He leaped down from the left side of the carriage.
The crowd erupted, growing even more chaotic.
The Eighth Prince and the guards assigned to protect Shen Yangge stood stunned for quite some time. Only after Little Dragon had vanished completely before their eyes did the Eighth Prince react. He ordered the guards to bring the crowd under control and went after the dragon himself.
Even as he chased, he wondered, Did someone who threatened the dragon child appear? Is that why he was so desperate to slip away?
But why didn't he turn straight into his dragon form?
In that brief span, the Eighth Prince considered countless possibilities. Perhaps it was that distraction that allowed the dragon child to truly disappear right under his nose.
He searched for nearly half an incense stick's worth of time, yet still saw no sign of the figure he sought.
Cold sweat ran down the Eighth Prince's back.
I'm doomed. I'm doomed.
If anything happens to the dragon child on my watch, I'll have failed not only Great Chu and its people, but my imperial brother as well!
A chill crept down his spine.
The Eighth Prince's usual carefree expression, that of a wastrel concerned only with eating, drinking, and enjoying himself, vanished. His face darkened as he cast a meaningful glance at the death sworn guards protecting him from the shadows.
They nodded and headed off in different directions.
The commoners had only just managed to calm down when they suddenly noticed that the dragon child inside the carriage had vanished. They panicked at once. Had he seen how foolishly they were behaving and decided not to stay in Great Chu?
Fortunately, the Eighth Prince steadied the situation. "The dragon child had urgent matters to attend to, so he returned to his