The Crown Prince’s poison… was cured?
Zhui Ying and Qing Wu exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other’s eyes.
“I’ll go fetch the Little County Princess.”
With those words, Qing Wu’s figure vanished.
A short while later, Qing Wu returned with a grave expression, bringing back a piece of news.
“What? The Little County Princess is missing?”
“What are we waiting for? Send people to search immediately!”
“Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but bring the Little County Princess back unharmed.”
Qing Wu turned to Old Lion, bowing to him and saying, “Old Lion, may I borrow your tracking gu?”
Though Old Lion was eager to know who had cured Xiao Jiuyuan’s poison, now was not the time to ask too many questions.
He could only help them find the person first and discuss the rest later.
“Come with me to fetch it.” Old Lion led Qing Wu away.
Meanwhile, others were dispatched to search for the missing Little County Princess.
No sooner had they left than Jiu Jiu swaggered in, pushing the door open.
“Huh? Where is everyone?”
Seeing the empty room, Jiu Jiu pouted.
“As expected, humans are unreliable. I’ll have to rely on myself.”
Muttering to herself, Jiu Jiu hoisted the unconscious Xiao Jiuyuan from the bed and placed him in a nearby wheelchair.
The tiny figure pushed the wheelchair, striding briskly toward the kitchen.
In the front courtyard of the kitchen, a large iron pot was set up.
A blazing fire burned beneath it.
The water in the pot had begun to steam, emitting a foul odor from the iron pot.
“Here goes—”
Jiu Jiu stripped Xiao Jiuyuan of his clothes, lifted him, and tossed him into the large iron pot.
“Ah, I’ve been busy all morning and I’m starving.”
Rubbing her growling stomach, Jiu Jiu decided to find something to eat in the kitchen.
The Donggong kitchen was completely empty.
Starving and with her stomach rumbling, Jiu Jiu decided to make her own food.
One incense stick’s time later.
Thick, billowing smoke poured out of the kitchen.
Covered in soot, Jiu Jiu fled from the dense smoke.
As soon as she steadied herself, she saw Xiao Jiuyuan, his face flushed red, nearly cooked through.
“Oh my goodness, I almost forgot about you.”
Jiu Jiu wanted to pull him out.
But here was the problem.
How was she supposed to get him out of such a large, scalding iron pot?
Just as Jiu Jiu was racking her brains, Xiao Jiuyuan in the iron pot suddenly opened his eyes.
His eyes were bloodshot, filled with murderous intent.
“You’re awake, quick—” Before Jiu Jiu could finish her sentence, the iron pot beneath Xiao Jiuyuan suddenly exploded.
Xiao Jiuyuan crashed heavily to the ground.
Jiu Jiu dodged the splashing boiling water and rushed to check on Xiao Jiuyuan.
“Yikes, why is there so much bad stuff inside you? Are you trying to burst me to death?”
At this moment, a large patch of purplish-black had spread across Xiao Jiuyuan’s chest.
The purplish-black mass seemed alive, spreading outward.
“Xiao Hui, you say there’s a way to save him? Good, lead the way.”
A small, dusty, round mouse chattered “squeak squeak squeak” at Jiu Jiu for a while.
Without another word, Jiu Jiu hoisted Xiao Jiuyuan and followed the little mouse.
The mouse led Jiu Jiu through dog holes and across deserted palaces.
Finally, they arrived before a magnificent, resplendent palace.
“Squeak squeak squeak—”
The little mouse squeaked at Jiu Jiu, signaling for her to follow.
Jiu Jiu carried Xiao Jiuyuan inside.
The first thing she saw was a golden chair, intricately carved with a golden dragon.
“Squeak squeak squeak—”
The little mouse chattered again.
Jiu Jiu said, "You say this chair has the aura of a true dragon protecting it, making it an extremely yang object that can suppress the filthy thing inside him? Really? Can a chair be that powerful?"
Even as she asked this, Jiu Jiu's actions showed no hesitation.
She hoisted Xiao Jiuyuan over her shoulder and threw him onto that glittering golden chair.
Miraculously, the purplish-black mass on Xiao Jiuyuan's chest truly stopped spreading outward.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak—"
The little mouse climbed up the wall, straining to pull down the sword hanging there.
Jiu Jiu dragged a stool over with one hand, stepped onto it, and took down the sword that the little mouse couldn't pull out no matter how hard it tried.
Tilting her head, she asked the little mouse, "Are you saying this sword is very powerful and can kill the filthy thing inside my useless father?"
"Squeak, squeak, squeak—"
The little mouse squeaked and nodded.
Jiu Jiu nodded. "Alright, I understand."
Dragging the long, heavy sword, she walked over to Xiao Jiuyuan.
As Jiu Jiu held the sword, figuring out where to strike, Xiao Jiuyuan's eyes suddenly snapped open.
"You want to kill me?"
Xiao Jiuyuan's voice was icy as he reached out to grab Jiu Jiu's neck.
While dodging, Jiu Jiu's sword pierced a hole in Xiao Jiuyuan's chest.
"Haha, where do you think you're escaping to?"
Jiu Jiu twisted and flicked the hilt of the sword she held.
A blood-red worm, as thin as a strand of hair and about as long as her finger, fell to the ground.
Jiu Jiu emptied the pine nut candy from the small gourd at her waist and put the worm inside.
"What is that?" Xiao Jiuyuan asked, only then realizing the place he was in looked familiar.
This is… the Imperial Study?
Then the chair he was sitting on must be…
Xiao Jiuyuan's pupils contracted sharply.
Just as he was about to ask Jiu Jiu why he had come to the Imperial Study, he heard commotion from outside. "There are intruders in the palace, search carefully…"
Not good!
Xiao Jiuyuan grabbed Jiu Jiu with one hand and left through a secret passage in the Imperial Study.
Returning to Donggong.
Before Xiao Jiuyuan could ask Jiu Jiu why he had appeared in the Imperial Study, the door to his bedchamber was pushed open.
Seeing him awake, Qing Wu was overjoyed.
"Your Highness, you're awake!"
Before Xiao Jiuyuan could speak, Qing Wu turned to Jiu Jiu with great delight and said, "Little County Princess, we've finally found you!"
"Why look for her?" Xiao Jiuyuan asked with a frown.
"Your Highness, you don't know yet, do you? Old Lion said there is someone who can cure your poison."
"The person who can cure you is the Little County Princess."
Qing Wu recounted with immense joy what Old Lion had said earlier.
Then he added, "Old Lion insisted on meeting the person who cured Your Highness, but the Little County Princess mysteriously disappeared. While we were searching for her, the study in Donggong suddenly caught fire… I was worried someone was creating a diversion, using the fire as a pretext to harm Your Highness, so I rushed back to protect you."
Xiao Jiuyuan could no longer hear the rest of the words.
He only felt dizzy and lightheaded.
Overcome with thirst, his gaze fell on the water jug on the table, and he walked over to pour himself a cup of water to drink.
"Yo… Your Highness… You, your legs are healed?"
Qing Wu stared wide-eyed in astonishment at Xiao Jiuyuan's legs, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Crash—"
The teacup in Xiao Jiuyuan's hand shattered in his grip.
Belatedly, he realized he had actually stood up.
His pupils constricted.
Clenching his fists tightly, a storm of emotions surged within him, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.
"I… can stand?"