On this stormy night, Yu’er rested his head against the Third Prince’s shoulder. Though the two of them were being drenched through by the torrential rain, he felt a warmth unlike anything he had ever known.
“Your Highness, let Yu’er bear a child for you.”
The corner of the Third Prince’s brow moved slightly. He stroked Yu’er’s face and murmured softly, “Xueshi…”
Hearing those two syllables, Yu’er’s tears mingled with the rain and rolled down his cheeks. Why was it that no matter how desperately he tried to catch up, he could not compare to even the smallest part of Mu Xueshi?
Within the enormous imperial palace, compared with the thousands of others, merely being able to exchange a few words with the Third Prince had once been something Yu’er took pride in. It was only after Mu Xueshi appeared that he realized how pitifully insignificant his own presence truly was.
The Third Prince suddenly narrowed his eyes, looking down at the person beneath him with a gaze tinged with drunkenness. When Yu’er noticed the Third Prince staring at him, he hurriedly wiped away his tears and smiled back at him.
“Mm…”
Yu’er was startled when the Third Prince touched his body. His heart instantly began pounding wildly, and his cheeks flushed crimson. Although he was already no stranger to matters of the bedchamber, having the person beside him be the Third Prince still made Yu’er incomparably nervous.
The Third Prince tore away the thin layer of soaked fabric covering Yu’er’s body, revealing smooth, fair skin that seemed to glisten like jade. Compared with ordinary men, the bodies of Qilin people were far softer and more supple. Thus, a saying circulated among the common people: Spend one night with a Qilin person, and no other body will ever satisfy you again.
The Third Prince’s lips gently teased the side of Yu’er’s ear before sliding down toward his collarbone. Wherever they passed, Yu’er became increasingly lost in sensation.
“Your Highness… mm…”
“Xueshi…”
“…”
Ever since Mu Xueshi left Grand Tutor Manor, he had wandered aimlessly, his mind completely blank. The rain fell harder and harder, enveloping his entire figure in a curtain of mist until his outline could barely be seen. A bolt of lightning split the sky and illuminated the surrounding shadows of the trees. Only then did Mu Xueshi realize that he had already walked deep into the forest.
The raindrops began pelting Mu Xueshi’s head with loud, rapid taps. His vision alternated between clarity and blurriness, and his legs began to weaken.
Mu Xueshi slowly sat down beside a large tree. The water on the ground had already risen over his feet. He wiped the rain from his face and stared blankly into the distance.
Ordinarily, even the sight of a dark shadow would frighten him into shouting. Now, lightning seemed to strike near his feet and thunder exploded directly overhead, yet he felt nothing at all.
Mu Xueshi took the silver coin from his sleeve and stared at it blankly. With a single incantation, he could return home. From then on, he could bury this silver coin and pretend he had never come into contact with it.
He could not accept that the person who had been nearly perfect in his heart was actually such a brutal monster. Even less could he accept his own cowardice and ignorance. Yet the moment he thought of leaving this place, he could not help wanting to cry aloud.
Mu Xueshi knew he was conflicted. A faint trace of hope still lingered in his heart. He imagined that perhaps what he had seen was not the truth. He imagined that everything was merely a coincidence, and that the murderer he had pursued so tirelessly was not the Third Prince…
…
The Third Prince gripped Yu’er’s chin firmly, calling out softly with a gaze both seductive and domineering.
“Xueshi…”
Each time Yu’er heard that name, it felt as though a sharp blade pierced his heart. Looking into the tenderness in the Third Prince’s eyes, he struggled inwardly again and again.
“Xueshi…”
Just as the Third Prince tore away the final wisp of gauze from Yu’er’s body, Yu’er suddenly struck one of the Third Prince’s acupoints. He watched the Third Prince’s hand slide from his chest and his eyes slowly close.
“Your Highness, I am unwilling to be someone else’s substitute, and even less willing to have you look down on me afterward. I believe that one day, there will be at least a small place for Yu’er in your heart.”
“Noble Consort Yu.”
When Yu’er emerged from the thatched cottage, the guards who had scattered in search of shelter from the rain hurried over from every direction.
“His Highness the Third Prince is inside. Several of you, help him onto a horse and escort him back to the palace.”
“Yes.”
…
A streak of white light suddenly flashed past. Mu Xueshi sensed that it was not lightning this time and quickly opened his eyes, instinctively dodging to the side. When he recovered, he discovered two people before him. One lay on the ground, while the other stood beside him, the sword in his hand still dripping with blood.
“Who are you?” Mu Xueshi asked the standing man.
The man was dressed entirely in black and wore a conical hat, making his true appearance impossible to discern. After hearing Mu Xueshi’s question, not only did he refuse to answer, but he strode forward and hoisted Mu Xueshi over his shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Mu Xueshi had only managed to ask this when dizziness overwhelmed him, and he lost consciousness.
Within a vast crystal palace, a beautiful woman reclined on a cushioned couch. Wisps of mist rose from the immortal pool, surrounding her like a celestial maiden. Although her eyes were closed in rest, her beautiful brows occasionally furrowed, as though something weighed upon her mind.
“Master, Young Master Xue has a high fever. It still has not subsided.”
Yue Lingchai slowly opened her eyes and looked toward the crystal bed. That small face, translucent as crystal, was flushed with a thin layer of red, while the lips were faintly pale. The sight truly inspired pity.
“He stood outside in such heavy rain. Of course he developed a fever. Since he cares so little for his own body, letting him suffer a little more may be good for him.”
Hearing Yue Lingchai’s words, Qing Yun’s lips moved, but she did not dare voice any objection. She dampened a cloth with water from the pool, then turned and walked toward Mu Xueshi.
Watching Qing Yun meticulously apply the cloth to Mu Xueshi’s forehead, Yue Lingchai sighed inwardly and said to her, “I will do it.”
Yue Lingchai instructed Qing Yun to prepare some medicinal soup, then personally circulated her internal energy through Mu Xueshi’s body to force out the cold.
When Qing Yun returned, Yue Lingchai took the medicine from her hands and fed it to Mu Xueshi one spoonful at a time.
Mu Xueshi frowned, seeming not to like the taste.
Yue Lingchai raised her hand as though she intended to slap Mu Xueshi across the face, but when it came down, the blow turned into a gentle caress.
Seeing Yue Lingchai feed Mu Xueshi his medicine with such patience, Qing Yun could not help feeling deeply amazed. Patience was normally what her master lacked most. Whenever Qing Yun grew even slightly lazy during training or missed a single movement, she would be punished severely. Yet now, watching her master feed Mu Xueshi medicine, it was almost as though she had become an entirely different person.
The underground Crystal Palace remained bright as day at all times, making it impossible to distinguish day from night. After roughly a dozen or more hours, Mu Xueshi finally woke.
“Where am I?”
After waking, Mu Xueshi looked around. There was no one nearby. The enormous white palace seemed partly familiar and partly strange.
“Don’t tell me I’ve gone to heaven,” Mu Xueshi murmured. “No, it can’t be heaven… Someone like me, who has never done much good, probably wouldn’t be able to enter heaven.”
When Qing Yun saw Mu Xueshi awaken, she became so excited that she quickly set down the medicine bowl in her hands and ran toward his bedside.
“Young Master Xue, Young Master Xue, you’re awake.”
Mu Xueshi looked Qing Yun over twice, then called somewhat uncertainly, “Qing Yun?”
Seeing Mu Xueshi’s hesitant gaze, Qing Yun immediately became slightly annoyed. “Yes. Could Young Master Xue have forgotten Qing Yun so quickly?”
“I haven’t forgotten. You’ve simply grown more and more beautiful, so I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Young Master Xue, stop teasing Qing Yun. Hurry and drink this medicine.”
Without thinking, Mu Xueshi gulped down the entire large bowl of medicine in several mouthfuls.
After finishing, Mu Xueshi wiped his mouth and asked Qing Yun, “Why am I here?”
Qing Yun sighed, a trace of heartache appearing on her lovely face.
“Young Master Xue still has the nerve to ask. The night before last, you ran into the forest alone and were nearly murdered. If Master had not continuously sent people to protect you in secret, Young Master Xue might have…”
“Murdered?” Mu Xueshi’s mind went blank.
“Yes. Why did Young Master Xue run outside in such heavy rain? When Master’s subordinate brought you here, you were soaked from head to toe. Some parts of your body had already swollen from the water, and you had a high fever that would not go down.”
“Master?” Mu Xueshi still wore a dazed expression.
Qing Yun was just about to continue when she caught sight of an elegant and otherworldly figure approaching gracefully. She softly called out, “Master,” then withdrew to the side.
When Mu Xueshi saw that breathtakingly beautiful face, his gaze froze. Only after a long while did realization dawn on him, and he called out, “Aunt…”
Aunt?
Hearing this form of address, Yue Lingchai felt a strong urge to beat Mu Xueshi soundly.
Mu Xueshi did not notice Yue Lingchai’s expression. Instead, he thought inwardly, No wonder this place seemed so familiar. It’s that Crystal Palace. I’ve been here before. Doesn’t that prove this is inside that tomb, meaning Linhan Palace? More precisely, I’ve actually returned to the courtyard again.
Mu Xueshi suddenly remembered everything that had happened. He had completely broken with the Third Prince, then wandered aimlessly into the forest alone. After that, he had seen two figures, one lying down and the other standing.
The one lying down had tried to assassinate him, while the one standing had saved him.
The standing person was Aunt’s subordinate. And so he had been brought here…
Linhan Palace. The tomb. The dried corpses… These three phrases circled endlessly through Mu Xueshi’s mind, and his newly awakened thoughts were instantly occupied once more by horrifying images.
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out. Mu Xueshi’s vision spun, and clear pain spread across his forehead.
“What nonsense are you thinking about again? Now that you have come here this time, you must remove every distracting thought from your mind and devote yourself entirely to learning martial arts from me. That nephew of mine is truly unreliable. I will not allow you to return to his side. Did you hear me?”
“Thank you, Aunt, for saving my life.”
“What aunt? Did you hear what I just said?”
Mu Xueshi paused, then nodded expressionlessly. “Mm.”