“I want Uncle! I want Uncle!”
Out of all the children, Pingping made the biggest fuss, and after demanding for so long without anyone bringing his uncle back, he threw a tantrum.
The housekeeper was overwhelmed by the chaos.
The Fourth Wangfei had already gone far away to find the Fourth Prince, and before leaving, she hadn’t taken the two little ones from home.
Pingping, unable to find any adults in his own residence, went to his Sixth Uncle’s place.
His arrival caused the babies at his Sixth Uncle’s house to start wailing for their little uncle as well.
As the babies cried and wailed, Ling Fu and his wife, Yuanyuan Wangfei, were at their wit’s end trying to comfort them.
“Your little uncle will come back,” Ling Fu squatted down, reassuring the crying babies, “Your little uncle is so powerful, no one can hurt him!”
Ling Fu did his best to soothe the babies, but his efforts weren’t very effective.
In the end, the babies tired themselves out from crying, held hands, and went to sleep.
The reason they had so much energy to wear down the adults was because they would cry themselves tired, eat, and then sleep.
After resting and eating, they would continue crying.
Watching the babies leave, Ling Fu sighed heavily.
Sigh.
Dark circles were visible around his eyes; he hadn’t slept well for days. “If Little Seven doesn’t come back soon, I won’t be able to stay in this household anymore.”
He didn’t have any remarkable skills and was holding a minor position in the capital. He couldn’t do anything to bring Little Seven back.
But despite this, he still wanted to go find his Fourth Brother.
Even if it meant just staying by his Fourth Brother’s side, he’d feel less anxious.
“Ah Fu, go wherever you want. I won’t stop you,” Yuanyuan gently held Ling Fu’s hand, her voice as soft as ever.
Yuanyuan’s comfort and support made all of Ling Fu’s pent-up emotions burst out at once.
He hugged Yuanyuan and sobbed, “Yuanyuan, I miss Little Seven so much!”
Ever since they grew up, he felt that he wasn’t as good an older brother as he used to be when they were children.
Now that Little Seven was out there, he couldn’t even protect him.
Yuanyuan hugged her prince back, and the two of them stayed like that, not a single servant daring to interrupt.
Time passed slowly.
The babies who had gone to sleep woke up as the last rays of the setting sun started to fade.
Pingping was the first to wake up.
When he woke up, his eyes were still wet, and his little face had a dazed expression.
He had just had a dream.
In the dream, he saw himself die, and then his little uncle saved him.
But his little uncle died.
The dream was fragmented, like a series of disjointed scenes stitched together. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t wake up.
The final image of his little uncle dying filled his mind, and even after opening his eyes, his small body trembled uncontrollably.
“Brother,”
Anan, who had also woken up, saw her brother sitting there. She rubbed her eyes and called out to him in her soft, babyish voice.
When her brother didn’t respond, she pressed her chubby little face against him.
“Brother, Anan is awake.”
Anan, being the delicate one, always wanted to be held after waking up.
This was her way of reminding her brother that it was time to hold her.
She called out several times, and just as her lips were about to quiver in a pout, Pingping finally noticed her.
“Anan, don’t cry.”
Although Pingping was a little rascal, he was very doting towards his sister. He hurriedly picked her up and gave her a kiss on her soft, chubby cheek.
Right after he kissed Anan, another baby woke up.
“Little Bao, don’t cry either.”
As the oldest among the babies, Pingping acted like a proper big brother. He picked up and kissed each baby that woke up, and even wiped their faces with a towel.
The babies, comforted by their brother, behaved and didn’t make a fuss.
“Brother, what’s wrong?”
Anan, being Pingping’s own sister, could sense her brother’s change in mood more clearly than the others.
She felt that her brother seemed strange after waking up.
Pingping shook his head and didn’t tell her about his dream.
He kept it bottled up for two days.
During these two days, his thoughts often drifted to his little uncle, who was still trapped.
The combined armies of Wei and several other nations numbered over a million.
Ling Rui was trapped at the lowest level of their encirclement. Forget about rescuing him— even a stray fly wouldn’t be able to enter without being killed.
Although Ling Rui wasn’t in immediate danger, being under such close watch made him very uncomfortable.
“If you really go to war against Qi Dynasty and Great Qing, no matter how many soldiers you have, you won’t win,” Ling Rui tried to reason with them. “It’s best if you use your heads. While no fighting has started yet, there’s still a chance to resolve this.”
“It’s too late.”
Among those guarding Ling Rui was a man who looked like a scholar.
Whether he was a strategist or held some other position was unclear, but he was quite eloquent and seemed calm.
He sat outside Ling Rui’s room, talking to him. “Today’s conflict was inevitable.”
“If we did nothing, that would be waiting for our country to be destroyed.”
“Your Highness, we’ve gathered an army of a million, but we don’t intend to really fight.”
If they did engage in battle, even with a million soldiers, their chances of defeat were high.
Right now, they were gambling— gambling on how valuable the young wangye’s life was.
Both sides were currently facing off, but no one had attacked yet. The allied forces had given Qi Dynasty a deadline.
If Qi Dynasty and Great Qing didn’t agree to their terms by then, they would send the young wangye’s corpse back to them.
Sending the body would provoke a final battle, and even if they died, it would be better than living as they had before.
As Ling Rui chatted with him, he fell silent.
Sitting on his simple wooden bed, he frowned, his handsome face tense with worry.
“Ah Wu.”
He murmured softly to himself. This time, could it really be that he would fail?
The people outside his room—he had spoken with several of them. And from each of their words, he could sense their determination to die.
No matter how strong Ah Wu and their older brother was, no matter if they could kill a million people for him, in the end, the result might still be mutual destruction.
“No, the Qi Dynasty cannot cede any land.”
If Qi Dynasty ceded land, the people who originally lived there would have no way to survive.
The land was limited, and so was the food produced on it. If the land were given to outsiders, the fate of the original inhabitants would be grim!
Ling Rui had overheard the land these people wanted—it included Yanzhou, where he had poured so much of his heart and effort.
“I need to tell Ah Wu, we can’t agree to this…”
Ling Rui muttered as he raised his gaze toward the door.
The windows of his room were sealed shut, though the door was not, but it was always locked except during mealtimes.
He bathed and used the restroom in a small inner room partitioned off by a screen.
Because he had no contact with anyone, he couldn’t even send a message to Ah Wu.
Ling Rui’s mind raced with thoughts, and before long, there was a loud thud as he fell from his bed with his eyes tightly closed.
The noise was so loud that those outside couldn’t ignore it.
“Young Wangye?”
“Young Wangye, what’s wrong?”
The people outside hesitated, calling out, “Young Wangye, say something.”
When there was no response from inside, they couldn’t sit still any longer and quickly unlocked the door.
The negotiations with the Qi Dynasty were still unresolved; nothing could be allowed to happen to the Young Wangye!
“Young Wangye! Young Wangye, wake up! Someone get a doctor, quickly!”
“Call all the doctors! Hurry up!”
The shrill voices echoed through the room, and the man holding Ling Rui turned pale.
His hands trembled as he checked Ling Rui’s breathing, terrified that he might no longer be alive.
If Ling Rui died, their last bargaining chip would be gone, and they would be completely doomed!
Just as the doctors rushed over, Ling Rui’s hand had already grasped the man’s arm.
His eyes remained tightly closed as he used his foresight ability.
In the vision, he saw the man being killed by Ah Wu.
The man died too early, so Ling Rui didn’t gain any useful information.
But he hadn’t expected to learn much from this man anyway. He was just using him to call out to Ah Wu.
“Ah Wu.”
Ling Rui called softly, and a raspy voice answered back.
“Zai Zai, I’m here.”
Ah Wu, who had waited so long for Zai Zai, seemed almost disbelieving that he was actually hearing his voice.
In a hoarse tone, he confirmed, “Zai Zai, is it really you calling me?”
“It’s me, Ah Wu. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
He hadn’t contacted Ah Wu for such a long time; Ah Wu must have been terribly anxious.
“Ah Wu, I’m fine now. I’m not hurt, and I’m not sick. They’ve been delivering my meals on time.”
Hearing this, Ah Wu’s heart finally eased a little.
But then Ling Rui added, “Ah Wu, I can’t escape. Rescuing me will be very difficult for you.”
He was the united army’s only bargaining chip, and they were watching him closely.
Getting him out would be as hard as climbing to the heavens.
“I found an opportunity to talk to you this time because I wanted to tell you—don’t agree to their demands, no matter what!”
“Qi Dynasty and Great Qing’s land cannot be divided!”
The citizens of other countries were innocent, but so were the people of Qi Dynasty and Great Qing. They shouldn’t have to be sacrificed!
Ling Rui repeatedly emphasized that no land should be ceded.
He kept insisting, but when Ah Wu didn’t respond, he became anxious.
“Ah Wu, answer me! Promise me you won’t agree to their terms!”
Ling Rui’s tone was now full of urgency.
After a long silence, Ah Wu finally spoke: “Zai Zai, I can’t promise that.”
He was a fierce beast by nature, without a trace of compassion.
To leave Zai Zai in danger for the sake of others—he didn’t believe he could do it.
Ling Rui had expected this response from Ah Wu.
But even though he was prepared, he was still both frustrated and angry.
“Ah Wu, you have to listen! I’m an Auspicious beast; I won’t die so easily.”
“You must not agree to their terms, absolutely not!”
“If you let them succeed, my oldest brother, my father and mother, and even Pingping and Anan… they’ll all be in danger.”
Ling Rui had been working hard to change the fate of his loved ones since he was young, and it hadn’t been easy.
If everything ended in tragedy because of him, wouldn’t all his efforts over the years be in vain?
Ling Rui was incredibly anxious, but Ah Wu still refused to give him a clear answer or listen to him.
“Ah Wu!”
In the end, Ling Rui was so angry that he shouted at him, but Ah Wu remained unmoved.
“You’re going to drive me mad to death!”
Ling Rui’s face was scrunched up in frustration. If Ah Wu were in front of him, he would have pretended to die on the spot out of anger.
In the last moments of their connection, Ah Wu, ignoring Zai Zai’s outburst, simply spoke to himself: “I won’t let anyone touch you. Just stay put and wait for me.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Given the current situation, Ling Rui had little confidence that Ah Wu would be able to reach him.
Their connection ended, and Ling Rui “slowly woke up” again.
He opened his eyes, clutching his chest as he groaned, “I’m fine. I just missed my family too much, and the thought overwhelmed me for a moment.”
“Put me back on the bed. No need to call a doctor.”
Though Ling Rui said there was no need, a group of doctors still arrived to examine him thoroughly.
After a long check-up, they couldn’t find anything physically wrong with him.
“I just said earlier, I’m really not sick. You don’t need to worry about me anymore.”
“Sir, it’s likely that the Young Wangye fainted due to excessive worry. He just needs to rest well, and he’ll be fine.”
“Alright, I understand. You all can leave now.”
The doctors were dismissed, and Ling Rui finally got some rest.
He laid quietly on the bed, eyes closed, as if he was sleeping.
But as soon as everyone left and the door was locked, his eyes suddenly snapped open.
He stared at the ceiling with a serious expression, thinking about what to do next.
After who knows how long, Ling Rui gritted his teeth and made a decision.
If this continued, his oldest brother and Ah Wu might really end up doing something foolish.
He couldn’t wait any longer!
But he didn’t want to die either!
He wanted to live and break the current stalemate. The only way to achieve both would be to manipulate the upcoming ritual.
That night.
Ling Rui knocked on the locked door and spoke to the person standing guard outside.
“I want to see Teng Liang. Have him come over, and I’ll tell you how to stop the natural disasters.”
Not long after, Teng Liang, whom Ling Rui hadn’t seen for days, arrived in person.
As soon as the two met, Ling Rui clenched his fist and swung it straight at Teng Liang’s face.
Teng Liang staggered back, almost falling.
The people behind Teng Liang turned pale and wanted to intervene, but were stopped by a glance from Teng Liang.
Ling Rui punched him several more times until Teng Liang’s face was covered in bruises, then he finally stopped.
Furious, he said, “I trusted you, and you betrayed me!”
Teng Liang mumbled an apology, without defending himself.
He simply said, “I’m sorry.”
He was sorry to Little Seven, to their Big Boss, and to everyone at Guan Shan Residence.
He had betrayed his classmates and broken the rules they had set together at Guan Shan Residence.
“Saying sorry is too late. Now I’m locked up and can’t leave.”
After venting his anger, Ling Rui slumped into a chair and drank two cups of tea.
He sat while Teng Liang stood, not daring to sit with him.
The room fell into a brief silence.
After finishing his tea, Ling Rui cleared his throat and glanced at Teng Liang from the corner of his eye. “Aren’t you going to ask me? You rushed here so quickly, isn’t it because you want to know how to stop the disasters?”
“I do want to ask, but I know that even if I don’t, you’ll tell me.”
Ling Rui: “…”
Ling Rui indeed intended to tell him.
He snorted coldly at Teng Liang and got straight to the point: “The way to stop the disasters lies with me.”
“Do you remember the ritual I performed back at Guan Shan Residence?”
At that time, he had worked hard to build the altar alone, and later, the whole class knew about it.
Now, as he brought it up again, Teng Liang nodded, “I remember.”
“My ritual can stop the disasters.”
Though Ling Rui’s words were simple, Teng Liang immediately sensed something was off.
If performing a ritual was all it took to stop the disasters, Ling Rui wouldn’t have waited this long to say anything.
“What’s the downside of the ritual for you?”
“I’ll die,” Ling Rui replied without hesitation.
Teng Liang fell silent.
His fingers dug into his palms, unable to accept Ling Rui’s blunt answer.
Ling Rui noticed that Teng Liang’s eyes had turned red.
After all, they had been friends for many years. Seeing Teng Liang’s emotional struggle, Ling Rui remained silent, letting him deal with the pain.
“Little Seven, is there no other way besides the ritual?”
“No, if there were, I wouldn’t have kept silent until now.”
Ling Rui’s tone was decisive: “The only way is the ritual.”
“Go ahead and have the altar built. Also, don’t tell the Qi Kingdom or Great Qing about the ritual.”
His final instruction was almost unnecessary.
At this critical moment, no one here would reveal the ritual to anyone else.
If the Qi Dynasty or Great Qing knew Ling Rui was planning a ritual, they would likely fight to the death to stop it.
“Little Seven, you—”
“Don’t worry about me. You’d better start thinking about how you’ll calm my father and the others down when this is over.”
Ling Rui wasn’t so noble that, after performing the ritual, he would beg for mercy on behalf of these people.
Teng Liang left with the method to stop the disaster, but his heart was unbearably heavy.
Ling Rui watched him leave, and snorted again.
What he told Teng Liang—that the ritual would kill him—was a lie.
There was still a slim chance of survival.
There were so many people in this world he loved and who loved him, so he wasn’t willing to die.
“I need to make some plans…”
Ling Rui rubbed his head and once again carefully thought about how to secure that slim chance of survival.
Because of Ling Rui’s decision to perform the ritual, the food delivered to his room the next day became more elaborate.
The small room he had been staying in was also replaced with a larger one.
One after another, high-ranking officials came to visit him, expressing their gratitude.
Ling Rui didn’t bother to deal with them.
Imitating their previous actions, he made his own demands.
First, release Dundun and the others.
Second, after the ritual, send him back, even if he’s lying down and can’t move.
Ling Rui threatened, “If I can stop the world’s disaster through this ritual and you don’t follow my orders, or try to take my body for yourselves, the disaster will return.”
This threat seemed effective.
Soon enough.
The altar Ling Rui requested was built. It was high and grand.
Ling Rui looked at the altar and, just before stepping onto it, patted the person supporting him beside him.
He didn’t look into the person’s future, but left Ah Wu with a message.
“Ah Wu, come and take me home. I won’t die, don’t be afraid.”
Leaving those words, before Ah Wu could respond, Ling Rui cut off their connection.
“I’m going to start now.”
Ling Rui stood on the altar, looking down at the few people below.
There weren’t many people left below.
He had made it clear that no one was allowed to watch during the ritual. If anyone watched, the ritual would fail.
If the ritual failed, the natural disasters would not be stopped, and it would be these people who would suffer.
The countries that had been tormented by natural disasters were so terrified that, at this point, they wouldn’t dare ignore these instructions.
They all respectfully retreated, waiting for Ling Rui to begin.
Though the people had left, the area around the ritual site was still heavily guarded.
There was no way Ling Rui could escape.
He checked to make sure no one was watching and then transformed back.
The small white creature began to dance the ritual dance once again. This time, he was praying for an end to the disasters and for his return to the world of mountains and seas.
This ritual, if all went as expected, would drain all of his spiritual power.
But as long as he could return to the world of mountains and seas, he would be able to recover.
Once he was fully recovered, perhaps he could return to this world where his parents lived.
The ritual dance lasted for over an hour.
Thunder rumbled across the sky, and almost at the same moment, heavy rain began to pour.
The disaster plaguing the Wei Kingdom was a severe drought.
As the downpour drenched the land, Ling Rui faintly heard the cries of joy from the people of Wei.
Amid those cries, he collapsed, and his eyelids slowly closed, unable to keep them open.
A few days later.
A hundred thousand enemy troop returned the Young Wangye, who had been in a deep sleep since the ritual. The main individuals who had taken him hostage came to the Qi Dynasty to plead for forgiveness.
Whether they lived or died would be decided by the Qi Dynasty and Great Qing.
The disaster had been averted, and the world was at peace again, but the anger of the Qi Dynasty and Great Qing was not so easily soothed.
Outside, chaos, bloodshed, and slaughter continued, but the sleeping Young Wangye knew nothing of it.
At that moment, he was resting in his most familiar home, surrounded by a group of children who vied for his attention every day.
Ah Wu was also there.
“One day, two days, three days, four days—you’ve been sleeping with Uncle for four days! Today Uncle will sleep with us!”
Pingping, with the group of babies, put his chubby hands on his hips and began negotiating with Uncle Ah Wu.
Ah Wu’s expression was dark, looking intimidating.
But the group of little ones wasn’t scared at all, especially Pingping.
Seeing that Uncle Ah Wu wasn’t buying it, Pingping’s eyes rolled, and he quickly switched tactics.
“Uncle Ah Wu, we miss Uncle so, so much.”
Pingping dropped the hands-on-hips stance and plopped down on Ah Wu’s foot, wrapping his arms around his leg.
“Uncle Ah Wu, please!”
Hearing the word “please,” Ah Wu finally gave a little reaction.
His lips moved slightly, and in the end, he turned around, silently conceding to the children’s success.
The children cheered and rushed into the room, beaming with joy.
Inside the room, Ling Rui’s breathing was steady, as if he were just sleeping.
This is why Pingping wasn’t as panicked and distressed as before.
He stretched out his small hands and hugged Uncle tightly.
“Uncle, how much longer will you sleep?”
Clinging to him, Pingping whispered softly, “Mama said if you sleep too long, you’ll become dumb, and if you become dumb, you’ll forget people.”
“Uncle, wake up soon, don’t forget Pingping.”
The other children, hearing Pingping’s words, also started whispering in Uncle’s ear.
The soft little ones pressed closely to him, and at that moment, the small white creature in the other world seemed to feel something, its body trembling slightly.
The little white creature shook its body, its white fur puffing up as if it had been hit by an explosion.
“Chirp.”
It made a sound, though it was a bit confused: “Chirp?”
Had he really returned?
And if he had returned, where was Ah Wu?
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get up to 5 more chapters of Did The Young Prince’s Kingdom Get Destroyed Today? right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
