The brown-haired dog crouched in the shadow inched forward and stood against the wall, listening intently to the sounds inside the house.
"Alright, everyone stand up," a voice the dog had never heard before came from inside. "I don't have much time. Take me to see him first."
Everyone got up rustlingly. Soon, the sound of footsteps approached the door. The brown-haired dog quickly hid in the shadow again.
In the dimly - lit mansion, a group of people walked along the corridor. The person in the middle exuded a different air from the others, and the rest treated him with deference.
Presumably, he was the "Master" everyone talked about.
The group walked towards a locked inner courtyard. The brown-haired dog intended to follow. Suddenly, the Master turned around and looked in its direction.
The brown - haired dog quickly dived into the bushes, using the shrubs to hide its body. But the next moment, a big hand grabbed the scruff of its neck and lifted it up.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
The air was filled with the dog's shrill howls. The brown - haired dog got a glimpse of the "Master". The latter squinted his eyes slightly:
"So it's just a dog. Chen Tao, you're really enjoying your life as a wealthy man."
Master Chen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and quickly said, "It's my fault for not keeping a good eye on the servants. This stinky dog sneaked into the mansion and disturbed the Master. Please forgive me, Master!"
The "Master" didn't look at the struggling and howling dog anymore. Instead, he took a step forward and said indifferently, "If a dog can sneak in today, others can sneak in tomorrow."
Master Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead again, looked at the brown - haired dog with a fierce look on his face, and said, "Kill this stinky dog!"
A servant drew a dagger from his waist and stabbed the brown - haired dog cleanly. The air was filled with the dog's shrill whimpers, and blood spurted all over the ground.
It was quiet inside the secret chamber. The guard folded his arms and leaned against the pillar, dozing off. On the wooden bed behind him, the body of the current crown prince lay quietly. His eyes were tightly closed, and his lips were slightly pale. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have looked like a dead man.
Because he hadn't eaten like a normal person for a long time, his cheeks had sunken slightly.
Suddenly, there were footsteps outside. The locked door of the secret chamber was opened, and a gust of cold wind blew in. The guard was suddenly awakened and saw the steward leading a man in dark - brown clothes who looked extraordinary. Behind them were Master Chen and the so - called "Immortal Master", Taoist Yuan Qi.
The steward gave a look, and the guard came to his senses and immediately knelt on one knee: "I've seen the Master."
The man in brown clothes waved his hand gently. The guard wisely stepped aside, revealing the wooden bed behind him.
He walked to the bedside and looked down at the body on the bed. His whole face was hidden in the shadow, making it hard to see his expression.
After a while, the man reached out his hand to check under Xiao Jingcheng's nose. The faint breath hitting his finger proved that he was still alive in this world.
But, it was not much different from being dead.
"Has there been any abnormality in his body recently?"
The steward and Master Chen exchanged a look, stepped forward, and told the man exactly what had happened a few days ago.
"Epistaxis?" The man frowned slightly. "What did the doctor say?"
"The doctor said that he is in the prime of his life. Maybe his liver fire and kidney yang are too strong, so he would have such a reaction even in a coma."
"However..."
Taoist Yuan Qi took over the conversation. "However, his soul is bound by magic. Seeing blood is not a good thing. I divined for him a few days ago, and the divination showed something strange. But I've confirmed that the magic binding his soul is in good order."
The man looked at Taoist Yuan Qi. "Then what on earth is the reason? The Immortal Master must give me an explanation."
Taoist Yuan Qi couldn't come up with a definite answer and could only say, "Maybe his birth date doesn't match Dongli Town."
The man's gaze fell on Xiao Jingcheng again. "How many more days will it take for the magic to be fully completed?"
Taoist Yuan Qi replied, "It will take another eighteen days."
"Eighteen days. That's really a long time," the man said in a low voice. "At this moment, keeping him hidden in Dongli Town really makes me feel uneasy. If someone discovers his existence, all our efforts will be in vain."
He turned around and motioned for the others to come closer.
They gathered around, and he whispered something in their ears. Everyone had different expressions, and then they all replied, "We will follow the Master's arrangement."
...
Sunlight shone through the window lattice onto the yellow dog sleeping at the foot of the bed.
Xiao Jingcheng's eyelids twitched slightly, and he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the delicate body of the young girl under the quilt.
Although he didn't return to his own body last night, he had a rather strange dream. He dreamed that the girl in front of him entered his dream and talked to him a lot.
And those words were clearly imprinted in his mind at this moment.
[You're dead. You've suffered. Those who hate you are happy. Can you be reconciled?]
[I'm not reconciled. So I must live well. I must live a good life. I must make them regret it one day in the future!]
If a village woman could understand such a simple truth, why couldn't he?
He had suffered these disasters for no reason. He was forced to become a dog. He didn't even know where his body was hidden or who wanted to harm him. How could he be reconciled!
It was his good fortune to be born as the legitimate son of the emperor and be named the crown prince. It wasn't his fault.
Even if someone coveted the position of the crown prince, they should take it from him openly!
Ye Wanmian woke up and yawned. She rubbed her eyes, propped herself up, and suddenly remembered the listless yellow dog from last night. Just as she was about to look for the yellow figure, the door was pushed open, and the yellow dog walked in with a silver bowl in its mouth.
Ye Wanmian was overjoyed. "Big Huang, you've regained your spirit. That's great!"
The yellow dog gave her a disdainful look, let go of the silver bowl, and it clanged to the ground.
It put its paw on the edge of the silver bowl, looked at Ye Wanmian, and started to bang on it vigorously. It also barked twice, as if accusing Ye Wanmian of sleeping in.
Seeing that it had returned to its usual unruly self, Ye Wanmian was extremely happy and didn't mind at all that it was ordering her to get up and cook.
She quickly put on her shoes and socks, gently tidied her hair, and ran out with a smile.
"Wait. I'll go make breakfast right away!"
There was still a lot of the roast chicken left from last night. Ye Wanmian reheated it and cooked a pot of noodles. This time, the yellow dog didn't let her feed it anymore. It buried its head and ate ravenously, finishing everything and licking the silver bowl until it was even shinier.
Seeing that its appetite had returned, Ye Wanmian was full of relief.
Although it was no longer listless, Ye Wanmian had decided last night to go to the medical clinic. She simply packed up the herbs that could be sold, took the medical book full of her notes, called the yellow dog, and left the house.