Both of them were close to the edge when the Third Prince suddenly stopped. Mu Xueshi froze, then was immediately overwhelmed by discomfort. He remembered that the last time the prince had punished him, he had used exactly this trick and nearly driven Mu Xueshi out of his mind.
“Stop tormenting me…” Mu Xueshi pleaded miserably, no longer caring about dignity.
The Third Prince suddenly gave him such a dazzling, seductive smile that Mu Xueshi stared in a daze. Leaning to his ear, the prince teased, “This makes the pleasure last longer.”
Mu Xueshi’s face turned scarlet. He also felt strangely indignant. The Third Prince somehow knew more about this than Mu Xueshi did, despite Mu Xueshi having seen such things in his old world. Information here was hardly abundant, and the Third Prince rarely socialized. He must have learned from experience.
“Don’t get distracted.” The Third Prince moved again, striking precisely where Mu Xueshi was most sensitive and making him shudder.
Mu Xueshi was still brooding over that thought. He turned his head away and refused to respond to the Third Prince even though his body clearly enjoyed what was happening.
The Third Prince had no idea what Mu Xueshi was sulking about, but found his angry expression adorable. He kissed Mu Xueshi’s face and continued touching him while they moved together.
Soon Mu Xueshi was again close to release, only for the Third Prince to stop abruptly. Mu Xueshi nearly went mad. After five or six repetitions, his voice had taken on a tearful edge. Only then did the Third Prince finally stop holding back, and the two reached release together.
It was the most overwhelming climax Mu Xueshi had ever experienced. Even after it ended, electric shivers continued running through him for a long time. He and the Third Prince trembled together before finally calming. Mu Xueshi was exhausted and dazed, but the satisfaction in his body eased some of the tension in his heart as well.
The Third Prince dressed, then turned back to smooth Mu Xueshi’s hair. With a serious expression, he said, “Rest properly. You are not allowed to go anywhere. If I find you running around, I will not be lenient.”
“Oh…” Mu Xueshi answered reluctantly and buried his face in the quilt.
After the Third Prince went outside, Mu Xueshi happened to see Qing Ya at the doorway covering her mouth and laughing. Trying to recover some dignity, he cleared his throat and called loudly, “Whether I go out or not is my own business…”
Mu Xueshi thought the Third Prince had already left. He did not know Sun Ye was stationed at the entrance, and the prince had only just stopped outside when Mu Xueshi’s defiant words carried through the door.
Seeing no visible reaction from the Third Prince, Sun Ye reported everything that had happened earlier. The prince accepted the letter, unhurriedly removed the paper inside, and focused on the short message written there.
“If you want the antidote, meet at Wangyun Peak tomorrow at noon.”
The Third Prince read the note several times, then rubbed the paper between his fingers and immediately noticed that it was unlike the paper used in the palace. He looked at Sun Ye. “What school did the person who fought you belong to?”
Sun Ye thought for a moment but still looked puzzled. “He used a staff, but not an ordinary staff technique. It is uncommon in the Central Plains. Since I began studying martial arts, I have rarely seen moves like those.”
Cold light flashed through the Third Prince’s eyes as he immediately understood who had tampered with Mu Xueshi’s face. Fortunately, in his earlier urgency he had not gone directly to the Emperor, or he would have created more trouble. Thinking of that face that always seemed eager to stir up chaos made the darkness in his gaze deepen.
“Withdraw.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Sun Ye hurried back to the place where he had left Gu Master Mo Ru, only to find him gone. Surprise quickly turned to unease. He searched everywhere but found no trace of Mo Ru. Thinking the Gu Master might have returned on his own, Sun Ye checked the places where Mo Ru usually lingered, but still found no one.
Could he be in danger?
Sun Ye suddenly realized he was worried about the man he usually found so irritating. Whatever else was true, Mo Ru had taken that staff strike for him. If the Gu Master had suffered some disaster because Sun Ye had rushed away to report to the Third Prince, the thought alone filled him with guilt.
The Third Prince no longer needed to go to Taihe Hall, so he turned back toward his bedchamber. Mu Xueshi was already asleep, having kicked the quilt to the foot of the bed. Wearing only a thin under-robe, he lay sprawled across the mattress with no concern for appearances, peaceful and relaxed.
The front of Mu Xueshi’s robe had fallen partly open, revealing pale skin mottled with marks from their earlier intimacy. The Third Prince stepped closer and gently pulled the clothing higher. Mu Xueshi immediately murmured something in his sleep as though complaining, then grabbed the prince’s thumb, bent it twice with surprising force, and finally settled down again without another sound.
The series of sleepy actions left the Third Prince unsure whether to laugh or sigh. The gloom brought by the letter eased considerably. Yet Mu Xueshi’s complexion seemed to be worsening. Earlier the outer disguise had hidden the damage beneath, but now careful observation showed his face looking dark and faintly bluish.
Unwilling to leave Mu Xueshi’s side, the Third Prince ordered Mu Xueshi’s guard, Lu Fei, to go to Imperial Physician Li and obtain medicine that might temporarily slow the poison’s spread.
“Master, the matter you ordered has been completed.”
Shangchuan Hong looked at the kneeling man and smiled. He leisurely drank from his tea bowl and said almost to himself, “I never expected the poison I used at Changxin Courtyard that day to take effect only now. If Mu Xueshi did not possess a peerless face, all my trouble would have been wasted.”
Zhang Mu looked disappointed. “This subordinate wanted to see Mu Xueshi’s current condition, but I could not get close to the Third Prince’s bedchamber.”
“Was Su Ruhan there?” Shangchuan Hong raised an eyebrow.
Zhang Mu shook his head. “I chose a time when Su Ruhan was away from the palace. But the Third Prince’s courtyard is filled with experts. As I infiltrated it, I encountered another guard with exceptional martial arts. We exchanged hundreds of moves and neither of us could defeat the other. Then someone else intervened from the shadows and released Gu poison, so I had no choice but to leave the letter and withdraw.”
Shangchuan Hong laughed softly. “The ruler of Yunxi has certainly invested great care in the Third Prince. Every good thing seems to end up in his courtyard. You make me want to visit it myself ahead of schedule.”
Zhang Mu smiled knowingly. “If Master goes personally, there will certainly be a different harvest.”
The crease between Shangchuan Hong’s brows relaxed. Visiting the Third Prince’s courtyard was only one reason for entering the palace today. There was someone even more important he wanted to see.
“Big Brother…”
“Big Brother…”
Su Ruhan was walking beneath Gaowang Pavilion through the purple-bamboo grove when a familiar call reached him. His heart jolted, and he immediately looked around.
Sure enough, deep in the bamboo stood a slender figure with shoulder-length hair, a smile at his lips and shy emotion in his clear eyes. The cold moonlight made him look almost as pure as the moon itself.
Qian’er?
Su Ruhan silently formed the name. One step, then another. The smile before him looked so real, unlike the beautiful illusion he saw every day in his thoughts. Su Ruhan became dazed, and the hand holding his sword tightened.
In the next instant, that clear smile ended. The human-skin mask was peeled away, revealing Shangchuan Hong’s handsome face beneath, still carrying a trace of amusement.
“Long time no see, Guard Su…”
Mu Xueshi, still asleep, suddenly jolted awake as though something had struck him and instantly cleared his mind.
The Third Prince was in the side chamber. Hearing the noise, he appeared at Mu Xueshi’s bedside almost at once, caught him by both shoulders, and asked, “What is it?”
Mu Xueshi shook his head blankly. Then he suddenly saw two Third Princes before him, flickering apart and overlapping again. Terrified, he looked around and found that every object had doubled. He raised a hand to rub his eyes only to see two arms as well, unable to tell which was real.
“Ah!” A sharp pain struck his chest. Mu Xueshi grabbed at it and suddenly felt his body becoming lighter, rising and falling. He tried to hold onto the Third Prince but could not. When he looked down, he saw white bones beneath him, while his own self seemed to be splitting away from the skeleton alive.
“No… no…” Mu Xueshi stared in terror.
The Third Prince immediately gathered him into his arms and checked his forehead. Finding a fever, he soothed Mu Xueshi while ordering a maid to prepare medicine.
…
Su Ruhan looked at Shangchuan Hong coldly and mocked, “I had almost forgotten that you were once Yunxi’s famous master of disguise. You can imitate anyone.”
At the words “Yunxi,” the corner of Shangchuan Hong’s mouth twitched, but he immediately gave a soft laugh and stared back. “And yet, Guard Su, you had quite a reaction when I called you ‘Big Brother’ just now.”
Su Ruhan’s expression turned icy. He lifted his sword slightly and said each word distinctly, “Traitor. Never disguise yourself as that person again.”
Shangchuan Hong put on an expression of surrender. “Who would dare ignore your wishes… no, Guard Su? In martial arts, you are almost unmatched beneath heaven.”
“You have already broken into this courtyard today. Do you really expect to leave alive? I would like to see King Hao Lin’s expression when he loses such a handsome State Preceptor.” Su Ruhan drew his sword, the blade cutting a bright arc through the air.
Shangchuan Hong showed no fear. He walked several steps toward the sword point and said teasingly, “Hao Lin would not care whether I lived or died. But someone else would. If you kill me, the Third Prince will kill you.”
Su Ruhan’s sword hand froze. In that instant he understood Shangchuan Hong’s meaning, while Shangchuan Hong vanished into the forest. The purple bamboo grove remained perfectly still, as though nothing had happened. After a moment, Shangchuan Hong’s voice drifted back from the distance.
“Next time I come, I’ll disguise myself as the person in the Third Prince’s room…”
Inside, Mu Xueshi’s rigid body suddenly relaxed, as though something had struck him again. Every strange sensation vanished at once. He only felt weak now, with none of the terrifying unreality from moments before.
Seeing Mu Xueshi return to normal, the Third Prince released him and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “What happened?” he asked gently.
Unease lingered in Mu Xueshi. It felt as though something destined was moving toward him step by step. He gripped the Third Prince’s hand tightly, drew a deep breath, and reassured himself aloud, “Nothing. Just a nightmare…”