After the Third Prince finished handling all matters related to the Eight Homage Festival, the sky had already turned as dark as ink.
When he returned to his Qinyi Courtyard, Eunuch Tai’an still stood outside the chamber, his expression calm as ever, waiting for the prince’s return.
The small courtyard had once again fallen back into its usual deep and oppressive silence.
The Third Prince removed his court robes and changed into a simple white robe. A chilling aura lingered between his brows, concealing the faint trace of sorrow hidden within his eyes.
The lively figure that usually bounced around the room was no longer there.
Facing the empty chamber alone, the Third Prince felt an unfamiliar restlessness.
He had endured more than ten years of cold solitude, yet after merely a single month of companionship, he had somehow grown accustomed to that noisy presence.
What was so extraordinary about that person?
If it was truly because of that peerless beauty—
then why was it that the face he longed for now appeared blurred and indistinct in his memory?
The Third Prince lifted a bowl of cold tea and drank it.
The dry bitterness mixed with the faint chill slid down his throat.
The suppressed agitation within his heart slowly faded.
Leaning lazily against a purple bamboo couch, the Third Prince gently closed his eyes.
Meanwhile, Mu Xueshi had already arrived at Linhan Palace.
He stayed close behind Su Ruhan, unwilling to fall even a step behind.
He still vividly remembered the terrifying events that had happened the last time he came here. He had thought he would never again have reason to return to such a gloomy place.
Yet after barely more than ten days—
he had ended up here again.
Realizing that his thoughts were drifting back toward that person once more, Mu Xueshi hurriedly forced himself to change the subject.
Since Su Ruhan walked beside him in silence, Mu Xueshi deliberately started chatting.
“Master, why is it that the acupoint technique you taught me never seems to work?”
“That technique requires repeated practice before you can accurately locate the acupoints.”
“But I have practiced!”
“How did you practice?”
“I practiced on the Third Pri—”
Realizing he had nearly spoken a sensitive name again, Mu Xueshi quickly bit his lip and changed topics.
“Master, when did you first come to this courtyard?”
“I was chosen by the Third Prince as his personal guard when I was eight years old.”
“Oh… Master, who taught you your martial arts?”
“The elder of the Rongshan Sect was my master.”
“How come I’ve never heard of him?”
“He was also the Third Prince’s master.”
“……”
“Master, do you have a woman you admire?”
“No. Do you?”
“……”
“Master, why do you live in this place? Don’t you find it gloomy?”
“I was demoted.”
“Oh… what did you do to anger the Third Pri— I mean… Master, I actually think you’re quite a good person.”
Those words made Su Ruhan suddenly stop walking.
Lowering his head, he gazed at Mu Xueshi for a long moment before asking quietly,
“Why?”
“Because you’ve answered a lot of my questions,” Mu Xueshi said with a sheepish grin.
“Lately I’m really afraid of talking and having nobody respond.”
“Master, I think I’ll remember you.”
“Even though you’re a bit strict with me… you’re still better than the Third Pri—”
“AHHHHHHH!”
Mu Xueshi suddenly exploded in frustration.
No matter what topic he brought up, somehow it always circled back to the Third Prince.
The two of them stood in the quiet grass.
Mu Xueshi’s loud shouting startled the insects resting there, sending them jumping around his feet.
Suddenly—
Su Ruhan reached out with both hands and held Mu Xueshi’s face.
Before Mu Xueshi could react, Su Ruhan leaned down and pressed a light kiss against him.
Moonlight spilled over Mu Xueshi’s face.
His clear eyes widened in confusion, revealing both panic and bewilderment.
“Master… what are you doing…?”
“Just making you quiet,” Su Ruhan replied.
A faint, unreadable smile curved at the corner of his lips.
Su Ruhan’s unpredictable behavior left Mu Xueshi’s mind in complete chaos.
He suddenly felt that Su Ruhan was even harder to understand than the Third Prince.
One moment he was stern and distant, impossible to approach.
The next moment he seemed gentle and approachable—
even doing something as ambiguous as what had just happened.
That night, Mu Xueshi slept alone in the room beside Su Ruhan’s.
The room was rarely used, dark and damp.
Mu Xueshi discovered that he couldn’t even sleep after removing his clothes. The moment his smooth skin touched the moldy blankets, his entire body began to itch as if insects were crawling over him.
“When did I become this delicate?” Mu Xueshi muttered irritably, straddling the blanket and squeezing his eyes shut.
“If I go back like this, I’ll be completely spoiled…”
He missed the fragrant room.
He missed the comfortable bed and soft blankets.
And most of all—
he missed the person who had once shared that bed.
The more he forced himself not to think about it, the more those thoughts flooded his mind.
It felt as if countless tiny insects were crawling inside his heart.
Mu Xueshi tossed and turned endlessly on the bed, trying countless sleeping positions, yet he remained completely awake.
After struggling for half the night, he had already drunk all the tea in the room, sat on every stool in sight, and even counted several thousand sheep.
Still, nothing helped.
“He really drove me out…”
Mu Xueshi muttered softly.
His eyelids had already begun to droop, yet his mind continued shouting noisily inside.
At this moment, Mu Xueshi almost wished a ghost would suddenly appear in the room and scare him so badly that he could fall asleep instantly.
From childhood until now, he had never imagined that someone as carefree and thick-skinned as himself would one day suffer from insomnia.
Futile Devices Scans 
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