Chapter 202: Do Not Fear This Prince So

Chapter 202: Do Not Be So Afraid of Me

Xiao Xiuzhan's guards burst into the warm room, only to be met with a scene of blood. Xiao Xiuzhan writhed on the ground in agony, blood gushing from his severed arm like a fountain.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lingchuan had awoken, like a demon returning from hell, his longsword gleaming coldly, blood still dripping from its blade.

His expression was as icy as death, his gaze piercing the guards at the door like a blade, killing intent radiating from him.

The leading guard’s eyes reddened, and he roared, "Someone has injured the Third Prince! Avenge the prince!"

Before his words had fully fallen, Xiao Xiuzhan's guards drew their swords in unison, the blades glinting as they lunged at Xiao Lingchuan.

Outside the warm room, Ling Feng sensed the disturbance. His gaze sharpened, and he broke free from the guards restraining him, his longsword ringing as it left its sheath. He clashed fiercely with Xiao Xiuzhan's guards.

Seeing this, Xiao Lingchuan’s personal guards also drew their blades and joined the fight, swords flashing like lightning and killing intent filling the air.

In an instant, the deck of the pleasure boat became a scene of flashing blades and roaring battle cries, the entire vessel plunged into the chaos of battle.

Inside the warm room, Jiang Shuning heard the sounds of battle, her heart pounding like a drum. She was about to speak when Xiao Lingchuan pulled her protectively behind him.

He exuded a chilling, murderous aura and let out a low, scornful laugh, his voice like shattering ice: "A pack of rabble, how dare you act recklessly before me?"

Just as a bloody battle seemed imminent, a thunderous roar rang out from nearby: "All of you, stop!"

Outside the window, Prince Su, Xiao Jinyu, was rapidly boarding the pleasure boat with a large group of elite guards.

He wore a dark brocade robe, his presence overwhelming like a mountain. His gaze swept across the deck, instantly freezing the bloody tableau.

The guards, upon seeing him, sheathed their swords and retreated to either side, daring not to make a move.

Xiao Jinyu strode into the warm room, his eyes landed on the pool of blood and Xiao Xiuzhan's severed arm, his brows furrowing deeply.

Xiao Xiuzhan lay collapsed on the ground, his face ashen, blood still flowing from the stump of his arm, accompanied by intermittent groans.

As for Xiao Lingchuan, he leaned against the head of the bed. Though his face showed signs of illness, his imposing aura was undeniable. He still gripped his longsword, its blade stained with blood.

"What is the meaning of this? The princes of Daye are slaughtering each other? If word of this reaches the court, where will the imperial family's dignity be?" Prince Su scolded, his tone authoritative, with the solemn authority of the eldest brother.

"Second Brother..." Xiao Xiuzhan forced out the words through gritted teeth, his voice trembling with pain, "Fourth Brother... he actually... cruelly cut off my arm..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Lingchuan let out a cold laugh, his eyes gleaming with even fiercer coldness. "You deserve it! Who told you to covet what you shouldn't have touched?"

His tone was icy, each word like a knife, carrying undisguised killing intent.

"Xiao Lingchuan!" Xiao Xiuzhan’s eyes blazed with fury, but the pain prevented him from rising. He could only glare through gritted teeth.

"Enough!" Prince Su snapped coldly, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Xiuzhan's guards. "Hurry and take your master to find an imperial physician! If the bleeding continues like this, not even Hua Tuo himself could save his life!"

"Yes, Prince Su!" Two guards hurried forward. One helped lift Xiao Xiuzhan, while the other carefully picked up the severed arm from the floor. They rushed out of the warm room.

As Xiao Xiuzhan was being helped off the boat, he still would not give up. Struggling through his pain, he appealed to Prince Su: "Second Brother, I came to visit Fourth Brother with good intentions, but he was ruthless... he cut off my arm... You must seek justice for me!"

Prince Su snorted coldly, his eyes full of disdain. "Third Brother, do you think I can’t see through your schemes? Today you boarded this boat with a large group of guards—clearly with ill intentions! If Fourth Brother hadn’t woken in time, you would have succeeded in killing him! And you still have the nerve to feign victimhood?"

He paused, his voice growing even colder. "As for whether your arm can be reattached, that depends on Fourth Brother’s wishes. In all the capital, only Divine Physician Sun has the skill to perform such a miracle, and he happens to have a close friendship with Fourth Brother. You’d better watch your step and stop courting death!"

Xiao Xiuzhan’s face grew even more ashen at these words. A flash of venom flickered in his eyes, but he dared not say another word. He was led away unsteadily by the guards.

Inside the warm room, Jiang Shuning was still trembling from the shock.

She looked at Xiao Lingchuan with concern. "Your Highness, you cut off the Third Prince’s arm in full view of everyone. If word of this reaches His Majesty..."

Xiao Lingchuan leaned lazily against the bed, a meaningful cold smile curling at the corner of his lips, but his eyes held unwavering certainty. "Don’t worry. Father is currently too distracted to concern himself with this. Otherwise, Xiao Xiuzhan wouldn’t have dared to bring guards to the boat and try to kill him. It seems he also knew about this."

A flicker of unease crossed Jiang Shuning’s mind, but she had no time to ponder it.

She recalled Xiao Xiuzhan’s intentions from moments ago, still shuddering at the memory.

"It’s fortunate that Your Highness woke in time, or else..."

"How dare you mention that!" Xiao Lingchuan’s handsome face suddenly darkened at her words. "You knew that scoundrel Xiao Xiuzhan was despicable and shameless! Why didn’t you heed Ling Wu’s advice and hide? Instead, you let the wolf into the house! Are you tired of living?!"

"I..." Jiang Shuning was about to defend herself when she suddenly realized something and looked at him questioningly. "How does Your Highness know that Ling Wu told me to hide? When exactly did you wake up?"

Xiao Lingchuan hesitated briefly before confessing in a low voice. "Today... I woke up around the hour of Chen (7–9 AM)."

"Today?" Jiang Shuning’s eyes widened, her cheeks flushing crimson with a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Just how many days have you been awake?"

She had thought he was still unconscious! She had been feeding him medicine mouth-to-mouth three times a day... So he knew about all of it?

Seeing her face burning red with embarrassment, Xiao Lingchuan’s eyes deepened with amusement, tinged with teasing. "Indeed, I’ve been awake for several days. I intended to conserve my strength and observe the situation quietly, but every day, about two or three times, someone would feed me medicine mouth-to-mouth, so considerate that it moved my heart and made it impossible to remain calm."

"You!" Jiang Shuning’s ears burned, and she wished the ground would swallow her up.

She gritted her teeth, suppressing her fury. "That was presumptuous of me! From now on, I will never use that method to give you medicine, so that I don't offend Your Highness again!"

She silently cursed herself. Why did she have to use her lips to feed him medicine? If she had known, she would have pinched his nose and poured the medicine down his throat!

Seeing her fuming, Xiao Lingchuan couldn’t help but let out a low laugh. "It’s fine. I’ve quite enjoyed this method of feeding medicine ever since my past life. Shuning, please continue as before next time you do it. Don’t change it."

"You..." Jiang Shuning was so angry she wanted to punch him, but remembering his chest wound had not yet healed, she simply glared at him before standing up to leave.

"Shuning!" Xiao Lingchuan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to the edge of the bed.

His handsome features softened with an unusual tenderness. His expression was sincere as he spoke in a low voice, "I know I wronged you greatly in my past life and committed many errors. But in this life, considering I have saved your life several times, can you..."

Jiang Shuning’s heart tightened. She feared he would say something like "pledge yourself to me" or "marry me."

"...not be so afraid of me?"

Jiang Shuning’s heart relaxed slightly, and she said softly, "Your Highness, I am not afraid of you."

"Really?" Xiao Lingchuan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze probing her face, his tone low. "Even if you saw with your own eyes that I killed your aunt, you aren't afraid?"

Jiang Shuning’s heart clenched. The memory of that bloody night flashed through her mind—the image of her aunt being brutally murdered.

These images constantly reminded her that she was the only person in this world who knew the secret of his identity.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm. "I’m not afraid. If Your Highness did that, you must have had a reason."

At her words, a flicker of complicated emotions passed through Xiao Lingchuan’s eyes.

He slowly leaned closer to her, his gaze unconsciously falling on her rosy lips, his voice husky. "Then... in the future, would you still be willing to use that method to feed me medicine?"

Jiang Shuning watched him approach inch by inch, her heart pounding wildly, her mind blank, unsure whether to dodge or meet him.

Just as their breath mingled and the air grew thick with romantic tension, the door of the warm chamber burst open with a bang!

"Miss, are you alright..." Ling Wu rushed in hurriedly, but before she could finish, she caught sight of their intimate proximity, froze in place, and her voice died in her throat.

"I-I deserve death!" she stammered, lowering her head in a fluster, her face as red as a lobster. "Please, don't mind me—go on, go on!"

With that, she quickly shut the door and fled out as if escaping.

As Ling Wu ran, she mentally kicked herself: Why on earth did she have to barge in at that very moment?

It's over, it's over—she's ruined the prince's romantic moment; he'll probably hold a grudge against her for life!