Destined

In the pitch-black night of her dream, she hurried along the path, groping her way with a lantern in hand.

Moonlight fell upon the narrow trail, casting her slender shadow and the swaying lantern light, like an underworld messenger carrying a lamp through the night.

Not far away, at the end of the alley, the area was brightly lit with many people gathered there. Amidst the discussions were mixed cries and shouts, men's roars and women's screams intertwining as if hell had been dragged into the human world, sending chills down one's spine.

She emerged from the alley and blended into the crowd, her heart racing fast and frantic. She overheard the surrounding chatter: "What crime has the Gu Family committed?"

"What crime?" a bystander replied. "It's just Lord Wang lacking military provisions, slaughtering a fat sheep to fill his coffers."

She glanced sideways and saw the speaker was a storyteller from the east side of the city, known for his well-informed sources. He sighed and said, "After Prince Liang's rebellion, Fan Xuan led troops into the Eastern Capital, claiming to purge the emperor's corrupt advisors. But in one night, he slaughtered all descendants of the Li family, then coerced the empress dowager and officials to proclaim him emperor. He's merely a military governor from Youzhou, yet he dares call himself the Son of Heaven. How could other heroes accept this? So military governors everywhere declared themselves kings under the pretext of eliminating rebels. The chaotic times have arrived, and our Lord Wang is merely riding the tide."

"But the Gu Family is also to blame," the storyteller pointed with his fan, drawing everyone's gaze to the vermilion gate. Before the gate, a woman was being dragged out by soldiers gripping her hair. She screamed hoarsely, yet the crowd remained utterly indifferent as the storyteller continued, "Their family was already wealthy. In the past, they relied on their distant relation to Prince Liang to tyrannize Yangzhou. Their son Gu Jiusi has always been worthless, spending his days gambling and stirring up trouble. If he hadn't broken the leg of Lord Wang's eldest son back then, this disaster might not have befallen them."

"Exactly," everyone chimed in immediately at the mention of Gu Jiusi, eagerly adding, "Not only did he break Lord Wang's son's leg, I also heard he once rode his horse recklessly through the streets and nearly trampled Jiusheng's mother to death."

Once this topic started, the crowd erupted into discussion. In mere moments, Liu Yu Ru clearly heard how a formerly spoiled young man known only for fighting and gambling had suddenly transformed into a demon king who committed murder, arson, and every imaginable evil.

She found it hard to breathe.

She didn't understand why she felt this way, but she knew clearly that Jiusheng's mother had actually made her living through extortion, with everyone cursing her daily, yet now she was portrayed as a pure and helpless old woman.

And they said Lord Wang's son was the true lustful demon who had ruined countless innocent girls, protected only by his family's power and influence that left everyone helpless against him.

She watched everything quietly, tightening her grip on the lantern. Then she saw a lavishly dressed woman being dragged out by a man in his twenties, followed by a young man rushing out with a hoarse cry, shouting: "Mother!"

The young man who chased out appeared to be under twenty years old. His jade crown was already askew, his silk-like black hair disheveled and scattered, his robes stained with blood. His face was streaked with tears and rage, yet despite all this, not a shred of his striking beauty was diminished.His eyes were like peach blossoms, his brows like distant mountains—his entire countenance exquisitely elegant. Yet, despite his delicate features, his tall, slender frame and the air of aloofness between his brows prevented any impression of effeminacy. Instead, he appeared pure and refined, noble and graceful, like a pine or bamboo.

The moment he appeared, the murmuring crowd fell silent, all eyes turning toward him. The man dragging his mother turned around, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said with a laugh, "Gu Jiusi, weren’t you so capable? Now you only know how to cry?"

Hearing this, Gu Jiusi trembled slightly, but he still replied, "Wang Rong, I alone am responsible for my actions. Let my mother go."

"What kind of talk is that?" Wang Rong chuckled, lightly flicking the whip in his hand. "Your Gu Family followed Prince Liang in rebellion—is that a crime you alone can bear? Don’t worry, your mother won’t die. My father has always been lenient. We’ll spare the children and women of your family. Oh, right, you don’t have a son yet, do you?"

As he spoke, Wang Rong seemed to find it somewhat regrettable and sighed. "Ah, you never took a wife or concubine either. All that’s left in your household are your mother and your father’s few concubines to be sold. But they’re old and faded—they can only be sold to the lowest brothels. What a pity."

"Wang Rong!"

Gu Jiusi roared in fury. Seeing his reaction, Wang Rong burst into laughter. "Isn’t this perfect? Someone will take good care of your mother, and you and your father can depart without any worries."

Gu Jiusi fell silent.

He clenched his fists tightly as rain began to drizzle down. Around them, women screamed. The men of their household were doomed regardless, so each stood with a sword in front of the women, as if trying to protect their wives and children.

Gu Jiusi stared quietly at Wang Rong, his gaze filled with despair and sorrow, like a lone crane trapped in a hopeless situation—proud yet resolute.

Finally, he said, "Wang Rong, what must I do for you to release my mother?"

"What?" Wang Rong laughed, stroking his chin as he pondered. "How about this? Kowtow to me three times and become my sworn son from now on? If you’re my sworn son, you’d be my father’s grandson. Who knows, he might just spare your Gu Family?"

At these words, Gu Jiusi’s eyelashes trembled faintly.

Liu Yu Ru watched silently as the rain grew heavier, soaking the lantern she held. The onlookers gradually dispersed because of the downpour, leaving only Liu Yu Ru standing there, her expression calm, devoid of joy or sorrow.

A long time later, she heard Gu Jiusi whisper softly, "Fine."

As he spoke, his body trembling, he lowered his head and bent his knees.

At that very moment, the woman beside Wang Rong suddenly drew a sharp blade from her sleeve and stabbed it into his abdomen. The guards reacted swiftly, swinging their swords at her the instant she drew the weapon. Gu Jiusi cried out and threw himself over the woman, but blades came from all directions, and mother and son were instantly pierced by more than a dozen swords.

"My son…"

The woman trembled slightly, raising a blood-stained hand to rest on Gu Jiusi’s face. Gasping, she said, "Better a dog in peace… than a man in chaos… On the path of reincarnation… do not take the wrong road…"

Gu Jiusi did not move. Blood gushed from his mouth as he vomited violently. The woman slowly closed her eyes. Kneeling on one knee, he murmured in response, "Your son… obeys."Then he drew a blade from his body and slowly stood up. Rainwater mixed with his blood spread across the ground, reaching her feet. Clutching the blade, he turned around. Amid flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, the man, drenched in blood, resembled a wrathful deity.

The crowd recoiled in shock, instinctively stepping back.

Yet he advanced toward her step by step, the blade still in hand.

"Save me..."

His voice was hoarse, his gaze fixed intently on her. "Liu Yu Ru," he called her name, "save me!"