Lin Kong: "Then stop dawdling, hurry up and eat. Once you’re full, we can hit the road."

"Okay!"

The Fourth Prince frowned, eating a few more leaves. The bitterness knitted his brows together, and his stomach churned, caught in that awful place where he wanted to vomit but couldn’t. He forced himself to resist the urge to heave and pitifully said to Lin Kong, "Master, we’re near the forest. We can go hunting instead of eating these bitter leaves. These aren’t meant for eating; even animals wouldn’t touch them."

The forest was teeming with prey—rabbits and wild beasts everywhere. The Fourth Prince couldn’t understand why his master insisted he eat leaves. Wasn’t this just a blatant attempt to make things harder for him?

Lin Kong, in a foul mood, replied, "Besides the loads of Government Soldiers searching for us, there are also no small number of Imperial Experts. If you don’t want to die, then go ahead."

The Fourth Prince murmured under his breath, "How could there be anyone in the forest?"

Lin Kong glared at him and said, "Fourth Prince, are you planning to stay here forever?"

The Fourth Prince ate a few more leaves, his mouth filled with bitterness. His stomach was both hungry and acidic, making him feel worse. Miserably, he said, "No, Master! I’m just too hungry. I haven’t had anything to eat for an entire day and night. I just want a full meal before we go." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Lin Kong: "You’re so spoiled. I haven’t eaten anything either."

The Fourth Prince put on a long face and said, "Master, I feel terrible."

Lin Kong: "No way. If we go into the forest, it’ll delay us even further. We need to get out of here quickly."

The Fourth Prince pitifully asked again, "Master, where exactly are we going?"

Lin Kong: "To Wei Country."

The Fourth Prince was taken aback, thinking he must have heard wrong: "What? Master, where did you say we’re going?"

Wei Country was a mortal enemy of Moli Country. A few years ago, they even invaded Moli, only to be driven back by Long Rui’s forces. The past couple of years had been relatively peaceful.

Why was Master taking them to Wei Country?

The Fourth Prince: "Master, Wei Country is our Moli Country’s mortal enemy. Isn’t running there inappropriate?"

Even though the Emperor had expelled him from the royal family, he still saw himself as a Prince deep down—it’s a fact. Even as the Emperor cast him out, he still bore the emperor’s blood. As the saying goes, flesh cannot be separated from skin; the bloodline between father and son cannot be severed.

Lin Kong’s tone suddenly turned cold: "The Emperor wants to kill you. What choice do we have? I’m looking out for you. If you stay in Moli Country, you’ll end up dead, don’t you understand?"

The Fourth Prince lowered his head. Of course, he understood, because of his Evil Cultivation that had caused chaos in Moli Country, stirring unrest among the populace. His imperial father was already seething with anger; otherwise, based on what he knew of his imperial father, he would never go so far as to kill him. His imperial father had no other choice.

Lin Kong plucked a few more handfuls of leaves and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing vigorously. He stood up and walked outside to the courtyard, where there was a well. He drew up some water with a bucket and took a few large gulps, patting his full stomach with satisfaction. "The leaves may not taste good, but they’re better than nothing."

Then he turned his head to glance at the Fourth Prince and said, "Disciple, I advise you to eat something too. Otherwise, when it’s time to hit the road, you won’t be able to walk."

As long as the journey remains uneventful, it will be alright—but if they encounter the Government Soldiers or the Imperial Experts sent by the Emperor, they wouldn’t need to fight; they’d be captured in no time.

The Fourth Prince had been hungry for a whole day and night. His legs felt weak, and he knew if he didn’t eat, he definitely wouldn’t be able to travel by night. So, he forced down his nausea and stuffed a few handfuls of leaves into his mouth. Closing his eyes, he chewed with difficulty, then quickly ran over to Lin Kong, grabbed the water scoop, drew a big scoop, and gulped it down.