Chapter 14 The Side Effects of Mind Reading Erupt
Outside the palace gates, a biting wind howled.
The black and gold carriage, a symbol of the Regent's Palace's supreme authority, now lay dormant in the night like a silent behemoth.
Jiang Mianmian used almost all her strength to "help" the extremely heavy Regent Prince onto the carriage.
As soon as I entered the carriage, the heavy curtains fell, blocking the view of outsiders. The composure that I had just barely maintained made me feel as if my spine had been removed, and I instantly went limp.
"Hey! Shen Jin! Don't die here!"
Jiang Mianmian was startled and quickly reached out to grab him.
Shen Jin collapsed onto the thick, soft fox fur cushion, his face almost transparently pale, his forehead covered in fine cold sweat, and even his usually sharp, knife-like phoenix eyes were tightly closed, with an unnatural flush at the corners.
His breathing was rapid and erratic, and his hands were pressed tightly against his temples, his knuckles turning white from the force, as if an invisible drill was frantically churning his brain.
[Holy crap! What's going on? Everything was fine in the Imperial Garden just now. How come the power went out as soon as I got in the car? This is some serious staged accident scam!]
[Is this what they call "cool for only three seconds"? He was so arrogant and cool when he broke the Second Prince's wrist, but now he looks like Lin Daiyu (a character from a Chinese novel known for her delicate features)?]
Although she was internally ranting and raving, Jiang Mianmian's hand honestly reached out to his forehead.
It was ice-cold to the touch, as cold as a corpse just pulled out of an ice cellar.
"cold……"
Shen Jin forced out a single word through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse and broken, filled with barely concealed pain, "Noisy...so noisy..."
Quarrel?
Jiang Mianmian paused for a moment, glancing at the carriage, which was now silent except for the sound of its wheels.
[Noisy? Where's the noise? It's the middle of the night, there's not a soul in sight. Is this guy hallucinating? Or...?]
[Wait! The book says that some peerless masters suffer from qi deviation during cultivation, causing their five senses to become abnormally acute, even able to hear the sound of ants fighting. Could Shen Jin be experiencing this as well?]
Unbeknownst to her, Shen Jin was currently suffering a huge backlash from the mind-reading ability.
Today's palace banquet is crowded with people, and everyone has their own ulterior motives.
Those greedy, jealous, lewd, and malicious thoughts swarmed into his mind like countless flies, buzzing wildly. Coupled with the fact that he had just used his internal energy to teach Shen Yu a lesson, the poison seized the opportunity to retaliate, making him feel as if he were in purgatory.
It felt like countless people were screaming and roaring in my mind.
That clear, lively, and vibrant voice was his only lifeline.
"princess……"
With his last shred of clarity, Shen Jin reached out blindly and grasped Jiang Mianmian's wrist, like a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood. "Speak...don't stop...keep going..."
Jiang Mianmian's wrist ached from his grip.
[Continue? Continue telling jokes? Dude, my joke library is empty! I've already told eight hundred lame jokes on the way here, from penguins hitting beans to SpongeBob SquarePants, if I keep going I'll be telling "Postpartum Care of Sows"!]
Looking at Shen Jin's handsome face contorted in pain, Jiang Mianmian's feelings of pity involuntarily resurfaced.
"Fine, fine, since you stood up for me earlier, I'll go all the way. I'm out of jokes, so...how about I sing?"
What should I sing? "Good Luck"? No, too festive, it might send him away. "The Great Compassion Mantra"? Seems a bit unlucky too. Then... a lullaby? This kid looks like a spoiled, fussy baby who hasn't been weaned yet.
So, in the carriage traveling along the quiet streets of the capital, Jiang Mianmian adjusted herself into a comfortable position, letting Chen Jin's head rest on her lap (though she inwardly resisted), and then began to hum softly in her heart:
Sleep well, sleep well, my dear baby... Mommy (crossed out) Daddy loves you...
The moon is bright, the wind is still, the leaves are shading the window... Little baby, go to sleep, in your dreams you'll find my braised pork...
That was her only solace in the apocalypse of her past life.
Every night after a fierce battle, when everyone sits around the campfire and listens to the distant roars of zombies, only this song can bring a moment of peace.
The melody was gentle and soothing, carrying a tender power to heal all wounds.
As the unfamiliar melody played in his mind, Shen Jin's tightly furrowed brows miraculously began to relax.
The sharp noises were gradually enveloped by the gentle singing and faded away. The headache that felt like it was about to explode also slowly receded like the tide.
He greedily inhaled her faint fragrance, buried his face deeply in her soft belly, and his tense body finally relaxed completely.
This is medicine.
She was his cure.
...
When they returned to the Prince's residence, Shen Jin had already fallen into a deep sleep.
"Your Highness!"
The steward and Yingyi, who were already waiting at the door, were terrified at the sight. Their lord, a peerless martial artist, had never been carried back like this before.
"Shh-"
Jiang Mianmian made a shushing gesture and said in a low voice, "Don't make a sound, he just fell asleep. Go, give me a hand and get him inside."
Several guards hurriedly carried Shen Jin into the main bedroom.
After settling the person into bed, Jiang Mianmian felt like she was half dead. She slumped onto the footstool by the bed, pounding her legs without any regard for her image.
[This is exhausting! This thing looks skinny, but it's so heavy! It's all bones! My thigh is still numb from digging into it!]
[And her body temperature is so low, like an ice cube. Butler! Turn the heater on higher! And bring two more hot water bottles!]
The room quickly became busy.
Jiang Mianmian looked at the pale-faced man on the bed, who still seemed uneasy even in his sleep, and sighed inwardly.
Being a regent isn't easy. Outsiders only see his immense power and decisive ruthlessness, but who knows he's actually a sickly man?
Is this poisoning or a mishap from practicing martial arts? How did his meridians get so disordered?
Out of instinct as a superhuman in the apocalypse, Jiang Mianmian subconsciously grasped Shen Jin's hand, wanting to check on his physical condition.
Although her superpower primarily focuses on strength, in the harsh environment of the apocalypse, everyone has evolved some auxiliary abilities to varying degrees in order to survive. For example, she can use the meager energy within her body to sense and regulate the meridians of living beings. While she cannot bring the dead back to life, relieving pain and clearing blockages are certainly possible.
As her energy flowed into Chen Jin's body through her fingertips, Jiang Mianmian couldn't help but swear:
Holy crap! Is this body made of a sieve?
[It's riddled with holes! His internal organs are riddled with hidden injuries, and his meridians are clogged with a sludge of dark toxins, like sewage sludge. It's a medical miracle this person is still alive!]
[Tsk tsk tsk, Shen Jin, you're not saying "The prince is also a pitiful person," you're saying "The prince is a crispy duck"!]
Although she complained, Jiang Mianmian's hands didn't stop moving.
She mobilized the precious supernatural energy within her body, which had not yet fully recovered since her transmigration, and carefully guided it into her deep meridians.
[You're lucky! This is energy I've been saving up for days, originally planning to use it to strengthen my body to steal roast chicken, but now it's all gone for your therapy.]
[Where there is free flow, there is no pain; where there is pain, there is obstruction. Clear the obstruction!]
A warm current flowed continuously into Shen Jin's body through their clasped hands.
In his sleep, Shen Jin felt as if his previously icy body was being soaked in a hot spring. The warm current was both domineering and gentle, and wherever it passed, the long-standing ailments and the bone-chilling cold poison were miraculously soothed.
He unconsciously let out a comfortable sigh, his tightly furrowed brows completely relaxed, and a trace of color gradually returned to his pale face.
Jiang Mianmian was exhausted and covered in sweat.
This body is too weak, and its reserves of supernatural abilities were already low. This is going to drain her completely.
[No, no... I'm completely drained... If I keep sucking, I'll die...]
She tried to pull her hand away, but found that even in his unconscious state, Shen Jin was still holding her hand tightly with astonishing strength, as if it were a precious treasure he would never let go of.
"Let go, bro! Are you a crab? You're just grabbing me and won't let go?"
Jiang Mianmian tried to pry it open for a long time but couldn't. Finally, she was too tired and could only roll her eyes and give up, lying on the edge of the bed.
[Fine, since you're a patient, I'll lend you my hand as a pillow. If I don't go to hell, who will? I'm so great! I won't watch the "Ten Most Touching Figures" list without me.]
So sleepy...so hungry...want hot pot...want spicy hot pot...
Overwhelmed by her craving for delicious food, Jiang Mianmian's eyelids grew heavier and heavier until finally, she tilted her head to the side and fell asleep by Shen Jin's bedside.
...
The next morning.
When Shen Jin woke up, he felt refreshed and relaxed, a feeling he hadn't experienced in the past five years.
The cold poison in his body seemed to be suppressed, and an unprecedentedly abundant true energy flowed through his meridians.
He sat up abruptly, instinctively searching for the source of the sound from last night.
Then he saw a hairy head lying next to his bed.
Jiang Mianmian was sleeping in a completely unseemly manner, with one hand being held by him, the other hand under her face, and a trace of glistening... drool hanging from the corner of her mouth.
She must have been dreaming about something delicious, because she smacked her lips twice and made a muffled, sleep-talking sound:
"Boss... add another order of tripe... extra spicy..."
Shen Jin: "..."
He looked down at their clasped hands.
Last night's strange warm current, that feeling of being healed, could it be... her?
He recalled the words he heard before he fell into a deep sleep: "Give him physical therapy" and "His energy has been completely drained."
His usually composed gaze instantly became extremely complex.
Shock, confusion, and a touch of heartache that even he himself didn't realize.
Who exactly is she?
The Prime Minister's daughter? A superhuman in the apocalypse? Or... a goddess sent by heaven to save him?
Although she used vulgar language and her mind was filled with cursing and eating, she was the one who saved and protected him every time he was in the most pain and danger.
Shen Jin reached out his other hand, wanting to touch her cheek.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch that soft skin, Jiang Mianmian suddenly moved.
She sniffed and groggily opened her eyes.
"...It smells so good."
Her first words weren't "Your Highness, you're awake," but rather "It smells so good."
Chen Jin's hand froze in mid-air, and he awkwardly withdrew it.
"The princess has woken up?" He regained his aloof demeanor, but his tone held a hint of tenderness that was barely perceptible.
Jiang Mianmian rubbed her sleepy eyes and suddenly felt something in her hand.
She looked down and found that her hand was still being held tightly by Shen Jin, and both of their palms were sweaty.
[Holy crap! Why are we still holding hands? This jerk has been holding my hand all night? My hand is going to be ruined! Is this some kind of new form of torture?]
She abruptly pulled her hand back, shook her aching wrist, and said with a look of disgust, "Your Highness, you're awake now, can you please let go first? My hands aren't pig's trotters, they can't withstand this kind of stewing."
Shen Jin looked at his empty palms and felt a strange sense of loss.
“Last night…” He hesitated for a moment, wanting to ask about the warm current, but afraid of alerting the enemy. “Thank you for your hard work, Your Highness.”
"It's not hard work, it's just bad luck."
Jiang Mianmian muttered something under her breath, and then her stomach made a very cooperative, loud noise—
"Gurgle—"
This sound was even louder and more resounding than the little emperor's sound yesterday.
Jiang Mianmian immediately clutched her stomach, her face filled with grief and indignation.
[Hungry! So hungry! I could eat an elephant! Last night, I used up all the energy I'd saved up for half a month to treat your illness! Now I'm just an empty shell! I desperately need high-calorie food to fill me up!]
I want to eat meat! I want to eat carbs! I want to eat hot pot! Nobody can stop me!
As Shen Jin listened to her hysterical outpouring of emotions, he could no longer hide the smile in his eyes.
Although I don't know what "energy" is, it seems that she was indeed exhausted last night because she was trying to save him.
"Someone come here."
Shen Jin gave instructions to the person outside the door.
"Your Highness!" The steward pushed open the door and entered. Seeing his master sitting on the bed with a rosy complexion, he was so excited that tears streamed down his face. "Your Highness, you're finally awake! You scared this old servant to death last night! The imperial physicians have been waiting in the side hall all night!"
"Send the imperial physician back; I am fine."
Shen Jin waved his hand, then glanced at Jiang Mianmian, who was staring at him expectantly, and a slight smile appeared on his lips:
"Serve the meal. Today... we'll have the meal right here in this room."
"And," he paused, recalling the word that was on Jiang Mianmian's mind, "tell the kitchen to prepare a pot. Make it spicy, and prepare sliced beef and mutton, and... tripe."
Jiang Mianmian's eyes widened instantly, like copper bells.
[Did I hear that right? Hot pot? Tripe? This jerk read my mind again? No, this can't be a coincidence! He must have overheard me talking in my sleep last night!]
[I don't care! As long as we have hot pot, he's my dad!]
"Your Highness is wise!" Jiang Mianmian cheered, and even wanted to rush up and kiss him.
Seeing her instantly come back to life and become radiant, Shen Jin felt that his heart, which had been frozen for many years, was being gradually unlocked by this woman named Jiang Mianmian.
Since she wants to eat it, let's indulge her.
After all, a life-saving favor should be repaid with... hot pot?
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