“Why aren’t you bathing?”
Mu Xueshi sat alone in the large warm pool, glaring resentfully at the Third Prince. Earlier, the Third Prince had already told him he would no longer hold the handprint on his chest against him. But when they arrived at the warm pool together, the Third Prince only told Mu Xueshi to wash.
“Why should I bathe?” the Third Prince asked leisurely as he looked at Mu Xueshi.
Tilting his head up to look at him, Mu Xueshi replied, “Because I dislike you too.”
Saying that was basically equivalent to throwing himself into a crematorium.
Sure enough, the next second, the Third Prince hauled Mu Xueshi straight out of the water and pinned his dripping body against a large nearby rock. He wouldn’t let him struggle and stared at him without moving.
“What did you just say?” the Third Prince asked.
“I said I dislike you too,” Mu Xueshi repeated, even raising his voice.
The moment the Third Prince heard those words, sharp blades seemed to flash from his eyes, as if he wanted to swallow Mu Xueshi whole alive. Dislike? Someone actually dared use that word on him!
The moment Mu Xueshi saw the Third Prince’s gaze, he knew a storm was about to break. The stubbornness on his face rapidly diminished until it disappeared entirely, leaving only the innocent look of someone who had just been bullied.
“But it’s true. Just because there’s a handprint on my chest, you dislike me. Yet you’ve already gone through a marriage ceremony—you’re a married man now—and I didn’t dislike you for that.”
Once the topic turned to this matter, Mu Xueshi immediately regained confidence in his argument.
Only then did the Third Prince realize what Mu Xueshi meant by “dislike.” He was jealous.
At that thought, the Third Prince’s gaze softened. Afraid Mu Xueshi would catch cold, he quickly lifted him up again and carefully placed him back into the warm pool.
“See? Guilty conscience.”
Seeing the Third Prince’s expression turn from stormy to clear skies, not only letting him off but even fussing over him, Mu Xueshi immediately assumed he felt guilty. The Third Prince said nothing in reply and simply sprinkled fragrant oil into Mu Xueshi’s hair, gently massaging it through.
Rather than looking relaxed, Mu Xueshi frowned tightly, his eyes darting around as if scheming something again.
Suddenly, the Third Prince saw a wet arm shoot up from the water toward his ankle. But before it got halfway there, he caught it firmly in his hand.
His little scheme failed, and Mu Xueshi naturally felt disappointed. He had only wanted to drag the Third Prince into the water to bathe together. Being watched by him like this felt awkward. He could not understand why the Third Prince refused to bathe with him. Before he left, the two of them always bathed together.
“Stop fooling around. Once you finish washing, go lie down and rest for a while. When you feel better, get up and eat something before sleeping,” the Third Prince said in an unprecedentedly gentle tone.
Hearing this, Mu Xueshi truly stopped making trouble. He was simply unaccustomed to having someone else help him bathe. After all, he was already grown, and even when he was little, he could barely remember Mrs. Chen helping him bathe more than a few times.
Suddenly, the Third Prince touched one of Mu Xueshi’s ticklish spots. Mu Xueshi splashed around in the water, laughing as he hurriedly tried to dodge away, pleading, “I’ll wash myself.”
The Third Prince pulled Mu Xueshi back again and warned him not to move. Yet the Third Prince’s hands wandered deliberately over Mu Xueshi’s most sensitive places, making Mu Xueshi’s breathing unsteady. His handsome face flushed bright red, and even his pale chest became tinted with a faint rosy color.
At this moment, the Third Prince, faced with such a sight, was already restraining himself to the point of suffocation. Unfortunately, his wound had not yet been treated. If it were touched or reopened, it would definitely frighten Mu Xueshi. Besides, although Mu Xueshi had not said anything aloud, the Third Prince could tell he was exhausted. Sitting in the warm pool, Mu Xueshi had already yawned countless times.
When Mu Xueshi realized the Third Prince’s hand was moving between his legs, he quickly grabbed his arm and said, “You don’t need to wash there…”
“Why not?” the Third Prince deliberately asked.
Mu Xueshi could not answer. He simply clung tightly to the Third Prince’s hand without moving.
With a single motion, the Third Prince reversed their positions and pinned Mu Xueshi’s hands back instead. Then his other hand slipped between Mu Xueshi’s legs. Though the movement was ostensibly just washing, its purpose and effect still left Mu Xueshi unbearably embarrassed.
The Third Prince toyed with that adorable part of him, stroking slowly up and down. When he noticed Mu Xueshi’s restrained hands had gone completely limp and powerless, he simply released them. His other hand slipped into the water as well, gently kneading the sensitive nub on Mu Xueshi’s chest.
Mu Xueshi tilted his neck back slightly, his expression filled with pleasure. The intimate moment that had been interrupted earlier by the sudden argument was now being resumed by the Third Prince. It had been a long time since either of them had been in the mood for such things. Mu Xueshi’s body was burning with passion, and every place the Third Prince touched sent tremors through him.
“A little lower…” Mu Xueshi said with half-lidded eyes.
Following his instructions, the Third Prince’s hand moved lower, cupping and teasing him further. Mu Xueshi immediately cried out softly, whimpering and moaning quietly along with the Third Prince’s movements.
Seeing Mu Xueshi’s expression and hearing those sounds only deepened the Third Prince’s hatred for the wound Shangchuan Hong had inflicted on him. Otherwise, right now he could have stayed in the warm pool with Mu Xueshi and thoroughly claimed the person he had longed for countless times.
Very quickly, Mu Xueshi’s body trembled violently, climaxing into the Third Prince’s hands.
The Third Prince carried Mu Xueshi out of the water and helped him dress. Mu Xueshi’s eyes could barely stay open as he still asked the Third Prince, “You… don’t want to?”
“When I do want you, just don’t cry and beg me to stop,” the Third Prince replied, casually covering Mu Xueshi’s face with a white silk cloth.
Curled up in the Third Prince’s arms, Mu Xueshi wore a satisfied expression. His eyes closed, and soon his breathing became slow and even.
When the Third Prince emerged from the warm-water cave, the other four were gathered near the cave entrance. Several simple iron racks had been set up there, roasting wild birds over the fire. It was rare for them to have such a good haul, and tonight they could finally enjoy some game meat.
All four of them looked to be in excellent spirits, their faces glowing vividly in the firelight.
When Liehuo saw the Third Prince emerge carrying Mu Xueshi in his arms, he naturally understood what had happened. A mischievous grin immediately appeared on his face, and he was just about to tease them when the Third Prince’s gaze silenced him.
That look was far too powerful. There was no malice in it, yet it carried overwhelming authority. Liehuo instantly understood that he was being told to keep quiet. Judging from the situation, Mu Xueshi had already fallen asleep. Back when the Third Prince personally visited Liehuo and Hanbing here for Mu Xueshi’s sake, Liehuo had already admired the Third Prince’s bearing. A man like this carried an irresistible aura even in his gentlest moments.
The Third Prince placed Mu Xueshi onto the stone bed and tucked the blanket carefully around him. Just as he was about to stand up, Mu Xueshi grabbed his hand.
“Where are you going?” Mu Xueshi suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared blankly at the Third Prince, making it impossible to tell whether he had actually woken up.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here with you. Go back to sleep,” the Third Prince coaxed softly.
Mu Xueshi narrowed his eyes slightly and sniffed the air. Muttering, he said, “I smelled something delicious just now.”
“They’re roasting wild game outside. When you wake up later, you can go eat some.”
Hearing those words, Mu Xueshi smiled, looking excited at the thought of eating roasted game later. Gradually the smile faded, his breathing steadied, and he drifted back to sleep once more.
The Third Prince sat beside him for a little while longer before quietly rising and walking out of the cave, barely making a sound the entire time.
When the Third Prince emerged from the cave entrance, Su Ruhan immediately stood up and walked toward him. After stopping in front of him, he said, “Let Li Qian bandage your wound.”
The Third Prince knew Su Ruhan would definitely notice he was injured, so he simply nodded and followed him into another stone cave.
Li Qian had already prepared several medicinal herbs, most of them used for knife and sword wounds. Applied to injuries, they could reduce pain and help torn flesh heal faster.
The moment the Third Prince saw Li Qian, he paused slightly.
At first glance, Li Qian truly did resemble Mu Xueshi somewhat, especially from the back and in profile. But their temperaments were slightly different. Li Qian possessed a refined and ethereal elegance. He spoke little, yet understood boundaries perfectly, making it difficult for anyone to dislike him.
The Third Prince had always known there was someone in Su Ruhan’s heart. That person lived outside the imperial palace, and every time Su Ruhan disappeared, it usually had something to do with him. But he had never truly met him before. Now that he had, he finally understood why Su Ruhan showed Mu Xueshi such special care.
The Third Prince loosened his robe slightly, exposing the wound on his abdomen. Since it had not been treated in time, it looked extremely gruesome now. Although Li Qian had assisted his master in treating injuries before, he still could not help inhaling sharply when he saw how badly the wound had deteriorated.
“Why didn’t Your Highness treat it sooner?” Li Qian could not help asking.
Standing nearby, Su Ruhan answered on the Third Prince’s behalf, “He was too eager to see my disciple. How could he spare any attention for his own injuries?”
Li Qian smiled faintly and then focused wholeheartedly on treating the Third Prince’s wound.
The Third Prince still had not settled accounts with Su Ruhan for telling Mu Xueshi all those hidden feelings of his, and now Su Ruhan was becoming increasingly bold. When the Third Prince looked toward him, he found Su Ruhan almost seemed like a completely different person from usual. Watching the way Su Ruhan gazed at Li Qian, the Third Prince suddenly wondered what kind of person he himself appeared to be in Mu Xueshi’s eyes.
Meanwhile, Mu Xueshi stood silently at the entrance of the stone cave, staring blankly inside. He did not dare look directly at the wound on the Third Prince’s abdomen, yet he could not stop himself from looking either. Every glance made his heart twist painfully. In the end, he could not bear to keep watching, so he quietly turned around and walked back toward the stone cave where he had been sleeping earlier.
Mu Xueshi had long known the Third Prince was hiding something from him. Back when the Third Prince stubbornly refused to bathe together with him, and when the Third Prince satisfied him yet asked for nothing in return, he should already have realized the Third Prince was injured.
Futile Devices Scans 
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