Destined

That night they slept outside the city walls. Before long, weeping sounds jolted Liu Yuru awake. Gu Jiusi immediately pulled her close, covering her mouth without a word. In the wilderness, a woman was wailing hysterically while clutching a child, as a man wrestled violently with another woman.

The surrounding crowd watched with vacant expressions, though some began stirring restlessly.

Liu Yuru trembled slightly, seeming to comprehend the situation. She heard the man roar, "Give it to me! Hand over the rice bag!"

But the woman clung desperately to the bag, refusing to let go no matter what.

"Just one more night!" the woman screamed. "The city gates will open by morning! The officials will distribute grain once we enter the city! Can't you wait one single night?"

"The gates won't open!" the man bellowed. "We came all the way from Liangcheng - they never opened there! Now Qingcheng won't open either! With so many refugees, how would they dare open the gates!"

"Then what should we do...?" someone cried out. "We traveled all this way! If they won't open the city, what becomes of us?!"

Chaos erupted throughout the crowd. Liu Yuru grabbed Gu Jiusi's sleeve, and the two quietly retrieved their bundles, subtly retreating backward.

The desperate questions soon found their answer. When the man ruthlessly seized the woman's bag and she collapsed motionless on the ground, all order, morality, and compassion vanished into nothingness. The crowd surged violently toward anyone who appeared vulnerable, screams and curses merging into a horrific cacophony. Gu Jiusi gripped Liu Yuru tightly and dashed toward the distance.

But people packed the area densely, savagery and violence spreading like wildfire, sweeping through the masses like tidal waves.

Unwilling to harm anyone, Gu Jiusi merely pushed people aside while shielding Liu Yuru, struggling to advance.

Then someone suddenly shouted: "They have food!"

All eyes turned to Gu Jiusi and Liu Yuru as the voice yelled, "I saw them eating flatbread earlier! They have provisions!"

Compared to the refugees whose bones protruded from starvation, Gu Jiusi and Liu Yuru indeed appeared much better off. Though weary, they still maintained some vitality, clearly not suffering prolonged hunger.

Liu Yuru trembled at the sight of those wolf-like eyes. Gu Jiusi shielded her behind him, gripping his knife tightly as he feigned calmness: "What do you want?"

Yet the crowd merely stared, nobody stepping forward as both sides stood frozen. Gu Jiusi knew he couldn't retreat now, couldn't show any weakness - otherwise, should one person advance, he'd end up like that wealthy merchant's son from before, trapped in utter despair.

He wouldn't allow anyone to start this.

But he was actually afraid.

Not of the numbers - when Wang Rong arrived with those overwhelming soldiers, he hadn't feared them. But now he was terrified. Not just because of the countless shadowy figures, but because...

These weren't soldiers.

They were common people, citizens driven to desperation by fate.

Were they wrong?They simply wanted to survive, using every ounce of their strength to seize the chance to live. He had a blade in his hand; if he drew it, perhaps he would eventually collapse from exhaustion after fighting off the horde, but before that, it would be a one-sided slaughter. This would be a sin he could never wash away in his lifetime, a nightmare he would never forget.

Drawing a blade against the weak went against all his past beliefs and convictions.

If he were alone, it might have been different, but behind him stood Liu Yuru, his wife.

So he tightened his grip on the blade and stood his ground against them.

Just then, a man suddenly rushed forward. He wasn’t particularly tall, but he threw himself in front of Gu Jiusi, weeping and kowtowing frantically. "Young master, young master, have pity on me! My wife is on her last breath—she’s dying, she’s about to die. Please, give her a way to live!"

Gu Jiusi froze for a moment.

And in that instant, the man lunged at him!

He had a knife!

Even if it was a short blade, in that moment, any blade was a deadly weapon. The man charged at Gu Jiusi recklessly. Gu Jiusi kicked him away, but then everyone around surged forward. Liu Yuru hid behind Gu Jiusi as people dragged at her, trying to snatch her bundle. Gu Jiusi didn’t dare kill anyone; he fought desperately to kick the crowd away.

But there were too many of them, far too many.

They swarmed like ants, heedless of everything. Liu Yuru was kicked hard in the stomach, and the bundle she clutched was torn from her arms. The long-hardened flatbread inside tumbled out. Someone in the crowd screamed, "It’s bread! And flour!"

Many rushed over, grabbing whatever they could and stuffing it into their mouths without hesitation.

Among the refugees, such things were unimaginably precious!

"They have more!" Those who hadn’t managed to grab anything grew wild-eyed. Casting aside all restraint, they threw themselves forward recklessly. Gu Jiusi watched as the man with the knife lunged at Liu Yuru again. Finally, he could endure no more. He drew his blade.

Blood splattered, and screams erupted all around.

Gu Jiusi cut down three men in quick succession. With one arm shielding Liu Yuru and the other gripping his bloodied blade, he glared at the crowd and roared, "Get back!"

At last, no one dared approach. Gu Jiusi held Liu Yuru tightly as they walked step by step into the distance, his blood-streaked face resembling a wrathful deity.

Tears welled in Liu Yuru’s eyes, her entire body trembling. Her only support, the only strength resisting this chaos, came from the hand gripping hers.

Everyone watched them, their eyes following as the pair moved away.

A few tried to lunge at them, but Gu Jiusi’s movements were swift and precise. He turned and cut down the attackers without hesitation. His agility finally made it clear to all that he was not to be trifled with. No one dared attempt another ambush. Slowly, they walked on, disappearing into the night, while behind them, a new wave of frantic looting began.

Once they were out of sight, Gu Jiusi grabbed Liu Yuru’s hand and they broke into a desperate run. They raced along the official road, not daring to stop, as if pursued by beasts or floodwaters.

They feared every person they saw. When they could run no more, they walked. Not a word passed between them, the terror and shock in their hearts silently feeding off one another.When the sun rose, the road they traveled was already devoid of human figures. Previously, people had been moving from the north of Cangzhou to the south, but they were going against the current, heading north, so naturally, there were fewer and fewer people.

They were exhausted, but they dared not stop. Unlike the refugees, what kept them going was an unwavering conviction.

They were going to Youzhou.

In Youzhou, their relatives were waiting for them.

Liu Yu Ru held Gu Jiusi's hand as they walked along the desolate road. They just kept walking and walking.

As the number of people dwindled, so did their food. They went from two meals a day to just one. When they were tired, they would find a place to sleep, leaning against a large tree. As they traveled north, they hardly saw anyone.

Without Liu Yu Ru's bundle, their food supply went from barely sufficient to completely inadequate. Along the way, they would eat anything they could find—trees, grass, anything edible.

Whenever they encountered a water source, they would drink as much as possible and fill Gu Jiusi's wine pouch.

But as the sun grew increasingly scorching, the intervals between finding water grew longer.

For the first time, they witnessed a desolation that stretched as far as the eye could see—no grass, no trees, empty houses, and the land cracked into large, dry pieces like a turtle's shell.

Liu Yu Ru was the first to collapse. Her constitution was weak, and one day after falling asleep, Gu Jiusi found that she wouldn't wake up. Terrified, he quickly gave her water to drink and opened the bundle, intending to feed her.

But when he opened the bundle, Gu Jiusi was surprised to find that there was far more food left than he had thought.

He froze for a moment before realizing the truth.

These remaining flatbreads must have been intentionally saved by Liu Yu Ru, who had been eating less. He felt a pang of emotion in his eyes, unable to describe the feeling, but the situation left him no time to dwell on it. He hurriedly took a piece of flatbread, drank some water, chewed it thoroughly, and fed it to her mouth-to-mouth.

At that moment, there was no room for propriety. His only thought was that she had to survive, no matter what.

After feeding her, he carried her on his back and continued walking. The ground was scorching hot, and his shoes were already worn out. He could clearly feel the pain of his skin rubbing raw, but he dared not stop.

He kept walking forward until the afternoon when the weather cooled down. Liu Yu Ru, lying on his back, slowly opened her eyes. Feeling his warmth and seeing their surroundings, she asked hoarsely, "Jiusi?"

Gu Jiusi paused, then exclaimed joyfully, "You're awake!"

"What happened to me?"

Liu Yu Ru had little strength, her entire body feeling weak. Gu Jiusi, carrying her on his back, spoke gently as if afraid to scare her, "You fainted earlier."

"I'm sorry..."

"Why apologize?" Gu Jiusi laughed, his voice slightly choked. "I'm the one who should be sorry."

Liu Yu Ru said nothing. Gu Jiusi carried her, trying to keep his tone light, but he couldn't suppress the pain, despair, guilt, and shame in his heart.

"I should have realized sooner that you weren't eating much," he said, his tone seemingly casual, but Liu Yu Ru could still hear the tears in his voice. "I should have known earlier..."

"It's alright," Liu Yu Ru murmured weakly, resting on his back. "I was willing to.""What are you willing..." Gu Jiusi's voice trembled slightly.

Liu Yuru felt exhausted, utterly spent.

"The food won't last," she began slowly. "If we share it, we won't reach Youzhou. If I eat less, you can have more. I've calculated—I can hold on for a few more days. When we're halfway there and the food runs out, if you haven't found water... you can drink my blood..."

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Gu Jiusi roared in anger. He had guessed her thoughts, but hearing her voice them aloud still provoked his fury. "Don't even think about it!" His voice shook. "Even if I die, I would never do such a thing. Liu Yuru, listen to me—we live together or die together. If you die, I won't go to Youzhou. I won't go anywhere. I'll stay here and die with you."

As he spoke, tears streamed down his face.

He thought he had grown beyond tears, that he had matured. But he realized heaven was always crueler than one could imagine.

First, he lost his father, then his friends, and now he was about to lose Liu Yuru.

And this loss was like death by a thousand cuts—forcing him to watch, to witness, even to send her to hell himself just to survive.

But he would never let heaven have its way.

He would never make the choice heaven expected of him.

"I know you're still thinking of your mother," Gu Jiusi wept. "She's waiting for you in Youzhou. You're her only daughter. If you're gone, what will become of her? I won't take care of her for you. Even if you die, I won't lift a finger. I'm heartless and ungrateful. I won't feel guilty. I'll die here with you. I won't let you have your way!"

"Your death would be meaningless," Gu Jiusi murmured. "Liu Yuru, you must live. You have to live, understand?"

You can't die.

If you die... if you die...

Gu Jiusi lifted his head, scanning the wilderness around them.

If she died... what would he do?

He couldn't imagine.

Her life was now his reason for living. So she couldn't die. Absolutely not.

But Liu Yuru could no longer respond to him.

She was conscious but had lost the strength to speak.

She simply lay against his back, feeling this man—stubbornly carrying her, step by step forward.

She didn't know what kind of willpower and determination kept him from stopping.

They had finished all their food, leaving only half a waterskin. With nothing left to eat, Gu Jiusi starved alongside her, drinking a little water each day to barely sustain themselves.

When they were just over a hundred li from Youzhou, Gu Jiusi finally collapsed.

When he woke, it was already night. Liu Yuru lay still. Panicked, he rushed to check her breathing. It was faint, but he still breathed a sigh of relief.

He reached out, pulling her tightly into his arms. He held her with all his strength, clutching her fiercely.

"Yuru," he rasped, "you must stay with me..."

He pressed his face against hers, his voice trembling. "You are my life. You have to live, understand?"

Liu Yuru remained silent.He truly wanted to cry, wanted at least a few tears to fall so Liu Yu Ru could drink a little.

But he had no tears left.

The lack of water had pushed his entire body to its limit.

He lifted his head to gaze at the scorching sun, knowing that if they continued like this, both he and Liu Yu Ru would die.

Gritting his teeth, he drew a knife from his waist and cut his palm.

Fresh red blood dripped down. He pinched Liu Yu Ru’s jaw and poured it all into her mouth.

Some of it splattered on her cheeks and lips. Seeing the wound beginning to clot, Gu Jiusi quickly sucked at it, drinking the last drops of blood. Then, looking at the beads of blood on Liu Yu Ru’s face, he lowered his head and gently licked her cheeks and lips.

It was not a kiss with even a hint of romance, yet as softness traveled from the tip of his tongue, he still felt a tremor deep within his heart that made him shudder.

He hastily pulled back, staring at Liu Yu Ru’s face, unsure whether the color was from the blood, his own delusion, or if she had truly regained a bit of color.

He lifted her onto his back again and continued forward. Truthfully, he had no strength left, but the person on his back had become his sole conviction.

He wasn’t afraid of death, but the thought that if he died, Liu Yu Ru would die too terrified him to the core.

So he could only keep pushing on, trudging across the desolate wilderness, walking and walking.

After journeying through day and night, he finally spotted a patch of green and saw people.

Carrying Liu Yu Ru further ahead, he saw a boundary marker.

On it were two faded characters: Youzhou.

Gu Jiusi stared at the words, his lips trembling slightly.

"We’ve arrived…" he rasped. "Yu Ru… we’ve arrived."

Author’s Note:

[Little Theater]

Reader: Can we crowdfund plane tickets for Liu Yu Ru and Gu Jiusi?

Mo Shu Bai: N… no, we can’t.

Reader: One rocket cannon.

Mo Shu Bai: …

Reader: Two rocket cannons.

Mo Shu Bai: Enough, what kind of person do you think I am?!

Reader: Three rocket cannons.

Mo Shu Bai: Arranged, immediately arranged! Great Rong’s technology advances rapidly, airplanes are invented, Liu Yu Ru and Gu Jiusi board a flight and arrive in Wangdu in two hours. Darling, would you consider adding a depth charge? I can even have them ride a spaceship.

Reader: …No, requesting refunds for all three rocket cannons.

Mo Shu Bai: Big fat liar!!!