Before long, the stern expression on the child’s face relaxed again. He covered his mouth with one little hand and giggled, his delicate face rosy white like a large apple, making Mu Xueshi want to lean over and take a bite. Mu Xueshi had never realized how much he liked children before, probably because he had never seen one this beautiful. Although the child’s clothing showed that he was a boy, even girls this lovely and fresh-looking were rare.
Mu Xueshi stared fixedly at the child, thinking that he would surely grow into a dazzlingly handsome man someday. Who would have thought this place could produce so many handsome men? Moreover, Mu Xueshi had yet to see a single woman since arriving. Could there be an imbalance between the number of men and women here as well?
If there truly were far more men than women, then living in a place like this meant he might never find a wife even if he stayed until the day he died! It would be better to leave as soon as possible. Although he had also been an ugly man in modern times, at least there were still women like Sister Feng waiting for someone like him. If he wasted his youth here and ended up with the reputation of an elderly virgin, merely imagining it was miserable…
While Mu Xueshi was still wallowing in self-pity, the child suddenly reached toward his face again. Mu Xueshi was startled, but he could not move in the slightest and could only watch as the child’s hand approached his eyes.
“What are you doing, little guy…?” Mu Xueshi asked with an awkward smile.
The child gave Mu Xueshi a sweet smile in return. Then he raised one chubby hand to his lips and made a “shh” sound. After glancing cautiously around the room, he whispered mysteriously to Mu Xueshi, “Third Imperial Uncle… shh… must be quiet.”
Third Imperial Uncle? Mu Xueshi was still pondering this when the child’s finger unexpectedly touched his eyeball. He hurriedly squeezed his eyes shut. Yet the instant he closed them, loud wailing erupted beside his ear. Startled, Mu Xueshi quickly opened his eyes to look.
The moment Mu Xueshi opened his eyes, the child stopped crying abruptly. His little body lunged forward, and one small hand firmly held Mu Xueshi’s face in place. He then extended another finger and launched an attack toward Mu Xueshi’s eye.
Mu Xueshi did not react at first, and by the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late. The child’s finger jabbed his eyeball hard, making him cry out in pain. He immediately shut his eyes again and no longer dared open them.
Broken sobs sounded beside his ear once more. Tear tracks covered the child’s face, making him look unbearably pitiful. As he cried, he mumbled indistinctly, “Boohoo… magic… pretty… bead… bead…”
Mu Xueshi was firmly determined not to open his eyes. No matter how adorable or pitiful the child was, he would not gamble with his eyesight. The boy had probably mistaken his eyeballs for some sort of bead or gemstone. If that were truly the case, then the child’s vision was far worse than his own.
Keeping his eyes shut, Mu Xueshi threatened the child, “Stop crying. Cry again and I’ll castrate you…”
The child ignored his warning and continued wailing. Mu Xueshi immediately grew irritated. He enjoyed making noise to bother other people, but he could not stand anyone making noise beside his own ears. In an instant, all his fondness for the child disappeared.
“If you keep crying, the Third Prince will come. He hates noise. Make a single sound, and he’ll twist your head right off. Don’t think I’m lying—the Third Prince is a great demon! I am Master Youzai, sent down by the Jade Emperor himself to capture that ancient monster, the Third Prince… Hahaha…”
Mu Xueshi babbled the usual nonsense he used to fool children. Sure enough, before long, the crying beside his ear gradually weakened into aggrieved sniffles, then vanished completely…
Thinking his trick had worked, Mu Xueshi cautiously opened his eyes into narrow slits, his long eyelashes trembling gently. They soon began trembling more and more violently until his eyes abruptly flew wide open, revealing their brilliant radiance.
The child in the Third Prince’s arms saw Mu Xueshi open his eyes and immediately reached out to grab them again. However, the Third Prince held him firmly in place, leaving him unable to move. The moment the child saw the Third Prince’s expression, he became obedient at once, blinking with an aggrieved look on his face.
The Third Prince, meanwhile, remained perfectly still as he stared at Mu Xueshi, silently savoring every word Mu Xueshi had just said.
Futile Devices Scans 
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