Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

"Want to go out and have some fun?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Wan'er's eyes instantly blazed with a brilliant light—an intense yearning for freedom. But the light dimmed the next second. She lowered her head, looking at her pale fingers, and said bitterly, "But… Father will never agree, and besides, my body is so weak; I get breathless after just a few steps. What if I fall ill outside…"

"With me here, what's there to be afraid of?"

Without a word, Li Chengze grabbed Lin Wan'er's wrist. His hand was dry, warm, and strong. "As for that old fox of a father of yours, your cousin has his own ways of dealing with him. Let's go!"

Lin Wan'er felt her heart pounding like a drum, and a sense of rebellion she had never felt before surged into her heart. Looking at the spirited young man in front of her, she nodded as if possessed, letting him pull her downstairs.

As soon as the two passed through the corridor and arrived at the front yard, they saw a majestic figure blocking their way.

Lin Ruofu's face was ashen, followed by his steward and a group of guards, clearly indicating that he had come prepared.

"Second Prince, where are you taking my daughter?" Lin Ruofu's gaze swept over their tightly clasped hands, his brows furrowed, his tone carrying a hint of suppressed anger. "Wan'er suffers from lung disease and cannot withstand the cold or fright. If Your Highness wishes to travel, there are plenty of places to go in the capital. Why put a sick person through all this trouble?"

When Lin Wan'er saw her father, she instinctively shrank back and tried to pull her hand away, but Li Chengze held it even tighter.

Li Chengze stopped, his lazy smile undiminished, even intensifying. He casually fanned himself with his folding fan and said, "Prime Minister Lin is mistaken. Just like flowers and plants, if confined to a dark room all day, no matter how much water or fertilizer you give them, they will eventually wither. Cousin Wan'er's illness is partly due to her weak constitution, and the other half, I think, is caused by the suffocating atmosphere of this Prime Minister's residence."

"Absurd!" Lin Ruofu sneered. "The imperial physician repeatedly instructed that you need to rest. Your Highness, please do not act recklessly and return."

As he spoke, Lin Ruofu waved his hand, and although the guards on both sides dared not draw their weapons, they stepped forward and formed a human wall, blocking the gate completely.

"Tsk, is Prime Minister Lin going to place me under house arrest?" Li Chengze raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, but he showed no sign of making a move. Instead, he looked somewhat troubled. "I have been weak since childhood and am powerless. Prime Minister Lin's show of force is going to frighten me."

Lin Ruofu's eye twitched slightly as he looked at the Second Prince, who was stirring up trouble in the court, blatantly lying. He said in a deep voice, "This old minister dares not, it is only for the safety of my daughter. Please forgive this old minister's love for his daughter."

"Understanding is natural."

Li Chengze nodded, then sighed and shrugged helplessly, "Since Prime Minister Lin refuses to let us pass, and this prince can't beat these strong men, then I have no choice but to..."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly turned his head slightly, looked up at the empty wall above, and called out softly:

"I will be safe."

"Zheng—!"

A clear, resonant sword cry suddenly rang out, as if it exploded right next to everyone's eardrums.

The guards of the Lin family only saw a blur before their eyes, and an incredibly fast afterimage descended from the sky like a ghost. Before they could react, a cold, sharp edge was already close to their throats.

The wind stopped, and the shadows ceased.

A young man with a cold face and a long sword in his arms had appeared three steps in front of Li Chengze.

Xie Bi'an.

He didn't draw his sword; he simply held it horizontally in front of him, scabbard and all. The astonishing killing intent surged forth like a tidal wave, forcing the guards to turn pale and instinctively retreat, creating a passage for them.

"Prime Minister Lin, you see, my friend has quite a temper."

Li Chengze peeked out from behind Xie Bi'an, his face still bearing that harmless smile, as if he wasn't the one who had just called out "God of Killing." "If these guards accidentally hurt me, Bi'an will be in a very difficult situation."

Lin Ruofu looked at Xie Bi'an, his pupils shrinking slightly. He naturally knew that the Second Prince had such a skilled fighter by his side, but he hadn't expected this person's sword aura to be so sharp.

If a fight were to break out in this Prime Minister's residence, although they could be captured, it would inevitably result in a bloodbath, and besides... the other party is, after all, a prince.

This isn't a no-go, it's a recommendation for the treasure book "Joy of Life: I'm the Second Prince? Summoning Yuan Tiangang!"

"Prime Minister Lin, I will personally escort Wan'er back after dinner; there's no need for that!"

Seeing Lin Ruofu remain silent, Li Chengze stopped talking nonsense, grabbed the still somewhat dazed Lin Wan'er, and swaggered past the group of guards who were trembling with fear, walking past Xie Bi'an.

Xie Bi'an remained expressionless, turned around and followed behind the two, like an insurmountable barrier.

When Lin Ruofu chased after them, he only saw the two of them get into a seemingly ordinary carriage that actually contained hidden secrets. Xie Bi'an sat on the carriage shaft, coldly glanced at the crowd that had chased after them, and then cracked his whip.

The carriage sped away.

"This...this is simply..." Lin Ruofu was so angry that his beard trembled. He pointed at the departing carriage, speechless for a long time. Finally, he could only slam his sleeve down and shout, "Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"

……

The carriage didn't go to any famous historical sites, but instead stopped at the entrance of Kyoto's busiest western market street.

Li Chengze pulled Lin Wan'er out of the car. At this moment, the two of them put on veils to cover their faces and blended into the bustling crowd.

Through the thin veil of her hat, Lin Wan'er looked at the vendors hawking their wares on both sides of the street, the acrobats swallowing swords and breathing fire, and the ordinary people who were busy making a living but full of vitality. Her eyes were filled with novelty and shock.

"Here, try this."

Li Chengze bought a string of bright red candied hawthorns from a roadside vendor and handed it to Lin Wan'er, saying, "Sweet and sour, it's appetizing."

Lin Wan'er took a small bite, and the sweet and sour taste exploded in her mouth. She couldn't help but squint her eyes and reveal a genuine smile.

Along the way, Li Chengze took her to see shadow puppet shows, to the river to release paper boats, and even to the entrance of a gambling den to listen to the noisy shouts inside. Lin Wan'er was so frightened that her face turned pale, but she couldn't help but curiously peek inside.

After playing for half an hour, Lin Wan'er finally ran out of energy. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, her breathing became rapid, and she occasionally let out a suppressed cough.

"Are you tired?"

Seeing this, Li Chengze led her into an elegant teahouse by the river and asked for a private room on the second floor.

After the two sat down, Li Chengze instructed the waiter to bring a pot of warm tea.

While Lin Wan'er was wiping her sweat by taking off her veil, Li Chengze turned his back and, using his sleeve as cover, had a sudden thought.

"System, extract the 'Marrow Cleansing Pill,' grind it into powder, and take one percent of the dose."

He dared not give Lin Wan'er too much at once, as her body was too weak to handle the nourishment. If the medicine was too strong, it would harm her instead.

The only way to treat it is through this gentle, subtle approach.

A slight warmth spread through his palm, and a tiny, almost invisible pinch of white powder appeared in his hand. Using the motion of pouring tea, Li Chengze flicked his finger, dissolving the powder into the teacup.

The powder dissolves instantly in water, and is colorless and odorless.

"Here, have some water to soothe your throat." Li Chengze handed the teacup to Lin Wan'er, his eyes gentle.

Lin Wan'er, unsuspecting, took the teacup and sipped it slowly.

The warm tea slid down my throat into my stomach. At first, I didn't feel anything special, but after a while, a strange warm current rose from my stomach and slowly spread to my limbs and bones.

Wherever that warm current passed, the body, which had been heavy with exhaustion, seemed to become much lighter, and the suffocating feeling that had been weighing on the chest for years miraculously dissipated.

"This tea..." Lin Wan'er looked up in surprise, a healthy blush appearing on her pale cheeks. "Drink it..." I feel warm all over and don't want to cough anymore.

Li Chengze watched her face gradually regain its vitality, nodding inwardly, but feigning mystery as he smiled and said, "This is my cousin's secret health-preserving tea, specially formulated to cure all kinds of unhappiness and physical weakness. How about it, is it better than those bitter herbal decoctions prescribed by the imperial physician?"

"Mmm!" Lin Wan'er nodded vigorously, feeling as if she had come back to life. She looked at Li Chengze, her eyes sparkling with emotion, "Second cousin, you're so kind."

"Silly girl."

Li Chengze reached out and rubbed her head.