Mu Xueshi stood alone in an open field, holding a wooden stick and idly swinging it around.
Just moments ago Su Ruhan had said he would teach him martial arts—but now he had vanished without a trace.
Truly, those who possessed martial arts had it good. They could disappear whenever they pleased.
In the future, whenever the Third Prince punished him, he could simply escape without anyone noticing.
The moment the Third Prince came to mind, Mu Xueshi’s stick slowly stopped moving.
He crouched down and sat on a patch of clean grass, absent-mindedly plucking at weeds between his fingers as he recalled the events of the previous night.
He did not know how he had fallen asleep yesterday.
He vaguely remembered dreaming of a beautiful fairy maiden… who later turned into the Third Prince, still lying beside him.
By now Mu Xueshi could no longer tell whether it had been a dream or reality.
The sensation in his hands had felt real.
Even now, the familiar scent of the Third Prince lingered faintly in his memory.
Perhaps it was merely psychological—but after waking, all the discomfort in his body had disappeared. His energy had returned completely.
Unlike the past few days, when he had been weak and plagued by strange hallucinations.
Just as Mu Xueshi was lost in thought, a figure suddenly appeared before him.
When he lifted his head, the person’s face was already so close that their noses nearly touched.
Mu Xueshi recognized him instantly.
Overjoyed, he reached out and grabbed the Third Prince’s cheeks with both hands.
“Xi! You’re not angry with me anymore, right?”
Before he could say more, his throat suddenly tightened.
The Third Prince’s face grew farther and farther away as the hand gripping Mu Xueshi’s neck tightened.
Mu Xueshi’s eyes widened.
His vision blurred.
At last, his hands slipped weakly from the Third Prince’s face.
Just as he felt he was about to suffocate to death, the grip suddenly loosened.
The Third Prince’s face slowly came back into focus.
Watching Mu Xueshi’s flushed face struggle for breath, the Third Prince felt a strange sense of satisfaction he had never experienced before.
Mu Xueshi gasped desperately for air before asking shakily,
“Were you trying to kill me?”
The Third Prince said nothing.
Instead, he calmly sat down beside him.
It had been a long time since Mu Xueshi had been this close to him.
Although the Third Prince had not answered his question, Mu Xueshi believed he was merely still angry—not truly intent on killing him.
A flood of emotions welled up inside him.
The blade of grass in his hands was shredded into a miserable state.
“In truth… I only didn’t want an innocent child to die. He did nothing wrong, and I couldn’t bear it.”
“And besides, I knew that even if I gave the antidote to Su Ying, you would give me another.”
“I just didn’t expect the Second Prince to actually harm you. If I had known… I might not have interfered with Su Ying at all…”
Mu Xueshi rambled on and on.
The Third Prince listened quietly.
In the past he could not tolerate even the slightest noise. The total sound he had heard since childhood was perhaps less than what he had endured during these past two weeks.
Yet now he had grown accustomed to Mu Xueshi’s chatter—those strange, trivial words whispered endlessly in his ear.
After Mu Xueshi talked himself hoarse, the Third Prince finally spoke a single sentence.
“Ning Yue is dead.”
Mu Xueshi froze.
His cheeks reddened slightly, though he looked anything but sorrowful.
His large eyes darted about, trying to avoid the Third Prince’s gaze—but failing to do so.
Finally he chuckled awkwardly.
“Who’s Ning Yue?”
The Third Prince’s brow twitched slightly, but he answered patiently,
“Your former personal guard.”
“Oh.”
Mu Xueshi nodded thoughtfully before sighing dramatically.
“How tragic… gone just like that. Although he wasn’t nearly as important to me as the Third Prince, I’m still somewhat sad.”
The Third Prince remained unmoved by this heartfelt declaration.
Instead he said calmly,
“With Ning Yue dead, you now have another use to me. Why would I kill you?”
“Another use?” Mu Xueshi asked.
His bright mood dimmed instantly.
He had believed the Third Prince spared him out of affection.
So it was merely because he had become useful.
But the Third Prince abruptly changed the subject, asking coldly,
“Why is Ning Yue inferior to me?”
Mu Xueshi answered gloomily,
“Because I don’t remember him.”
The Third Prince was silent for a long time.
Then he spoke with unusual seriousness.
“Even so, you must eventually remember everything.”
“Especially the matters concerning you and me—”
“And the death of Grand Tutor Mu.”
“Otherwise…”
“You will have no value at all.”
Futile Devices Scans 
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