Futile Devices Scans

“Poison Master Moru, why have you come back again?”

Seeing that Poison Master Moru had returned not long after leaving, the few bandits responsible for standing guard at the foot of the mountain looked at him with expressions of astonishment.

Sun Ye smiled faintly and said in a calm voice, “I left something behind on the mountain, so I came back to retrieve it.”

One of the bandits, a full head taller than Sun Ye, spoke in a rough, booming voice, “What did Poison Master Moru forget? We can go fetch it for you. There’s no need for you to make the trip yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah! I’m quick on my feet. I’ll go get it for Master.”

“What good are quick feet? There are so many people up there. If you’re not strong enough, you won’t even be able to push your way through.”

“I know some lightness skills. I can do it…”

“…”

Sun Ye grew slightly anxious inside. Seeing the bandits arguing endlessly among themselves, he interrupted them and said, “There’s no need. It’s only a small item. I’ll go get it myself. However, I do need one of you to lead the way. If you’re willing, I don’t mind if several of you come along.”

The bandits immediately brightened. The bolder ones hurriedly followed behind Sun Ye. As for the more honest-looking ones, they could only continue standing guard there with disappointed expressions.

Along the way, Sun Ye scattered some poisonous vapor. He was not sure when it would take effect, but on the return trip he could use it as markers to identify the path.

Guided by the bandits, Sun Ye quickly reached the mountain summit. The guests were eating meat and drinking wine in great mouthfuls, and the entire mountain was bustling with excitement. No one noticed that Poison Master Moru had returned. In fact, many of them had not even realized when he had left. They simply continued shouting noisily, demanding that the bride come out and greet everyone.

Following everyone’s line of sight, Sun Ye noticed a two-story bamboo building ahead. It was decorated with lanterns and colorful ornaments. The people inside were undoubtedly the Mountain King and the stronghold lady. As for when he should enter, Sun Ye had not yet decided, since he did not know what excuse he could use.

Ever since personally watching Poison Master Moru leave, Mu Xueshi had become like a person whose soul had been stolen away. There was not the slightest trace of vitality left in him. Furthermore, the Mountain King kept touching Mu Xueshi’s face from time to time and discovered that he was breaking out in cold sweats. The sweat that was wiped away had also removed much of the rouge on his face. Though he remained stunningly beautiful, one could now clearly tell from his features that he was a man.

The Mountain King immediately became troubled. Mu Xueshi already felt unwell. If he forced him to put makeup on again, it would be too cruel. Yet how was he supposed to deal with the people outside? They were all his brothers and close friends. Ruining their fun would make him seem cold and unreasonable.

Looking at Mu Xueshi again, the Mountain King’s heart softened completely. If Mu Xueshi truly disliked scenes like this, then perhaps it would be best to end the banquet sooner. After all, no matter how many people there were, none of them were as important to the Mountain King as Mu Xueshi alone.

While Sun Ye was still hesitating, he saw the Mountain King walk out. Immediately, a wave of shouting erupted around them. Though the voices were mixed together, Sun Ye could still hear that they all wanted to see the bride.

Witnessing the crowd’s frenzied behavior only strengthened Sun Ye’s conviction that the person inside was Mu Xueshi. Under heaven, aside from Mu Xueshi’s face, who else could make so many people become this infatuated?

There were simply too many people present, and Sun Ye was standing in an inconspicuous spot. The Mountain King did not notice that Poison Master Moru had returned. However, before he could even speak, he sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere around him. Alongside the scent of wine and roasted meat, there was also a strange fragrance lingering in the air.

Earlier, Sun Ye had secretly taken out a small bottle from his robes. The bottle was unusually smooth and distinctive, making it easy to identify by touch inside his sleeve. Sun Ye had no idea what kind of poison it contained. He had merely dripped a few drops onto the ground beneath his feet. He had never expected it to release such a powerful fragrance.

The scent felt strangely familiar to Sun Ye because it resembled the fragrance of flowers in the Third Prince’s courtyard. It was likely something Poison Master Moru had concocted from plants and flowers growing there.

By the time Sun Ye recovered from his thoughts, he realized that everything around him had fallen silent. The people who had been causing an uproar only moments ago had all stopped talking. Not only that, some were clutching their chests with pained expressions.

Suddenly, someone shouted, “Heavens! I just vomited up a worm!”

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw that the man collapsed the moment he finished speaking. Instantly, chaos erupted. More and more people were falling to the ground, and everyone present could feel the poison’s effects. Those with stronger martial arts could barely hold on a little longer, but eventually they too collapsed.

The banquet that had been deafeningly lively only moments before became utterly silent. Bodies lay sprawled across chairs and the ground in every direction. Only Sun Ye and the Mountain King standing at the doorway remained conscious.

The Mountain King quickly covered his nose and mouth, but he had already inhaled a considerable amount of poison when he came outside. He immediately understood that someone had poisoned either the food or the surrounding area. Thus, when he saw the unharmed “Poison Master Moru” standing before him, he instantly understood what had happened.

The Mountain King did not bother speaking. He merely fixed the supposed Poison Master Moru with a fierce glare. Never had he imagined that his benefactor would return to poison everyone here. Yet when he recalled the rumors of Poison Master Moru’s fondness for beauty and his amorous nature, he understood a little more clearly why he had done it.

Rather than confronting Poison Master Moru, the Mountain King hurried toward the inner room. Mu Xueshi was still inside. He was already in poor health, and now he had been poisoned as well. Would he even survive?

Halfway there, the Mountain King felt his legs beginning to wobble uncontrollably. More painful than his physical condition was the turmoil in his heart.

Because he knew that if he failed to reach Mu Xueshi—or failed to protect him—they would soon be separated forever despite having only just become husband and husband.

Here on this mountain, he feared neither heaven nor earth. But once beyond it, he no longer knew whether he could resist the imperial soldiers and keep Mu Xueshi by his side.

“My wife,” the Mountain King called anxiously as he hurried over and picked Mu Xueshi up.

Mu Xueshi cast him a dull glance before heavily lowering his eyelids again.

Compared to the people outside, Mu Xueshi’s poisoning was relatively mild. At least the Mountain King had not seen him coughing blood or falling unconscious. Carefully shielding Mu Xueshi in his arms, he stared warily at the doorway.

When Sun Ye entered, he felt as though he was not looking at a man but a lion—a wounded lion. Though the Mountain King appeared weakened, his gaze remained unusually sharp. Seeing that he could still force himself to stand, Sun Ye knew he would be much harder to deal with than the others outside.

Sun Ye shifted his attention to the figure in the Mountain King’s arms. The Mountain King had hidden the person’s face against his chest, making it impossible to see clearly. He could only judge by the body. Though dressed in women’s clothing and appearing slender and delicate, the figure was tall and possessed a distinctly masculine bearing. Moreover, from Sun Ye’s familiarity with Mu Xueshi, the body matched him perfectly.

Walking straight over, Sun Ye tried to pull the person from the Mountain King’s arms. Yet even after placing his hand on the person’s body, he could not budge him at all.

Sun Ye looked at the Mountain King.

The Mountain King looked back at him.

“Poison Master Moru, I never expected you to be so despicable.”

At the words “Poison Master Moru,” Mu Xueshi seemed suddenly stimulated and quickly turned his face around.

The moment Sun Ye saw Mu Xueshi, his eyes lit up. Though he could never remember Mu Xueshi’s peerless features afterward, every time he saw them, he could instantly recognize him.

“I’m Sun Ye, Young Master Xue. I’ve come to save you.”

With that, Sun Ye moved to pull the Mountain King away. He knew the man’s strength was nearly exhausted, so he circulated his internal energy and concentrated it into his palms, striking both of the Mountain King’s arms simultaneously.

The Mountain King winced in pain. Both arms became numb and sore, yet he gritted his teeth and endured. Even after taking two strikes from Sun Ye, he still refused to loosen his grip.

Upon hearing Sun Ye’s words, delight appeared on Mu Xueshi’s face, though disbelief lingered there as well. He wanted to ask whether the Third Prince had sent Sun Ye to rescue him, but since he could not speak, he had no choice but to abandon the thought.

Looking at the Mountain King, Sun Ye said in a deep voice, “This is the Third Prince’s beloved. If you know what’s good for you, let go.”

The Mountain King suddenly let out several cold laughs and said, “So what if he belongs to the Third Prince? This person is my wife. We performed the wedding ceremony together. For the rest of his life, he belongs to me.”

Hearing those words, Sun Ye’s icy eyes darkened. Drawing the sword from his robes, he said, “Then don’t blame me for being merciless.”

As he spoke, he slashed at the Mountain King’s arms. The reason he did not strike at his head was because he still had reservations. After all, this man was supposedly Poison Master Moru’s friend.

Suddenly, panic appeared on Mu Xueshi’s face. Letting out a few muffled cries, he reached out to stop Sun Ye.

Sun Ye’s sword had already descended, only to be blocked by Mu Xueshi’s outstretched hand.

Seeing the complicated expression on Sun Ye’s face, Mu Xueshi had no way to explain himself. He could only turn toward the Mountain King and plead with him, tugging at the arms that held him captive.

The Mountain King understood exactly what Mu Xueshi meant, but this time he absolutely could not indulge him.

Taking hold of Mu Xueshi’s flailing hands, the Mountain King firmly enclosed them within his own. Tightening his arms further around him, he declared resolutely, “If you want to leave my side, you’ll have to kill me first.”

Mu Xueshi froze for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. Using his lips, he silently told the Mountain King that he would not disappear forever. He would come back to visit in the future. But right now, he had to return, because there was someone waiting for him there who would be worried sick.

Sun Ye noticed that Mu Xueshi kept making sounds without being able to produce actual words. Curious, he checked Mu Xueshi’s acupoints and discovered that his mute acupoint had not been sealed. Then why couldn’t he speak?

The Mountain King ignored everything Mu Xueshi tried to communicate and simply held him tighter. Yet as the poison spread through his body, his strength dwindled more and more. His arms felt as though they were filled with sand, each weighing thousands of pounds. Even so, he could not bear to watch Mu Xueshi leave. At this point, sheer willpower was all that kept him going.

Seeing the Mountain King’s condition, Sun Ye roughly understood what was happening. He attacked again. This time, out of consideration for both Poison Master Moru and Mu Xueshi, he used only half his strength. However, his strikes came rapidly and continuously, quickly driving the Mountain King to the ground.

Even then, the Mountain King’s arms remained wrapped tightly around Mu Xueshi.

A trace of surprise surfaced in Sun Ye’s heart. He had always known the Mountain King wanted Mu Xueshi, but he had never expected him to be this devoted.

Mu Xueshi seemed to grow anxious. He pounded angrily on the Mountain King’s arms and struggled desperately to break free. Yet when he saw the bloodshot eyes fixed upon him—eyes filled with pain and sorrow—he eventually let his hands fall in defeat.

Not long after Mu Xueshi stopped resisting, he suddenly felt the pressure around him loosen. Tentatively trying to free himself from the arms wrapped around him, he discovered that he could.

As Sun Ye pulled him away, Mu Xueshi could not help glancing back. Seeing the Mountain King collapsed on the floor, a pang of sadness unexpectedly pierced his heart.

“What’s wrong, Young Master Xue?” Sun Ye asked when he noticed Mu Xueshi stop.

Looking at the unconscious people scattered everywhere, Mu Xueshi turned questioning eyes toward Sun Ye.

Knowing that speaking was difficult for him, Sun Ye answered directly. “I used poison. I found it among Poison Master Moru’s belongings.” As he spoke, he removed the human-skin mask from his face.

Mu Xueshi’s expression suddenly changed. Grabbing Sun Ye’s arm, he pointed back toward the room, indicating that they should cure the Mountain King’s poison before leaving.

Understanding immediately, Sun Ye explained helplessly, “I can’t cure this poison either. I don’t even know how potent it is. You and I may already be poisoned as well. We’ll probably need to find Poison Master Moru before we can get the antidote. Right now we need to leave immediately. I must return Young Master Xue to the palace as quickly as possible. The Third Prince must be worried out of his mind.”

At the mention of the Third Prince, excitement and uncertainty flooded Mu Xueshi’s eyes. It felt as though he had not seen him in years. He wondered whether the Third Prince would beat him senseless when they met again. Honestly, he would welcome even that. What he feared most was that the Third Prince no longer cared enough to beat him at all. The thought twisted Mu Xueshi’s heart into knots, and before he knew it, Sun Ye was already leading him away.

Previous

Main

Next