After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

He doesn't want a next life; he wants this life.

No matter the cost, Lu Zhiyuan must live a long, long life.

At that moment, he seemed to understand the Marquis of Yongchang, and why he had done such a thing. The country, the people, none of them could compare to the person he cared about most.

How confident is Uncle?

"Less than three points." Imperial Physician Jiang sighed. "This was a method she devised herself, a desperate attempt to survive. The outcome is truly unpredictable. Your Highness, you must be prepared, perhaps..."

The prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "Even if there's only a sliver of hope, I'll try. Thank you, Uncle, let's begin!"

Physician Jiang took out a sharp knife that had been heated over a fire and drew a cross on Lu Zhiyuan's left and right hands and the back of her neck. Lu Zhiyuan's blood was different from that of ordinary people; it was thicker, darker in color, and had a medicinal smell.

When blood drips into water, the poisonous insects in the water begin to boil.

The Crown Prince took Lu Zhiyuan's hands, dipped them in the water, then hugged her tightly and gently kissed her forehead: "Ah Yuan, don't be afraid. No matter what happens, your Crown Prince brother will be with you."

The poisonous creatures in the water clumped together and swam toward Lu Zhiyuan's hands and the wound on the back of her neck.

They greedily sucked Lu Zhiyuan's blood, as if it were a gluttonous feast.

Several crazed venomous insects mistakenly bit someone, causing the prince to gasp in pain. The pain wasn't like being cut or stabbed, but rather intermittent and densely packed.

Seeing this, Physician Jiang handed him a bottle of ointment and told him to get out of the water. These poisonous insects have no brains and cannot distinguish their targets; they will only bite whoever they catch. Especially since the Crown Prince has Lu Zhiyuan's blood on him, he is more likely to be bitten by these poisonous insects by mistake.

The Crown Prince refused. He was already in unbearable pain that he couldn't take A Yuan's suffering away, let alone abandon her and watch her be torn apart by these poisonous insects. He couldn't do it.

A small, dark green snake emerged from the water. Unable to withstand the venomous insects, it took a different approach, coiling itself around Lu Zhiyuan's arm. Its target was the wound on the back of Lu Zhiyuan's neck. As if sensing someone watching it, the snake raised its head and flicked its tongue at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince watched coldly; its eyes were red, just like those of the Marquis of Yongchang.

Unaware of the Crown Prince's hostility, the little snake lowered its head and slithered up Lu Zhiyuan's shoulder to her neck. It sniffed at the wound twice, then excitedly coiled around Lu Zhiyuan's neck twice before revealing its two sharp fangs and biting down.

Lu Zhiyuan groaned softly, gritting her teeth and enduring it.

The Crown Prince asked Physician Jiang with a pained expression, "How long will A-Yuan be bitten by these insects?"

"About fifteen minutes!"

With so many poisonous creatures in just a quarter of an hour, could she still survive? The Crown Prince wanted to throw the poisonous creatures away, but Imperial Physician Jiang stopped him: "Do you want her to lose everything? Throwing these away is nothing; we can always find more when needed. But Your Highness, are you sure Yuan'er will have a second chance?"

The prince clenched his fist tightly underwater.

Never before had a quarter of an hour felt so long, so long that the Crown Prince wanted to curse. As the quarter of an hour approached, Lu Zhiyuan's eyes suddenly turned red, and she frantically threw the Crown Prince into the water, biting his shoulder hard. The Crown Prince dared not move, enduring the pain, afraid of hurting her.

He pinched her waist and gently comforted her, "Ah Yuan, it's me, your Crown Prince brother. I know you're in pain. Bite if you want, as long as you're alright."

She strained, but the moment the blood entered her mouth, she instantly regained consciousness.

"Brother Crown Prince, what's wrong with me?"

"Your uncle is treating your illness, are you feeling unwell, A-Yuan?"

Exhausted, Lu Zhiyuan slightly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the bite mark she had left on the Crown Prince's shoulder, blood flowing down his chest and staining the water. She touched her own mouth; even the touch told her it was blood. Her mouth and throat were filled with blood.

Am I going crazy?

Looking around blankly, she saw that the bathtub was full of poisonous substances. She had written the prescription, so she naturally knew what those things were and understood what had just happened. It seemed that something had gone wrong with her health, and that Physician Jiang had been forced to use the prescription she had left behind.

If she succeeds in surviving this near-death experience, it could extend her life by a few more days.

If taking the pills earlier was like drinking poison to quench thirst, this is a final burst of energy before death. His gaze fell on the small snake draped over the edge of the bathtub, and he exclaimed in surprise, "How come there's a snake here?"

The crown prince panicked and grabbed her shoulders: "What do you mean by that, A-Yuan? Isn't this snake an ingredient in the prescription?"

Lu Zhiyuan shook her head, and the Crown Prince panicked even more.

A physician must be precise with the dosage down to the gram; even a slight increase or decrease can alter the medicinal properties. For a physician, adding even one ingredient of unknown efficacy is tantamount to the collapse of the sky. Physician Jiang quickly took Lu Zhiyuan's pulse and discovered that it had reversed; not only was she no longer in a state of near death, but she had risen from the ashes like a phoenix, showing signs of life.

The Crown Prince, with his sharp eyes, noticed her wound. There were transparent, wispy strands at the wound. He ordered lamps to be lit so he could examine it closely, and found that it closely resembled the description given by the Marquis of Yongchang.

No, it couldn't be that. He had just given the prescription to his uncle, who hadn't had time to prepare it. The snake cave was far away; even with his guards traveling at top speed, day and night, it would take them three days and three nights just to reach it. Capturing the small snake required even more favorable conditions; it would take at least seven or eight days. This was the fundamental reason he had his uncle risk his life to save A-Yuan.

He needs time to prepare the elixir of immortality.

Through the Crown Prince's eyes, Lu Zhiyuan saw what he wanted to say. She raised her hand, looking at the wound, her eyes also filled with surprise. She activated the system, which, though groggy, still examined her body according to her request.

"Host, you've grown hair!"

Long hair?

Lu Zhiyuan couldn't help but roll her eyes: "System, please use polite language!"

"The system is very civilized. The system is accurately describing the changes in the host's body." The system continued, "There are many white, hair-like things in the host's body. They have wrapped around the host's heart. No, not only the host's heart, but also the host's blood vessels."

The elixir of immortality!

Anyone bitten by a giant snake or who has taken an elixir of immortality will experience this kind of change in their body. But she had never taken an elixir of immortality, so how could she… She begged the Crown Prince to carry her out of the bathtub and carefully examine everything inside and outside the tub. Apart from the small snake, there was nothing else.

"Did you take any medication while I was in a coma?"

"No!" Physician Jiang picked up the snake and examined it carefully. "Yuan'er's illness is no ordinary one. We must be extremely careful with the medication. It happened so suddenly that there was no time to think or administer medication. My intuition tells me that the problem might lie with this snake."

The two imperial physicians, Cui An and his brother, swore to heaven that the medicine they had prepared contained absolutely no snakes. Live animals are different from dead animals; the live animals were kept in cages. The cages were made of iron, with only a few ventilation holes. These holes were barely larger than pinholes.

Those living creatures have absolutely no chance of escaping.

The cage was guarded by two imperial physicians in shifts, and the transport was carried with utmost care. The snake was counted against the prescription before being loaded onto the carriage and again before being unloaded. During inspections, guards were stationed all around, so it was impossible for such a snake to have slipped in unnoticed.

Unless, of course, this snake was kept by the Marquis of Yongchang in the teahouse.