CHAPTER 29: THE POISON AND THE PUNISHMENT

"What are you going to do... what?" Yue Mingxuan stammered.

When he saw what the prince was holding, his teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.

So the rumors were true, this man really had strange tastes.

In his hand was... a feather tickler!

Pervert!

Now Yue Mingxuan finally understood what people meant when they said "absurd and ridiculous." Such a handsome and noble looking man completely ruined by this insane hobby!

He couldn’t stay calm anymore. Inside, his mind was filled with curses: Pervert, bastard, shameless man!

But of course, he didn’t dare say any of it aloud. Instead, he started begging pitifully.

"Your Highness, please, I know I was wrong. Don’t do this, please?"

He was truly frightened now. Just imagining that thing touching his skin made his whole body break out in goosebumps.

Unfortunately, his pleas had no effect at all. He could only watch helplessly as that thin, hateful stick waved before his eyes.

"No—!"

The cold tip of the tickler landed between his ribs and in that moment, Yue Mingxuan finally understood what the prince had meant earlier when he said, ’I’ll make you laugh all you want.’

"Ha... haha... hahaha..."

"Funny, isn’t it?"

"No, it’s not funny! Ugh..."

"Not funny? Then why did you laugh at me that day? I’m only returning the favor."

"I won’t! I’ll never do it again! Haha... hahaha!"

"Now you know fear? Where was that courage before?"

"I didn’t mean... I didn’t mean to— ah..." Yue Mingxuan could hardly breathe between laughter and pain.

This prince was truly wicked and terrifying, even his punishments were strange beyond belief. "I didn’t mean to insult Your Highness! If it bothers you, I’ll take responsibility, alright?"

During the brief pause, Yue Mingxuan kept begging.

Ever since he was a child, he had been most afraid of being tickled.

This was unbearable torture to him.

But before he could finish speaking, the tickler returned faster, lighter, crueler than before and his body twisted uncontrollably.

"Hahaha... hahaha!"

Yue Mingxuan realized that the prince had misunderstood him completely.

After laughing helplessly for a while, he clenched his teeth and shouted between gasps, "I’ll... hahaha... take responsibility... for your poison!"

"Oh? So you know I was poisoned?" The prince’s low and dangerous voice slid past his ear.

The tickler suddenly stopped.

Yue Mingxuan barely had time to feel relieved before smack!

A sharp sound split the air and a burning pain spread across his back.

"Ah... it hurts..." His face turned pale as snow.

That crazy man had actually hit him with the tickler and with inner strength infused in it!

This wasn’t play anymore.

With internal power added, the tickler’s blow was worse than a wooden rod used for punishment.

The pain was unbearable.

Yue Mingxuan wanted to die rather than endure another strike from this madman.

"Now," the prince said coldly, "you will tell me clearly who sent you to attack me?"

Another red mark appeared across Yue Mingxuan’s pale back.

There was no blood, but each strike carried energy that tore through his muscles and made him tremble in agony.

It hurt! It hurt so much he thought he would die.

When the prince raised that hateful tickler for the sixth time, Yue Mingxuan finally broke down completely. "Your Highness! I swear I’m innocent! I was tricked into going there, I hurt you by accident! If I really meant to harm you, Your Highness would know... poison wouldn’t be the only thing you’d have suffered from!"

Both of them actually understood what had really happened.

Yue Mingxuan’s innocence was already proven after Shang Qinghua’s investigation.

He also knew Yue Mingxuan had been forced into breaking off his engagement.

However, the real reason the prince was angry was because of the missing Twin Lion Pendant.

When the man raised his hand and ready to punish him again, Yue Mingxuan quickly cried out, "I’ll give you back the jade pendant, alright?"

At the mention of the "jade pendant," the prince’s expression only grew colder.

Seeing the man’s wrist tighten as if he was about to strike again, Yue Mingxuan bit his lip and hurriedly added, "Wait, there’s more! I can cure your poison. It’s called ’Moon Poison.’ It goes deep into the bones and flares up every full moon. The pain spreads through the body, unbearable everywhere it passes, and when it reaches the spine, it feels worse than death."

The prince’s wrist loosened slightly, as if he was thinking it over.

Seeing that tiny bit of hope, Yue Mingxuan quickly continued, "Ordinary medicinal baths don’t work because they can’t stay at a steady warm temperature. But if you heat the bath from underneath with charcoal and use a special herbal mixture, it will force the poison to the surface. Then, with the right detox and blood releasing techniques, the poison can be drawn out from your body."

Shang Qinghua stayed silent and quietly considering whether what Yue Mingxuan said made sense.

"Your Highness..." Yue Mingxuan said carefully.

He knew this was his only chance.

If he didn’t take it now, the prince’s sharp mind and cruel temper would surely end him once the man realized he wasn’t the weak and harmless hostage everyone thought, but someone with his own intelligence and skill.

Looking up at the prince’s white robes, Yue Mingxuan said seriously, "Please, Your Highness, give me a chance to make up for my mistake. I will cure your poison completely."

The prince didn’t move.

His narrow eyes stared quietly at Yue Mingxuan’s not so handsome but determined face.

He was considering whether to give the young man a chance and himself a chance to drive out the poison.

This time, while investigating certain matters, he had been severely poisoned.

He’d tried to suppress it quickly, but Yue Mingxuan had interfered and disrupted the process.

Instead of being expelled, the poison had spread deeper into his bones.

When it acted up, the pain truly made him wish for death.

He couldn’t summon the royal physicians from Beirong since it would draw unwanted attention and expose his condition.