The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

Above the ship's gunwale, the sea breeze howled, and the salty, damp air permeated the surroundings.

The gazes of everyone on the boat were as if they were poisoned, staring fiercely at Bai Shu and Xiao Nanzhi, wishing they could tear them to pieces.

Even worse, some had already nocked arrows, their arrowheads aimed at them. At Ji Huaili's command, a rain of arrows would instantly riddle them both with holes.

Xiao Nanzhi's face was as pale as paper, and the sea breeze tousled her hair. Her slender figure appeared even more pitiful in the tense atmosphere.

Ji Huaili looked at her, his heart clenched, and a deep reluctance flashed across his face.

He awkwardly avoided Xiao Nanzhi's gaze.

He slowly turned his head away, unable to bear to look any longer. His voice was deliberately calm, but the slight tremor in his tone betrayed his true feelings: "Those two cannot die. I need to find the Emperor of Nanyue and get some answers. Nanyue has gone too far in bullying us. I demand an explanation from them."

"The King is right!" a lieutenant shouted in agreement, stepping forward and pointing at Xiao Nanzhi, saying indignantly, "This woman is a princess of Nanyue Kingdom, of noble status. If we take her hostage, the Emperor of Nanyue will not dare to act rashly. We must make him give us a satisfactory explanation!"

"We have lost so many people, how can we forgive them so easily?"

"Nan Yue must pay for its blood debts with blood. Nan Yue must pay for its blood debts with blood."

"Hang them both up to avenge our dead brothers and sisters."

Ji Huaili remained silent; as the ruler, he could not openly protect Xiao Nanzhi.

With his tacit approval, Bai Shu and Xiao Nanzhi were tied to the ship.

Thanks to Ji Huaili's intervention, the two were not tied to the bow of the boat and suffered any hardship.

Instead, they were thrown into the dark and cold hold below the ship.

The two leaned against each other, and Xiao Nanzhi's cough grew louder and louder.

Bai Shu felt as if he were holding a small stove in his arms. When he touched it, Xiao Nanzhi's forehead was burning hot.

He gasped, realizing it must be because he hadn't fully recovered and had been exposed to the cold wind all night.

Xiao Nanzhi's condition is becoming increasingly critical; if she doesn't take her medication in time, she may not survive.

Bai Zhu was extremely anxious, and large beads of sweat kept rolling down his forehead.

He turned around abruptly, pounded on the cabin door, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Help! Help!"

However, after calling for a long time, a guard finally strolled over slowly, looking very unwilling, and impatiently shouted into the room, "What are you shouting for? Are you trying to call back my soul!"

Ignoring the other party's rude attitude, Bai Shu quickly said, "She is sick, very sick, and urgently needs to see a doctor!"

"See a doctor?" The guard sneered as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, his lips full of disdain. "You're really dreaming! She's a princess of Nan Yue Kingdom. It's better if she's dead, so our king won't have to bother dealing with her."

After saying that, he didn't even give her a second glance, and turned around and swaggered away.

Bai Shu trembled with rage and pounded on the door, but all he received in return was an angry, merciless kick followed by a cold snort.

Unable to get help, Bai Shu was filled with helplessness and anxiety, and could only hurriedly return to Xiao Nanzhi's side.

At this moment, Xiao Nanzhi's face was flushed red, and her breathing was rapid and weak.

Bai Shu was extremely anxious, his eyes darting around the bottom of the cabin in a panic.

Suddenly, he saw a wooden bucket in the corner, with about half a bucket of water inside.

His eyes lit up, and he rushed over, picked up the bucket, and hurried back to Xiao Nanzhi's side.

He carefully helped Xiao Nanzhi up, afraid of hurting her.

Looking at Xiao Nanzhi's pale face, he hesitated for a moment.

Men and women are not intimate with each other.

If he were to use this method to cool down Xiao Nanzhi, it would likely damage her reputation as a woman.

However, if the temperature doesn't drop, Xiao Nanzhi's condition will worsen, and her life may be in danger.

Two thoughts intertwined in my mind.

Seeing Xiao Nanzhi's increasingly distressed appearance, he gritted his teeth, reached out and untied the belt from her clothes, then wrapped the belt around his eyes.

Saving lives was the priority, and he couldn't afford to have too many concerns.

Bai Zhu's fingertips trembled slightly, and his clothes slowly loosened. When his hand touched that smooth and delicate skin, as smooth as mutton fat jade, his heart suddenly clenched, as if it were being gripped by an invisible hand.

In an instant, he awoke as if from a dream, suddenly realizing his lapse in composure. He was secretly annoyed and immediately banished all distracting thoughts.

Xiao Nanzhi is on the verge of death; how could I be so absurd?

When she made her move again, Bai Zhu became decisive and swift, without the slightest hesitation.

He quickly took off his clothes, picked up a wet towel soaked in cold water, and vigorously wiped his body.

Before long, the bone-chilling cold seeped into his bones through his skin, his teeth chattered uncontrollably, and with each breath, a cloud of white mist condensed in the icy air.

Bai Shu endured the chill, slowly stretched out his arm, and gently embraced Xiao Nanzhi, pressing his icy body tightly against her to dispel the high fever within her.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Nanzhi's burning body temperature finally came down.

Bai Zhu, exhausted, closed her eyes.

She let out a soft moan and slowly opened her eyes, where she saw a man standing very close to her.

The other person was shirtless, while she was only wearing a close-fitting undershirt.

*Slap!* A hard slap landed on Bai Shu's face.

"Let me go!" Xiao Nanzhi's face paled, her eyes wide with terror. She forcefully pushed Bai Shu away, her arms tightly protecting her body.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and her gaze towards Bai Shu was filled with resentment and shame: "You shameless scoundrel, how dare you desecrate this princess like this!"

The cloth covering Bai Shu's eyes prevented him from seeing Xiao Nanzhi's expression at that moment.

But he could still sketch out her appearance through his imagination.

Her eyes must have been red and swollen from crying, like a frightened rabbit.

He chuckled helplessly, his voice tinged with weariness and resignation, and explained, "Please forgive me, Your Highness, I had no other choice but to resort to this tactic."

"Helpless?" Xiao Nanzhi came to her senses and noticed that Bai Shu's eyes were covered with a strip of cloth.

If he wanted to do something, why would he need to do it this way?

Bai Shu's voice was low and deep: "The princess just had a high fever. If it hadn't been cooled down in time, her life might have been in danger."

His words were sincere and heartfelt. Xiao Nanzhi touched her forehead and realized that what he said was true.

She glared at Bai Shu resentfully and hurriedly put her clothes on: "Even so, you can't do this."

While getting dressed, she noticed a small wooden puppet lying quietly on her clothes.

Xiao Nanzhi's eyes widened instantly. She gently picked up the little wooden puppet, a moment of confusion in her eyes.

He muttered to himself, "This little wooden puppet looks so much like mine... it's like it was carved by the same person."