Ruthis tipped his head back, half of one hand submerged in the seawater. His face was weary and weak, his brows tightly furrowed, and blue-black markings slowly spread over his neck.
The sight terrified Nan Jiaxi. He wanted to reach out and brush away the insects crawling over His Highness's chest, but he knew he could not.
He could only watch helplessly as more and more insects crawled onto him, until they covered that entire expanse of pale chest.
"If you don't keep paddling, they'll catch up."
At His Highness's words, Nan Jiaxi's lips trembled. In the end, he gripped the paddle again, averted his eyes from that horrific sight, and paddled forward with all his strength.
Shen Yangge watched them escape right under his nose, his clenched fists cracking.
The child hiding behind him did not dare make a sound. He felt that coming out now would do him no good, so he hid in the wooden hut, trembling.
Only after a long while did the child slowly emerge from the hut and walk up behind Shen Yangge. He reached out a grubby little hand and tugged at Shen Yangge's sleeve.
The tug brought Shen Yangge back to his senses. He lowered his eyes, and the child tilted up his dirty little face and smiled at him.
"My lord, may I stay by your side?"
Though the child understood little, he knew this lord was powerful and extraordinary, because two pairs of large golden horns grew from his head.
The lord was handsome. He could not possibly be a monster.
"Please, will you let me?"
The child was a homeless orphan from this place. Without the flood and earthquake, he could have survived by begging on the streets or scavenging for food every day. But now that such