Futile Devices Scans

Pushing the door open, Hao Lin’s gaze naturally fell onto the bed. The blanket was exactly as he had left it before going out. Mu Xueshi lay there, seemingly very still, showing no reaction at all to Hao Lin’s entrance or footsteps.

Only when Hao Lin walked fully to the bedside did he realize Mu Xueshi had already fallen asleep. His long, dense eyelashes rested lightly against his cheeks, his lips slightly parted. His fair, smooth face carried a deep, peaceful drowsiness—sweet and serene. Hao Lin sat beside him, not daring to make a sound, afraid of disturbing the harmony of the moment.

Soon after, Mu Xueshi let out a soft yawn. His rosy lips parted slightly, revealing neat white teeth and a tempting little tongue, before closing again. His lips pressed together, as if he had dreamed of something unpleasant, his brows knitting faintly.

Hao Lin pondered briefly. This little thing was usually lively and restless—surely he wouldn’t sleep quietly either. Perhaps he frowned because he couldn’t move and was uncomfortable.

With that thought, Hao Lin gently tapped Mu Xueshi’s chest. Soon, Mu Xueshi grabbed a bundle of blanket and hugged it tightly to his chest. One long, pale leg curled forward, the other lazily draped over the blanket as he turned onto his side, his back facing Hao Lin. The rounded curve of his body was revealed just enough to draw the eye.

A strange tightness rose in Hao Lin’s throat. He realized that merely looking at Mu Xueshi’s clothed body had already stirred a reaction in him. Normally, even with several attendants, it took quite some effort to rouse such desire—but now it surfaced almost instantly.

Gently turning Mu Xueshi back over, Hao Lin reached without hesitation for the ties of his clothing. The outer layer loosened, leaving only the inner garment. The partially revealed chest was like a fruit laced with danger—subtly enticing. Hao Lin’s fingers traced lightly upward from Mu Xueshi’s collarbone to his chin, then slowly slid back down again.

Mu Xueshi soon let out a soft laugh, apparently tickled. He reached up to scratch his neck, then turned over again, presenting his back.

Hao Lin’s lips curved slightly. This little person was indeed interesting. Compared to those who had shared his bed before—who tried so hard to please—Mu Xueshi was not only striking in appearance, but also lively and genuine. Thinking of the others now, Hao Lin found them dull by comparison.

Once again, he gently turned Mu Xueshi over. Looking at his peaceful, unguarded sleeping face, Hao Lin felt a rare hesitation to disturb him. Yet the heat in his body did not subside. He wanted those bright, expressive eyes to open, to show confusion and unease.

Still lost in his thoughts, Hao Lin suddenly focused—and realized Mu Xueshi had actually woken up.

Mu Xueshi rubbed his eyes, stretched, and looked around with lively confusion. When his gaze landed on Hao Lin, he instantly smiled and called out sleepily, “Your Majesty…”

That single address nearly threw Hao Lin off balance. Just as he was about to respond, Mu Xueshi suddenly sat upright. His expression shifted instantly from a smile to anger, pointing at Hao Lin and shouting, “I remember now… stay away from me, you liar!!”

Hao Lin did not grow angry—instead, he smiled. The more Mu Xueshi retreated, the closer he moved forward. Eventually, Mu Xueshi had nowhere left to retreat. His mind became a mess, eyes wide as he tried to appear intimidating.

Hao Lin grabbed one of Mu Xueshi’s ankles and slowly pulled him closer.

Mu Xueshi clutched the bed curtains tightly, only to have them dragged along with him. Embarrassed and angry, he began cursing wildly.

“Let go of me—you… you half-evolved lifeform, mutated alien, frog-headed freak, abandoned snow creature, sewer-clogging culprit—”

After finishing, Mu Xueshi himself froze. These were insults he had once heard countless times—yet he could still repeat them word for word.

The rapid stream of words left Hao Lin catching only fragments. Some he didn’t understand, but the intent was clear—they were insults.

Taking advantage of Hao Lin’s brief distraction, Mu Xueshi jumped barefoot from the bed and dashed toward the door. Before he could escape, he collided straight into someone—only to realize it was Hao Lin standing right in front of him, arms crossed, clearly amused.

“Ah!!” Mu Xueshi shouted, face flushed red, frantically looking for an escape route. Before he could react, his vision went dark as Hao Lin covered his eyes and carried him back to the bed.

“Help! A ruler abusing common people—where is justice? Don’t any of you outside have a conscience?!” Mu Xueshi shouted himself hoarse, but it was useless.

If anything, his cries only seemed to amuse Hao Lin more. Hao Lin took the torn curtain fabric, ripping it further into strips, and used them to bind Mu Xueshi’s hands to the bed. Then, pressing down his legs, he rendered him completely immobile.

“You… what are you going to do?” Mu Xueshi finally showed fear, staring at Hao Lin.

Hao Lin smiled faintly. “Eat you.”

Even Mu Xueshi understood what he meant. He hadn’t expected to walk straight into danger like this. What was wrong with these people? A ruler with an entire palace at his disposal—yet he set his sights on a man.

A strange sense of bitterness rose in him. Borrowing someone else’s body, only to have it treated like this… if he ever met the real Mu Xueshi, how would he explain it?

A chill spread across his upper body as a hand touched him. Mu Xueshi cried out twice, then fell silent. His mind raced through countless possibilities, trying to figure out how to escape.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Even as his lips bore marks from biting down in tension, nothing further happened. Mu Xueshi opened his eyes and saw Hao Lin still before him—but his expression had changed. The sly smile was gone, replaced with a tense frown and a dangerous aura.

Damn it… Hao Lin cursed silently in his heart.

Just as Hao Lin’s hand had been gently brushing across Mu Xueshi’s chest, he suddenly felt a burning sensation. When he pulled his hand back, he saw that his palm had already turned a deep red. Meanwhile, the area Mu Xueshi had been touched also began to change color—what had been fair and translucent gradually darkened into a purplish red, with black spots appearing on it, resembling a palm-shaped birthmark.

Even Mu Xueshi’s cheeks and neck seemed to be changing color, becoming noticeably dull compared to the areas that hadn’t been touched.

As for what exactly was happening, Hao Lin understood it all too clearly. He hadn’t expected that after being driven away in anger, the Third Prince had still left behind such a move. What had been applied to Mu Xueshi’s hands was a blood-mixed poison called Desire Curse Water.

Once smeared onto Mu Xueshi’s hands, it seeped into every part of his body. Whether Mu Xueshi touched others or others touched him, the point of contact would become poisoned. The difference was that Mu Xueshi’s skin would merely become unsightly, while Hao Lin’s hand could potentially rot and deform.

I was careless… How could he possibly leave him unguarded? Hao Lin hadn’t expected himself to be so negligent. How could the Third Prince allow Mu Xueshi to be left alone, or let that face and body be seen by others so easily? Yet Hao Lin himself had let down his guard completely. Was I really that bewitched?

Realizing he needed to deal with the poison first, Hao Lin let out a cold laugh and walked out of the room.

Mu Xueshi hadn’t even processed what had happened when the door slammed shut with a bang. Sitting up, he found it hard to believe Hao Lin had simply let him go. When he tried to put his clothes back on, he noticed a dark red palm print on his chest—so stark against his skin that he immediately saw it.

That guy’s hands are really filthy… Mu Xueshi muttered, trying to wipe it off. But no matter how hard he rubbed, it wouldn’t come off—it looked as if it had grown into his skin. When he pulled his hand away, he saw that his own hand had turned just as dark and ugly.

What’s going on? Mu Xueshi quickly slipped off the bed and scanned the room. Spotting a bronze mirror nearby, he tiptoed over to it.

“Uh…” Even he was startled.

His face, which had already been washed clean earlier, now looked grimy again. He tried to wipe it, only to find that it was just like the mark on his chest—impossible to remove. Worse, the more he rubbed, the darker it became. He stood there blankly as his face shifted from white to gray, then from gray to purple, until it became completely dark—exactly like the color of his palm.

Not just his face—his neck too.

He opened his mouth and saw that his teeth were still white, which made him sigh in relief. At least that’s still normal… maybe it’s just from the powder, dirt, and water earlier… some kind of reaction?

Looking at himself in the mirror, only his eyes remained clear and bright; everything else was dark and muddied, nearly the same color as his eyebrows. Suddenly, he remembered what he had shouted earlier while cursing Hao Lin.

…Is this karma?

But then another thought struck him—this must be why Hao Lin’s expression changed earlier. He was probably scared by this face. After all, who could still feel any desire looking at something like this?

If that’s the case… then I’m useless to him now, right? At that thought, Mu Xueshi felt oddly pleased—as if misfortune had turned into a blessing. Like a cat that had stolen something, he grew secretly delighted.

He swaggered over to the door and noticed that it had already been repaired while he was asleep.

That was fast… he thought, pushing it open just a crack and poking his head out.

Looking around, every servant who met his gaze widened their eyes and instinctively stepped back, as if frightened.

Mu Xueshi greeted them cheerfully, “Hi, hello.”

Hearing his voice, the servants froze. That was clearly the same voice that had been calling out from inside the room all afternoon. Could it be that Hao Lin had really spent the entire afternoon with someone like this? Laughing, talking, even behaving intimately—while forbidding anyone else from entering? Even the Third Prince had clashed with Hao Lin because of him?

That taste… is truly unique… The guards and maids shivered involuntarily.

Taking advantage of their stunned state, Mu Xueshi dashed out—barefoot and wearing only his undergarments. But before he could get far, two guards snapped out of it and rushed forward, capturing him and throwing him back into the room.

“Hao Lin told me I could leave!” Mu Xueshi shouted from inside, trying to push the door open—but it wouldn’t budge.

The two guards simply leaned against the door, blocking it firmly. One reason was that they didn’t want to see his face again; the other was Hao Lin’s order—anyone inside the room was not allowed to leave, unless it was Hao Lin himself.

Mu Xueshi tried the windows, only to see tall shadows blocking those as well. Every exit was sealed. Forcing my way out won’t work… If he doesn’t let me go, I’ll have to think of something else.

“Your Majesty, the poison on your hand cannot be completely removed—it can only be temporarily suppressed. Unless you obtain the blood of the one who applied the poison and apply it to the wound, the toxin will naturally be neutralized.”

The one speaking was the imperial physician who always attended Hao Lin. He was applying herbal medicine to Hao Lin’s palm and wrapping it with a layer of medicated cloth.

“I know,” Hao Lin replied calmly.

Of course I know. He understood this poison better than anyone. It was something rulers once used to prevent their consorts from having illicit relations. Once such a mark appeared, only the ruler’s own blood could remove it. As for the other party involved, they would have to personally seek the ruler’s pardon to obtain a cure. Whether they dared—and whether the ruler granted it—was another matter.

This kind of drug was rarely used nowadays. Since it required the ruler’s blood, most cases of infidelity were simply dealt with through investigation instead. Hao Lin himself had almost never used it—he had countless beauties at his side, and even the most renowned beauty in the world did not make him anxious, let alone the others. Besides, none of them would dare—one glance from him was enough to expose any hidden intent.

After finishing, the physician carefully advised, “Your Majesty, I will change the medicine for you daily. By the day of Princess Wenyang’s wedding, you can remove the bandage. If one doesn’t look closely, the injury should not be noticeable.”

Hao Lin nodded, then added, “For now, do not let the Prime Minister know about this.”

“Yes…”

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