"I don't know how to pilot a yacht, but I'll give it a try."
When it concerned their children, Gu Chaobei felt he had to do something, so he quickly said.
"How will you try?" Hu Lanfang asked anxiously.
"Didn't Qingcheng say the yacht is fully automatic? We should be able to set some parameters. I'll try,"
Gu Chaobei scratched his head.
As a result, when they reached the cockpit, they found that no matter how they tried, the yacht wouldn't move.
The two were dejectedly stranded.
Hu Lanfang had no choice but to resort to the old method, retrieving items from the storage cabinet to verify her daughter's safety.
Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo pressed on at full speed. After a day and a half of high-speed travel, they neared Mount Jinsha.
She deliberately chose to arrive at Mount Jinsha in the evening to conceal their tracks.
The two secretly ascended the mountain from one side, Gu Qingcheng stowed the speedboat, and then slowly made their way to where Prince Xia's fleet was docked.
Their current position was on the hillside opposite Prince Xia's main ship, amidst dense woods and tall grass, perfect for concealment.
They hid in the grass and could see people passing below.
Directly below them were two guards, presumably on night duty. They had lit a campfire, cooking soup and chatting.
"Do you think His Highness is ill? We haven't seen him at all, only the Crown Prince."
"Who knows? We dare not inquire. I heard the Crown Prince found another renowned physician tonight to treat His Highness."
"All those renowned physicians were useless, huh?"
"Yeah, let's not talk about it anymore. If someone overhears us and reports to the Crown Prince, we'll lose our heads."
"What are you afraid of? It's a desolate mountain area, who's going to hear?"
"Oh, it's strange, with Prince Xia so gravely ill, why haven't the Princess and the young prince appeared?"
"I heard that as soon as Prince Xia fell ill, the Princess fled. Truly, a woman's heart is the most venomous!"
"Yeah, to abandon Prince Xia and flee for her own life at such a time, she's truly heartless."
"Why would the Princess flee? I heard the whole country is flooded, why would she, a woman, flee? Shouldn't she be with Prince Xia to have a chance of survival?"
The two guards on duty gossiped, and Gu Qingcheng managed to hear most of it.
So, the Princess hadn't appeared because she had fled?
Just then, a young boy carrying a medicine chest and a physician, led by the guards, approached Prince Xia's ship.
"Halt, who are you?"
The two guards by the fire stood up to question them.
"Oh, they are Physician Liu, whom the Crown Prince invited to treat Prince Xia."
After a brief interrogation, the two guards let Physician Liu pass.
"Sister, the security is so tight, how do we get on the ship?" Mi Guo asked when she saw the blockade.
Gu Qingcheng pondered for a moment, then broke off a large bundle of wild grass nearby and said:
"We'll just stroll on."
Mi Guo looked confused. "Ah? How do we do that?"
Gu Qingcheng smiled slightly. "Do as I say."
After bundling the grass, Gu Qingcheng handed it to Mi Guo, smiling as she said:
"You'll pretend to be Physician Liu's attendant, and we're delivering medicine for Physician Liu."
The two boldly walked towards Prince Xia's ship. As expected, the two guards on duty stood up and shouted:
"Who are you?"
Gu Qingcheng showed her waist token and then said:
"These are Physician Liu's disciples. Physician Liu forgot to bring a medicinal herb and it must be delivered immediately."
The two guards exchanged a glance, nodded, and said, "Then hurry up and get on."
Mi Guo's heart pounded, fearing they would be exposed, but to her surprise, they passed with such ease.
The two quickly boarded the ship via the wooden bridge connecting it to the shore.
The ship was also heavily guarded, but since they were already on board, no one specifically checked Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo.
As long as they remained calm, no one would find them suspicious.
The two proceeded towards the second deck of the ship.
According to Gu Chaobei's instructions, Prince Xia resided in the innermost cabin on the second deck.
Outside Prince Xia's cabin, two guards were also on duty.
But after Gu Qingcheng showed her waist token and gave the same reason, the guards allowed them to enter.
To reach the cabin door, one had to pass through a long corridor, which ended in a 90-degree turn, leading to another shorter corridor where Prince Xia's cabin door was located.
Gu Qingcheng dared not barge into Prince Xia's cabin rashly, as Physician Liu was surely inside, and if they encountered him, they would be exposed.
Gu Qingcheng noticed a window facing her. She spat a bit of saliva, smeared it on the oiled paper of the window, and poked it, successfully tearing a hole.
She quickly leaned in to look through the hole.
Inside, there were only guards, Physician Liu, and the maids attending Prince Xia. She recognized some of the maids, and as her father had said, they were the same old staff.
"Physician Liu, do you think Prince Xia's illness requires stronger medicine?"
a guard asked.
"It's hard to say. Prince Xia is already gravely ill. Adding more potent medicine might be too much for him to bear,"
Physician Liu admitted frankly.
At this point, the atmosphere between them was still cordial.
But then, Prince Xia, who was lying on the bed, suddenly jumped up and grabbed Physician Liu's arm. Eerie groans echoed around.
Physician Liu was pulled towards the bed by Prince Xia.
"Sir, save me! It's a monster! This is a monster!"
Physician Liu cried out in terror.
Although the guards reacted, they only desperately pulled at the chain, trying to control Prince Xia that way. After all, Prince Xia was of noble status, and they couldn't use any moves that might harm him.
Fortunately, Physician Liu suddenly had an idea. He picked up the silver needle in his hand and pricked an acupoint on Prince Xia's head.
Prince Xia's body stiffened, and he actually released his grip. Physician Liu then quickly pulled his arm free.
Physician Liu trembled with fear and retreated.
The guards and maids seemed accustomed to this, their expressions calm, and no one made any unnecessary moves.
"Sir, please ask the Crown Prince to find someone else. My medical skills are poor, and I am truly helpless."
Physician Liu said, preparing to flee.
As Physician Liu was about to retreat to the door, Prince Xia suddenly leaped from the bed again and lunged at him.
At this moment, Gu Qingcheng saw clearly. Prince Xia on the bed could no longer be called human; he was like a monster. His eyes were bloodshot, a tusk protruded, and his fingernails were undoubtedly sharp. As his hand plunged into Physician Liu's back, it pierced him through and through.
Physician Liu cried out in agony, hot blood sprayed out, and he was dragged onto the bed.
Then, a strange sound echoed from within the room.
It was the sound of chewing.
Sucking blood, eating flesh...
Gu Qingcheng truly felt grateful.
What had she seen?
It was too graphic.
In a flash, she had seen Prince Xia's face clearly. Although it had become extremely disfigured, she could still recognize it as Prince Xia's features.
As Physician Liu's body stiffened and ceased to move, blood streamed from the bed, spreading beneath it.