A clear sound came from the room opposite. Mu Xueshi hurriedly flopped onto the bed and pretended to be asleep, wondering whether he had made so much noise that he had disturbed Su Ruhan.
Sure enough, the door creaked open. Mu Xueshi’s heart immediately sped up. He waited for Su Ruhan to call his name, but heard only footsteps drawing closer and no voice at all.
Mu Xueshi grew so nervous that he was about to open his eyes when a pair of large hands gently stroked his face.
“Qian’er…”
Su Ruhan crouched beside him and looked at Mu Xueshi as though he were a rare treasure, the affection in his eyes becoming more obvious.
Qian’er?
Mu Xueshi froze. Do I really look that feminine? Did Su Ruhan mistake me for the woman he loves?
“Um…” Mu Xueshi had barely begun to speak when his eyelids suddenly became impossibly heavy, and he quickly fell asleep.
By the latter half of the night, Linhan Palace had become completely silent except for the occasional rustle of branches in the wind. Su Ruhan appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but he remained alert to everything around him.
A dark figure flashed over the treetops, landed lightly on the roof, lifted a gray tile, and peered inside. After locating the target, the figure slipped through the nearest window and approached Mu Xueshi’s bed. With one sweep of a sword, the bedding around Mu Xueshi flew aside, yet Mu Xueshi himself remained unharmed.
The assassin was still startled when a gust of wind passed beside him and Su Ruhan’s sword was already at his chest.
The man in black was no ordinary opponent. Anyone else would already have died beneath Su Ruhan’s blade. While parrying Su Ruhan, he also slashed toward Mu Xueshi. The two swords collided with a shriek of metal, scattering sparks.
Mu Xueshi continued sleeping soundly. Su Ruhan advanced and, after only a few exchanges, forced the assassin out of the room. It was obvious the man in black had not used his full ability, while Su Ruhan was also holding something back. They fought into the courtyard, neither gaining the upper hand.
“Guard Su, palace rumor says you are the strongest guard in the imperial city, better even than the Emperor’s own attendants. Why are you so sluggish tonight? Can you not even handle a minor assassin like me?”
After speaking, the assassin put roughly half his power into his next move. Taking advantage of an apparent opening, he feinted toward Su Ruhan’s left elbow and then attacked from the right.
Su Ruhan frowned and stepped lightly backward, avoiding the strike. Seeing him refuse to retaliate seriously, the assassin grew angry and attacked with everything he had, every move aimed at a vital point.
At first Su Ruhan answered with simple techniques, but gradually his footwork became disordered. The assassin’s excellent swordsmanship even drew a little admiration from him. After retreating dozens of steps, Su Ruhan was finally forced into a corner and confined to a narrow space.
“Guard Su, don’t tell me this is all you can do. If you still refuse to show me your real skill, then I’m going to…”
Before he could finish, the assassin felt his whole body weaken and his steps become unsteady. Moments later he dropped heavily to his knees, using his sword to hold himself upright while his bloodshot eyes glared at Su Ruhan.
“You used a dirty trick?”
Su Ruhan raised the corner of his mouth. “You were the one using dirty tricks…”
The assassin’s bones suddenly began cracking. He could no longer support himself and collapsed. Blood seeped from his nostrils, eyes, and mouth, while his face twisted violently.
“Bloodthirst Sword… you… you’re actually…”
The last words caught in his throat. The assassin died abruptly, terror and disbelief still frozen on his face.
Su Ruhan stepped forward, removed the man’s mask, studied him briefly, then channeled energy into his chest, restoring his damaged meridians and internal flow. He also took the fine sword from the corpse.
The instant Su Ruhan turned around, his heart sank. The door he had forced shut earlier now stood wide open. He had fallen for a diversion.
When Su Ruhan rushed back inside, he found another black-clad assassin lying on the floor. The Third Prince sat on the bed with Mu Xueshi held securely around the waist and shoulders like a treasure, a complicated expression on his face.
“The assassin was one of the guards personally selected by the Emperor. This Imperial Dragon Sword was taken from him.”
The Third Prince accepted the sword and examined it carefully, coldness gathering across his handsome face.
“Just as Your Highness expected, the instant Young Master Xue left your side, someone came to kill him. I failed to protect him just now and fell for the assassin’s diversion. If Your Highness had not arrived in time, Young Master Xue might already have met with disaster…”
“You knew I was nearby the whole time, didn’t you?” The Third Prince raised an eyebrow, his expression darkly amused.
Su Ruhan remained perfectly calm. “This subordinate did not know.”
“You’re certain I cannot kill you?”
“No. My life belongs to Your Highness. Whether you take it or spare it is entirely your decision.”
“Why would I kill you so easily? Your value is far greater than what you did a few hours ago.”
Su Ruhan’s expression changed slightly. He had kissed Mu Xueshi only because emotion overtook him, not to deliberately provoke the Third Prince. Even if the prince had been nearby, Su Ruhan had assumed he would know there had been no further improper intention.
The Third Prince lowered his eyes to Mu Xueshi’s peaceful sleeping face and remembered the moment the assassin’s blade had moved toward his throat while he lay there completely defenseless.
His heart still could not become ruthless.
The Third Prince had long expected the Emperor to send someone to remove Mu Xueshi. Even without Grand Tutor Mu’s case, Mu Xueshi would not have had an easy life. Simply standing beside the Third Prince meant facing countless dangers, and without the slightest ability to protect himself, sooner or later he would become a sacrifice.
Yet whenever the Third Prince remembered Mu Xueshi’s carefree eyes, he wanted to keep him beneath his protection and let him live untouched by any of those entanglements. Sleeping while holding such a person was the most reassuring feeling he knew.
“Keep these two corpses. They may be useful tomorrow.”
Su Ruhan nodded and carried both bodies away.
When he returned, only Mu Xueshi remained on the bed, hugging a rolled quilt and sleeping soundly with no idea what had happened. The Third Prince had vanished as though he had never been there. The room showed no trace of the fight, not even a single drop of blood on the floor.