Chapter Five: The Scapegoat Princess Sentenced to Death (5)

"This guy is truly disgusting. Letting him die just like that would be letting him off far too easily, but the thought of helping him detoxify just to prolong his suffering makes my skin crawl."

Ding Shui was, at this moment, genuinely irritated. The reality of the situation was laid bare before her: ending the life of Prince Lu, Zhu Qin, would be effortless. Even if she did nothing, he would eventually destroy himself. But to let him die so cheaply—not to mention the original owner of this body, who died under a false accusation—was a bitterness Ding Shui could not swallow.

Furthermore, the original owner had a subconscious fear that the common people would take Emperor Tianwu’s words as truth, believing she was the true culprit and tarnishing her reputation even in death. Thus, bringing the truth to light was, for the original owner, of vital importance. Killing Prince Lu could wait; clearing the original owner's name was the priority.

With that in mind, despite her annoyance, Ding Shui decided to extend his life. His condition was abysmal; if he were to consume a few more of the Primordial Red Sun Pills sitting in the box before him, he would likely bleed from all seven orifices and drop dead on the spot, beyond any hope of rescue.

However, she would not let him off that easily. The next second, she made contact with him using her soul and activated the "Super Synthesis System," selecting the heavy metal toxins within his body and his skin as the targets for synthesis.

She clicked "Synthesize."

In truth, Ding Shui had no idea what the final result would be, but she estimated it likely wouldn't be fatal. If he did die, he could count it as his luck—and her misfortune.

A moment later, a negligible sliver of energy—likely down to several decimal places—vanished from the system’s energy bar. Simultaneously, the heavy metal toxins within Zhu Qin’s body surged outward, rushing toward his skin.

Zhu Qin himself instantly began rolling on the floor, howling in agony as if his body were being devoured by ten thousand ants. In the process, he accidentally bit his tongue and lips, shedding a significant amount of dark red blood.

This was to be expected. The synthesis system was not a surgical procedure involving anesthesia; it was a forced extraction. Those heavy metal toxins were being ripped out from his bone marrow, blood, and organs at high speed and in great volume. Naturally, it would feel like being consumed by ants. It was only because he had consumed so many chaotic pills that his sensory nerves were less acute than a normal person’s; otherwise, the pain would have been even more unbearable.

He was in such excruciating pain that he bit through his tongue.

Had Zhu Qin been merely smashing furniture or screaming in rage, the maids and eunuchs waiting outside would have ignored him, knowing that entering only to be beaten or killed by an enraged prince would be a futile death, earning their families a meager pittance in compensation. But now that he was wailing in agony, they could not ignore it. If something happened to him, they would face dire consequences—flogging at best, or being forced to follow him into the grave at worst.

They rushed to push open the hall doors, hurrying in to see what had transpired. One observant eunuch caught a glimpse of Zhu Qin rolling on the floor and immediately ran to fetch the royal physician. The others, paralyzed, watched as blue, purple, and black spots began to bloom across Zhu Qin’s face and exposed arms, his wails growing louder.

He began to claw at his skin. Where the spots appeared, he scratched until he tore off his clothes, finding that while being undressed was undignified, it allowed him to reach the areas he couldn't get to before. The more he scratched, the itchier it became. Soon, he had torn his own flesh and drawn blood. The eunuchs finally moved to restrain him.

They dared not let him continue. If he scratched himself to death, they would all be buried with him. They gathered their courage, pinning Prince Lu down to keep him still, while one clever servant stuffed a cloth into his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue again.

"Go, fetch Physician Wang!"
"Xiao Zhuzi already went!"
"What has happened to His Highness?"

The more superstitious among them, seeing the Prince’s current state, felt in their hearts that this was divine retribution—perhaps he was being haunted by a vengeful spirit. But even if they thought it, they dared not speak, settling for a heavy silence. Finally, someone managed to stammer, "Perhaps... he has fallen ill."

Meanwhile, Ding Shui’s Super Synthesis System displayed the success of the operation. The two components had synthesized into:

【Heavy Metal Distorted Skin】

There was a note attached:
【Note: This skin has suffered severe heavy metal contamination. Certain cells have mutated, and the basic functions of the skin are impaired by over thirty percent, carrying a high risk of carcinogenesis. The skin’s barrier function is compromised; loss of moisture, nutrients, and electrolytes is accelerated; absorption capacity is weakened; sensory functions are unbalanced; perspiration and thermoregulation are impaired; metabolic and immune functions are diminished, making the subject highly susceptible to illness.】

"Uh... it doesn't seem much different from before," Ding Shui thought. "Still looks like he could die at any moment. A common cold might be enough to take him out. It’s just more painful now. But with a physician watching over him, he should be fine."

"Forget it, I’ll stop tormenting him for now. If I accidentally kill him, it would be a wasted opportunity for this beast."

Since there was nothing else to do, Ding Shui found a comfortable spot to lie down and watch the show. What would happen when the physician arrived?

Less than half an incense stick of time later, Physician Wang hurried in, his expression one of shock the moment he saw Zhu Qin. What kind of creature was this, covered from head to toe in blue, purple, and black blotches?

"This... is this His Highness the Prince of Lu?"

Physician Wang’s voice trembled. He had never seen or heard of such a case. It looked hopeless, and he feared for his own life if he failed to cure him.

"Yes, Physician Wang!" Huaide replied immediately.

The Prince’s original personal attendant had been executed by Emperor Tianwu for failing to advise the Prince properly. Huaide was now the Chief Eunuch of the Prince’s estate, appointed by the Emperor to oversee the Prince’s affairs and supervise his confinement. Emperor Tianwu knew his son was a worthless wretch, but he couldn't bring himself to kill him, nor did he want the scandal to ruin the royal family's reputation. If anything else happened, he would struggle to find a third person to take the fall for his son.

After confirming it was indeed the Prince, Physician Wang hurriedly stepped forward, pulled the cloth from Zhu Qin’s mouth, and lifted the eyelids of the unconscious man. Confirming he was still breathing, he began, with the utmost caution, to take his pulse.