Chapter 63 Fate is Such: "I'll Accompany You"

The fox could hear Tinglan's voice, feel the scalding tears falling on its face, and feel the sticky sensation of blood beneath it.

But he couldn't move.

But unlike the legends of the soul leaving the body after death, he seems to still exist in his own body.

The fox suddenly felt a little happy, thinking that maybe a good night's sleep would make him feel better.

But hearing Tinglan's suppressed sobs beside him, he became extremely anxious, yet he still couldn't move a single finger.

The boundless darkness embraced him tightly from behind, supporting his limbs and imprisoning him in its arms, preventing him from responding to his lover's cries.

Tinglan kept searching the fox's wrist, but couldn't find any sign of a pulse.

He had no choice but to bend down again and gently press his ear against the fox's chest.

But it was too noisy around him, and he couldn't hear his heartbeat.

"Get out! All of you, get out!" Tinglan looked up, his voice terribly hoarse, as if a dying soul had suddenly taken over his body.

The surroundings finally quieted down, and the hall was completely silent. The Imperial Guards waited outside the hall, forming a human wall to give the palm print space so that he could deal with his excruciating pain.

Tinglan knelt on the ground, the cold air spreading from his knees to his whole body. His fingertips pressed tightly against the blue bricks, with such force that they almost tore off his own nails.

But Tinglan couldn't feel any pain, or rather, he needed some physical pain to wake himself up.

Since then, Tinglan has seemed to be floating here, everything around her is blurry and unreal, as if shrouded in a layer of white mist.

Is this true? Or is he having a fit of hysteria?

Tinglan looked down and saw the blood on his hands gradually turning into a dried, dark brown.

How could it be true?

The young prince clearly left; he went home. How could he be here?

It's fake, impossible...

As if to verify something, Tinglan leaned down and gently stroked Ji Qing's cheek.

If you ignore the bloodstains on his face, the little prince's face is peaceful and serene, as if he were asleep.

But if Tinglan had teased him like this in the past, he would have definitely acted coquettishly and rubbed his face against Tinglan's palm.

The ground is too cold. Ji Qing is not in good health, so we can't let him lie like this, otherwise his condition will worsen.

Tinglan stood up, picked up the fox, wrapped it tightly in his robe, and staggered out of the main hall.

As the spring breeze blew, the little prince's hair moved with the wind.

Outside the capital, the war was still raging, and the wind carried a faint smell of burning.

Tinglan suddenly stopped and looked down at the assassin who had just been captured by the Imperial Guards, seemingly pondering something. "Lock him up for now. Be careful with your actions. Slice him a few times a day, but don't kill him."

He thought that his hands were covered in blood, and although he knew that he had killed people who deserved to die, his sins were still heavy, and he would accept it even if he did not die a good death.

But why was it Ji Qing who died?

People say that cause and effect are cyclical and that good and evil are rewarded accordingly... So why did his cause fall on the young prince?

This shouldn't be happening; he's the one who should be dying...

He shouldn't be alive. He should have used that knife to kill himself back then... and then everything would be over, and the little prince wouldn't be a burden to him.

But now he is completely unafraid of divine retribution or punishment.

There's nothing left to lose.

Tinglan stared blankly into the distance. The sun was about to set, round and red, like a bleeding eye.

He staggered away into the distance; the crisis in the capital was not yet resolved... he still needed to hold on for a while.

If we just hold on for a few more days, we'll be free.

Tinglan lowered his head and placed a kiss on the fox's pale forehead.

Your Highness, wait for me.

Tinglan carried Ji Qing back to the bedroom in the Directorate of Ceremonial, where Ji Qing's appearance before his departure was still preserved.

The bed hadn't been tidied up yet, and there was half a bowl of medicine in a white porcelain bowl on the table, along with a dish of candied fruit next to it.

Everything is the same, so why have the people changed?

Tinglan put Ji Qing down, then filled a basin with warm water, soaked a fine cotton handkerchief in it, and carefully wiped Ji Qing's face and hands.

Ji Qing was still wrapped in his black robe, and Ting Lan dared not take it off, for fear of seeing the wound.

"Does Your Highness feel pain?" Tinglan asked softly.

The person on the couch did not answer him.

Tinglan continued, "How about we have roast chicken for dinner? The kind that's brushed with honey and roasted."

The person on the bed still did not answer him.

"Okay, then let's eat this." Tinglan smiled, dipped the handkerchief in the copper basin, and washed out a basin of bloody water.

Tinglan stared at the basin of bloody water, his hands trembling uncontrollably. He finally rushed out of the room and stood in the courtyard, panting heavily.

A carriage was parked in the courtyard; it was the one he had used to send the young prince away.

Tinglan hesitated for a moment, but eventually walked over and lifted the curtain of the carriage.

Sure enough, a small floral bundle was left behind in the carriage.

Yellow, and rustic.

He picked it up, turned around and sat on the steps, placing the bundle on his lap and opening it.

Inside was a snack box, several balls, and an outer robe.

These are the things he took with him, just this little bit.

All the precious jewels and fine clothes were left behind.

Tinglan opened the box.

Inside, some pastries were neatly arranged; some were broken and had crumbs, but most were still intact.

It's just missing one and a half pieces.

One of the pieces had been bitten, leaving only a small portion, and was then put back.

You could tell that the fox had saved this box of pastries from between his teeth, but he couldn't resist and ate one and a half pieces.

Tinglan shook his head, smiling helplessly, and said, "Your Highness is really something."

He picked up the leftover pastry, which still had faint teeth marks on it.

Tinglan trembled as he carefully stuffed the pastry into his mouth. His throat was stiff, and he almost lost the ability to swallow. He rushed into the house and gulped down a mouthful of water before he could barely swallow it.

Footsteps came from outside the courtyard. Tinglan turned around and saw the Taoist priest running wildly in their direction.

"Is the palm print alright?" The Taoist priest finally found the person. He ran over, panting, and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

Tinglan did not answer.

The Taoist priest was taken aback. "What's wrong?"

"fine."

Zhou Yiqing felt uneasy under the watchful gaze, thinking that he had managed to persuade the fox to leave and that Tinglan was going to settle accounts with him. He rubbed his hands nervously.

It's not a big deal that the fox ran away. Just wait a few days, and he'll come back on his own. He might even bring you some local specialties from home, like eggs or mushrooms.

"Master, could you tell me where Ji Qing's home is? Even just a general location would be helpful."

The Taoist priest thought to himself that he was going to personally come to retrieve it, so he quickly smiled and said, "It's alright, Your Highness is concerned about the palm seal. You will come back on your own if you run away."

Tinglan was stunned. "What do you mean?"

The Taoist priest steeled his heart. This time, he was truly sacrificing himself for the sake of the young couple's relationship.

Fox, if you come back, you'll have to treat me to a nice meal.

"It's my fault, really. I was the one who foresaw that Ji Qing was going to face a calamity, so I told him to leave so he could avoid it."

The Taoist priest took a deep breath and continued, "So His Highness left because he listened to what I said. His poor health before was also related to this calamity. But don't worry, Master, he said he will definitely come back."

As for why a perfectly healthy person needs to undergo tribulation, then you shouldn't ask.

The Taoist priest was very nervous after he finished speaking, fearing he was going to get beaten up.

But upon seeing the palm print before him, his face suddenly turned deathly pale, and he almost couldn't stand up. He was quickly helped up.

"A palm print! A palm print? What's going on? Why did he suddenly faint?"

The Taoist priest tried to call for help, but most of the officials from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs had been dispatched. He called out twice, but no one answered.

He was very anxious, so he had no choice but to lift Tinglan up and carry her into the house.

Honestly, how come both of them are so sickly?

The Taoist priest finally reached the bedside, looked down at the basin of bloody water, and was very puzzled.

What happened? Was your palm injured? No wonder you fainted.

As the Taoist priest thought this, he looked towards the bed, intending to lift Tinglan onto it.

But then he saw someone who shouldn't be there, pale-faced, with closed eyes, and surrounded by a strong smell of blood.

The Taoist priest trembled, disregarding everything else for a moment. He shakily placed Tinglan on a chair and reached out to check the fox's breath.

He couldn't find it.

The Taoist priest slumped to the ground, his eyes vacant, staring blankly at the fox on the bed.

How could this happen? Didn't you leave?

When Tinglan woke up, she felt somewhat relieved and joyful to have survived a disaster.

Perhaps all of this is just a vivid and long nightmare.

When he woke up, Ji Qing was still by his side.

He would jump onto the bed and roll around on it, occasionally bouncing around and hitting his ribs.

Tinglan opened her eyes and stared blankly at the white wall in front of her for a long time.

He was wrong; when he woke up, he was still in a nightmare.

The Taoist priest stood to the side and asked, "You fainted just now. How are you now?"

"It's alright." Tinglan's voice was incredibly hoarse.

"Why is Ji Qing back?" the Taoist priest asked.

“Yes, I brought him back.” Tinglan tilted her head to look at Zhou Yiqing and said with a smile, “So, I’m the one who killed him.”

The Taoist priest clutched his head, stammering, "This isn't right, this isn't right. Ji Qing's tribulation shouldn't be this fatal. I calculated it before; although it was dangerous, it could be averted. Even if you brought him back, it shouldn't be this bad..."

He suddenly turned his head, stared at Tinglan, and said, word by word, "...He blocked it for you, didn't he?"

Tinglan sat bolt upright. "What do you mean? How did you know?"

"That means he died in your place! This fate was originally yours."

The Taoist priest suddenly broke down, rubbing his hair into a ball. "It's my fault. I'm not skilled enough. I didn't calculate it clearly. I really thought everything was fine. The divination also showed hope."

He grabbed his hair, muttering to himself, "I should have found you and told you in person. Things wouldn't have turned out like this. I had already figured it out!"

Zhou Yiqing collapsed to the ground with a thud, covering her face and sobbing, "This is fate, and human effort cannot defy it."

After listening to the Taoist's incoherent and nonsensical words, Tinglan stared blankly at Ji Qing on the bed for a moment, then said, "I'll go with you."

How lonely the little prince must be if he's all alone. Who will make him roast chicken and buy him snacks?

He needs someone to be with him.

The Taoist priest sprang to his feet with a somersault, grabbed Tinglan by the collar, and growled, "Your life is very precious. Ji Qing risked his life to save it. You can't die, understand?"

The fox lay on the bed, listening to the two's conversation. When Tinglan said he would pay with his life, the fox was almost scared to tears.

He was extremely anxious, but he couldn't move a single finger.

Please don't fight! I'm still alive!

Why don't you find me a royal physician first? I can drink a whole vat of that awful-tasting medicine now.

Tinglan tilted her head and looked at the little prince on the bed. His face was pale, but his features were delicate, just like when he was alive.

A mouthful of metallic sweetness welled up inside, which Tinglan swallowed with her bare hands. She looked up and smiled, saying, "Alright, I won't die. I still need to avenge Ji Qing first."

*

Guan Ning is looking for her younger brother.

Her younger brother is a little fox, the cute kind, just a bit clumsy, but it's not a big problem.

My younger brother is still a very good younger brother.

What kind of trouble could such a silly fox possibly run into? He might have spent all his money, then stolen someone's chicken and got detained, or he might have lost a fight with other monsters.

It's also possible that there was a minor problem during the tribulation.

In short, nothing major will happen.

The fox is very well-behaved and never causes trouble.

But Guan Ning just couldn't find him. He clearly felt that he was nearby, but the thread that was holding his trail seemed to have broken.

Guan Ning panicked a little.

She lowered her head and looked at the city where the battle was taking place. She thought, "It's probably here. I'll go and look for it."

There were few people in the city. Guan Ning, sword in hand, climbed over the wall and gazed at the majestic palace in the distance.

The direction I felt just now should be this way.

Okay, Ji Qing, don't be afraid, your older sister is here.