Author: Chai Jidan
Translator: synecdoche-acookie
Proofreader: KainGuru
Upon hearing the three words ‘The Third Prince,’ Mu Xueshi’s whole person felt like it was stimulated. He also forgot his old grudge and moved closer to Su Ruhan’s side to ask: “Has the Third Prince forgiven me?”
Su Ruhan found that Mu Xueshi always liked to get closer to others. He did not know whether it was just Mu Xueshi’s nature or if it was deliberate. He slightly retreated back by two steps and loudly said: “The Third Prince only said that he wanted Young Master Xue to practice martial arts to defend himself against violence, and nothing more.”
Mu Xueshi suddenly saw the light and nodded. In fact, he did not want to understand anything in his mind. He did not know why the Third Prince suddenly asked him to practice martial arts. Was it because the Third Prince realized that he was about to serve his sentence after twelve days from now, and that he did not want to let Mu Xueshi die and did not want to show favoritism, so he wanted to give Mu Xueshi an escape route from the execution ground?
Mu Xueshi immediately envisioned the face of the male lead in Prison Break and suddenly thought that this was really cool. He felt somewhat anxious to stretch his hands out and randomly kick with his feet in that place, while Su Ruhan broke into a cold sweat on the side.
Mu Xueshi always thought that the sword on Su Ruhan’s waist was a double-edged sword, to the extent that it looked even more pricey than the sword on the Third Prince’s waist. He was frank and outspoken to the point that he immediately begged Su Ruhan to teach him how to perform a sword dance. He also asked Su Ruhan to lend him the sword to play with it.
Mu Xueshi was just about to point at Su Ruhan’s sword when Su Ruhan’s eyes flashed a deadly glint, scaring the wits out of Mu Xueshi.
Mu Xueshi saw how Su Ruhan cherished his sword so much that he dared not to mention about practicing with it. Now, even if Su Ruhan would allow him to touch the sword, he would not touch it.
Su Ruhan’s eyes slowly softened, and Mu Xueshi saw that his face was not as scary as it was at first, so he tentatively asked: “Can we start? Master?”
Su Ruhan bowed and said: “Requesting Young Master Xue to call this humble servant by his given name. Calling me master is really too much of an honor.”
Mu Xueshi heard him say this and slowly relaxed. He saw that Su Ruhan did not give out any instructions nor did he even make a move. Because of this, he became anxious again, so he circled around Su Ruhan and kept talking about what he had in mind. Mu Xueshi wanted to learn qinggong [1], and he also wanted to learn what he called the ‘Titan Palm,’ and he also wanted to learn about acupuncture points. As he was awkwardly chirping very lively by himself, he finally discovered that Su Ruhan had long since disappeared from his side.
([1] Qinggong is a technique in Chinese Martial Arts which literally meant “light skill.” The practitioner runs up a plank supported against a wall. The gradient of the plank is increased gradually over time as the training progresses. The use of qinggong has been exaggerated in wuxia fiction, in which martial artists have the ability to move swiftly and lightly at superhuman speed and perform gravity-defying moves such as gliding on water surfaces, scaling high walls and mounting trees.)
“Let him play by himself…” The Third Prince chuckled as the past events appeared before his eyes.
At this time, Su Ruhan had already sneaked into the Third Prince’s bedchamber and reported Mu Xueshi’s situation to the Third Prince. The Third Prince gently laid on his side with a relaxed look on his face. Su Ruhan rarely saw the Third Prince being so idle, but due to his habit that he had developed for a long time, Su Ruhan never took the initiative to ask the Third Prince about it.
The Third Prince slowly put down the blue and white porcelain teacup and nonchalantly said: “Ning Yue is dead.”
Su Ruhan’s complexion slightly changed, and he responded to the Third Prince: “This humble servant is unaware.”
The Third Prince sneered and said as if he was taunting: “Nowadays, you aren’t acting your part as my personal guard. Even for the Mu Manor Murder Case that I’m very concerned about, you entirely refused to investigate…”
“If I continued the investigation, I‘m afraid that a number of people will be implicated.” Su Ruhan softly said.
The Third Prince raised his eyebrow, looked at Su Ruhan and asked: “How much do you know about the case?”
“I know nothing about it.”
“Oh…” The Third Prince revealed a smile that was not a smile and slightly nodded, “You know for a fact that the one I hate the most is the one who killed the Imperial Tutor. He dared to break my way.”
Su Ruhan bowed and said: “Yes. If Your Highness finds out who it was in the days to come, you certainly need to be strict in dealing with him.”
The Third Prince then did not say a word. When Su Ruhan noticed that the Third Prince gently closed his eyes, as if he was about to rest, he planned to go out without a word, but when he walked to the door, the Third Prince said to Su Ruhan: “Remember, teach Mu Xueshi martial arts. This case, only he can look into, unless he isn’t the real Mu Xueshi.”
Su Ruhan suddenly stopped his footsteps. He turned around to face the Third Prince and said: “Does the Third Highness doubt my ability? My martial arts have been largely damaged.”
The Third Prince closed his eyes and nonchalantly said: “Teaching him self-defense is already enough. The assailant’s martial arts are surely beneath yours.”
Crescent Moon Translations 