Chapter 191: All that was left was blood
The air was still, thick with the weight of unspoken tension. Zhao Yan stepped out of the cold palace with a heavy expression, his jaw tight and his eyes shadowed. The golden mask he so often wore had been left behind, revealing the raw lines of grief and anger etched across his face. Behind him, Wei Ling and Deng Mi silently matched his pace, both of them exchanging anxious glances as they walked alongside their prince.
Wei Ling, ever the careful observer, couldn’t hold his concern any longer. "Your Highness," he said in a low voice, "you don’t look well. Are you—?"
Zhao Yan didn’t even look at him. With a single flick of his fingers, he cut him off. "I am fine."
That was the end of it. No one dared to speak further.
They mounted their horses in silence, the beasts obedient and swift under their masters. The path back to the palace wound through quiet corridors of tall trees, the foliage rustling faintly in the cool afternoon breeze. Despite the calm scenery, something about the road ahead sent a chill crawling up Zhao Yan’s spine.
It started slowly. The horse beneath him began to fidget, its hooves tapping anxiously on the ground. Zhao Yan narrowed his eyes and gently pulled the reins. The beast halted, head tossing nervously.
Behind him, Wei Ling’s horse jerked sideways.
"What is it?" Deng Mi asked, but the tension in his tone betrayed that he, too, had sensed something.
Zhao Yan held up a hand. All three horses stopped. The riders went silent.
The forest was too quiet.
No birds. No wind. No sound.