Futile Devices Scans

Night had already deepened into an ink-like darkness when Su Ruhan finally hurried back to the Ice-Fire Cave.

The moment he reached the entrance, he discovered the Third Prince’s tall figure standing amidst the shadows of the bamboo grove. His expression could not be seen clearly, but judging from the aura radiating from him, he was obviously not in a good mood.

“Your Highness!”

The Third Prince responded with a perfunctory hum. He did not turn around, and even his voice sounded unusually indifferent.

“Why is Your Highness standing here alone? Have you eaten dinner yet?”

The Third Prince did not answer.

Only when Su Ruhan drew closer did he realize the Third Prince’s expression was abnormal. More precisely, he was angry. It was rare to see him angry without venting it on someone else or deliberately concealing it.

“Your Highness, while I was on my way to the General’s Manor today, I accidentally discovered something.”

“Oh?”

The moment serious matters were mentioned, the Third Prince immediately restrained his emotions.

Su Ruhan lowered his eyes slightly and said in a grave voice, “I stopped midway at an inn and asked the waiter for a bowl of tea. By chance, I noticed that four of the waiter’s fingers were dark purple-black in color. It was obvious he had trained in the Shaolin Pipa Hand technique. Yet judging solely by his appearance and clothing, he looked nothing like a martial artist. Even his walking movements were disguised extremely well.”

The Third Prince slowly stepped out from the bamboo grove and stood in an open clearing.

“That inn has been operating for many years. The waiter looked unfamiliar to me, but after asking around, I learned he had worked there for several years already. Normally he rarely went anywhere and spent every day busily working around the inn, never involving himself in jianghu affairs.”

“You mean that with martial arts skills like his, he should not be hiding under a false identity in such a shabby place?”

“It is not unusual for experts to conceal themselves, so at the time I was only curious and did not grow overly suspicious. Later, after I left the inn, the waiter happened to be delivering wine with a cart, and our routes coincided. I followed behind him and paid a bit more attention. He stopped the cart at the entrance of an alleyway at a street corner, then darted inside with incredible speed.

“Seeing how secretive his actions were, I followed after him. Later I discovered dozens of others had gone inside as well. Those people looked as though they were merely gathering and chatting, but their identities and clothing were all different. I recognized the man leading and greeting everyone—it was the leader of the Hongyi Gang. That waiter practiced Shaolin palm techniques, so why would he be connected with the Hongyi Gang?”

The Third Prince frowned slightly, his deep eyes emitting a cold gleam within the darkness.

“Did you hear what they were discussing?”

“No. Since the waiter was delivering wine, he only stayed inside briefly before coming back out. Once he left, I did not remain there any longer. Afterward, I secretly summoned the leaders of several major gangs. They all said some smaller gangs have indeed been behaving suspiciously lately, carrying out frequent covert activities. As for what exactly they are plotting, I’ve already instructed them to keep watch.”

“We must uncover the truth within the next few days,” the Third Prince said coldly.

Su Ruhan nodded in acknowledgment.

At that moment, Li Qian walked out and glanced toward them. Su Ruhan turned to the Third Prince and asked, “Does Your Highness have any further instructions?”

Naturally, the Third Prince had already noticed Li Qian as well. Expressionless, he replied, “No.”

Just as Su Ruhan was about to go over to Li Qian, Li Qian silently questioned him with his eyes from afar. Su Ruhan understood he was asking whether he could come over and speak, so Su Ruhan gave him an approving glance.

Li Qian walked to the Third Prince’s side and said calmly, “Third Prince, Young Master Xue merely caught a chill. He has taken his medicine and gone to sleep.”

The Third Prince acted as though he had not heard him and directly said to Su Ruhan, “You may leave.”

As Su Ruhan and Li Qian began walking back into the cave together, the Third Prince suddenly stopped Li Qian.

“He was willing to drink the medicine?” the Third Prince asked.

Li Qian replied, “No one forced him. He drank it willingly on his own.”

Those words were like pouring another bucket of oil onto the fire already burning in the Third Prince’s chest. Every time he tried to get Mu Xueshi to take medicine, it was as though he were demanding the boy’s life—he always had to threaten or coax him before he would obey. Yet when Li Qian told him to drink medicine, Mu Xueshi obediently drank it without protest.

Thus the Third Prince remained standing within the shadows untouched by moonlight, showing no intention of going inside.

“Why is Your Highness still not going in?” Li Qian frowned slightly, clearly displeased.

Standing beside Li Qian now, Su Ruhan had long since shed the sternness he carried earlier. Even his tone carried a hint of gentle persuasion.

“His Highness is thinking of Xueshi.”

Li Qian was obviously unconvinced by Su Ruhan’s explanation. “If he’s thinking of Xueshi, why not go in and take care of him? Though a chill is only a minor illness, Xueshi’s health has been poor lately. His Highness should at least go in and show some concern.”

“I suspect His Highness was angered earlier, but couldn’t bear to vent his temper on Xueshi, so he’s allowing himself time to calm down first.”

After hearing Su Ruhan’s words, Li Qian found them somewhat reasonable. Earlier, while he had been treating Mu Xueshi, Mu Xueshi had indeed shut the Third Prince outside. Based on Li Qian’s surface-level observations of the Third Prince these past few days, if this had happened under normal circumstances, Mu Xueshi would certainly have suffered greatly for it.

Now that Mu Xueshi was sick, would the Third Prince really let him off so easily? And even if the Third Prince managed to calm himself now, once he returned and was angered again by Mu Xueshi’s blunt, unfiltered words, would he still remain gentle toward an already ill Xueshi…

By the time Li Qian snapped back to reality, he realized the expression on the man before him had become no different from the Third Prince’s earlier one.

By the time the last thin veil of clouds around the moon had been blown away, the mountain valley finally fell completely silent.

The Third Prince walked steadily toward the cave.

The candlelight inside had already grown dim, and the shadows cast upon the wall appeared faint and insubstantial.

The Third Prince entered the cave where Mu Xueshi was sleeping. Hearing the familiar sound of breathing, a sense of peace spread through his heart. He removed the many cumbersome outer layers of his clothing, leaving only a light purple inner robe, then quietly lay down on the stone bed.

Before the Third Prince had even turned over, he felt the previously steady breathing pause. Immediately afterward, the person beside him shifted slightly, turned over, and wrapped his arms around the Third Prince’s waist.

Mu Xueshi’s soft long hair rested upon the Third Prince’s arm. When the Third Prince lifted his hand, the strands slid obediently back onto the bed.

The Third Prince touched Mu Xueshi’s forehead. The fever had lessened considerably, though it was still warmer than usual.

Yet Mu Xueshi took the Third Prince’s hand down and held it in his own. Tilting his head upward, his large eyes shone crystal-clear in the darkness like luminous pearls.

“What’s wrong?” the Third Prince asked softly.

Mu Xueshi closed his eyes and buried his face against the Third Prince’s neck without saying a word.

The Third Prince assumed Mu Xueshi was preparing to go back to sleep, but after a short while, Mu Xueshi lifted his head again. His large eyes still stared blankly at the Third Prince.

“You woke up?” the Third Prince asked again.

Mu Xueshi replied quietly, “I never slept.”

The Third Prince noticed something strange in Mu Xueshi’s voice. When he touched Mu Xueshi’s cheek again, he discovered it was wet.

“Does your body feel very uncomfortable?” the Third Prince asked anxiously.

The moment Mu Xueshi heard the question, his tears surged forth like a flood breaking through a dam, impossible to stop.

“No…” Mu Xueshi wiped at his tears with the back of his hand.

The Third Prince caught his hand and kissed it gently, a trace of heartache surfacing in his eyes.

After a long while, Mu Xueshi finally said through sobs, “I thought you… weren’t coming back. I thought you secretly… left again.”

Hearing those words, any bad mood the Third Prince had instantly disappeared. He gently stroked Mu Xueshi’s cheek with his thumb and softly asked, “You’re afraid I’ll leave?”

Mu Xueshi had already lost all dignity crying like this, so he no longer cared about saving face. Whatever the Third Prince asked, he answered honestly.

“I’m afraid you won’t take me with you. Whenever I think about what you’re doing, what dangers you might encounter, and how all of it happens behind my back, I feel terrible. Am I really annoying? I don’t understand anything, yet I always insist on following you around.”

The Third Prince’s brows furrowed as he tightened his embrace around Mu Xueshi.

“You’re overthinking.”

“When I go out with you, I can’t understand anything you and the others discuss. You won’t let me ask questions. The only thing I accomplished today was smashing Lord Zhong’s vase.”

The Third Prince almost laughed despite himself. He finally understood where Mu Xueshi’s frustration all day had come from.

“You do not need to understand those matters. They are too mentally exhausting. Knowing too much about them may not be good for you.”

Mu Xueshi retorted, “But you make me feel like I’m living off someone else, like I have no dignity at all.”

“Living off someone else?” the Third Prince asked.

Mu Xueshi first snorted, then angrily explained, “It means being useless. Depending on someone else to survive while having no abilities of your own.”

“I only wish for you to live comfortably. What does that have to do with your abilities?”

“It does! You just look down on me!” Mu Xueshi declared firmly.

The Third Prince remained fairly patient with him and explained again, “If I truly looked down on you, I would not even bother explaining myself to you now.”

Mu Xueshi’s expression shifted slightly, but he still stubbornly said, “Then take me with you tomorrow.”

“No. Tomorrow will be too dangerous.” The Third Prince’s tone allowed no argument.

“You still look down on me!”

Mu Xueshi shouted loudly and abruptly shoved the Third Prince away. He rolled to the other side of the bed and kicked the blankets entirely toward the Third Prince.

The Third Prince looked displeased, but still suppressed his temper and wrapped the blankets back around Mu Xueshi.

Mu Xueshi refused to cooperate and kicked them away again. He wore only a thin inner garment, and his narrow shoulders trembled slightly.

This time, the Third Prince lost patience. He grabbed Mu Xueshi and hauled him back over, stuffed him beneath the blankets, then tightly wrapped him inside them, almost constricting him to the point he could barely breathe.

“As long as your body is not fully recovered, forget about me taking you anywhere.”

Hearing the threat, Mu Xueshi realized all his struggling was once again useless. The frustration in his chest swelled more and more until he finally muttered softly, “You’re just bullying the weak.”

“I don’t see anything weak about you. Wasn’t it you who shut me outside the door today?” At the mention of this matter, even the Third Prince’s tone sharpened.

“Yes, I did it on purpose! I wanted you to experience how I feel. Being shut out, knowing nothing about the other person, only being able to worry helplessly on your own!!”

The Third Prince’s eyes fixed directly upon Mu Xueshi. The dark gleam within them carried a terrifying sense of oppression.

Mu Xueshi waited in despair for the storm to descend.

Yet in the very next instant, the Third Prince’s figure suddenly vanished. The stone door at the cave entrance flew open—all within the blink of an eye.

Hearing the unusual movement, the Third Prince rushed outside and discovered a shadow disappearing into the bamboo grove.

He leapt after it and seized the person by the back of the neck, slowly turning the face toward himself.

After staring for several moments, the Third Prince realized the person was actually Sun Ye. Though somewhat haggard, his features were still recognizable.

“Your Highness…” Sun Ye’s voice sounded hoarse.

The Third Prince’s expression turned complicated as he asked, “Where exactly did you go the other day? And how did you find this place?”

“I only came to see you…” Sun Ye answered irrelevantly.

The Third Prince immediately sensed something was wrong. Very quickly, numbness spread through the hand gripping Sun Ye’s neck.

Sun Ye looked at the Third Prince with guilt-filled eyes, stepped backward awkwardly a few paces, then quickly disappeared into the night.

A gust of night wind swept through, rustling the bamboo leaves briefly before silence returned once more, as though no one had ever appeared there at all.

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