And now, there he was—completely ignoring the luxurious robes the Old Madam had sent, closing the door to his room and changing into the clothes she’d given him instead.

When he finished, Su Xi looked at the screen—and her heart skipped a beat.

…!

She had been wrong.

Who said her Zai Zai looked best in white?

This kind of fitted hunting attire suited him perfectly—he looked every bit the spirited young master from a noble family, radiant and full of life, a little ball of pride and vigor.

All the clothes available in the in-game store were just too beautiful.

Even her Zai Zai seemed extremely pleased with his new outfit. Mounting his horse and taking up the Phoenix Feather Bow, he set off with his guards.

Qiuyan Mountain was an imperial hunting ground, strictly forbidden to commoners. It was late winter, and while the mountain peaks were still blanketed in snow, the mid-slopes were veiled in mist, carrying a faint touch of early spring. At the foot of the mountain, the frozen springs had begun to thaw, and beside the white snowbanks, a few timid deer poked out their heads and bounded lightly away.

Su Xi was a bit drowsy—she had an exam the next day—but she was afraid her Zai Zai might encounter danger in the Qiuyan Mountain arc, so she forced herself to stay awake and finish the level.

When she switched the view to the panoramic map of Qiuyan Mountain, she immediately saw the pear-blossom tree her Zai Zai had mentioned. Across the whole mountain, it was the only tree in bloom; the delicate, crystal-white petals fluttered in the air, scattered by the breeze.

Just as Su Xi was about to zoom in for a closer look, she suddenly heard movement on the right side of the screen!

Following the sound, she panned the camera—only to see several figures hidden in the snowy grass. They were covered in straw, clearly assassins lying in ambush. Their eyes gleamed with feral focus as they stared toward a small path in the valley ahead, waiting for their target to pass by.

What’s happening? Su Xi was startled.

Had she just triggered some new storyline?!

A prompt quickly popped up on the screen:

> “Please accept Side Quest #4: The Second Prince’s Assassination. Step in to save him.

> Reward: 20 gold, 2 points.”

So—the assassins were actually waiting for the Second Prince.

The system explained:

> “These assassins were sent by the Fifth Prince, the most scheming among the imperial sons. He considers the Crown Prince too mediocre, and the Third Prince too indulgent in wine and women—neither a real threat. The only one he truly fears is the quiet Second Prince, who hides sharp insight beneath his silence.

> “Now, taking advantage of the recent frost-famine, many local rebels have gathered a band of bandits to incite disorder. The Fifth Prince decided to make use of the chaos by staging an ‘attack’ under the guise of bandits. Even if the assassination fails, it will still ruin the Second Prince’s hunt, leaving him empty-handed and tarnishing his reputation before the Emperor.”

Normally, every side quest assigned by the game was tied to the advancement of the main storyline—each had to be completed. Like when she had previously recruited Master Ding or healed Lu Wenxiu.

This new side quest, too, was clearly connected to what would come next in the main story.

As expected, the system continued:

> “Among the princes currently studying at the Imperial Academy, only the Second Prince has been without a peidu [companion scholar / study attendant] ever since his last one fell from a horse and died last year.

> According to the laws of the Yan Kingdom, a concubine-born son may only enter the Imperial Academy through this role.

> Therefore, the Second Prince cannot die now—only by saving him will you later unlock the storyline where the protagonist becomes his peidu and thus gain entry into the Imperial Academy.”

Su Xi immediately understood.

So this was all leading up to her Zai Zai’s formal entry into the Imperial Academy—and from there, into the court’s political struggles.

Side quests were usually straightforward.

Although those assassins looked fierce, the Second Prince was accompanied by imperial guards, so Su Xi figured she’d probably only need to lend a hand at the right moment.

Thinking that, she didn’t worry too much and switched her screen back to her Zai Zai.

At the foot of Qiuyan Mountain, the princes and the sons of noble houses had already gathered. Behind their tall, majestic horses stood rows of guards and attendants—the hunting scene was grand and magnificent.

Though young, her Zai Zai carried an imposing aura. Dressed in his red-and-black riding attire, astride a white stallion, he wore no extra ornaments, yet still drew glances from several young noblemen.

Many noble ladies had also come to watch this hunt, and more than a few girls couldn’t help but glance toward him.

Some because they had never seen Prince Ning’s third son before, and others simply because—well, he was too good-looking.

Watching this, Su Xi’s hands itched. She was so tempted to spend money to unlock her Zai Zai’s real face, but she worried that once she did, she wouldn’t be able to change him back into the adorable, simple little chibi she’d grown attached to.

She managed to restrain herself—until she saw all those girls on screen stealing glances at him.

She couldn’t take it anymore.

System: “20 gold coins.”

Su Xi gritted her teeth. “Buy!”

The instant the gold was deducted, the image quality sharpened dramatically—ultra-clear 24K rendering.

At last, she saw what her little chibi Zai Zai really looked like.

The youth atop the tall horse had skin as fair as snow, his features cool and exquisite, brows and eyes drawn as if by brush and ink. His hair was pitch-black, his robes rippling faintly in the breeze.

He made one think of a scene from an old painting—a gallant young man on horseback by a slanted bridge, red sleeves fluttering in the pavilion beyond.

Yet beneath that brilliance was a quiet, unmelting chill—like a mountain of eternal snow in the distant frontier.

Though still youthful, there was already a composed sharpness between his brows, the hint of a blade hidden in its sheath.

This—

Su Xi was dumbstruck. Her face flushed red.

What the—was the game’s concept artist earning a million yuan a month?!

Her Zai Zai was too good-looking!

But before she could admire him for more than a few seconds, there was a soft pop!

A mist flickered across the screen—and the handsome youth suddenly shrank back down into the chibi little dumpling form, sitting upright on his horse with a deadpan expression, his round “bun face” solemnly turned toward the mountain.

System: “20 gold coins unlocks 3 seconds of full-render portrait mode. To continue viewing, please spend additional gold.”

Su Xi: …………???

What a shameless scam!

She quickly did the math.

Three seconds for twenty gold coins meant about two jiao in real money—if she played for three hours a day and kept his full portrait on the whole time, she’d need… seven hundred twenty yuan?!

Goodbye. Absolutely not.

Fuming, Su Xi resigned herself to watching the chibi dumpling version again. Well… it wasn’t so bad. What choice did she have anyway?

After the Crown Prince gave a few ceremonial words, the royal hunt officially began.

Each young noble was given twenty arrows, and the rule was simple: whoever caught the most prey would win.

By nightfall, everyone was to return to camp at the base of the mountain.

The one who claimed first place would receive a personal reward from the Emperor.

Then, the royal attendants began to beat the war drums.

When the last echo of the drumroll fell silent, the young nobles shot forward like arrows loosed from a bowstring—disappearing into the mountain in the blink of an eye.

Lu Huan, too, spurred his horse and leapt ahead, his figure vanishing almost instantly.

───♡───

Qiuyan Mountain was teeming with prey—from deer and wild hares to wolves.

But among them, there was only one Snow Wolf King—vicious, untamed, and fierce beyond compare.

Whoever managed to bring it down would immediately take first place and earn the right to receive the Emperor’s personal commendation.

The Snow Wolf King was said to dwell in a cave near the pear-blossom tree.

However, none of the other young nobles dared to approach its territory. They feared that instead of returning triumphant from the royal hunt, they might end up losing their lives there.

Yet Lu Huan rode straight toward the Snow Wolf King’s domain.

As he galloped beneath the first blooming pear-blossom tree on Qiuyan Mountain, his dark eyes gleamed like polished obsidian. Determination flickered in them—he was resolved to seize first place.

And besides that, when he saw that person again, he wanted to present the Snow Wolf King in his hands.

That person had given him so many gifts. Including that bowl of birthday noodles on that unforgettable night.

But what he owned was meager, almost nothing. He had nothing worthy to offer in return.

All the little wooden carvings he had made were far too simple.

This time, he wanted to give that person a grand gift worthy of her.