Xi Lei hadn’t gone far. Firstly, he refused to get lost like Ling Yi had said, and secondly, he really wanted to know what was going on inside the vehicle, so he peeked in through the broken window.

He only got a vague glimpse of it, and was so frightened that he spun around with a pounding heart and didn’t dare look again.

Incredible things had happened one after another today, but the sum of the impact they made on him wasn’t as great as this one stunning glimpse.

. . . . . 

When he regained his freedom, Ling Yi’s lungs eagerly sucked in fresh air, even if there were pheromones mixed in.

The pheromones in this mixture included both Oser’s and his own. When he was forced to accept them from this person, Ling Yi had unknowingly released a large amount of pheromones in retaliation.

Even when his body was forced to compromise, his pheromones would not. The same was true for his eyes – at this moment, the fury in them was practically overflowing.

“Do you want to hit me?”

“Yes.”

The answer came without hesitation.

Oser released him: “Go ahead, I won’t bite you if I win.”

As soon as he said the last word, Ling Yi’s fist swung toward him.

The two men fought bare-handed inside the cabin. Oser consciously avoided using pheromones to suppress him, using the most primitive means in this one-on-one fight.

Were they in an open environment, even Ling Yi, who had trained at the military academy, would be no match for the top-tier Alpha.

The limited space became a constraint, and the stronger party was unable to gain an absolute advantage. Ling Yi’s punches and kicks made impact several times, and he received many in return. It was difficult to tell who would come out on top.

As he heard suspicious sounds coming from the vehicle, Xi Lei trembled in fear and didn’t dare look.

Then there was a loud commotion, and he subconsciously turned around. He saw the frame of the vehicle shaking violently and immediately turned back.

The noise lasted for a full quarter of an hour before stopping. Xi Lei found the silence more unbearable than that earth-shaking commotion, and it was impossible to keep from imagining what was happening inside.

He didn’t know how long this unbearable period of time lasted before the car door opened and Oser got out in a disheveled state, with obvious bruises on his face.

Although he looked roughed-up, his every move and gesture still displayed the dignity and elegance he had possessed since childhood.

Oser steadied himself and turned back to the person inside the vehicle: “Can you walk by yourself, or do you need me to carry you back?”

His tone was one of cheerful teasing, making one wonder if this was the same person as the ice-cold prince of not long before.

Another half minute passed before Ling Yi showed himself. His hair was a mess, he had blood at the corner of his mouth, and his clothing was torn.

When he hopped out of the vehicle, he sent Oser an angry glare before noticing Xi Lei.

“Why are you still here? Didn’t I tell you to get lost?”

Xi Lei’s anger surged, but he swallowed it back.

“You—”

He stole another glance at Oser.

“You guys—”

“Are you constipated, ah?”

Seeing how Xi Lei’s face was flushed and he was unable to say anything, Ling Yi put on a show of understanding something.

“You peeked?”

Oser gave Xi Lei a mild look, which frightened him into denying it repeatedly.

“No, no, no, I didn’t peek!”

A person born unable to lie could be seen through at a glance, but Ling Yi couldn’t be bothered to expose him.

“Excuse me, excuse me!”

A nurse rushed past, holding a blood bag.

Oser reached over and pulled Ling Yi close, sandwiching him between the Soaring Eagle and his broad chest.

He reflexively lowered his head so that his face couldn’t be seen.

The nurse was in such a hurry to reach her destination that she didn’t even recognize the crown prince, much less the person he was shielding.

Ling Yi saw her rush into the emergency room where Xi En was, and got a bad feeling.

“Is Uncle Xi En in danger?”

Xi Lei let out a belated “ah” and ran off.

Ling Yi started to follow, but was stopped by Oser: “Do you want everyone to know you’re here?”

Just as Ling Yi was about to speak, Xi Lei was driven out by the medical staff.

“Family members of the patient, please wait outside!”

“Save my dad! Please, I’m his biological son, I can donate blood!”

Xi Lei babbled incoherently.

“This is the emergency room! Please wait outside!”

Various instruments beeped and sounded alarms, and medical staff bustled in and out with tense expressions, exchanging medical terms that Xi Lei didn’t know. 

Each time the emergency room door opened, he would tense up, expecting a doctor to come out and say something, but fearing what the words would be.

At last, a doctor came out to speak with him. Ling Yi observed from a distance, and was more anxious than Xi Lei about what the doctor would say.

When the doctor finished giving his report and returned to the emergency room, Xi Lei stood there in a daze for a long time. When he walked over, he looked as if he had lost his soul.

“What did the doctor say?” Ling Yi asked anxiously.

Xi Lei’s lips trembled, and he couldn’t utter a word for a long time.

“Say something, ah!” Ling Yi urged.

“The doctor said that in addition to Dad’s new injuries, he also has a brain tumor. The trauma caused the tumor to rupture, and there is heavy bleeding. He might, might……”

Xi Lei choked up and lost his voice. Ling Yi’s eyes gradually reddened. He couldn’t believe it.

Unable to hold back any longer, Xi Lei burst into messy tears. This was the first time Ling Yi had seen him cry so miserably since childhood.

“Dad might not make it through…..”

Ling Yi was already upset, and Xi Lei’s crying only added fuel to the fire.

“Pei, pei, pei! What a crow’s mouth! This is the Royal Medical College. The best doctors in the empire are all here. My adoptive father will definitely be able to make a turnaround!”

“Wah…..”

“Stop your bawling! It’s damn ugly! You’re flinging snot all over me!”

Ling Yi stepped away in disgust, fearing he’d be contaminated if he backed away too slowly.

Xi Lei suddenly became unusually quiet. He gave a few silent sobs, and his tears cut off.

His strange behavior drew Ling Yi’s attention, and he quickly grabbed the other party.

“Lu Hulun hurt my brother and my dad. I’m going to kill him!”

“If you want to die, I won’t stop you, but make sure they finish the job. Don’t expect others to save you when you’re half-dead!”

Ling Yi shoved him, and Xi Lei’s back hit the frame of the vehicle. He slowly slid to the ground and put his head in his hands, whimpering softly.

The lip Oser had bitten was torn open again as Ling Yi bit it hard to keep his own tears from falling.

Suddenly, as if realizing that the still had one lifeline left, he grabbed Oser’s hand with such force that he practically crushed his bones.

“Your Highness…..”

Oser’s voice was incredibly cold and heartless.

“Ling Yi, I’m not a god. My pardon can only save a person from humans, not death.”

“You’ll definitely find a way. You’re the Crown Prince of the empire—”

“I’m no longer the Crown Prince,” Oser interrupted.

“You’re still a prince of the empire. Those people wouldn’t dare disobey you. Just go talk to them and say—”

He attempted to organize his words several times, but still couldn’t form a complete sentence.

“Let’s talk about what you’re good at. You’re the best at threatening people, right?”

When he didn’t see Oser react, Ling Yi was so anxious that he spoke without thinking.

“The person lying in there is your future father-in-law!”

Xi Lei, who was crouched motionless on the ground, immediately trembled.

Oser licked the bruised corner of his mouth and said: “Tsk.”

He made a phone call: “Bring that man here.”

Just a few minutes later, his guards escorted a doctor into the emergency room.

As soon as the door opened, the people inside could be heard shouting excitedly: “Doctor Lan Ze is here!”

“Doctor Lan Ze, please come and take a look at this patient…..”

The voices gradually faded, and the extremely long wait began once more.

The red light indicating that a rescue was in progress eventually went out, and the new doctor came out surrounded by a group of people, all of them wearing expressions of relief.

“How wonderful, thank you for this. I never thought such a complicated operation could be completed so smoothly.”

“The operation was so intense that I didn’t get a good look at most of the things you did. Can I request a copy of the recording so I can watch it in slow-mo?”

Another young nurse said forthrightly: “This is the person His Highness specifically ordered to be protected. If not for Doctor Lan Ze, our entire department would have lost this month’s bonus.”

“Not only will your department’s bonus for this month remain intact, it will be doubled.”

“Really? — Your Highness Oser!”

The young nurse was startled to find that the speaker was His Highness Oser himself.

When the medical staff heard about their bonus, the fatigue brought about by the operation was swept away by excitement.

“Your Highness Oser, did you know that if the tumor in the patient’s brain wasn’t discovered in time, it would have taken his life within three years at most?”

“Although it’s not quite right to say this, the discovery and removal of the tumor due to the patient’s injuries was a blessing in disguise.”

“It’s fortunate that we had Doctor Lan Ze, the empire’s top surgeon, in charge of the operation, and the patient was able to escape death. If Your Highness intends to reward Doctor Lan Ze, please reward him generously.”

Everyone responded: “Yeah, that’s right! Your Highness, Doctor Lan Ze is the hero of this operation!”

Doctor Lan Ze, the center of attention, said nothing. The eyes exposed above his mask were as sharp as a scalpel, and he showed no deference even to Oser.

Oser said with a faint smile: “Doctor Lan Ze has saved a life, so I will of course reward him handsomely.”

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone. I have a few words to say to Doctor Lan Ze in private.”

Everyone tactfully left. The two guards who had escorted Doctor Lan Ze here earlier remained, standing to his right and left.

In this safe environment, it looked more like they were keeping him in custody rather than keeping him safe.

Xi Lei stood up and gave Doctor Lan Ze a ninety-degree bow.

“Thank you for saving my father’s life! I’ll do anything to repay you for saving him!”

Lan Ze glanced at him indifferently: “It was nothing. The patient’s case was very novel. I’m just happy to have gained experience in this area.”

“Although it’s not clear whether it’s hereditary, please feel free to come see me if you end up having the same tumor.”

Xi Lei: “……”

The words were pleasant, but still sounded like a curse.

But his father’s adopted son still hadn’t expressed his gratitude, and Xi Lei turned back to him in dissatisfaction: “Doctor Lan Ze is my father’s savior. Shouldn’t you at least say thank you?”

A man jumped out of the severely damaged black Soaring Eagle, and the medical staff would have been startled if they were still there. 

Lan Ze, however, revealed no surprise at his appearance.

“Hurry up!” Xi Lei urged him, like an elder admonishing a disobedient child.

Ling Yi rolled his eyes and turned to ask Oser: “Your Highness, you just said that you want to reward this doctor handsomely. How much will the reward be?”

“Let me think about it.” Oser pretended to contemplate. “He saved your adoptive father’s life, so let’s reward him by keeping him alive for now.”

Xi Lei stared with wide eyes.

Ling Yi: “I should really thank Doctor Lan Ze well.”

He also gave Lan Ze a formal bow: “My adoptive father is the most important person to me. Without you, he might not have made it through this. I sincerely express my gratitude to you.”

He straightened up and asked: “But do you feel any regret for not being able to cut into my neck?”

“A little bit,” Lan Ze said expressionlessly. “After all, there aren’t many opportunities to operate on the gland of a living Alpha.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” Xi Lei’s head felt like it was shrouded in fog. He asked Ling Yi: “Do you know Doctor Lan Ze?”

“Unfortunately. Just a day ago, he was calculating how many times he could slice my neck while keeping me alive.”

“I’m confident that I could have kept it above sixty-eight. Considering your physical condition, I might even have made it to eighty.”

Having said this, he sighed with genuine emotion: “You’re right, it’s a shame I couldn’t have verified it personally.”

Even if Xi Lei was an idiot, he could have figured this out. “You’re saying that Doctor Lan Ze is Lu Hulun’s man?”

“But what you said before was incorrect. You said that I learned how to save lives, but use that knowledge only for killing.”

Lan Ze removed his mask, revealing a slightly stern expression: “I can save people too.”

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Chapter 10 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 12