Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 70

Yun Shang replied with a tender smile, "Sure." Yun Shang thought to herself, 'He hasn't changed a bit. Still so competitive.' All of a sudden, Hua Jing's face flashed through her mind. She remembered how clearly she could see people's expressions and movements through the mist when she first stepped into the pavilion. Somehow, she had a really bad feeling. If she was right, Hua Jing was alone in the pavilion when she and Mo Jingran left.

"Your Highness, what are you thinking about?" Mo Jingran leaned forward and asked with a gentle smile. His handsome face softened as he stared at Yun Shang.

"Not much. I was just thinking about how marvelous the Qianxin Tower is. We had the perfect view from the pavilion, yet we can hardly see anything along the lakeside." As Yun Shang replied, she secretly held and squeezed Qian Yin's hand as a warning.

Mo Jingran didn't see what she had done in the thick fog. He simply led the way, "Your Highness, this way, please. I came from this path earlier, and I saw a parchment hidden in the rockery alongside the gravel."

Yun Shang followed Mo Jingran quietly towards where he estimated the hidden parchment to be. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Yun Shang noticed that something was wrong. She could smell a faint but sweet fragrance that wafted through the air.

"Mister Mo, have you noticed? The scent..." Yun Shang decided to ask Mo Jingran. Mo Jingran stopped and looked around before taking a deep breath. He then agreed with a slight nod, "Right, I can smell it too. But I saw some flowers blooming over there. Perhaps it is just coming from those flowers?"

Yun Shang stared at Mo Jingran as he tried to explain. She couldn't help but notice how his hands shook even though he was hiding them behind his back. They had been married for many years in her previous life, and it had been long enough for her to be familiar with some of his habits. She knew his hands shook when he lied. Earlier, Yun Shang didn't have the opportunity to see his hands because he had been following her when they left the pavilion. Now that Mo Jingran wanted to show her the parchment and was leading the way, Yun Shang finally had the chance to notice this detail.

Why was Mo Jingran lying to her? Perhaps something was wrong with the scent.

Anxious but unsure, Yun Shang frowned and wondered what could be wrong. She thought she was quite familiar with common poisons. Yet, she had no idea what kind of poison the fragrance might have been extracted from. Yun Shang stepped forward cautiously. Perhaps the fragrance was, as he said, only the nearby flowers. But things could not be as simple as they looked. Besides, it seemed that she and Mo Jingran were the only souls wandering in the area at the moment.

The only souls?

Yun Shang stopped abruptly at the thought. She didn't need to look back, as she could feel that there was nobody behind them. Where were Qin Yi and Qian Yin? She couldn't be more certain that, just a moment ago, Qian Yin was standing near her.

Yun Shang tried to sort things out in her mind. The only thing she knew for sure was that she could not look back. Hua Jing was still in the pavilion, and she could see everything. Once she turned around, Hua Jing would know that Yun Shang had noticed something was wrong. She couldn't risk alarming her sister until she found out what Hua Jing was up to. She could not strike Mo Jingran for the same reason.

Yun Shang looked around and found the rockery Mo Jingran had mentioned earlier.

Pointing at the rocks, Yun Shang asked, "Is that the rockery you spoke about, Mister Mo?"

Following the direction that Yun Shang was pointing at, Mo Jingran nodded hastily, "Right, that's it. I'm not lying to you, am I? There is a riddle hidden behind the rocks. I'll fetch it for you." Mo Jingran then hurried towards the rockery.

Yun Shang followed him. She had hardly turned the corner when she found Mo Jingran lying on the ground. It looked like he had fainted. Acutely aware of her surroundings, Yun Shang felt as though someone was trying to sneak up on her. She turned sideways and aimed for where she estimated the person's throat would be. Her hand latched onto its intended target. She then swung her other hand and hit the person in the face. Her assailant passed out within a second.

Yun Shang frowned and glanced at Mo Jingran before studying the strange man. All of a sudden, she felt something was wrong as a fire started to burn inside her. Knowing that she couldn't stay with them for long, Yun Shang looked around and saw a path behind the rockery. She pulled herself together and ran towards the path with the hopes of finding a place to hide.

Never before had Yun Shang felt as thirsty as she was at that moment. Trying to ignore her thirst, Yun Shang let out a bitter smile. The effects she was feeling made her think that she had been exposed to an aphrodisiac. But there were differences. Maybe it was not an ordinary aphrodisiac, and it had something to do with the flower? Never had she thought she'd find herself in such an awkward situation. She thought that she had been extremely careful, and yet, Hua Jing had been one step ahead of her from the very beginning. Yun Shang had been to the Qianxin Tower several times as she helped Hua Jing prepare for the feast. However, the place was never misty, not even once. She was surprised to see the thick fog when she walked into the Tower that morning. But she soon rationalized that it was a natural phenomenon since the lake had frozen. She didn't think it would be a trap. Yun Shang thought about the morning again, and was now certain that the mist was a strange occurrence.

But it was too late. Qin Yi and Qian Yin had disappeared. Without the rockery as her shield, she would be seen by Hua Jing once she left the path.

"Hmm..." Yun Shang heard a voice. She managed to sit upright and look over her shoulder. Behind the rocks, she could see Mo Jingran stirring. He seemed to be affected by the strange scent as well. He waved his hands restlessly in the air until he grabbed something. It was the man who tried to attack Yun Shang. Mo Jingran brought the hand eagerly to his face before leaning forward to reach the body lying beside him.