Sun Ye took a deep breath and turned around.
Gu Master Mo Ru greedily stared at the slightly irritated Sun Ye—the sharp, striking eyes, the straight and perfectly shaped nose, and those pale red lips. Every inch of him radiated integrity and an untouchable air, yet Gu Master Mo Ru had fallen deeply captivated.
In all his years of living frivolously and indulgently, he had met countless people. Whether men or women, he had always preferred the seductive and enchanting type. For someone like Sun Ye—hard and rigid like a stone, difficult to approach, lacking all charm, upright to the core—Gu Master Mo Ru would ordinarily never have had the slightest interest.
At first, what drew him in was Sun Ye’s furious expression. Later, it spread silently through his heart like poison. He felt that the expression Sun Ye wore when cursing or striking people was the most beautiful expression in the world.
So ending up in this state did not surprise Gu Master Mo Ru in the least.
“How do you want me to repay you?” Sun Ye finally asked.
Gu Master Mo Ru picked up the bowl of medicine and drank it in small sips, his expression utterly content. Yet his face was covered in wounds, exposed plainly before Sun Ye’s eyes. That look of enjoyment only made him appear disgusting in Sun Ye’s view.
Sun Ye truly could not understand how he had impulsively gone to beg for an antidote on this man’s behalf, even betraying the Third Prince, whom he revered like a god.
Only after Gu Master Mo Ru finished the medicine entirely and stretched lazily did he finally speak. “Come closer to me first, then I’ll tell you.”
Sun Ye stood motionless with a dark expression. “If you refuse to say it now, I’ll leave immediately.”
It looked as though Gu Master Mo Ru had just been punched. The muscles on his face twisted together painfully.
“What… did you… give me… to drink…? Why are you…”
As he spoke, Gu Master Mo Ru curled into the corner of the bed, his entire body convulsing violently. Anyone unaware of the situation would think someone was butchering animals inside the room.
Sun Ye was startled and immediately crossed the room in a few quick steps. He initially intended to place a hand on Gu Master Mo Ru’s shoulder, but after hesitating, he lowered it again. Instead, he poked Gu Master Mo Ru in the chest with the hilt of his sword and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
Gu Master Mo Ru thrashed twice before collapsing motionless.
Sun Ye quickly grabbed his wrist to check his pulse. Yet the moment his hand settled there, someone suddenly gripped his hand tightly in return.
“You—!”
Sun Ye’s face darkened. He nearly drove the sword in his other hand straight toward Gu Master Mo Ru’s throat.
Gu Master Mo Ru immediately put on a flattering grin, looking no different from a begging stray on the streets. “That really was a side effect from the medicine just now. Suddenly it became like that. But somehow, the moment you came over, I recovered.”
Sun Ye tried to pull his hand free, but failed. Although Gu Master Mo Ru appeared not to be exerting any force at all, the grip was undeniably firm.
“Your hands are truly beautiful,” Gu Master Mo Ru sighed admiringly as his fingertips slowly caressed them.
Sun Ye’s expression became unbearably ugly. With one violent jerk, he finally tore his hand free, nearly dragging Gu Master Mo Ru off the bed in the process.
“If tormenting others is your form of entertainment, then find someone else. I still need to return and receive punishment.” There was not the slightest hint of joking in Sun Ye’s tone.
At last, Gu Master Mo Ru withdrew his playful expression, and the smile on his face slowly faded.
“If you truly return to accept punishment, it will certainly be a dead end for you. In order to obtain my antidote, you deliberately lured the Third Prince out of the cave entrance, giving Emperor Hao Lin the chance to approach Mu Xueshi. If the Third Prince learns what you did, let alone one you—even ten of you wouldn’t survive his torment.”
“Even so, I am still willing to return,” Sun Ye replied stubbornly.
Gu Master Mo Ru suddenly let out a bitter laugh. “You want to return to the Third Prince’s side, don’t you? Even if he tortures you, you still refuse to leave him. Is it because you now regret betraying the Third Prince for the sake of my ruined face?”
Sun Ye answered coldly, “Yes.”
“Then why did you do it in the first place?”
“Only so I could live with a clear conscience.”
Gu Master Mo Ru suddenly exploded in anger. “You are nothing more than a tool to the Third Prince! Your life or death means absolutely nothing to him. The only thing he values is what you can do for him. Even if you died midway through carrying out his orders, he would not so much as blink. So stop indulging in wishful thinking. Even if you return to his side, he will never look at you again.”
The moment Sun Ye heard those words, he felt as though the blood throughout his body reversed direction.
He understood exactly what Gu Master Mo Ru meant. Ever since Gu Master Mo Ru had stubbornly remained at the small courtyard, he had repeatedly spoken such words. Back then, Sun Ye had not felt especially angry. But for some reason, listening to them now made something inside his head suddenly explode.
Smack!
A vicious slap landed across Gu Master Mo Ru’s still-unhealed face. Blood immediately trickled down together with the torn corner of his mouth.
Gu Master Mo Ru felt as though something had violently smashed into his heart. Perhaps it had simply been too long since he last suffered such a blow, but it took him nearly half an hour to recover from that single strike.
By then, Sun Ye had already left the room.
Sun Ye galloped wildly down the road on horseback. His hands still trembled uncontrollably, and the rage in his chest felt sufficient to burn every farmhouse in the area to the ground. He could not understand how he had ever helped such a person, nor how he had committed something so absurd.
Whenever he thought of everything that might have happened that night, a dull ache spread through his heart. If anything had truly happened to Mu Xueshi, then even without the Third Prince lifting a hand, Sun Ye himself would have ended his own life.
He rode through the night without stopping. Only after reaching the outskirts of the imperial capital at dawn did he finally pull hard on the reins and stop in a stretch of wilderness.
The horse was utterly exhausted. Sun Ye could feel it slowing more and more. He tied the horse to a tree and found a dirt slope nearby, where he sat down to rest with his eyes closed.
He slept less than two hours before dawn arrived. Then he set out again.
By the time the sun rose overhead, Sun Ye had passed through country paths and reached the main road, quickly entering the city.
The city bustled noisily. Streets overflowed with people, and the cries of street vendors rang endlessly through the air. Sun Ye’s horse moved slowly along the street while he remained uncertain where exactly he should search for the Third Prince—or where the Third Prince might currently be.
Suddenly, a long procession of imperial guards approached. Judging by their uniforms, they were palace troops.
In the center of the procession traveled a carriage crafted from black nanmu wood, adorned with gemstones outside and lined with silk within. It looked exceptionally luxurious. At a glance, it was obvious this was no ordinary person’s entourage.
Sun Ye turned his horse and stopped at a small intersection, silently watching the approaching procession together with the crowd.
Suddenly, a head poked out from the carriage window. Yet it quickly withdrew again.
Sun Ye’s heart tightened. Although he had not seen clearly, he vaguely felt it was Mu Xueshi.
Soon afterward, the gauze curtain over the window lifted once more. This time, the person only revealed his face, those gem-like eyes darting everywhere as though searching for someone.
Now Sun Ye saw clearly. It truly was Mu Xueshi. And there was obviously another person inside the carriage as well. Sun Ye did not even need to look to know who that person was.
A sudden panic welled inside him. Unsure what he should do, he simply sat frozen atop his horse, staring toward the carriage.
The curtain closed again, then reopened. Immediately afterward, Sun Ye thought he heard someone calling his name.
His heart jolted.
Looking toward the carriage, he discovered Mu Xueshi’s gaze fixed directly upon him. Though the voice mingled with the noisy crowd, Sun Ye heard it perfectly clearly.
Sun Ye’s expression turned dazed. Suddenly, he wheeled his horse around and galloped toward the city gates.
Mu Xueshi’s cheerful expression still echoed vividly in his mind. Sun Ye felt both excited and miserable at once.
He knew that once again he had strayed completely from his original intentions. After confirming that Mu Xueshi and the Third Prince were both safe and unharmed, he still chose to return.
There was no particularly special reason.
It was only because he suddenly remembered that during the days he had lain unconscious, someone had remained by his side caring for him. Until he personally saw that person fully recovered, Sun Ye did not wish to leave behind such a regret.
Futile Devices Scans 
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