Chapter 487: There

Gu Jiu Ling couldn't sleep with things on her mind; she had only just rested a moment, but she was utterly exhausted, feeling as if she had fainted.

She had a nightmare in which Xiao Yin's face was bruised purple, and he turned into a huge sharp‑toothed rat.

Gu Jiu Ling jolted awake, flung her eyes open to meet Xiao Yin, who was sleeping soundly with his head slightly bowed.

She stared for a moment, never expecting Xiao Yin to be holding her while they slept; though they were both adults, her cheeks flushed slightly.

Even asleep, Xiao Yin's arms remained tightly locked around her waist, as if afraid she would disobey and run away.

Gu Jiu Ling's heart flooded with mixed feelings, and her eyes even grew a little sore.

She drew a breath and stared at Xiao Yin.

She found him truly handsome, and despite all the trials they'd endured, his radiant charm remained undiminished.

His affectionate peach‑blossom eyes were half‑closed, long lashes slightly lifted; under the sunlight filtering in from outside, a shadow fell across his angular face.

His nose bridge was high and straight, his thin lips pressed tight, the corners slightly downturned, giving him a look of both grievance and stubbornness.

At times he was quite pure, still the youth who seven years ago had commanded the winds and clouds, whose name shook the world.

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Outside, that layer of chill clung to him, more like his protective color; he was actually a very gentle person.

Gu Jiu Ling instinctively raised her hand to gently stroke Xiao Yin's brows and cheeks, but the moment she touched him, he jolted awake and seized her wrist.

Seeing it was Gu Jiu Ling's hand, Xiao Yin exhaled in relief, then raised his brows at her in his arms.

"What are you trying to do… touch the Prince?"

Gu Jiu Ling felt a little guilty at being caught, and hastily tried to sit up from his embrace, not wanting him to lock his grip tightly around her waist.

"Go ahead and touch me; I'm yours anytime, anywhere—play however you like. Don't be so shy, sneaking about."

Xiao Yin began to act mischievously, a self‑satisfied smile curling his brows and eyes.

Gu Jiu Ling's cheeks flushed completely; she gritted her teeth and coldly laughed, "Your Highness, you're far too narcissistic!"

"I…"

Before Gu Jiu Ling could finish her words, Xiao Yin leaned in and kissed her.

After the kiss, he held her tight, his hot breath blowing against her ear; his voice was hoarse, yet each word he spoke seemed to be forced out between his teeth.

"Gu Jiu Ling, I'm truly afraid you'll wear yourself to death!"

Gu Jiu Ling's heart softened, and she whispered with a smile, "Rest easy—we're both the kind of evil spirits that even ghosts dread and heaven won't claim; we won't die."

"Shut up! Say another death word and see how I deal with you!" Xiao Yin's long fingers pressed against Gu Jiu Ling's lips, rendering her speechless.

Gu Jiu Ling broke free of his embrace: "I'm not playing with you anymore; I have plenty to do."

Gu Jiu Ling had barely taken a step when Xiao Yin's long arm snatched her back; he gripped her hand hard, pressed it against his cheek, and, still unsatisfied, rubbed his face with her palm.

Gu Jiu Ling stared at Xiao Yin as if he were an idiot: "Your Highness, what sort of madness have you taken up now?"

Xiao Yin curled the corner of his mouth in a smile: "From now on, if you want to touch me, do it openly—no sneaking."

"If you like me, say it openly; hiding it is not the way of a gentleman!"

"I…" Gu Jiu Ling waved her hand, pulling it free, "Your Highness, go wash your face—you're oily!"

Gu Jiu Ling fled the bedchamber as if escaping, and behind her came Xiao Yin's low curses.

Soon she ordered a servant to bring a washbasin and a towel for washing his face.

Gu Jiu Ling, however, had no time for that; she sought out Ling Feng, who had been waiting outside for a while.

Ling Feng thought the two inside were being sickeningly cloying, and yet at such a critical juncture, life and death hung in the balance.

"Have you found the herbs?"

Ling Feng hurriedly had someone bring several stalks of herbs he'd gathered from the mountain to Gu Jiu Ling; she examined them closely, her heart leaping—sure enough, they were exactly what she needed.

The medicines in the lab were truly limited; to treat this massive plague, ancient methods had to rely on traditional Chinese medicine—Western medicine for emergencies, Chinese medicine for the root cause.

"Excellent!" Gu Jiu Ling stepped forward, seized the herbs in her hand, and examined them carefully—there could be no mistake.

"Medicine contains three parts poison; if she got it wrong and took the wrong dose, she would be a criminal."

"Take these herbs and distribute them; mobilize the uninfected to go up the mountain and dig according to this standard."

"Once dug up, the whole town will be divided into four spots, where large pots will boil the herb decoction; each household will send someone to collect the medicine, boiled three times a day."

"Throughout the town, those boiling the decoction, those digging the herbs on the mountain, those collecting the medicine, and those tending the sick must all follow rules—work out a regimen! Don't let the ranks fall into chaos, and furthermore, rewards and punishments must be clear."

Ling Feng agreed to all of it, then split off with Yun Duo to attend to their tasks.

Gu Jiu Ling's method began to show results after seven days; the number of infections dwindled, recoveries rose, and the whole town regained its former vitality.

Every household was immensely grateful to Prince Rui and his consort, even erecting a living shrine to offer sacrifices and pray for blessings; seeing her name placed on the altar, Gu Jiu Ling felt a mix of laughter and tears.

Night fell, and Gu Jiu Ling came to the woods outside the small town.

In the woods stood a crude hut built by the Lin family, from within came waves of muffled screams, which the wild wind then scattered away cleanly.

Gu Jiu Ling's steps halted for a moment, yet she still entered the courtyard enclosed by bamboo.

The guard at the door, seeing Gu Jiu Ling, hastily stepped aside to salute; she reached the hut's door, where Ling Feng stood on guard and promptly saluted her.

"Princess Consort!"

Gu Jiu Ling nodded, her gaze falling on the windowless room with only a tiny vent: "Have you gotten anything out of them?"

A flash of cold cruelty crossed Ling Feng's brow: "Their heads are pretty tough! They still won't talk—Prince will personally interrogate them!"

As Gu Jiu Ling pushed the door open to enter, Ling Feng whispered beside her: "Your Highness, the inside is filthy and bloody; I fear it might startle you, and the Prince would blame me."

"No problem!" Gu Jiu Ling's eyes flashed with cold severity: "These damned killers."

"To stop the Imperial Envoy from heading south, they actually wanted to kill a townsman, burying him with their ambitions."

"For such heinous acts, no punishment would be excessive."

She still stepped inside; just as she descended the stairs leading underground, a strong stench of blood hit her face.

Gu Jiu Ling almost vomited, steadied herself, and continued forward.

At a glance, it was a torture chamber; in the middle, a tall, burly man was bound to an iron pillar, and facing the seated person was Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin's brows and eyes were grim and cold, his gaze icy; it seemed that the person before him, beaten to a bloody mess, was in his eyes nothing more than lifeless wood.

Seeing Xiao Yin like this, Gu Jiu Ling couldn't help but freeze for a moment; this was probably Xiao Yin's true nature—stern and deadly, terrifying to the extreme.

That man was also a dead warrior; having been hung up this time, his whole body had not a single uninjured spot, yet he still refused to speak.

Seeing that it was actually Gu Jiu Ling who had come, Xiao Yin hurried over, grabbed her shoulder and tried to push her out.

"Get out! What are you doing here?" Xiao Yin instinctively raised his hand, wanting to cover Gu Jiu Ling's eyes.

"Prince, I have a way to make him speak!" Gu Jiu Ling said hurriedly.