Did The Young Prince’s Kingdom Get Destroyed Today? Chapter 179

Ah Wu glanced at him and, without much hesitation, nodded.

When it came to any of Ling Rui’s requests, Ah Wu always agreed unconditionally.

Ling Rui knew this well.

The two of them entered a room, quickly washed up, and changed into their sleepwear.

After an entire day without rest, they were both feeling a bit tired.

Ling Rui was the first to finish changing. After he was done, he looked up just in time to see Ah Wu also changing. Ah Wu, who was two years older than him, was much more muscular.

As Ling Rui glanced at Ah Wu, he happened to catch sight of Ah Wu’s well-defined abs—muscles that were firm and not overly exaggerated, but still quite impressive.

“Ah Wu, my stomach doesn’t look like yours,” Ling Rui remarked, looking down at his own belly.

The flesh on his body was a bit soft, unlike Ah Wu’s, which was solid and well-formed.

Ah Wu walked over casually and patted his head. “Everyone’s different. You’re great just the way you are.”

“That’s not true,” Ling Rui grumbled. “Big Brother, Fourth Brother, and even Little Uncle—they’re all like you.”

They were all solid and strong, while he wasn’t.

Seeing that Ling Rui was unhappy, Ah Wu patiently comforted him for a while. “Just because they’re the same doesn’t mean it’s better. You’re the best, Little Seven.”

After Ah Wu’s reassurance, Ling Rui’s mood finally improved.

The room that Lian Qing had prepared was simply furnished, but the bed was large—probably because Lian Qing was worried Ah Wu might revert to his original form while sleeping, and a smaller bed wouldn’t be enough.

A large bed with comfortable bedding was more than enough to satisfy the not-so-picky Ling Rui.

As night deepened, Ling Rui, dressed in white sleepwear, laid next to Ah Wu.

He laid on his side, facing Ah Wu.

“Ah Wu, are you asleep?” he asked.

“Not yet.”

“Do you feel like sleeping?”

Even though Ling Rui had been a bit sleepy earlier, once he got into bed, he didn’t feel like sleeping anymore. Holding onto Ah Wu’s hand, he began talking to him softly.

Ah Wu opened his eyes, looked at him, and asked, “Can’t sleep?”

Ling Rui nodded honestly.

Seeing this, Ah Wu asked again, “Do you want to hear a bedtime story?”

Ling Rui shook his head. “No, I just want to talk to you.”

Since Ling Rui wanted to chat, Ah Wu naturally obliged.

As the night deepened and they continued talking, their conversation gradually shifted to important life topics—like whether Ah Wu, the crown prince, should take a princess consort, and whether Ling Rui, as a prince, should marry a princess.

“I don’t want one,” Ling Rui said, holding Ah Wu’s hand. “I don’t want a princess.”

Among his siblings, his second sister had chosen a gentle and mild-mannered husband, while his fourth brother, two years ago, saved an orphaned girl at the border and wanted to marry her, though his mother, Consort De, disapproved and hadn’t given her consent yet. 

His fifth sister, like his second sister, had also chosen a husband.

His sixth brother had thoughts of getting married, but his preference was for girls with round, cute faces, and so far, no noble girls in the capital met his standards.

Thinking about his siblings’ marriages, Ling Rui scrunched up his face. “Ah Wu, do you ever want to get married?”

“No,” Ah Wu replied briefly, without adding anything further, despite Ling Rui waiting for a while.

After chatting for a bit longer, Ling Rui ended the topic himself. He buried his face in Ah Wu’s chest and, with a muffled voice, said, “You worked all day, you must be tired. Let’s sleep.”

He rubbed his face against Ah Wu’s chest and closed his eyes.

Ah Wu looked down at Ling Rui’s head for a moment, then closed his eyes to sleep as well. Soon, Ah Wu’s breathing became steady.

Ling Rui, who had been pretending to sleep, opened his eyes once more.

Their bed was next to the window, and the moonlight, filtering through a slightly open window, fell softly inside.

In the dim light, Ling Rui’s gaze fixed on Ah Wu’s sharply defined face. Even in sleep, his handsome features were so captivating that it was hard to look away.

Ling Rui had heard from Dun Dun that the third princess of Qi Kingdom, who was very favored, had fallen in love with Ah Wu at first sight. She had even requested her father to arrange a political marriage with the kingdom of Great Qing so she could marry Ah Wu. But Great Qing had declined the offer.

The rejected princess had thrown a big tantrum.

When Dun Dun told Ling Rui this, he had also mentioned that there were many others, like the princess, who had fallen for Ah Wu at first sight—after all, most people in this world care a lot about appearances.

And Ah Wu just happened to have a face that could draw anyone in.

“He is really good-looking,” Ling Rui whispered as he lightly touched Ah Wu’s face.

After touching Ah Wu’s face for a while, Ling Rui’s expression became conflicted and troubled. “Am I being too selfish?”

Such a good-looking Ah Wu could easily marry a princess consort.

But due to his own selfishness, Ling Rui didn’t want Ah Wu to marry anyone.

The princess consort would be the wife of the crown prince, meaning that if Ah Wu married her, they would eat and sleep together, sharing an intimate life.

Just imagining that scene made Ling Rui’s face tense up.

The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. In the end, he got up and opened the window wide to let in more fresh air.

After exhausting himself from this small outburst, Ling Rui laid back down, snuggled into Ah Wu’s arms, and finally fell asleep.

Even in his sleep, his brow was furrowed.

A warm touch fell on his brow.

Ah Wu, who had seemed to be sleeping, unexpectedly opened his eyes. He gently stroked Ling Rui’s brows, as if hoping to smooth them out.

“Why are you always unhappy?” he whispered softly. His quiet murmur faded into the night, lost to the sleeping boy.

That night, Ling Rui had a string of bad dreams.

When he woke up, his delicate face looked tired.

“Ah Wu?” he called out with a yawn, his eyes still half-closed.

When there was no response, he glanced at the bed. Ah Wu was already gone.

Ling Rui sat in bed for a moment to wake up fully, then got out of bed.

Just as he reached the door, Danggui came over to call him for breakfast.

“Have you seen Ah Wu?” Ling Rui asked.

“He went out with Lian Qing.”

“Alright then.”

Ling Rui had missed the chance to go out with Ah Wu again. After breakfast, he spent the morning in the valley.

In the afternoon, he finally got to go with Lian Qing and Ah Wu to collect herbs.

The three of them reached the cliffs. Ah Wu had already shifted into his beast form, and when Ling Rui saw Lian Qing, he also transformed into a small creature.

“Little Seven,” Lian Qing said, looking at the little creature that barely reached his knees and then glancing at the much larger one beside him. He was momentarily stunned. “All this time, and you still haven’t grown much?”

Hearing Lian Qing’s words, the little creature froze.

He had heard the same thing from his father and mother many times before.

Especially his father—every time he transformed into his animal form, his father’s face was filled with visible concern.

His father feared that his beast form might never grow any larger.

“Chirp!”

I’ve grown up.

The little creature wiggled its paws, signaling for Lian Qing to notice that he had indeed grown.

Lian Qing squatted down and scooped him up into his arms.

“Yes, I see. You’ve grown a little bit.”

Lian Qing held the little creature, not planning to let him join in the herb-gathering.

But the little one insisted on going down, so Lian Qing had no choice but to let him.

They spent a few days in the Divine Doctor Valley, where, besides long xing grass, Ling Rui also packed a lot of other herbs to be sent to Yanzhou.

Once he had gathered enough herbs, it was time for him to leave.

Before he left, he took Lian Qing with him.

Lian Qing was reluctant to go at first, saying he wanted to wait for their Big Boss to arrive so they could leave together. But Ling Rui wasn’t having it; he insisted on taking him now.

“I’ll write a letter to our Big Boss and ask him to come find you in Yanzhou,” Ling Rui said.

It had been difficult for him to meet up with Lian Qing, and only spending a few days together wasn’t nearly enough for him.

Lian Qing couldn’t withstand Ling Rui’s persistence, so he finally agreed to leave with him.

With Lian Qing around, they didn’t rush on their journey.

Time passed day by day.

A few days later, they arrived at Great Qing. The old emperor of Great Qing was gravely ill, and Ah Wu had to return to the palace.

Ling Rui decided to send him back before heading to Yanzhou with Lian Qing.

Shui Shui had already received the herbs in Yanzhou and had successfully made the antidote.

There was no need for Ling Rui to hurry back.

When they reached the imperial city of Great Qing, Ling Rui and Lian Qing didn’t enter the palace.

“Ah Wu, go ahead and take care of your business. Uncle Lian Qing and I will stay here for the night and head out tomorrow,” Ling Rui said.

He didn’t have any attachment to the Great Qing palace, and he already knew that Ah Wu didn’t have much affection for the people there either.

So even though the old emperor was near death, Ling Rui didn’t bother asking Ah Wu if he was sad.

“You two stay here. I’ll come find you after I’m done.”

Ah Wu arranged for them to stay at an inn and handed them a pouch of money before leaving.

Ling Rui watched Ah Wu’s departing figure until he was out of sight, then finally withdrew his gaze.

“That’s enough, he’s gone,” Lian Qing, who was standing behind him, knocked lightly on his head.

After spending so long in the quiet Divine Doctor Valley, Lian Qing found the bustling capital quite refreshing.

He took the money pouch that Ah Wu had just left and smiled at Ling Rui. “Come on, let’s go to some lively places and have a bit of fun.”

As a powerful nation, Great Qing’s imperial city was incredibly vibrant and bustling, which was quite attractive.

With money in hand, Lian Qing led the grown-up boy out to explore.

As they wandered around until evening, many inns and restaurants had hung up beautiful lanterns.

The restaurants and inns here all had elegant names, and without careful distinction, it was hard to tell which were restaurants, which were inns, and which were brothels.

The most high-class brothels were quite refined.

On the first floor, scholars and poets gathered, engaging in drinking contests and poetry battles. To enter the second floor, one had to prove their wealth.

As for the third floor, not just anyone could enter.

Ling Rui’s attention was caught by the lively scene on the first floor.

He tugged at Lian Qing’s sleeve, his eyes sparkling. “Uncle Lian Qing, they’re having a poetry contest. This place seems cultured. Let’s join the fun!”

In the short time he stood at the entrance, he had already heard two rather good lines of poetry.

Seeing Ling Rui’s enthusiasm, Lian Qing didn’t want to dampen his spirits.

The two of them entered together.

There were still a few empty tables on the first floor. After they sat down, Ling Rui ordered a pot of tea and rested his chin on his hands, listening to the poets compete.

Among the poets, there were indeed a few who were quite talented.

Ling Rui sipped his tea from time to time, thoroughly enjoying himself.

But as soon as they stepped inside, the secret agents following them noted their movements and rushed the report back to the palace.