A breeze rose in the courtyard.
Mu Xueshi shivered and rubbed his arms vigorously. His delicate face still carried the drowsy softness of someone half asleep, and he forced himself to stay alert. He had only been waiting here for the time it took to brew a cup of tea, yet he was already nodding off.
He could not sleep at night, yet during the day he still had to obey the Third Prince’s orders—training in martial arts with Su Ruhan and accompanying the prince to the Mu Manor to investigate the murderer.
Fortunately, both matters were things Mu Xueshi cared about. Not only could he clear the injustice suffered by the original owner of this body, he could also help the Third Prince find the person he so deeply hated.
Thinking of it this way, when the time finally came for him to leave this world, he would have no regrets.
Yet another realization soon followed.
Mu Xueshi knew absolutely nothing about solving crimes.
In his previous life he had enjoyed detective novels and mystery anime, but those had merely been for entertainment. As for how the characters carefully pieced together clues and unraveled the truth step by step, he had never truly paid attention.
With these thoughts weighing on him, Mu Xueshi began nodding off again. His small head dipped forward like a chick pecking at grain. His eyelids fluttered open and shut, and the world before him blurred.
Suddenly—
When his eyes opened once more, he saw several white flower petals sprouting from the soil.
He cried out in excitement.
The shout startled him awake.
Only then did he realize he was lying upon the Third Prince’s bed. The Third Prince himself lay beside him, sleeping quietly.
It took Mu Xueshi quite some time to understand what had happened.
Earlier, the Third Prince had pressed Mu Xueshi’s sleeping acupoint. No matter how he struggled, he could not resist the overwhelming drowsiness and had fallen asleep at once.
The Third Prince recalled the foolish way Mu Xueshi had crouched among the grass earlier, and the corner of his lips curved faintly.
Lowering his head, he brushed his lips against Mu Xueshi’s and gently sucked once before drawing him into his arms and drifting off to sleep.
When Mu Xueshi woke the next morning, the sky was already bright.
He feared the Third Prince might scold him. Yet when he looked over, the prince was sitting calmly on a nearby couch, his expression as cold and distant as ever.
Mu Xueshi remembered the prince had ordered him to wake early for martial training today. Judging by the height of the sun, it was already quite late. Surely the Third Prince must be angry.
He tried starting a conversation.
As usual, the Third Prince remained silent, giving no reply no matter what Mu Xueshi said.
Oddly enough, this made Mu Xueshi relax.
At that moment, three maidservants entered to help him wash and change.
“I can do it myself,” Mu Xueshi said politely, reaching for the jade basin in Qingya’s hands.
The next instant, all three maids dropped to their knees with a thud, terror written across their faces.
Qingyun even began to cry.
“This servant begs Young Master Xue to point out our faults. We will certainly correct them. We only ask that His Highness the Third Prince show mercy!”
The three girls knelt there miserably, awaiting judgment.
Mu Xueshi hurriedly tried to explain he had meant nothing by it, but seeing the situation in the room, he could only plead with the Third Prince to spare them and obediently allow the maids to serve him.
If not for the prince’s earlier warnings, Mu Xueshi would have gladly befriended the three girls and treated them as equals.
“This pastry is really good. You should try some…”
Mu Xueshi carefully broke a purple crystal cake in half and placed one portion onto the Third Prince’s plate, his expression nervous.
The Third Prince never touched it.
Though slightly disappointed, Mu Xueshi had already grown accustomed to such indifference.
Soon after, the Third Prince brought out two fine horses.
At once Mu Xueshi forgot all his earlier gloom. His bright eyes sparkled with excitement.
If this had been when he first arrived here, he would have jumped onto the horse without hesitation. But now he had learned a measure of restraint. With the Third Prince present, he waited obediently for the prince to speak first.
The Third Prince smoothed the horse’s mane and pointed to a light yellow stallion.
“This horse is named Leichi. From today onward, it belongs to you. You will ride it when accompanying me to the Mu Manor to investigate the case.”
Mu Xueshi was so excited he nearly burst—but he forced himself to remain calm.
“Then… does that mean I don’t have to practice martial arts today?” he asked cautiously.
The Third Prince frowned slightly but gave no answer.
Originally he had intended to wake Mu Xueshi early. Yet when he saw the peaceful look on the boy’s sleeping face, he found himself unwilling to disturb him, and allowed him to sleep until nearly noon.
Futile Devices Scans 
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