Destined

After resting for a while, Liu Yuru and Gu Jiusi finally regained some strength. At this moment, Gu Jiusi's wound began to ache, and Liu Yuru clearly sensed his body starting to run a fever. She felt somewhat flustered but quickly composed herself. She retrieved medicine from various jars and bottles, feeding it to Gu Jiusi. Watching her, Gu Jiusi couldn't help but laugh: "How are you so clever? You even thought to bring this much medicine with you."

The medicines were stored in bronze bottles, tightly sealed with wooden stoppers—waterproof, lightproof, and well-hidden.

The memory made Liu Yuru angry. She glared at him and said, "Who's like you, running off without a word? If I hadn't come today, what would you have done?"

Gu Jiusi chuckled without replying, resting his hands behind his head with a carefree demeanor, gazing at Liu Yuru with an indifferent smile.

Liu Yuru shot him a sharp look, checked his wound, and whispered, "Let's rest a bit more to save our strength. Then we'll go into the city to find a place to stay. You focus on recovering while I inquire about your father's situation. Once we find him and you've healed, we'll return to Youzhou together."

Gu Jiusi lowered his eyes and murmured, "Mm."

"I'm going out to gather some firewood."

"Don't go too far."

Gu Jiusi's expression softened. "Stay where I can hear you. If anything happens, I can come to help."

"I beg you," Liu Yuru hurriedly said, "just rest properly with your injury. If something really happens to me, you should hide well and definitely not come out to throw your life away."

"How could that be?" Gu Jiusi teased. "Since my lady has risked life and death for me, it's only right that I follow you through thick and thin."

"Get lost."

Liu Yuru spat out the words: "If it weren't for your parents having only you, I wouldn't care if you lived or died."

Gu Jiusi laughed heartily, his eyes full of disbelief. For some reason, Liu Yuru felt a sudden embarrassment and quickly stood up to leave.

She had never been alone in the wilderness before. Holding a knife, she felt quite fearful—afraid of both people and wild animals. Fortunately, the clear sky and bright sunlight gave her courage. Had it been night, she might not have dared to venture out.

She haphazardly gathered a bundle of branches and returned to the cave. At the sight, Gu Jiusi laughed: "Did you go to collect firewood or sticks?"

"Stop talking so much."

Liu Yuru said unhappily, "If you're so capable, you go."

"Wet branches won't burn," Gu Jiusi reminded her. "You need dry ones—the kind that snap crisply underfoot. They ignite more easily."

Liu Yuru froze for a moment. She lowered her head and tapped the branches in her arms, processing his words before understanding. Her face flushed, but she ignored him, turning around to gather another pile of firewood.

She brought out the firewood, opened an iron box, and retrieved a fire starter. Under Gu Jiusi's guidance, she lit a fire. Afterward, covered in dust and soot, Gu Jiusi laughed beside her, pointing at her face: "Alright, alright, now you really look like a little calico cat."

"Gu Jiusi."

Liu Yuru grew annoyed. "Are you only happy when you're irritating me?""I was just casually stating a fact, how did it become provoking you?" Gu Jiusi looked helpless. Liu Yu Ru, unable to deal with him, said, "Speak less and save your energy. Once you're better, we need to hurry on our way. They're definitely searching along the river, and we don't have much time to delay."

Gu Jiusi nodded, pondering, "We'll leave when you have the strength."

"I have the strength," Liu Yu Ru sighed, "I'm just worried about your injuries."

Gu Jiusi's wounds included an arrow lodged in his shoulder—she didn't dare remove it, so she had broken it off for easier movement. A slash cut diagonally across his entire back, another on his hand, and countless other minor injuries.

After some thought, Liu Yu Ru still felt uneasy and stood up, saying, "I'll go scout the route. Once I've figured it out, I'll come back so we can leave directly. Rest well here and don't waste any more energy."

Gu Jiusi acknowledged with a sound, saying nothing more.

Liu Yu Ru stood and went outside, starting to follow the direction they had come from.

Cities were generally built along waterways, and she now needed to take Gu Jiusi into the city first, find a doctor and a place to hide, and wait until he was better before leaving.

They now had fake official travel documents. As long as they found a place to stay in Huainan, made some slight disguises, and kept a low profile, hiding for a while wouldn't be difficult. The key was whether they could evade capture during this period.

As Liu Yu Ru pondered, she carefully followed the river's direction. Before she had gone far, she heard the sound of horses. She quickly hid in the woods, crouching down. The sound was close, as if from only one person. Liu Yu Ru found it strange but remained silent. After a long while, she heard a familiar voice rein in the horse: "Whoa!"

Liu Yu Ru's eyes widened abruptly. She saw a plainly dressed gentleman standing by the riverbank on horseback, frowning deeply as he gazed in the direction they had come ashore, seemingly deep in thought.

It was actually Ye Shi'an who had come!