At this point, Mu Xueshi should no longer have involved himself. This was originally the bitter fruit the Third Prince had sown himself. Even if he were truly beaten or killed, it would only be the retribution he deserved. Considering the cruel way he had killed Madam and caused two lives to be lost at once, allowing him to die from a single sword strike would already be letting him off cheaply.
That was what Mu Xueshi thought, but putting it into practice was another matter entirely.
For the next few days, Mu Xueshi decided not to keep watch at Qinyi Courtyard anymore. From what he understood of those black-clad men, never mind killing the Third Prince—it would probably be difficult for them even to approach him.
Therefore, Mu Xueshi decided to keep watch at Grand Tutor Manor instead. The woman their master had loved had died here, and her memorial tablet was also enshrined here. Their master would surely come to visit eventually.
When Mu Xueshi returned here, he was far calmer than when he had left. Even when he took the form of Steward Wang or someone like Zhang Houde and walked through Madam’s room, he no longer felt afraid.
Perhaps he was simply forgetful and carefree by nature. No matter what happened, he would put it behind him within a few hours at the shortest, or only a few days at the longest.
Mu Xueshi had even begun entertaining a strange thought: perhaps the murderer was still hidden somewhere within this manor and was not the Third Prince at all. Although all the coincidences seemed to fit together so reasonably, the accusation had ultimately come from Madam’s own mouth. There was no proof or evidence; everything was merely conjecture.
He practiced martial arts during the day and wandered around Grand Tutor Manor at night or whenever he had free time, yet he never discovered anything unusual. The only thing that made his blood run cold was that the memorial hall now contained not only the tablets of Grand Tutor Mu and Madam, but one bearing his own name as well. The vast Grand Tutor Manor had only a few servants remaining, and even those few were preparing to leave in the coming days.
By the fourth day of Mu Xueshi’s visits, only two servants remained in Grand Tutor Manor: Steward Wang and the maid who had served Madam. With no other choice, Mu Xueshi transferred into the maid’s body.
The night wind was somewhat chilly. When Mu Xueshi arrived, the maid was still sitting on the outdoor terrace, though he did not know what she had been doing. The lamp in Steward Wang’s room had long since gone out. There was nothing left in the manor now, and as an elderly man, he no longer had anything to busy himself with.
Mu Xueshi guessed it was already around the fourth watch of the night. He did not know why the maid had still not gone to sleep. He rose from the terrace, slowly stood, and walked toward Madam’s room.
Suddenly, a dark figure flashed into the courtyard. Mu Xueshi froze, then immediately chased after it.
The figure did not seem inclined to run. Instead, he walked toward Mu Xueshi and openly asked, “Has anyone come to the manor?”
Mu Xueshi woodenly shook his head, looking somewhat foolish. This black-clad man entered the manor as casually as though returning to his own home. If that was the case, why had he bothered covering his face?
While Mu Xueshi was thinking this, the man pushed open the doors to the main hall and walked inside.
Mu Xueshi also approached the doorway, intending to try following him in. But the moment his foot reached the threshold, the man inside said, “Qing’er, wait outside and guard the door. If anything unusual happens, come in and tell me.”
So this maid knew the black-clad man. Could he possibly be… the lover Madam had been secretly seeing outside? Perhaps Madam had taken this maid along whenever she slipped out, and over time, the maid had also become acquainted with the man.
Mu Xueshi carefully searched his memories, wondering whether he had seen this person before. Perhaps he was someone from the manor. The man’s voice sounded strangely familiar to him.
“Wan’er, I came today because I wanted to take you away.”
So it really is him. Mu Xueshi was startled and hurriedly pressed his ear against the door, listening carefully to the words inside.
“You will not be angry with me for only coming to see you now, will you? These past few days, I have been waiting for a good opportunity to eliminate the Third Prince. Not only did he kill you and the child in your belly, but he also hung your corpse outside the gates of Grand Tutor Manor and accused you of adultery and murdering your husband, forcing you to endure such humiliation even after death.”
The accusation of murdering her husband might have been false, but the adultery part did not exactly seem like slander… Mu Xueshi could not help muttering inwardly.
“I will definitely kill him. Even if I die and become a ghost, I will carve the flesh from his body one slice at a time to repay the debt he owes our child. Our poor child had not even been born before being murdered so cruelly.”
Mu Xueshi’s mouth immediately fell open, his face filled with astonishment. It turned out the child in Madam’s belly had never belonged to Grand Tutor Mu at all—it belonged to this man.
“I failed you. I failed our child. I always said I would marry you, yet even after you left this world, I still never fulfilled that promise. You suffered injustice for half your life here. Grand Tutor Mu never truly cared for you, and in the end, you even met with such a fate.”
Hearing this, Mu Xueshi could not help sighing. Everyone had their own suffering. Loving someone without being able to remain together was indeed a pitiful thing.
“I originally thought that after Grand Tutor Mu was killed and you had observed a year of mourning as his widow, you could bring the child and marry me. Then the three of us could finally be reunited as a family. I never expected you would bear the blame for my crime instead. I was the one who harmed you. I was the one who harmed you!”
Standing outside, Mu Xueshi felt something crash inside his mind, leaving his thoughts completely blank.
It truly had not been the Third Prince…
He really had misunderstood him…
“I concealed it from you at the time because I was afraid you would not agree to what I intended to do. That was why I deliberately sent you away and ordered my disciples, Ning Yue and Ning Yuan, to help me remove that obstacle. Afterward, I feared they might reveal what had happened, so I killed both of my beloved disciples. Who could have imagined that such a meticulous, seemingly flawless plan would be exposed by that Mu Xueshi? The blame was even placed upon you. I hate myself! Why did I have Ning Yue disguise himself as you? Why did I not tell you everything afterward, causing you to suffer such an injustice for nothing?!”
Mu Xueshi heard the sound of the man repeatedly striking his forehead against the floor, every blow so forceful that it seemed he intended to smash his own head apart.
He could not wait any longer. He had to go inside and see who this person really was. Mu Xueshi took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and entered.
“Is there anything unusual outside?” the black-clad man asked with his back turned to Mu Xueshi.
“No,” Mu Xueshi replied cautiously.
Mu Xueshi discovered that the man had already removed the covering from his face. If he walked only a few steps forward, he would be able to see the man clearly.
“Then why did you come inside?”
The cold, merciless voice made Mu Xueshi tremble inwardly. For some reason, he felt an inexplicable fear of this person. Although Mu Xueshi was no longer afraid to fight anyone, the thought of the methods this man had used to kill others still sent a chill through him.
“I… Qing’er was afraid you might be thirsty, so I came in especially to pour you some water.” What kind of ridiculous excuse is that…?
There was no movement behind him. Mu Xueshi took small steps toward the table, only to discover that the teapot was completely empty, without even a drop of water to pour.
I’m finished…
The moment this thought appeared in Mu Xueshi’s mind, he heard a rush of wind behind him. He abruptly turned, only to have the man’s hand close around his throat.
It was actually him…
During the brief moment Mu Xueshi froze, he heard a sharp crack from his neck. His vision immediately darkened, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the floor.
“You know too much, Qing’er.”
Mu Xueshi vaguely heard those words. Using the final trace of his consciousness, he sealed his pulse and breathing before falling into a deep coma.
More than an hour later, Mu Xueshi opened his eyes again. The room was pitch-black; the man had already extinguished the lamp. Fortunately, Mu Xueshi had reacted quickly enough to preserve his final breath. Otherwise, he would have inexplicably died here while inhabiting the body of a maid.
With trembling hands, Mu Xueshi took the silver coin from his sleeve and struggled to force the dozen or so words of the incantation from his mouth. White light instantly flooded his vision. He vaguely remembered that in his final glimpse, Madam’s memorial tablet had already been taken away.
How pathetic. I nearly got killed without even managing to use a single move, and I still let that bastard escape.
After waking, Mu Xueshi harshly berated himself.
Apart from that, he felt a complicated emotion he could not describe as either happiness or pain.
The murderer was not the Third Prince…
Mu Xueshi clearly remembered the day the Third Prince had gripped his throat and asked whether he would believe him. Mu Xueshi’s answer had been, You are not human.
As expected, he had deeply misunderstood him. Even if the Third Prince killed without blinking, there had been no reason for him to pretend before Mu Xueshi that he was not the murderer. In the end, Mu Xueshi had underestimated both the Third Prince and himself.
Now Mu Xueshi’s thoughts were a complete mess, and he did not know which direction to take from here.
Should he expose that man? Would exposing him now still have any meaning? Would anyone believe Mu Xueshi? Did someone who was already dead in the eyes of the world still possess that right?
I am no longer the Judicial Affairs Minister. In everyone’s eyes, I was merely a parasite who survived through the Third Prince, someone who obtained the position of Judicial Affairs Minister solely because of my extraordinary appearance. The very first case I took on ended with me losing my life.
My funeral has already ended. My grave is at the Judicial Affairs Manor, and my memorial tablet is in Grand Tutor Manor… Mu Xueshi is already dead. Forget it. It is enough that I know the truth. In the future, I will find some way to eliminate this menace and then remain with Aunt and properly study martial arts.
Futile Devices Scans 
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