Chapter 72 Dead

The sun was just right, and the leaves in the courtyard were slightly yellowing.

With a gust of wind, they swirled in the air a few times before drifting down to land on the stone slabs.

Cui Ji held a bowl of pitch-black medicinal soup in his hands, lowered his head, and blew on it. He picked up a spoon, scooped up a bit, and pressed it to Cheng Ge's lips.

That night, not long after Cheng Ge returned to the Prince's Mansion, the poison in his body could no longer be suppressed. He coughed up blood several times in a row, and later became disoriented.

Fortunately, the imperial physician was promptly brought to the mansion by the shadow guards; otherwise, Cheng Ge would have already appeared on the King of Hell's register of life and death.

But this man had indeed had one foot in the grave, so his body naturally couldn't withstand it.

For the next three days, he suffered from recurring high fevers, almost as if his body was being drained dry.

One bowl of medicine after another was poured down his throat, and the herbal formulas were changed several times in a row. It wasn't until today that the fever finally broke.

At this moment, Cui Ji was covered in stubble, his eyes bloodshot, looking utterly exhausted.

At first glance, aside from his still-thick hair, he looked like a beast of burden sucked dry by work...

Cheng Ge was still not fully conscious. The spoon had barely touched his lips when he dodged the spoon, frowning deeply.

Cui Ji wasn't too surprised. With practiced ease, he pinched Cheng Ge's jaw.

Cheng Ge’s mouth was pried half-open, and Cui Ji quickly poured the spoonful of medicine in.

Cheng Ge immediately stuck out his tongue, rapidly trying to push the medicine out. It was as if he were being fed molten lava instead of herbal soup.

Cui Ji was cold-hearted and didn’t indulge him. He simply pinched his lips shut.

Cheng Ge’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, and finally, the medicine went down.

A bit of the liquid trickled from the corner of his mouth, and Cui Ji took a handkerchief to wipe it away, his movements exceptionally gentle and careful.

Even the shadow guards felt that the prince at this moment was utterly unfamiliar to them.

How did that saying go? "In me the tiger sniffs the rose."

No matter how tough a man is, when tying his shoelaces, he still ties a bow.

After finally finishing the bowl of medicine, Cheng Ge wasn't badly affected, but Cui Ji was sweating profusely on his forehead.

He set down the bowl and instructed, "First, warm up some goat's milk, add a bit of honey, and bring it over directly."

"Yes." The servant acknowledged and hurried off to prepare.

Cui Ji sat by the bed, glanced at Cheng Ge's pale face, then leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes to rest.

In his daze, Cui Ji unexpectedly dozed off. His consciousness grew hazy, and reality and dreams silently merged.

Inside the hall, white curtains hung low, white silk covered the pillars, and on the bluestone floor, candle flames danced, casting eerie shadows.

Cui Ji looked around. Sixteen red-lacquered official coffins lay quietly on the funeral bier. In front of the coffins, a seven-foot-long crimson silk banner with funeral inscriptions hung high.

Candles flickered before his eyes. Cui Ji, panicking, scrambled to his feet and fled in all directions.

Suddenly, a wind blew, making the funeral banners rustle.

Twelve monks sat cross-legged, their lips moving. The sound of wooden fish mixed with the "Sutra of Deliverance" droned relentlessly in Cui Ji's ears.

Cui Ji only wanted to escape. He fled in panic, stumbling and knocking over things in front of the hall.

His gaze shifted. The spirit tablets bearing the names of his dearest family fell to the ground. Cui Ji's heart tightened, and he hurriedly bent down to pick them up.

But as soon as he touched the spirit tablets, a cold, eerie wind blew, extinguishing all the candles in the hall.

In the darkness, a low voice sounded in his ear: "Cui Ji, you can't protect anyone."

Cui Ji looked up in terror, only to see the lids of the sixteen coffins beginning to slowly open.

His loved ones sat bolt upright, their faces deathly pale, their hollow eyes staring straight at him, crimson tears streaming from the corners of their eyes.

Suddenly, a slight movement awoke Cui Ji from his dream.

He opened his eyes abruptly and saw that Cheng Ge's hand was hooking his pinky finger, looking at him with teary eyes.

Cui Ji quickly sat up straight, rubbed his temples, and said in a hoarse voice, "Awake? Do you feel any discomfort?"

Cheng Ge's Adam's apple bobbed, and he said hoarsely, "I need to pee."

Cui Ji: "..."

Because he was still weak and had wounds on his body, Cheng Ge had to use a bedpan this time.

After taking care of that urgent business, Cheng Ge felt much fresher.

At that moment, the servant brought in the heated goat's milk. Cui Ji took it, blew on it, and fed it to Cheng Ge.

Cheng Ge: "???"

Meeting Cheng Ge’s confused gaze, Cui Ji cleared his throat and explained coldly, "Your hand is injured."

Cheng Ge then looked down at his own paw, wrapped in bandages like a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling).

"Ah..." This time, he opened his mouth without hesitation and obediently drank it.

After drinking, he licked the corner of his mouth, still craving more, but he had just woken up and couldn't eat too much.

Cui Ji wiped his mouth for him and was about to say something.

But Cheng Ge spoke first, "How is Yu Li? Did he eat?"

Cui Ji's face went dark instantly. His grip on the porcelain bowl tightened, and he was grinding his teeth so hard they might crack.

"He's dead." Cui Ji slammed the bowl heavily onto the table and replied coldly.

Cheng Ge's eyes widened, filled with disbelief, tears welling up in his eyes.

He stared at Cui Ji like that, as if confirming something.

Cui Ji looked down at him, his lips pressed tightly together, saying nothing.

After a moment...

Suddenly, he turned over, lay down facing inward on the bed, and yanked the blanket over his head.

Before long, low sobbing could be heard from under the blanket.

Cui Ji looked at the bulge in the bed, feeling a sharp pain in his heart, but he couldn't find the words.

Just then, the steward happened to walk in, glanced at the bed, and then looked at his prince.

"Your Highness, Master Lin is awake. What do you think..."

However, before he could finish, Cheng Ge on the bed threw off the covers, two streaks of tears still on his face.

"Steward Cui, who did you say woke up?"

"Master Lin is awake," the steward repeated.

Cheng Ge's eyes suddenly lit up. Ignoring how weak he felt, he sat up immediately.

He turned to look at Cui Ji and asked, "Didn't you just say he was dead?"

The steward: ???

Cui Ji's hands instantly itched, wanting to hit someone, but he just stared at Cheng Ge without responding.

"Uh... well," the steward's gaze shifted between the two, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Master Lin's condition has indeed been critical these past few days. Last night, he almost didn't make it."

"Your Highness has been tirelessly caring for Master Cheng, not even taking off his clothes, so he may not be fully aware of Master Lin's situation. That's why he assumed Master Lin was..." As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Cui Ji.

"Oh, I see," Cheng Ge said, looking at Cui Ji.

He noticed that Cui Ji had become so frail in just a few days, and couldn't help feeling a bit guilty.

He quickly asked with concern, "Have you eaten? Are you hungry?"

Cui Ji let out a cold sneer, and said in a snide tone, "I'm not about to starve."

Cheng Ge: "..." How was he supposed to answer that? Should he offer himself to be cooked as a snack to go with your drink?

Cheng Ge's eyes darted around. He gently placed his paw on Cui Ji's arm and said in an especially sincere tone, "Then go eat and rest quickly. Don't starve yourself, alright?"

Hearing this, Cui Ji's expression finally softened a bit, ready to take the way out Cheng Ge gave him. "I'll go check on Yuli first," Cheng Ge added.

With a loud bang, the door was suddenly pushed open, hitting the wall and bouncing back a few times.

Cui Ji stormed in furiously and immediately summoned a few guards.

"Keep an eye on him! If he dares to take a single step out of this room, break his dog legs right here!"

Cheng Ge: What's with this guy? Why is he so hot and cold? Is he having another episode?