An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"Xi'er, are you okay?"

At the stairs under the attic, Xu Zize had been waiting for a while. The moonlight and the lanterns in the corridor intertwined to form a hazy halo, casting a soft silver edge on his shoulders.

He looked at Jing Chunxi who was slowly walking towards him, his eyes filled with undisguised worry, the worry was so heavy that it almost overflowed from his deep eyes.

Jiu Yue came hurriedly to report just now. Although she only guessed that the princess had a nightmare, her pale and panicked face had already made him nervous. When he rushed over, he simply tied his hair into a bun on the way.

"Brother Xiaokang," the calmness and strength she had forced herself to maintain in front of her grandmother just now collapsed in an instant in front of the only person she could completely rely on.

When Jing Chunxi called out this cry, her voice was filled with uncontrollable crying and trembling, like a delicate flower beaten by wind and rain. All her fear and grievances burst out in an instant, and tears rolled down her pale cheeks like pearls with broken strings.

She was shaking violently, like a leaf helpless in the cold wind. "Brother Xiaokang, I'm scared."

"Don't be afraid, Brother Xiaokang is here." Xu Zize's heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, and the pain suddenly spread. He reached out without hesitation, pulling her slightly trembling petite body into his arms, letting her lean against his solid and warm chest.

He turned sideways and protected her between the stair railing and his body, shielding her from all possible wind and rain while clearing the way for her to go upstairs.

He turned around and urged the maid behind him in a hurried but dignified tone: "Light the lights and come down immediately." The voice was particularly clear in the empty stairwell.

"Don't be afraid! No matter what happens, Brother Xiaokang will face it with Xi'er." His words were firm, like the most solemn oath, and every word was resounding. However, this oath could not completely dispel the huge, cold fear in Jing Chunxi's heart.

She wanted to cry out loud and vent all her fear, but she was still worried about her grandmother downstairs, afraid of disturbing her and making her worry.

In the end, she could only bury her tear-stained face deeply in Xu Zize's clothes, which were warm but extremely comfortable, and let out tiny, intermittent sobs that she tried her best to suppress. The sound was like that of a wronged kitten.

"Let's talk upstairs." Xu Zize no longer hesitated, whispered, then bent down, put one hand through her knees, and held her back firmly with the other hand. With a little force, he picked her up sideways.

Her weight was so light to him that it was painfully light. He held her in his arms, his steps still steady and swift, making a quick but steady sound on the wooden stairs.

Jing Chunxi was so frightened that he subconsciously stretched out his arms, hugged his neck tightly, and buried his face deeper, fearing that if he lost his balance, they would fall down the steep stairs.

Seeing the two masters in such a state, Qiyue, who had been hiding in the shadows, immediately gave Jiuyue a sharp look. Jiuyue understood, and the two of them moved in unison like ghosts, swiftly and silently flying up the stairs, leaving only a faint afterimage.

July grabbed Xiaoyu, who had just lit the lamp and was still waiting there, while September embraced Hongfen, who had just put down the tea tray and had not yet reacted. Then they tapped the railing with their toes and flew down the same way as a nightingale, making almost no sound when they landed.

Both of them had their mouths covered until their feet stepped on solid ground again. They were still horrified to see that the people who kidnapped them were actually two secret guard sisters.

"What are you doing?" Xiaoyu was shocked and confused, with dissatisfaction and questioning in her tone, and she struggled for a while.

"Alright, don't you see His Highness and the Princess have something urgent to discuss? Why should we join in the fun?" Hongfen was much older and more experienced after all, so she immediately realized what was happening. She gently tugged at Xiaoyu's arm, silencing her. "Let's go to bed."

Her voice was low and contained an unquestionable tone.

Xiaoyu still looked up at the attic worriedly, hesitating and unwilling to leave.

Seeing this, July added in a cold voice, with a firm tone: "The princess has us!" After hearing this, Xiaoyu looked back every few steps and was very reluctant to be pulled away by Hongfen, but there was still a deep worry in her eyes and some doubts about the abilities of the two secret guard sisters.

Xu Zize didn't linger in the side room, but carried Jing Chunxi straight into her boudoir. The room was filled with a faint, sweet fragrance that belonged to her. He sat directly on the edge of the low, yet soft and comfortable bed, still holding her tightly in his arms, not letting go even a bit.

"Cry! Cry out whatever grievances you have. Then talk to Brother Xiaokang about it."

He carefully adjusted her posture so that she could sit more comfortably on his lap and rest her head securely on his broad shoulders. Then he whispered in her ear with an extremely gentle voice, which seemed to have a soothing magic.

However, perhaps because he had finally arrived in an absolutely safe environment, or perhaps because he could no longer shed tears after the extreme fear, Jing Chunxi suddenly couldn't cry.

She just opened her big, lifeless eyes and stared blankly at somewhere in the void. There was an unfathomable sadness and despair in her eyes, as if she had seen an extremely terrifying scene.

"Mother... Mother was killed by that invisible hand. She was... covered in blood." She spoke intermittently, and every word seemed to be exhausted. After she finished speaking, she began to gasp for breath. She was so excited that she almost fainted. Her body was cold and trembling.

Xu Zize's heart was pounding, but he forced himself to remain calm. He hugged the cold, trembling body in his arms even tighter, quickly pulling over the quilt folded on the inside of the bed, carefully wrapping her tightly around him, trying to dispel the chill rising from her heart.

His arms were firm and strong, becoming her only support at the moment.

"Xier, don't worry. Since this is a dream, it means that the Crown Prince's wife can still be saved." He said in a deep voice. Based on his experience with her dreams in the past, he quickly grasped the most crucial point - the dream has not yet come true.

His voice was steady, trying to instill a glimmer of hope in her, "As long as it hasn't happened, there's still hope. Talk to Brother Xiaokang about it, what hand did it take? Who killed him?" He guided her, hoping she could tell him more details.

"It's those two hands... those two hands without bodies..." Jing Chunxi fell into a vortex of horrific memories. She was so sad that she spoke incoherently and her expression was unclear.

Xu Zize had never heard such words before, and he couldn't help but feel confused. He frowned and tried hard to understand, but still couldn't picture the strange scene in his mind.

"Those two hands... cut open my mother's belly... and it was full of blood..." She burst into tears again, completely overwhelmed by the huge grief and fear.

She huddled in his warm and strong arms, as if it was the only harbor where she could escape the wind and rain. However, the bone-chilling coldness kept coming over her body and heart, making her shiver uncontrollably.