Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Gao Zhen, thinking quickly, blurted out, "I made it when I was preparing pills for Mu Zhong last time. Your Highness, don't ask so many questions. You need to give me some personal space; can't I have a few secrets?"

"Alright."

Seeing Gao Zhen's slight agitation, the Ninth Prince said no more. He took the pill from Gao Zhen's hand and placed it in his mouth. It dissolved instantly, and a warm current surged from his chest and abdomen towards the wound, transforming into a cool, healing force. The burning sensation vanished, and the bleeding stopped.

The medicine's efficacy astonished Zhou Yunning, reminding him of the divine arts he had witnessed as a child at Chiyun Temple. The effects were remarkably similar.

In just a few breaths, Zhou Yunning distinctly felt a faint itch in his abdominal wound, as if new flesh was forming and the injury was already healing.

It was truly miraculous. Zhou Yunning couldn't help but ask, "A Zhen, what medicine did you give me?"

Gao Zhen was already engrossed in sorting through the powder packets. Without looking up, he simply said, "A miracle cure."

Seeing his demeanor, Zhou Yunning offered a wry, helpless smile. He knew Gao Zhen was still upset about his disregard for his own life. If he pressed further, the young man would likely grow even angrier. So, he wisely held his tongue.

Gao Zhen then said, "You should be able to move soon. Remember to help me."

"Alright. What do you need me to do, A Zhen?"

Still not looking up, Gao Zhen replied, "These powders can all repel Gu. Some are water-soluble, some are for burning, others can be scattered directly or used to draw talismans—they have many uses. Don't you know how to draw talismans? All the talisman-making ones are for you."

The Ninth Prince was surprised that Gao Zhen had prepared powders as well. After hearing Gao Zhen explain their functions, he pondered for a moment before saying, "Drawing talismans is too slow. Let's use the water-soluble ones first. Throw them at the Golden Wheel like dousing a fire—they can substitute for my blood." He paused, then added, "That should be the fastest method."

Gao Zhen's eyebrows subtly lifted, clearly not having anticipated that the water-soluble method would be the quickest. However, there were only a hundred packets of the water-soluble type. Given the Ninth Prince's proposed usage, he wondered if it would be enough.

Gao Zhen suddenly felt a pang of regret. If he had known, he would have only gotten the water-soluble ones. Now, his Karma Points were all spent, leaving only 3, and his Favor points were down to 8. The system certainly wouldn't allow returns or exchanges. What was he to do?!

He urgently needed Karma Points. The fastest known way to acquire them was by saving people, but there was clearly no time for that now. His only option was to accumulate Favor points to boost his Karma Points.

To increase favorability—

Gao Zhen stopped working, looked up, and met Zhou Yunning's gaze.

Zhou Yunning, who had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, felt Gao Zhen's stare and slowly opened his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Gao Zhen didn't answer but quickly moved closer to him.

A look of surprise flashed across Zhou Yunning's face.

However, in the next second, Gao Zhen had already cupped his face.

"Um," Gao Zhen said, eyes downcast, shy and nervous. "Your Highness, a desperate situation calls for desperate measures."

"Wh—"

Zhou Yunning's words were swallowed by the lips that covered his own.

With Gao Zhen holding his face and kissing him, Zhou Yunning was momentarily stunned. His eyes widened abruptly, clearly shocked by Gao Zhen's bold move—

A soft, trembling tongue was gently trying to enter his mouth.

Zhou Yunning: …

He was too overwhelmed by shock to react.

Gao Zhen kept his eyes closed, trembling all over. He repeatedly told himself, "I'm only doing this to boost favorability. I'm definitely not using this as an excuse to kiss the Ninth Prince."

But at a time like this, the more he told himself that, the more it sounded like "protesting too much."

Especially since he was so shy?

His face was practically burning.

Despite Gao Zhen's very inexperienced technique, his hands unconsciously slid from Zhou Yunning's face to his neck, gradually gripping the back of his head, turning into a highly possessive gesture.

At this point, no one would believe him if he claimed he wasn't taking advantage of the situation.

He was only fooling himself.

With his eyes closed, he intently watched the system panel, clearly seeing the Favor points skyrocketing—

+10, +10… +20, +30… +50…

+100… +500…

+1000……

Suddenly, Zhou Yunning's pupils contracted slightly, and he finally snapped back to reality. He realized he was being held by the back of his head and pressed against the wall by Gao Zhen, who was kissing him.

His heart skipped a beat.

Almost instantly, Zhou Yunning reached out and tightly embraced Gao Zhen, the force so strong it created a gust of wind. Gao Zhen was pulled firmly into his arms, his hands releasing Zhou Yunning's head to wrap around his neck instead.

Zhou Yunning, however, tightly gripped Gao Zhen's waist, pulling him closer, while his other hand cupped Gao Zhen's chin, slowly tilting his head upward.

"Mmm…"

Gao Zhen let out a soft moan. He felt as though the Ninth Prince was about to crush his waist, kissing him so fiercely he could barely breathe.

If he hadn't experienced it himself, Gao Zhen would never have known that kissing could be so intense. He felt as if he were being drained, a dizzying sensation mixing with the sea of red light that filled his mind. Favor points soared, mirroring the Ninth Prince's intensity.

How long had they been kissing? Five minutes? Ten? Gao Zhen couldn't remember. He only knew that in those brief minutes, the Favor points on the system panel had surpassed one million.

So, besides saving lives, kissing the Ninth Prince could also instantly yield an overwhelming amount of Favor points.

It felt like a dream, almost too good to be true.

Even though they had more than enough Favor points now, neither showed any intention of stopping.

It wasn't until Gao Zhen weakly slid down, seemingly genuinely oxygen-deprived, that Zhou Yunning reluctantly pulled away.

He broke the kiss but rested his forehead against Gao Zhen's.

Their eyes met, both breathing heavily.

In each other's gaze, they saw profound affection.

Gao Zhen's eyes sparkled with laughter. Once he caught his breath, he puckered his lips and gave the Ninth Prince another quick peck before wrapping his arms around his neck and leaning weakly against his shoulder to recover.

Zhou Yunning, however, had a flicker of thought in his eyes, as if pondering something.

A moment later.

"Your Highness, is your injury better?" Gao Zhen asked softly.

"Mmm."

Zhou Yunning clearly didn't have the attention to spare for that right now. He eagerly asked, "Can I take this as the answer to my earlier question?"

"What answer?" Gao Zhen feigned ignorance, his face so hot it could fry an egg.

The Ninth Prince helped him up, faced him directly, and stared into his eyes, saying, "You agree to let me marry you, right?"

"You already guessed it, why bother asking?" Gao Zhen was extremely embarrassed.

The Ninth Prince laughed, hugged him tightly, and then placed a reverent kiss on his forehead.

But now was not the time for tenderness.

The Ninth Prince patted Gao Zhen and said, "Let's stop the Golden Wheel first. Okay?"

"Mmm. Your Highness, you fetch the water—one bucket of water per packet of medicine. I'll go to the east courtyard to get the buckets." Gao Zhen's face was still red as he spoke.

He pulled away from the Ninth Prince's embrace, stood up, scooped up the medicine packets he had brought earlier, and stuffed them all into the Ninth Prince's arms before hurrying off toward the east courtyard.

He said he was getting buckets, but in reality, he used the opportunity of being alone to buy another two hundred packets of water-soluble Gu miasma powder from the Shennong Mall, directly emptying them into the buckets before carrying them back.

The Ninth Prince had promised Gao Zhen he wouldn't ask further questions, and he truly didn't inquire any further. Even when he later discovered that all the medicine Gao Zhen brought was as effective as divine pills, he showed little curiosity, though occasionally, his gaze toward Gao Zhen carried a hint of contemplation.

The two of them fetched water, dissolved the medicine, hauled the buckets over the wall, and splashed the mixture onto the Golden Wheel. Six buckets at a time, they made over a hundred trips until the Golden Wheel gradually came to a stop.

During this time, the ground continued to shake, and screams and the sound of running echoed throughout the palace. Two dilapidated buildings in the cold palace collapsed. People seemed to be evacuating the palace, but Zhou Yunning and Gao Zhen were too busy frantically carrying water to pay any attention.

Before long, Gao Zhen was so exhausted he slumped to the ground. He couldn't lift another bucket and waved weakly at the Ninth Prince, unable to speak.

Zhou Yunning was in slightly better shape, but he was drenched in sweat. Gasping for breath, he picked up an empty bucket with one hand and scooped up Gao Zhen with the other, carrying him over his shoulder as he climbed back over the wall to fetch more water.

Gao Zhen was too exhausted to work anymore, so the Ninth Prince laid him on the couch in the north room to rest. Alone, the Ninth Prince carried dozens more buckets to douse the Golden Wheel, finally bringing the massive golden wheel to a complete halt.

But it wasn't over yet.

The weather was getting warmer day by day, and insects were becoming more active. Due to the earlier agitation of the Gu miasma, many poisonous insects had gathered around the Golden Wheel. They had kept their distance because of the Ninth Prince's life force and the scent of the medicine powder, but they hadn't left.

The insects were waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Zhou Yunning, however, was determined to ensure it was a one-way trip for them. The medicine powder Gao Zhen had brought was exceptionally effective. He lit one packet to disperse the scent and tore open others, scattering the powder in all directions.

Insects exposed to the fumes immediately turned belly-up, while those directly hit by the powder dissolved into wisps of smoke.

Seeing the potency of the medicine, Zhou Yunning once again wondered if it might truly be divine.

If the medicine was divine, then what about A Zhen?

Could he be... an immortal who had descended to the mortal world to undergo trials?

Thinking of Gao Zhen's daily adorable moments, Zhou Yunning smiled to himself, thinking, *Then he really is a cute little immortal.*

The thought of Gao Zhen made him forget his fatigue. Recalling their earlier kiss, Zhou Yunning suddenly felt refreshed. He lit a few more packets of medicine and threw them forcefully toward the open space in the distance. The powder trailed smoke through the air, leaving no insect alive in its path.

Amazing medicine!

Just as Zhou Yunning was marveling at it, he heard Gao Zhen calling to him from the top of the wall, "Your Highness, come back quickly! I heard there's a fight up ahead."

Startled, he quickly scattered the remaining medicine in his hand and hurried back to the west courtyard.

"What fight?"

Gao Zhen had already changed out of his soaked clothes but had clearly been in a hurry—his belt wasn't properly tied as he ran over. Adjusting it, he said, "When I went to the east courtyard to change, Beauty Feng came knocking. She said a eunuch had come to the cold palace to fetch Zhang Jingsong, claiming that Imperial Uncle Zhao had led troops into the palace, declaring that the emperor was under the control of Southern Barbarians' Gu masters. He demanded the removal of corrupt officials and urged Zhang Jingsong to flee in the chaos."

The Ninth Prince nodded, seemingly unsurprised.

Seeing this, Gao Zhen asked, "Was this part of your and the consort's plan too?"

The Ninth Prince replied, "Mother only anticipated that something like this might happen. Who would have thought Zhao Yun would be so impatient?"

It turned out that even while confined to that small courtyard, Consort Ning knew everything. Such intelligence was rare in the world.

"What about Beauty Feng?" the Ninth Prince asked again.

"She came to tell me and then left," Gao Zhen said. "What should we do?"