Rebirth of the Phoenix 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.