Did The Young Prince’s Kingdom Get Destroyed Today? Chapter 191

Apple, being intelligent, not only understood Ling Rui’s command but obediently followed it.

Ling Rui ensured Apple stayed low, then quietly moved, following the direction of the voices. He knew they were searching for him, so he made extra careful movements, not wanting to reveal himself without knowing whether they were friend or foe.

“Second Young Master, they’ve probably already escaped.”

“They won’t get far.”

The person addressed as Second Young Master spoke with a cold tone: “In this place, no one escapes unless they grow wings.”

“But, the eldest master and—”

The voice abruptly stopped. Ling Rui, hiding in the bushes, saw the Second Young Master frowning and the servant behind him too frightened to continue speaking.

The Second Young Master’s face was above average—decent among common folk—but nowhere near as striking as his siblings or Ah Wu.

Ling Rui observed them closely, trying to determine if they were good people.

As he watched, he suddenly felt a faint stinging sensation in his fingers. Glancing down, he noticed the sap from the grass he’d handled earlier had stained his fingers. The originally green sap seemed to have changed slightly.

He wiped his fingers on the hem of his clothes but couldn’t get rid of the color.

“Hiss—”

The sting was mild, but it was hard to ignore. Ling Rui stared at his fingers, trying to recall if any of the plants he’d thrown into the pit were poisonous.

He knew a lot about plants, but the world was vast, and there were always unknown varieties. He couldn’t guarantee he recognized every type of plant.

Seeing the two men still searching nearby, Ling Rui tensed and decided to distance himself from them.

Right now, his priority was confirming whether he was in any real danger from the poison.

He took two steps back, turned, and started to leave.

However, within seconds, the stinging in his fingers intensified, causing a sharp pain that made him stumble and almost lose his footing.

Though he steadied himself, the slight noise alerted the men nearby.

“Who’s there?!”

The Second Young Master moved swiftly, suddenly appearing in front of Ling Rui.

They locked eyes.

Ling Rui clutched his right wrist with his left hand, staring at the Second Young Master, stunned for a moment. Then, hesitating, he said, “Hello… I’m just passing through.”

“Who are you?” the Second Young Master asked, his gaze fixed on Ling Rui’s face, studying him intently.

Ling Rui quickly made up a story. “My name is Huo Little Seven, I live in Mocheng. I got lost outside and somehow wandered here. I didn’t mean to come.”

His words were half true, half false, and he wasn’t sure if the Second Young Master would believe him.

“Hey, could you show me the way out? My wife is waiting for me at home.”

“You’re married?” The Second Young Master asked again.

Without hesitation, Ling Rui nodded.

With a serious face, he added, “My wife even gave me a chubby baby. Right now, both the baby and my wife are waiting for me to come home.”

Ling Rui lied effortlessly, his expression never changing.

His uncle had taught him long ago: when you’re out in the world, your identity is whatever you say it is.

Right now, he figured this story might earn him some sympathy.

“Once you’re here, forget about going back.”

The Second Young Master seemed unfazed by his story of a wife and child. “Your fingers are stained with ‘Qing Poison.’ If you don’t treat it soon, you’ll be crippled.”

Ling Rui: “…”

Though Ling Rui had confidence in his own constitution, this wasn’t a time for blind faith.

Swallowing his pride, he said, “If you’re not willing to show me the way out, at least help me get rid of the poison.”

He wasn’t sure whether the Second Young Master was good or bad, but he sensed that, for now, the man didn’t mean him harm.

As expected, after a brief pause, the Second Young Master said, “Follow me.”

Ling Rui agreed and, before following him, went to fetch Apple.

“This little pony belongs to someone who hired me to take care of it. I can’t lose it, or I’ll have to pay for it.”

Leading Apple, Ling Rui pretended not to notice the Second Young Master’s scrutinizing gaze.

Since Apple was still young, its potential as a warhorse wasn’t obvious yet.

That was why Ling Rui felt safe bringing it along in front of the Second Young Master.

After fetching the pony, Ling Rui followed the Second Young Master back.

Along the way, the Second Young Master asked him a few more questions.

Ling Rui answered, adding more details: “Don’t judge me by my delicate skin. Just because I look pampered doesn’t mean I’m not working for someone. I’m just lucky my family took good care of me growing up.”

“Second Young Master, why is this place so strange? I was walking normally, and then I ended up here.”

“Bad luck.”

The Second Young Master showed no impatience with Ling Rui’s chatter. On the contrary, he even responded, “It’s rare for someone to stumble in here. It can be years before anyone does.”

Ling Rui, who was usually quite lucky, pouted when he was suddenly told his luck was bad.

Soon, Ling Rui followed the Second Young Master into a settlement, where he saw other people.

It was indeed a secluded tribe.

The people of the tribe had various facial features—some with butterfly’s patterns, while others looked different.

Ling Rui wasn’t familiar enough with this place to mention little butterfly.

Suppressing the pain spreading from his fingers to his hand, he politely greeted the curious people staring at him.

Before he could finish greeting everyone, the Second Young Master led him into a room. “Come in, I’ll treat your poison.”

“Coming!”

Ling Rui quickly followed, placing his small horse at the entrance of the Second Young Master’s room.

After securing the horse, he didn’t forget to warn the nearby people, “Don’t touch this pony, its temper is bad—it’ll kick.”

The pony, Apple, snorted in response to being falsely accused of having a bad temper.

The door to the room closed behind Ling Rui, his figure disappearing from sight, so he didn’t hear the whispers of those left outside.

“How strange, the Second Young Master actually brought someone home.”

“The person he brought is incredibly good-looking… the young women in the tribe will definitely fight over him.”

“If you ask me, there’s no need to fight. He can’t leave this place anyway. Let him stay, marry one of our girls, and their children will surely be beautiful.”

“Uncle, you’ve got a point.”

The whispers at the door were only heard by Apple. Unfortunately, even though Apple heard everything, it couldn’t pass the message on to its owner.

It simply stood obediently, waiting for its master to return.

Inside the room, Ling Rui barely had a moment to catch his breath before the Second Young Master ordered, “Take off your clothes.”

Ling Rui: “!”

Ling Rui’s eyes widened in shock, his voice suddenly high-pitched, “You wish!”

The only person allowed to take off his clothes was Ah Wu!

Seeing Ling Rui’s anger, the Second Young Master frowned. “How can I administer the needles if you don’t take off your clothes?”

Ling Rui: “Huh?”

Ling Rui: “You’re going to give me acupuncture to cure the poison?”

Seeing the set of silver needles the Second Young Master had taken out, Ling Rui’s previously angry expression softened, turning a bit sheepish.

He obediently followed the instructions, lying down on the bed and removing his shirt to reveal his back.

His skin was very fair, and despite spending time under the sun lately, he hadn’t tanned much.

The Second Young Master sat down and steadily began applying the needles.

Ling Rui had been sick often in the past, so he was no stranger to medicine and acupuncture.

As he lay on the bed, letting the Second Young Master apply the needles, Ling Rui silently added a caveat to his earlier thoughts—besides Ah Wu, the only other people allowed to remove his clothes were doctors giving him acupuncture.

The needlework wasn’t particularly painful, and the Second Young Master didn’t even touch Ling Rui’s skin while applying the needles.

“Second Young Master, are you a doctor here?” Ling Rui asked, trying to make conversation.

The Second Young Master, while administering the needles, replied, “No.”

Ling Rui was surprised. “If you’re not a doctor, how come you know how to treat illnesses and remove poison?”

The Second Young Master inserted another needle and answered, “I read a few medical books when I was young.”

Ling Rui: “…”

Ling Rui’s face immediately turned pale.

He had just been thinking that the Second Young Master’s acupuncture skills were impressive, but now, all of a sudden, his back felt cold.

Not just his back—he felt like his whole life was in danger.

“You—you read a few books, and you dare give someone acupuncture?!”

Ling Rui’s voice trembled as he asked this question.

The Second Young Master, unfazed by his shaking voice, didn’t seem to care at all.

To Ling Rui, the time it took to apply the needles felt excruciatingly long—so long, in fact, that he mentally drafted a will.

Just as he was mentally reviewing the will, the Second Young Master finally finished and removed the needles from Ling Rui’s back, calmly announcing, “It’s done. You can get up now.”

Ling Rui shakily put his shirt back on, relieved that he had managed to survive the ordeal.

“Is the poison completely cured now?” he asked.

“Yes,” the Second Young Master replied as he put the needles away. With his back turned to Ling Rui, he added, “The ‘Qing Poison’ is gone. But I’ve also given you a new poison.”

Ling Rui: “???”

Ling Rui thought he had misheard, so he rubbed his ear and hesitantly asked, “I think I misheard… What did you just say?”

“I said I gave you a new poison.”

The Second Young Master repeated his words, speaking as casually as if he had just offered Ling Rui a meal.

“Anyone who enters this place must marry one of our people.”

“Don’t worry. The poison won’t kill you. After you get married, I’ll give you the antidote.”

Ling Rui was so frustrated he nearly coughed up blood.

He had sensed that the Second Young Master didn’t harbor ill intentions toward him, but never had he imagined that the man would genuinely believe poisoning him was for his own good!

The Second Young Master had poisoned him to ensure he would stay here permanently, settle down, and live out his days in the tribe.

“I already told you, I have a wife! I even have a child!”

Ling Rui clenched his fists and reiterated firmly, “I will not betray my wife.”

The Second Young Master didn’t respond, treating Ling Rui’s protest as if it didn’t exist.

Ling Rui was nearly livid with frustration.

Grinding his teeth, he gave up on hoping for an antidote from the Second Young Master. Now, his only goal was to find a way home.

Once he returned, Shui Shui could cure him, and he wouldn’t need the help of this so-called doctor.

While Ling Rui faced the prospect of being forced to stay and marry in the hidden tribe, his “wife” had already arrived at Murong Xu’s military camp.

Murong Xu barely had time to apologize before Ah Wu, with a cold expression, had already walked away.

Murong Xue was also searching, and Murong Xu, thinking of the latest letter from the palace and a certain someone who had written about coming to the front lines, felt his headache worsen.