บท 53: Heart-Wrenching Conditions

The thick forest was a blessing in the snow but still, they needed precautions.

Two of the four guards needed a great amount of care for twenty-four hours.

Henan, Prince and the other guards were looking after them dutifully. One of the guards could not survive the next hour due to severe blood loss.

Henan was shedding tears for her loyal guards though Wan Hu kept her away from them and she did not see him dying but she had seen their condition.

She was crying non-stop.

Wan Hu rested her head on his chest for incense time consoling her, dabbing her tears with his sleeves.

They were short of extra clothes because they used extra clothes to cover the injuries. Between her sobbing she asked Wan Hu "Did you now that they were coming for us beforehand?" for a moment Wan Hu forgot to take breathe of her gaze over him.

"They were Martial Assassins," he shifted his eyes away from her gaze.

"Please don't put up questions as to how did I know and who send them," his voice was hoarse yet slightly quivering and his eyes were slightly reddened with agitation.

"If you say so, I won't ask," despite being Crown Heir and Prince, his heart was transparent at least for Henan, she could see he was struggling with his emotions.

She touched small cut on his face and sighed, "Let me bring herbal paste," he saw her walking away.

This forest was the habitat of different wild animals and it also the most dangerous path to reach East End and after the forest was a permanent territory for Huns in the small hills range.

....

King Shang was on death bed because of severe deep wound close to his heart, twelve most renowned physicians were tending the King.

One of the servants was captured but meantime he stabbed himself and died, they have zero evidence who did it and why.

King ordered to search the Prince in the whole Kingdom and anyone who provided information regarding Prince' location would be rewarded.

One of his advisors told that the assassins King sent to kill Henan Zhong did not come back yet.

....

A border of Shang Kingdom was associated with his worst enemy who in previous years were mostly on friendly terms.

King Yong always held himself back because of the presence of General Zhong was warning for his failure but as soon as he confirmed that General Zhong was missing for a very long time, it means the Shang Kingdom was hiding his death or disappearance but now he would not hold himself back anymore.

He would definitely equal his scores and get back this huge territory.

He was starting to dream himself the sole King of the whole region. His son Crown Prince Jun Yong was interested to fulfill this dream of his father.

He visited the Shang Kingdom back then with this intention, also he wanted to pay back the humiliation he faced there with the attack of shadow guards sent by King after he was returning back from his trip.

After his successful stab on the King, he ordered his forces to gather on the border for a final attack on the Shang Kingdom.

Slowly forces started to gather at border front laced with weapons.

Best forces were deployed there, the bordering air got tense with this accumulation of force.

Seeing the change on the border front, Shang War Messenger headed toward Royal State to inform the King these sudden changes.

There were only a few hundred soldiers on the border front without any prominent lead.

...…..

Kingdom became a mess because of missing Prince, best emissaries and spies spread in the Kingdom and following the pieces of evidence they were about to reach the Belle Forest. His personal guards, shadow guards, and soldiers were included in this search operation and now they could be considered great in numbers.

The extension of East End was little terrible because of its hill range which was the permanent residence of Huns and the border front which joined Shang border with bitter enemy King Yong and these two severities pair the Belle Forest which was under the territory of Shang Kingdom.

Belle Forest hosts its wildlife in the thicker part of the forest while the thin part was used for travel, wood trade, and wild hunting.

...….

Martial Assassins did not return back instead they were waiting at the edges. They were sure they would be able to assassinate the girl in the second attack.

Henan had collected a sharp dagger from one of the carcasses of an assassin, she was sitting alone, digging the ground aimlessly, in fact, she was not digging, and she was throwing it and then pulling back and then again throwing.

One of her guards came and bowed to her, "Miss Henan, it would be dangerous to stay here anymore, we have deliberated over it that with your permission we should continue our journey," he bowed again after saying what he was here for.