Futile Devices Scans

After Mu Xueshi climbed aboard, he threw his arms around the Third Prince and burst into tears. His shoulders trembled uncontrollably, soaking a large patch of the Third Prince’s clothes. The Third Prince reached out to feel Mu Xueshi’s clothing and found it completely drenched, smeared with muddy water as well. He immediately instructed the attendants outside,

“Bring a clean set of clothes.”

One of the attendants hurried down from the other carriage with a bundle of clean clothing in his arms and quickly ran toward the Third Prince’s carriage. At the same time, the coachman steered the carriage beside a spacious mountain cave nearby, where thick foliage overhead blocked much of the rain.

The Third Prince pushed Mu Xueshi away, intending to change his clothes, but Mu Xueshi clung tightly to him again, leaving not the slightest gap between them.

“I’m only helping you change into clean clothes.” The Third Prince’s voice still carried no warmth.

Mu Xueshi shook his head. “No changing. No changing.”

“You’ll get sick if you don’t.”

“I won’t. I’m healthy.”

The Third Prince was exasperated. “You’re pressed against me with soaking wet clothes. I’ll feel uncomfortable too.”

Only then did Mu Xueshi let go. He pouted as he looked at the Third Prince, wearing the expression of someone terrified of being chased away.

The Third Prince had just raised his hand when the attendant outside called out,

“Your Highness, the rain’s getting heavier and heavier. The carriage will start leaking at this rate. We’ll probably have to shelter in the cave for a while. What are Your Highness’s orders?”

“Let’s go into the cave,” Mu Xueshi pleaded softly as he tugged on the Third Prince’s arm.

Even at a time like this, Mu Xueshi still hadn’t forgotten to feel excited about entering a cave. In his mind, caves were the perfect setting for deepening relationships. In dramas, whenever the male and female leads entered a cave together, the heroine was guaranteed to end up pregnant by the next day.

The Third Prince said nothing. He jumped down from the carriage first, then, with a cold expression, lifted Mu Xueshi down as well. Once he set him on the ground, he headed straight toward the cave, while Mu Xueshi followed closely behind him, sticking to his side without leaving even half a step of distance.

The cave was somewhat chilly. Unlike the Icefire Cave, there were no oil lamps or beds here. Aside from cold stones, there was only scattered broken wood and dry grass. The place where the Third Prince sat was a smooth stone slab, though the surrounding area was uneven and jagged. Mu Xueshi did not mind in the slightest and still squeezed himself beside the Third Prince, sitting directly atop the gravel.

The Third Prince held out the clean clothes to him and said, “Go change.”

The moment those words fell, Mu Xueshi did not move, but the other three people immediately rose and retreated farther away.

“Aren’t you going to help me change?” Mu Xueshi asked.

Without even glancing at him, the Third Prince replied coldly,

“I won’t continue doing something another person has already done.”

“Emperor Hao Lin never undressed me. He tore them off!” Mu Xueshi argued loudly.

The dry firewood in front of the Third Prince snapped into several pieces instantly. He suddenly turned around and grabbed Mu Xueshi by the throat, snarling viciously,

“If you mention him again, believe it or not, I’ll tear you apart too.”

Mu Xueshi struggled to breathe, his hands weakly clutching at the Third Prince’s shoulders as he trembled. In the darkness, the Third Prince’s eyes emitted a savage light that made Mu Xueshi’s heart ache sharply.

“B-But… you said… you’d dress me… for a lifetime…”

The Third Prince’s heart jolted violently, and only then did he realize what he was doing. He quickly loosened his grip, and Mu Xueshi slid down onto the ground, looking utterly miserable.

In the end, Mu Xueshi carried the clothes himself and went into a darker corner to remove his wet garments and change into the dry ones. When he returned, he secretly peeked at the Third Prince several times. Seeing that he was still angry, he did not know whether he should approach him again.

The Third Prince noticed that Mu Xueshi had put the clothes on all wrinkled and crooked. Combined with that timid little face, he looked increasingly pitiful. Unfortunately, the Third Prince felt no sympathy. He had brought all of this upon himself. Moments ago, he had been laughing and joking happily with someone else. What use was acting pitiful now?

The attendants lit two torches. One of them was brought over to the Third Prince and Mu Xueshi. The Third Prince placed the torch against the firewood and lit it, then removed his outer robe and draped it over the fire to dry.

Mu Xueshi remembered that aside from court robes, the Third Prince rarely wore the same clothes twice. Yet now, after being drenched by rain, he was sitting there in only a single layer of clothing, waiting for his robe to dry.

“Why don’t you change into a new set of clothes?” Mu Xueshi cautiously asked.

The Third Prince answered flatly, “I left in too much of a hurry. I didn’t have time to bring more.”

Mu Xueshi looked down at the clothes he was wearing and felt a little guilty. He edged slightly closer to the Third Prince.

“Then I’ll take mine off and let you wear them!” Mu Xueshi said as he immediately started moving.

“No need. Your clothes wouldn’t fit me.”

Mu Xueshi’s hands froze in midair. He looked over the clothes carefully and realized that both the length and width fit him perfectly. The Third Prince was taller and broader than he was. These clothes clearly had not been prepared for the Third Prince at all.

A sour feeling rose in Mu Xueshi’s chest. He leaned his head against the Third Prince’s shoulder and quietly said,

“I really won’t run around anymore. Can you forgive me this once?”

The Third Prince lowered his eyes slightly and saw endless pleading within Mu Xueshi’s clear gaze. The timid, cautious way Mu Xueshi leaned toward him made it impossible for him to stay angry.

When Mu Xueshi noticed that the Third Prince had not pushed him away this time, joy immediately surged through him. He stretched his hands over the fire to warm them before grabbing the Third Prince’s hands and rubbing them constantly.

“Your hands are so cold,” Mu Xueshi said cheerfully.

The Third Prince remained silent, allowing Mu Xueshi to fuss over him. Mu Xueshi’s hands were soft and warm, his skin smooth and delicate. Being held by him felt as comfortable as being wrapped in silk bedding.

The firelight illuminated the Third Prince’s face in shifting patterns of brightness and shadow. Only now did Mu Xueshi dare to look directly at him. The Third Prince clearly had not slept well these past few days. A trace of exhaustion lingered on his handsome face, and faint stubble had begun to appear, making Mu Xueshi’s heart ache.

He had already apologized and admitted fault countless times, and the Third Prince probably could not bear hearing any more of it. Mu Xueshi desperately wanted to do something for him, to make up for his mistakes and compensate him somehow.

As if reading his thoughts, the Third Prince coldly reminded him,

“Stop overthinking things. As long as you obediently stay by my side, that alone will count as atonement.”

Mu Xueshi’s eyes lit up immediately.

“You’re letting me stay by your side? You’re not angry with me anymore?”

The Third Prince did not answer.

Mu Xueshi took the silence as tacit agreement and instantly regained his spirits. Even his voice unconsciously grew louder. He diligently continued warming the Third Prince’s hands while talking about what his life had been like these past few days. He also asked how the Third Prince had rescued him. The Third Prince did not want to remain too cold toward him, so he briefly explained some of the circumstances.

Mu Xueshi understood only vaguely, but he did grasp one thing: Emperor Hao Lin’s empress had become pregnant, which was why Emperor Hao Lin had agreed to exchange him for her. This information had originally been uncovered by Envoy Zhong. Back when Mu Xueshi and the Third Prince were preparing to leave, Envoy Zhong had pulled the Third Prince aside and spoken to him privately. That was what they had discussed.

Initially, the Third Prince had kept the secret hidden, intending to use it as a trump card if the situation became dire. He had never expected it to end up being used to rescue this little troublemaker instead. Fortunately, he had kept one last move in reserve. Otherwise, there was no telling how long it would have taken before Mu Xueshi could be rescued.

As for how Envoy Zhong had uncovered the information, the Third Prince did not explain further to Mu Xueshi. Every time the Lubei imperial palace was mentioned, the Third Prince could not help thinking of the person he hated to the bone. Throughout the entire course of events, Emperor Hao Lin had been the greatest winner. Not only had he gained countless advantages for free, he had done so without paying much of a price.

As Mu Xueshi talked, he yawned several times. It was obvious he was getting sleepy.

The Third Prince ordered the attendants to spread a thick layer of dry leaves and grass on the ground and cover it with cloth, making a makeshift bed for Mu Xueshi. He then covered him with several thin garments.

Just as Mu Xueshi was about to close his eyes, he realized the Third Prince was still sitting beside him with no intention of lying down. Mu Xueshi wanted to ask whether he planned to sleep, but seeing how deep in thought he seemed, he did not dare disturb him and obediently fell asleep first.

When Mu Xueshi groggily woke up again, he discovered the Third Prince was no longer beside him. He hurriedly turned his head to look and found the Third Prince lying on a large stone far away from him, with only a few pieces of clothing spread beneath him.

Mu Xueshi could not even describe what he felt. He only knew he had been deeply struck. This grass bedding was large enough that the Third Prince clearly could have lain down here too, yet he had deliberately chosen to sleep so far away from him. Mu Xueshi had thought the Third Prince was no longer angry, but it turned out he still cared deeply about what had happened with Emperor Hao Lin and was unwilling to lie beside him.

Mu Xueshi rolled over, feeling miserable enough to clench the grass beneath him into messy clumps. Even his face scrunched up until it seemed to resemble the grass itself.

The Third Prince had not fallen asleep at all. Hearing Mu Xueshi’s movements, he glanced over and saw Mu Xueshi curled into a ball, trembling slightly for reasons unknown—perhaps from cold, perhaps from something else.

The moment Mu Xueshi had fallen asleep and silence settled over the cave, the resentment buried in the Third Prince’s heart had once again begun raging violently. He realized he still could not let it go. Mu Xueshi had spent days and nights alone in a carriage with Emperor Hao Lin, and afterward had remained inside Emperor Hao Lin’s sleeping chambers. Whether Emperor Hao Lin had done anything to Mu Xueshi… probably only Emperor Hao Lin himself knew.

The Third Prince sighed inwardly. He had never considered himself petty, so why was it that whenever it involved Mu Xueshi, he simply could not move past it?

The Third Prince turned over, no longer facing Mu Xueshi, trying to calm himself down. After a while, he heard footsteps approaching. He kept perfectly still and quietly listened to the sounds behind him.

Two arms slowly wrapped around his waist and rested against his abdomen. Then a warm body pressed itself against his back—lightly at first, then clinging tightly without letting go. The Third Prince deliberately remained silent as he felt soft breaths brushing against his neck, carrying Mu Xueshi’s unique sweet fragrance.

“Sleep with me. I missed you.”

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