Free Web NovelChapter 384: Chapter 384: Retreat Unscathed
The mountain forest was shrouded in shadow. A bird burst from the trees, its flapping wings carving a sharp silhouette against the sky before it vanished into the distance.
Shen Yanchuan glanced up, then looked away.
Lian Zhou and his men followed close behind, their footsteps nearly silent on the fallen leaves.
They walked for a long time without encountering anyone else.
Lian Zhou glanced around and asked in a low voice, "My Lord, the Beast Circle is just ahead. Do we keep going?"
Shen Yanchuan nodded. "The Third Prince has yet to be found."
Lian Zhou asked no more questions.
The Third Prince had vanished without a trace after being chased deep into the forest by assassins. They had been searching all this way, and while their pace wasn’t slow, they always seemed to be one step behind.
He thought for a moment, then said, "Those assassins seem to have come prepared. Their skills are extraordinary."
The Third Prince, Xiao Chengqi, was a battle-hardened veteran. His martial skills were considerable, so for him to be cornered like this... it spoke volumes about the assassins’ strength.
But...
"Why did the Third Prince flee into the forest, of all places?"
Shen Yanchuan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"There was no better choice."
It took Lian Zhou a moment to process before he finally understood. ’That’s right!’ If the Third Prince led the assassins toward the camp, His Majesty and the others would be in grave danger. Although the Imperial Army was on guard, these assassins were not to be underestimated. If anything went wrong, no one could bear that responsibility.
Additionally, it was also possible that the assassins had deliberately lured him deep into the woods.
"They seem quite familiar with the terrain here." Lian Zhou frowned. "I just wonder who could have sent..."
RUSTLE—
A faint sound suddenly came from up ahead to the right.
Lian Zhou and his men were instantly on alert!
"Who’s there!?"
As he spoke, they drew their bowstrings taut, the sharp arrowheads glinting coldly.
Just then, Shen Yanchuan suddenly raised a hand. "Wait."
Lian Zhou and his men were confused. "My Lord?"
But Shen Yanchuan was already looking ahead, the corner of his lip twitching slightly. "Come on out."
After a brief, dead silence, two tall, youthful figures appeared before them, one walking in front of the other.
Shock spread across the faces of Lian Zhou and his men—it was none other than the brothers, Ye Jingyan and Ye Yunfeng!
Ye Jingyan stepped forward and bowed politely. "Greetings, Princely Heir."
Shen Yanchuan’s gaze swept over the two of them. Seeing only a few specks of blood on their clothes while their complexions and auras were normal, he quickly determined they were uninjured.
"What are you two doing here?"
This was deep within the hunting grounds; normally, no one would venture this far.
Ye Yunfeng grinned. "We were chasing those assassins!"
Shen Yanchuan raised his eyebrows.
Lian Zhou couldn’t hide his surprise. "You mean... the assassins hunting the Third Prince?"
"The Third Prince?" Ye Yunfeng’s expression grew serious as he realized something. "We didn’t know they were after the Third Prince. We were ambushed in the forest earlier, and when we sensed something was off, we chased them all the way here."
In other words, they hadn’t encountered the Third Prince either.
"Could those assassins have split up?" Lian Zhou’s expression tensed. "My Lord, I’m afraid they have more people here than we anticipated."
From the looks of it, they must have split their forces into several groups to corner the Third Prince.
It was just that one of those teams had run into Ye Yunfeng and his brother, dragging them into the mess.
But...
Shen Yanchuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Those assassins are highly skilled. If they ran into you, they certainly wouldn’t have shown any mercy."
"So, the two of you managed to escape from them completely unscathed, with no outside help whatsoever?"
