For the past two days, Mu Xueshi had constantly felt restless and uneasy. He did not know whether it was because the Third Prince had visited recently or because the Third Prince had borrowed Yue Lingchai’s disciples, but he could not shake the feeling that something was about to happen. No matter what he did, he could not calm his mind.
“Xueshi, what exactly are you practicing?!” Yue Lingchai struck Mu Xueshi several times with her palms.
Mu Xueshi winced in pain and only managed to steady himself after a long while. He said to Yue Lingchai, “Aunt, I want to go outside. May I?”
“Do not even think about it!”
Yue Lingchai’s brows shot upward, and flames seemed to blaze within her eyes. At a time like this, what else could he want to go outside for besides seeking the Third Prince?
Mu Xueshi looked at Yue Lingchai with an aggrieved expression and pleaded, “Aunt, please let me go out just once. I only need to take care of one matter. Once it is done, I will come back. I promise I will return.”
“Not now. It is chaotic outside. Everyone is trying to find somewhere to hide, yet you still want to go out.”
Upon hearing that something truly had happened, Mu Xueshi hurriedly asked, “Aunt, why is it chaotic? What exactly happened?”
“Practice.”
The softly spoken word struck Mu Xueshi’s heart with tremendous force.
What a cruel person. She will not even allow me to go outside once.
Mu Xueshi turned his pleading gaze toward Qingyun. “What exactly happened outside?”
Qingyun shook her head, indicating that she did not know either.
That afternoon, while practicing internal cultivation, Mu Xueshi found it impossible to settle his mind. He secretly took out the silver coin and allowed his attention to wander.
You can control my body, but can you control my soul?
White light flooded his vision. When Mu Xueshi opened his eyes, he had become an ordinary passerby through and through.
Fortunately, it is a man…
Only after Mu Xueshi finished examining himself did he realize that he was the sole person on the entire street. Ruined walls and shattered buildings stood everywhere, while corpses lay piled one upon another. The sight immediately reminded Mu Xueshi of when he had been fleeing for his life and the soldiers of the Lubei Kingdom had attacked them with cannons.
What happened?
Why is there no one on the street?
…
While Mu Xueshi was still puzzling over this, he suddenly heard the sound of approaching hooves. He looked up and saw a set of clothing that seemed rather familiar.
Are those not guards from the imperial palace?!
“There is another person over here,” the guard at the front called loudly to those behind him.
“What is that thing pasted onto his clothes?”
Even Mu Xueshi was startled. He hurriedly lowered his head and discovered a huge word—RESIST—stuck across his chest.
Had Mu Xueshi not hurriedly tried to tear the thing off, he would not even have noticed that he was holding a folding fan.
A refined young gentleman?
Mu Xueshi secretly thought that this identity was not bad, though the object stuck to his clothes was somewhat strange.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several cold arrows shot directly toward him. Fortunately, Mu Xueshi reacted quickly, or he would have been killed beneath a hail of arrows.
“Quickly! Kill this rebel!”
Mu Xueshi froze. Could the person whose body he had entered be a rebel who opposed the imperial court? Then what was the story behind all the corpses on the ground…?
Seeing another volley of arrows flying toward him, Mu Xueshi had no time to think. He directly used the fan in his hand to block them. When more and more arrows followed, Mu Xueshi lightly leapt into the air and landed in a tree behind the guards.
“Where did he go?” one guard shouted.
The guards spread out and looked around. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mu Xueshi hurled several arrows he had caught in his hand at the same time. Although they did not carry as much force as arrows fired from a bow, his aim was extremely accurate, and they struck the hands gripping the guards’ bows.
“Ah!” Several guards screamed and cursed loudly.
Mu Xueshi jumped down and swiftly dealt with them in only a few moves.
Mu Xueshi grabbed one of the men by the collar and demanded harshly, “Why are you trying to kill me?”
The guard clearly had not expected Mu Xueshi to ask such a question. He froze, not knowing how to answer something that should have been obvious.
Seeing the guard remain silent, Mu Xueshi released him resentfully, walked over to another guard, and crouched beside him.
“What happened to all these corpses?”
That guard also stared stupidly at Mu Xueshi without managing to say a single word.
“I have only been away from the palace for a few days. How did all the palace guards become idiots?”
Mu Xueshi left the men in frustration and knocked on the doors of residences and shops, but not a single person opened the door for him. Even the household servants who normally guarded the entrances had disappeared somewhere.
With none of the questions filling his mind receiving an answer, Mu Xueshi eventually grew desperate. He returned to the original spot, hauled up one of the guards, and shouted, “Tell me everything that has happened in the palace recently, or I will kill you!”
This time, the guard finally understood him and began stammering out an explanation. He started with the Emperor’s banquet, then spoke of the Third Prince announcing that he would ascend the throne on an appointed date, and how the Third Prince had ordered everyone who refused to submit to be killed… Although the explanation was somewhat confused, it did not prevent Mu Xueshi from understanding. Only then did he realize why the Third Prince had borrowed Yue Lingchai’s highly skilled disciples.
He had never expected such an enormous upheaval to occur in the palace during the few days he had been gone.
Were all the people filling these streets killed on his orders?
Had he not always said that he had no desire to become Emperor?
…
Carrying countless questions, Mu Xueshi transferred back into his own body.
When he awoke, he was lying on the crystal bed. Yue Lingchai stood before him with an ugly expression, while Qingyun’s face was streaked with tears.
“What happened?” Mu Xueshi could not help asking when he saw that something was wrong with them.
Seeing Mu Xueshi suddenly awaken again, Qingyun immediately burst into tears of relief. While crying, she said, “Young Master Xue, you had no pulse just now. Master and I thought your mind had wandered during cultivation and that you had accidentally died.”
Only then did Mu Xueshi remember that whenever his soul left, this body was effectively nothing more than a corpse.
“Aunt, I am sorry. Xueshi did not do it intentionally. I promise I will not allow my mind to wander again.”
Expressionlessly, Yue Lingchai said to Qingyun, “Go outside first. I have a few words to say to Xueshi.”
Qingyun nodded and walked out.
Mu Xueshi’s heart pounded anxiously, terrified that Yue Lingchai might realize something and interrogate him.
“Must you truly go outside?”
Mu Xueshi had not expected Yue Lingchai to ask this. His face immediately grew hot, and he glanced at her guiltily. “Aunt, if you do not want me to leave, I will obediently remain here.”
How could Yue Lingchai possibly believe Mu Xueshi’s nonsense now? The commotion just now had genuinely terrified her. She had practiced martial arts for so many years and always remained composed in the face of danger, yet that had been the first moment in her life when she had truly felt afraid.
If this continued, not only would Mu Xueshi fail to learn martial arts properly, but she would also be unable to focus on her own cultivation.
“If you wish to go out, I will allow you to leave once,” Yue Lingchai said.
Mu Xueshi was immediately overwhelmed with joy. He had never expected that he would be able to walk out openly and honestly. He had assumed that he would once again have to sneak away in the dead of night or transfer into someone else’s body.
“Aunt, thank you. I will definitely return.”
In his excitement, Mu Xueshi threw his arms around Yue Lingchai and did not release her for a long time.
A sudden bitterness rose within Yue Lingchai’s heart. From the day Mu Xueshi was born until now, this seemed to be the only time he had ever approached her affectionately of his own accord. Yet she could also sense with painful clarity that once Mu Xueshi left this time, it would be difficult for him ever to return.
“I will teach you a martial-arts technique. Unless you are left with absolutely no other choice, it would be best not to use it. Otherwise, you may draw unwanted attention and invite a fatal disaster upon yourself.”
One look at Yue Lingchai’s expression told Mu Xueshi that this technique was extraordinary. He immediately became wildly excited and replied loudly, “Yes! This disciple understands.”
…
Futile Devices Scans 
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