Don't Raise A Black Lotus Flower; Use The Emperor As A Substitute [Transmigration novel] - Chapter 16

“Of course it is true; Your Highness is the most impressive of all.” Lin Ruoxuan continued his flattery while secretly feeling amused. It was rare to see the little black lotus acting so bashful, and he finally looked like a child.

“It is true.” Ji Ruxue repeated softly, his eyelashes fluttering lightly.

Lin Ruoxuan looked down at those fluttering lashes and the snow-white ears, which were now tinged with a faint pink. He had an urge to pinch the boy’s cheeks or ruffle his hair, but he held back. The black lotus was extremely sensitive to physical contact; he was to be admired from afar, not touched.

While the crowd continued to sing his praises, Lin Ruoxuan laughed. “Listen, everyone is complimenting you.”

“Oh.” This time, Ji Ruxue’s expression was indifferent, quite unlike the surprise and shyness he had shown when Lin Ruoxuan had praised him earlier.

I suppose, Lin Ruoxuan thought, when you hear flattery too often, you eventually become numb to it.

Not far away, Ji Ruyuan stared fixedly at the two of them. The words of the crowd, especially the comment about Ji Ruxue splitting the Crown Prince’s arrow, felt like the fangs of a poisonous snake tearing at his heart.

The bystanders continued their chatter: “If the Fourth Prince practices for a few more years, his archery will surely reach divine levels! Indeed, to have such skill at this age, the future is unimaginable! It is easy to hit the bullseye, but splitting an arrow in two is truly difficult!”

Ji Ruyuan was narrow-minded and prided himself on his archery. Feeling humiliated, his complexion cycled from pale to red, then to blue, and finally black. Unable to contain his anger, he kicked his attendant. “You are annoying! Get out of the way!”

The attendant lost his footing and stumbled forward, falling right in front of the Tibetan Mastiff, Black General, which Ji Ruyuan was holding. In the blink of an eye, the calf-sized mastiff opened its bloody maw and bit down hard on the attendant’s neck.

The attendant convulsed and let out a piercing scream. “Aaaah!”

Ji Ruyuan froze, instinctively jerking the leash. The mastiff, feeling pain, was forced to release its grip. Saliva dripped from its jaws, its eyes were bloodshot, and a low, guttural growl emanated from its throat.

Ji Ruyuan grew irritated. “What is wrong with this dog?”

Lu Heng, the Crown Prince’s study companion, was terrified. He swallowed hard. “Could it be mad? But it still seems to obey Your Highness, so maybe it is not completely mad?”

“Mad? Surely not. Forget it, someone come…” Ji Ruyuan frowned, ready to call for the mastiff to be dragged away, but he stopped.

He looked very slowly toward Ji Ruxue. The boy sat in his wheelchair, unable to move quickly. If he were bitten by a mad dog, it would not be his fault.

The corners of Ji Ruyuan’s mouth curled up. He loosened the leash slightly and whispered, “Black General, go!”

The mastiff fixed its bloodshot eyes on Ji Ruxue, let out a thunderous roar, and lunged toward him.

“What is happening?”

“The dog has gone mad!”

Everything happened so suddenly that everyone was stunned. Several guards drew their swords to intervene, but the mastiff was like a demon, possessing immense strength and thrashing wildly; they could not stop it.

“Beast!” Xue Jin pulled the reins, galloping his horse over to block the mad dog.

Just as the horse and dog were about to collide, the mad dog let out a furious howl that sounded less like a bark and more like a wolf’s cry. Startled, the horse veered sharply toward Ji Ruxue and Lin Ruoxuan.

Xue Jin lost control of the horse. His face turned pale with fright. “Fourth Prince, Superintendent Lin, move aside!”

Lin Ruoxuan was terrified. He tried to push the wheelchair out of the way, but it was too late. Without blinking, Ji Ruxue drew his bow and fired an arrow directly into the horse’s front hoof.

The horse let out a long, pained whinny, but it still tumbled forward, threatening to crush both of them. At that critical moment, Lin Ruoxuan used all his strength to shove the wheelchair. Both of them and the chair tumbled to the side.

At the same time, the horse collapsed with a heavy thud, stirring up a massive cloud of dust.

“Your Highness, are you…” Before Lin Ruoxuan could finish, the mad dog, eyes still burning red, turned and lunged again.

Lin Ruoxuan’s mind went blank. He had only one thought: he must not let the dog bite Ji Ruxue. He rolled over and threw himself on top of Ji Ruxue.

He had barely shielded the boy when he felt a heavy weight on his back. The massive beast was upon them, and he could feel the hot, ragged breathing of the animal against his neck.

“Beast, get off!” Ji Ruxue roared, but the mastiff seemed completely lost to madness, lowering its head to tear at Lin Ruoxuan.

In the extreme chaos, Ji Ruxue lunged forward, grabbing the dog’s slobbering jaws. With his other hand, he fumbled on the ground until he felt a white-feathered arrow.

He raised his hand and plunged the arrow deep into the dog’s eye.

Awooo!

Lin Ruoxuan heard a howl like a wolf, and then the weight on his back lightened as the dog collapsed. But Ji Ruxue would not stop. He threw himself onto the dog, gripping its jaws with his left hand and repeatedly stabbing the arrow into the dog’s skull with his right.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

In moments, the dog’s head was a mangled mess. Ji Ruxue’s expression was ferocious; his snow-white face was distorted, covered in blood and dust. He looked like a vengeful ghost, yet he continued to plunge the arrow into the mangled flesh. Eventually, the arrowhead snapped off, leaving him with only the shaft, which he continued to drive into the creature.

The practice field was silent. The crowd shifted from horror to stunned disbelief.

Lin Ruoxuan lay on the ground, staring blankly at Ji Ruxue. His throat felt dry. After a long time, he tugged gently on the boy’s sleeve. “Your Highness, it is dead.”

Ji Ruxue’s body shuddered. Hearing Lin Ruoxuan’s voice, he finally stopped. He turned his head very slowly and stared blankly at Lin Ruoxuan. His lips twitched, and his entire face was covered in the dog’s blood and brain matter, his expression dazed.

Lin Ruoxuan’s heart ached. He scrambled up and pulled the boy into his arms, consoling him. “It is all right, it is all right. The mad dog is dead.”

After a long while, Ji Ruxue finally came to his senses and murmured, “Dead?”

Lin Ruoxuan said softly, “Yes, dead. Your Highness was very brave. You did well.”

“Mm.” Ji Ruxue closed his eyes, his gaze finally clearing.

Both of them were utterly exhausted, huddled together on the ground. Ji Ruxue remembered something and looked toward the wheelchair, which was now a wreck. He bit his lip. “The wheelchair you made is broken.”

Before Lin Ruoxuan could reply, he noticed something and gasped. “Your Highness, your hand… were you bitten by the mad dog?”

“Oh, I suppose so.”

Ji Ruxue held up his left hand, revealing several bloody, jagged bite marks. Lin Ruoxuan stared at those hideous wounds, his brain reeling. The dog could have rabies!

Ji Ruxue looked down nonchalantly. “I was bitten while prying open its mouth. It is just a minor wound. It does not matter.”

A minor wound? This is rabies! There is no vaccine in this era!

Lin Ruoxuan panicked. Desperately recalling clinical procedures for dog bites, he roared at the bewildered crowd, “Get water! As much as you can! Do you have soap? No, wait—do you have soapberry? And strong liquor! Quick! Bring it all here!”

Lin Ruoxuan was disheveled and incoherent. The guards exchanged confused glances, unsure whether to obey.

“Hurry!” Lin Ruoxuan yelled.

Xue Jin scrambled up from the sidelines, hesitated, and then ordered, “Two of you, get everything the Superintendent needs!”

Two guards scrambled off to fetch the supplies.

Lin Ruoxuan gasped for air, digging his fingernails into his palms to force himself to stay calm. Yes, treatment for rabies is crucial. If treated properly and with a strong immune system, he might survive.

Ji Ruxue frowned. “It is a minor wound. Just bandage it.”

As he spoke, he tore a strip of cloth from his hem, trying to wrap up his wounded left hand.

“Do not bandage it!” Lin Ruoxuan yelled, ripping the cloth away. Rabies virus is anaerobic; the wound must be left open. He realized he could also try to suck out some of the poisoned blood.

Ji Ruxue stared at him in confusion.

Lin Ruoxuan had no time to explain. Taking a deep breath, he checked his own mouth for any sores or ulcers—all clear—then grabbed Ji Ruxue’s wrist and began to suck the blood from the wound.

Ptooey! Ptooey! He sucked and spat, his hands trembling violently with anxiety.

Ji Ruxue watched him in bewilderment, not understanding why he was so frantic.

After sucking out a dozen mouthfuls of blood, Lin Ruoxuan finally stopped. Before Ji Ruxue could speak, the guards returned with a bucket of water and a pile of supplies. “Superintendent, here are the soapberry, water, and strong liquor you requested.”

Ji Ruxue said softly, “What is the matter with you? It is just a small wound; you do not need to be so nervous…”

“Your Highness, do not move. I am going to wash the wound.” Lin Ruoxuan cut him off.

Ji Ruxue hesitated but remained still.

Lin Ruoxuan used a ladle to rinse the wounds on Ji Ruxue’s hand thoroughly. After over a dozen ladles, the wounds turned pale. He then used the soapberry to lather the area. Soapberry, like soap, is a mild detergent that can help neutralize viral proteins.

He washed the hand for so long his fingers became pruned, using up the entire pile of soapberry. He finally stopped, feeling completely drained, his back drenched in cold sweat.

Ji Ruxue whispered, “It is fine.”

“Shut up! You do not know anything!” Lin Ruoxuan roared.

Lin Ruoxuan had never lost his temper in all this time. Ji Ruxue was stunned by the outburst. Lin Ruoxuan grabbed the bottle of strong liquor and poured the entire contents over the wound.

“Hiss…” Ji Ruxue gasped in pain.

After emptying the bottle, Lin Ruoxuan slumped to the ground, staring at the raw, pale wounds he had scrubbed to an extreme degree. He was exhausted and terrified. The dog likely had rabies. Rabies is one hundred percent fatal, and the process is incredibly painful. There is no vaccine in this era. Even with his best efforts, Ji Ruxue has a high chance of…

The thought made his heart constrict, leaving him unable to breathe. He was an orphan in his past life with no family, but at some point, he had begun to view this pathetic, awkward, and scheming child as his own younger brother.