The Emperor lay on the couch, clutching his stomach, likely from something he’d eaten. Cold sweat beaded on his brow from the pain.
A young physician sat by his bedside, examining him.
“Doctor, how is my father?” Murong Taotao asked, frowning.
Serves him right for eating indiscriminately. Enjoying it now, aren’t you?
It wasn’t surprising, the Emperor hadn’t stopped eating since they started their journey, sampling every delicious-looking item he encountered.
Now he was so weak from diarrhea that Murong Taotao hadn’t even managed to visit Dashui Village.
The physician released the Emperor’s pulse and sighed, “It’s not a serious illness, just a stomach upset. A few doses of medicine will sort him out!”
Hearing this, Murong Taotao’s expression grew colder. “And how long will it take for him to recover?”
“That’s difficult to say. It could be five or six days, or perhaps just an hour or two. A bad stomach needs gradual recovery, it cannot be rushed…” the physician said earnestly.
Murong Taotao’s anger flared. After dismissing the physician, he fixed a sinister gaze on the Emperor. “Your Majesty can recuperate here. This humble servant still needs to visit Dashui Village and will not stay to accompany you further!”
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
The Emperor’s face paled in panic. Forgetting his abdominal pain, he scrambled off the couch and tightly embraced Murong Taotao’s waist. “Taotao, you can’t leave! I’m this ill, don’t you feel any pity for me?”
This ungrateful brat! All the kindness I’ve shown you, and you’re so cold-blooded?
Murong Taotao: “……”
That old geezer, trying this trick on me again.
“It wasn’t this humble servant who made Your Majesty’s stomach upset. Let go!” Murong Taotao said sternly.
“No, I won’t. I’m afraid you’ll run away and never come back…” the Emperor held on tighter.
Murong Taotao curved his lips into a cold smile. “Does Your Majesty think this will make me stay?”
Throwing a tantrum like this was not befitting of a ruler.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor chuckled. “Taotao, you must think I’m very shameless. It’s alright, as long as you promise to stay in Yan Kingdom forever and serve no other master, I’ll give you the entire realm…”
“Let go!” Murong Taotao was struggling to breathe from the embrace, his mood growing increasingly irritable. “This humble servant is not interested in the world.”
“What about the little girl?”
Murong Taotao: “……”
You are truly unreasonable.
“It’s fine, this humble servant will stay and accompany Your Majesty. Please release your claws, I have mysophobia!” Murong Taotao said expressionlessly, looking straight ahead.
The Emperor finally felt a little relieved.
But as his spirits relaxed, his stomach began to rumble again. A piercing pain spread throughout his body, almost causing him to faint.
“Hiss, oh, oh, I can’t… I can’t!”
Seeing him looking half-dead, Murong Taotao had no choice but to stay temporarily and instructed Eunuch Ruan to have the shopkeeper prepare the medicine.
Meanwhile, within Camel Peak Mountain.
Xiao Xitian had been wandering the mountain with the villagers all morning but hadn’t found a single Qi leaf.
The plants seemed to be deliberately hiding, making the villagers’ legs ache.
“Daughter, do you think someone has already picked all the Qi leaves? What do they even look like?” Old Man Yun asked.
Xiao Xitian blinked her big eyes and wiped the sweat from her face. “No, Daddy, let’s look more carefully!”
She was the only one who knew the method of using Qi leaves to smoke locusts, so it was impossible for other villagers to have picked them all.
Xiao Jinheng walked beside Xiao Xitian, occasionally glancing into ditches and at tree roots, feeling equally anxious.
There wasn’t much rain this season, so no mushrooms had grown, but the air in the forest was exceptionally fresh.
The scent of wildflowers and grass wafted through the trees, and the faint aroma of pine filled the lungs, refreshing and pleasant.
A village woman looked up at the sun. Seeing that it was past noon, she took out a baked cornmeal pancake and offered it to Xiao Xitian.
“Little County Princess, have a piece of pancake to fill your stomach. The Qi leaves are in the mountains, they won’t run away. We can have the villagers search again this afternoon,” Aunt Liu said with a smile.
Xiao Xitian took the pancake and took a big bite. “I know, Aunt Liu. Please tell everyone to stop and rest!”
“Alright!”
The villagers had been searching the mountains all morning and were starving. Hearing the Little County Princess tell them to rest, they sat down on the ground, took out their homemade dry rations, and ate them with cold water.
“Eat slowly, don’t choke!” Xiao Jinheng took out a silk handkerchief and helped Xiao Xitian wipe the crumbs from the corner of her mouth.
If they couldn’t find the Qi leaves today, he would write to Prefect Qin and ask him to gather thousands of ducks from around the prefecture and transport them to Dashui Village to drive away the locusts.
“Brat, aren’t you eating?” Xiao Xitian asked.
Ever since returning to Dashui Village from the capital, the brat seemed to have lost a lot of weight.
Although his small face was delicate and handsome, with clear eyebrows and eyes, his cheeks had already started to look sunken.
Xiao Jinheng pursed his lips and smiled. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw a dark figure descend from the sky, landing directly in front of Xiao Xitian.
Yun Erman and Old Man Yun were startled and stared blankly at the man in black.
“Wh-what are you doing?” Xiao Xitian asked, looking at the newcomer blankly, her expression a little dazed.
The man in black glanced at Xiao Xitian’s satchel, then, before she could react, he picked her up. With a tap of his foot, he soared into the air, disappearing without a trace after a few turns.
Seeing this, Xiao Jinheng sprang up and bolted in pursuit.
To dare snatch someone in broad daylight, it was utterly outrageous.
Yun Erman and Old Man Yun didn’t stand idly by either. Gripping their sickles, they chased after him.
Regardless of why a man in black appeared in Camel Peak Mountain, judging by his Qinggong, he was an absolute master.
If he didn’t rescue his daughter today, how would Old Man Yun explain it to his wife and family when he returned?
Fu Daqiang and Du Laosan also began to organize the villagers to rescue the Little County Princess.
“Women and children stay put. Young men and strong lads, grab your tools and follow me to save Sweet Baby!” Fu Daqiang shouted.
And so, a group of people surged into the depths of the dense forest like a flood.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
A gust of wind whistled past Xiao Xitian’s ears, and her vision spun as if she were on a roller coaster, making her feel dizzy.
Looking down at the ground, the dense forest quickly receded behind them. She was held tightly by the man in black and couldn’t break free.
“You, you let go of me! Where are you taking me?” Xiao Xitian complained.
“Shut up, don’t speak!” the man in black roared.
Xiao Xitian: “……”