Dawn had barely begun to break when Mu Xueshi lost all desire to sleep. He had slept for less than two shichen, yet dreamed countless dreams. The Third Prince’s figure kept appearing before his eyes. When Mu Xueshi opened them, no miracle had occurred. He was still in the same room.
Mu Xueshi found a copper basin, washed his face, then used the water as a makeshift mirror and arranged his hair into a strange style. Afterward he put on an energetic expression and went to find Su Ruhan.
“Master, let’s train!”
Su Ruhan had barely fallen into a light sleep when Mu Xueshi began pounding hard on his door. His voice was loud and clear, with no trace of someone who had only just awakened.
“Master, Master! Hurry up. Your disciple can’t wait!”
Su Ruhan had just sat up, wearing a white under-robe on top and purple trousers below, when Mu Xueshi burst inside.
“Master, I’ve decided. I’m sticking with you for a while. I’m never going back to Qingyun Palace. It’s much freer here.”
Su Ruhan looked at Mu Xueshi’s excited face, but his response was cold, as though the decision had nothing to do with him.
Mu Xueshi did not care what Su Ruhan thought and kept trying to drag him outside to practice. He had awakened that morning with many new plans: first learn martial arts from Su Ruhan, then wander the jianghu and search for the silver coin himself.
Mu Xueshi had a feeling the silver coin was somewhere nearby. He seemed to share some strange connection with it. Lately it kept appearing in his dreams, almost like a suggestion from his own mind.
Once he found it, he would change back, leave this place forever, and never return to the world that had chilled his heart.
“Huo, huo, huo…”
Su Ruhan was still dressing when the sound of wind came from outside. Mu Xueshi was wildly swinging a sword around in the courtyard. His fitted clothes outlined a graceful figure, a slender waist, and straight long legs. Even with the Third Prince’s disguise covering his true face, he was still strikingly handsome.
“Master, take my sword!”
Mu Xueshi suddenly charged at Su Ruhan, the blade aimed directly at his chest. To his surprise, Su Ruhan did not dodge at all and simply stood there calmly facing him.
Mu Xueshi had assumed his attack would be stopped halfway. Even when the tip of the sword reached Su Ruhan, however, the man did not react. Mu Xueshi hurriedly tried to pull the blade back, but his feet could not keep up with his thoughts. He stumbled wildly and crashed hard to the ground.
Unfortunately, a sharp stone dug into his back. Tearing pain shot through him. Seeing Su Ruhan watching, Mu Xueshi forced out several loud laughs, rolled once, and climbed back to his feet.
“That was embarrassing!” Mu Xueshi blurted in a phrase Su Ruhan did not understand, using the complaint to hide the pain.
The moment Su Ruhan turned away, Mu Xueshi grimaced for quite a while and reached behind himself. It felt as though he was bleeding.
Mu Xueshi ignored the wound. His clothes were dark red, so even if blood soaked through it would not be obvious. Besides, if he told Su Ruhan, his master might think he was too delicate. Mu Xueshi hated being looked down on.
Su Ruhan set up a straw dummy covered in knotted markers specifically for Mu Xueshi to practice acupoint strikes. Mu Xueshi had thought other martial arts were too exhausting and that acupoint techniques would be easy and fun. By the end of the day, however, both of his fingers were red and swollen.
“Master, let’s go out. The palace is boring.”
Su Ruhan nodded and led two horses from the stable.
“Master, I’ve noticed you don’t refuse me anymore. Whatever I ask for, you agree. You’re really nice.”
As he spoke, Mu Xueshi went over and hooked an arm around Su Ruhan’s shoulders with a foolish grin. He assumed Su Ruhan had become more accommodating simply because the two of them had grown familiar enough that the awkward distance between them was gone.
If the Third Prince had not become Mu Xueshi’s friend first, perhaps none of his current troubles would exist. If he had met Su Ruhan first, perhaps there would be no Third Prince in his heart now. No matter how he looked at it, Su Ruhan seemed easier to approach and more tolerant of him.
“I can still ride?” Mu Xueshi asked, his glass-bright eyes wide.
“You can.” Su Ruhan led one of the horses over to him.
“I have a horse. My own horse is called Lei Chi. Wait here, I’ll go get him.”
Halfway there, Mu Xueshi stopped. He turned back awkwardly. “Forget it. That one is a thousand-li horse. I’d better ride a smaller one first, just to be safe…”
He hurriedly took the horse Su Ruhan was holding, clearly trying to hide something.
Once they left the courtyard, Mu Xueshi felt as though he could finally breathe. After wandering around the palace for a while, they rode through the gates. Su Ruhan deliberately slowed his horse until they traveled side by side through the market, unhurried and relaxed.
Mu Xueshi rarely had a chance to leave the palace. During the days he spent with the Third Prince, aside from trips to the Grand Tutor’s manor, he had hardly gone anywhere. Even that road was extremely quiet, and Mu Xueshi usually slept through most of it.
Yet he could not summon any real interest. Even when they passed street performances or martial-arts challenges, Mu Xueshi only made a show of cheering. Afraid of ruining Su Ruhan’s mood, he occasionally forced out a loud laugh, but it sounded painfully unnatural.
Suddenly Mu Xueshi caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance and immediately urged his horse after it.
Li Qian was buying medicine at an apothecary, holding two paper-wrapped packages. Hearing the familiar voice, he quickly turned around.
“Young Master Xue?” Li Qian smiled with his usual clean, clear expression.
Seeing Li Qian brightened Mu Xueshi’s mood at once. He looked at the medicine in Li Qian’s hands. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
Li Qian’s expression changed slightly, and a sigh escaped him.
“Not me…”
“Then who?”
“This…” Li Qian hesitated.
“It’s fine. If it’s inconvenient, you don’t have to tell me.” Mu Xueshi laughed cheerfully.
Seeing that open smile, Li Qian’s own lips curved upward.
“By the way, last time you said you had found a way to clear your name. How did it turn out?”
Mu Xueshi froze at the question, then laughed awkwardly. “I completely forgot about it. I’ll deal with it whenever they come to arrest me. If I can drag it out, I’ll drag it out…”
Li Qian could not understand his thinking. This concerned Mu Xueshi’s life, yet he spoke as though delay were the only plan he needed.
“Ah!” Mu Xueshi suddenly cried. “I can’t find my master. That’s strange, he was right beside me just now. How did he disappear so quickly… Did I somehow throw him off his horse?” He anxiously looked around but saw no sign of Su Ruhan. In the end, he hurriedly said goodbye to Li Qian and rode back along the road to search for him.