In Ling Rui’s vision, his brother was not tied up this time but looked so weak that he didn’t need to be restrained.
In front of him was a villain who was looking at him.
The villain had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were filled with malice. He said to Third Brother, ‘You, a sickly prince, I don’t even know if the Emperor Ling would be saddened by your death.'”
His brother calmly replied that he wouldn’t.
The villain retorted, “I don’t believe it. You’re a prince, born of the Empress. I can’t believe the Emperor wouldn’t care about your life. If he’s willing to exchange lives, I’ll let you go.”
Seeing his brother’s various misfortunes in the vision, Ling Rui’s expression was one of shock and confusion.
He called out to Ah Wu.
Ah Wu, upon hearing it was about the unfortunate Third Prince again, was also speechless. After a few seconds of silence, Ah Wu suggested, “Injure his leg so he has to stay in bed at the palace.”
Ling Rui: “?”
Ling Rui, “No way!”
Ling Rui rejected the idea of injuring his brother’s leg. He was anxious and didn’t want to talk to Ah Wu anymore. “Ah Wu, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Alright,”
Ah Wu quietly cut off contact with him. From beginning to end, Ah Wu never mentioned that he was also encountering trouble. His human body was still too small.
So small that too many people had the courage to want him dead.
As time slowly passed,
Ling Rui gathered all his strength, trying to see more of the premonitions.
But this premonition was very brief, which also meant that the events it foretold were going to happen soon.
As he came back to his senses from the vision of the lake, Ling Rui, holding Third Brother’s hand, said in a firm little voice, ‘Third Brother, let’s go home!’
Ling Yi glanced at him and said calmly, “No.”
How could one go out and then decide to go back halfway?
Ling Yi was unwilling to return, so Ling Rui simply climbed onto his lap and started pestering him in various ways: “Let’s go home, let’s go home, Third Brother, I will protect you! You’re going to have bad luck recently.”
“Only going home will prevent bad luck.’”
Ling Yi, upon hearing this, nonchalantly snorted through his nose, “What bad luck could I have? With this body of mine, I’m already as unlucky as it gets. Don’t worry, even though your Third Brother is in poor health, he has practiced a few moves. If danger truly comes, I can protect you.”
Ling Rui couldn’t persuade his Third Brother and was so angry he almost wanted to sulk.
The two of them sat glaring at each other in the palanquin. Ling Rui’s previously cheerful mood was gone. Fuming, he climbed off Third Brother’s lap and deliberately kept a distance from him.
Seeing that Ling Rui was so mad he didn’t want to be touched, Ling Yi couldn’t resist and started poking him.
Every time he poked, the fuming little one shrank back.
Ling Yi continued poking, and the little one kept dodging, like a small frog.
After poking for a while, Ling Yi couldn’t hold back and started laughing. Leaning against the palanquin, he laughed until his eyes were squinting with amusement.
The brothers kept this up until they reached their destination.
Ling Rui greeted a group of children and went to Shui Shui’s house. He didn’t like Shui Shui’s mother, but since he hadn’t seen Shui Shui’s mother in his premonitions, he had a sense of aversion toward her. However, given that she was Shui Shui’s mother, he forced himself to suppress this aversion.
“Third Young Master.”
Shui Shui’s mother was home more often than before. When they arrived, she looked at Ling Yi and asked, “Did you take the medicine I brought you?”
Ling Yi glanced briefly at the children in the courtyard, then said calmly, “I took it, but after drinking it, I still feel the same as before, no improvement.”
“The medicine needs to be taken a few more times before it works.”
Shui Shui’s mother smiled and said, “You all play, I’ll make some flower tea for you. I picked a lot of medicinal flowers, dried them, and brewed tea from them. It’s good for your health.”
The flower tea made by Shui Shui’s mother had a sweet taste, though it was unclear what was added; it probably wasn’t sugar.
Sugar and tea are both expensive items.
Shui Shui’s family isn’t wealthy, so they wouldn’t use such a rare item like sugar in the village to entertain a group of children.
Ling Rui liked the sweet-tasting tea.
After finishing a cup with a gulp, he went to play with Zhu Zi and the others.
When Ling Rui wasn’t around, Ling Yi also played with Zhu Zi and the others a few times. The village children had many ways to play.
They could climb trees and look for bird nests or catch fish and shrimp. The activities were full of life and vitality.
Ling Yi had a cleanliness obsession and was a bit aloof, so when playing with these children, he mostly watched from the side.
Just watching was interesting to him.
“Little Seven.”
While Zhu Zi and the others went outside to the big tree to look at the bird’s nest, he said to Ling Rui, “Your third brother is so strange. He said he wanted to play with us, but he just watches us play and doesn’t join in.”
Ling Rui responded with an “mm,” and explained, “He’s not well, so he can’t play.”
“Okay then. There’s a bird’s nest up in the tree. Do you want to see the baby birds inside?”
Zhu Zi quickly shifted his attention and asked if the little one wanted to go up and see the birds.
Ling Rui was a bit interested, but he shook his head. “No, let’s not.”
He said, “The baby birds are sleeping.”
He didn’t want to disturb the baby birds.
Since they weren’t looking at the birds, Zhu Zi took him to find a rabbit’s nest.
While they played outside, Ling Yi sat in the courtyard.
After a while, Shui Shui’s mother came out with a basket, holding Shui Shui’s hand. She said they were going out for a while.
Seeing them leave together, Ling Rui quickly walked over and blocked their path, asking, “Where are you going?”
“To gather medicine.”
Shui Shui’s mother always had a smile when talking to the children. “Medicine for your third brother and the plant with eight leaves you mentioned. I’ll look for those.”
As soon as she said this, Ling Rui immediately replied, “I’ll go with you.”
“Alright,” she agreed.
They all went out together, this time not to the mountain Shui Shui’s mother had taken them to before, but still nearby.
Third Young Master Li pointed to the mountain he had ventured into last time and said, “Are the herbs in there? I went in last time but didn’t find any and ended up falling. I felt like someone pushed me.”
“The mountain is damp, and the path is slippery. You might have slipped accidentally,” Shui Shui’s mother explained as they searched for the herbs. After a busy half-day, Shui Shui’s mother apologized to the children, “I don’t have enough food here. Zhu Zi, if you’re hungry, you can go back home to eat.”
Kids get hungry easily. Zhu Zi and the others patted their bellies and went back to eat.
Third Young Master Li also noticed it was getting late and said, “My mother doesn’t allow me to stay out too late. Little Six, Little Seven, let’s play again tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
Some went to eat, and some went home.
Since Ling Rui was with his third brother, they didn’t need to go back early. Whenever they returned, they would bring some food with them.
Without Ling Fu, the biggest eater, they managed to finish all the food they brought, thanks to Shui Shui.
Shui Shui’s mother also got some of the food. “The food you brought is quite exquisite.”
After finishing the food, Shui Shui’s mother called Shui Shui over. “Since I’ve eaten your food, I should do something for you in return.”
She stood up, carrying her basket, and went ahead with Shui Shui, saying she was going to gather herbs.
Ling Rui had been busy picking various grasses and was a bit tired. Seeing Shui Shui’s mother and Shui Shui leave, he sat down and waved his small hand. “I’ll wait for you here.”
Ling Yi was actually quite lazy and preferred not to move if he didn’t have to. He sat with Ling Rui without moving.
The brothers waited in place, but even as it got dark, Shui Shui and his mother hadn’t returned.
Ling Yi stood up, holding Ling Rui’s hand, and started walking forward to see what was going on.
Ling Rui was also worried that Shui Shui hadn’t returned. He stopped and asked, “Third Brother, how many guards are there?”
He was checking the number of guards with them.
Ling Yi responded nonchalantly, not too concerned about the guards.
He and Little Seven had come out without revealing their identities. Though Little Seven was young, Ling Yi trusted he wouldn’t reveal their secret.
By not revealing their identities, they avoided many potential dangers.
Even with his brother’s reassurance, Ling Rui was still uneasy. He turned to one of the guards, “Go get more people.”
He intended to find Shui Shui. If they couldn’t find him, they would need more people to help with the search.
The guard followed his order and went to gather more men.
Satisfied, Ling Rui held his brother’s hand and continued walking.
Ling Yi, noticing his cautious behavior, raised an eyebrow. “Little Seven, are you this careful because you’re afraid of being kidnapped again like on the boat?”
Though Ling Yi was lazy, he considered carrying the little one if necessary.
But Little Seven held his hand firmly, choosing to walk together.
“Sigh,” The little one sighed softly at his brother’s words.
He wasn’t afraid of being kidnapped.
With Ah Wu, no matter where he was taken, Ah Wu would always find him. His concern was for his brother’s safety.
“No need to worry. With me here, no one can touch you,” Ling Yi said confidently.
His words, though full of conviction, didn’t impress the little one.
The little one shook his head and earnestly began sharing survival tips: “If you get caught by bad people, don’t provoke them. Be obedient and listen to them. Avoid getting hit by the bad guys.”
Ling Rui’s serious lesson didn’t capture his brother’s full attention. They followed the path Shui Shui and his mother had taken, walking for quite a while.
“Third Brother,” Ling Rui said, still uneasy, “You should go back. I’ll walk alone.”
As a Rui Beast, he could transform and escape if needed. He had been practicing transforming with the Emperor regularly.
But Noble Consort Yi didn’t allow him to transform.
“Nonsense, how could I leave you to walk alone?” Ling Yi knocked on his head gently and continued walking with him.
Not long after, Ling Yi noticed something amiss.
He saw Shui Shui’s mother’s basket with herbs in it, but neither she nor Shui Shui were around. The herbs were scattered on the ground.
He followed the trail of herbs and walked to a dense forested area. He frowned and said, “Could they have encountered an attack by some wild animals?”
He had long heard that there were wild animals living in these remote rural areas.
Ling Rui said nothing, cautiously scanning the surroundings. Meanwhile, the guards who had been following them revealed themselves.
There were over ten guards, which was already quite a number.
“Third Brother,” Ling Rui held onto his brother’s hand, refusing to go any further. “Let’s go back and let the guards look for them.”
The guards knew martial arts, but neither of them did.
Although Ling Rui aimed to learn martial arts, he couldn’t even manage a proper stance for the duration of an incense stick burning.
“Alright, let’s go back.” Ling Yi felt Ling Rui’s cold hand and decided to return as well. He feared that continuing forward might frighten the little one.
As they retreated, the guards suddenly moved to shield them tightly. At the same time, a barrage of arrows rained down on them.
Ling Rui: “!”
Ling Rui’s eyes widened in shock.
He hadn’t foreseen the arrow attack, and in an instant, he heard several muffled groans.
Some guards were injured.
The wounded guards gritted their teeth, not expecting help from their comrades. They had only one mission: to ensure the safety of the two princes.
The arrow storm continued for a while before finally stopping.
Then, a strange medicinal fragrance wafted through the air.
“Your Highnesses, run quickly!” The guards split into groups, each taking one prince and heading in different directions.
The arrows, the fragrance, and the various nets hidden in the forest created a perilous situation.
The area they had entered was filled with traps.
The guards protecting Ling Rui soon found themselves struggling due to insufficient manpower.
Sweat beaded on Ling Rui’s forehead.
“Stop running,” Ling Rui said to the guard carrying him. They had done their best to escape this far. The guards had exerted all their efforts to navigate the traps.
Ling Rui wiped the cold sweat from the guard’s face and said, “Go to the west.”
There were some abandoned stones to the west, left by someone a long time ago, now weathered by the elements.
Ling Rui instructed the guard to hide among these stones. He raised his small face and commanded, “Hide well. You’re too big, and carrying me makes us easy to spot.”
“This way, I’ll be safer.”
Although the little one said he didn’t want the guard to endanger him, he handed over his small water bottle to the guard after giving the order to hide.
“Hide well, I’m leaving now.”
With that, the little one emerged from the hiding place and ran in another direction.
His movements were conspicuous, and those pursuing him could see him clearly.
The terrain wasn’t easy for a small child to run on, but the little one resisted the urge to transform back into his Rui Beast form. He focused on drawing the bad guys’ attention.
He didn’t know how many bad guys there were, but he knew their target was him and his third brother.
Worried about his third brother, the little one felt anxious, fearing something might happen to him if he wasn’t within sight.
His fears came true as his third brother struggled to escape with the help of the guards.
The guards were forced to fight off their attackers, eventually hiding Ling Yi.
“Your Highness, no matter what sounds you hear, don’t come out,” the guards instructed hurriedly before disappearing from his sight.
Ling Yi tried to calm his breathing, feeling a bit suffocated from running.
He hid in a secluded spot, but soon heard a familiar voice.
“Shui Shui, Shui Shui where are you?” It was Shui Shui’s mother’s voice.
Ling Yi peeked out and saw the injured Shui Shui’s mother searching for her child, limping and looking terrified.
Ling Yi watched her quietly, unmoved.
After a while, he heard her panicked voice again, “Shui Shui, what’s wrong?! Don’t scare me!”
This time, Ling Yi stepped out, walking quickly towards her to see what had happened to Shui Shui.
But before he could get close, someone behind him, moving as fast as a cheetah, pinned him down.
He tried to call out, but no sound came out before he blacked out and collapsed.
“Useless.”
Not far away, “Shui Shui’s Mother,” who was searching for Shui Shui, noticed Ling Yi falling down. She then glanced at the black-clad men who had just captured him, her delicate face showing dissatisfaction. “Where’s the other one? Have you found him?”
“We’re still chasing him.”
“He’s just a little boy, not even as tall as your thighs, and you haven’t caught him yet?”
Shui Shui’s Mother furrowed her brows, continuing to express her displeasure.
She had gone to great lengths to lure these two princes here today, pretending to be a kind elder for quite some time.
“Keep looking,” she ordered, then added, “Never mind, I’ll go too.”
She used the same method she had used to lure Ling Yi out and tried again, but this time, she came up empty-handed.
Ling Rui saw Shui Shui’s Mother, but no matter what she said, he kept a serious face and didn’t approach her.
After being chased for a long time, Ling Rui, in an effort to avoid being caught, suddenly transformed back into a small, fluffy white dumpling.
Once he reverted to his fluffy, snow-white form, Ling Rui was instantly free.
The black-clad men’s target was the prince, not a little dumpling.
The little dumpling poked its head out of the grass, but they didn’t have time to notice.
Having escaped from his pursuers, the little one started chasing the black-clad men instead.
After an unknown period of pursuit, the little one saw the men retreat.
They had carriages and a lot of people.
Moreover, they left in another direction.
Chasing the carriages, the little one’s soft paws became sore from the ground’s friction. He hadn’t run this much in a long time, so his paws naturally hurt.
Huffing and puffing, the little one chased after the carriages, which didn’t look back.
Just before his paws were about to give out, he finally caught up with the carriages.
The carriages stopped deep in the mountains.
They didn’t stop on the ground of the mountains; instead, there was a hidden passage leading to a large underground chamber.
Knowing his fur was too white and noticeable, the little one rolled in the mud along the way, turning himself gray and dirty like a discarded mop.
The hidden passage in the mountains was well-concealed. Before entering, the little one cleverly scratched marks beside the passage with his paws.
He planned to have his father destroy this lair!
“Is it just the Third Prince, no Seventh Prince?”
“The Seventh Prince disappeared in the blink of an eye,” replied a man dressed in black.
“Lock up the Third Prince properly, and send more people to continue searching for the Seventh Prince. I’ve heard that Emperor Ling values the Seventh Prince highly. Capturing him might be more useful than capturing the Third Prince.”
“Understood.”
Someone left the passage to continue searching for the missing Seventh Prince.
Meanwhile, the Seventh Prince himself was curled up in a corner of the passage, his round eyes wide open, trying to blend in as a little mop.
His dirty little ears twitched as he carefully listened to the conversation in the underground chamber.
There was another emperor here, whom everyone called Emperor Zhou.
Emperor Zhou was a rebel leader from the common folk, aiming to assassinate Emperor Ling and overthrow his rule.
He wanted to become the new emperor.
The people below praised Emperor Zhou, and he bestowed titles upon them, calling them his beloved ministers.
The little one found their conversation to be all boasting and of no use.
After listening for a few more minutes, he quietly crawled away in displeasure.
Annoyed by their boasting, the little one cautiously wandered around on his own.
After an unknown amount of time, he found a small room with a window he could push open.
Inside the small room was Shui Shui.
Shui Shui sat on the floor, curled up in a corner, hugging his knees and looking pitiful.
“Shui Shui.”
The little dumpling clung to the window and struggled to climb in.
He fell to the ground upon entering, and Shui Shui remained seated, not coming over to hug him.
Feeling a bit upset about not being picked up, the little one kicked his little paws and walked over to Shui Shui. Then he plopped down and placed his paws on Shui Shui: “My paws hurt.”
Shui Shui: “…”
Shui Shui couldn’t understand his beast language.
Although the little one’s beast language translated to calling Shui Shui, it sounded like “jiji” to Shui Shui.
Not understanding the little one’s words, Shui Shui naturally didn’t massage his paws.
The little one and Shui Shui stared at each other for a while, then the little one stood up and closed the window.
With the window shut, only the two of them remained in the room.
In front of Shui Shui, the little one transformed back into his human form.
“It’s me.”
Ling Rui revealed his identity, as the situation no longer allowed him to keep it a secret.
Both Ah Wu and his mother had told him not to reveal his identity or transform in front of others.
But now, without transforming, he couldn’t save his third brother.
“Little… Little Seven.”
“Yes, it’s me.”
The transformed little one explained to Shui Shui: “I was asking you to massage my paws earlier; they hurt a lot.”
Hearing this, Shui Shui looked at his small hands.
Ling Rui unceremoniously handed over his small hand.
While Shui Shui massaged his paws, he asked, “Why are you here? Do you know where my third brother is?”
“My mother brought me here.”
“I haven’t seen your third brother since I arrived.”
Shui Shui said that after being brought here, he hadn’t taken a single step outside.
Seeing that Shui Shui wasn’t in immediate danger, Ling Rui didn’t plan to rescue him right away.
“Is, is your mother a bad person?”
Ling Rui asked, although his young mind wasn’t as sharp as an adult’s, he realized the problem with Shui Shui’s mother after entering this underground chamber.
Shui Shui’s mother had brought him here.
She had used the excuse of picking herbs and lured them in by pretending to be lost.
Throughout, Shui Shui’s mother’s actions were suspicious.
After hearing the question, Shui Shui didn’t show any offense. He slowly shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”
He didn’t know if his mother was a bad person.
“Shui Shui, I can’t take you out now. Your mother is here, so you should be safe.”
Ling Rui didn’t blame Shui Shui for his mother’s actions.
He had already felt a repulsion towards Shui Shui’s mother, though he had underestimated it.
Now it seemed his intuition was right.
His intuition always told him that Shui Shui was good.
“I need to go find my third brother; he was captured and brought here.”
“He’s in danger, and I must save him.”
After saying this, Ling Rui transformed back into the little bundle.
His soft little paws were still in Shui Shui’s hands, and Shui Shui instinctively squeezed them.
Although the paws were dirty, they were very squishy.
“Goodbye, Shui Shui.”
The transformed little bundle of Ling Rui jumped out of the window.
His paws felt much better after being squeezed for a while.
After he left, Shui Shui stared in the direction of the window for a long time.
After a while, he stood up, walked to the door, and started pounding on it. He banged loudly with his hands and, not feeling that was enough, began kicking the door.
Soon, someone came to open the door.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for mother.”
Shui Shui raised his face without much expression. After saying he was looking for his mother, he ran out, bypassing the person who opened the door.
“Stop, you stop right there!”
“I said stop, didn’t you hear me!”
While Shui Shui ran out, on the other side, the mother Shui Shui mentioned and the third brother Ling Rui was searching for happened to be together.
Ling Yi’s frail body had not yet awakened from unconsciousness.
Shui Shui’s mother was treating him to ensure he stayed alive.
“Can you really heal him? Why hasn’t he woken up yet?”
“Of course I can.”
Shui Shui’s mother was performing acupuncture on Ling Yi. Her face darkened at the doubt cast on her skills: “If my medical skills weren’t good, why would so many injured people here seek my help?”
She had met Emperor Zhou by saving him.
Emperor Zhou greatly admired her medical skills and kept her by his side, promising her that when their plans succeeded, she would be made a noble consort.
He assured her of the same treatment and affection as Emperor Ling showed to Noble Consort Yi.
Even the little tagalong she brought with her, the Emperor Zhou didn’t mind at all. He even promised that in the future, this little tagalong could be made a prince and treated as if he were his own.
When it came to her little tagalong, Shui Shui’s Mother often hesitated to speak. She wanted to clarify to the Emperor Zhou that Shui Shui was not her son.
She had never given birth, and Emperor Zhou was her first man. She had been pure when she followed him.
But she couldn’t easily explain Shui Shui’s background to the Emperor Zhou.
Shui Shui was her biggest bargaining chip.
This little fool carried the bloodline of the Valley of Divine Healers and possessed a medical talent beyond ordinary people’s reach.
The books she had obtained originally belonged to Shui Shui.
Although she had the chance to read these books, much of the content was difficult for her to understand or comprehend.
Despite Shui Shui being so young, he could already understand these books.
She felt envy and jealousy, but had to suppress these feelings and act as Shui Shui’s mother.
“Alright, he’ll wake up in less than a quarter of an hour.”
After finishing the acupuncture, Shui Shui’s mother said calmly: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first.”
“I haven’t revealed my identity yet, and with me outside gathering information, it will be more convenient for you to act.”
“Fine, you can go. Take Shui Shui with you.”
“Shui Shui won’t say anything after coming in here, will he?”
“No, he won’t.”
Shui Shui’s mother was confident about this, sneering: “He’s a little fool who hardly says anything. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he doesn’t speak.”
Having reassured them, the others didn’t say more.
They knew this woman was one of Emperor Zhou’s people and had some value, so they let her leave.
As soon as Shui Shui’s mother walked out of the room, she saw Shui Shui coming toward her.
Her expression changed slightly. She strode over and stopped Shui Shui: “Shui Shui, why did you come out? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me in the room?”
Shui Shui’s dark, bright eyes stared at her without blinking.
Feeling somewhat guilty under his gaze, she grabbed Shui Shui’s small hand and led him away: “I had some business here. Now let’s go home.”
“Shui Shui, be good.”
When she noticed Shui Shui wasn’t moving, her voice became sterner.
People surrounded them.
Shui Shui’s mother bent slightly and spoke in a low voice, only they could hear: “Shui Shui, don’t be stubborn. These people aren’t as tolerant as I am.”
“If you keep disobeying, I can’t stop them from doing something to you.”
Shui Shui quietly listened to her.
They stared at each other for a moment.
Finally, Shui Shui followed her and walked away.
When they reached the tunnel, Shui Shui’s eyes were covered.
He was led outside.
After they exited, he finally spoke: “Where are Little Seven and Third Brother?”
“I don’t know.”
Shui Shui’s mother replied as she led him: “I haven’t seen them. We came here to gather herbs; we weren’t with them.”
As she spoke, she suddenly stopped.
“Not right.”
She murmured: “There were two other kids.”
The youngest one always had two children following him.
But the ones who came looking for her and Shui Shui didn’t seem to include those two kids.
Two were missing.
A warning bell went off in Shui Shui’s mother’s mind. She turned back, dragging Shui Shui with her.
At this moment, Ling Rui’s two companions had already pointed out Shui Shui’s house: “Shui Shui’s mother lives here.”
Shui Shui’s mother’s house was surrounded.
Not only did Emperor Ling’s men surround her house, but they also posted a wanted notice for her.
Aside from this, the place where the two princes went missing was being searched layer upon layer.
In the temporary palace, the empress, who had been worshipping at Ling Mountain for several days, had returned.
Upon her return, she immediately directed her anger at Noble Consort Yi.
She believed that Ling Rui had caused trouble for her prince.
“Princes are noble, how can they mingle with common children? The Seventh Prince is young and lacks judgment, Noble Consort Yi, can’t you control this situation?!”
Facing the empress’s accusations, Emperor Ling frowned and spoke first: “Little Seven went out to play with these children with my permission. Empress, if you want to blame someone, blame me.”
The empress dared not blame Emperor Ling.
She looked coldly at Noble Consort Yi, then turned and left.
Inside the temporary palace.
When Emperor Ling heard that Ling Rui and Ling Yi could not be found at the place of their disappearance, a thought suddenly struck him.
It was the place Little Seven had mentioned where bad people were.
His expression darkened, and he ordered his men to enter that place again: “If necessary, level this mountain.”
He didn’t believe that without any obstructions, Little Seven and Ling Yi would still be untraceable.
While Emperor Ling was planning to level the mountain, inside the underground tunnels, the gray little dumpling, after searching several wrong rooms, finally found his third brother.
There were people in the third brother’s room, and he couldn’t get in to rescue him.
After running around, the little dumpling’s thoughts aligned with those of his father far away in the temporary palace.
He bumped into a burning candle and used it to start a fire.
The flames spread unconsciously.
Without considering if he could escape, the little bundle foolishly planned to use this method to rescue his third brother.
He was too small, and too dirty.
After jumping around and setting several rooms on fire, causing the flames to connect, the people in the underground palace finally noticed. By then, it was too late to extinguish the fire with water.
The underground palace was ablaze.
The little dumpling, who had started the fire, turned from gray to pitch black.
In his soot-blackened state, he found his third brother again.
His third brother was pale, and his steps were unsteady. After a few steps, he leaned against the wall, unable to move.
The people busy fighting the fire had no time to bother with him.
At this moment, the little pitch-black bundle ran to his third brother.
He was about to reveal his identity.
The little dumpling, slightly nervous, cleared his throat and made a soft squeak.
Ling Yi, hearing the sound but not seeing the little dumpling, raised his foot to search.
The next second, a shriek like a dying animal exploded in front of Ling Yi. He looked down and confirmed several times before daring to believe his eyes—
There was a pitch-black, unidentified little beast that seemed to have its paw stepped on by him.
