C18 What a Big Worm

Feng Wuqing and Ximu Longchen stood side by side, but the ingrained respect for hierarchy made Feng instinctively step back half a pace from the prince. So when Lo Li stumbled forward, Feng saw it but couldn’t react in time to stop it. Ximu Longchen, standing too close, tried to dodge instinctively but was blocked by Feng behind him, causing him to get bumped.

Lo Li ended up half-leaning on Ximu Longchen. Fortunately, her strong sense of balance helped her steady herself quickly, preventing a full-on collision. However, the unfortunate part was that the large, sticky, black piece of liver she was holding slipped from her grasp and landed squarely on Ximu Longchen's face.

Feng Wuqing: "..."

Ximu Longchen: "..."

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to," Lo Li apologized, though she made no move to remove the liver from his face.

Ximu Longchen was fuming, ready to swipe the mess off his face, when suddenly Lo Li’s panicked voice rang in his ears.

"Don’t move. It could be dangerous."

Her shout was filled with such despair and fear that Ximu Longchen actually froze, not daring to move.

"What's going on, Your Highness?" Feng Wuqing exclaimed, reaching out to help.

"Don't move, look at that thing," Lo Li's terrified voice echoed again.

Feng Wuqing followed Lo Li's gaze, and his eyes widened instantly.

"Oh my gosh, what is that?"

Ximu Longchen thought, "..." Whatever it is, can't we just get rid of this creepy thing?

He wanted to speak, but his face was covered, and all he could breathe in was the nauseating stench of moldy liver.

"Your Highness, you really can't move. There's a huge bug inside that liver. It's crawling out, right near your eye. If you move..."

Feng Wuqing's words made Ximu Longchen's heart skip a beat.

"I knew something was off about this liver. I didn't expect it to be this. Don't move; I need to get ready."

Lo Li said, rushing to grab the heart and a few embroidery needles she bought that morning.

She brought the heart close to the bug, and in a flash, as the bug turned its head, she pierced its forehead with a needle.

"Done!" Lo Li sighed in relief as she removed the liver.

Looking at Ximu Longchen's face, which was once quite clean, now dirty and smeared with blood and a foul smell.

Ximu Longchen had removed his mask, but replaced it with a rare human-skin mask. Given his sensitive identity, he couldn't risk being easily recognized. Despite this, having his face so dirty and disgusting was quite frustrating, especially since the Crown Prince was known for his cleanliness.

Ximu Longchen glanced down at the large bug, feeling his anger intensify. The room's temperature dropped noticeably, causing Lo Li to shiver involuntarily.

"That's strange, why did it suddenly get so cold? Anyway, I think I understand what's going on with this case now. Thanks to both of you. Without your help, I wouldn't have known what to do," Lo Li said. She held a piece of liver with a heart stacked on top in one hand, and a needle with the bug skewered on it in the other, her face beaming with a bright smile, as if she was genuinely grateful.

Ximu Longchen, his anger boiling over, reached out and grabbed Lo Li by the neck.