Chapter Twenty-Four: Abducted by Venomous Insects

In the midst of a cluster of deadly little creatures, Yunbai found a gold-colored, coin-sized round stone. She picked it up and hurried over to Su Jingluo’s side, placing it on Su Jingluo’s wrist and tapping it lightly.

Instantly, the golden stone seemed to awaken; fine little heads and a ring of claws sprouted from its edges. As if obeying a command, the heads and claws gripped Su Jingluo’s wrist, burrowing in tightly. The stone gradually turned from gold to brown, emitting a faint glow and fastening itself securely to her wrist.

Su Jingluo quieted immediately, her eyes became hazy, and she slipped into sleep.

“What is this? Will it harm your mother’s body?” Xiao Jingxuan’s question came not from distrust of Yunbai, but from concern—after all, the child was still so young.

Yunbai rolled her eyes and pouted angrily, “Doesn’t bad daddy trust Yunbai?”

Xiao Jingxuan was speechless. She’s only five—should I really trust her?

“It’s a Resting Bug. It doesn’t harm the body, but it only lasts for five hours,” Yunbai explained in a matter-of-fact tone, like a little adult, finishing with another eye roll.

Both Xiao Jingxuan and Yunbai felt relieved, though seeing Su Jingluo’s cold, lifeless body pained them deeply. They began to rub her limbs, careful not to use too much heat lest it worsen her frostbite. The two, one big and one small, divided her body as if claiming territory: you take the left side, I’ll take the right.

Ruihuan wanted to help, but dared not compete for territory with the prince and his son. Instead, she retreated to brew a bowl of warming medicine for Su Jingluo. As for Zhuoyue An, his situation was rather awkward; the poisonous insects Yunbai had brought seemed to be stirring from their slumber, lazily shuffling across the floor. All of them gathered around Zhuoyue An, moving slowly but inevitably to his feet. He crouched atop the table, but the insects simply crawled up the table legs.

Zhuoyue An glanced at the father and son, who were intently tending to Su Jingluo, and sighed quietly. Life in the prince’s residence was growing more and more difficult.

“Your Highness, perhaps we should call a doctor to take a look,” Zhuoyue An, pressed against the wall on the table, offered to solve the prince’s troubles—and perhaps, he hoped, the prince would notice the suffering of a loyal subordinate as well.

“No. No one can know the princess’s current condition.” Xiao Jingxuan didn’t even lift his head.

Zhuoyue An felt helpless. Not even a glance—since the relationship between the prince and the princess had subtly changed, the prince himself had changed too, paying much less attention to his old subordinates.

As dawn approached, Su Jingluo slept peacefully. Yunbai and Xiao Jingxuan had settled their territories with precision. Only then did Xiao Jingxuan notice Zhuoyue An, who was standing atop the table, overwhelmed by poisonous insects and looking utterly miserable.

“What’s going on with you?” Xiao Jingxuan frowned at Zhuoyue An.

“Your Highness, I have no idea. Please ask the young lord to save me quickly,” Zhuoyue An squeezed his voice out, barely audible, with a scorpion clinging to his face—he dared not speak loudly, lest the creature become agitated and sting him.

“What are you saying? Muddled words, I can’t hear you. And while we’re tending to the princess, what are you still doing here?” Xiao Jingxuan hadn’t caught a word Zhuoyue An said, and was clearly annoyed by his lingering presence.

I’ve wanted to leave for ages, but haven’t these poisonous insects taken me hostage? Zhuoyue An wanted to protest, but pride kept him silent. He could only cast a plaintive look at Xiao Jingxuan.