Looking at the wall, scaling it directly was clearly out of the question, which left finding a loophole—or in this case, an actual gap.
Luckily, even in a child’s body, Mo Hai knew his way around.
By some miracle, some genius had actually left a hole in the wall.
Not too big, not too small, just wide enough for Mo Hai and Jinhsi to make a run for it together.
In a few quick moves, he led Jinhsi out through the crawlhole, successfully sneaking out of the grand estate.
Jinhsi was still a bit dazed.
*Why was there a hole like that in the estate?* *And how did they get out so easily?* *What if bad people snuck in through there?* There wasn’t much time for her to overthink it, though.
To Jinhsi, the outside world was largely unfamiliar.
Although she had been learning how to govern Jinzhou, she had rarely stepped outside to experience it firsthand.
As the future Magistrate, most of her time was consumed by study and cultivation—all to protect Jinzhou and carry its hopes forward.
Now, however, the loud cries of street peddlers, the aroma of food drifting through the air, and the vivid, unsuppressed emotions on the faces of passersby…
It was completely different from the quiet, orderly, and proper world she knew.
She could hardly take it all in.
Those clear eyes, usually as still as calm water, were now shimmering with curious light, like a young fawn stepping out of the forest for the very first time.
“Mo Hai, Mo Hai!
Look at that!” Jinhsi seemed to be getting into the spirit of things, standing on her tiptoes and pointing at the stalls.
Mo Hai held her hand tightly as they wove through the bustling crowd, eventually stopping in front of a stall selling candied hawthorns.
“Vendor, give me the biggest stick you have!” He grandly pulled out the last few Shell Credits he had on him.
Money he’d started with was essentially free money anyway.
Soon, a stick of glistening, bright red candied hawthorns was held out in front of Jinhsi.
“Want a taste?” Mo Hai grinned, eyes full of anticipation.
Jinhsi hesitated.
She looked at the sugar coating glistening enticingly in the sunlight and caught the faint, sweet scent floating up to her nose.
Ultimately, she couldn’t resist.
She stuck out her tongue and took a cautious, tiny lick.
A surge of intense sweetness exploded across her taste buds in an instant.
It was a direct, dominant, completely unapologetic kind of joy she had never experienced before.
She froze.
Then, following Mo Hai’s example, she took a small bite.
*Crunch.* The crisp sugar and the sour hawthorn blended into a wondrous, powerful impact on her palate.
Delicious!
It really was delicious!
Jinhsi’s eyes lit up instantly.
The standard, polite smile she always wore vanished, replaced for the first time by a genuinely radiant, dazzling smile.
That smile was brighter than the most brilliant gem inside the Magistrate Mansion behind her.
“Mmm!
It’s so good!” Looking at her, Mo Hai couldn’t help but smile too.
Turns out winning over the future Magistrate really only took a stick of candied hawthorns.
[Ding!
Dramatic fluctuation detected in target “Jinhsi’s” emotional bond…] The system notification in his mind put Mo Hai in an even better mood.
However, the joy didn’t last long.
Just as Jinhsi was about to take a second bite, a cold voice rang out behind them.
“—Young Lady Jinhsi!” The voice wasn’t loud, yet it possessed a strange authority that instantly silenced the noisy street.
Jinhsi’s body went stiff.
The smile vanished from her face, replaced by a deathly pale expression.
With a quiet *clatter*, the candied hawthorns slipped from her hand and hit the ground.
Mo Hai’s heart sank.
*Oh no.* He turned around to look.
Bad news.
Busted on their very first outing.
Standing a short distance behind them was an old woman in a dark robe, her face gaunt and her eyes as sharp as a hawk’s.
Beside her stood a squad of armored, lethal-looking guards.
The guards quickly fanned out, surrounding the stall and clearing a wide circle around them, forcing the onlookers back.
This display was far more intimidating than the Patrol Bureau making an arrest.
From the whispers of the crowd, Mo Hai learned the old woman’s identity.
“Is that…
the Chief Steward of the Secretariat of the Court of Savantae?” “My word, why would the Chief Steward come to a place like this in person?” The Court of Savantae was the department responsible for overseeing Jinhsi’s daily life, upbringing, and cultivation.
In the game, they were the ones who taught the Magistrate’s successor decorum and classics, notorious for being strict and unforgiving.
Great, they had walked right into the tiger’s den.
Ignoring Mo Hai completely, the Chief Steward fixed her gaze on Jinhsi like twin daggers.
She didn’t shout.
She simply looked at Jinhsi with deep disappointment.
Then, she spoke slowly, every word squeezed through her teeth like a thunderous reprimand.
“Young Lady, what do you think you are doing?
Do you have any idea how many people are out searching for you right now?” (Truth be told, there was also a distinct vibe of watching her prized cabbage get dragged off by some little punk.) The main reason for her fury was that Mo Hai, this little brat, had whisked Jinhsi away without a word.
The entire mansion had been thrown into complete chaos.
That absolute menace, Mo Hai!
The quiet rage beneath her calm demeanor terrified Jinhsi.
Her body trembled slightly.
The spark of childhood innocence Mo Hai had worked so hard to kindle was instantly smothered beneath the old woman’s gaze.
She reverted back into the child bound by strict rules and expectations.
“Teacher…
I…” She instinctively wanted to explain, to apologize, to defend Mo Hai.
Just then, a warm hand grasped her cold little fingers again.
It was Mo Hai.
He actually stepped forward, blocking Jinhsi from view and using his small body to face the terrifying aura of the old woman head-on.
“It has nothing to do with her.” Mo Hai raised his head to meet the Chief Steward’s murderous glare.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it was crystal clear.
“I’m the one who brought her out.” Dead silence fell over the area.
“Holy crap, look at that punk.” “Beat him up!” ?
A surprise exclamation rose from the crowd.
The Chief Steward narrowed her eyes, finally deigning to look at the reckless boy.
“Oh?” Her tone betrayed no emotion.
“I tricked her, telling her there was fun stuff outside, and I forced her to crawl out of the hole with me.” Mo Hai began blabbering nonsense, pulling all the blame onto himself.
Truly noble, good ol’ Hai.
At his core, Mo Hai couldn’t bear to see a cute kid suffer on his account.
“She didn’t want to come out at first, but I coaxed and duped her into it.
And that candied hawthorn—I shoved it into her hand, too.” “So if you want to punish someone, punish me.
Don’t yell at her.” Mo Hai’s voice was full of childish bravado, making several onlookers chuckle under their breath.
Behind him, Jinhsi was wide-eyed in shock.
She tried desperately to shake her head, to say that wasn’t how it happened.
But Mo Hai held her hand tightly, preventing her from moving.
His back was turned to her, so she couldn’t see his face, but she could feel how firm and resolute his grip was.
[Warning: System has detected high-risk behavior from the host.
Please exercise caution.] Mo Hai sneered inwardly.
*This is the right way to play.* If there were no costs involved, this simulation wouldn’t be worth a thing.
Besides, he genuinely wanted to protect Jinhsi.
At worst, he’d just be tossed into solitary confinement for a bit.
The old woman quietly stared at Mo Hai for a few seconds, a complex glint flashing through her deep eyes that no one could decipher.
Finally, she spoke slowly.
“What a sharp-tongued little boy.” “Guards.” “Take him back to the Secretariat and lock him in the Reflection Chamber.” “Without my order, no one is to give him a single drop of water or scrap of food.” “Understood!” Two fierce guards immediately stepped forward, grabbing Mo Hai by his arms like a pair of wolves snatching a chick.
As he was dragged away, Mo Hai used all his strength to turn back and mouth two words to Jinhsi: *—Don’t worry.* Jinhsi stood frozen in place, watching Mo Hai’s small frame being mercilessly dragged away by the guards until he vanished at the end of the street.
She slowly lowered her head to look at the crushed, dirt-covered candied hawthorns by her feet.
It was the first sweetness she had ever tasted in her life.
And the first time her heart had ever ached for a boy.