Chapter 62: Great Upheaval in the Imperial City

Chapter 62: Cataclysm in the Royal Capital

Ye Tian lay comfortably on the bed when a sudden sharp pain tugged at his ear. Opening his eyes, he saw Lady Li, fuming with anger. “What’s wrong?” Ye Tian asked. “Get up quickly, the princess isn’t feeling well!” Li’s voice was urgent.

“What happened?” Ye Tian jumped up in haste. The princess’s health had always been good—why was she suddenly ill? Confused, he dressed swiftly and hurried after Lady Li.

Inside the princess’s chambers, Kana paced anxiously. As soon as she saw Ye Tian, she rushed forward and grabbed him. “Sir Gehr, please, check on the princess! Since last night she’s felt unwell, and this morning she’s burning with fever—now she’s unconscious!”

“Why didn’t you call me sooner?” Ye Tian scolded.

“We had the royal priest look at her; after his spell, she fell asleep. But this morning the fever worsened, and now… now…” Kana was nearly in tears.

“Don’t worry. The princess is blessed; nothing will happen to her.” Ye Tian reassured her and entered the princess’s sleeping quarters. The girl was still deep in slumber, her body convulsing uncontrollably. Ye Tian frowned and cursed under his breath.

“Everyone out!” he ordered the roomful of maids. “Li, guard the door. Don’t let anyone in—not even His Majesty.” He added, “Can you handle it? If not, I might die.” She nodded and left.

“Come here!” After clearing the room, Ye Tian spoke to the bewildered Kana. “Help me undress her completely.” He began preparing his needle kit and other essentials.

“What?” Kana thought she’d misheard.

“Undress her, now, immediately! Do you understand?” Ye Tian’s voice was stern. “Hurry!”

“Oh, oh.” Kana, startled, clumsily began stripping off her own clothes, stopping when only her cute undergarments remained. She hesitated, “Does it have to be everything?”

Ye Tian looked up and was speechless. “Never mind, I’ll do it.” He gently lifted the princess. Despite her recent recuperation, she was still painfully thin. “Don’t make a sound, remember!” he commanded, and peeled back the princess’s clothing.

Kana nearly cried out, but quickly covered her mouth. “Damn it, who’s so vicious?” Ye Tian felt an abnormal heat as soon as he touched the princess, and sensed the presence of a parasite. She had been cursed!

“Damn it, who could be so cruel?” Ye Tian’s frown deepened. The princess’s last poisoning had already exhausted her; now, just as she began to recover, someone placed a curse insect on her. This was clearly an attempt on her life.

“Well, if they want her dead, they’ll have to get past me first!” Luckily, the curse was amateurish, and the insect was newly implanted—not yet fully awake. Ye Tian could remove it without deploying his own special techniques, though it would be troublesome.

Ye Tian took a deep breath, inserted several needles into the girl’s body, then placed his palm over her energy center, sending a stream of cold energy inside. Her fever indicated a fire-type parasite; Ye Tian decided to drive it out with chilling energy. Fortunately, the princess had been well-nourished lately; otherwise, the cold would have killed her instantly.

The cold slowly spread through her meridians, and the agitated parasite began to flee from the chill. “Come out, come out,” Ye Tian coaxed, guiding the insect toward the princess’s lips. With a buzz, a fiery red bug flew out.

“Not so fast!” Ye Tian, quick as lightning, seized a jade vial and trapped the parasite inside, sealing it with a stopper. The insect buzzed furiously, but could not escape the vial. “Stay put!” Ye Tian set the vial aside and gently laid the princess down.

“What happened?” Kana asked.

“What was that?” Kana vaguely recalled a red bug flying from the princess’s mouth.

“Don’t ask. Just remember: never speak a word about what happened, or I’m dead. Understood?”

“Yes, yes!” Kana covered her mouth; this was definitely not something to be spoken of. The princess had been stripped, a bug had flown from her mouth—Kana felt dizzy with shock. “Later, change the princess into fresh clothes and burn these,” Ye Tian instructed.

“Alright, alright.” Now, Kana looked at Ye Tian as if he were a miracle worker. Why was he always so incredible? “I’ll go now.” Ye Tian left the bed, wanting to avoid further trouble. “The princess will be fine, right?” Kana asked nervously.

“She’s safe for now. By the way, has the princess eaten anything unusual lately?”

“No, everything’s normal. Oh, the Crown Prince visited and brought her some pastries.”

“Let me see them?” Ye Tian asked.

“She ate them all already,” Kana said apologetically. “The Crown Prince ate with her.”

“Oh, interesting.” Ye Tian nodded. “The princess is fine now; I’ll be on my way—exhausted!” “Thank you so much,” Kana said sincerely.

“It’s nothing.” Ye Tian smiled. At that moment, Lady Li rushed in, followed closely by a worried Laura.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Tian asked.

“His Majesty has collapsed—quickly!” Laura said urgently.

“Alright, coming.” Ye Tian packed his needles and supplies and hurried with Laura to King Charles V’s chambers.

Charles V’s quarters were packed with people: ministers, the queen, princes. Ye Tian even spotted Mickey among the anxious crowd. As Ye Tian entered, the queen seized him. “Revive His Majesty and you’ll be richly rewarded. If you fail, you’ll pay with your life!”

“Your Majesty, I will do all I can, but I can’t promise anything,” Ye Tian replied gravely.

“Please!” the Crown Prince’s eyes were red. “I beg you, save the King!”

“I’ll try. Everyone else, please leave!”

Only the stubborn queen and a few maids remained. “No talking, no distractions!” Ye Tian ordered. He took out his needles, disinfected them with alcohol, and began to puncture Charles V’s acupoints.

Ye Tian frowned, withdrew the needle, and continued his work. “How is he?” he glanced at the queen, who immediately fell silent, realizing something. Ye Tian repeated the procedure, then, helplessly, pulled the needles out.

“How is he?” The queen grabbed Ye Tian’s arm.

“Prepare yourself, Your Majesty,” Ye Tian said quietly.

“No, impossible! This can’t be!” The queen threw herself onto Charles V, sobbing.

“What happened? What happened?” The crowd rushed in, anxiously asking.

“His Majesty will never awaken again,” Ye Tian said calmly.

“You healed the princess—heal him too!” Rudy pleaded desperately, clutching Ye Tian.

“Your Highness, the King is beyond saving. He’s worked hard for so long; now he needs rest.” Ye Tian sighed. “He still breathes, but he will never wake.”

“No, impossible!” Rudy collapsed to the floor. Dilufi knelt at Charles V’s bedside, staring blankly. “Revive him,” Dilufi ordered. “I command you to revive him!”

“There’s no hope, Your Highness.” As soon as Ye Tian finished speaking, Dilufi grabbed him. “Revive him, revive my father! I’ll give you anything you want, or I’ll kill you!”

Ye Tian spread his hands. “Then kill me if you must; the King’s time has come, not even the gods can change that.” Hearing this, Dilufi released Ye Tian and knelt again at Charles V’s bedside.

News that Charles V would never awaken spread quickly through the capital to all those who cared. “Ha ha ha ha! The old man is finally dead. Let’s begin!” In a dim room, a burly young man stood up.

“Emergency assembly!” A shadow appeared in another house. Instantly, black smoke rose and dispersed, revealing several black-clad figures who bowed respectfully before him. “It’s time for you to emerge.”

“Father.” Truman looked at the grim-faced Braddis. “Father!”

“Silence. Go home.” Braddis cast a dark glance at the palace. “It seems Layton is about to change dramatically. I wonder if the Braddis family can survive this time.”

“Master, why are you here?” A red-clad figure bowed to a middle-aged man in simple clothes.

“It’s nothing. I sensed something was about to happen on the continent, so I came to see… and…” He gazed toward the palace.

Ye Tian lay comfortably on the bed, munching an apple. Royal life was luxurious; anything he wanted was his for the taking. There was nothing he couldn’t see, nothing he couldn’t imagine. But Ye Tian never asked for much—just something to eat was enough.