Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

There was chaos in the post station. The lights never went out in the second half of the night, and the number of people on duty did not increase. Everything seemed calm, but there was murderous intent hidden in the darkness.

Tang Ling was initially more frightened than terrified, barely able to react to the pain. When the pain finally hit, the room was filled with people, and he could only hold it in silence. The murderous atmosphere in the room gradually subsided, and the most miserable person wasn't the lifeless man lying on the ground, nor was it Tang Ling, bleeding profusely, but the supposedly dignified King of Chu.

King Qi Xiao of Chu had seemed to have a relatively insignificant presence within the ranks of the Tiger Power Army these days. He wasn't as "delicate" as Tang Ling, nor as prestigious as Su Qin. He was just a wealthy idler with the title of "King of Chu," riding a horse and carrying a sword, like a second-generation rich kid. Who could have imagined he was so skillful at killing? He even captured an assassin who the Tiger Power Army couldn't catch alive.

Su Qin's close associates had all fought against assassins in Tiger's Mouth Gorge. Those were not ordinary killers, and each of them had good skills. Qi Xiao didn't even wear shoes or socks, but he killed one and captured another in the blink of an eye. How good must his martial arts be?

A prince stood in a pool of blood. The blood at his feet and on his body was still hot, but his eyes looked even colder and darker, like the night sky, swallowing up all the light and leaving no ripples.

For a moment, Qinglan felt scared when he looked at Qi Xiao, but fortunately, Tang Ling was injured and before he could grasp the fleeting shock and fear, Qi Xiao had already walked out.

Tang Ling was brought into Qi Xiao's room. Zong Sheng stood beside him, sword in hand, diligently carrying out Qi Xiao's order to "stay at her side." Qing Lan quickly staunchly healed Tang Ling's bleeding and applied medicine. While the wound on his arm wasn't broken to the bone, it was long and deep, so Qing Lan wasn't taking it lightly. Fearing for Tang Ling's pain, he deliberately mixed anesthetic into the medicine. By the time he finished tending to Tang Ling's wound, Qing Lan was sweating profusely.

"Young Master, your wound cannot get wet. You have to rest for a while." Qing Lan was heartbroken and didn't dare to tell Tang Ling the truth. If the wound was any sharper, Tang Ling's arm would be finished.

Tang Ling endured the pain and comforted Qing Lan: "I'm fine."

Qinglan looked at Tang Ling's pale face and the beads of cold sweat on her forehead. How could she look fine?

"These shackles are extremely heavy. Young Master, you must be extremely careful not to damage the wound. If they rupture and the wound doesn't heal properly, it will likely leave an unsightly scar in the future."

Tang Ling found it a little funny. In Qinglan's eyes, she was like a porcelain doll that would break at the slightest touch. She was afraid of bumps, trips, wind, and rain. Why did she feel so nervous just by looking at him?

"Qinglan, I'm not a woman, I don't care about those things."

"Son..."

"Okay, I get it."

Qinglan didn't know what to say. He lowered his head, as if he suddenly remembered something, and blinked at Tang Ling.

"what happened?"

Qinglan winked at Tang Ling again and secretly glanced at Zong Sheng who was standing next to him. Only then did he realize that this was Qi Xiao's room. Tang Ling was sitting on Qi Xiao's bed, covered with Qi Xiao's quilt, which was wrapped by Qinglan himself.

Tang Ling burst out laughing and really didn't know what to say to Qinglan.

***

Qi Xiao was dirty, fishy and smelly. He couldn't wait for the kitchen to make water for him to wash, so he simply fetched two buckets of cold water from the well in the backyard and poured himself down from head to toe.

The soldiers of the Tiger Power Army on duty in the backyard had never seen such an "undignified" prince, and were indeed a little curious, but as military orders were like mountains, they dared not look at him openly, so they all cast furtive glances at him.

Qi Xiao didn't think anything of it, but the personal guards brought out from the palace really disliked those inquiring looks, so they took two steps forward to block them for Qi Xiao.

Qi Xiao soaked himself thoroughly, wiped himself clean, and turned himself back into a tender and handsome young man.

When he reached the stairs, Ye Huai was hiding in the dark waiting for Qi Xiao.

Qi Xiao glanced at Ye Huai and went upstairs without saying anything. Even without saying a word, Ye Huai felt relieved. If anything really happened, Qi Xiao wouldn't pretend not to see him. And it was this glance that made Ye Huai truly grateful to Qi Xiao. Regardless of the reason, Qi Xiao had saved Tang Ling time and time again, even acting more like a bodyguard than this useless bodyguard, himself.

Ye Huai had also witnessed Qi Xiao's blood-stained appearance. Unlike Qing Lan, Ye Huai held complex feelings about Qi Xiao, many of which he couldn't articulate or understand. His wariness, vigilance, and suspicion grew. If every prince of the Chen Kingdom were like Qi Xiao, Tang Ling's future would likely be even more difficult than she anticipated.

When Qi Xiao returned to the room, Qinglan had already treated Tang Ling's injuries. Seeing Qi Xiao pushing the door, Qinglan was startled and stood up straight, lowered his head, and suddenly became respectful to Qi Xiao.

"Don't you need to sleep?" Qi Xiao yawned, "I want to sleep."

There was only one bed in the room. Qi Xiao said he wanted to sleep, so Tang Ling stood up consciously and prepared to leave.

Qinglan was afraid that Tang Ling's wound would be affected, so she hurried forward to help Tang Ling lift the heavy shackles.

Qi Xiao frowned at the two of them and asked, "What are you doing?"

Tang Ling turned around and walked in front of Qi Xiao: "Your Highness, I cannot express my gratitude enough for saving my life. I will not disturb your rest."

Qi Xiao had a blank expression on his face. His eyes swept across Tang Ling's face: "Did I let you go?"

Tang Ling was stunned for a moment, not understanding what Qi Xiao meant. Then she heard Qi Xiao say, "Zong Sheng, go get two quilts."

"Yes."

Qinglan and Tang Ling looked at each other. Did Qi Xiao mean that they were not allowed to leave the room?

Qi Xiao brushed past Tang Ling, took off his shoes and socks, and lay down on the bed. He raised his chin towards Tang Ling and said, "Mr. Tang, please bear with me and sleep on the floor tonight."

"You..." Qinglan was about to act rashly again, but was pulled back by Tang Ling. A moment ago, Qinglan was sincerely grateful to Qi Xiao, but when he saw Qi Xiao's arrogant and domineering look, he felt uncomfortable and aggrieved. "Master, your injury..."

"It's just a superficial wound. Besides, it will be dawn in a few hours. Close your eyes and rest for a while. We still have to continue our journey."

Tang Ling treated Qing Lan like a child, and Qing Lan knew it. He didn't want to cause trouble for his master, but he really couldn't stand Qi Xiao being so frivolous and mean, especially towards Tang Ling. Did he really treat them as prisoners?

Soon the bedding was brought in, and Zongsheng made one bed in the inner room and the other bed on the couch in the outer room.

Qinglan supported Tang Ling and was about to go outside. Just as she turned around, she was stopped by Zongsheng: "Master said, you sleep on the floor."

"you!!"

Zong Sheng didn't waste any time talking to Qinglan. He grabbed Qinglan's collar, picked him up and took him out.

Tang Ling was not unhappy about it. Qi Xiao made such arrangements just to protect him. He was not as ignorant as Qing Lan, who would not let his savior sleep on the floor.