Seeing Sun Ye head straight for the door, Poison Master Mo Ru’s eyes widened slightly, an expression of disbelief appearing on his face.
He actually didn’t care anymore?
Despite being given the cold shoulder, Poison Master Mo Ru was so excited he could barely contain himself. In the past, whenever the Third Prince was mentioned in front of Sun Ye, he would either fly into a rage or darken with resentment. This was the first time he had remained so calm.
“Don’t go, don’t go! I’ll tell you!”
With a light leap, Poison Master Mo Ru landed squarely in front of Sun Ye.
Sun Ye’s cool eyes fixed on him. His thin lips remained tightly shut, silently urging him to get to the point.
“This matter—I guarantee you’ll be shocked when you hear it. And don’t worry, it has nothing to do with you. It won’t make you think of anything unpleasant. Everyone in the streets is talking about it right now. I don’t know whether it’s true, but…”
“Spit it out.” Sun Ye’s handsome brows knitted together.
Poison Master Mo Ru hurriedly abandoned his lengthy preamble. A wicked smile spread across his face as he raised a brow and said, “Mu Xueshi’s face is actually fake.”
Sun Ye’s expression changed instantly. His gaze locked onto Poison Master Mo Ru, his eyes filled with disbelief.
“It’s true. That’s what everyone outside is saying. They say Mu Xueshi is stunningly beautiful. Surprised? Honestly, I didn’t notice either. I stayed in that courtyard for so long and never realized Mu Xueshi was as breathtaking as the rumors claim.”
Poison Master Mo Ru’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and his tone carried more than a little pride. Although the story had already spread everywhere outside, for someone like Sun Ye, who rarely left the house, it was practically earth-shattering news.
Sun Ye’s shock had nothing to do with Mu Xueshi’s appearance itself. Rather, he was astonished that a secret like Mu Xueshi’s true face had become known to the wolf standing before him. If even he knew, how many lust-driven men throughout the imperial capital had heard the same rumor?
Wouldn’t that become another source of worry for the Third Prince?
“What? Regretting that you didn’t take a few extra looks back then?” Poison Master Mo Ru teased.
Sun Ye swept him with a cold glance and replied indifferently, “I already knew.”
Poison Master Mo Ru stared at him in disbelief.
“Then it’s true? His real face really is many times more beautiful than the one we saw?”
Sun Ye gave a barely audible hum of confirmation.
Poison Master Mo Ru clenched his fingers until they cracked, looking utterly regretful.
After glancing at him once, Sun Ye felt his mood darken further. Deciding to clear his head, he went out for a walk and intended to gather information about recent events along the way.
Poison Master Mo Ru’s injuries had already healed completely. Logically, Sun Ye should have returned to the palace long ago. The only reason he had remained behind was because Poison Master Mo Ru had constantly pestered him under the pretense of recovering. Although Sun Ye appeared cold, he was soft-hearted by nature. After resisting for a long time, he had ultimately stayed.
Now they were already in the capital, merely living far from the palace in a secluded residence. As a result, no one had discovered them. Since Sun Ye rarely went out, he knew almost nothing about what was happening outside.
Poison Master Mo Ru, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Despite being the injured one, he ran around openly every day.
Sun Ye never cared what Poison Master Mo Ru did outside. Whenever he returned, he would enthusiastically recount everything he had seen and heard. Most of it consisted of his various romantic adventures, which he described with great animation, completely unconcerned by Sun Ye’s obvious lack of interest.
And after every story, he would always explain that he had never taken any of those people seriously.
Whenever that happened, Sun Ye would finally react, because he knew the next sentence would always be, “You’re the only one in my heart.”
Over time, the two had developed a sort of tacit understanding.
Occasionally, Sun Ye wondered whether Poison Master Mo Ru’s words were true or false. Eventually, he decided there was no point dwelling on it and buried such thoughts deep within himself.
He was a man doomed to die. Whether it happened a few days earlier or a few days later made little difference. Why burden himself with unnecessary troubles?
Walking along the street and looking at the quiet surroundings, Sun Ye felt a touch of melancholy.
Soon he would leave this world, yet it seemed he had never truly gained anything.
More than ten years ago, he had been abandoned outside a temple. Ever since he could remember, he had trained in martial arts there. Several years ago, he became a guard. Every thought he had ever possessed revolved around carrying out his master’s orders.
He had never lacked money, nor had he ever feared being bullied.
In this life, he had no attachments, no grievances, no hatred.
Even if a sword were pressed against his throat, he would not know who he ought to speak to before dying.
Poison Master Mo Ru followed behind him, his expression far more lively. In just a few days in the capital, he had already entangled himself in countless trivial matters and made all sorts of strange acquaintances.
In short, he simply could not tolerate loneliness.
“Duan Fengxiao…”
A voice sounded near Sun Ye’s ear.
Coming back to himself, he saw a frail young man emerge from a corner ahead. More accurately, he looked more like a boy than a man.
Seeing the boy’s gaze directed toward him, Sun Ye initially wondered if he had mistaken him for someone else. But he quickly dismissed the idea.
The boy ran right past him and continued toward the direction Sun Ye had come from.
Poison Master Mo Ru saw the boy as well and immediately thought, This is bad. What rotten luck.
Sun Ye turned around. The boy had already started running, repeatedly shouting the same name while racing down the street.
Yet there was nobody there.
Confusion appeared on Sun Ye’s face. He had not sensed anyone following him.
Could the boy be mentally unsound?
Shaking his head, he ignored the matter and continued on.
After walking a little farther, however, he suddenly spotted someone appear at the next intersection.
Wasn’t he supposed to have left later than I did?
Then Sun Ye reconsidered.
He wasn’t familiar with the roads here, and he had been walking slowly. There was nothing strange about someone overtaking him.
“What a coincidence.”
Poison Master Mo Ru greeted him gracefully.
Sun Ye glanced at him twice before looking forward and continuing on his way.
Taking advantage of the moment, Poison Master Mo Ru secretly caught his breath.
What terrible luck. How had he ended up back here again?
Just as he was thinking of slipping away, a heart-wrenching shout echoed through the street.
Poison Master Mo Ru froze.
So did Sun Ye.
It was the same boy.
His face was flushed red, his lips dry and cracked. He ran while gasping for breath, calling out as though he had spotted a sworn enemy.
From Sun Ye’s perspective, however, the boy looked so weak he could barely tie up a chicken. Even if he caught up, he would only end up being beaten.
“Duan Fengxiao! Why are you hiding from me?!”
This time, Poison Master Mo Ru did not run.
Running in front of Sun Ye would have been too humiliating.
So he forced himself to remain where he stood and pretended ignorance.
“Stop pretending. I’m talking to you.”
The boy had bright eyes and neat features, but his agitated expression ruined his appearance entirely.
Marching up to Poison Master Mo Ru, he raised a hand and slapped toward his face.
Poison Master Mo Ru instantly caught his wrist.
The pain turned the boy’s face pale.
“Why have you been avoiding me all this time?”
Poison Master Mo Ru shot Sun Ye a glance before forcing himself to answer.
“I haven’t been avoiding you. You’re the one taking this too seriously. We’ll talk about it another time. I have important matters to attend to today.”
“What important matters? Or are you just avoiding me again? The people from Yuxian Pavilion come looking for trouble every day now. You’re not by my side. Even after buying my freedom, I’m still alone with nobody to rely on—”
Before he could finish, Poison Master Mo Ru covered his mouth.
Only muffled sounds emerged as tears welled up in the boy’s eyes.
When Sun Ye turned his head, he saw the boy crying.
He looked genuinely miserable.
Poison Master Mo Ru stared at Sun Ye, panic clearly visible on his face. Whenever he talked about such matters before, he always appeared carefree and unconcerned. Yet now that Sun Ye had witnessed it firsthand, he seemed completely at a loss.
“I didn’t—”
Before he could finish speaking, Sun Ye walked right past him and headed back toward the house they had been using during their recovery.
Throughout the entire journey, only one thought occupied Sun Ye’s mind:
Return to the palace. Apologize to the Third Prince.
After Sun Ye left, a vicious expression appeared on Poison Master Mo Ru’s face.
Looking at the boy before him, he roared, “Get lost! I never want anything to do with people like you ever again!”
With that, he flung the boy to the ground and threw a bundle beside him.
Inside was a heavy amount of silver.
Then he sprinted toward the house at full speed, his face filled with unprecedented anxiety.
Meanwhile, Sun Ye had changed his mind.
Instead of returning to the house, he used the silver he carried to buy a horse and immediately galloped toward the palace.
When Poison Master Mo Ru reached the house, he found it empty.
Everything remained exactly as it had been when he left.
Sun Ye had never returned.
A chill spread through his heart.
Seizing a horse, he raced after him toward the palace.
Only when they were nearing Imperial Avenue did Poison Master Mo Ru finally spot Sun Ye in the distance.
By then, his horse was already exhausted.
In desperation, he launched himself into the air, abandoned the horse entirely, and used qinggong to fly toward Sun Ye.
Seeing someone suddenly appear before him, Sun Ye jerked back on the reins.
The horse reared high onto its hind legs.
When he recognized who it was, anger flashed across his face.
“Move. Otherwise I’ll ride straight over you.”
Sweat clung to the strands of hair beside Poison Master Mo Ru’s face.
He smiled bitterly.
“Even if you trample me, I’ll still stop you.”
Sun Ye snorted.
“Don’t waste those fake displays of affection on me. They won’t work.”
Then he cracked the whip.
The horse let out a loud neigh and charged forward.
By the time Sun Ye tried to pull it back, it was already too late.
He watched helplessly as the man was knocked to the ground and trampled beneath the horse’s hooves.
His mind went blank.
Turning around, he saw Poison Master Mo Ru trying to rise from the ground.
Why go this far…
A sharp pain gripped Sun Ye’s chest.
Clenching his teeth, he urged the horse onward.
Poison Master Mo Ru’s left shoulder and leg had been stepped on. It hurt, but the injuries were not serious.
He realized that playing the victim would no longer work.
If he wanted to stop Sun Ye, he would have to do it by force.
Not long after Sun Ye departed, he sensed another attack from behind.
Upon discovering it was Poison Master Mo Ru again, he finally exploded.
“Why do you always oppose me? Do I have some grudge against you?”
“You can’t go. If you do, you’re walking straight toward death.”
“Even if I die, it’ll be by my own choice! What does that have to do with you?”
Poison Master Mo Ru’s gaze turned sinister.
A cold aura unlike anything before slowly spread through the air, surrounding Sun Ye in a chilling gloom.
Seeing that Poison Master Mo Ru was preparing to use poison, Sun Ye immediately attacked.
Only by injuring him first would he have a chance to escape.
Yet before Sun Ye could strike, Poison Master Mo Ru attacked first.
He abandoned the idea of using poison. Any gu poison would severely damage the body.
The two finally exchanged blows in earnest.
This was the first true fight between them.
Previously, Sun Ye had never known the extent of Poison Master Mo Ru’s martial skills. Judging from the time he nearly died at Zhang Mu’s hands while trying to save him, Sun Ye had assumed his abilities were inferior.
But as the battle continued, Sun Ye realized he was wrong.
Poison Master Mo Ru’s martial arts were not merely superior.
They were far superior.
Sun Ye found himself struggling more and more.
What troubled him even more was his confusion.
If Poison Master Mo Ru was truly this skilled, why had he been unable to defeat Zhang Mu? Why had he nearly lost his life?
A sword suddenly slashed toward him.
Unable to dodge in time, Sun Ye’s chest erupted in blood.
Poison Master Mo Ru’s heart clenched painfully.
The first time his heart had ached was when he saw Sun Ye suffer more than a dozen sword wounds while delivering a message to Mu Xueshi. The man had lain motionless in his arms, leaving him terrified he might die at any moment.
The second time was now.
The sword that pierced Sun Ye had been wielded by his own hand.
And the pain was worse than being cut into a thousand pieces himself.
“Back then… were you deliberately toying with me?” Sun Ye asked, supporting himself against the horse as his body began to sway.
Poison Master Mo Ru leapt onto the horse, imprisoned Sun Ye within his arms, and rode toward a side street.
“Answer me!”
Sun Ye forced the words out, struggling to free himself.
Lowering his head, Poison Master Mo Ru stared directly into his eyes.
“And if I said yes?”
Sun Ye’s expression froze.
He stared blankly at him for a few moments before saying, “Let me down. Otherwise I’ll sever my own meridians.”
Poison Master Mo Ru immediately sealed several of Sun Ye’s acupoints, preventing him from circulating his internal energy.
Then, beneath Sun Ye’s hateful glare, he revealed a terrifyingly fierce expression.
“If you want to die, you’ll do it only if I allow it.”
Blood continued pouring from Sun Ye’s chest.
The face before him grew increasingly blurred.
He could no longer tell whether it was real.
Watching Sun Ye’s head slump against his chest, Poison Master Mo Ru felt all his strength drain away, leaving behind only endless sorrow.
He knew very well that once Sun Ye awakened, the look in his eyes would return to the cold hostility it had once held.
Everything he had worked for had been destroyed in a single moment.
Futile Devices Scans 
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