Free Web NovelChapter 223: Chapter 223: The System’s Warning !!
The days in the Sea Empire passed slowly; Yue Yue found herself living in a small, golden bubble.
Cang Yuze was rarely seen. As the Third Prince with countless responsibilities, he had completely buried himself in the royal apothecary.
The Poison of the Thousand Venom King Scorpion was a legendary toxin, and refining an antidote required his constant focus.
He was scouring ancient records and testing deep-sea herbs, driven by a silent desperation to save Xing Luoye for Yue Yue’s sake.
Yue Yue often sat by her window, looking out at the sprawling coral towers of the capital.
She realized she had barely met the rest of the royal family.
Cang Yuze was the Third Prince, and Cang Yuzain was the Seventh.
This meant there were other siblings and an Emperor somewhere in this vast underwater empire.
Yet, the halls near her quarters remained private, guarded heavily by Han Soi and the Temple’s knights. It was as if she was being shielded from the rest of the empire’s internal politics.
Xing Luoye, meanwhile, was confined to his room. Though he insisted he was "fine" and could still protect her, the black veins on his neck flared up whenever he moved too much.
Yue Yue had strictly forbidden him from leaving his bed. She didn’t want him to strain his core any further.
Every time she visited him, his eyes would soften with guilt and adoration, his hand resting briefly on her stomach where their cubs were growing.
She had never asked him anything about the cubs or why he was there. She was waiting for him to tell everything by himself. But first his life still matters more.
Feng Yanshen was also becoming increasingly busy. As the High Priest of the Temple, his prolonged absence from the Holy Temple was causing chaos.
His disciples and messengers arrived at the palace every other day, breathless and carrying stacks of urgent documents.
He would often sit in the corner of Yue Yue’s room, scrawling orders with a frustrated scowl, refusing to leave her side even when the Temple literally demanded his return.
"They can wait," Feng Yanshen would mutter, tossing a document aside. "The gods won’t die if I stay here another week to watch over my mate."
This left Yue Yue mostly in the company of the bubbly Liling and the energetic Cang Yuzain.
Today was no different. The sun or the artificial light that mimicked it...filtered through the Great Dome, casting shimmering patterns over the royal gardens.
Yue Yue walked slowly along a path of crushed pearls, Liling chatting animatedly beside her about the different species of glowing butterflies that lived in the gardens.
Behind them, Han Soi and Cang Yuzain were walking together.
They were speaking in low, serious voices.
Han Soi’s expression was grim, his hand resting habitually on the hilt of his artifact. He was likely discussing the security of the palace or the movements of the Empire’s fleet near the sea borders.
Yue Yue felt a bit heavy. The pregnancy was making her sleepy, and the constant worry for Xing Luoye weighed on her mind. She leaned against a silver railing, watching a school of neon-blue fish dart through a floating water sphere.
Ding!
The sound was so sharp and sudden in her mind that Yue Yue nearly jumped. It had been a while since the System had made such a dramatic entrance.
[New Side Quest Activated!]
[Mission Details: Prevent the "Tragedy of the Deep." Save the Third Prince, Cang Yuze, from being bitten by a hidden King Scorpion.]
Yue Yue’s heart skipped a beat. Cang Yuze? But he’s in the laboratory! How can a King Scorpion get in there?
The System interface flickered red before her eyes, showing the high stakes.
[Reward: +10% Affection from Cang Yuze.]
[Bonus: Villain Corruption Mode -5%.]
[Special Prize: Rare Material "Heavenly Deep-Sea Marrow" (A crucial ingredient for the Thousand Venom Antidote).]
[Failure Penalty: Instant Death of Cang Yuze.]
Yue Yue’s breath hitched. Instant death?
She turned around so quickly that Liling stopped mid-sentence. Her face had gone pale, and her eyes were wide with a sudden, frantic fear.
"Yue Yue? What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?" Liling asked, reaching out to steady her.
The peaceful atmosphere of the coral garden shattered in an instant. Yue Yue’s face went from a healthy glow to a deathly, ghostly pale.
Her heart hammered against her ribs so hard it felt like it might burst. The System’s warning...Instant Death rang in her ears like a funeral bell.
She spun around, her eyes wide and frantic, grabbing Cang Yuzain’s sleeves with trembling hands.
"Where is he? Where is Cang Yuze right now?" she demanded, her voice rising in a sharp, panicked pitch.
Cang Yuzain blinked, startled by her sudden intensity. He scratched the back of his hand nervously and looked toward the distant spires of the palace.
"Brother? He... he isn’t in the lab anymore, Lady Yue Yue. He left to find a live specimen. He went to the place where the King Scorpions are known to nest. He said he needed the purest venom to stabilize the antidote for Xing Luoye."
Yue Yue felt the world tilt. "He left? When? When did he leave?"
"It has already been a day," Cang Yuzain mumbled, his voice trailing off in an uncertain way. "He should have reached the nesting grounds by now. It’s a deep-sea trench, very far from here. Why are you..."
"Take me there!" Yue Yue blurted out, her voice cracking. "Take me to him immediately! We have to go now!"
The reaction was instantaneous. Han Soi, who had been standing right behind her, immediately reached out and caught her shoulders before she could stumble from her own agitation. His violet eyes were filled with shock.
"No," Han Soi said firmly, his voice deep and protective. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
"Yue Yue, you cannot go there. The King Scorpion’s nest is a nightmare. They are nasty, volatile creatures. It’s too dangerous for anyone, especially you in your condition."
"He’s right," Cang Yuzain added, his usual playful expression replaced by genuine worry.
"That area is a forbidden zone. The pressure is immense, and the scorpions are everywhere. My brother is a warrior; he can handle himself. You need to stay here and rest."
Liling nodded quickly, her eyes full of fear. "Please, Yue Yue, don’t go. It’s a horrible place."
But Yue Yue wasn’t listening. She couldn’t explain the System, and she couldn’t explain the digital countdown of a man’s life ticking away in her brain.
She was almost frantic, her eyes darting toward the exit of the garden. "No! You don’t understand! He’s going to die! I can feel it! We have to go!"
Just as the argument reached its peak, a shadow fell over the group.
