Futile Devices Scans

In the blink of an eye, Mu Xueshi found himself deep within a primeval forest. Many of the plants were things he had never seen before, and all kinds of birds perched among the branches overhead. Every now and then they would pass beneath a towering tree, forcing him to push aside enormous leaves with his hands, only to find more dense woodland beyond.

“Do you like it?” the Mountain King asked, reaching over to gently toy with a strand of Mu Xueshi’s hair.

Mu Xueshi nodded with a smile. “I do. It’s really fun.”

A bird with a blue tail and purple wings suddenly flew past them. Mu Xueshi had only just cried out in surprise when he saw the bird plummet straight to the ground in front of him.

“Why did you have to shoot such a pretty bird? If you were going to shoot one, you should’ve picked an ugly one.” Mu Xueshi could not help complaining as he stared regretfully at the fallen bird.

The Mountain King affectionately rubbed his cheek. “All right, all right, my fault. Then let’s find an ugly bird, and you can shoot it yourself, okay?”

Only then did Mu Xueshi remember the bow hanging at his side. Nervously, he took it out. It was only after seeing the encouraging look in the Mountain King’s eyes that he dared try drawing it.

“I can’t pull it! I’m not strong enough.”

After struggling for a while, Mu Xueshi dejectedly discovered that even bending the bow was difficult, let alone drawing it fully.

The Mountain King took the bow from him and patiently explained, “It’s not that you lack strength. You’re just using the wrong technique. Watch carefully and see how I apply force.”

With one hand pulling the string and the other holding the bow, he balanced the arrow against his fingers and released it effortlessly. The arrow shot off like it had grown wings and vanished from sight.

“That’s amazing! Teach me, teach me! Can I really learn?” Mu Xueshi eagerly snatched the bow back.

Seeing him happy, the Mountain King felt as though he had swallowed honey. He immediately coaxed, “Of course you can learn. My la—Xiao Youzai is so clever. What’s something this small to you?”

Mu Xueshi immediately grinned. While smiling, he added somewhat sheepishly, “That’s what I think too.”

The Mountain King could not resist giving Mu Xueshi’s thigh a squeeze when he saw such an adorable expression. Mu Xueshi was so focused on the bow that he barely paid attention to the harassment.

“Like this?”

“Move your hand a little farther south. Put more strength into your wrist…”

“Wow! I really pulled it! Look!”

Mu Xueshi turned around to look at the Mountain King.

The Mountain King nodded in response, but his gaze had gone distant as he stared at that bright, dazzling smile. At that moment, the only thing in his eyes was Mu Xueshi. Everything else had faded into a blank white haze.

Under the Mountain King’s guidance, Mu Xueshi was soon able to shoot arrows several meters away. Although he was still far from accurately hitting animals, the achievement filled him with immense joy.

The more they played, the more excited they became. What began as quiet hunting from horseback gradually turned into shooting while riding along, and eventually into galloping at full speed. Dozens of arrows later, birds were dropping from both sides of the path like hailstones.

Mu Xueshi cheered happily. He bounced around on the horse like a little monkey, constantly making the Mountain King worry that he would fall off, even though he remained perfectly safe within the Mountain King’s arms the entire time.

After shooting birds all along the way, they slowly rode back. Looking at the results of their hunt, Mu Xueshi felt incredibly proud. He had no idea whether any of the arrows he fired had actually hit a bird, but seeing such an impressive pile, he could not help feeling that at least one of them must have been his.

“Look at that bird. It’s so beautiful, and it still got shot down. I bet I accidentally hit that one. Since your archery is so good, I warned you not to shoot pretty birds, so you definitely wouldn’t have touched them, right?”

Mu Xueshi lamented the bird’s fate while secretly feeling pleased with himself. His eyes stayed fixed on the Mountain King, clearly hoping for confirmation.

The Mountain King was just about to lavish him with praise when he suddenly noticed a massive shadow flash past nearby. Instantly, he grabbed his bow, drew it hard, and released three thick arrows at once toward the dark shape beside the trees.

A thunderous bellow erupted beside them. Startled, Mu Xueshi looked around and soon spotted a wild ox lying on the ground. It was twice his size, and his eyes widened as round as bronze bells.

The ox had been struck by arrows in its face, neck, and chest. It was not dead yet and lay on the ground bellowing in agony. Watching its body convulse painfully, Mu Xueshi shivered involuntarily. Suddenly he felt the horse lighten beneath him. At some point, the Mountain King had already leaped down and was walking toward the ox.

“Don’t go over there! It’s dangerous! That ox isn’t dead yet—it’ll gore you!”

After shouting, Mu Xueshi carefully examined the Mountain King’s clothing and felt relieved to see it was not red. He remembered watching bullfighting on television in the past. Sometimes even a subdued bull could still kill the matador.

Moments later, however, Mu Xueshi abandoned that concern entirely. The Mountain King strode up to the ox, yanked out the arrow embedded in its face, dodged a kick from its hooves, and vaulted onto its back. Using the same arrow, he stabbed the beast several times until it died. Blood splattered everywhere, yet his movements were so precise that barely a drop stained his clothes.

Watching the Mountain King return with such ease, Mu Xueshi was completely won over by his presence.

What a real man!

He could not help admiring him inwardly.

When the Mountain King noticed the look of admiration in Mu Xueshi’s eyes, he felt more exhilarated than he had the day he conquered several mountains and was crowned king. He leapt onto the horse in a single bound, gathered Mu Xueshi into his arms, and remained still, savoring the rare moment of peace.

Mu Xueshi tried to loosen the arms wrapped tightly around him so he could turn around and discuss the hunt. Out of habit, he called out a single word—“Xi…” Only after turning his head did he realize he had addressed the wrong person.

Silence followed.

Looking at the Mountain King’s rugged face, thick with stubble and overflowing with masculine vigor, Mu Xueshi suddenly felt a pang of sadness. How wonderful it would be if this face belonged to the Third Prince instead. Spending a day together with the Third Prince amid these mountain meadows would have been perfect.

At that very moment, the Mountain King suddenly felt something wrong with his body. He knew himself well. Even after staying awake all night, he should not have felt weakness in his limbs or confusion clouding his mind. Especially not with Mu Xueshi beside him. Under normal circumstances, he could stay awake for several days and nights without feeling even the slightest discomfort.

There was no longer time to wonder what had caused it. The Mountain King realized something serious was happening. He needed to get Mu Xueshi somewhere safe. If something happened to him suddenly in these wild mountains, Mu Xueshi could easily end up in danger.

The cave echoed with the Mountain King’s suggestion. “How about we find a cave and roast some meat?”

Hearing the proposal, Mu Xueshi realized he was indeed hungry. He had barely eaten anything since morning, and the night before had been much the same.

Seeing Mu Xueshi’s approval, the Mountain King secretly let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had not seen a disappointed expression on Mu Xueshi’s face. Otherwise, he could not guarantee that he would have maintained his resolve instead of forcing himself to continue accompanying him.

The Mountain King skinned the ox, chopped off one of its legs, and draped it over the horse’s back. Mu Xueshi picked out several particularly plump-looking birds, and together they happily headed toward a cave.

There were many caves in the area. The Mountain King chose one perched at the highest point, the hardest to climb to, and led Mu Xueshi there. By now, Mu Xueshi had completely forgotten the original purpose of the outing and had temporarily pushed aside the fact that he had drugged the Mountain King.

After entering the cave, the Mountain King felt his legs growing weaker and weaker, but he pretended nothing was wrong. He took care of gathering firewood and building the fire himself, letting Mu Xueshi sit nearby and fan the flames with a broad, attractive leaf.

Once everything had been arranged, the Mountain King sat beside Mu Xueshi and quietly watched him roasting meat with surprising seriousness. The more he watched, the more moved he became, and he could not help brushing a large hand across Mu Xueshi’s face. When he felt Mu Xueshi instinctively shy away, a lazy smile settled on his features.

Mu Xueshi suddenly felt the body beside him growing heavier. The meat he was roasting slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Only then did he snap back to reality. He was here to escape. Everything he had done was in preparation for escape. So now, he had to leave immediately and use every moment possible to get away.

He glanced at the Mountain King again and felt a pang of discomfort. Leaving him here alone—would that be dangerous? In another hour or so, would wild wolves or beasts drag him away?

Realizing that he was actually hesitating, Mu Xueshi clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. This was a rare opportunity. If he missed it this time, there might never be another chance.

In the end, the image of the Third Prince appeared in his mind. Gritting his teeth, Mu Xueshi headed toward the cave entrance.

Looking down at the rocks and thick undergrowth below, he could not help drawing in a sharp breath. It was so high. Earlier, the Mountain King had practically hauled him up here, so he had never realized how far above the ground the cave was. Now that he saw the height, his legs went weak.

Mu Xueshi looked back at the sleeping Mountain King. After struggling with himself for a while, he finally forced his trembling legs to step out of the cave. Every step downward was taken with extreme caution. The horse was tied to a tree not far from the cave. Each time he looked at it, he silently encouraged himself.

By the time he was covered in sweat, Mu Xueshi looked down and discovered he had not even climbed halfway. He realized he could not keep moving at this pace. If the Mountain King woke before he even got on the horse—or before he managed to run—everything would have been for nothing.

Grinding his teeth, Mu Xueshi began climbing down in larger strides. The rocks scraped his hands raw, and in some places blood had begun to seep out. He sucked in a breath and endured the pain, gripping every crack in the stone with all his strength.

At last, only a little more than a man’s height remained between him and the ground. Mu Xueshi sighed in relief. But just then, his foot slipped. With a cry, he tumbled down.

His back slammed against a large rock, and the pain left him groaning for quite a while. When he saw the smear of blood left on the stone, he could only complain inwardly. The scar on his back was probably going to be a large one again. If the Third Prince saw it, he would definitely scold him.

But even hearing that scolding would make him happy. After all, it would be proof that someone cared. Remembering all the times the Third Prince had tried to keep him in line, Mu Xueshi found himself missing him terribly. If he could return to those days, he would never say those things to the Third Prince again.

With renewed determination, Mu Xueshi endured the pain and staggered toward the horse. The horse seemed to recognize him. At a pat from Mu Xueshi, it actually knelt down, allowing him to climb on before slowly rising to its feet again. Mu Xueshi stroked the mane along its neck, glanced once more toward the cave entrance, hardened his heart, and cracked the whip down hard.

This ride went far more smoothly than the last. Although the horse was no slower than the imperial steeds of the palace, it ran with remarkable steadiness. Even across mountain meadows and rough terrain, it moved as though crossing level ground. After putting some distance between himself and the cave, Mu Xueshi began to feel that victory was within reach.

He did not know the roads, but he knew that if he kept riding in a single direction, he would eventually leave these mountains behind. As long as he got beyond their line of sight, escaping afterward would be much easier. Secretly, he congratulated himself for insisting that the Mountain King not bring any other bandits along. He had ridden this far and still had not seen another soul.

Even so, deep in the wilderness, Mu Xueshi remained uneasy. Earlier he had not encountered any dangerous beasts, but who knew whether one might suddenly appear?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he felt the horse stumble violently beneath him. Before he could react, he was thrown clear and crashed heavily to the ground.

The fall was brutal. It took a long while before Mu Xueshi regained his senses. When he finally looked into the distance, his entire body froze.

The horse he had been riding lay on the ground in a mangled heap of flesh and blood, being torn apart by another beast. It was a tiger several times larger than Mu Xueshi himself. Its fangs were terrifyingly sharp. The horse dangled from its jaws as the tiger shook and chewed it like a fragile chick, leaving it utterly helpless.

Mu Xueshi’s brain seemed incapable of functioning. He wanted to climb a tree, but his body refused to move. Watching the tiger rapidly devour the horse, he felt certain that he was about to become the next meal delivered straight to its doorstep.

Time dragged on second by second. Sitting there, staring at the terrifying beast, Mu Xueshi trembled uncontrollably. More than anything, he wished the Third Prince would suddenly wake him with a slap and tell him it was all a dream. Then he could wake drenched in sweat and go back to sleep. But that was clearly impossible now.

The tiger nudged the pile of bloodied bones beneath its paws, licked its lips, and began scanning its surroundings. The instant Mu Xueshi realized its piercing gaze had settled on him, his mind went completely blank. He yanked out the bow on his back and fired at the tiger.

Perhaps desperation truly did work miracles. The arrow struck the tiger in the stomach. Unfortunately, Mu Xueshi lacked the strength to drive it in. The arrow merely bounced off and fell to the ground, accomplishing nothing except attracting the tiger’s attention.

Jumping to his feet, Mu Xueshi frantically waved the bow at the tiger. His hands shook so badly that even drawing the string was almost impossible.

The tiger let out a thunderous roar and began prowling toward him. Mu Xueshi answered with dozens of terrified screams, squeezed his eyes shut, and bolted in the opposite direction. Even the wind rushing past his ears seemed to carry the scent of blood. He could practically feel the tiger running beside him now, moments away from tearing him apart.

Suddenly, his body became weightless. A tremendous force yanked him into the air.

“I’ve been picked up by the big tiger! Waaaah…!”

Certain that he would soon be slammed to the ground, knocked unconscious, and torn to pieces, Mu Xueshi was overwhelmed with terror. Unable to stop himself, he cried out the Third Prince’s name at the top of his lungs.

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