Several quiet days of recuperation passed.
With Jinhsi’s explicit permission, Mohai finally gained the right to move about freely within the courtyard.
That evening, the warm golden rays of the setting sun painted all of Jinzhou City in a peaceful glow.
Having finished her day’s administrative duties, Jinhsi didn’t enter carrying medicinal soup as she usually did.
Instead, she leaned half her body through the doorway, a hint of delight dancing across her face that she couldn’t quite hide.
“Mohai, change your clothes.
I’m taking you somewhere.” Mohai looked at her bright, shimmering eyes and raised an eyebrow.
Half an hour later, the two walked side by side down the streets of Jinzhou as the evening lanterns began to light up.
The streets were much livelier than usual.
Delicate lanterns hung from every household, and the sweet aroma of osmanthus cakes mixed with the savory scent of grilled skewers filled the air.
“The Moonchase Festival is almost here,” Jinhsi said softly, walking beside Mohai and looking at him from the side.
“It’s the most important festival of the year in Jinzhou.
Everyone gathers on this day to admire the moon, pray for peace, and wish for a bountiful harvest.” Her voice held a gentle warmth.
The moonlight cast a soft halo over her refined profile, making her look like a painting come to life.
Mohai looked at her, his mind drifting for a brief moment.
Such a scene was something he had imagined countless times during his past life simulations.
“So, Magistrate Jinhsi, are you taking a ‘patient’ like me out today just to get into the festive spirit early?” he teased with a smile.
“Not entirely.” Jinhsi shook her head and turned her steps, leading him toward the quieter Outer Court away from the main crowds.
Under the cover of night, the Outer Court lost some of its daytime solemnity, gaining a sense of tranquility and sanctity.
Beneath the towering statue of the Sentinel lay a meticulously kept wishing pool.
The ancient tree beside it was hung dense with wooden prayer plaques, rustling softly in the evening breeze like a chorus of gentle chimes.
Every single plaque carried the simplest, purest wishes of the people of Jinzhou.
“This is our tradition of wishing,” Jinhsi said, walking beneath the tree.
She picked up a blank prayer plaque and a brush, handing them to Mohai.
“Write one too.
The winds of Jinzhou will carry your wish somewhere far, far away.” By “far, far away,” she meant the Sentinel in the sky.
But to Mohai, it felt as though those words could cross time and space to reach his unreachable home.
Mohai took the plaque and fell silent for a moment.
He didn’t write grand wishes like “good health” or “world peace.” He simply sat in the corner and, using Simplified Chinese characters that no one in this world could read, wrote six words, stroke by stroke, with absolute earnestness: [I wish time would slow down.] When he finished, he hung the plaque in an inconspicuous corner.
“What did you write?” Jinhsi leaned over curiously.
“It’s a secret,” Mohai said with a sly smile.
“It won’t come true if I tell you.” “Stingy,” Jinhsi pouted.
That rare moment of playful endearing charm made Mohai’s heart skip a beat.
She picked up a plaque for herself, turned her back to Mohai, and lowered her head under the soft moonlight, writing intently.
Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyes, and her slender, white fingers held the brush with solemn devotion.
Mohai watched her quietly.
[Warning: Host’s heart rate is exhibiting abnormal fluctuations.
Current soul structure is extremely fragile.
Severe emotional swings may result in irreversible, permanent damage.] The System’s warning chimed in his mind at the most inconvenient moment.
Mohai let out a bitter smile and shook his head.
How could anyone possibly control themselves in a moment like this?
Finally, Jinhsi finished writing.
As if she had made up her mind about something important, she let out a long sigh of relief, a lovely blush rising on her cheeks.
She stood on her tiptoes, trying to hang her prayer plaque on the highest branch of the tree, as though that would make her wish easier to hear.
But she was, after all, just a sixteen-year-old girl, and her height was limited.
She tried several times, coming up just short every time.
Just as she was about to give up in frustration, a warm chest pressed gently against her back.
A hand reached out from behind her, lightly clasping her hand holding the plaque.
“Let me help you.” Mohai’s voice sounded right beside her ear.
His warm breath brushed past her earlobe, sending a tingling sensation down her spine.
Jinhsi’s body froze instantly, her mind going completely blank.
She was completely enveloped in Mohai’s shadow, held gently in a half-embrace in an intensely intimate posture.
Holding her hand, Mohai effortlessly hung the plaque—carrying the girl’s secret thoughts—onto the highest branch.
The plaque swayed gently in the moonlight.
On it, written in her elegant script, was a single line of small characters: —”May I stay with Mohai, year after year.” Only after finishing did Mohai realize how intimate his action had been.
He hurriedly let go and took a step back, his own ears burning hot.
“Ahem.
All hung up.” Jinhsi turned around slowly, her head lowered, her face as red as a ripe apple.
She didn’t dare look him in the eye.
“Th…
thank you.” Her voice was as faint as a whisper.
“You’re welcome.” A wondrous, heart-pounding silence settled between them.
The night breeze blew past, rustling the tree full of prayer plaques and stirring the young girl’s heart.
“Mohai…” After a long time, Jinhsi finally gathered the courage to look up.
Her eyes shone with breathtaking radiance under the moonlight, like stars reflecting in a quiet river.
“On the day of the Moonchase Festival…
will you watch the fireworks with me?” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it held a quiet, serious conviction that refused to take no for an answer.
“I have something very important…
that I want to tell you in person that day.” Looking at her expectant, nervous eyes, Mohai found it impossible to utter a word of refusal.
He smiled and nodded gently.
“Alright.” Having received a positive answer, Jinhsi finally let out a bright, heartfelt smile.
That smile was more breathtaking than the moonlight tonight.
It was as if she had completed a grand task; her whole posture relaxed, and she even began softly humming an unfamiliar tune.
Watching her cheerful, retreating figure, the smile on Mohai’s face slowly faded.
He raised his head to look up at the bright, flawless moon.
Something very important…
He had probably already guessed what it was.
[Ding.
Host’s life force depletion has reached critical threshold.
Based on current consumption rate, estimated time remaining: 72 hours.] [The Moonchase Festival will begin in 71 hours.]