Qin Chu was so angry he wanted to kick the man away, but he didn't even have the strength to lift his leg. His head was spinning, but he was still relatively clear-headed and remembered his mission.
His reddened dark eyes stared at the person in front of him as he asked, "When are you planning to go back? And what is your purpose in staying here?"
Are you addicted to the virtual world?
Upon hearing Qin Chu bring up this topic, Prime Minister Lin's smile faded slightly.
He didn't answer Qin Chu's question directly, but said, "Don't worry, I didn't intentionally trip you up this time. We wouldn't have met originally; I just came to kill someone."
"Kill whom?" Qin Chu asked, squinting.
Lin Xiang did not answer, but said, "You have things to do, and I naturally have things to do."
"However..." He suddenly changed the subject, looking at Qin Chu with a bright smile, "What if I suddenly don't want to do anything else when I see you?"
Qin Chu ignored his flirtatious remarks and forced himself to remain rational as he pondered the relationship between this person and the mainframe.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a servant came in and whispered a few words to Prime Minister Lin.
The man seemed impatient, frowning and waving for people to leave.
Taking advantage of this moment, Qin Chu immediately notified Noah in his mind: "Adjust my body's data to normal."
His current state suggests he is certain he has no strength to escape, and the shackles on his hands have been removed; he could escape with just a little bit of strength.
Unexpectedly, Noah was also very troubled: "Sir, you have also been injured on the battlefield, so you should know that the data in this world is difficult to adjust because it requires skipping two layers of world rules."
Qin Chu took a deep breath, feeling that even when he was transmigrated into a vampire and tormented by thirst for blood, he was never as miserable as he was now.
Just then, Prime Minister Lin turned and glanced at him, then, as if remembering something, suddenly called out to the servant who was about to leave: "Wait, bring him here."
The servant hesitated, clearly unsure: "Bring him here?"
"Yes, this is the place."
After the servant left, Prime Minister Lin did nothing more. He turned his head to look at Qin Chu, as if he were lost in thought.
Suddenly he lowered his head and chuckled, saying, "I didn't expect you to run into him."
The implication of those words was strange; they seemed mocking, yet also carried some other meaning. Qin Chu's consciousness was dazed by the waves of heat; he tried to understand, but couldn't grasp that oddity.
However, Qin Chu soon found out who this "he" was.
A thin figure was brought in, and a servant brought him a glass of water to wake him up.
Upon opening his eyes, the eldest prince immediately and quickly surveyed his surroundings, like a wild animal always on guard. He saw Qin Chu lying on the bed, his dark eyes devoid of any emotion, as still as a stagnant pool.
Before he lost consciousness, he overheard his servant's words and realized that Qin Chu had betrayed him and revealed his location.
But he felt no anger whatsoever, let alone sadness. Perhaps even the word "betrayal" wouldn't be accurate; he and Qin Chu had absolutely no connection whatsoever, and if anything, they were worse than strangers.
He was just someone who wanted to kill him.
Isn't it normal for someone like that to betray him?
The eldest prince had seen it all; he was surrounded by people like that, some wanting his life, others trying to control and exploit him. He had met many such people, and killed even more.
Therefore, whether or not Qin and Chu existed is completely irrelevant.
He wouldn't get angry or sad because of someone insignificant, and it seemed that there was no one else in his life besides these insignificant people.
The small, thin child, with his hands and feet bound, stared indifferently at the two people in front of him. There was no fear in his eyes, as if he were heartbroken, or like a wolf driven to the brink of death, ready to bite through someone's throat if he wasn't careful.
"Is he the person you want to kill?" Qin Chu asked in a hoarse voice.
He forced himself to get used to his current physical condition and regained some mobility in a short time, sitting up from the bed.
Lin Xiang showed no interest in the child. Lost in thought, he suddenly asked Qin Chu, "You want to protect him?"
Upon hearing this, the eldest prince raised his eyelids slightly.
Protect?
The word was ridiculous, and it made him think the person who said it was insane. Which eye of his saw Qin Chu trying to protect him? No one ever would protect him.
He doesn't need protection, and... he's not worth protecting.
But something surprising happened to the eldest prince: he saw Qin Chu nod.
As if he had heard a funny joke, Lin Xiang suddenly clapped his hands and burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost cried. After the laughter stopped, he looked at Qin Chu with a wicked grin and said, "Let's play a game."
"What?"
"Only one of you can leave." The man in the moon-white robe glanced at the eldest prince casually. "Either I kill him, let you go, and drop the warrant for your arrest."
“Either…” he smiled, “I’ll let him leave safely, and you’ll marry me and obediently become my Mrs. Lin.”
"This man is insane," the eldest prince thought.
Without even thinking, it was obvious what Qin Chu would choose. Qin Chu had no reason to choose him at all. This person wasn't fooled by his feigned cuteness, nor did he show the slightest bit of sympathy. How could he possibly give up his freedom to choose and let him go?
But the next second, the Crown Prince heard a hoarse, trembling but resolute voice: "Let him go, make sure he leaves the city safely."
The eldest prince paused for a second, then subconsciously looked up at Qin Chu.
But before he could meet Qin Chu's eyes, he quickly lowered his gaze again.
Yes, there are many people who are desperate to become Lin Xiang's wife.
Compared to this position, it seems that giving up my position wouldn't make much difference.
"So...you'll have to consummate our marriage tonight, okay?" Lin Xiang reached out and brushed away the sweat-dampened hair from Qin Chu's cheek.
The eldest prince couldn't help but look up at Qin Chu again. He saw that the man had his lips tightly pursed, his brows furrowed when the other man touched his cheek, and even the jaw muscles on his cheeks twitched.
He refused.
He didn't want to stay as Mrs. Lin, nor did he want to be with this man.
However, the eldest prince still heard him say with difficulty, "Let him leave."
At that moment, the eldest prince was not shaken; he had never encountered such a situation before, and his mind was filled with confusion.
That's strange.
If you clearly don't like him, why choose to let him go and stay instead?
Is this person stupid?
What other explanation could there be?
How could anyone choose to sacrifice themselves to ensure the safety of others? How could such an absurd thing happen in this world?
A strange sense of amusement welled up in the prince's heart, and he suddenly remembered what had happened at the inn that morning: Qin Chu had concealed his existence, and he had been taken away by the soldiers.
At that moment, the eldest prince was even more confused.
What was unfolding before him was unlike anything he had ever encountered before, and completely out of place with the world around him. He had never seen it before, and could not understand it at all.
Because of this complete unfamiliarity, he even felt an uncontrollable sense of defensiveness.
Chapter 60, Fourth Story (6)
Upon hearing Qin Chu's choice, Prime Minister Lin showed no reaction. His expression was somewhat indifferent, yet it didn't seem like he was angry, as if he was guaranteed to profit no matter what Qin Chu chose.
"Good, you chose this yourself." Prime Minister Lin clapped his hands, and soon two servants entered, each carrying a tray. One tray held a bright red wedding robe, and the other a gleaming golden phoenix crown.
Judging from the appearance of this phoenix crown, it is the one that Qin Chu took away and threw into the pawnshop at the beginning.
"Do you need me to help you put it on?" Lin Xiang smiled at Qin Chu.
"Need not."
Qin Chu staggered to his feet, quickly stripped off his outer robe, and put on his wedding attire, still soaking wet. Then he loosened his hair, letting his long, smooth, black hair cascade over the bright red wedding robe. The contrast between black and red made his cold features appear even more vibrant.
Lin Xiang leaned back in his chair, admiring the scene, occasionally reaching out to straighten Qin Chu's robes, before curling his lips into a smile: "Let it be like this, anyway, we'll have to take it off later."
For some reason, upon hearing Lin Xiang's words, the eldest prince, who was still confused, felt a sudden unease.
Qin Chu did not refute Lin Xiang's words, nor did he show any impatience. He simply turned his gaze to the eldest prince.
Lin Xiang understood and said to the servant waiting nearby, "Untie him."
The ropes were cut, but the eldest prince felt as if he were still bound, frozen in place, unable to move, and could only look up at Qin Chu, who was dressed in a bright red wedding robe.
"I will have him sent away after we finish our wedding ceremony," Lin Xiang said.
"Okay." Qin Chu nodded. "I have two things to say to him."
Lin Xiang did not stop him. Qin Chu staggered a few steps toward the Crown Prince, but he was too exhausted to continue and could only stop to catch his breath. He then waved to the Crown Prince.
The eldest prince looked at Qin Chu, who could barely stand upright, and couldn't move his feet. He didn't know whether he should go over or not, and just stood there blankly.
Qin Chu thought the child was frightened, so he lowered his voice and said, "Come here."
Looking at the two figures, one big and one small, Lin Xiang noticed a hint of indescribable emotion flicker in his eyes when Qin Chu spoke to the child in such a gentle tone, but it quickly vanished without a trace.
The eldest prince moved his stiff legs and walked step by step toward Qin Chu.
He stopped in front of Qin Chu and saw Qin Chu squat down in front of him. At this moment, through Qin Chu's open collar, he could see a bright red birthmark on the back of the man's neck.
This birthmark is much bigger than his, about half the size of a fist.
The Qin Chu he had ever met was cold and powerful. So he never imagined that Qin Chu was actually like him, a boy who was not as strong as others and whose body was naturally weaker than others.
Looking at Qin Chu's sweat-dampened forehead, the eldest prince still didn't understand and remained wary. He moved his lips, but ultimately said nothing.
Qin Chu leaned closer to him, and just as the Crown Prince thought Qin Chu was about to say something, he suddenly felt a tightening in his calf, and then the dagger he had hidden in his trouser leg was pulled out.
A glint of light flashed from the sharp blade of the dagger as it grazed past his ear.
The eldest prince's pupils contracted, and he subconsciously stepped back.
In that instant, he thought Qin Chu still had a conspiracy, that he had tricked him into coming here only to lower his guard and then kill him!
But the blade didn't stop at his throat. He watched as Qin Chu tightened his arm, and the tip of the blade traced an arc before stabbing hard into the birthmark on the back of his neck.
With a twist and a slash, a stream of scalding blood gushed out, the crimson liquid splashing onto the prince's face and into his eyes, turning his vision blood red.
The eldest prince forgot to step back, unable even to reach out and wipe his face. With his face covered in warm blood, he looked at the wound on Qin Chu's back.
The once smooth birthmark was gone, leaving only a bloody hole the size of half a fist, revealing bluish blood vessels and white tendons.
The sharp tip of the knife, piercing a piece of bright red flesh, was thrown to the ground by Qin Chu. No one could have imagined that he would be so decisive, digging out the birthmark that symbolized his status as a young master, along with the organs below it.