Chapter 41

Jiang Yingyao spent the entire night flipping through medical books and Gu scriptures, but he couldn’t find a way to deal with Xie Fuyi’s current situation.

He silently sat down by the bedside, his straight back gradually slumping, looking at the person on the bed, almost sleepless the whole night.

The next morning when Xie Fuyi woke up, he saw Jiang Yingyao sitting by the bed with dark circles under his eyes.

Seeing him awake, Jiang Yingyao hurriedly asked, “You’re awake? Is there anything wrong?”

Xie Fuyi, feeling a bit sulky, glared at him. He wanted to say something but ended up just pouting, his eyes turning red.

Jiang Yingyao’s heart skipped a beat. “What’s wrong? Does anything hurt?”

Seeing his genuine concern, Xie Fuyi hmphed and pushed away the hand Jiang Yingyao extended, sitting up. “You went too far yesterday! I was only worried you’d be cold, so I hugged you, but instead of that, you not only stripped off my clothes but also hurt me!”

As he spoke, Xie Fuyi opened his collar, pointing to the red marks on his fair collarbone.

His ambiguous words made Jiang Yingyao blush, but he didn’t realize it himself. His straightforward expression was tinged with some anger.

Jiang Yingyao breathed a sigh of relief, then felt his heart soften again. As long as it wasn’t a Gu attack, it was okay. He reassured softly, “It’s my fault. I won’t do it again next time…”

Xie Fuyi looked at Jiang Yingyao, who seemed pale and exhausted, and bit his lip, murmuring softly, “It’s not that I can’t help you again, but you need to be gentler next time, don’t exert so much force…”

Jiang Yingyao was taken aback, then felt sour and bitter in his heart—how did those vile people torture him into this state in the first place?

[Jiang Yingyao’s heartbreak level: 30/100.]

Jiang Yingyao was still feeling sorry for the Little Emperor, his own childish nature quickly dispelled his anger. He just tugged at Jiang Yingyao’s sleeve, rubbed his stomach, and said, “I’m hungry.”

He already trusted Jiang Yingyao enough. If it were before, he would never have acted so naturally and spoiled.

Jiang Yingyao said softly, “I’ll have someone bring it over right away.”

The meal was all prepared, waiting for Xie Fuyi to get up.

After washing up, he sat down at the table with Jiang Yingyao. Seeing the delicious food laid out on the table, his appetite immediately opened up, and he began to enjoy it.

Jiang Yingyao sat beside him, picking out dishes for him, while reminding him, “Eat slowly.”

After observing for a while and seeing that Xie Fuyi was fine, Jiang Yingyao couldn’t help but confirm repeatedly, “Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

Xie Fuyi looked at him strangely with his mouth full of food and could only mumble, “No. National teacher, what’s wrong with you today?”

“It’s good as long as you’re not uncomfortable.” Jiang Yingyao had just breathed a sigh of relief when Xie Fuyi suddenly paused and then began to cough violently.

“Your Majesty! Are you alright?” Jiang Yingyao’s heart leaped to his throat, quickly getting up to check Xie Fuyi’s pulse.

“Cough… It’s okay… choked…” Xie Fuyi coughed, tears in his eyes, looking at Jiang Yingyao. He finally managed to catch his breath.

Seeing that, besides coughing, Xie Fuyi’s expression was normal, Jiang Yingyao’s heart finally settled a bit, Having just experienced a false alarm, he felt sweat all over his back.

He stood there weakly and smiled helplessly for a while before hoarsely saying, “I’ll go pour you a glass of warm water.”

As Jiang Yingyao turned to fetch water, he suddenly heard the sound of a porcelain bowl falling and breaking behind him. His heart skipped a beat and turning around, he saw Xie Fuyi lying on the table, pale-faced, his hands and feet trembling uncontrollably.

“Brother, my… my hand hurts…” Xie Fuyi spoke intermittently.

Jiang Yingyao’s pupils constricted, and just as he let out a sigh of relief, his hand trembled again, his heart suddenly pounding. He quickly went up and lifted Xie Fuyi onto the bed.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s okay, once you take the medicine, it won’t hurt anymore.” Jiang Yingyao was exhausted from this sudden turn of events, unconsciously murmuring words of comfort.

His hands were steady as he stuffed the life-saving pills into Xie Fuyi’s mouth as if they were free. His internal energy surged to help him calm down.

After a moment, Xie Fuyi finally stopped trembling. His face was pale, lying lifelessly on the bed, completely devoid of vitality, even though he had been happily eating pastries just now.

Jiang Yingyao had just finished everything steadily, but at this moment, he felt his breath catch, his hands began to tremble, and a dull pain in his heart made his throat sore, his voice hoarse, “Your Majesty, is there anywhere else that’s uncomfortable?”

Just now, a bout of pain made Xie Fuyi’s consciousness somewhat blurry. It was only at this moment that he came to his senses, murmuring, “My hands and feet… seem unable to move…”

He was somewhat scared and flustered, his words tinged with a hint of crying.

Jiang Yingyao’s heart chilled at the thought of this situation. Such symptoms typically only appeared in the later stages of Puppet Gu usage. But he had never activated the Gu before, not even once.

Yet he couldn’t panic; the only one the young emperor could rely on was him.

Forcing himself to calm down, he said, “Your Majesty, don’t worry. I will find a way to save you. Soon, your hands and feet will recover.”

Although Jiang Yingyao said this, deep down, he was already full of regret. If he hadn’t used the Puppet Gu, the young emperor would never have ended up like this.

“Will I never be able to stand up again?” Xie Fuyi was somewhat scared, wanting to reach out and pull Jiang Yingyao, but he couldn’t even lift his hand, only managing to move his fingers slightly. His eyes reddened instantly, looking at him helplessly, “Brother…”

Jiang Yingyao’s heart clenched, feeling as if his brain had been hit with a hammer. His eyes turned red, his eyelids throbbing with pain. He quickly reached out and held Xie Fuyi’s hand, trying to reassure him. Even though his heart was torn, he still forced a faint smile and hoarsely said, “No, you will be fine soon. Don’t you believe in my medical skills?”

Only then did Xie Fuyi swallow his tears and obediently nod, “I believe in you, brother.”

[Jiang Yingyao’s heartache level: 40/100.]

…

During this time, Jiang Yingyao accompanied Xie Fuyi during the day, brewing medicine and administering it to him, while staying up at night searching through ancient books for a solution.

He almost never slept, visibly losing weight at a rapid pace.

Xie Fuyi, on the other hand, was well-fed and cared for, and coupled with his immobility, he felt like he had gained some weight.

On this day, Jiang Yingyao stayed up all night until dawn, yet still found no solution.

He became increasingly anxious. When he stood up, his vision darkened, and he stumbled a few steps. Just as he steadied himself, Xing Tong hurriedly ran in.

“Master, it’s bad. The Regent Prince has led a large army to surround us! He… he said he wants you to hand over the emperor…”

Jiang Yingyao’s pupils contracted. “Where is he now?”

“The Regent Prince, along with a few others, has already entered the backyard.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yingyao didn’t dare to delay. He quickly rushed to the courtyard, where Xie Fuyi was.

…

Xie Fuyi had just woken up, half-leaning on the edge of the bed. Normally, Jiang Yingyao would come to assist him in getting up at this time, but why hadn’t he seen anyone today?

As he pondered, heavy footsteps sounded from the courtyard. Soon after, the door was kicked open, and a chilling atmosphere filled the room.

Xie Fuyi was stunned, staring dumbfoundedly at the tall figure at the door, then hesitantly spoke, “Brother Ye?”

He was somewhat surprised, and his voice sounded hesitant.

How could Ye Baisiao have changed himself like this in just half a month? He almost didn’t dare to recognize him.

The man at the door hadn’t trimmed his beard for who knows how long; it was messy and covered his chin. His cheeks were sunken, highlighting the fierceness of his features. His sharp, icy-black eyes carried a chilling aura, like a desperate, solitary beast.

However, the terrifying aura surrounding him dissipated instantly the moment he saw Xie Fuyi.