Little Purple

"I would like to see the ending of your dance. Won't you go back and continue?" He spoke politely with no honorific. He intentionally did that so Qing Guang would not realize who he was.

Qing Guang looked up at the man, taking in his fine features, clear eyes, the robe he wore indicating that he came from a high ranking family.

"No… Even if I stopped there, it is already past one per eight incense stick, the minimum time for this dancing competition. I have no need to continue unless I want to get a bonus score."

"Is that so? That is too bad." The man showed a disappointed expression.

Unlike Qing Bo, who visited the palace from time to time to accompany his father, Qing Guang almost never stepped near the suffocating place unless she wanted to go to the library.

Hence, Qing Guang never saw the crown prince. She coldly ordered. "Now that you know, move."

"What if I refuse?"

"You have no reason to refuse."

"Oh, what if I do?" The man showed a fox smirk. "I want to see you a bit more. Isn't that a good reason?"

Qing Guang frowned. "I have no time for this." She tried to escape but that man's movement were swifter than her's. Qing Guang had veins popping.

"Move it!" she said as she stomped on his foot and used the opportunity to run away.

"Aiya!" The man kneeled. The force of her stomp had not been light. It was the kick of a female martial artist. "How fierce."

"You deserved it." Jin Lei said from behind him, raising an eyebrow. "Why did you try to stop her?"

"Well… I got this feeling that I will lose something if I were to let her follow that masked man."

Qing Bo, who just came, saw the whole exchange between the prince and his sister. He blinked twice, wondering what made his usually cold and uncaring little sister like this. The ice princess was not the type to be rash and kick a random man's leg, moreover the crown prince's.

"Guang'er, just what happened?"

-----

When Qing Guang arrived at the Hu residence, everyone had pale faces and dark expressions. The guards let her in, and she ran to the back were Fa Sui's office was. She saw Hu Bai sitting beside Hu Cheng Se, who was crying. Zhi Yu and Falcon were also beside them.

"After that one time he wrote something down for Qing Guang, he fainted and never woke up. And now he, he… ugh..."

"Cheng Se…" Qing Guang frowned. She looked into the office and deliberately intruded inside. Inside was Fa Sui.

"Qing First Young Miss!" Fa Sui's eyes widened. "Wait, don't come here!"

Qing Guang did not heed his words. Instead, she ran and opened the patient rooms one by one. The first one was empty since Shou went to look after Hu Zi. Just before she entered the second room, her heart suddenly beat faster. She could felt that something ominous was inside.

"Qing First Young Miss!" Fa Sui needed to painfully admit that even the young Qing Guang was faster than him. "No, don't come inside!"


Qing Guang opened the door and saw Hu Ye's body in the middle of the room. Qing Guang swiftly moved and locked the room from the inside; she could not allow Fa Sui to disturb her.

"Qing First Young Miss, open the door!" Fa Sui shouted. His complexion was already pale because of the countless sleepless night he went through, now he looked like a ghost.

After he had gotten the report about the death of their guards, he concluded that Hu Ye's illness was more similar to poison and although it was very unlikely to spread, he could not let people disturb him since his condition was very unstable. Maybe it was because of his young age that he showed different symptoms than the dead guards. First, he constantly screaming in his sleep. Second, just an hour ago, his heart did not…

"Ugh… where did I put my master key?" Fa Sui cursed himself.

"Hu Ye…" Qing Guang's eyes widened. Hu Ye's neck was covered by black marks. Qing Guang kneeled and checked his chest. Half of his chest was also covered with black marks. "What… what is this?!"

Qing Guang saw that some of the black marks might have reached his heart. She tried to make sure and checked his heartbeat. She found none. It had stopped. "What?!" Qing Guang touched Hu Ye's body and felt the cold dead skin.

"He is dead?!"

Suddenly, Hu Ye screamed at the top of his lungs, startling Qing Guang. She was shocked, but also relieved because it meant that Hu Ye was not dead.

She wondered why his heart did not beat, but since he was still breathing, even though his breath was faint, there was still a chance.

Qing Guang looked at him, wondering why he became like this. What were those black marks on his body? How was he was still breathing when his heart had stopped? It was no wonder that Hu Cheng Se was crying. It was literally impossible to know what happened to him. He did not die but did not live either, he was like a zombie.

"Hel[…"

"Ye?" Qing Guang heard Hu Ye say something in a very soft voice. She leaned in to hear him more clearly.

"Guang, Guang help!"

-----

That enormous black snake continuously tried to eat Hu Ye but he was an avid swimmer. He repeatedly tried to go against the current that was created by the snake and swam upward, only to be dragged in once again after taking a single breath of air.

After a long time, he finally saw the woman's figure once again. "Help! Guang, help me!" Hu Ye desperately shouted. He saw the snake coming closer to him so he tried to swim to Guang.

After fighting with the snake for a long time, he learned a weakness of the big black snake's. That snake needed time to charge every time he launched his attack. Like after he sucked the water or after he swam very fast.

Hu Ye was not sure what happened, but when he took another breath, Qing Guang was no longer there.

'What happened, why is she here again now?' He thought. 'I thought she left!'

Hu Ye did not have the luxury to think things through. He swam and swam, everytime he took a breath, he called for Qing Guang.

"Gua—"

Before he could finish his words, the snake sucked the water once again. This time he was too close to Hu Ye. The snake missed and did not manage to pull Hu Ye into his mouth, but Hu Ye went deeper into the water instead. There, Hu Ye saw his tail. The snake hit Hu Ye, making him lose his breath. Shit!

He would die if he didn't go to the surface and take a breathe soon.

The snake's skin was tough, and Hu Ye's body was already hurt. He felt numb and was unable to use his arm and legs. He saw the snake dive and flash its fang.

He closed his eyes and thought, What should I do now, Guang…

Ye!

Someone called him. It was that woman.