Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Chapter 212 Do you think His Highness has no temper?

When Qi Xiao found Tang Ling, he had already fallen into a coma and was unconscious. Qi Xiao got into the carriage and saw his twisted and dislocated shoulder joint at first sight. Just looking at it made Qi Xiao feel extremely painful.

"Tang Ling?"

Qi Xiao carefully helped Tang Ling up, letting him rest his head on his shoulder, and untied his bound hands. Tang Ling was still unconscious. Qi Xiao felt distressed, but also a little lucky, thinking that Tang Ling was still unconscious and might not be in that much pain.

Qi Xiao steadied Tang Ling's body, held his arm, and quickly twisted and pushed it to reset his dislocated arm.

The sudden intense pain woke Tang Ling up: "Ah!!"

"It's okay, it's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore." Qi Xiao hugged Tang Ling and comforted him softly, as if he was also comforting himself. It's okay, didn't he find Tang Ling back? It's okay.

"Hmm..." Tang Ling seemed to hear Qi Xiao's voice in a daze. Doesn't it hurt? But why can't he stop crying?

***

A faint fragrance spread along with the light mist. There was a bead curtain outside and a gauze curtain inside. The bright colors and exaggerated decorations were very dazzling, and there was a sense of vulgarity everywhere.

Tang Ling blinked and couldn't help frowning. Where did his dream take him?

The sound of rushing water caught Tang Ling's attention. The sound was very close and very real.

Tang Ling moved her arm, and a sharp pain started from her shoulder and instantly spread throughout her body. The pain was real, so it wasn't a dream, right?

Tang Ling slowly sat up and looked around. The vibrant colors of the room didn't look like an inn. Could it be a woman's boudoir? The hemp ropes on his hands and feet had been untied, and even his clothes had been changed. Was he dreaming? What had just happened?

Tang Ling's gaze finally landed on a pile of clothes on the ground, with a pair of his muddy boots lying beside them. The pile of clothes was stained dark red.

Is it blood?

That clothes is not his.

Whose is that?

Tang Ling tiptoed out of bed, walked over, and picked up a piece of clothing to examine. It was a sky-blue robe, the front and cuffs stained with blood, and the hem was even more stained. The stain hadn't dried yet, and the faint smell of blood wafted through, already starting to stink.

"you're awake."

The sound of the shower water had stopped at some point, and when the sound behind her suddenly came, Tang Ling was startled, and the robe in her hand fell to her feet.

Qi Xiao had just finished a shower and was still covered in steam. He heard Tang Ling get out of bed and came in wearing only a robe.

“……!!” Qi Xiao… How is this possible? !

"Look at that expression, you don't want to see me at all." Qi Xiao laughed and stared at Tang Ling, his eyes colder and sharper than a knife.

“…”No!

Tang Ling's heart suddenly started beating rapidly, as if a cup of water was poured into a frying pan, causing it to explode violently. It was also as if a pair of hands suddenly grabbed his heart tightly, squeezing it roughly. The struggling heartbeat was suppressed in an instant, and the momentary suffocation made Tang Ling speechless.

He hasn't had heart palpitations for several years, why did it happen so suddenly?!

Tang Ling's eyes went dark, the world spun around, and he felt light and weak, falling heavily to his knees.

"Tang Ling?!" Qi Xiao quickly stepped forward and pulled Tang Ling into his arms, "Tang Ling?!"

Tang Ling's face turned pale and she was sweating. Qi Xiao couldn't help but say something in anger, but he didn't expect Tang Ling to be so unable to hold back. Just this one sentence, which wasn't even a harsh word, actually triggered his old heart palpitations. Now that Qing Lan was gone, Qi Xiao had no idea what to do!

Qi Xiao had never seen Tang Ling fall ill before. Qing Lan said it was an old illness, but she'd been well-treated and hadn't been ill in years. How could it happen so suddenly?! What had happened recently?!

"Tang Ling?!" Qi Xiao was panicking and carried Tang Ling back to the bed. "I... I'll go find a doctor for you! Just hold on, it will be quick!"

Tang Ling's heart ached, and he couldn't speak. When Qi Xiao said he was leaving, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Qi Xiao's robe. Tang Ling's hands were weak, but he tried to use force, and his whole body couldn't help but tremble.

Seeing him like this, Qi Xiao understood what he meant: "Okay, I won't leave, I won't leave."

"...Qi...a while...a while, it will...be alright." Tang Ling breathed with difficulty. He didn't know if he had said it clearly or whether Qi Xiao could understand him.

Tang Ling meticulously planned a sudden departure without saying goodbye. Qi Xiao was livid from the moment he received the news, completely losing all reason. He just wanted to tie Tang Ling back, chain her up, imprison her, and torture her severely to find out why! Why!

But the moment he learned that Tang Ling was kidnapped, and the moment he saw him injured and unconscious, all his anger was swallowed up by worry, concern, and anxiety. He simply couldn't bear to let Tang Ling suffer even a little bit. Even a scratch would hurt him a thousand times more, not to mention the injury on his shoulder and his old heart palpitations!

"Tang Ling..." Qi Xiao carefully wiped the cold sweat from Tang Ling's forehead, nose and cheeks, and gently called Tang Ling's name, as if his voice was trembling.

After a while, Tang Ling's breathing slowed down. Qi Xiao felt his pulse and it seemed to be gradually stabilizing.

"Tang Ling? Are you feeling better? I won't leave. I'll ask Zong Sheng to find a doctor for you."

Tang Ling was still holding onto Qi Xiao's robe, not letting go. "Where is this place?"

"...We are in Renliang Prefecture, this is Tianxiangyuan. There was a bit of noise when we rescued you, so we will hide here for a few days." A great hermit hides in the city, and it is easier to hide in the red-light district.

Chi Yue's last visit to Qi was ten years ago. The Zhanshi Office hadn't moved from Renliang Prefecture, which was a sign of heaven helping Qi Xiao. They quickly found a place, a grocery store. Not many people were inside, and most of them were injured, likely from the Xingluo Guards' losses. This made it easy for Qi Xiao to rescue them.

The original plan was for Chi Yue to sneak in, confirm Tang Ling's whereabouts, and then steal her out.

After Chi Yue entered, he found that the people from the Office of Occupation were waiting in the backyard, surrounding a carriage. He had no way of spying, so he went out and told Qi Xiao.

Qi Xiao made a prompt decision. Since there were not many people around, they would just go in and rob. With the skills of the three of them, they were not afraid of the twenty or so spies from the Occupation Office.

"Are you hurt?" The pile of blood-stained robes made Tang Ling worried.

"……No."

Qi Xiao planned to rescue Tang Ling and then withdraw from Renliang Mansion, but when he saw Tang Ling's injuries, he became furious and simply killed all the people in the grocery store.

Tang Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is there really no need to find a doctor for you?"

Tang Ling shook her head gently: "I'm fine, it's just an old illness, it's not serious."

Qi Xiao looked at Tang Ling, secretly suppressing his anger. He couldn't even breathe just now, and this wasn't serious?!

Qi Xiao stood up, but couldn't take a step forward as Tang Ling was still holding onto his robe.

"If you don't want to let go, why do you want to leave?" Qi Xiao's voice was cold, and his eyes were also cold. There was no doubt that he was very angry.

Tang Ling knew Qi Xiao wasn't referring to the robe, but he couldn't answer, so she could only let go of his hand.

Qi Xiao walked a few steps and brought Tang Ling a cup of hot tea. He helped Tang Ling up with one hand and said, "Don't use force on your arms yet. Be careful."

Tang Ling didn't even have the chance to use any strength and was almost directly held in Qi Xiao's arms.

Passing the teacup to Tang Ling's lips, Qi Xiao warned her, "Be careful, it's hot."

Tang Ling bit her lip and wanted to take the teacup, but Qi Xiao did not let go and slowly fed her the whole cup of water, bit by bit.

"Why did you come to save me?"

Tang Ling had no idea what had happened, let alone how terribly anxious Qi Xiao had been these past few days. But he'd just left Bashan without a word, abandoning him. Didn't he really know how heartbroken and upset he'd be? Didn't Tang Ling care about his grief, anger, and pain? She actually asked him why he'd come?! Tang Ling was waiting for his father, Xun Anhou! Qi Xiao was nothing but a self-indulgent fool!

"Crack." Qi Xiao's fingers unconsciously tightened around the teacup in his hand, squeezing it so hard that it shattered. Qi Xiao casually placed the broken porcelain on the stool beside the bed, leaving some water stains on his hands.

Tang Ling was shocked. He knew Qi Xiao was angry, but why didn't he get angry at him? Instead, he was so gentle and considerate. He couldn't bear it! He didn't deserve it at all!

When Tang Ling left Bashan, he hadn't even considered seeing Qi Xiao again. Now that he'd made up his mind, he'd let Qi Xiao treat him as a cold-hearted person. It was okay to hate him, but at least he'd always remember him. Hating him... at least Qi Xiao wouldn't be embarrassed in the future when Chen and Zhou faced off on the battlefield.

Tang Ling lowered her head silently, but Qi Xiao suddenly grabbed her chin, lifted it up forcefully, and turned it around so that she looked straight at him.

"Why?" Why did I leave him like this?! What kind of helplessness was there that I couldn't tell him?! Or had I never loved him?!

Tang Ling looked at Qi Xiao, seeing the blazing anger in his eyes, and seemed to be able to see a heart that was deeply wounded and bleeding by him.

Tang Ling couldn't utter a single heartless word. Qi Xiao, the person he had been thinking about for so long was right in front of him, but he couldn't be happy. Not only could he not be happy, the heartache was even more unbearable than his old heart palpitations.

Tang Ling wished that this was just a dream. The guilt or sadness were all his own. He didn't have to face them and didn't have to let Qi Xiao know.

"Answer me, why?! What did you promise me? Tang Ling, you are mine! You are mine!"

Qi Xiao gritted his teeth. He knew why, but he couldn't accept Tang Ling abandoning him for any reason! When he first confessed his feelings to Tang Ling, their identities and positions had been relative, and that hadn't changed since then. Why did she fall in love with him, accept him, and choose him, only to regret it now?!

Yes, Tang Ling had promised that she would not leave him and would not regret it...

Tang Ling's tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn't help but blur her vision.

Qi Xiao couldn't get an answer from Tang Ling, and he became even more furious. The more he tried to suppress his anger, the more he lost control. He buried his head and bit Tang Ling's neck hard, as if he wanted to skin Tang Ling alive and tear him apart to see if he was heartless!

"Ah--!" Tang Ling couldn't help but scream, and the next moment she bit her lips tightly, suppressing the sobs in her throat, but she couldn't stop her tears from rolling down.

Qi Xiao's embrace was scorching hot, as if it could melt a person. His hands were rough and hard, and the strength in his hands was heavy and fierce, leaving finger marks on his legs like brand marks.

"Tang Ling, look at me! Tell me! Why?! What did I do wrong?! Did I do something wrong?!"

Tang Ling kept shaking her head. It was his fault, all his fault! He shouldn't have...

"Is loving you wrong?! Tell me!"

It was... it was his fault! He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help wanting to keep making the same mistake!

Why didn't you answer? Why did you leave without saying goodbye? Why were you crying?!

“Ugh!!” It hurts! It hurts so much! Tang Ling’s eyes widened in shock, tears falling from his eyes, and he couldn’t hold back his screams.

"Why are you crying? Are you scared? Regretful? Reluctant?!" Qi Xiao glared fiercely at the man beneath him. His dark eyes, once filled with deep affection and infatuated with him, were they all fake? Were they all lies?!

"Qi Xiao...Ah——!"

"Qi is about to fall, and Chen and Zhou will split the world into two. You want to make an enemy of Great Chen and no longer need me? Huh?! Answer me! You are the son of Xun'an Marquis, such a proud man, and you actually crouch under me, and now you want to escape? Impossible! I will not let you go."

Qi Xiao pinched his neck, as if he had gone crazy. He clearly didn't want Tang Ling to feel pain. His shoulder injury and old heart palpitations made him terrified, but now he couldn't control himself and wanted to hurt him, to hurt him, to drag him into the abyss of pain and stay with him forever!

"Tang Ling, I want you to tell me, why?!"

***

Zong Sheng heard some noises and wanted to go take a look, but Chi Yue stopped him: "Don't go."

Zong Sheng stopped, looking at Chi Yue in confusion. They'd booked the entire west wing of Tianxiangyuan, without any orders to restrict access, and the landlady had agreed to anything for the money. Qi Xiao's room was at the other end, and Zong Sheng and Chi Yue had already been avoiding it, but the noise still carried through... making Zong Sheng uneasy.

"Don't worry about His Highness's affairs. His Highness and Young Master Tang have finally met again after months of separation, and you were annoying in the past." Chi Yue shook his head, "Besides, Young Master Tang left without saying goodbye... The night is still long, Young Master Tang will have to endure it."

Zong Sheng seemed to understand but also seemed not to understand, and was a little confused.

Seeing Zong Sheng's not very smart look, Chi Yue couldn't help but laugh: "Fool, why don't you understand?"

"I can't bear to part with Young Master Tang." Zong Sheng understood, he just didn't believe that Qi Xiao would really do anything to Tang Ling.

Chi Yue laughed again: "Do you think His Highness is as temperless as you are?"

Qi Xiao certainly had a temper. They had originally planned to rescue Tang Ling and then retreat, but when Qi Xiao saw that Tang Ling's arm was injured, he immediately became furious, and even took out all the anger that had been pent up for the past few days on the Zhanshi Office. Those twenty or so people were not enough for Qi Xiao to kill.

"The person has been found, what is there to be unhappy about?" Zong Sheng usually doesn't talk much, but he has seen everything that happens between Qi Xiao and Tang Ling. Qi Xiao is very obedient to Tang Ling, and Tang Ling truly loves Qi Xiao. He thinks Tang Ling must have some unavoidable reasons for leaving. If he makes things clear, there will always be a way.