The Third Prince had clearly noticed the shadow as well. Yet the moment it vanished, his gaze returned to Mu Xueshi’s face.
Mu Xueshi’s delicate brows were knitted together as he seemed lost in thought. Only when he realized the Third Prince was waiting did he react. Like a child seeking help, he stretched out both arms, asking to be pulled up onto the horse.
Originally, Mu Xueshi had only intended for the Third Prince to give him a simple tug. To his surprise, the prince dismounted instead, lifted him in his arms, and sprang lightly back onto the horse. Before Mu Xueshi could even process what had happened, the horse had already begun to gallop.
Every movement the Third Prince made seemed graceful and dignified. Even Mu Xueshi, a man himself, could not help being captivated by him—let alone the women of the world. Yet when Mu Xueshi imagined the prince one day surrounded by countless beauties, all competing for his favor, a strange bitterness stirred in his heart.
Although the Third Prince kept his eyes forward, he had observed every subtle change in Mu Xueshi’s expression. When Mu Xueshi had climbed onto the horse, he had been smiling brightly. Now he seemed inexplicably dejected. The prince suspected the reason, yet could not be entirely certain.
Suddenly Mu Xueshi’s expression changed.
He grabbed the Third Prince’s arms tightly and shouted,
“Quick! Turn around—we need to go back to the Grand Tutor’s manor!”
“Why?” the Third Prince asked, frowning.
“I forgot my big bird there.”
The Third Prince’s brief concern instantly faded.
He had assumed Mu Xueshi had discovered some clue, or grown suspicious of something important. Instead, it turned out to be such a trivial matter.
The “big bird” Mu Xueshi spoke of was the one he had shot earlier with his bow. When he dismounted, he had cradled it like a prized treasure. Later, Steward Wang had noticed the bird and volunteered to keep it for him.
Seeing the Third Prince make no move to turn back, Mu Xueshi began to protest loudly.
“Let’s just go back once! What if they cook it before I get it back? It’s the first thing I’ve ever shot with a bow. If I keep it, I’ll always remember how accomplished I felt…”
The Third Prince remained cold and silent, clearly uninterested.
Realizing persuasion would not work, Mu Xueshi abruptly buried himself into the prince’s chest, using what he proudly called his “ultimate technique.”
The horse let out a sharp whinny and abruptly halted before spinning around and racing back toward the Grand Tutor’s manor.
Mu Xueshi wore a triumphant expression. He tried his best to conceal it, worried the Third Prince might notice his little scheme and render the trick useless in the future.
Yet what pleased him even more was something else entirely.
The Third Prince seemed to enjoy being close to him.
In Mu Xueshi’s memories, aside from Aunt Chen, almost no one had ever been willing to approach him so willingly.
By the time they returned, the moon had already climbed above the treetops and the manor gates were tightly shut.
Unwilling to waste time, the Third Prince slipped silently into the side chambers and soon located the bird Mu Xueshi had shot.
Just as he was about to leave, his gaze paused upon a set of clothing placed in the corner of the room.
They were the garments Mu Xueshi had worn before being imprisoned.
Mu Xueshi had always lived in this small chamber. It was so simple it could hardly be simpler—only a bed, a folding chair, and a dark ink-colored screen stood within.
It was in this very room that the Third Prince had once ordered Mu Xueshi’s arrest.
He had even forced Mu Xueshi to strip before him and change into prison garments. At the time, Mu Xueshi had removed his clothes without expression and calmly put on the tattered attire.
Thinking back on that moment, the Third Prince realized the Mu Xueshi of the past had somehow become blurred in his memory.
The man before him now felt almost like an entirely different person.
Whether masked or bare-faced, the Third Prince found it impossible to connect the two.
After standing there for a moment, he picked up the clothes.
Then he left the chamber without a sound.
Futile Devices Scans 
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