I called out to him, "Zhou Lang!"
When Zhou Lang turned around and saw me, he looked flustered. He threw himself into my arms and hugged me tightly, saying with great grievance, "I thought Ahua had abandoned me because she hadn't come back for a long time."
I gently patted his back to comfort him, saying, "How could that be? Didn't I tell you to wait for me here? No matter when or where we get separated, just stay where you are and don't wander off. You have to believe that I will definitely come back to find you! Do you hear me?"
For some reason, Zhou Lang seemed very afraid that I would break my promise, so he stood up, looked at me with bright eyes, and stretched out his hand firmly, saying, "Pinky promise!"
I smiled and extended my hand: "Okay! Pinky promise! No matter when or where, Ahua will never abandon Zhou Lang. Even if we are accidentally separated, I will definitely find you! Stamp!"
Zhou Lang still extended his index finger and stamped it for me.
In truth, I felt a deep sense of regret and sighed, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'll have to break my promise and return you to someone else soon... I never imagined that I would be the one to end up being the one who has to be the puppy."
After Zhou Lang calmed down, I took his warm hand and led him into the courtyard.
The young prince, having witnessed Zhou Lang and I being all lovey-dovey outside the door, squinted at us and teased, "The young lady and this gentleman seem to be a loving couple."
"I apologize for keeping Your Highness waiting. My young master is a bit simple-minded, please excuse me." I replied with a smile and quickly changed the subject.
"Let's continue our conversation. You just asked me how much time you have," I said, feigning thought as I continued.
"About a year, yes, that's about right! If it weren't for my secret recipe and medicine, you probably wouldn't be a handful of dust for long."
Actually, I exaggerated a bit. Based on his current condition, he should have about two more years left. I deliberately reduced his lifespan by half to exaggerate his illness.
He thought he would be shocked, but to his surprise, the young lady accepted it calmly and continued to ask, "How much longer can the ginseng in that young lady's hand help me prolong my life?"
“Although it is a ten-thousand-year-old spiritual ginseng, it is a fact that your fate is in calamity. Although it cannot make you live to be a hundred years old, it can extend your life by twenty years!” I said frankly.
If someone tells a person on the verge of death that they can extend their life by another twenty years, would you be happy? Or would you accept it?
Who in the world is not afraid of death? Especially this mortal royal with eyes full of arrogance and resentment towards power, whose twenty years of lifespan is an even greater temptation of power.
Sure enough, after I finished speaking, I saw a glimmer of starlight inadvertently appear in his eyes.
However, he quickly concealed his true feelings by lowering his eyes and tapping the edge of the chair lightly with his fingers, as if he were deep in thought and planning something.
Seeing him deep in thought, I boldly added fuel to the fire: "Twenty years is enough for Your Highness to pursue any unfulfilled desires for power in your heart!" I deliberately emphasized the latter part, "desires for power," hoping to completely provoke the resentment in his heart.
Sure enough, when he heard the last four words, he suddenly cast a sharp look at me, and his tone became cold: "I admire your courage, young lady. Not only do you understand me, but you are also so frank. What are your intentions? Why don't you speak frankly?"
It seems I have indeed touched upon the deepest desires of this young prince, but the quick-witted prince has already sensed my ulterior motives.
Since he spoke so frankly, I also said frankly, "Actually, I don't know Your Highness very well. I only know that everyone in the world is afraid of life and death, but I have never seen Your Highness face life and death with such composure and without fear. I admire you very much. I only know a little about the arts of heaven and man, and I only caught the feeling of unwillingness in your eyes for the unfulfilled wishes deep in your heart."
"I only met Your Highness by chance, and last time you even helped my husband and me out of a predicament. I just wanted to express my gratitude by presenting this 'Ten Thousand Year Ginseng' to my benefactor whom I admire so much," I said frankly while flattering him and praising my respect for him.
"In that case, I can't refuse. I appreciate your kindness, young lady. Uncle Cai, please keep it." The prince looked suspicious, clearly not believing that I would give it to him, but he pretended to wave his hand and ordered Uncle Cai to take the ginseng from my hand as if he wanted to get something for nothing.
Seeing Uncle Cai walking towards me obediently, I dodged and chuckled, "It is true that I sincerely gave this ginseng to Your Highness, but you have snatched twenty years of life from the King of Hell, which is actually against the way of Heaven. Therefore, you must pay some money to buy back your life, and you cannot do evil or harm people in the world. You can only punish evil and do good deeds, otherwise you and I will be punished by Heaven."
"So, according to what you've said, how much money do you want to pay to save my life?" He squinted at me, seemingly waiting for me to reveal my true intentions.
"You are of royal blood, and your destiny has a far greater impact on the world than that of ordinary people. Therefore, one year of lifespan is worth one tael of gold, and twenty years is worth twenty taels of gold!" I've put you on such a high pedestal, so how can I not make your lifespan seem more valuable? In case you don't accept it, there's still room for negotiation, right?
"Twenty gold coins?" He was clearly surprised and even a little dejected. It seemed he really was a down-on-his-luck prince; would he lose money on this deal today?
Just then, the little guard on the roof suddenly leaped down, raised his unsheathed sword, placed it on my shoulder, and pressed it against my neck. His eyes were fierce: "I knew you had ill intentions, you little girl! Who gave you the audacity to act so presumptuously in front of the Prince! There has never been such a thing as a ten-thousand-year-old ginseng. Don't try to deceive us, the Prince!"
At this moment, Zhou Lang, who was standing to the side, saw that the girl was holding a weapon to me. He actually glared at her, puffed out his cheeks, and seemed very angry as he stepped forward and reached out to try to push her down.
Unexpectedly, the girl struck Zhou Lang in the chest with a palm strike, sending him flying. Zhou Lang clutched his chest and staggered back a few steps.
Seeing that Zhou Lang had been bullied, I flew into a rage and struck the girl in the chest, shoving her away. She then clutched her chest and staggered back a few steps.
I rushed to Zhou Lang's side, helped him up, and asked with concern, "How are you? Is anything bothering you?"
After checking his pulse and finding nothing seriously wrong, I breathed a sigh of relief and angrily shouted at him, "From now on, you're not allowed to lay a hand on me without my permission! Do you hear me?"
Zhou Lang, however, felt wronged and indignant, saying, "They bullied Ahua, they are bad people!"
I shouted again, "You dare talk back? From now on, you're not allowed to lay a hand on me without my permission! Did you hear me?!"
Unexpectedly, he turned his head away and got angry, as if he didn't want to talk to me!
"I'll settle the score with you when we get back!" I cursed inwardly.
I turned my head to look at the two people in front of me.
With a serious expression, he retorted, "There is no cure for all poisons and diseases in the world. Your prince has taken my secret medicine and is now perfectly healthy."
He then feigned profundity and said angrily, "It may seem that I have taken your money, but to arbitrarily defy fate and change the destiny of a member of the royal family is against the will of Heaven. If I am not careful, I will suffer divine retribution! I am not willing to do this kind of business. As Your Highness said, it is better to give to others who need it. Since you are not grateful, then Zhou Lang and I will leave!"
They're so clueless and dare to hurt the one I love. If I don't give them a good talking to, they'll think I'm a pushover! With that, I grabbed Zhou Lang and headed outside.
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