Mu Xueshi had only spoken those words as a casual excuse, yet the Third Prince’s expression actually grew solemn. The sight made Mu Xueshi suddenly nervous. He stood beside him, sneaking glances at the prince from time to time, then lowering his eyes to study the floor again—yet no matter how he looked, he could not see anything unusual.
After a long silence, the Third Prince finally spoke.
“That is not what I told you to look for.”
“Then… what is it?” Mu Xueshi asked cautiously.
The Third Prince replied coldly, “If you cannot see it, then tonight you will not return to the palace. You may remain here in the main hall for the entire night.”
Mu Xueshi’s face instantly changed.
He hurried closer, pleading pitifully. “Xi, this man might be my father, but I’ve lost my memory! What if my father’s spirit comes back tonight to look for me? What if I don’t recognize him and he gets angry and drags me away?”
“Then discover what I hinted at before nightfall.”
Mu Xueshi’s face crumpled miserably, as though attending a funeral. He looked down at the floor several more times. Aside from thinking the flooring material seemed rather fine, he could see nothing at all.
Besides, it had already been over a month. Searching for evidence at the crime scene now—wasn’t that simply too much to ask?
Abandoning his soft approach, Mu Xueshi changed tactics. He glared at the Third Prince, scrunching his face and pulling one ridiculous expression after another.
When the prince remained unmoved, Mu Xueshi resorted to an old trick from his school days—he began imitating a gorilla, pacing back and forth around the hall.
What he failed to realize was that with his current delicate appearance and slender figure, such antics did not appear comical at all. Instead, they made him look utterly adorable.
Before long Mu Xueshi was panting with exhaustion. While clowning about, he also tried to distract the prince, hoping he might show mercy. He even repeated a series of moral platitudes once drilled into him by his teachers—things about how every skill required gradual progress, how insight developed step by step, and how if the prince guided him once, he would surely know where to start next time.
Unfortunately for him, the person he faced was the Third Prince.
No petty trick could sway him.
The more lively Mu Xueshi became, the calmer the prince appeared. Eventually the Third Prince simply sat down upon a round stool beside the altar table, leisurely sipping tea.
“Hmph… cold-blooded creature…” Mu Xueshi muttered.
Suddenly his eyes lit up.
He turned toward the prince with a mischievous grin.
The Third Prince met his gaze calmly. He had no interest in guessing what wicked scheme lay behind that smile; rather, he found the endless changes in Mu Xueshi’s expressions strangely fascinating.
“Heh heh… looks like I’ll have to use my ultimate move.”
Shaking his head with smug confidence, Mu Xueshi approached.
Then, quite simply, he wrapped his arms around the Third Prince and pressed his face against the man’s chest.
The Third Prince froze.
Mu Xueshi’s body felt warm and soft against him, and a faint fragrance drifted up to his senses. The feeling was unexpectedly comfortable—almost soothing.
Though physical contact with others was not unfamiliar to him, that peculiar sense of closeness… it seemed only Mu Xueshi could evoke it.
In the end, Mu Xueshi won.
The Third Prince relented and spared him.
Seeing his ultimate move had worked, Mu Xueshi quickly dragged over a stool and sat down obediently, listening with utmost seriousness as the Third Prince spoke.
“The floor within the room is of a lighter color,” the prince said calmly. “But the burned area in the center is slightly darker. That much is clearly visible.”
Mu Xueshi immediately protested.
“I thought it was just different flooring! That small section happens to be darker in the middle. If anything, blame the fire for burning so neatly…”
“That is precisely the problem,” the Third Prince said.
Mu Xueshi fell silent and began thinking seriously. He looked again toward the charred portion of the floor.
Indeed—it formed an oval shape.
Not a single chaotic mark surrounded it.
Under normal circumstances, when something burned, scattered traces would always remain nearby. And if it had been a person… surely there would have been struggle.
Seeing the change in Mu Xueshi’s eyes, the Third Prince knew he had understood.
“What does the shape resemble?” he asked.
Cold sweat began forming on Mu Xueshi’s back.
He slowly lifted his head.
“It looks… like a person,” he said quietly. “If you hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have noticed. The length and width are almost exactly the same as a human body.”
The more he spoke, the less he dared look down.
It felt as though if he stared at that shadow on the floor for too long, a face might suddenly emerge—bloody eyes glaring straight at him.
The Third Prince’s voice softened.
“You said just now that the Grand Tutor accidentally burned himself to death. Now do you understand what I meant?”
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Futile Devices Scans 
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