Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The Second Prince wrinkled his nose at the rich aroma of chicken soup, stirring him awake.
Disoriented, he scanned his surroundings and gasped upon recognizing the three familiar faces.
âWho are you?â he stammered, bewildered.
âSeriously, brat? You donât even recognize your big sister?â Guoguo playfully swatted his head with a chuckle. âHere we are, rescuing you all this way, and you greet us with that?â
âHissâ¦â The Second Prince sucked in a breath of pain, rubbing the spot where she hit him. He then squinted at Guoguo, studying her intently before breaking into a wide grin. âYouâre Sister Guoguo!â
âAt least you havenât completely lost it,â Guoguo harrumped.
âWow, you guys have all changed so much!â he exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement.
âEach of you is practically superhuman! No, not even humans anymore. You look like immortals, with the bearing of celestial beings.â
âWell, at least you knowhow to shower us with compliments,â Chenchen remarked playfully as he sat down beside him. âSo, how have you been all these years? Any trouble?â
âNot too bad,â he replied. âJust some ambitious folks causing a bit of a stir lately.â
âSpeaking of trouble,â he continued, a serious note creeping into his voice, âyou mentioned you came all the way here to save me. Where do you live now? Why havenât you come back to visit in all these years?â
âWe live on an island,â Guoguo explained. âWeâre free there. We donât have any desire to leave.â
âYou guys are truly heartlessâ¦â the Second Prince muttered in mock disappointment.
Guoguo responded with another playful swat to his head. âShut it, you brat! If we were heartless, we wouldnât have bothered saving you. Now spill the beans. What happened this time? How come you ended up falling off a cliff?â
Third Fatty chimed in, adding his curiosity to the mix. âYeah, whatâs a prince doing out in the middle of nowhere anyway?â
The Second Princeâs expression turned grave. âThis time, I was here to deliver silver and food to the disaster relief effort.â
âBut things went south,â he continued, shaking his head in frustration. âOnly about thirty percent of what we brought actually reached the people in need. Investigating that discrepancy was like a hornetâs nest waiting to be poked. People started assasinating me after I started digging around.â
âSo, you ended up fleeing into the mountains,â Chenchen summarized, piecing together the story.
A sudden realization dawned on the Second Prince. âOh, right, Iâve been poisoned!â he exclaimed.
âTookyou long enough to figure it out,â Chenchen teased. âGuoguo has already removed it for you.â
âThankyou, cousin,â the Second Prince said sincerely, cupping his fists in gratitude toward Guoguo. âBy the way, are we far from where I fell? My men might be looking for me.â
âNot too far,â Guoguo reassured him. âHave some food first. We can help you get back once youâre done eating.â
She then ladled a steaming bowl of chicken soup for him and placed it in his hands.
The four of them devoured the three chickens with gusto. By the time they finished the meal, the Second Prince seemed noticeably more energetic.
With renewed strength, they returned to the accident site. As expected, they encountered three of his men, all heavily injured.
Guoguo promptly retrieved some medicine and instructed Chenchen and Third Fatty to treat their wounds.
âDark Five,â the Second Prince addressed the lead guard, his voice laced with concern, âwhat happened to the others? Why are there only three of you?â
âMaster,â Dark Five replied weakly, âonly us three managed to get here quickly. We have no information about the others.â
âAlright, then you all get some rest,â the Second Prince instructed. âWeâll search the area nearby. We give ourselves an hour, and then, regardless of the outcome, we have to head down the mountain.â
Hearing this, Dark Five and the other guards knew better than to rest. They immediately joined the search party.
With Guoguo and her siblings lending a hand, they meticulously combed through the entire mountain. Their search yielded a positive result, as they found another one of the guards, barely alive and hidden away.
Chenchen swiftly administered medical attention and brought him back to the others.
The following day, the Second Prince sent his remaining guards to investigate the people who were assassinating them.
The Second Prince, Guoguo, and her siblings followed him to investigate the grounds.
Five days later, they found out the whole story.