Chapter 137: Chapter 137
After leaving Weiyang Palace, Emperor Yongning prepared to leave the palace immediately and go to the inn mentioned in the Crown Prince’s letter to find his Bao’er.
He was so excited that he felt no trace of drowsiness or fatigue.
Emperor Yongning thought his health had recovered.
Little did he know that his current vigor was solely sustained by his obsession to see Jun Ning.
But human beings are just that—human. When hungry, they need to eat; when tired, they need to rest.
The consequence of Emperor Yongning pushing himself was that he had just stepped out of Weiyang Palace, ready to leave the palace, when he suddenly fainted without warning.
Xiao Lizi, terrified at the sight, hurried to support the collapsing body of Emperor Yongning and ordered someone to quickly summon the Imperial Physician.
Wei Lin personally went to fetch the physician, fearing a delay in the Emperor’s treatment. He ran even faster than a rabbit.
Xiao Lizi, along with the remaining eunuchs, lifted Emperor Yongning back to Weiyang Palace to let him rest for a while.
The Imperial Physician arrived shortly and, after checking on Emperor Yongning, determined that there was nothing seriously wrong. It was just that he hadn’t rested well for several consecutive days, which had overly exhausted his already frail body, causing him to faint.
With proper rest for the next few days, he would recover.
Qiong Hua and Xiao Lizi carefully took note of the physician’s words.
Black Market, Western District.
The Crown Prince and Jun Ning had already found the place that the people in the Black Market claimed was haunted.
In the dead of night, when there was no one around, indeed, the place resonated with successive cries of children. The cries were sharp, tragic and accompanied by a few gusts of eerie, chilling wind.
It really felt haunted.
Someone with a timid disposition, just by walking up to this place, without having done anything, would probably be scared to death.
No wonder so many officials investigating cases of missing children couldn’t uncover anything substantial.
The Crown Prince, being who he is, had surely endured far more mentally taxing moments than this. He was able to withstand everything in front of him without being scared away. But the same might not be said for the young one in his arms.
He glanced at the puppy in his embrace and said, "Yi Yi, if you’re scared, you can stay here pretending to be a dog while I go inside to have a look."
Jun Ning took off the dog-head cap from his head, snorted coldly, and said, "I’m not scared. I want to go in with you to have a look."
The Crown Prince was surprised at Jun Ning’s bravery and was about to ask why when he remembered the saying ’ignorance is bliss’.
Perhaps his little sister was just blissfully unaware!
"Fine, we have an agreement. I’ll take you inside, but once we’re in, you can only look, without making any noise or doing anything, got it?"
The Crown Prince had already planned out that today he would only scout the area. As for what actions to take, he would decide after gathering more information, rather than acting on impulse.
Because acting on impulse would not only fail to accomplish anything but could also get him trapped.
His principle was always to proceed with a plan, no matter what he did.
Jun Ning naturally understood this principle. She nodded, "Understood."
The Crown Prince saw the sweat on Jun Ning’s forehead and gently wiped it with his sleeve, then helped her put her puppy cap back on. With a slightly heavy tone, he said, "In case anything bad happens, stay put and pretend to be a little dog, wait for rescue, and don’t worry about me."
"... Don’t talk nonsense," Jun Ning said, "Nothing bad is going to happen."
The Crown Prince chuckled, said nothing more, and carried Jun Ning towards the source of the cries. The closer they got to where the cries originated, the more the place felt bizarre.
Everything about it was strange.
The house from which the crying emanated was dark and bereft of any light.
Indeed, like a haunted house.
But if it’s a haunted house, why are people guarding it?
On the way to this ’haunted house’, the Crown Prince had already come across several people. Though he carefully evaded them in the end, the process was challenging, time-consuming, and difficult to maneuver around.
After quite the effort, they finally reached the haunted house from which the crying was coming.
Holding Jun Ning in one arm, the Crown Prince used the other to break a hole in the dark window to peek inside the haunted house.
But alas, it was pitch black inside the haunted house; stretching out his hand, he couldn’t even see his fingers—nothing was visible.
The hole was made for nothing.
However, the Crown Prince could clearly sense the presence of many people inside, all of them children.
These children were probably scared of being locked up in this dark place, which was why they kept crying.
It seemed the haunting was man-made! ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⟡𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵
But who could be behind these incidents, and why are they capturing so many children? What exactly are they trying to do?
After squinting his eyes dangerously, the Crown Prince said, "Sister, now that we have identified where they are hiding the people, shall we head back? I’ll bring people tomorrow night and bust their entire operation."
Jun Ning nodded in agreement, "Alright."
They were both ready to leave, but just then, the haunted house suddenly lit up.
The Crown Prince hurriedly crouched down with Jun Ning, avoiding their silhouettes from being seen by those inside.
They faintly heard voices coming from inside.
"Sir, we’ve captured the kids for today. Three boys and three girls. It’s enough for alchemy."
At the mention of these two words, both the Crown Prince and Jun Ning were truly shocked.
They initially thought the ones capturing children were merely trafficking them for profit. Who could have imagined these heartless people were using such young children for alchemy?
Don’t they fear being struck by lightning?
Moreover, who dares consume medicine made from children? Won’t it just reduce their lifespan instead of preserving it in the end?
"Brother, what should we do now?" Jun Ning asked gravely.
The boundless night concealed Jun Ning’s expression.
The Crown Prince naturally didn’t see the maturity usually found only in grown-ups on Jun Ning’s face.
He said, "Let’s go back right away and bring people over."
"But by the time we go back, it’ll be too late, and those six children will perish," Jun Ning reminded.
"Sister, could you please not be so clever?" The Crown Prince said with a headache, "Wouldn’t it be better to go back with brother first?" This requires careful planning and no impulsiveness or risking everything for nothing.
"I’m not going back," Jun Ning was resolute, "After all, they are six living human lives. I cannot stand by and watch them die."
"But if you don’t want them to die, are you willing for us to die instead?" The Crown Prince asked sternly.
Should they attempt a rescue now without any preparation, not only would they fail to save anyone, but they might also risk their own lives, achieving nothing in the end.
However, if they go back and return with reinforcements, they could save all the previously captured children and arrest these heartless perpetrators.