Xiao Yi entered the house where his master and Sun Ye were staying after Poison Master Moru left, his face filled with curiosity. The place truly was unbelievably shabby. As Xiao Yi looked around and clicked his tongue in amazement, his gaze soon landed on the figure leaning against the corner of the bed.
So this is the person Master told me to keep an eye on?
Xiao Yi could not help wondering. When he noticed the occasional glance Sun Ye cast in his direction, he became a little nervous and hurriedly said, “Greetings, Young Master. I am Poison Master Moru’s disciple. My name is Xiao Yi. May I ask for Young Master’s esteemed name?”
Not a trace of expression appeared on Sun Ye’s cold face, as though he had not heard a single word.
He’s not answering. Is he mute?…
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Xiao Yi stepped forward a few more paces and finally reached a spot where he could clearly see Sun Ye from head to toe.
Wow! He must be some wandering martial hero. He looks so handsome and dashing!
Xiao Yi had never left his county since childhood. The most handsome man he had ever seen was his master. Now that he had seen Sun Ye, he felt as though he had laid eyes upon the most handsome person in the world.
While Xiao Yi was still staring in a daze, Sun Ye shot him a warning glance, frightening him so badly that he nearly stumbled and fell. The floor beneath his feet was still littered with broken shards that had not been cleaned up. Patting his chest in lingering fear, Xiao Yi thought that if he had fallen onto them just now, he would have been punctured like a sieve.
Sun Ye bore no grudge toward Xiao Yi. His master was his master, and he was he. They were merely master and disciple. There was no reason to direct the same hostility toward this young disciple. Besides, judging from Xiao Yi’s skills and reactions, it did not seem that he had inherited much of Poison Master Moru’s true teachings. He was probably little more than an errand runner for his master, which was rather pitiful.
At that moment, Xiao Yi was squatting on the floor picking up the shattered pieces of the teacup while muttering to himself, completely unaware that Sun Ye could hear every word.
After cleaning up all the debris on the floor, Xiao Yi let out a long breath. When he looked up at Sun Ye again, Sun Ye had already gotten out of bed and was simply straightening his clothes.
Admiration filled Xiao Yi’s face. Once Sun Ye stood up, his figure appeared even taller and more elegant. Those thick dark brows, slightly upturned eyes, straight nose, and the firmness and heroic spirit that burst forth whenever his gaze focused…
By the time Sun Ye was nearly at the doorway, Xiao Yi finally remembered the task his master had entrusted to him. He quickly hurried forward and stopped in front of Sun Ye.
“Are you going out, Young Master?”
Hearing the cautious tone, Sun Ye felt somewhat stifled, but he had no desire to vent his frustrations on a child. Thus, he replied calmly, “No. I’m only taking a walk around the house.”
Xiao Yi was startled. So he can talk. And his voice sounds this pleasant.
“Then I’ll go with you, Young Master,” Xiao Yi said tentatively.
Looking at the child, who barely reached his shoulder in height, and seeing the unease and guilt plainly displayed on his face, Sun Ye inwardly sighed. Poison Master Moru truly did not deserve to be his master. This child seemed pure-hearted, completely incapable of hiding his true thoughts in either words or actions. That trait reminded Sun Ye of Mu Xueshi.
The moment he thought of Mu Xueshi, it felt as though something had pierced open his heart. Then he thought of the Third Prince and everything that had happened that night…
Noticing that Sun Ye’s expression had turned unpleasant, Xiao Yi spoke from the side. “Young Master, perhaps we should go back. If Master returns and finds no one in the house, he’ll definitely be worried.”
Sun Ye acted as though he had not heard him and continued walking outside. His body was still extremely weak. Under normal circumstances, he would never have regarded a child like this as any sort of threat. But now, he probably could not even defeat this child. Every time he thought about that, he viciously cursed Poison Master Moru in his heart.
“Young Master, has my master been with you this whole time?”
Not wanting to ignore a child, Sun Ye silently nodded.
“No wonder…” Xiao Yi muttered.
The phrase no wonder left Sun Ye somewhat confused, and he turned to look at Xiao Yi.
Seeing Sun Ye’s gaze on him, Xiao Yi immediately blushed and scratched his head. “Because the madam at the brothel told me that Master hasn’t shown his face these past few days. The place has become much quieter. When Master returned to the city this time, he seemed like a completely different person. I almost didn’t recognize him.”
Sun Ye let out a mocking laugh. A different person? He had always been the same scheming villain. In the past, he had merely worn a mask of false kindness.
“By the way, I still don’t know your name, Young Master.” Xiao Yi somehow circled back to the original topic again.
Sun Ye replied indifferently, “What difference does it make whether you know it or not?”
In Xiao Yi’s eyes, Sun Ye’s expression seemed profoundly mysterious. After narrowing his eyes and pondering for a moment, he suddenly said, “Could Young Master be that Young Master Xue everyone’s been talking about recently?”
Sun Ye froze for a moment, then immediately laughed. “You give me far too much credit. Compared to Young Master Xue, I’m not even worthy of being one of his strands of hair.”
Xiao Yi’s mouth instantly fell open. “Then you’ve met Young Master Xue?”
Sun Ye paused, then shook his head, clearly unwilling to say more.
At that moment, Xiao Yi became even more excited. He stubbornly insisted that Sun Ye was Mu Xueshi and pointed at him. “If you aren’t Young Master Xue, then why are you so handsome? The most handsome person in the world can only be you, Young Master.”
Sun Ye was briefly stunned. Looking at Xiao Yi, he realized there was not the slightest hint of mockery in his expression. Feeling somewhat helpless, he said, “That’s only because you’ve never seen Young Master Xue. If you had, you’d understand how ridiculous what you just said sounds.”
“Where would I even get the chance to see him? Young Master Xue lives in the imperial palace. I can’t get in there. Besides, I heard he isn’t in the palace these days. It seems someone kidnapped him, so there’s even less chance of seeing him now. If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have suspected that the person my master asked me to watch over was Young Master Xue…”
“What?” Sun Ye stopped in his tracks immediately.
Seeing the dramatic change in Sun Ye’s expression, Xiao Yi also stopped and asked, “What’s wrong, Young Master? Are you feeling unwell? Then we should hurry back.”
But Sun Ye completely ignored Xiao Yi’s words. Gripping both of his shoulders, he asked with a serious expression, “Explain what you just said more clearly. Where did you hear that?”
“See? And you still say you’re not Young Master Xue. You must be. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be this anxious. You’re afraid the Emperor will capture you and bring you back.” Xiao Yi looked thoroughly pleased with himself.
Sun Ye felt increasingly uneasy. Staring fixedly at Xiao Yi, he said, “Whether I am or not is no longer important. Tell me exactly what you heard, word for word.”
Seeing Sun Ye’s expression, Xiao Yi involuntarily grew nervous as well. Stammering, he said, “I… I didn’t hear very much… Just that some people were saying Young Master Xue was so beautiful that someone… kidnapped him. Now the Emperor is searching everywhere… everywhere for him… and the Crown Prince… no… the Third Prince… I don’t know whether there’s a huge reward being offered… I thought my master liked handsome men and had stolen Young Master Xue… out of the imperial… imperial palace…”
Sun Ye had not even heard the rest before he immediately released Xiao Yi and strode toward the street entrance. Xiao Yi hurried forward to block him, anxiety written all over his face as he pleaded, “Young Master, you absolutely cannot leave! Master entrusted this matter to me. I can’t break my promise!”
In a fluster, Xiao Yi reached out to grab Sun Ye. Although Sun Ye’s body was weak, his martial arts foundation remained intact. With only a few simple moves, he knocked Xiao Yi to the ground.
Panicking, Xiao Yi remembered his master’s earlier instructions. Left with no choice, he pulled out a small cage, pointed a finger at the insect inside, closed his eyes, and began chanting softly.
Very quickly, Sun Ye felt his entire body go limp and powerless, as though his bones had come apart. No matter how strong his will was, he could not force his body to take another step forward. His vision gradually blurred, and before he collapsed, he saw a young boy rushing toward him with a miserable expression on his face.
Xiao Yi practically exhausted all his strength carrying Sun Ye back. By then, Sun Ye had already fallen unconscious, and Xiao Yi was consumed with guilt.
Something had fallen during their struggle just now, but Xiao Yi had not had time to see what it was. He simply picked it up and stuffed it into his sleeve.
After settling Sun Ye back onto the bed, Xiao Yi finally took out the object from his sleeve. He stared at it blankly for a few moments before suddenly crying out.
“Heavens! How could I forget this letter?!”
There had been two letters addressed to his master, delivered on different days. One of them had ended up tucked into his sleeve. He had intended to hand both of them over together, yet in the end he had somehow forgotten one.
Master will come back tonight, right?
Xiao Yi squatted in the room, his hands buried in his hair, his face twisted with indecision. He wanted to open the letter and see who had written to his master and whether it contained anything important. Would forgetting one of the letters have serious consequences? After all, it would determine how his master reacted upon seeing it, which in turn might affect Xiao Yi’s own safety and well-being.
After enduring the temptation for as long as he could, Xiao Yi finally sneaked off to a deserted corner, opened the thick envelope, and pulled out the letter inside.
There were only six characters written on it—
The wedding day has been postponed.
The moment Xiao Yi read those six words, he could already picture his master’s furious face upon returning, followed by the fists that would undoubtedly come flying afterward. Smacking his forehead, he dropped onto the doorstep and sat there with his head hanging low, looking utterly miserable.
The Mountain King quickly changed into his groom’s attire and strode out with a face full of joy. Immediately, thunderous cheers and congratulations erupted outside, putting him in excellent spirits.
He first distributed reward money among his brothers, then greeted several friends from the jianghu and brothers who had shared life-and-death experiences with him. The group sat together atop the mountain, where the banquet tables were laden with rare game meats. Huge slabs of roasted meat gave off mouthwatering aromas.
“I heard Elder Brother is getting married. How could this little brother not come to show his support? Still, it’s strange. Didn’t Elder Brother always say he didn’t want a wife? Back then you even told us that wives only got in the way and that nothing compared to the thrill of taking someone by force.”
“Hahaha…”
Before the Mountain King could speak, his subordinates all chimed in at once.
“That’s only because you haven’t seen our stronghold lady. Otherwise, you’d understand why the King suddenly changed his mind.”
“That’s right. If you’d seen how obedient and devoted the King was these past few days, your eyeballs would have fallen right out of their sockets.”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone except the guests burst into laughter. Rarely did the Mountain King refrain from getting angry. Normally, he hated it when his men embarrassed him in public, but because the subject was Mu Xueshi, he accepted the teasing willingly.
The guests all wore expressions of intense curiosity. They had long heard that their elder brother had found a treasure this time, someone so beautiful that they hardly seemed human. Now, seeing the blissful look on the Mountain King’s face, they were even more curious. They had never imagined that such a breathtaking beauty could emerge from the mountains and countryside.
“Then stop keeping us in suspense, Elder Brother. Bring the bride out already.”
“That’s right, that’s right. Everyone’s here. If you don’t hurry up and complete the wedding ceremony, we’re going to steal the bride and take her home ourselves.”
“…”
The corners of the Mountain King’s lips curved upward in pride. Under everyone’s watchful gazes, he strode toward the house with an imposing bearing. Inwardly, however, he thought that these ignorant fools were already being honored just by being allowed to see his wife.
Still, there was no helping it. He could not invite anyone with too much knowledge or experience. If someone sharp-eyed recognized something at a glance, life afterward would become troublesome.
Unable to move or speak, Mu Xueshi sat inside looking utterly despondent. Thick layers of rouge covered his face. Although they concealed his complexion, traces of it could still be seen underneath.
The moment he saw the Mountain King enter, a faint glimmer finally returned to Mu Xueshi’s long-dulled eyes. He pleaded with the Mountain King using only his gaze, hoping he would release the pressure point restriction. No matter what, he had to stop this marriage.
“Wife, you’re so beautiful. I almost can’t bear to bring you outside.” The Mountain King gently kissed Mu Xueshi’s hand, lingering there unwilling to let go.
Mu Xueshi had been transformed completely into a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms. No one had expected that this incomparably handsome man would become even more stunning when dressed as a woman. Earlier, the women responsible for applying his makeup had been trembling the entire time, terrified that a single mistake would mar that flawless face.
The Mountain King’s fingers wandered across Mu Xueshi’s body before pausing at his chest. With a light tap, Mu Xueshi sprang to his feet as though struck by lightning.
At the same moment, a clear male voice sounded from the outer room.
“King… Poison Master Moru has arrived as well. I’m not sure whether he never received our invitation. Given the situation now… should we still turn him away…?”
The hand Mu Xueshi had just begun to move froze instantly in midair.
The Mountain King paused before replying toward the doorway, “Since he’s already here, how could I possibly turn him away? Invite him in directly.”
“But King, aren’t you worried…” Fu You hesitated from outside.
“This friend is someone I trust. Back then he did me a great favor. How could I forget him now that I’m prospering? Besides, he wanders the jianghu all year round and has no dealings with unsavory people. Just invite him in without worry.”
“Very well, King. You should hurry up. The brothers can hardly wait any longer.”
Futile Devices Scans 
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