Chapter 310: For Her (Second Update)

“Yue'er!”

“Prince Li!”

When those two appeared, everyone around them was struck with shock.

Who else could they be but Chu Liuyue and Rong Xiu, who had previously been trapped within the Nine Nether Tower, walking out while supporting one another!?

Chu Ning immediately strode toward them with large, hurried steps.

“Yue'er! Are you alright?”

He asked with extreme nervousness while scanning Chu Liuyue from head to toe.

When he saw that Chu Liuyue was covered in messy bloodstains and dust, his heart gave a sudden, sharp pang.

“Are you injured!?”

Chu Liuyue’s lips were dry and pale. She shook her head weakly.

“No, it’s mainly His Highness, he—”

Only then did Chu Ning notice that Rong Xiu, whom Chu Liuyue was supporting, seemed to be in even worse condition.

His face was deathly pale, and his breath was faint, as if he might lose consciousness at any moment.

Furthermore, there were numerous wounds on his body, some of which were so deep the bone was visible.

“What happened to His Highness!?”

“Old Seven!”

Seeing Rong Xiu emerge, Emperor Jiawen felt a mixture of joy and surprise, and he hurriedly walked over.

However, when he saw Rong Xiu’s battered and bruised appearance, the celebratory joy on his face instantly vanished, replaced by deep shock and worry.

“Old Seven?! What happened to you!? Zuo Rong?! Elder Sun!? Come quickly and take a look!”

Zuo Rong was already nearby and stepped forward immediately upon hearing the call.

Not far away, Sun Zhongyan, Elder Ye, and the others, who were planning to enter the ruins, also rushed toward the commotion upon hearing the noise.

Ever since the Empress saw Chu Liuyue and Rong Xiu appear, she had been frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time.

The two of them... the two of them actually didn't die!?

The Nine Nether Tower had caused such a massive disturbance—first with raging fires, and then with its total collapse!

Just how much luck did they have to emerge alive from such a thing!?

But seeing that Emperor Jiawen had already walked over, she gritted her teeth and had no choice but to follow.

Zuo Rong helped check Rong Xiu's pulse.

Emperor Jiawen asked urgently, “How is he?”

Zuo Rong knit his brows tightly, contemplating for a moment before saying, “Your Majesty, please do not worry too much for now. His Highness mostly suffered superficial flesh wounds. As long as he rests well, he will recover quickly.”

The heavy stone in Emperor Jiawen's heart finally settled.

“That’s good, that’s good!”

Though he was injured, at least he was alive!

This was much better than what had been expected!

Zuo Rong said hesitantly, “However...”

“However what?” Emperor Jiawen was startled.

“However... His Highness has always had a weak constitution. He had finally managed to recover a bit recently; I fear he will have to undergo recuperation all over again.”

A trace of disappointment flickered in Emperor Jiawen's eyes.

Rong Xiu had been sickly since childhood, and just when he had finally shown signs of improvement, unexpectedly...

“Forget it, we will discuss that later. The priority right now is to treat all of Old Seven's injuries!”

Rong Xiu managed to pull at the pale corners of his lips, his voice low.

“Imperial Father...”

Emperor Jiawen hurriedly said, “You rest first! We can talk later!”

At this moment, Ye Zhiting and Sun Zhongyan had arrived.

“Girl?! How are you?”

The first person Ye Zhiting saw with his eyes was his precious disciple.

Chu Liuyue hurriedly said, “Master, I am fine. You should check on Prince Li first!”

Seeing that although she looked disheveled, her voice was full of strength, Ye Zhiting felt much more relieved.

“That’s good! That’s good!”

Although he desperately wanted to check Chu Liuyue's pulse, on second thought, his precious disciple might be even more skilled in this regard than he was, so he simply gave up.

She had always known her own condition.

Thus, he turned his gaze toward Rong Xiu.

He took a step forward and asked Zuo Rong, “What is his condition?”

Zuo Rong gave a brief explanation.

While listening, Ye Zhiting also checked Rong Xiu's pulse.

Everyone present knew that Ye Zhiting was the most powerful Divine Physician here; therefore, no one thought a second pulse check was redundant. Instead, it brought them much peace of mind.

After a moment of silence, Ye Zhiting nodded, took out a medicinal pill, and fed it to Rong Xiu.

“His Highness's body is not in grave danger. I will first help him stop the bleeding, and once we return, we can treat the wounds. Within half a month, these external injuries can all heal. It is just these internal injuries...”

“Old Seven has internal injuries!?”

Emperor Jiawen couldn't help but interject.

Ye Zhiting gave him a look as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Naturally. These injuries on his body were clearly caused by falling debris. The stones of the Nine Nether Tower are extremely heavy, so it is normal for internal injuries to occur. But it doesn't matter; the pill I just gave him can promote blood circulation and dissipate stasis, repairing the injuries within His Highness's body. It may take about a month to fully recover, but Your Majesty need not worry excessively.”

Emperor Jiawen felt a mix of joy and concern, knowing this was already the best possible outcome, so he could only nod.

“Then I thank Elder Ye.”

Ye Zhiting whispered a few more instructions to Zuo Rong.

Zuo Rong wiped the sweat from his forehead in embarrassment.

“Thank you for the guidance, Dean!”

He had been too anxious just now, and since he was not very proficient in this area, he had failed to notice that Rong Xiu's internal condition had also deteriorated.

Fortunately, at this moment, Emperor Jiawen's entire heart was focused on Rong Xiu and did not take notice of this.

“Old Seven, you cannot do this again in the future! The Nine Nether Tower is so dangerous, how could you go there!?”

Emperor Jiawen said in a low voice.

It sounded like a reprimand, but who could not hear the worry in those words?

After today's events, everyone in the Imperial Capital would know just how much His Majesty cared for this Prince Li!

Perhaps even the Crown Prince did not receive such treatment!

Some people gathered in groups, whispering among themselves.

“I heard long ago that His Majesty is very partial toward this Prince Li; otherwise, it wouldn't be possible for him to be enfeoffed as a Prince immediately upon his return. Now it seems it is indeed so...”

“In all these years, have you ever seen His Majesty care this much about any other Prince or Princess? Even the arrogant Fourth Princess back then was never like this, right?”

“Hmph, the Fourth Princess has become a useless person now, how can she compare? As for the Crown Prince, haven't you heard? A while ago, the Crown Prince somehow angered His Majesty and was placed under house arrest in the Crown Prince's Mansion for a long time! He even had many of his privileges revoked. Could it be... the Imperial heart has long been biased?”

“Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't you see the Emperor and Empress are still here? I don't think that's necessarily the case. Think about it, even if His Majesty truly dotes on Prince Li the most, he is a sickly man—how can he shoulder great responsibilities?”

“That's true. However, if Prince Li's health could improve, I'm afraid he really would become a formidable rival to the Crown Prince...”

The Empress could only catch fragments of those low murmurs.

But it was enough to make her feel immensely stifled.

She forced herself to suppress the surging emotions in her heart and looked toward Chu Liuyue and Rong Xiu.

“Prince Li, I heard you only entered after the Nine Nether Tower caught fire? It was so dangerous then, why... why did you go in?”

Her voice was gentle, and the corners of her mouth held a faint smile, but her eyes were cold as ice.

“I heard that at that time, Miss Chu was the only one inside? Your Highness, you wouldn't have sustained all these injuries just to save her, would you?”