Nangong Yu looked out the window. Snowflakes drifted down, and the view outside was nothing but black and white. He disliked snowy days, always feeling they were too cold and bleak.
"My imperial mother passed away on a day of heavy snowfall," Nangong Yu said softly. "That's why I dislike snowy days."
"When Your Highness wakes tomorrow, the snow will have stopped."
"I hope so." Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man. "Xiao Man, do you remember the first time we met?"
"At Ganye Temple?"
Nangong Yu chuckled and shook his head. "The first time we met was probably when your father brought you back from the army. You were only five years old then."
Xiao Man searched her memory carefully but found no trace of it. "I don't remember."
"I remember it very clearly," Nangong Yu said slowly. "General Xiao brought you to the palace to meet the Emperor. You had pigtails, big eyes that darted around, and several princes were present in the palace at the time."
Xiao Man racked her brain, but she couldn't recall the event. However, if the Prince of Qin remembered it, it must have been significant. "Did I do something?"
"Yes. You ran up to the princes, grabbed my hand, and cheerfully said, 'Little brother, you're so handsome. When I grow up, can I be your wife?'"
Xiao Man froze on the spot. Was she that bold as a child? Grabbing a handsome little brother and offering to be his wife? How many people had she promised herself to?
While Xiao Man was dazed, Nangong Yu picked up the second pill and swallowed it. At first, he felt nothing, but after a moment, his blood began to boil. A scorching sensation spread through his entire body, as if he were being cooked alive.
"Ah!" The pain was so intense that even the stoic Nangong Yu cried out. Si Chen, who was guarding outside, heard his scream and rushed in. He saw Nangong Yu collapsed on the ground, his blood vessels bulging. Nangong Yu writhed in agony, tearing at his clothes. Blood seeped from his pores, staining his white robes, a horrifying sight.
Xiao Man's face turned pale as she watched Nangong Yu struggle and scream. It was as if flames were burning beneath his skin, and his entire body had turned into a crimson, bloody figure.
"Your Highness, Eldest Miss, how could this happen?" Si Chen had never seen Nangong Yu in such a terrifying state. Although Nangong Yu had warned him, seeing it firsthand was another matter entirely.
Xiao Man calmed herself. "Get out."
"Eldest Miss."
"Get out!" Xiao Man's voice was sharp.
Si Chen was taken aback by Xiao Man's outburst. He had never seen her so furious. The usual Xiao Man, even when angry, hid her emotions behind a smile. She had never been so openly emotional.
Si Chen immediately retreated, dragging Si Ye, who had arrived, with him. He closed the door and ordered guards to prevent anyone from approaching.
Inside the room, mournful screams continued to echo, chilling the hidden guards. In their eyes, the Prince of Qin was like a god. No matter how severe his injuries, he never cried out in pain. When the poison attacked, he would endure it alone. But now, he screamed so tragically.
Ye Qing, having heard the news, rushed over but was blocked by Si Chen. "Dr. Ye, His Highness has instructed that no one is to enter until either he or the Eldest Miss comes out." Sudancw.com
"Don't you hear him screaming in pain?"
Si Chen gritted his teeth. "You cannot go in."
"Xiao Man is treating him?" Ye Qing harbored a growing unease. Had Nangong Yu finally decided to exchange Xiao Man's life for his own? For some reason, a surge of hatred welled up in Ye Qing's heart. If anything happened to Xiao Man, he would likely never forgive Nangong Yu.
Seeing Ye Qing distracted, Wen Ruyu seized the opportunity to break through Si Chen's obstruction and rushed towards the room. However, just as he reached the door, a large sword appeared out of nowhere. Wen Ruyu couldn't stop himself and crashed into the sword, falling to the ground.
Wen Ruyu was about to curse, but upon recognizing who had blocked him, he immediately hid behind Si Ye. "Why is this woman here?"
Si Ye glanced at Dugu Luo. "She is Xiao Man's personal guard. Isn't it normal for her to be here?"
Wen Ruyu was speechless. They could only enter if they could defeat Dugu Luo. But Dugu Luo was different from the hidden guards of the Prince of Qin's manor. The latter would not kill them, but Dugu Luo would. He didn't want to die!
The screams continued unabated. Xiao Man watched, her heart filled with anxiety. She feared Nangong Yu might burst his blood vessels and die like a small animal.
"Nangong Yu, you must hold on. Don't give up." Xiao Man spoke beside Nangong Yu. "Back then, on the battlefield, in such desperate times, you didn't give up. You cannot give up now."
Nangong Yu felt so much pain that he wished for death to escape it. But a thought emerged in his mind: he couldn't give up, he couldn't surrender. Someone was waiting for him.
Someone was waiting for him? Who was waiting for him? Nangong Yu asked himself, puzzled. His imperial mother was gone. Who else would wait for him?
"Nangong Yu! I dug you out of a pile of corpses back then, and I didn't do it so you could die now. You must endure!"
Dug out of a pile of corpses? Dugu Man, was that woman still alive? Nangong Yu opened his bloodshot eyes. His vision was a blur of red, and he could only vaguely see a silhouette. Was he really going to die? He was actually seeing Dugu Man.
"Nangong Yu!"
Nangong Yu finally saw the person in front of him clearly. It wasn't Dugu Man, it was Xiao Man. Yes, Xiao Man was waiting for him. He couldn't give up.
The roaring in the room continued until after midnight.
When the sounds from inside ceased, everyone looked at the door, anxious to know the situation within.
With a creak, the door opened. Xiao Man stood at the threshold, her face pale, her body covered in blood, swaying precariously. Dugu Luo quickly supported her. "I'm fine. Bring hot water to help His Highness bathe and change."
Si Chen and Si Ye exchanged glances. One went to fetch hot water, and the other entered the room to check on Nangong Yu.
Ye Qing stepped forward to take Xiao Man's pulse, but she dodged him. "You're covered in blood. Are you alright?"
Xiao Man shook her head. "It's not my blood. Brother Ye, please prepare some tonic medicine for blood replenishment. His Highness has lost a lot of blood."
Ye Qing nodded and went to prepare the medicine. Si Chen looked at Nangong Yu, lying on the ground like a bloodied statue, and hesitated to approach, fearing Nangong Yu had breathed his last.
Wen Ruyu, for some reason, found Xiao Man to be particularly terrifying at this moment. He cautiously entered the room, following the wall, and gasped at Nangong Yu's state. "My God, he's been reduced to this. Is he even alive?"
Si Chen shot Wen Ruyu a glare. Wen Ruyu quickly covered his mouth. Si Chen then checked Nangong Yu's breathing. "He's still breathing."