Seeing the way Li Qian was looking at him, Mu Xueshi suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He kept muttering inwardly, Don’t look at me… don’t look at me… if you keep looking, I might get the urge to kiss you too… Taking a deep breath, Mu Xueshi quickly changed the subject, steering it toward his master.
“Li Qian, how did you and my master meet?”
At the mention of Su Ruhan, the smile on Li Qian’s face faded slightly, but he still replied gently, “We’ve known each other for a long time. I lost my parents when I was young and lived begging on the streets. Later, my elder brother took me in, and he treated me like his own younger brother. To make sure I could eat well and stay warm, he went to the palace to become a guard.
At that time, I was young and didn’t understand things. Compared to food and clothing, I only wanted him to stay with me. But after he entered the palace, he rarely came back to see me. Money was no longer a problem, but I wasn’t happy at all. I even misunderstood him often, thinking he was deliberately avoiding me. In a fit of anger, I ran away from home.
That escape led to disaster—I was sold into an opera troupe, and later sold again into Changxin Courtyard. Back then, I knew nothing, and that’s when I met my current sister. Perhaps because I was young, she didn’t let me receive guests, only had me do small chores. Later, she wouldn’t even let me do those anymore and found a pharmacist to teach me about medicine. I lived like that for several years.
Later on, chaos broke out in the martial world. Factions rose everywhere, oppressing the common people. Changxin Courtyard was never at peace either. My sister kept me hidden and wouldn’t let me meet outsiders. But one time, the leader of a major faction caused trouble there, and I was abducted and presented as a gift to the alliance leader.”
“And that alliance leader was my master? So you met your brother again?” Mu Xueshi listened with great interest, unable to resist interrupting.
Li Qian nodded. “At that time, we hadn’t seen each other for years. But fortunately, he still remembered me. From then on, he treated me just like a younger brother again. He would often leave the palace to visit me. However… I was no longer as dependent on him as I had been when I was younger.”
“So it really is just brotherhood…” Mu Xueshi sighed, though he quickly smirked and said to Li Qian, “But my master’s feelings for you don’t seem to be just brotherly. He even calls your name in his dreams.”
Li Qian’s expression changed slightly. He replied to Mu Xueshi, “Young Master Mu must be joking. You probably misheard.”
“How could I—”
“Young Master Li!”
A sudden shout from outside interrupted their conversation. Only then did Mu Xueshi remember—his master was still injured. How had he ended up chatting here instead?
Li Qian’s expression immediately turned somewhat grim, and he hurried outside, with Mu Xueshi following behind.
Su Ruhan’s complexion didn’t look good. He was reclining slightly on a stone chair outside, eyes closed, unclear whether he had lost consciousness. Li Qian said to Liehuo and Hanbing, “Please help me carry my elder brother into that cave. I need to examine his injuries. For now, don’t come in and disturb us.”
Liehuo and Hanbing exchanged a glance. Liehuo wore a sly smile, while Hanbing remained expressionless. Following Li Qian’s instructions, the two of them helped Su Ruhan into the cave, and then the stone door outside was tightly shut.
Mu Xueshi let out a sigh of relief. Li Qian would surely take good care of his master. Still, now that he knew their relationship wasn’t what he had imagined, he felt a bit disappointed.
Meanwhile, Liehuo and Hanbing seemed to completely ignore Mu Xueshi’s presence. Liehuo leaned against Hanbing, his hands wandering over Hanbing’s body. With his lips close to Hanbing’s ear, he whispered something. Hanbing frowned slightly and glanced back at him, seeming somewhat displeased, yet not truly rejecting him.
Mu Xueshi was still confused when he saw Liehuo suck lightly on Hanbing’s earlobe, then move downward to his neck, beginning a more forceful display of affection.
“What are you doing? Someone is still here,” Hanbing said, sounding slightly annoyed.
“I don’t care. I’ll listen to you about everything else, but not this,” Liehuo replied, his hands becoming even bolder as they slipped directly inside Hanbing’s clothing.
Mu Xueshi broke into a cold sweat. This was way too much—he’d better make himself scarce.
Looking around, he noticed there were many stone caves here. He chose one next to Li Qian’s cave so he could conveniently keep an eye on his master’s situation. With that in mind, he walked toward it.
“Dinner is on the stone table outside, little black chimp.”
Who are you calling a little black chimp?! Mu Xueshi spun around angrily, ready to curse, but upon seeing the scene again, he couldn’t say a word. He turned back around and hurried into the cave in embarrassment.
It was already dark outside. Mu Xueshi didn’t feel like eating, so he lay down on the stone bed to rest. Pressing his face against it, he realized it wasn’t as cold as he had expected—it was actually warm and quite comfortable. After lying there for a while, he discovered an even better feature: the stone bed transmitted sound very well. With his ear pressed against it, he could clearly hear movements from the neighboring cave.
After the stone door closed, Li Qian walked over to the bed, looking down at Su Ruhan with a hint of resentment in his expression.
“Why keep pretending? Those two have already left. Do you think I don’t know your tricks?”
Su Ruhan opened his eyes, looking at Li Qian with a hint of helplessness. “If I didn’t pretend, judging by your attitude, you wouldn’t even say a single word to me.”
Li Qian remained silent. He stepped forward to undo Su Ruhan’s clothing, intending to examine his injuries, but Su Ruhan grabbed his wrist, preventing him from moving.
“Qian’er… are you angry with me?”
Hearing the name “Qian’er,” Mu Xueshi got goosebumps all over. Especially recalling Su Ruhan’s tone—it was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Is that really my master? Does this stone bed somehow filter voices and make a stern voice sound so gentle?
Li Qian’s light voice drifted into Su Ruhan’s ears. “Why would I be angry with you?”
Su Ruhan slowly sat up, pulled Li Qian to his side, and asked calmly, “Aren’t you angry that I got myself covered in injuries because of Xueshi?”
Hearing this, the warmth on Li Qian’s face faded even more. He stood up from Su Ruhan’s side, walked over to the stone table, and sat down, saying indifferently, “Do you take me for some narrow-minded petty person? Xueshi was in danger—what’s wrong with you, as his master, stepping forward to protect him? Besides, Xueshi is simple-hearted. I quite like him as well. Seeing that he’s unharmed makes me happy too.”
Hearing this, Mu Xueshi felt deeply moved. Li Qian was truly a good person—good-looking, and even kinder at heart.
“Then what exactly are you angry about?” Su Ruhan looked in Li Qian’s direction, a trace of urgency in his eyes.
At Su Ruhan’s question, Li Qian’s irritation became even more obvious. Su Ruhan still didn’t understand what he was angry about, and yet he questioned him in this tone. Taking a deep breath, Li Qian prepared to open the door and leave, letting Su Ruhan fend for himself.
Su Ruhan quickly got down from the stone bed and leapt in front of Li Qian. Perhaps the movement pulled at his wounds—he frowned slightly, his body bending forward a little.
Li Qian’s expression shifted in alarm. He hurriedly supported Su Ruhan back onto the stone bed, then said nothing more, his face cold as he loosened Su Ruhan’s clothing. Su Ruhan’s broad chest was revealed, covered in burns of varying sizes. Then, seeing the bloodied and mangled state of his shoulder, Li Qian couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.
Su Ruhan watched as Li Qian turned to fetch some medicinal herbs. When he returned, his eyes were slightly red. Su Ruhan’s heart tightened, and he quickly coaxed, “Qian’er, these injuries are nothing. I’ll recover in a day or two.”
As if he hadn’t heard him, Li Qian replied coldly, “What does it have to do with me when you recover? You know it yourself—why tell me? I’m not the one forcing you to heal quickly.”
“Why say things like that? You know I’ve always worried about your safety here. I wish I could have flown back to you immediately.”
Lying on the stone bed, Mu Xueshi felt as though a kitten’s claws were scratching at his heart. His master… could actually say such tender words. Sigh… I thought I was special to him, but hearing what he says to Li Qian now, I finally understand my place in his heart…
Li Qian’s gaze fell upon the dark mass of energy on Su Ruhan’s chest, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.
“Qian’er, the situation was urgent. I had no choice but to use the Bloodthirsty Sword. Otherwise, I might have lost my life.” Su Ruhan quickly grasped Li Qian’s hand.
Li Qian was no longer angry—what remained was heartache. He turned his head to look at Su Ruhan. It seemed that Su Ruhan himself wasn’t feeling well either. Li Qian couldn’t truly blame him, and could only say helplessly, “You clearly know that before you’ve fully mastered it, every time you use that technique, you lose ten years of your lifespan. Why would you gamble with your life like that?”
Hearing this, Mu Xueshi’s heart clenched sharply, his mind going blank. All he knew was that this escape of his had cost Su Ruhan such a terrible price.
Afraid that Li Qian would stay angry with him for days, Su Ruhan quickly pulled him into his arms, pressing his face against Li Qian’s neck, speaking with a hint of frustration, “I already told you—the situation was critical. If I hadn’t used the Bloodthirsty Sword, I might not have survived.”
“But you clearly could have escaped. Why didn’t you take the shortcut here?”
With a serious expression, Su Ruhan replied, “I did take the shortcut.”
This only made Li Qian more upset. If Su Ruhan hadn’t been injured and holding onto him, he would have already pulled away forcefully.
“That path only allows one horse to pass—how could there have been dozens of soldiers blocking it? Besides, do you think I don’t know how far you traveled? Even if you encountered trouble midway, you wouldn’t have returned only after sunset.”
“Alright, alright—whatever you say.” Su Ruhan coaxed gently.
“What exactly did you go and do?” Li Qian stared at Su Ruhan and asked.
Futile Devices Scans 
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