The soft touch at his fingertips, like premium cotton, made Wei Rong’s heart tremble.
Watching the little creature rub its head against his fingertip, an indescribable joy threatened to overwhelm him.
As the Heir Apparent of the Guogong Residence, with his maternal aunt being the current Empress Dowager and his maternal uncle the Zhenguo General commanding two hundred thousand troops, Wei Rong appeared noble and prestigious in the eyes of outsiders. Yet, from the moment he began his education, he had never been allowed to reveal his true preferences.
Having something you cherished meant having a weakness.
To others, Wei Rong seemed aloof, eccentric, and unpredictable, yet he was deeply favored by the Late Emperor.
Especially after the current new emperor ascended the throne, the status of Wei Guogong Manor rose even higher.
The reason lay in the struggle for the throne two months earlier. On his deathbed, the Late Emperor had unexpectedly passed the throne to the Sixth Prince, who had been sent to Heng Country as a hostage in his youth and only returned after coming of age. Behind the Sixth Prince stood Wei Guogong Manor and the Song Family.
It was well known that due to his early years as a hostage, the Sixth Prince was perceived as weak-willed, unlearned, and crippled—unable to stand—after his return. He was even cold-shouldered by Wei Guogong Manor and publicly humiliated and mocked by Wei Rong. This led the other princes and nobles to overlook the Sixth Prince in the power struggle.
In the end, it turned out to be a scheme orchestrated by Wei Rong and the new emperor. The lameness was fake, the weakness and incompetence were fake, and even Wei Rong’s humiliation and neglect were nothing but a smokescreen.
Now that the new emperor had taken the throne, everything was settled. The remaining princes in the royal family were either dead or imprisoned, and most court officials had been purged. Wei Rong entered the Prison Bureau, earning a reputation for ruthlessness and the title “Jade-Faced Yama.Despite Wei Rong’s imposing presence and peerless beauty in Jing An, his temperament was considered too harsh. There were no charming women around him—not even a female mosquito.
Noble ladies and daughters of prestigious families in the capital only dared to admire Wei Rong from afar; no one dared to provoke this Yama.
And now, the peerlessly handsome Wei Rong, the new emperor’s right-hand man, the feared deity in the eyes of officials, gazed with a hint of tenderness in his eyes as he carefully stroked the cat with his fingertips.
The sensation on Yun Fu’s head made her unable to resist purring softly.
But the moment that slightly cool hand touched her neck, Yun Fu snapped out of her daze, leaping three meters away and entering a state of alertness.
As the touch at his fingertips vanished, Wei Rong withdrew his hand and sat back on the straw mat.
“Cough, cough!!!”
A dull pain in his chest made Wei Rong cough uncontrollably. His long hair, scattered around him, cascaded like flowing water with his movements.
Ignoring the dark red juice stains around his mouth, the sickly “beauty” covered his lips as he coughed, exuding a hauntingly tragic allure.
Yun Fu felt the man was as beautiful as a landscape painting—every stillness and movement a scene.
Once again, Yun Fu, the hopeless admirer of beauty, was cheaply seduced. But as she watched, she noticed bright red blood seeping from the hand covering his lips, and her pupils constricted sharply.
Hadn’t the snake venom been suppressed? Why was he still coughing up blood?!
Without another thought, Yun Fu leaped right in front of the coughing man, pressing one paw against his left wrist to check his pulse.
The little cat, which had been full of vigilance toward him, suddenly jumped to his side and pressed a paw onto his hand, leaving Wei Rong momentarily stunned.
Looking down at the round, fluffy head before him, Wei Rong felt an itch in his palm.
Swallowing the metallic taste of blood in his throat, he spoke hoarsely, trying to make his voice less unpleasant, “Don’t worry, I… cough, cough!!!”
“Meow!!!” Don’t speak!!!
Wei Rong’s heart trembled at the kitten’s crisp cry. Those amber-like cat pupils were incredibly beautiful, giving him the illusion that the kitten was genuinely concerned about him.
Yun Fu, pressing her paw against the man’s wrist, found his pulse even more chaotic than her master’s matchmaking thread.
Aside from the Thousand-Thread Bone Serpent Poison, this handsome man was also afflicted with another toxin, one that had likely been in his system for over a decade.
Unfortunately, in her current feline form, she couldn’t discern the finer details of his pulse. She would need to neutralize the Thousand-Thread Bone Serpent Poison first to uncover the other toxin.
As Yun Fu withdrew her paw, she noticed a grimy paw print stamped on the man’s pale wrist.
Feeling slightly guilty, she timidly retracted her paw.
Wei Rong had a mild obsession with cleanliness, but given his current state, it hardly mattered. Moreover, the faint paw print on his wrist struck him as rather endearing.
By now, Wei Rong was fairly certain—he genuinely adored this fluffy little creature.
In the past, he might have spared an extra glance for fluffy pets, but he had always kept his fondness in check. Now, perhaps because he felt his days were numbered, he saw no reason to restrain himself anymore.
If he survived, Wei Rong decided he would no longer pretend.
He simply adored fluffy little cats.
“Little one, if I make it through this, let me take care of you. How does that sound?”
Yun Fu was still pondering how to quickly detoxify the serpent poison from this handsome man when his faint, thread-like voice drifted down from above.
What did he just say? He wants to take care of her?!!!
This handsome man wants to take care of her? That would mean no more struggling to catch fish in the river daily, no more relying on acting cute to beg for food, and no more wandering homeless! And judging by his clothing—though tattered—the fabric clearly indicated he came from a wealthy family…
But beyond all that, she would get to see this beautiful face every day. To Yun Fu, it sounded like a dream come true!
Moments ago, Yun Fu had been hesitating about whether it was worth the effort to detoxify him. Now, her mind was made up—she would do it!!! Who said he couldn’t survive? No one under her care would die from poison, especially not from something as straightforward as the Thousand-Thread Bone Serpent Poison.
If Prince Cheng were to hear Yun Fu’s thoughts, he would surely cough up blood in fury.
What did she mean by “straightforward”? This was the Thousand-Thread Bone Serpent Poison—the most vicious, ruthless, and incurable toxin in the martial world! Even the Ghost Doctor would be powerless against it! It was a poison Prince Cheng had spent a fortune on, nearly emptying his private coffers, all to ensure Wei Rong’s demise.
“Meow, meow~” Don’t worry~ With me here, you’ll live!
Yun Fu’s cat pupils gleamed with determination as she patted the back of his hand with her paw before darting off without a backward glance.
Wei Rong watched as the little creature patted his hand after his plea, sensing a hint of solemnity in her glass-bead-like eyes.
For a moment, Wei Rong couldn’t understand what this little creature was trying to express.
But watching it run away without looking back, he figured it must be unwilling.
Hah~ Of course. In his current state, he could hardly protect himself.
Better that it ran, better that it went far away.
He’d heard that after the Thousand-Thread Bone Serpent Poison took full effect, the victim would die a gruesome death, eventually dissolving into a pool of blood. Better not frighten that little creature.
Wei Rong lay on the straw mat, closed his eyes, and quietly waited for the snake venom to flare up again.
Suddenly, he slowly opened his eyes and spoke coldly.
“Still not going to get down? How long do you plan to keep watching?”