Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

Liu Wei gently placed Xie Jingxing on the bed, pulled the blanket over him, and carefully checked his injuries again.

The right ear was hollow and bloody, looking extremely terrifying.

He didn't know medicine, but he knew how to treat wounds.

So he quickly took out some wound medicine and sprinkled it on the wound to stop the bleeding.

King Cheng's right leg below the knee was swollen and purple, and it would sink in with the slightest touch, clearly indicating that the bone was broken.

He sat up straight, looking at the bloodless face on the bed, his fists slowly clenching, his nails digging into his palms.

He was injured last night and didn't want the young master to know, so he stayed in another room.

If he had stayed inside the house last night, those people wouldn't have had a chance to take advantage of him.

No matter what, the young master is a martial artist; ordinary people probably can't hurt him.

To injure someone like this, either a sleeping potion was used, a skilled fighter was present, or it was someone they knew.

Liu Wei closed his eyes, then opened them again, his eyes now filled with a deep, coldness.

He had already guessed who had injured King Cheng.

Half an hour later, Afu arrived in a hurry, leading an old doctor carrying a medicine box.

The old doctor had gray hair and three long strands of beard; he was clearly a veteran doctor with decades of experience.

He didn't say much after entering the room. He put down his medicine box, washed his hands, and began to examine the patient carefully.

The room was quiet, with only the old doctor's occasional "hmm" and "ah" sounds, and Xie Jingxing's occasional groans while he was unconscious.

Liu Wei stood to the side, his eyes fixed on the old doctor's expression. Every time he saw the old doctor frown, his heart sank a little further.

Finally, the old doctor straightened up, shook his head, and sighed.

Liu Wei's heart clenched suddenly.

"This young master's injuries are quite serious."

The tibia and fibula of the right leg are both broken, and the broken bones may have damaged the tendons and veins.

I have already set his bones, put on a splint, and applied the best medicine to his wounds.

but……"

The old doctor stroked his beard, carefully choosing his words, and glanced at Liu Wei with a look that held both pity and helplessness.

"But what?"

Liu Wei asked anxiously.

"But even if he recovers, he'll probably be crippled and unable to walk like a normal person."

After saying that, the old doctor added something else.

"However, there is no danger to his life."

He's young and has a good constitution; with proper care, both his external and internal injuries will gradually heal.

He shook his head again and didn't continue.

The old doctor knew in his heart: the person who did this was truly ruthless.

Beating someone like this is worse than just killing them outright.

To spare a life but leave a crippled leg and cut off an ear—this is to make the living suffer more than the dead.

Liu Wei remained silent for a moment, his expression revealing neither joy nor anger.

He thanked the old doctor, asked someone to write a prescription, paid double the consultation fee, and then asked Afu to see the old doctor out.

The moment the door closed, a crack finally appeared in the calm on Liu Wei's face.

He slowly walked to the window, pushed it open, and gazed at the street scene outside, remaining motionless for a long time.

He knew in his heart that King Cheng's move had ruined everything.

A prince with a limp will never be able to become the crown prince in his lifetime.

In the imperial court, those brothers who were already eyeing him covetously, those ministers who changed their allegiance according to the wind, and those various forces that were still observing, from now on, no one will place their bets on a cripple.

Even an old emperor would abandon such a useless piece.

Such ruthlessness, leaving no room for maneuver, is most likely the work of the Seven Kill Pavilion.

As expected of the Seven Killings Pavilion, they are vengeful and will ruin someone's future if they make a move.

As Liu Wei thought of this, a thin layer of sweat broke out on his back.

He suddenly felt a sense of relief, relieved that those who attacked him last night were just ordinary citizens.

If it really was an assassin from the Seven Kill Pavilion who did it, he probably wouldn't have survived last night.

The Seven Killings Pavilion's actions this time are clearly revenge!

He turned and glanced at Xie Jingxing on the bed, then sighed.

It seems I won't be able to return to the capital now.

It will take at least a month for the injury to heal completely.

Not to mention the pursuit of Liu Tao'er and the young master of the Xiao family.

When the young master wakes up and finds himself in this state, he'll probably go crazy.

Given your usual arrogance, how could you possibly accept a person who is missing an ear and has a limp?

As Liu Wei was thinking, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bed.

He hurried over and saw Xie Jingxing's eyelids twitch and his eyes slowly open.

Pain surged up like a tide, his face contorted in agony, his brows furrowed tightly, and his teeth clenched so hard they clicked.

"Young master, you're awake."

Liu Wei quickly poured a bowl of warm water and handed it over.

"The doctor prescribed painkillers, which you just took."

The medicine will take a while to take effect, please bear with the pain.

Xie Jingxing neither took the water nor moved.

He stared intently at the canopy above him, and after a long while, he asked in a hoarse voice, "How are my injuries?"

He remembered being beaten, but he didn't know the specific details.

Liu Wei paused for a moment, then carefully asked, "Young Master, do you really not remember what happened last night?"

How did you end up lying in a sack in the lobby?

What exactly happened last night?

Xie Jingxing closed his eyes, seemingly trying to recall, but his mind was filled with only chaotic darkness.

He shook his head, his voice weak: "I don't know... I was sleeping soundly in the house..."

Then I seemed to hear some noise, and after that I don't know anything else.

I only remember fainting from the pain several times!

He touched his leg. "Is my injury... very serious?"

My right leg hurts so much...

Liu Wei lowered his eyes and did not answer immediately.

The room was so quiet that you could hear the faint sound of a candle burning.

"Young master..."

Liu Wei immediately knelt down, head bowed, "Your right ear... has been cut off."

His right leg was also broken.

The doctor said...even if I recover, I won't... be completely back to normal.

After he finished speaking, he kept his head down, not daring to look at Xie Jingxing's face.

silence.

A suffocating silence.

Then came a loud bang.

Xie Jingxing swung his arm with all his might, sweeping the medicine bowl on the bedside table to the ground, shattering the porcelain bowl into several pieces.

"Bring me a mirror!"

Xie Jingxing's voice trembled, yet carried an undeniable sharpness.

Liu Wei gritted his teeth, got up, and went to fetch the bronze mirror.

It was a finely crafted bronze mirror, polished to a high shine, reflecting a person's face clearly.

He held it out with both hands, his fingers trembling slightly.

Xie Jingxing took the mirror and glanced at it only once.

The person in the mirror had thick gauze wrapped around their head, with blood seeping through it. The area around their right ear had collapsed, leaving only an empty hole covered by cloth.

His face was swollen beyond recognition, covered in bruises and purple marks. There was no trace of the handsome and dashing Prince Cheng he once was.

His hands began to tremble, the trembling becoming more and more violent, and the bronze mirror emitted a faint humming sound in his hands.

"No..." His voice sounded like it was being squeezed from deep in his throat, hoarse and broken.

This isn't me...

This isn't me!

Where did this ugly monster come from!

Anger, fear, shame, and despair surged within him like magma, ultimately erupting into a roar.

He used all his strength to smash the bronze mirror to the ground. The mirror bounced twice and rolled to the corner of the wall, reflecting a crooked ceiling.

"what……"

Xie Jingxing covered his face with both hands and let out a low growl that was suppressed to the extreme, like a trapped beast that had been seriously injured.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was more heartbreaking than any wailing.

Liu Wei knelt on the spot, motionless, his eyes red-rimmed.

After a long while, Xie Jingxing lowered his hand, his face devoid of tears, only displaying an almost frantic calm.

He stared at the ceiling and murmured something, his voice as soft as a sigh:

"Seven Killings Pavilion..."

What a formidable Seven Kill Pavilion!

"I swear I will not rest until I avenge this!"

Xie Jingxing clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.