Chapter 3: Wherever You Go, I Will Go

Since yesterday, after Xiao Jingyuan was sold by Xia Mo, his gaze towards her was always filled with vigilance, and it remained the same now.

“What do you mean?”

Xia Mo felt somewhat helpless and said, “I mean, I have to go to Baiyue to find my relatives. What about you?”

“I’m coming with you.”

Xia Mo: “…”

“Didn’t you say you were going to the border to find your uncle? Aren’t you going anymore?”

“I’m not going anymore.” He looked towards the cave entrance, his eyes filled with confusion.

“The north is so chaotic; I’m afraid I won’t be able to find him.”

The people protecting him were either dead or scattered, and some had betrayed him.

If he guessed correctly, there were likely more assassins waiting for him on the road to the border.

In the past few days, following Xia Mo south had been relatively safe.

“Why are you still willing to come with me?” Xia Mo asked, amused.

Thinking to herself, Aren’t you supposed to be wary of me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll sell you again?

“I have no silver, and neither do you. If you take my jade pendant, we can both fill our stomachs.”

Xia Mo: “…” Sorry, I don’t need it.

“Also…” His fair face turned slightly red as he secretly glanced into her arms, “You have the travel permit; it’s convenient.”

The household registration system was strict in ancient times; if you left your hometown by a certain distance, you needed a travel permit. Otherwise, commoners would be treated as smugglers, and soldiers as deserters.

The travel permit had the official seal of Gubao Town, clearly stating where she came from, where she was going, and what she was doing.

There were also descriptions of the appearance of the person holding the travel permit, such as square face, oval face, fair complexion, dark complexion, presence or absence of a beard, and whether there were any scars, etc.

What was strange was that although she was a girl, the travel permit stated she was a fifteen-year-old boy, and in the facial features section, it noted that she looked like a girl, with delicate features like a woman, and importantly, she had a beauty mole at the corner of her eye.

Having that mole made things convenient; every time they encountered a check for travel permits, people would look at the beauty mole on her face.

On the other travel permit, the name was Xia Zhihuaa, a twelve-year-old boy, also described as having delicate features and a fair complexion, which matched Xiao Jingyuan perfectly.

Xia Mo stared at the travel permit for a while; this thing was not easy to use, especially since it misrepresented her gender; it likely involved some connections.

It was clear the original owner had some background.

Wait, could it be that Xiao Jingyuan was willing to follow Xia Mo because of this travel permit?

“How about I give this to you? After all, Xia Zhihuaa doesn’t know where he went.”

Xiao Jingyuan didn’t hesitate and took it.

“I still have to follow you.”

Xia Mo: “…” You’ve taken the travel permit, and you still want to follow me?

“The travel permit states we are going to Baiyue to find relatives. I’m following you because my Guanyin won’t give me anything to eat.” He paused for a moment and then said, “There are disaster victims fleeing everywhere; it’s not safe to travel alone. It’s better to have someone to look out for each other.”

Originally, Xia Mo thought about resolving the misunderstanding and letting him not hate her, so they could part ways amicably.

But hearing him say that, she felt he had a point; it was indeed safer for him to follow her south.

If we talk about his experiences, they are quite extraordinary.

When he was six years old, he accompanied the emperor on a military expedition, but they ended up losing the battle and went missing.

Although no one found the corpse, the emperor not returning was also a bad sign, and everyone believed he was dead.

So, when Xiao Jingyuan was seven, people supported him as emperor and established four grand councilors, with his mother listening behind the curtain.

Originally, the legend of the young emperor began here without any issues, but unexpectedly, in his tenth year, the ‘former emperor’ who had disappeared for several years returned—alive.

The return of the ‘former emperor’ created a dilemma.

The young emperor was intelligent and diligent, and under everyone’s cultivation, he gradually grew towards becoming a great emperor, and everyone had gotten used to him being the emperor.

But what would happen to the ‘former emperor’ while he was in power? The former emperor could accept being a retired emperor, but he was unwilling to do so.

Thus, he contacted the loyal ministers from the past and suggested in the court that the young emperor should step back to the position of crown prince, allowing him to take the throne.

If the opinions in the court were united, that would be one thing, but they were not. The empress dowager contacted quite a few people to oppose this, believing that the former emperor could serve as a retired emperor, just like the empress dowager did, and assist in governance.

Conflicts arose, and when soft measures didn’t work, Xiao Jingyuan’s ‘father’ became desperate and even staged a coup to forcibly take control of the palace, seeking his life.

At this moment, he was here because he had escaped for his life, with the goal of finding his uncle.

His uncle was fighting in the north, and those chasing him were also heading north.

According to the storyline, he was sold by the original owner, and the traffickers took him to the south, allowing him to escape the pursuit.

With Xia Mo’s arrival, things had already changed; he wouldn’t be taken to the south by the traffickers.

This meant she had to take him south for safety.

Thinking about this, Xia Mo let out a sigh of relief.

“Following me is fine, but I have to say this first: you must listen to me along the way.”

Xiao Jingyuan was about to speak when Xia Mo immediately added, “Don’t ask why; just know that I’m the older sister and you’re the younger brother, and I’m older than you.”

The boy swallowed his words, feeling conflicted for a moment, then worriedly asked, “Will you sell me again?”

Uh… absolutely cannot admit to selling.

“I won’t. I already said I didn’t sell you; that was just a way to make money.”

Xiao Jingyuan pouted, “A way to cheat money is more like it.”

Xia Mo twitched her mouth; think whatever you want.

“Will you still use this method to make money?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. Right now, we have food and drink.”

“Then if you think of any tricks to make money, you must discuss it with me. No making decisions on your own.”

This kid, why is he so troublesome?

“Okay, I promise you, if there’s anything, I will discuss it with you.”

Only then did Xiao Jingyuan feel relieved and extended his hand, “It’s a deal.”

Xia Mo shook hands with him in the ancient way, “It’s a deal.”

The two reached a mutual agreement, changed the medicine on him, and after resting a bit, they began their journey south to find relatives.

Xia Mo thought that perhaps she wouldn’t understand the situation at first, but once they reached the south and searched for relatives, she would understand.

They arrived at the nearest city, Tongzhou, and discovered that many people were gathered outside the city, all with families in tow.

This was a year of disaster and war; many people from the northern borders were fleeing south to survive.

These families were likely fleeing refugees from the northern borders.

As Xia Mo and Xiao Jingyuan walked through the crowd, the disaster victims all turned their gazes towards them, making Xia Mo feel uneasy.

At that moment, a warm hand grabbed her, and she jolted, turning to see Xiao Jingyuan looking at her.

Xia Mo was taken aback and asked, “Are you scared?”

No matter how powerful he would be in the future, he was just a ten-year-old child now, and he should have just escaped from the palace not long ago.

According to the storyline in the book, the original owner, Xia Mo, sold him and took him to the Jiangnan area to become a male prostitute, where he suffered greatly along the way. This was the first harsh lesson reality had given him.