Chapter 7 – Tyrant VS National Teacher (7)
Picking up the soup spoon in front of him, Mo Yi scooped a spoonful of chicken soup and brought it to his lips. The delicious flavor almost brought tears to his eyes.
As if a switch had been turned on, the child simply used the soup spoon as his utensil, holding the jar in front of him and voraciously eating the food inside.
“Slow down,” Mu Jin sat beside Mo Yi, silently watching him.
Seeing the child beside him abandon all pretense of maturity and restraint, devouring the food eagerly, Mu Jin sighed softly.
Thinking to himself, from now on, he would make sure his own child would always eat their fill.
Mo Yi was just an eight-year-old child after all, even if he understood the need for self-preservation within the palace. But how much cunning and ambition could he have? What he yearned for was simply a satisfying meal and some affection.
Yet, even this meager hope couldn’t be fulfilled.
At this thought, Mu Jin’s heart grew even more bitter. He regretted arriving too late, allowing the child to endure so much suffering.
Mo Yi’s sleeping quarters were not far from the small kitchen. Once Mu Jin had 003 lock the location, he went in to search.
Seeing many uneaten foods, though leftovers, the current circumstances didn’t allow for selective choices.
He gathered some easily digestible and beneficial foods for the injuries, combining meat and vegetables.
Reheating the remaining half portion of chicken soup, he hurried back.
Surprisingly, maneuvering these items through the window took Mu Jin some effort. Fortunately, he had stored all the food in jars, making it less likely to spill.
Soon enough, the food on the table was devoured.
Touching his swollen belly, Mo Yi felt he hadn’t been this full in a long time.
Fortunately, the food brought over by the other person wasn’t too much; otherwise, he would surely have eaten until uncomfortable.
Mu Jin, seeing Mo Yi’s round belly, finally displayed a gentle smile on his face.
Using a bit of his own energy, he eased the discomfort in the child’s stomach.
The amount of energy available in this small world was limited. Although 003 thought Mu Jin’s current usage was somewhat wasteful, considering the circumstances, involving the target, he wisely chose to remain quiet as a chicken.
When Mo Yi’s frown relaxed, Mu Jin knew he had digested most of the food.
He then lifted the child again, disregarding Mo Yi’s protests, and placed him on the bed.
The child in his arms was light, and despite being a teenager himself, lifting Mo Yi was effortless for him.
Carefully tucking the person in bed, Mu Jin advised him to rest early.
Only then did he turn around, tidy everything up, and quietly leave the room.
Naturally, those two clay jars had to be returned to their original place, and the traces in the kitchen and the sleeping quarters had to be erased. Otherwise, palace attendants would discover them the next day.
Mo Yi had a rough idea of what Mu Jin was doing.
Having witnessed Mu Jin’s martial skills and knowing he could move around the palace at night undetected, Mo Yi chose not to voice any objections, silently watching the window, waiting for Mu Jin’s return.
However, this time, Mu Jin took longer than when he went to fetch the food. Mo Yi lay on the bed, feeling drowsy but unwilling to close his eyes.
Stubbornly, he wanted to wait for Mu Jin, as if only seeing the person could put his mind at ease.
After a long while, Mu Jin finally returned to the room.
Seeing Mu Jin’s eyes barely open, half dozing off but persistently waiting for him, his heart softened.
He walked over, took off his boots and outer garments, then flipped onto the bed and slipped under the covers.
Noticing that despite it being autumn, the bedding in the sleeping quarters hadn’t been changed to something thicker, he paid no attention to the child’s struggle and naturally pulled him into his arms.
Carefully avoiding Mo Yi’s injuries, Mu Jin tousled his hair and softly said, “Go to sleep,” before closing his eyes.
But Mo Yi, suddenly being held in someone’s embrace, had already tensed up.
Struggling forcefully, he found his strength couldn’t move the other person, so he reluctantly gave up resisting.
Indulging himself, being held close by this person he had met just that day, his mind wandered. This was what it felt like to be cuddled to sleep.
Unexpectedly, being cared for felt strange, leaving Mo Yi feeling awkward yet unable to suppress his attachment.
Today’s experience was extremely new to Mo Yi.
The embrace of the other person was so warm, dispelling the chill of autumn.
There was a fragrance about him—a mixture of medicinal scent and the fragrance of lotus leaves—that inexplicably brought comfort.
Blushing, Mo Yi buried his head deeply into the other’s embrace, feeling as if he were dreaming.
Even though today he had been beaten all over by that woman, he was no longer alone and hungry in the cold sleeping quarters.
He had tasted delicious pastries and savory meals.
Some people administer medicine to themselves; some cherish and care for themselves.
This teenager named Mu Jin would speak gently to himself, even holding himself in his arms.
He’d pat himself lightly, coaxing himself to sleep.
Mo Yi suddenly doubted whether the person holding him actually existed.
Otherwise, how could someone freely move within this heavily guarded palace?
If the other person wasn’t a deity, perhaps it was just a figment of his imagination.
The thought that all of this might be just a dream made Mo Yi hesitant to close his eyes.
He didn’t want the fleeting happiness he experienced, even if it was a dream; he prayed that the dream would last a little longer.
However, after a tiring day, Mo Yi couldn’t resist drowsiness and fell deeply asleep.
Sensing the person beside him breathing steadily, Mu Jin reopened his eyes.
After treating the injuries and coaxing Mo Yi to eat, despite having advised the child to rest early, he was surprised to find the child persistently waiting in the sleeping quarters.
Was this person worried about him?
Mu Jin poked Mo Yi’s cheek, feeling that his child was exceptionally cute.
Only on their first meeting, and yet, he wanted to shower him with affection.
Returning the two jars took only a short time. However, thinking about the suffering his child had endured, Mu Jin couldn’t swallow his anger.
Following the route provided by 003, he found the residence of Ling Fei.
After arriving at her sleeping quarters, Mu Jin utilized his spiritual knowledge to intrude into the woman’s mind.
He thought he could endure it, but upon seeing the child’s condition, Mu Jin realized that there were things he couldn’t restrain his anger about.
So, he used his divine power to attack Ling Fei’s mind, imprinting a spiritual mark.
From then on, every night, that woman would be plagued by nightmares.
As soon as she fell asleep, she would be haunted by nightmares, seeing those she had harmed.
The damage to her mind was irreversible, and soon she would suffer a mental breakdown.
Mad and unable to distinguish between dreams and reality, as long as she didn’t die, she would be tortured endlessly.
Although this person was Mo Yi’s birth mother, Mu Jin couldn’t directly kill her.
However, perhaps receiving such punishment would be more painful than death.
But even if this woman went insane, it wouldn’t mean everything was over.
If Mo Yi couldn’t find someone to protect him, and Mu Jin couldn’t openly shield the child, there was a chance the child might be bullied when he wasn’t around.
It seemed that he needed to plan for this aspect in advance.
Lowering his head, Mu Jin gently touched Mo Yi’s cheek. He suddenly felt that the saying about raising children being a taxing matter was a huge truth.
However, for the sake of his child, no matter how much he had to worry, Mu Jin found it sweet.
The next day, when Mo Yi opened his eyes, the person beside him was already gone.
Although he had anticipated it, the child still felt a bit lost in his heart.
The teenager named Mu Jin might have left the palace and returned to Xuanqing Temple.
He didn’t know if he’d have a chance to see him again.
The room was as usual, leaving no trace behind, making Mo Yi doubt whether yesterday’s events had actually happened.
But when he sat up and lifted the blanket, he found a small package left behind by the person in bed, along with the bottle used for his medication.
Seeing this, Mo Yi felt happy because it indicated that what happened last night wasn’t just his imagination.
So, yesterday, a teenager named Mu Jin had indeed come to his side and cared for him.
Opening the package, he found several unnamed sweets lying quietly inside.
He picked one up and took a bite. The sweet taste filled his taste buds, softening Mo Yi’s expression involuntarily.
Carefully hiding the package of sweets and medicine in the corner of the bed, he began to dress himself, preparing as usual.
Mo Yi had grown accustomed to doing these things when he was younger.
The palace attendants always treated him with impatience whenever they had to tend to him, making him increasingly resentful of their touch.
Therefore, in places where he didn’t need their help, Mo Yi was unwilling to rely on them.
After quickly getting ready, disregarding the greasy food brought by the attendants, he ate two small pieces of the pastries left by Mu Jin and then went to his study for his lessons.
During the morning class, the Grand Tutor’s essay remained as cryptic as before.
The speaker on the platform didn’t bother to check if he understood.
However, this time, Mo Yi didn’t push himself; instead, he was unusually absent-minded.
His mind was always preoccupied with what the young man who had accompanied him and showed him care and warmth was doing.