Tie Xin had been feeling uneasy.
A strange, heart-wrenching sensation made him quicken his pace as soon as he left the palace gates.
He didn't know what he was afraid of.
But in any case, he was very afraid.
Very afraid.
Especially when he returned to his residence and knocked on the door for a long time without receiving a response from the Prince, his hands trembled as he knocked.
"Your Highness?"
Feng Wuya was not in the sleeping quarters.
A strong scent of blood filled the room.
Tie Xin's heart tightened instantly.
After leaving the sleeping quarters, he immediately rushed to the backyard, to the pavilion in the center of the lake.
Recently, the Prince had been fond of coming here, often sitting alone in the pavilion, playing the harmonica.
But tonight, there was no harmonica music beneath the pavilion.
From a distance, there seemed to be a figure.
He leaned against a stone pillar, watching the ripples on the lake.
It was so quiet, so quiet it felt suffocating.
"Your Highness..." Tie Xin hurried over.
But before he could get close, Tie Xin's heart suddenly jolted, his legs went weak, and he almost fell to his knees.
"Your Highness..."
How could this be?
How could this be!
"Your Highness!"
Tie Xin stumbled, rushing into the pavilion, and this time, he truly knelt beside him with a thud.
"Why? Why?"
His hands were trembling, his entire body was trembling.
Why was this happening?
The Prince's hair... why had the Prince's black hair turned white as snow?
"Your Highness, Your Highness... why?"
Tie Xin crawled closer on his knees, clutching his robe.
The wind on the lake was a bit strong, and as it blew, it lifted the man's robes under the pavilion.
Fluttering.
The plain white robes seemed to have completely merged with his long hair.
A sheet of pure white.
"Your Highness... is it Chu Qianli? Is it Liu Jin? Did they harm you! Did they..."
Tie Xin suddenly stood up, wanting to go and seek revenge on Liu Jin and Chu Qianli.
But he couldn't bear to leave the Prince.
He dared not leave the Prince's side for another moment!
He had only been gone for a little over an hour, and the Prince had become like this!
He was so afraid, so afraid that if he left again, the Prince would become even more pitiful.
Why had their elegant and peerlessly beautiful Prince become white-haired?
Who was it? Who had made the Prince like this?
Was it Chu Qianli!
"It was my own choice, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."
After a life-and-death tribulation, Feng Wuya's voice was hoarse, like gravel under a wheel.
"Tie Xin, my life is drawing to a close. If I am no longer here, you must protect A'Li for me."
He feared his mother would be too grief-stricken and would harm Chu Qianli.
Tie Xin couldn't help but kneel down with a thud.
Tears completely obscured his eyes.
"No! Didn't Master Wu Chen say you have at least two more years to live, that you can live to at least twenty-five!"
"Miss Chu also said she could perform surgery for you, that she could save you!"
"You won't... you won't..."
Feng Wuya said nothing more, looking down at the harmonica in his hand.
Now that he was weak and powerless, he didn't even have the strength to blow the harmonica.
The staggering journey here had already exhausted all his strength.
He didn't know why he insisted on coming here, he just thought that if he couldn't get through this night, then he would die here.
He liked this place, he liked all the memories left here.
Tie Xin knelt by his legs, biting his teeth so hard that blood trickled down his lips, yet he was oblivious.
He asked no more questions.
Because it was meaningless.
This was the Prince's choice, and his failure to stop it was his dereliction of duty.
Now, he respected the Prince's wishes.
But he would not protect anyone, he would only protect the Prince!
His life was given by the Prince, and if one day the Prince was gone, his own life would be meaningless.
After an unknown amount of time, Tie Xin finally raised his hand, wiped the blood from his lips, and got up.
"Your Highness, it's windy here. Let's go back to the room to rest, shall we?"
The Prince looked very weak, and if he continued to stand in the wind, Tie Xin didn't know what would happen.
Tie Xin was truly afraid now, very afraid.
"Mr. Liu Jin..."
"He's taking A'Li back. Tomorrow, he will come to personally take care of me, so don't worry."
Feng Wuya looked at the distant lake and sighed softly.
With life reaching this point, he didn't have too many regrets.
Some wishes, when you know they are impossible, are not called regrets.
Just a beautiful dream.
Actually, this way is also good.
"Don't be sad, A'Li will save me. She's going to perform surgery on me, and she can do it anytime now. I accept it."
At least, even if he died on her so-called operating table, it would only be his own life.
He would not implicate A'Li any further.
Tie Xin choked, almost unable to hold back tears.
With him in this state, could he still accept the so-called surgery as before?
When his body was still somewhat robust, the success rate of that surgery was not high.
Now, so weak, was there still a possibility of success?
But Tie Xin could not give up like this.
As things stood, he had to let the Prince recover first.
"Your Highness, I'll help you back to rest."
Feng Wuya was somewhat reluctant to leave.
However, his vision was also becoming blurry. If he didn't leave soon, he wouldn't be able to see the scenery on the lake clearly, and he might even faint.
Finally, he nodded: "Alright."
Tie Xin let out a sigh of relief and carefully helped him.
As they walked out of the pavilion, Feng Wuya couldn't help but look back.
He could no longer see clearly everything inside the pavilion, but he seemed to vaguely see the figure standing beneath the pavilion, singing.
"But if the general of Longcheng can fly..."
That girl had lofty aspirations, how could she be confined to a mere pond?
Only someone like Fourth Brother was qualified to stand with her, facing the wind.
Under the heavens, truly, only Fourth Brother.
"Your Highness..."
"Mm."
The master and servant, supporting each other, slowly returned to the sleeping quarters.
Before they could even push open the door, a woman's scream came from behind them: "Wu Ya, Wu Ya!"
A cold wind blew.
Tie Xin was violently pushed away by a palm strike and fell to the ground with a thud.
When he looked back, he saw Consort Yu standing in front of the Prince, trembling all over.
"Why? Why? Wu Ya, why have you done this? Why!"
She stared at Feng Wuya for a long time, and finally couldn't help but cry out hoarsely: "Why? My son, why? Ah! Ah..."
"Your Highness, Your Highness, please calm down!" Nanny Wen, who had come with her, was startled and rushed forward, trying to embrace her.
Consort Yu, losing control of her emotions, struck Nanny Wen with a palm.
Although Nanny Wen was also a master, her cultivation was far inferior to Consort Yu's.
Caught off guard, she was hit by a palm, immediately spat blood, and was sent flying.
"Ah!"
Consort Yu screamed, her voice hoarse: "Is it for Chu Qianli? Is it!"