Destined

Gu Jiusi threw down his brush, and no one dared to speak.

He stormed out, shouting as he went, "Couldn't she have sent someone else to rescue him? What can a woman who can't lift or carry anything possibly accomplish? Ye Shi'an is a grown man—why does she need to save him?!"

Even as he spoke, he began gathering his belongings from the room and ordered his guards, "Assemble a team for me. Tell Huang Long to guard Wangdu on my behalf. Prepare luggage, travel funds, and permits—we leave immediately."

No one uttered a word, keeping their heads down and focusing on their tasks. Everyone could sense Gu Jiusi was suppressing his anger, though only Munan understood the reason.

Munan didn't dare speak, silently glaring at the person who had answered.

Why did she have to specify whom she was saving? Couldn't she just say she was rescuing someone?

But the words were already out, and there was no taking them back. Munan followed behind Gu Jiusi, listening as he commanded, "Dispatch a hundred of the finest elite troops from the Wangdu garrison."

Since it was a rescue mission, they couldn't bring too few people, but neither could they bring too many—a large force would attract unwanted attention, especially when crossing Qingzhou. A hundred men was just the right number for a merchant fleet traveling long distances, unlikely to raise suspicion.

Time was of the essence, so they needed to travel light and fast.

Now that he held considerable authority in Wangdu, things were different. In the past, no one would have heeded his call, but under his governance, Wangdu had flourished, and everyone respected him. The soldiers, well-paid and well-equipped, were deeply grateful. Thus, a hundred light cavalry were quickly assembled. Gu Jiusi made his preparations and, with Munan in tow, hurried out of the city.

Munan trailed behind, sensing the suppressed fury in his master. He urged his horse alongside Gu Jiusi and whispered, "Young master, please don't be angry."

Gu Jiusi remained silent, urging his horse forward. After a long while, he finally replied calmly, "I'm not angry."

Munan didn't dare say more. The group galloped ahead, and as Gu Jiusi gazed at the moon on the horizon, his heart ached.

Deep down, he knew why he was angry, but he couldn't voice it. She was his wife now, yet he still felt the need to compete with an outsider for a place in Liu Yu Ru's heart. The thought shamed him.

But he couldn't control his emotions. He remembered how Liu Yu Ru had married him, a past he had once ignored but now couldn't forget. He recalled her tearful confession: "I was supposed to marry him." The despair and restraint in her voice still haunted him.

Liu Yu Ru held feelings for Ye Shi'an.

To her, he and Ye Shi'an were worlds apart. Ye Shi'an had once been the man she admired most, while he, Gu Jiusi, was more of a responsibility than a man in her eyes.

All her affection and expressions of emotion toward him were steady and calm, like a gently flowing stream, without a single ripple.

This tranquility stood in stark contrast to the fervor and turbulence in his own heart. Such steadiness could never be love.

Gu Jiusi took a deep breath. Munan, who had been watching him closely, quickly asked, "Young master, are you all right?"

"Why do you talk so much?" Gu Jiusi snapped impatiently, spurring his horse ahead. "Stay away from me!"After four days of sailing, the ship docked at a port for supplies. They had already reached Qingzhou by then. As soon as the ship berthed, Liu Yu Ru noticed a group of new passengers boarding.

There were about a dozen of them, all carrying blades. Though they appeared polite, their movements carried an air of stern lethality. After observing them from the cabin for a moment, Liu Yu Ru went to the deck and said to Ye Yun and Ye Shi'an, "I suspect these are pursuers sent by Luo Zishang. Let's disembark and switch to land travel."

Without further discussion, Ye Yun and Ye Shi'an quickly packed their belongings and followed Liu Yu Ru off the ship.

No sooner had they disembarked than the newcomers began inquiring about their cabin on board. The trio hurried into the city, where Liu Yu Ru purchased a carriage. As she urged the other two to get in, Ye Shi'an promptly objected, "With me here, how can I let a young woman like you drive?"

"You're injured," Liu Yu Ru replied with a smile. "Yun'er doesn't know how to handle a carriage, so it's only right that I do it."

Ye Shi'an shook his head stubbornly. "It's not a serious wound. I can't allow you to drive."

Liu Yu Ru sighed in resignation and compromised, "Then you drive for a stretch, and I'll take over after. We can take turns."

Only then did Ye Shi'an agree. Liu Yu Ru helped Ye Yun into the carriage.

It was clear to Liu Yu Ru that Luo Zishang's men were hot on their trail. Skilled trackers, they quickly discovered their departure direction after failing to find them on the ship, traced them to where they bought the carriage, and began relentless pursuit.

To deliberately evade capture and accounting for Ye Shi'an's injury, Liu Yu Ru made several detours before finally shaking them off. This delay meant they didn't reach Guangyang until ten days later.

Ye Shi'an's wound had not been properly treated during the journey. With the prolonged travel, it became inflamed and filled with pus. While driving the carriage, he suddenly collapsed from the seat. Fortunately, there were no sharp stones on the ground, sparing his life. Seeing his condition, Liu Yu Ru knew they couldn't afford further delays and took him to a clinic in a neighboring town. The medical staff drained the pus and prescribed medicine. Ye Shi'an remained unconscious, while both Liu Yu Ru and Ye Yun were exhausted to their limits. Forced by circumstances, they had to rest in the small town.

Liu Yu Ru didn't dare stay at the clinic, reasoning that if she were Luo Zishang, she would surely focus on searching medical facilities at this point. So she had Ye Shi'an and Ye Yun rest in the carriage while she stayed outside, camping beyond the town walls for a quick escape if needed.

She slept fitfully that night. Around midnight, the sound of hoofbeats startled her awake. Turning, she saw riders approaching purposefully—clearly targeting them, likely with confirmed information. Without hesitation, Liu Yu Ru shouted to Ye Yun inside the carriage, "Protect your brother!"

With that, she cracked the whip, and the horses surged forward. Inside the lurching carriage, Ye Yun held onto Ye Shi'an with one hand and gripped the window frame with the other, struggling to maintain balance as the vehicle swayed violently from the breakneck speed.Liu Yuru, hearing the hoofbeats behind her, dared not stop for a moment. She glanced back at their pursuers—they were on horseback while she and her companions were in a carriage. Though there was still some distance between them, it was only a matter of time before they were caught.

"Throw out the beans!" Liu Yuru urged quickly. "Toss everything you can! Keep the spices ready in your hands. If they get close, throw them out the back window!"

Ye Yun acknowledged the order, gripping the unconscious Ye Shi'an with one hand while using the other to scatter beans from a drawer. These were snacks they had bought earlier for the journey. As the beans rolled across the ground, Ye Yun began throwing out clothes as well. These items became obstacles for the galloping horses, forcing the pursuers to slow down considerably to avoid them.

However, once the beans and clothes were gone, it didn't take long for their pursuers to close in again. The two sides raced desperately, and after what felt like an eternity, the enemies finally caught up. Ye Yun started throwing silver coins and anything else she could find to hit them.

By this point, the pursuers were very close. Ye Shi'an gradually woke amid the violent jostling, sensing the commotion around him. "What's happening...?" he murmured uneasily.

"Brother!" Ye Yun cried out in panic. "We're being overtaken!"

Hearing this, Ye Shi'an struggled to sit up and lifted the carriage curtain. After coughing lightly twice, he declared, "This won't do. I'll get down and hold them off. You two go on ahead."

"No—"

Before Ye Yun could stop him, Ye Shi'an grabbed a sword from beside him and rolled out of the carriage, shouting, "Go, now!"

Liu Yuru didn't dare look back. She drove the carriage frantically, knowing full well that in their current situation, she and Ye Yun—two vulnerable women—would be of no use if they stayed.

Ye Shi'an alone tried to block the dozen or so fierce pursuers, but it was clear their target wasn't him. A few men engaged him while the rest continued after Liu Yuru. Anxiously, Ye Shi'an fought his way forward, but the enemies surrounded him and closed in on Liu Yuru from both sides.

Watching them approach, Liu Yuru gritted her teeth and focused solely on whipping the horses to speed forward.

Meanwhile, Gu Jiusi led his men aimlessly along the main road.

"Young master," Munan said, yawning, "we've already rotated through three shifts. It's the middle of the night—Madam must be resting. She won't come."

Gu Jiusi remained silent. He had calculated that Liu Yuru would arrive from the south, so the southern gate of Guangyang City was the most likely entry point. Since arriving in Guangyang two days prior, he had stationed men near the gate around the clock, searching tirelessly. He hadn't seen any sign of Liu Yuru yet, but there was nothing else he could do except wait patiently.

As he rode forward without purpose, a sudden noise caught his attention.

Gu Jiusi halted, signaling for everyone to be quiet. Frowning, he asked, "Do you hear that?"

Munan listened carefully for a moment before replying, "It sounds like... fighting?"

Without hesitation, Gu Jiusi spurred his horse and charged toward the sound.

Liu Yuru urged the carriage toward Guangyang. Ye Yun watched anxiously outside, clutching a dagger in her trembling hand. "Yuru," she said nervously, "I think the carriage feels very unsteady."Liu Yu Ru dared not speak, merely observing the people beside them. The pursuers had caught up but hesitated to approach directly due to her breakneck driving speed. Instead, one of them veered sideways and raised a blade to slash at the horse’s legs. Liu Yu Ru watched their movements intently, and as the strike came, she abruptly yanked the reins. The horse reared high, leaping over the attack.

The maneuver was perilous, teetering on the edge of overturning at any moment. Liu Yu Ru’s heart raced wildly, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

When the first attempt failed, the assailants charged again. By now, they were completely surrounded. While one attacker targeted the horse from the left, another on the right swung directly at Liu Yu Ru. She instinctively dodged, but the horse’s legs were severed in a swift horizontal cut. The horse collapsed to its knees, and the carriage tumbled violently, hurling Liu Yu Ru to the ground. Ye Yun struck her head hard against the carriage wall and fell unconscious.

As Liu Yu Ru lifted her head from the dirt, she saw a blade gleaming as it shot straight toward her.

She felt the cold steel rushing at her—never before had she faced death so closely. In that instant, everything around her seemed to slow. Her mind flashed to Su Wan, to Liu Xuan, to countless people in her life, and finally, to Gu Jiusi.

Her thoughts went blank, and inexplicably, she wondered: if she died, what would become of Gu Jiusi?

She didn’t know why such a thought arose. Perhaps it was because the memory of Gu Jiusi carrying her across the parched land of Cangzhou, weeping and begging her not to die, had etched itself too deeply into her soul. Even at the brink of death, it was him she recalled.

In that fleeting moment, she resigned herself to her fate. But just as the blade was about to touch her, a long sword pierced through the air, impaling her attacker. Liu Yu Ru instinctively turned and was abruptly hauled onto a horse, a firm arm wrapping around her waist.

She glanced sideways and saw, under the moonlight, a young man in white robes and a jade crown, his bright, striking features adorned with a touch of unruly laughter.

"See? You still need me in the end," he teased, a hint of mockery in his tone.

Liu Yu Ru stared at him in a daze. Gu Jiusi held the reins with one hand, shielding her in his embrace, while with the other he drew a fan from his waist and swiftly slit the throat of an assailant lunging from the side.

Blood and moonlight splashed across his face, yet his expression remained unchanged. His gaze shifted from the scene to her face, his lips curving into a bold smile, dimples deepening recklessly. Delighted by her stunned look, he chirped, "What are you gaping at? Call me 'husband'."