing was awake. The Princess also drew comfort from the knowledge that the shadow guards were all awake and ready to fight.

A sharp noise suddenly rang through the forest. It was so loud that it made Yun Shang's ears ache. Whoever made that much noise must have wanted to wake Yun Shang and Prince Jing. So Yun Shang and Prince Jing opened their eyes. But it was too dark around them. There wasn't even the slightest glimmer from the moon.