Chapter 177 Compromise

Chapter 177 Compromise

The force was so great it knocked Zhou Mingqi’s face to the side.

The air in the hall instantly froze—

All sounds and movements seemed to fall into a dead silence under that slap.

Even the frantic gasping and struggling on the couch seemed stifled by an invisible hand.

Only Cheng Ge’s bloodshot eyes, still chaotic and wild, reflecting no one at all, proved that the shocking blow just now was no illusion.

Even Yun Xunyu froze, momentarily forgetting the restraints on him and everything around him.

Zhou Mingqi stood rigid, a clear handprint rapidly appearing on his cheek. The burning pain was nothing compared to the storm raging in his heart.

Though he was an unloved prince under the late emperor, neglected and ignored, no one had ever dared to lay a hand on him; the dignity of a dragon-born prince still held.

After ascending the throne, he was the supreme ruler, commanding heaven and earth, holding the power of life and death in a single thought.

No one in the world dared to meet his gaze, let alone commit such a direct, almost insulting physical violation.

This slap not only hit his face but also trampled his imperial dignity into the dirt.

A bone-chilling anger instantly swept over him, a terrifying storm surging in his eyes.

The crushing aura radiating from him nearly suffocated the few imperial physicians and attendants remaining in the hall, who wished they could faint on the spot to avoid the emperor’s ensuing wrath.

That icy fury was on the verge of becoming real.

With a storm raging in his gaze, Zhou Mingqi instinctively reached out and fiercely grabbed Cheng Ge’s disheveled collar. Straining his arms, he yanked the limp body off Yun Xunyu.

Suddenly separated from his “antidote,” Cheng Ge’s already collapsing sanity became even more frantic.

Hoarse, inhuman sounds rasped from his throat. His limbs dangled and flailed uselessly, like a desperate beast whose throat was being crushed.

Suffocation set in, mingling with the poison that seared his heart and bones, devouring the last shred of his waning reason.

Survival instinct and the urge to destroy consumed him.

Without thinking, he lowered his head and sank his teeth into the wrist that held him.

“Ah!” Zhou Mingqi grunted in surprise.

Cheng Ge bit down with all his strength. His sharp teeth instantly pierced the dragon robe’s sleeve and the skin beneath, embedding deep into flesh.

Sharp pain shot through Zhou Mingqi, and he let go on instinct.

Cheng Ge crashed heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

But as if feeling no pain from the fall, the moment he landed, he began rolling, twisting, and thrashing wildly on the floor, like a live fish dropped into a wok of boiling oil—

Trying to rub his body against the cold stone tiles to ease the torment blazing from the marrow of his bones.

Broken, agonized roars tore from his throat, each one tearing through the stagnant air of the hall.

Zhou Mingqi let his hand drop. The bright yellow sleeve of his dragon robe quickly soaked through with dark blood.

Warm liquid trickled down his wrist, collected at his fingertips, and dripped drop by drop onto the floor, forming a small bloodstain.

“Your Majesty!” The attendants nearby, scared out of their wits, let out shrill screams and almost collapsed.

But Zhou Mingqi seemed oblivious.

His gaze was fixed on the figure writhing in agony on the floor, as if the piercing pain in his wrist and the flowing blood had nothing to do with him.

His expression was terrifyingly dark—the eerie calm before a storm.

He took a slow step toward Cheng Ge, who was curled on the ground, banging his head repeatedly against the stone.

Cheng Ge was hunched over, violent tremors wracking every muscle in his body.

Sweat had already soaked through his clothes, clinging to his skin, outlining tight, agonized lines.

As if finding no release for the fire inside, he instinctively opened his mouth and began gnawing frantically at his other wrist.

His teeth sank into the skin, and beads of blood immediately oozed from the wounds, staining his lips, teeth, and wrist.

Then, perhaps due to the enormous impact on his internal organs, he coughed once, violently.

A trickle of dark, tainted blood slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth, dripping straight down his chin.

It immediately mixed with the blood on his wrist, spreading a small, messy patch of crimson beneath him.

Seeing that dark blood, Zhou Mingqi’s heart clenched painfully, as if an invisible hand had squeezed it, and it shuddered violently.

All his anger, all his imperial dignity, seemed to dissolve and shatter at the sight of that piercing crimson.

Ignoring everything else, he fell to one knee and almost roughly pulled the curled-up figure into his arms, half-cradling him.

“Muyu!” His voice carried a tension he didn’t even notice and a fleeting note of panic.

Cheng Ge’s eyes were vacant, completely unfocused. Blood and sweat smeared his face, making him look utterly pathetic and fragile.

He seemed to sense a trace of warmth and fell silent for a moment. Then the immense pain engulfed him again.

He threw his head back, his unfocused pupils reflecting not Zhou Mingqi’s anxious face, only a desperate, bloody haze.

Tears, mixed with blood and sweat, poured out uncontrollably. As if he could no longer endure the hellish torment, he finally sobbed out loud,

tears streaming down his cheeks, carrying a tone of desolation.

“I... it hurts so bad... kill me... let me die... please...”

Zhou Mingqi’s arms tightened, pulling the trembling, nearly broken body closer.

With his free hand, he gently stroked Cheng Ge’s sweat-soaked nape and back, again and again.

Cheng Ge, as if clinging to his last piece of driftwood, dug his fingers into Zhou Mingqi’s already rumpled dragon robe, knuckles turning white.

He pressed his burning forehead against Zhou Mingqi’s shoulder, as if that could transfer the excruciating pain.

Each sob seemed

He frowned and finally gave in, turning his head to look at Fu Quan, who knelt low on the ground.

"Fu Quan, go find a palace maid of fair and pure appearance."

He paused, then added instinctively, "One who is sensible and knows how to take care of others."

"Your servant obeys!" Fu Quan naturally understood his intent, immediately acknowledged the order and rose hastily to execute it.

Yet, just as he turned and took a few steps—

"...Wife..."

A voice, extremely low and hoarse, squeezed out almost as a breath from the depths of his throat, emerged weakly.

Cheng Ge's unfocused gaze had somehow drifted past Zhou Mingqi's shoulder, staring blankly at Yun Xunyu, who stood guard nearby.

As if driven by instinct, he reached out in that direction, his fingers grasping feebly at the air.

"...Want... wife..." he repeated, his voice broken and incoherent, with a pleading tone.

Zhou Mingqi's body stiffened slightly, and a sharp, needle-like pain suddenly shot through his heart.

The bite wound on his wrist seemed to burn, the blood growing more vivid and thick.

He clearly felt the faint but insistent pull of the man in his arms, and heard those two words.

Looking down at the man racked with pain and convulsing, he loosened his hold, then tightened it again.

The air in the hall solidified once more, more deafening than any previous silence.

Fu Quan froze in place, caught between advancing and retreating, instinctively turning back to look at Zhou Mingqi.

After a long while, in the deathly stillness, Zhou Mingqi let out a soft sigh: "Let it be."