Lian cracked her eyes open, her fingers nervously clutching
the fabric of Long Wang's robe.
Why... why is this fool Long Wang carrying me? Where is he taking me? Is he going to boil me and turn my flesh into soup?!
A flood of absurd questions filled her mind. She was incredibly anxious and scared, especially after hearing the people in the palace say she had been disrespectful to him.
Long Wang carried Lian into his private chambers. In the outer corridor, flanking both sides of the door, servants stood in rows, waiting for his orders. They were all shocked to see Long Wang carrying a woman. Such a thing had never happened in the palace before. Every servant was curious about the woman in his arms. Long Wang always carried himself with such
elegance, yet here he was, the mighty Dragon God, lowering himself to carry a low-class fairy from the mortal realm.
"Prepare a change of clothes!" he ordered. He had almost forgotten—the clothes weren't for him, but for Lian. He paused for a moment before adding, "...Clothes for this woman."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
A few servants bowed and left to prepare everything he needed.
Long Wang carried Lian into the room and laid her down on the bed. He stared at her face, not moving his arm from behind her back. A faint, sly smile played on his lips.
"How long are you going to keep pretending to be unconscious?" Long Wang asked.
Lian let out a sigh and opened her eyes. Her hand was still tightly gripping the robe covering Long Wang's chest.
"Why won't you just let me go home?"
"You foolish woman, look at your body—it's covered in wounds. At the very least, you need medicine applied to them," he replied.
Lian swallowed hard and finally released her grip on his robe. Only then did Long Wang slide his arm out from behind her back.
The servants Long Wang had summoned arrived, bringing medicinal ointments and a change of clothes for Lian.
"These servants will help you apply the medicine,"
Long Wang told her.
"I can do it myself," she answered quickly.
Long Wang was at a loss. It was obvious her wounds weren't just on the front of her body; her back, legs, and arms were also covered in welts and bruises from the whips and wooden clubs. He stood there, waiting to
see what she would do.
He watched her, and Lian responded by forcing a smile to show she was fine and to stop him from worrying about her condition.
She didn't want to trouble anyone; she knew her place.
Seeing Long Wang's attitude become softer than before, Lian realized he only showed his elegant and dignified side to his subordinates and the palace
officials.
The servants still stood holding their trays. One held hair ornaments, beads, and necklaces. Another held robes of various colors, all of which looked incredibly luxurious and beautiful. A third servant held a tray
containing wound ointment and high-class cosmetics in glass containers.
Lian walked over to them, then glanced back at Long Wang.
"Are you planning to pay me back with all this?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Lian, I just want them to help treat your wounds and change your torn and bloodied clothes," he explained.
"And these jewels? What are they for?" she asked, pointing at the tray.
"To improve your appearance. As my personal physician, you must have an elegant—"
"W-wait a minute!" Lian interrupted. She put her hands on her hips and marched up to him. "Who said I was going to be your personal physician? I don't want to!" she refused.
Long Wang laughed, unable to believe she was rejecting the luxury he was offering. "Fairy Lian, I am appointing you as my personal physician. You will enjoy special privileges as my subordinate. Don't worry, your only duty here is to look after my health. I won't be unreasonable. Think about it carefully. If I let you go and you return to the forest, do you really think the demon clan won't come looking for you?" he persuaded.
Lian pouted, scratching her forehead as she thought hard.
Her brow was furrowed, her eyebrows almost touching. She was thinking intensely. Everything Long Wang said was true. If the demon clan returned to the forest to capture her, she would be in grave danger.
"You're right, but..." Lian's expression was full
of hesitation. She wasn't happy about living in the palace; she felt her freedom would be restricted. Everything she did would have to be done with caution. Not only that, but she would have to act politely whenever she faced Long Wang in front of the other palace inhabitants.
"I don't want to stay here," Lian continued.
Long Wang let out a long sigh. He didn't know why Lian was so stubborn and kept refusing. He was starting to feel a little annoyed. He put his hands on his hips and began to shout at her.
"Fine! Have it your way! Go on then! Leave! Don't let me see your face again!" he snapped, shooing her away.
Lian nodded, gathered her skirts, and ran out of the room.
But outside the door, she ran straight into the guards on duty. They glared at her, ready to capture her again. Panicked, Lian scurried right back into the room.
Inside, Long Wang was alone. The man was sitting relaxed in a chair, leisurely sipping a cup of tea.
Lian approached him.
"Why are you back here? Didn't I just tell you to get out?" Long Wang teased.
"The guards outside... they won't let me leave. They looked like they wanted to capture me again. Can you tell them not to glare at
me like that? I'm completely innocent, why—"
"Fairy Lian," he interrupted, "do you
understand your current status here?"
"I'm just an ordinary fairy who recently took human form. I don't have any status here," she answered, hanging her head.
"So, how do you think it looks for a low-class fairy to be running out of the king's private chambers? What do you think those guards thought when they saw you fleeing from my room? Add to that your disheveled appearance and dirty clothes," Long Wang continued.
"D-do they think I'm a thief?"
"Precisely!" Long Wang felt a stitch in his side
from holding back his laughter.
Lian pouted in frustration. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Go take a bath, apply the medicine, and then put on the clothes the servants prepared for you," he instructed.
"And after that? Can I go back to the forest?"
Lian asked eagerly.
"We'll discuss that later. For now, just do as I
say," he replied.
Lian didn't argue any further. She went to the bathing area, accompanied by the maids. As they walked, she asked the servant beside her a
question.
"What's your name?" Lian asked.
"Wuer."
"Have you worked here for a long time?"
"Yes, I have served His Majesty for many years."
Lian wanted to understand the meaning behind the demon clan's words when they captured her and wanted to eliminate her.
"In your opinion, is the Dragon God very fearsome? Does he... like to kill?" she asked curiously.
Wuer shook her head. "His Majesty the King holds the highest status in the Heavenly Realm. Of course, he must display wisdom, justice, and be a good leader for his people. Everyone here respects him deeply."
Lian asked no further questions. She quickly took off her outer robe and stepped into the pool. As she soaked in the hot spring, the wounds on her body began to vanish. The medicinal properties in the water provided an incredibly fast healing effect. Unfortunately, as her body recovered, the mark on her forehead also began to appear.
Luckily, Wuer was standing with her back to the pool, facing the other direction. She remained there, waiting for Lian to finish bathing.
Lian herself was completely unaware that the divine mark on her forehead had surfaced.
Before today, not a single person had ever been permitted to enter the sacred pool. It was reserved exclusively for Long Wang's use. For
Long Wang to personally order Lian to be brought to his private bath meant that the fairy in the hot spring was no ordinary fairy. Furthermore, the fact that Long Wang himself had carried her into his chambers made it clear to everyone that Lian was a fairy he held in exceptionally high regard.
Even Wuer, who had worked in the palace for years, was witnessing such a thing for the first time. Long Wang truly valued Lian and was treating her with unique, personal consideration.
Back in the Chambers
Inside his room, Long Wang felt his heartbeat quicken. A strange and mysterious feeling welled up within him, filling his mind.
Everything he was experiencing matched the descriptions in the Scroll of Destiny. According to it, this specific feeling would only arise whenever the fairy possessing the Antidote Heart was near him.
Long Wang immediately stood up, his eyes scanning the room.
There was no sacred fairy here. He went outside and looked down the corridor.
The fairies standing in the hall were only the usual servant fairies who had always attended to him.
"This feeling... has the sacred fairy with the Antidote Heart finally appeared?" Long Wang murmured to himself.
His footsteps were guided by the emerging sensation and by the pull of a faint red thread—a thread only visible to his eyes. The thin, crimson line led directly toward the direction of the bathing pool...