"Knock knock knock"
Just then, a knock on the door startled him awake.
Suddenly, an old man's aged voice came from outside the door: "Your Highness, it's time for the princess to take her medicine."
Upon hearing the sound, Mei Zhixuan suddenly opened his eyes. He glanced at the quiet face of the woman lying on the bed, who seemed to be still asleep without any improvement. Although he was anxious, he could only frown helplessly and exhale a sigh of relief.
He paused for a moment, then reached out with his long, slender hands to carefully tuck the corner of the blanket around her before getting up and saying, "Come in."
Then, a kind-looking septuagenarian with white hair and beard, wearing a white robe and leaning on a carved wooden cane, walked in. A green-clad girl with big eyes, who looked very clever, and was no more than twelve or thirteen years old, pushed open the door and strolled in.
"Your Highness, Third Prince."
The girl in green carried a medicine tray in both hands. As soon as she entered the room and approached Mei Zhixuan, she bowed respectfully to him.
"Hmm." Mei Zhixuan nodded slightly without thinking and gave a soft hum.
The girl in green then turned to the woman on the couch, sat down beside her, and propped her head up. She then filled a spoon with the medicinal soup, carefully blew on it, and then slowly put it into the woman's mouth.
Fortunately, the woman was still able to swallow the medicine. So, with a smile on her face, the young girl continued to feed her spoonful by spoonful, her movements seemingly very skilled, carefully feeding her.
"What is the princess's condition now?"
Mei Zhixuan watched as the medicinal soup slowly and successfully entered the woman's body before turning around with one hand behind his back and slowly walking to the table in the room to sit down.
The white-bearded old man followed him and poured a cup of the hot tea he had just carefully brewed and brought in, handing it to Mei Zhixuan: "Third Prince, please have some tea."
Mei Zhixuan took the tea with one hand and took a sip.
The white-bearded old man sat down beside him, thought for a moment, shook his head, and said helplessly, "This old servant is incompetent, please punish me, Your Highness. Several months have passed, but the princess remains motionless and unconscious. Apart from trying to feed her some medicinal soup to replenish her strength every day, this old servant seems to be able to do nothing else."
As Mei Zhixuan listened, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
After much thought, ever since returning to Dongning, she still couldn't figure it out. So, she asked the old man in bewilderment, "What exactly is going on with the princess?"
The old man stroked his beard, gazing at the woman's thin face on the bed, and said with astonishment, "Regarding the extremely rare and peculiar illness that the princess has contracted, for months I have searched through all kinds of medical books and historical records, but I have found no clue whatsoever, and have come up with nothing!"
He paused, then continued, "This old servant has ordered Greenie to carefully examine the princess's body, and there are no injuries. Moreover, the princess's pulse has always been quite steady and mild, showing no abnormalities compared to ordinary people. But for some reason, she just cannot wake up."
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man let out a long sigh and said, "How strange, how very strange!"
Just then, the girl in green finished feeding the woman the entire bowl of medicine, got up to cover her with the quilt, and quietly withdrew with the medicine tray.
The white-bearded old man nodded slightly to her, and the girl in green bowed and walked out the door, gently closing it behind her.
The room was silent.
Outside the wooden cabin, only the gentle sea breeze whispered softly under the night sky.
The island is called "Azure Island".
Located east of the sea and surrounded by mountains, the hills are beautiful and majestic, with rolling hills and verdant ridges. The mountains are covered with evergreen pines and cypresses, and the forests are lush and green all year round. The tea bushes are also lush and verdant, creating a serene and elegant environment.
The blue sea surface under the dazzling starry sky shimmered with layers of light, a dreamlike scene that captivated the viewer.
A gentle sea breeze blows across the island, where a romantic sea of flowers stretches all the way to the cliff edge, carrying the fragrance of flowers with the salty sea breeze that blows over the cliff, making it more poetic than any fairy tale.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds, amidst the blue sea, sky, white sails, and sandy beaches, one should be washing away worldly cares, escaping the hustle and bustle of life, and forgetting all worldly troubles and struggles for fame and fortune.
Yet, the person living in this paradise on earth harbors a deep-seated ambition that is completely at odds with his gentle and refined appearance.
Just as the two were racking their brains trying to figure it out, the white-bearded old man seemed to suddenly remember something and asked, "Your Highness, Third Prince, if this old servant dares to ask, did anything unusual happen to the princess before she fell into a coma?"
"Before falling into a coma, something unusual happened..." Upon hearing this, Mei Zhixuan silently repeated it, lost in his memories.
Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table in front of him and exclaimed in surprise, "That's right, how could I have forgotten such important information?"
"Important information? What is it? Has Your Highness remembered something?" the white-bearded old man hurriedly asked.
Mei Zhixuan slowly rose and took two steps forward, looking at the woman on the bed, recalling, "When I first found the princess in the Western Qin Kingdom, I heard that she had also been in a coma for a long time before, for about a year..."
"He's been in a coma for a year?" The white-bearded old man was stunned.
Mei Zhixuan nodded silently with his back to him, while the white-bearded old man also looked at the woman on the bed.
He was astonished: "This old servant has never heard of anyone being unconscious for so long and then waking up. It seems this girl is no ordinary person!"
The two were silent for a while, then Mei Zhixuan said meaningfully, "You're right, she is indeed not an ordinary woman."
"Yes! These days, whenever I see her, I can't help but think of that plague that swept across the country and nearly wiped out Dongning. The streets and alleys were littered with corpses. The Empress, a mere woman, possessed power that surpassed countless imperial physicians. She traversed mountains and rivers to collect medicinal herbs and tirelessly researched prescriptions, finally saving the people of our nation. Heaven has blessed us; the descendants of the Empress of Dongning are naturally destined for greatness!"
The white-bearded old man spoke with great awe and excitement.
"Perhaps... it's far more than that," Mei Zhixuan said mysteriously.
"Not only that, what does the Third Prince mean by that?" the white-bearded old man asked, puzzled.
"Have you ever heard of... the Guardians of Western Qin?" Mei Zhixuan suddenly turned around and looked into the old man's eyes, asking earnestly.
The old man paused for a moment upon hearing this, then said, "The guardian of Western Qin..."
Mei Zhixuan nodded slightly. The old man stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and then the two slowly sat down again.
The old man said quietly, "When I was young, I traveled in the Kingdom of Nan'an and saw it in a secret book. Legend has it that when its founding ancestor was studying medicine over the years, he tasted all kinds of strange poisons and herbs, which eventually changed his blood essence. Afterwards, when his offspring reproduced, they all inherited this special bloodline of their ancestor."
Mei Zhixuan seemed unaware of these strange claims and listened attentively with great interest: "Legend has it that with this blood as a catalyst, one can create the strongest poison in the world, as well as cure the strongest poison in the world, and even cure all diseases. There are even rumors that 'whoever obtains this blood will rule the world.'"
"Whoever obtains this blood will rule the world?" Mei Zhixuan repeated silently.
The white-bearded old man nodded and continued, "Later, I heard that a rebellion broke out in this tribe, and the last surviving direct descendant ended up in the Western Qin Kingdom of the Lingkong Continent, where he was able to multiply and become a founding hero and the most loyal protector of the Western Qin royal family."
"So this is what the guardians of Western Qin are like?!" Mei Zhixuan finally understood.
The white-bearded old man nodded, saying with a hint of regret, "But as everyone knows, the guardians of Western Qin are incredibly loyal; they were born only to protect the Emperor of Western Qin. Therefore, even though my Eastern Ning Kingdom has a strong army, a prosperous nation, and favorable weather in recent years, we have never dared to take any action against Western Qin because we are wary of the existence of this mysterious force!"
"Is that so? But in my opinion, that's not necessarily true." Qi Liao Mei Zhixuan suddenly let out a cold snort.
"This old servant still doesn't understand the Third Prince's intention behind these words," the white-bearded old man asked, seemingly increasingly confused.
Like a bolt from the blue, Mei Zhixuan suddenly blurted out, "This prince suspects that the princess is very likely a descendant of the legendary guardian of Western Qin who has been missing for many years."
"What? Princess, she...she is...the princess is a descendant of the guardians of Western Qin?" The white-bearded old man immediately stood up and stared in astonishment at Mei Zhixuan's cold profile.
But then it dawned on him: "So that's why the Third Prince didn't take the princess back to the palace for proper treatment, but instead hid her on this Azure Island!"
Unable to stop himself from pondering further, the old man was suddenly struck by something: "Third Prince, are you planning to use the mysterious power of the guardians of Western Qin to seize power and usurp the throne!"
Mei Zhixuan ignored his self-talk, poured himself a cup of hot tea, slowly drank it, and said nothing more.
Although Mei Zhixuan seemed quite confident and certain about the matter, the white-bearded old man still tried to offer some advice: "Third Prince, as the saying goes, everyone has their own destiny, and the higher you climb, the colder it gets. Why are you so fixated on that lofty and supreme position?"
Upon hearing this, Mei Zhixuan stood up abruptly, brought his nose close to the old man's, and said indignantly, "What is fate? No one wants to be trampled underfoot forever. From childhood to adulthood, no matter how outstanding I am, my father has never paid me any attention, simply because my birth mother was a lowly maid. I will prove to my father with my own abilities that even without his support, I can still become the sole overlord of this Spirit Void Continent. No one can stop my choice, no one can!"
The white-bearded old man shook his head and said, "Third Prince, your obsession is too deep; you will surely suffer the consequences."
Mei Zhixuan seemed to have lost his mind. He snorted coldly at him and said firmly, "My mind is made up. There's no need to say anything more. You just need to heal her as soon as possible. You don't need to worry about anything else."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door. Just as he was about to step out the door, he suddenly stopped...
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