Li Gui seemed quite fond of Mu Xueshi. She led him into a small side chamber and looked at him with a bright smile.
“Go ahead and speak,” she said warmly. “I’ve heard that you saved Wu Cai, so that makes you my younger brother as well. Besides, I happen to have a younger brother of my own. He’s about your age—and even resembles you a little.”
Hearing this, Mu Xueshi relaxed somewhat. Then curiosity lit his face.
“He looks a bit like me?”
Li Gui clapped her hands, summoning two maids. She instructed them to bring Li Qian here. When she turned her gaze back to Mu Xueshi, however, she noticed him glancing around the room as though searching for someone.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
Mu Xueshi replied awkwardly, “Nothing… I just noticed Wu Cai disappeared.”
Li Gui raised an eyebrow, her smile turning playfully alluring. Seeing the nervous look on Mu Xueshi’s face, she reassured him.
“That child Wu Cai has gone to watch the performance. Once you’ve finished discussing your important matter, I’ll have someone call him back for you. He’s the sort who can’t bear a moment of boredom.”
As she spoke, the bead curtain covering a small door beside them was lifted. A young man stepped into the room.
The moment Mu Xueshi saw him, he felt as though his entire heart had been washed clean.
The youth wore flowing white robes, his bearing fresh and unworldly, as though he did not belong to the mortal realm at all. His eyes were clear and pure, like transparent water.
His presence was entirely different from the Third Prince’s imposing brilliance, and equally unlike Wu Cai’s seductive charm. Instead, there was a gentle softness to him touched by quiet resolve; a trace of childish innocence tempered by a hint of maturity.
Even his smallest movement seemed strangely out of place in such a decadent establishment.
He smiled at Mu Xueshi.
In that instant, Mu Xueshi felt as though the very air had grown fresher.
For the first time, he truly understood why relationships between men were so common here. Even a man who favored women might pause to admire someone like this.
Still, Li Gui’s words did hold some truth. Mu Xueshi studied him secretly. In certain ways—height, build, and a few faint facial similarities—the boy did resemble him slightly. No wonder Li Gui had been so warm to him at their first meeting.
“This is my younger brother, Li Qian,” Li Gui said.
“And this is Mu Xueshi, son of Grand Tutor Mu.”
Li Qian immediately cupped his hands in greeting, his voice clear and pleasant.
“Young Master Xue, my respects.”
Mu Xueshi hurriedly copied his gesture and returned the greeting.
“Uh… Young Master Li… no… Young Master Qian… or… something like that. I can’t quite figure it out… Anyway—my respects!”
Li Qian laughed softly.
“You may simply call me Li Qian.”
Mu Xueshi nodded blankly, glancing between Li Gui and Li Qian, suddenly unsure what to say. In his nervousness, the first words that escaped his mouth were:
“Please sit, please sit—don’t be shy!”
Only after everyone had sat down did Mu Xueshi realize that they were actually the hosts here.
“The murder of Grand Tutor Mu,” Li Gui said with a gentle sigh, “who in the world has not heard of it? Such an extraordinary and peerless man, cut down so suddenly—it truly makes one sigh with regret.”
Her expression was full of sorrow.
Li Qian, however, showed little outward reaction. He sat quietly, his expression calm and elegant, though a faint clarity always lingered in his eyes.
Hearing Li Gui’s words, Mu Xueshi nodded.
“Yes. Wu Cai told me that the proprietress—ah, I mean… elder sister—is wise and perceptive, and might help clear the injustice surrounding this case. So I came to pay my respects and ask if you could offer some guidance.”
Seeing Mu Xueshi’s playful expression paired with such formal words made Li Gui secretly laugh.
She had long heard that the Grand Tutor’s son rarely appeared before others because of his supposedly ugly appearance. Now that she had met him, she found the rumors rather puzzling. While Mu Xueshi could not match the Grand Tutor’s once-renowned elegance, he was still quite handsome.
She wondered where such slanderous tales had come from.
Moreover, his personality did not resemble that of a young master from a prestigious family. Compared to the Third Prince, the difference was like heaven and earth. Li Gui could not understand why Wu Cai seemed jealous of him—but she herself found the boy rather likable.
“Your elder sister here cannot even read,” Li Gui replied teasingly. “I spend my days in this decadent place—what wisdom could I possibly offer you? You flatter me too much, little brother.”
Before Mu Xueshi could respond, a loud commotion erupted outside.
Li Gui smiled apologetically at him and rose to leave, heading downstairs.
Mu Xueshi felt embarrassed to interrupt her business, so he simply sat there, looking somewhat disappointed. He was certain Li Gui was not as simple as a brothel proprietress—but if she had no wish to reveal more, he could hardly force her.
Raising his head, Mu Xueshi looked at Li Qian sitting across from him and instinctively felt drawn toward him.
“Is she really your sister?” he asked curiously.
Though he could not see Li Gui’s full face beneath the veil, judging from her facial lines and eyes alone, she did not resemble Li Qian in the slightest.
“No,” Li Qian replied with a gentle smile. “I am an orphan. My parents sold me here when I was young. Perhaps because I was frail and sickly, Sister took pity on me and accepted me as her brother, sparing me the fate of others outside.”
As he spoke, Mu Xueshi unconsciously glanced around the room.
He noticed several clearly male figures dressed in flamboyant attire greeting guests outside. The sight sent a chill through him.
Looking back at Li Qian, he silently felt relieved for him. Such a clean and gentle boy truly did not belong among such corrupt surroundings.
Li Qian noticed how Mu Xueshi could never sit still, constantly moving and letting every emotion show plainly on his face. The sight made him feel unexpectedly fond of him.
“Young Master Xue is involved in the investigation of the Grand Tutor’s murder,” Li Qian said. “Have you discovered any clues yet?”
Mu Xueshi sighed dramatically.
“Nothing at all,” he groaned, pounding the table with his hand. “It’s a complete mess… Don’t even ask.”
Then suddenly he brightened.
“By the way, what do you usually do here in this little building?”
Seeing the mischievous grin on Mu Xueshi’s face, Li Qian lightly tapped his forehead.
“I simply read books,” he said calmly. “Sometimes I enjoy studying various plants and medicinal herbs.”
“Really?!”
Mu Xueshi nearly jumped out of his seat with excitement. Grabbing Li Qian’s hand, he exclaimed,
“I brought a whole bunch of things with me—I wanted someone to help examine them!”
As he spoke, he began pulling out numerous tiny bottles from various places on his person—three or four small vials in total—and spread them across the table.
Futile Devices Scans 
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