WK Chapter 2

Qu Dubian was roused from his drowsy sleep to eat something.

 

He managed half a piece of sweet cake and some porridge but couldn’t eat more despite wanting to; his body simply wouldn’t allow it.

 

Ye Xiaoyuan didn’t eat either; whatever remained would be saved for him later.

 

Qu Dubian patted his face lightly to perk himself up. “Ye Banban, did you find someone who knows Tai Chi again?”

 

Ye Xiaoyuan hesitated before answering: “On my way back earlier today… I picked up a nearly frozen-to-death eunuch who claimed he knew Tai Chi… So I brought him back here; he’s outside now.”

 

Qu Dubian immediately sat up straight in bed and tried getting out despite being sick.

 

“I want to see!”

 

This startled Ye Xiaoyuan so much that his heart skipped beats like crazy!

 

Oh heavens! It’s freezing outside—how could His Highness possibly recover if exposed further?! He quickly stopped him: “Your servant will call him inside instead; please stay here!”

 

“Hurry then!”

 

The sickly little prince looked up eagerly from bed—his pale face even thinner than before made those big eyes appear even larger—pitifully resembling an undernourished kitten cub…

 

Despite being gravely ill himself already worrying about another unrelated servant’s survival… Such kindness wouldn’t fare well within palace politics… How could Lady Consort rest peacefully watching over her child from above?

 

Ye Xiaoyuan sighed inwardly and went outside to bring in the young eunuch.

 

Seeing that the eunuch’s face was much cleaner, he nodded slightly in satisfaction, thinking he was sensible.

 

Fearing that the cold from the eunuch’s body might affect Qu Dubian, Ye Xiaoyuan didn’t let him get too close, keeping him six or seven steps away. The young eunuch knelt down and repeatedly kowtowed, his voice weak and teeth chattering from the cold.

 

“Please… please, Your Highness, take in this servant… This servant will definitely, definitely repay Your Highness’s kindness wholeheartedly in the future…”

 

Perhaps because his voice was too soft, or perhaps because he looked too wretched to catch the noble’s eye, there was no response from inside the room after he finished speaking.

 

Smelling the strong scent of medicine in the hall, the young eunuch bit his tongue, tasting blood before feeling a bit of pain. He struggled to stay conscious with all his might, but his heart grew colder and more desperate.

 

The lives of lowly servants in the palace were as insignificant as dust under the nobles’ feet. How could someone as dirty and disheveled as him be kept?

 

“Do you know Tai Chi?” It was a soft, childish voice, small and weak, asking him.

 

The young eunuch bit himself again, swallowing the blood seeping from his tongue, and mustered his strength to reply, “Yes, yes! This servant learned a move or two before entering the palace, and knows some basic skills.”

 

Qu Dubian felt half relieved. Finally, someone had come to extend his life.

 

His gaze inadvertently fell on the young eunuch’s body prostrated on the ground, still shaking, though he couldn’t tell if it was from cold or fear.

 

How pitiful.

 

He looked about the age of a junior high school student now, appearing to be around the same age as Yebanban.

 

“Then from now on, you’ll stay in Ju’an Hall and be responsible for teaching me martial arts every day.”

 

The young eunuch was stunned for a moment, then repeatedly said, “Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!”

 

Ye Xiaoyuan said, “Alright, come with me.”

 

Although His Highness had taken him in, the eunuch had been freezing outside for too long, and a high fever was inevitable. The medicines here were only for the little prince; servants could only drink ginger soup. Whether he could survive or not would depend on tonight.

 

The young eunuch, unaware of Ye Xiaoyuan’s thoughts, was helped to his feet. Before leaving, he couldn’t help but look up.

 

He only saw slightly drooping curtains and a small mound of cotton quilts. The little noble who had saved him seemed to be ill, nestled within that bundle of blankets.

 

—

 

As soon as the hall doors closed, the [Disease Simulator] in Qu Dubian’s mind underwent a slight change.

 

【Potential Friendly Character: Picked-up Young Eunuch (No name yet)

Favorability: 20】

 

Qu Dubian didn’t have time to comment on the eunuch’s lack of a name before the favorability rating below caught his full attention.

 

Twenty? It increased so fast!

 

This young eunuch that Yebanban casually picked up not only could teach him martial arts to extend his life but was also a potential source of one year’s lifespan in the future.

 

Qu Dubian suddenly felt that he might have been too cold earlier. If he had personally gotten out of bed to comfort the eunuch, would the favorability have increased even faster?

 

Oh no, what a missed opportunity!

 

It’s no wonder he was so excited. Anyone who lived with a countdown timer on their lifespan would be thrilled to see such a backup source of life.

 

Happy as he was, Qu Dubian understood that the rapid increase was because help in times of need was more precious than icing on the cake. Such opportunities wouldn’t come often.

 

But come to think of it, why wasn’t there a favorability rating for Yebanban? He could sense Yebanban’s care and concern for him, which was no less than that of a family member.

 

He tentatively asked a question in his mind.

 

The [Disease Simulator] displayed a message: Ye Xiaoyuan’s favorability exceeded sixty before the host’s arrival and is not included in the statistics.

 

Qu Dubian was stunned, then felt a bit sad for Ye Xiaoyuan.

 

He would never know that the child he had cared for for two years had died silently.

 

And he was just a soul from another world.

 

Others might feel guilty about Yebanban’s love and doting, but Qu Dubian wouldn’t. He had taken on Ye Xiaoyuan’s affection for the little prince, so naturally, he also bore this karmic relationship.

 

What? He doesn’t deserve it because his soul isn’t the little prince’s? Well then, please summon the little prince’s soul back from the underworld, and he’d gladly leave this small body to return to his own world and be reborn, letting the original little prince take care of Yebanban in his old age.

 

Since that’s not possible, why bother thinking about it so much?

 

Qu Dubian never wasted energy on such unchangeable matters.

 

His identity was that of a prince, after all. No matter how badly he fared, he would at least have the title of a prince when his nominal father died. It would be more than enough to care for Yebanban in his old age and repay this warmth on behalf of that long-dead child.

 

So, he just needed to stay alive!

 

—

 

Xiuxiang Palace.

 

Wisps of smoke rose from the gold-inlaid cloisonné incense burner adorned with peonies and auspicious clouds.

 

The hall had floor heating, yet silver frost charcoal still burned in the corners to remove dampness.

 

Noble Consort Lan carefully admired the freshly applied balsamine juice on her nails.

 

“That little bastard in Ju’an Hall, he’s not dead yet?”

 

The head palace maid, Lian Zhu, said, “I heard he’s fallen ill, quite seriously. With the cold weather and barely any usable charcoal there, who knows if he’ll survive.”

 

Noble Consort Lan snorted with laughter, “When Consort Yun gave birth to that little bastard back then, she went straight to the underworld, only seeing the child once. She must be missing him terribly. Why don’t I do a good deed and let mother and son reunite in the netherworld?”

 

Lian Zhu cautioned, “But if we go too far, the Empress will surely notice.”

 

Noble Consort Lan gave her a coquettish glance, surprisingly revealing a hint of tender care, “When a child is ill, medicine can be three parts poison. Too little or too much, both can lead to disaster. Just have someone keep an eye on the Imperial Hospital and take good care of things. Make sure there are no slip-ups.”

 

Lian Zhu didn’t dare meet her gaze and lowered her head, responding with a “Yes.”

 

After giving her instructions, Noble Consort Lan frowned slightly, “Moreover, that little bastard is about to turn three. Although the Astrology Bureau’s words have kept the Emperor from mentioning him these past three years, I still feel he could be a hidden danger. I don’t want any stumbling blocks in the future path of my child.”

 

Lian Zhu: “This servant will handle it promptly.”

 

–

 

Ye Xiaoyuan visited the Imperial Hospital in the evening.

 

He returned smiling, as the hospital was very accommodating today. They prescribed better and more medicine for the prince than last time—three doses, enough for tomorrow.

 

While brewing the medicine in the kitchen, he glanced at the small eunuch curled up in the corner. The eunuch was delirious with fever, shivering in his tattered blanket.

 

As Ye Xiaoyuan brewed, the small eunuch forced his eyes open, struggling to breathe, as if trying to inhale all the medicinal scent into his lungs to survive this ordeal.

 

“This medicine is for His Highness,” Ye Xiaoyuan said flatly.

 

The small eunuch nodded shakily: “I… I understand…”

 

He vaguely recalled the young prince in bed today, so small and thin, ill and deserving of precious care. How could he, a lowly servant, need medicine more than the prince?

 

Seeing his state, surviving the night seemed unlikely. Ye Xiaoyuan pondered this while watching the medicine, hurrying to serve it once ready.

 

Qu Dubian was drowsy, eyes closed, about to drink from Ye Xiaoyuan’s hand.

 

But as his lips touched the bowl, his crude [Disease Simulator] suddenly popped up a window with bold red text:

 

[Detected: This fever medicine is for humans over 12. Host’s body is young and weak. Drinking risks adverse effects, including death.

 

Host suggestions:

1. Drink several doses and hope for survival.

2. Drink for simulator analysis. Unlocks ‘Drug Overdose [Fever Type]’ simulation. (Note: First-time analysis won’t harm host’s body)

3. Refuse to drink.]

 

Qu Dubian jolted awake, instantly alert.

 

Damn!!

 

Someone was trying to harm him!

 

The child on the bed slowly widened his eyes, revealing a hint of shock.

 

Ye Xiaoyuan smiled knowingly, coaxing gently: “Your Highness fears bitterness. We’ll eat the remaining sweet cake after the medicine to ease it.”

 

He raised the bowl, filling the spoon with dark liquid.

 

“Your Highness, be good, drink your medicine.”

 

Qu Dubian: “…”

 

His mind, honed from surviving cutthroat idol competitions, raced through countless palace drama scenes. He quickly calmed down.

 

If this wasn’t an accident, his situation might not be as insignificant as he thought.

 

Who would harm him?

 

Ye Banban? No.

 

For a child needing constant care, if Ye Banban wanted to harm him, he could simply abandon him. He’d die within two days.

 

Qu Dubian lowered his gaze, hiding his thoughts. He chose the simulator’s second option, leaning to sip a little from the bowl.

 

[Ding! ‘Drug Overdose [Fever Type]’ disease recorded.]

 

After recording, the page changed slightly.

 

[Submit Disease Experience]

Status: 0 submitted

Currently simulatable diseases:

1. Fever [Level One, Two, Three]

2. Drug Overdose [Fever Type] discomfort symptoms

 

This crude simulator seemed to have more hidden functions and usefulness than he imagined.

 

Qu Dubian swallowed the first sip, then vomited the next second beside the bed, tears flowing as he pretended to retch continuously.

 

While vomiting and acting, he calmly added to his mental grudge list.

 

Anyone preventing his peaceful longevity was Qu Dubian’s enemy!

 

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