Chapter 3, Part 3 (Major Revision) Ding! Beginner Dungeon triggered. ...

Crown Prince?

Lu Yuanyuan was startled and turned her head to look.

Under the bright sunshine, the shadow of the camp's watchtower fell across the grass, and a man stepped out from the shadow and walked toward them.

He appeared to be around twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He wasn't wearing silver armor, but had long, slender arms and a narrow waist, with a remarkably handsome face. From the shape of his nose and lips, one could vaguely discern that he and Yue Hong were brothers, but their beauty was different. If Yue Hong was a vibrant summer flower, then he was a lush, upright bamboo, lacking any aggressiveness and possessing a gentle, refined air.

Lu Yuanyuan's throat bobbed. Thanks to seeing the original owner's memories, she immediately matched this person with the original plot.

This guy is one of the potential male leads for "The Enchanting Fairy Tale," Crown Prince Yue Qi of Yong Kingdom, and the only son of the deceased Empress Yuan. He's tall and handsome, possesses exceptional literary and martial talents, outstanding abilities, and is also skilled in music. He's praised by the court officials in every way, and was allowed to attend court at the age of fourteen. Last spring, when the emperor was unable to attend to state affairs due to a chronic illness, Yue Qi even served as regent for several months as crown prince. Unfortunately, these days, the gentle, innocent, and pure-hearted male lead isn't popular anymore. He's more like a best buddy with the easily-pushed, easy-going male lead—they're inseparable, and whoever gets to power first is the bastard. Therefore, in the subsequent brotherly love triangle plot, his popularity outside the book is slightly lower than Yue Hong's.

According to the marriage agreement, Yue Qi was the original owner's future husband. However, because the two were more than eight years apart in age, and the former had taken up political power at a young age, their daily lives were like two parallel lines that never intersected, and the original owner rarely had the opportunity to see him.

But there's a saying that distance makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps it was because Yue Qi was the only person in the palace who wouldn't bully her. When they occasionally met, such as at palace banquets, he was quite gentle and caring towards the original owner. The original owner, just beginning to experience love, secretly fell in love with him. Knowing that this perfect older brother was her future husband, she was even more delighted, feeling that their love was mutual. Whenever she had the chance, she would try to get close to him.

In reality, Yue Qi's kindness towards her was all superficial. He didn't like the marriage and even found the original owner of this body somewhat annoying. However, due to his duties as the Crown Prince, he had to put on a show in front of the civil and military officials and his father, the Emperor.

After all, if Yue Qi truly cared about the original owner of this body, he would know how difficult her life had been in the palace these past few years. Those who bullied her would likely have restrained themselves a bit out of respect for him. To put it bluntly, even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner. No matter how much the noble sons of the city wanted to curry favor with the Third Prince, they couldn't ignore the Crown Prince.

It can only be said that once a person develops a romantic mindset, they are prone to being delusional and self-indulgent.

It's the same all over the world.

Lu Yuanyuan was momentarily distracted when a corner of her sleeve caught her eye.

Yue Qi strode over to the horse, reached out his hand to her, and asked with concern, "You didn't fall in the woods, did you? Come on, get off first."

He held his hand out to her, palm up. His fingers were well-defined, more refined than Yue Hong's, the hands of a scholar or artist. He wore a translucent jade ring on each of his index and ring fingers.

In front of so many people, it seemed she had no choice but to refuse her fiancé's help and have his younger brother do it instead. Lu Yuanyuan hesitated for a moment, then released Yue Hong's sleeve, which she had been clutching the whole way, and placed her hand in Yue Qi's palm.

Unaware that her brief, unprecedented hesitation had not escaped Yue Qi's notice.

Yue Qi's watery eyes flickered, and he silently glanced at his younger brother opposite him before taking her hand and lifting her off the horse.

Lu Yuanyuan's cheek bumped against his chest, and the scent of ambergris wafted into his nostrils.

Unlike before when she clung to Yue Hong to absorb his life force, for no apparent reason, she didn't want to be so intimate with someone she was meeting for the first time. So she subtly turned her shoulder away, letting her arm hang down, wanting to distance herself slightly from his chest.

Unexpectedly, he noticed even such a small movement.

"Don't twist around." Yue Qi glanced at her, tightened his grip on her arm, and although it was a reprimand, his attitude was as gentle as ever.

Then, he looked at Yue Hong, who had been left standing to the side for a while, and smiled as he thanked him: "Thank you, Third Brother, for helping me find Yuan Yuan."

Yue Hong stood with his arms crossed, watching coldly as the man who had just been pulling his hair and punching him while making demands became as docile as could be once he was in Yue Qi's arms. He forced a smile and said, "Don't be so polite, Your Majesty."

.

Watching his younger brother ride away, Yue Qi's smile faded slightly. He carried Lu Yuanyuan back to his tent.

Although these were temporary rest tents erected for the hunting expedition, their furnishings were anything but sloppy. Thick, ornately woven felt covered the floor, making each step silent. Gilded lampstands glowed brightly, and an openwork golden incense burner emitted fragrant smoke. A silk embroidered screen concealed the bed.

A female physician dressed in a simple robe stood by her side, while two maids carried copper basins filled with hot water and clean clothes, ready to wash, change, and apply medicine for Lu Yuanyuan.

In this situation, it was inappropriate for a man to be present. Yue Qi bent down and placed Lu Yuanyuan beside the bed, saying gently, "Falling off a horse is no small matter. Let the physician examine you carefully..."

If you hadn't read the original text and seen how sincere he was, you wouldn't have guessed that he was just going through the motions.

Lu Yuanyuan turned her head to avoid his gaze and interrupted him softly, "I know, thank you, Your Highness."

Yue Qi paused, slowly straightened up, gave the female doctor a few instructions, and then turned to leave.

The air felt a bit lighter after that person left.

With the help of the female physician and maid, Lu Yuanyuan quickly unfastened the soft armor covering her chest, and her wrinkled robes slid down to her feet.

The gleaming mirror reflected a naked young girl's body. Lu Yuanyuan raised her elbow and looked around, realizing she had indeed fallen quite hard; not only was her leg injured, but she also had several bruises on her knees and elbows. Because of her fair skin, they looked particularly gruesome.

The maid carefully used a soft cloth dampened with hot water to wipe away the glistening beads of sweat between her breasts, which had been trapped by the soft armor, before kneeling down to wipe away the bloodstains on her thighs. The female physician washed her hands in a copper basin and instructed her to sit on the bed.

“Truly, the environment shapes the people; it’s rare to see such delicate skin as yours, Princess, in the North. It would be such a pity if a scar remained on your thigh.” The female physician knelt down and gently applied ointment to her with her fingertips. After finishing, she wiped her hands, closed her medicine box, and then suddenly remembered something. She slapped her forehead and said, “Oh, right, I remember now. Another physician who accompanied us has a pearl ointment that is very effective at removing scars. Please wait a moment, Princess, while I go and fetch it for you.”

The ointment, when applied to the wound, felt cool with a slight tingling sensation. Lu Yuanyuan fanned her thighs with her hands, and upon hearing this, looked up and said, "Okay, thank you for your trouble."

The female doctor took her leave. The two maids also quickly tidied up the basin of water and the dirty towel, lifted the curtain, and left.

The tent fell silent.

Taking this opportunity, Lu Yuanyuan checked the numerical panel and was surprised to find that her health had dropped back to 32/100.

Seriously? From the time she took off her clothes to the time she finished applying the medicine, it was at most thirty minutes. How could it have worn off so quickly? It's like an old cell phone battery.

At this rate, we probably won't have enough by tonight.

Lu Yuanyuan lay down on her side, pulled the blanket up, and decided to lie down and wait, saving her energy. Her earlobe pressed against the silk pillow, and she smelled a faint herbal scent. Reaching out to squeeze it, she realized the pillow seemed to contain herbs with calming and soothing effects.

As expected of royalty, they are so particular even about the smallest things.

Under the influence of this subtle and calming fragrance, Lu Yuanyuan gradually relaxed, her eyelids growing heavier. In her hazy state, she suddenly heard footsteps outside the screen.

I didn't hear any guards stopping me, so I guess the female doctor who went to get the scar removal cream has returned.

Lu Yuanyuan lay on her side facing the wall, not moving: "Could you get me a glass of water?"

Hearing her languid nasal tone, the other person paused for a moment, then turned and walked towards the table, her steps as light as a cat's. Without turning around, one could hear the sound of her holding the jade pot and pouring clear water into a cup.

Then, the other person walked around the screen, came behind her, lifted his robe, and sat down. Because the bed was narrow, their bodies inevitably touched. Lu Yuanyuan suddenly froze, realizing something was wrong.

strength.

It happened again—her body felt that subtle warmth that replenished her life force once more!

Lu Yuanyuan frowned, propped herself up, and glared at the person behind her: "Yue Hong, why didn't you come in..."

But when she turned her head, she noticed that the hand holding the cup was wearing a jade ring.

Lu Yuanyuan's neck stiffened, and she was now fully awake.

Yue Qi casually put down the porcelain cup and stood up. Before Lu Yuanyuan could even see his expression, he turned his head, looked at the foot of the bed, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Lu Yuanyuan followed his gaze and thought to herself, "Oh no!"

Just now, the maid changed her into a new set of clothes. These ancient summer clothes are quite troublesome to take off. Now that she's wearing trousers, she'll have to take them off again when the female physician returns. So, as soon as they left, Lu Yuanyuan took off her trousers for convenience, leaving only her underpants, brazenly enjoying the cool breeze while waiting.

The so-called underpants were about the same length as modern hot pants.

As an educated modern person, Lu Yuanyuan naturally didn't see anything wrong with this level of skin exposure. However, she was currently playing a princess who had received strict etiquette training, and such unrestrained behavior would ruin her character.

Lu Yuanyuan felt slightly embarrassed. Under his gaze, she quickly pulled her two bare legs back under the covers. Ignoring her earlier slip of the tongue, she asked, "Your Highness, is there something you need?"

"Nothing much, just came to tell you that the hunt is ending early. We'll be staying at the palace on Langya Mountain tonight." Yue Qi calmly withdrew his gaze, and his next words stunned her: "There are dead people outside, their skins completely peeled off. The Imperial Advisor examined them and said it was the work of a demon."

Lu Yuanyuan suddenly looked at him.

System: "Ding! The beginner-level dungeon 'Collision with Evil' has been triggered. Please receive the data."

[Role Position] NPC (Extra, Pure Minion)

[Probability of Encountering Danger] Initial setting 0.01%, adjusted to 70%

[Probability of Death] Initial setting 0.01%, adjusted to 80%

[Instance Progress] 20%

[More Information] Unlocked (Insufficient permissions to view; extras cannot view the script).

Lu Yuanyuan: "...?"