The Third Prince noticed that ever since Mu Xueshi had been lightly warned by him earlier, he had fallen completely silent, sitting gloomily at the side while rubbing his hands together from time to time. The Third Prince’s heart softened, and he reached out to pull Mu Xueshi’s hand over.
Mu Xueshi’s hand was pale, slender, and finely boned. Every finger looked as though it had been meticulously carved and polished, delicate and pleasing to the eye.
When the Third Prince turned the hand over, the ruler mark across the center of the palm looked especially glaring. The place that had been struck was still faintly red, and even after so long, the redness had not faded.
The Third Prince’s fingertips slowly traced over the red mark, a trace of heartache in his eyes. He did not remember using much force. At first, when he heard Mu Xueshi cry out in pain, he had thought the boy was merely exaggerating.
Mu Xueshi withdrew his hand and placed it on his lap. His large eyes stared blankly at the paintings and calligraphy hanging on the opposite wall, lips tightly pressed together, expressionless.
The Third Prince’s heart tightened. After scolding Mu Xueshi earlier, he had ignored him and continued discussing important matters with Envoy Zhong. Seeing him like this now, he seemed genuinely upset.
“It’s getting late. We should take our leave first.” The Third Prince stood and greeted Envoy Zhong.
Mu Xueshi also rose to his feet and said to Envoy Zhong, “Lord Zhong, I’ll find a way to compensate you for that antique vase.”
Envoy Zhong froze slightly before replying amiably, “Young Master Xue should stop joking. Even if you truly wished to compensate me, I wouldn’t dare accept it.”
“You have to accept it even if you don’t dare.” Mu Xueshi stubbornly lifted his chin.
The Third Prince immediately understood those words were aimed at him. He smiled inwardly, though his face remained expressionless.
Just as they reached the gates of the estate, Envoy Zhong suddenly called out again, “Your Highness, please wait.”
The Third Prince and Mu Xueshi stopped in their tracks.
“Your Highness, in my haste earlier, I forgot to mention something. I heard it by chance and am not sure whether it is true.”
“Please speak, Envoy Zhong.”
Envoy Zhong quietly whispered a few words into the Third Prince’s ear. Mu Xueshi could not hear clearly. Though curious, he did not want to ask directly.
As soon as the conversation ended, Madam Zhong and her daughter approached carrying something in their hands. At first, Mu Xueshi’s attention was fixed on the beautiful young lady, but it quickly shifted to what she was holding.
“Your Highness, these are lotus pastries and almond cakes handmade by my daughter. Though they cannot compare to the palace chefs’ craftsmanship, they still represent her sincere intentions. I only hope Your Highness will not dislike them.”
“Of course not.” Mu Xueshi happily accepted the box from Madam Zhong and cast an appreciative glance toward Envoy Zhong’s daughter.
The young lady also looked at Mu Xueshi. Though her smile was subtle, it was obvious she seemed quite pleased.
Soon afterward, Mu Xueshi and the Third Prince mounted the horse.
This time, Mu Xueshi did not sit facing the Third Prince. Though the Third Prince had originally pulled him up that way, Mu Xueshi naturally turned around to face forward.
Then he impatiently opened the box, and a rich fragrance immediately greeted him.
Using the hand that had not been struck, Mu Xueshi picked up a lotus pastry and took a small bite, chewing carefully. The pastry was crisp on the outside and soft within, savory with a hint of sweetness, the filling fragrant and delicious. As he ate, Mu Xueshi repeatedly praised Envoy Zhong’s daughter’s excellent cooking skills.
While eating, Mu Xueshi lowered his hand to grab an almond cake, but instead of touching the cakes, he touched the Third Prince’s hand.
Mu Xueshi tried to move the hand blocking him, but he could not even budge a single finger. He tried pulling the box away from the Third Prince’s grasp, yet the box did not move either.
“That was Envoy Zhong’s daughter’s token of affection for me. Who allowed you to eat it?” Clear displeasure colored the Third Prince’s voice.
Hearing those words, the discomfort already lingering in Mu Xueshi’s heart worsened. He suddenly recalled those television dramas he had watched before, where wealthy officials would marry off their daughters to curry favor with powerful men. Could these pastries have hidden intentions behind them?
Mu Xueshi stopped struggling and removed his hand from the box. The delicious pastries he had just enjoyed now seemed as tasteless as chaff in retrospect.
The Third Prince did not take the pastries away. Instead, he quietly watched Mu Xueshi. Later, when he tried turning Mu Xueshi around, Mu Xueshi resisted.
The Third Prince wrapped an arm around Mu Xueshi’s waist, clasped both hands together, and rested them lightly against Mu Xueshi’s stomach. Then he lowered his chin onto Mu Xueshi’s neck and quietly breathed in his scent.
Very quickly, the Third Prince sensed the unusual warmth radiating from Mu Xueshi’s body.
His heart tightened. He removed his hand from Mu Xueshi’s waist and pressed it against his forehead. The moment he checked, it was obvious—Mu Xueshi had a fever.
How did he suddenly get a fever?
Filled with concern, the Third Prince immediately turned Mu Xueshi around and carefully examined his face. Mu Xueshi looked completely listless, his complexion worse than when they had first arrived. The Third Prince then grabbed his wrist and checked his pulse. It was steady, showing no signs of any serious illness. It appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary chill.
The Third Prince recalled how Mu Xueshi had not rested at all the previous night and had risen early to travel with him. Sleeping on horseback along the road made it especially easy to catch cold. He had likely already become ill while still at the Zhong residence, only without showing obvious symptoms.
“I’m fine,” Mu Xueshi said in a thick nasal voice.
The Third Prince turned the horse around, deciding to return to the Ice-Fire Cave first and go to the palace tomorrow instead. The entire journey had been unnaturally calm, which meant that both the Emperor’s side and Emperor Lin’s side were still locked in a standoff, with neither making any major moves. After returning, he could take care of Xueshi while carefully considering the information he had gathered today. This would also allow him to send Mu Xueshi back safely, avoiding the danger of bringing him to the palace tomorrow.
“I’m not going back.” Mu Xueshi glared at the Third Prince with a stubborn, domineering expression.
The Third Prince frowned and replied firmly, “We’re going back first so you can take medicine and rest. We’ll go to the palace tomorrow. If we go now, it’ll be too late to return to the Ice-Fire Cave tonight. The palace is in chaos right now. I’m worried it won’t be safe to stay there.”
Mu Xueshi knew the Third Prince was making excuses. If that had truly been his plan, he would not have suddenly changed his mind only after realizing Mu Xueshi was sick.
…
After getting off the horse, Mu Xueshi had barely steadied himself before snatching the pastry box from the Third Prince’s hands and protectively hugging it to his chest as he marched into the cave.
If the Third Prince had acted according to his temper, he would have snatched the box away, smashed it onto the ground, and stomped everything inside into pieces. Not only that, he would have ordered the kitchens and servants never to make those two pastries again.
But when he saw Mu Xueshi’s pale lips, the Third Prince forcibly endured it.
“Li Qian, Xueshi caught a chill. Please prepare some medicine for him,” the Third Prince said as soon as he entered the cave.
Li Qian nodded, his gentle eyes turning toward Mu Xueshi.
“Let’s go into that cave instead. There’s wind here, and it’ll be cold.”
Hearing Li Qian speak immediately lifted Mu Xueshi’s mood somewhat. He obediently followed Li Qian into the cave where Li Qian and Su Ruhan usually stayed.
The Third Prince followed behind them, though at a slower pace. By the time Li Qian and Mu Xueshi entered, the Third Prince was still outside the entrance. Just as he was about to step inside, the stone door suddenly slammed shut in front of him with a loud bang—and the one who shut it was Mu Xueshi.
The Third Prince had been shut outside.
For the first time in his life, someone dared to bar him from entering. And the person who did it was now alone inside with someone else.
If the Third Prince knew magic, the entire mountain might have collapsed in that instant.
“What are you doing?” Li Qian asked Mu Xueshi with an amused expression.
Mu Xueshi, however, looked utterly disdainful. “Nothing. I just don’t want him coming in.”
Li Qian took Mu Xueshi’s hand, intending to check his pulse, but his gaze accidentally landed on the swollen ruler mark across Mu Xueshi’s palm. Frowning, he asked, “How did this happen?”
“The Third Prince hit me!” Mu Xueshi replied irritably.
“His Highness truly has the heart to do that. If it were me, I could never bear to strike you.” Looking at those beautiful jade-like hands treated this way, Li Qian’s eyes filled with sympathy.
Hearing Li Qian defend him immediately improved Mu Xueshi’s mood. He could not help glancing at Li Qian a few extra times.
“You shut His Highness outside because he hit you?”
“Of course not. Him bullying me is practically routine. Three days for a small beating, five days for a big one…” Mu Xueshi ground his teeth loudly.
Li Qian found Mu Xueshi’s expression hilarious and asked again, “Then why are you angry?”
But Mu Xueshi’s attention had already drifted elsewhere. He stared at the stone bed Li Qian and Su Ruhan slept on for a moment, gave a dry laugh, and muttered, “Why does the stone bed in your cave look exactly the same as the one I sleep on…”
“Oh, all the stone beds, stone stools, and stone doors in these caves are made in the same style.”
“What about the material?” That was what Mu Xueshi actually cared about.
Li Qian used his elegant fingers to place medicinal leaves into a mortar, grinding them carefully as he explained, “There are two kinds of stone here—Ice Stone and Flame Stone. The materials are identical. They can change temperature according to body heat, and they can even transmit sound.”
At those final words, Mu Xueshi’s heart skipped violently.
How stupid. He had spent all that time hiding under the blanket, secretly delighted, never once realizing everyone else slept on the exact same kind of bed.
“Wow, that’s amazing! They can transmit sound too?” Mu Xueshi exclaimed with obviously fake surprise.
Instead, Li Qian looked at him meaningfully and replied softly, “Yes. Which means everything you did and said last night—I heard all of it.”
Mu Xueshi’s already feverish cheeks immediately burned hotter. And Li Qian kept staring directly at him. Mustering what little courage he had left, Mu Xueshi retorted, “What exactly did you hear? If you’ve got guts, say it out loud.”
Mu Xueshi had assumed Li Qian was bluffing to scare him.
But in the next instant, Li Qian adopted a breathless tone and said, “Stop… I can’t take it anymore…”
“You—!!” Mu Xueshi instantly jumped up and smacked Li Qian on the head several times.
When he first met Li Qian, he had thought him shy and reserved. Now it turned out Mu Xueshi himself was less open-minded. Having lived in the twenty-first century, Mu Xueshi refused to lose, and immediately began recounting all the sweet talk he had overheard between Li Qian and Su Ruhan.
“Didn’t you just say you only learned this place transmits sound?” Li Qian teased.
“Uh…” Mu Xueshi froze, instantly speechless.
At last, Li Qian burst into laughter.
Mu Xueshi indignantly pointed at him. “You look so honest, but you’re even sneakier than me!”
The more they talked, the more excited they became, laughing and fooling around endlessly. Finally, while Mu Xueshi was distracted, Li Qian suddenly removed the covering from his face, revealing the breathtakingly beautiful features beneath.
After seeing Mu Xueshi’s face briefly yesterday, Li Qian had secretly wanted another look. But with Su Ruhan nearby, he could not make it too obvious. Now, seeing him up close again, his heart became even more unsettled. Others claimed the two of them resembled each other, but Li Qian knew the resemblance was only in outline. In truth, they were worlds apart. A beauty like Mu Xueshi’s might not inspire love in everyone, but it was impossible not to feel moved.
While Li Qian stared at Mu Xueshi, Mu Xueshi also stared at Li Qian in a daze. Mu Xueshi spoke first.
“Li Qian, you’re really beautiful.”
Li Qian smiled until his eyes curved slightly. His handsome face drew closer and closer in Mu Xueshi’s vision until their noses touched. Then Mu Xueshi felt something soft and wet press against his lips.
By the time Mu Xueshi tried to dodge away, Li Qian had already pulled back, standing opposite him with a bright smile, showing not the slightest awkwardness.
“You’re too adorable. Ah… I’m getting more and more jealous of the Third Prince.”
At first, Mu Xueshi felt embarrassed by those words. But hearing the mention of the Third Prince afterward immediately ignited his temper again.
“Don’t mention him to me!” he shouted.
“Alright, alright, I won’t,” Li Qian soothed him hurriedly. Then he poured the crushed medicinal herbs into a medicine pot and said, “Wait here a moment. I’m taking this outside to heat over the fire.”
Mu Xueshi nodded. Feeling embarrassed by his earlier outburst, he unconsciously glanced toward the cave entrance after Li Qian left.
There was no one outside.
The tension in Mu Xueshi’s neck loosened, and he silently sat down on the stone stool.
Futile Devices Scans 
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