Sun Ye originally had no intention of involving himself in Poison Master Moru’s affairs, but the moment he heard Poison Master Moru say he intended to deliver the letter to the Third Prince, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
“What do those two letters say?”
At Sun Ye’s question, a wicked smile curled onto Poison Master Moru’s lips. He weighed the letters in his hand for a moment before replying, “Take a guess.”
“I’m certain it’s nothing good.”
Poison Master Moru cast him a meaningful glance and said, “It’s a letter written by Young Master Xue to someone else. How can you say it contains nothing good?”
Sun Ye shot him a cold look and said darkly, “I’m talking about the other copy in your hand.”
A subtle change flickered through Poison Master Moru’s eyes. Walking over to Sun Ye, he asked, “In your eyes, am I really such a bad person?”
“That’s right,” Sun Ye replied without the slightest hesitation.
Poison Master Moru let out a long sigh and sat down gracefully, pouring himself a cup of tea.
“You truly understand me. However… although I am a bad person, what I’m doing this time can’t really be called a bad thing. Every phrase I added to the letter is pleasant and flattering. There isn’t a single insulting word in it.”
The more Sun Ye listened, the more suspicious he became. He fixed Poison Master Moru with a penetrating stare, determined to force out the truth.
But when Poison Master Moru saw Sun Ye’s heroic features and those clear yet steadfast eyes, he suddenly felt himself sinking deeper and deeper.
“Could you stop trying to seduce me like that?”
The moment those words left his mouth, Sun Ye flew into a rage and slashed at him with his sword. Fortunately, Poison Master Moru dodged quickly, otherwise he would have been split in half.
“How heartless. My backside is still injured,” Poison Master Moru complained pitifully.
Sun Ye wasn’t about to fall for his act. Taking advantage of the distraction, he lunged for the letters.
Poison Master Moru’s hands moved with astonishing agility. One moment the letters disappeared, the next they reappeared somewhere else as if by magic.
“Give me the letters.”
“No.”
“Give them to me.”
“Kiss me and I will.”
“If you won’t give them to me, I’m leaving right now.”
“…”
In the end, Poison Master Moru was the one who yielded. Obediently, he handed over both letters.
The more Sun Ye read, the deeper his frown became. By the end, his brows had twisted together into a knot.
“You’re planning to give this letter to His Highness?”
Poison Master Moru nodded.
Immediately, Sun Ye clenched his fists and barked, “If His Highness reads this letter, he’ll be furious. And Young Master Xue will suffer terribly for no reason because of you.”
“You feel sorry for him?” Poison Master Moru asked, arching a brow.
That only made Sun Ye angrier.
“Why would I feel sorry for him?”
Still wearing his casual expression, Poison Master Moru replied, “Only I know how much jealousy the Third Prince has made me suffer through. Whether I tell you or not, His Highness is definitely going to have a fit of jealousy this time. This is a matter between me and His Highness. What right do you have to interfere?”
“His Highness is my master. Of course I have to consider his interests.”
“Is he still your master now?”
Sun Ye immediately fell silent.
His expression darkened.
Indeed, he was no longer a guard of the courtyard. If not for the Third Prince’s mercy, he would have been expelled long ago.
“The Third Prince has arrived!”
At the shout from outside, Sun Ye quickly rose to his feet. Poison Master Moru stood as well and slipped both letters into his sleeve.
The moment the Third Prince stepped into the room, the temperature seemed to plummet.
“May I ask what brings Your Highness here today?”
The Third Prince looked quietly at Poison Master Moru, icy rays flickering within his cold eyes.
“You should know exactly why I’m here.”
Poison Master Moru smiled faintly.
“Of course I do. Your Highness has come for this letter, has he not?”
As he spoke, he withdrew a letter from his sleeve.
Standing nearby, Sun Ye watched anxiously. Poison Master Moru had taken out one of the two letters, but he couldn’t tell which one.
Just as the Third Prince was about to leave, Poison Master Moru suddenly spoke with complete sincerity.
“I’m afraid doing this may not be appropriate, Third Prince.”
“What is inappropriate about it?” The Third Prince frowned slightly and glanced back at him.
“Reading another person’s private correspondence is hardly an honorable act. If Your Highness does this, won’t it lead Young Master Xue to misunderstand you and harbor resentment…?”
“In my world, there is no such thing as honorable or dishonorable. There is only what should be done and what should not.”
With that, the Third Prince turned and strode out, his expression as cold as ever.
“Take care, Third Prince,” Poison Master Moru called after him.
Poison Master Moru put on an act and called out after him. Once he was gone, however, a crafty gleam appeared in his eyes.
Third Prince, this time you’re definitely going to choke on your jealousy. Who told your great beauty to hand me such a perfect opportunity?
Sun Ye grabbed Poison Master Moru by the sleeve and forcibly snatched the letter hidden inside. After opening it and reading only a few lines, he immediately realized it was different from the one he had just seen. This, without a doubt, was the real letter Mu Xueshi had intended for Poison Master Moru to write.
“I knew you were going to give the fake one to His Highness.” Sun Ye glared at him angrily.
Poison Master Moru merely shrugged. “You can deliver this letter yourself and tell His Highness that I was the one causing trouble. I certainly won’t stop you.”
Sun Ye knew Poison Master Moru was deliberately putting him in a difficult position. If this letter wasn’t delivered, the Third Prince would, at most, stew in silence for a few days and would never do anything to Mu Xueshi. But if this letter was delivered, the Third Prince’s reaction would go far beyond mere jealousy—he would probably chop Poison Master Moru in half.
Remembering how Poison Master Moru had endured all those blows without making a sound just to ensure he could stay behind, Sun Ye suddenly found himself unable to harden his heart. He drew a long breath and sat down helplessly.
Poison Master Moru had fully expected Sun Ye to rush off to the Third Prince and explain everything, but instead he sat down, and there wasn’t the slightest trace of disgust on his face.
“You…”
Although Sun Ye was angry with Poison Master Moru, he wasn’t angry enough to ignore him completely. He replied stiffly, “What is it?”
“Why didn’t you go find the Third Prince?”
Seeing the disbelief in Poison Master Moru’s eyes, a chill inexplicably settled in Sun Ye’s heart.
“Why must I go find the Third Prince?”
Without hesitation, Poison Master Moru replied, “Because you’ve always thought only of the Third Prince.”
“And if I were truly that loyal, why would I have been stripped of my position as a guard?”
Poison Master Moru froze.
For the first time, it felt as if he had awakened from a dream.
He had always viewed Sun Ye as the Third Prince’s devoted personal guard, yet he had never considered that Sun Ye might have desires and thoughts of his own. If Sun Ye hadn’t acted for his sake, how could he have ended up in his current situation? Poison Master Moru had spent so much time noticing how devoted Sun Ye was to the Third Prince that he had forgotten Sun Ye had once betrayed the Third Prince for him.
If that was the case…
Had he completely misunderstood Sun Ye’s feelings toward him?
When Sun Ye noticed Poison Master Moru’s wandering gaze, he knew the man was once again lost in some ridiculous train of thought. Turning around, he headed for the door.
Before he could leave, Poison Master Moru grabbed his arm.
“When you betrayed the Third Prince to save me back then, was it because you wanted to repay me for saving your life?”
Sun Ye remained silent for a long while before finally saying, “What if it was? What if it wasn’t?”
Half of Poison Master Moru’s heart went cold.
“Then the reason you’re willing to give up being a guard now… is that because you feel indebted to me?”
That question was even harder for Sun Ye to answer.
With a slight exertion of force, he shook off Poison Master Moru’s hand and walked out.
Poison Master Moru felt as though his entire heart had frozen solid.
That evening, Sun Ye went to the kitchen as usual. He brought several dishes back to the room and set them on the table.
Poison Master Moru sat nearby looking rather miserable.
A single glance was enough for Sun Ye to understand his mood.
Poison Master Moru’s emotions always swung between extremes. Sun Ye rarely saw him serious and composed, but whenever he returned to that state, it was as though he became a different person entirely, surrounded by a gloomy and chilling aura.
“My injuries have already healed. Why are you still personally bringing food for me?”
Sun Ye shot him a sideways glance and replied irritably, “This is for me.”
Poison Master Moru merely responded with an “Oh,” and said nothing more.
He stood alone by the window, staring outside, seemingly lost in thought.
Only then did Sun Ye notice a bundle beside him. It looked like the one Poison Master Moru had previously asked his disciple to bring over. Now it had been packed up again.
Was he planning to leave?
Sun Ye’s hand slowly tightened around the edge of the table.
“These past days, I have imposed upon you far too much. Duan will take his leave now. As for the debts of gratitude you mentioned, there’s no need to keep them in your heart. There was never really anything to begin with. I was simply shamelessly forcing them upon you. Until we meet again.”
Sun Ye looked at Poison Master Moru blankly.
His lips moved slightly, but no words came out.
As Poison Master Moru walked past him, his heart felt as though it had been stung by a hornet.
The person before him was still the same person as before, yet somehow everything felt different. Moments ago he had seemed cold-hearted, unfeeling, stubborn, and impossible to reason with. Now he suddenly seemed… pitiful.
In this vast imperial palace, who genuinely cared about him?
Besides, he was no longer a guard of the courtyard.
Who would keep him?
If Poison Master Moru left, where would he go?
Yet Poison Master Moru’s feet had already crossed the threshold.
Should he turn back?
If he did, even if Sun Ye didn’t look down on him, he would slap himself twice for being so spineless. How could he keep humiliating himself over and over again?
Poison Master Moru sighed and slowly continued forward.
One step…
Two steps…
Three steps…
When there was still no reaction from behind him, he knew there was no hope.
With a leap, he vaulted into the air and disappeared into a corner of the courtyard.
Walking alone through the streets, he found that most of the people in the marketplace had already dispersed. The sun was gradually sinking below the horizon.
Just like the scenery around him, Poison Master Moru’s mood slowly descended into darkness.
Soon he would return to his old life.
His old life had been carefree and unrestrained.
He wouldn’t have to endure these violent ups and downs anymore—being cast into hell one moment, lifted into heaven the next, only to be shoved right back down again…
Futile Devices Scans 
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