The elder extended his hand to Qingxun, his usually stern face showing a rare, kind smile, and even his voice softened considerably: "Qingxun, come here, Grandpa Elder will take you inside."
Qingxun sweetly agreed and was about to place her soft, white, and delicate hand into the elder's palm when the head guard quickly intercepted her hand halfway and grabbed it in his own: "Little princess, you can't go in."
Qingxun blinked her wet eyes, a look of confusion on her face: "Why? I want to see Uncle."
The head guard felt his heart melt under her gaze, but remembering the Mermaid King's orders, he gritted his teeth and said, "The King said we can't go in."
"Can't I go either? I heard Uncle is sick, and I'm very worried." Hearing that she would also be turned away, Qingxun's rosy lips trembled, and her voice trembled with a soft sob.
Seeing this, the elder punched the head guard in the shoulder without hesitation, making him howl in pain: "Just let Qingxun go wherever she wants. How dare you disrespect the princess? Believe me, I'll lock you up in jail!"
The head guard rubbed his shoulder, looking aggrieved, and said, "I didn't disrespect the princess."
He dotes on this adorable little cub.
The elder pulled Qingxun over and gently patted her head: "Qingxun, let's ignore him. Come on, Grandpa Elder will take you inside."
"No, no!" The head guard once again spread his arms wide, guarding the doorway: "The king said that no one can be allowed to go in."
The elder was repeatedly stopped, and a murderous glint appeared in his eyes. However, realizing that the little princess was still watching, he took a deep breath and suppressed his anger: "What's wrong with him? Why can't people be allowed in if he's sick? We're not here to disturb him; we're just here to visit because we're worried. Is there something else going on with the king's illness?"
The elder scrutinized him, as if looking at a despicable accomplice.
"Because..." The head guard stammered, then suddenly a thought flashed through his mind, and he said, "It's the king. He has a contagious disease. If you get too close, you'll get infected."
Qingxun's mouth dropped open in surprise: "An infectious disease?"
"Yes, this disease causes scales to keep falling off, leaving bald patches all over the body, exposing the white flesh. If the little princess gets close, she'll get sick immediately. When all the scales fall off, it will be extremely painful, and she'll end up like this—"
The head guard crouched down, bringing his face close to Qingxun's, rolling his eyes upwards to reveal only the whites, and sticking out his long tongue, looking like a hanged ghost who died with his eyes wide open.
His intention was simply to vividly describe the severity of the illness, but the little princess was startled by his funny face and immediately whimpered, clinging tightly to the elder's waist, not daring to lift her face.
"Waaaaah, it's so scary!" Qingxun burst into tears.
The elder quickly put his arm around her, patted her back, and gently comforted her. The head guard was also startled and awkwardly stepped forward to pat her as well.
The elder slapped his hand away, angrily saying, "Look what you've done!"
"I...I didn't mean to."
He never expected that the usually strong little princess would cry like this just because he made a funny face at her.
The elder comforted Qingxun for a while, and when he felt that Qingxun's crying had subsided, he lowered his head and asked, "Qingxun, how about Grandpa finds someone to take you home? Your uncle has an infectious disease, and you're still too young to go see him."
Qingxun sniffed, nodded, and then grabbed the elder's hand, saying pitifully, "Grandpa Elder, I don't want to go back by myself. Can you take me back?"
"This..." The elder hesitated.
Qingxun is still young and doesn't need to go in, but as an elder, he should visit the sick man and understand the king's condition, both out of courtesy and reason.
He suggested to Qingxun, "Why don't you go back first? Grandpa will come to see you later, okay?"
"I don't want to!" Qingxun abruptly shook him off, angrily hugging her own hands. "Grandpa Elder is not nice to Qingxun at all, he doesn't even want to take care of Qingxun anymore!"
"How could I ignore Qingxun? Qingxun is my favorite little female." The elder looked her in the eye. He never had much patience, and the little bit he had was reserved entirely for this only little princess of the mermaid clan.
The head guard stared in disbelief.
This was the first time he had ever seen an elder like this!
After much coaxing, Qingxun finally paid attention to him, took his big hand with her small, fair hand and shook it: "Then Elder Grandpa, take me back."
"Okay, okay, okay." The elder was so exasperated by her shaking that he could only agree repeatedly.
Having received the promise, Qingxun stopped crying. She stretched out her soft, plump arms and wrapped them around the elder's neck. The elder sighed helplessly, pulled her into his arms, and let her sit on his lap.
After appeasing the little princess, the patient and gentle elder vanished when facing the head guard, reverting to his former irritable self.
He gently patted Qingxun's back, but his tone was icy as he spoke to the head guard: "Have you called the witch doctor to examine the Mermaid King's illness?"
The head guard was still in shock when the elder glared at him. He quickly closed his mouth and said respectfully, "I've already seen him. The shaman is taking care of him in the palace right now."
The elder nodded; this argument was barely accepted.
"What did the witch doctor say?"
The head guard quickly said, "He said that the king's illness cannot be approached, otherwise one will be infected. However, with proper care, it can be cured, so please don't worry."
So you'd better leave quickly and don't come back. The head guard thought to himself.
At this moment, in the royal palace, there was no sick mermaid king or witch doctor, only a witch doctor trapped inside to prevent the news from leaking out, and a guard watching over him.
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