Having decided to find Gu Chusheng, Chu Yu immediately gathered her people, prepared silver notes, provisions, weapons, and medicinal herbs, and brought along a physician and the Covert Guards Wei Yun had assigned to her. She left the manor overnight.
Traveling day and night, she first arrived at Kunyang County to meet Wei Qiu. Gu Chusheng had always believed that "the most dangerous place is the safest," so he likely wouldn't leave Kunyang immediately. Instead, he would probably stay there for a while to lull Yao Yong into lowering his guard before setting off.
After arriving in Kunyang under an alias with her entourage, Wei Qiu led Chu Yu to the spot where Gu Chusheng had disappeared. The water flow had slowed considerably compared to days prior. Pointing to where Gu Chusheng had plunged into the river, Wei Qiu said, "He jumped from here."
"After jumping in, he just vanished?" Chu Yu studied the river and its surroundings.
Wei Qiu frowned. "He disappeared suddenly."
Chu Yu remained silent. She was familiar with this moat—after all, she and Gu Chusheng had endured many years together in Kunyang. The stone lion guarding the moat's edge was hollow at its base. When the river rose, it submerged the lower part but left enough space for half a person. The lion's open mouth above allowed airflow, making it an ideal hiding spot.
If someone were struggling in the river, they would need to surface for air—they couldn't just vanish. The only possibility was that Gu Chusheng hadn't gone far and had hidden here instead.
The path into the lion's hollow interior was winding. Chu Yu couldn't explain it clearly on the spot, and she worried others might overlook subtle clues Gu Chusheng might have left. So, eyeing the stone lion, she had a rope tied around her waist and climbed down herself. Holding her breath, she entered the water and reached the hollow space beneath the lion, then surfaced inside.
It was daytime, and light streamed through the lion's mouth, illuminating the smeared bloodstains on the wall. The blood didn't appear old. After assessing its color and quantity, Chu Yu concluded Gu Chusheng hadn't been poisoned or seriously injured. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly noticed a symbol.
It was carved with something sharp—tiny, yet Chu Yu recognized its meaning immediately:
East.
She froze.
This was a secret code she, Gu Chusheng, and Chu Jin had invented as children during their games. Later, she and Gu Chusheng had often used it to communicate in emergencies. But why would he leave this mark here now?
Had he and his people adopted it as their current cipher, or...
Did he know she would come?
Chu Yu was momentarily stunned. Was Gu Chusheng actually counting on her to find him?
Of course. The fifteen-year-old Chu Yu had been infatuated with him, and he wasn't a fool—he'd known exactly how she felt. Now that he was in trouble and had already pledged loyalty to Wei Manor, it was natural for him to assume she'd come looking.
Chu Yu couldn't help but find it absurdly amusing. The man clearly overestimated himself. She was already married—did he really think his charm was still irresistible?Chu Yu plunged into the water and swam back to shore. Changyue and Wanyue hurried forward to hold up a curtain, allowing Chu Yu to change her clothes. Then they heard her lift her sword and say, "Search upstream."
Gu Chusheng was injured—going downstream would have been easier. Heading upstream meant fighting against the current, and it was unclear where he found the strength to do so.
Yet this choice was indeed safer. Chu Yu wasn’t surprised by Gu Chusheng’s decision. He had always been the type to burn his bridges, pushing himself to the brink more than once or twice.
Leading her group upstream, Chu Yu soon heard someone shout, "The branches here are broken!"
She rushed to the riverbank, brushed aside the branches, and examined the area carefully. Picking up a handful of soil, she sniffed it before standing and ordering, "Move out."
The earth carried the scent of blood—Gu Chusheng must have passed through here.
But he was usually meticulous. If even he couldn’t fully erase his tracks, his condition must be dire.
Gu Chusheng had left her the mark "East," so she followed the eastern path. Before long, someone called out, "Madam, there’s a scrap of fabric here."
Chu Yu glanced at the bloodstained cloth just as Changyue darted ahead. Moments later, Changyue’s voice rang out: "Madam, there are broken branches here. He must have gone this way."
Chu Yu remained silent. Gu Chusheng might make the occasional mistake, but leaving behind obvious clues like fabric scraps and broken branches to mark his path?
Impossible. That wasn’t like him.
After a moment’s thought, she turned toward the eastern path, which showed no signs of passage, and said calmly, "Continue searching east."
Everyone was puzzled—there was no trace of anyone having gone east.
But no one dared question her. They followed Chu Yu as she pressed on. By nightfall, exhaustion weighed on them all. Changyue spotted a cave and suggested, "Madam, let’s rest here for the night."
Weariness tugging at her, Chu Yu agreed. Wei Qiu lit a torch, and they entered the cave.
The Wei family’s Covert Guards led the way, with Wanyue, Changyue, and Chu Yu’s guards forming a protective rear. Chu Yu walked in the center, sword in hand, her steps unsteady.
After a full day of searching, even she was drained. She wanted to rest early and resume the hunt with renewed energy.
Wei Qiu and his men entered the cave first. The path was rugged, and Wei Qiu cautioned, "Watch your step, Madam."
The moment Chu Yu stepped inside, Wei Qiu’s torch abruptly went out. Before she could react, someone yanked her into an embrace, a cold blade pressed against her throat. In the darkness, Gu Chusheng’s hoarse voice rasped, "Don’t move."
He reeked of blood and dirt, his breathing labored and weak. The hand gripping her burned with feverish heat, a stark contrast to the icy steel at her neck. Chu Yu stayed silent as Wei Qiu relit the torch, revealing her held hostage before Gu Chusheng, who tightened his grip on the blade and warned coldly, "No one moves, or I can’t guarantee this lady’s—"
His words cut off as his gaze landed on Changyue’s furious face. A pause, then realization dawned.
It was Chu Yu.It was Chu Yu, the one he had longed for day and night, scheming tirelessly to return to Hua Jing just to see her again!
His heart raced wildly, leaving him momentarily speechless, until Chu Yu's icy voice cut through the silence: "Put the blade away."
Hearing this, Gu Chusheng quickly sheathed his Sleeve Blade, concealing it within his sleeve. Chu Yu immediately stepped back from him, and Wei Qiu swiftly moved to stand between Gu Chusheng and Chu Yu, his voice cold as he demanded, "What are you trying to do?"
Gu Chusheng's gaze remained fixed on Chu Yu, unable to tear itself away.
The fifteen-year-old Chu Yu lacked the lifelessness of her later years. At this moment, she was vibrant and full of life, even exuding a composed grace that would later fade. Seeing her now, he suddenly realized—how had he missed this back then?
Gu Chusheng studied the Chu Yu before him, reflecting on his younger self.
He had spent twenty years entangled with her, and another twenty after her death reminiscing about the time she was alive. In those memories, he had sunk deeper and deeper, chasing after her until he was utterly consumed.
In his youth, he had been too proud. Though he had loved her even then, every time she saved him, he felt nothing but deep frustration and shame.
She was never one for gentle words, her thoughts too straightforward to consider how her words might land. For most, this wouldn’t have mattered—but for him, scarred by family tragedy and overly sensitive, her every careless remark became a source of humiliation and mockery in his heart.
When they were being hunted, she had carried him on her back, laughing as she said, "Gu Chusheng, you’re too weak—like a delicate girl. You’ll have to rely on me to survive."
Looking back now, those words seemed endearing, but back then, they had only filled him with shame and fury. So he had taken up the sword, practicing relentlessly every afternoon in the courtyard, rain or shine, until she could no longer defeat him.
They had wasted too many years—until her death.
He had feigned indifference out of habit, but in the emptiness of his days, he had slowly revisited the past. Only when he lay dying under Wei Yun’s blade, the fleeting thought—"If A Yu were here, she would never let me suffer like this"—did it strike him: if he hadn’t cared at all back then, why would he have trained so hard for years over a single remark?
Now, as he watched Chu Yu speak with Changyue, her fingers brushing the knife mark on her neck, his eyes reddened and his lips trembled.
Wei Qiu, seeing Gu Chusheng’s prolonged silence and intense stare—now bordering on tears—felt an inexplicable unease. He stepped forward, blocking Gu Chusheng’s line of sight, and snapped, "What are you staring at? How dare you gawk at the First Madam of Wei Manor?!"
In the noble households of Hua Jing, only one woman could be called "First Madam"—the one who managed the household’s inner affairs. With Liu Xueyang having stepped back and Wei Yun, now the Northern Garrison Marquis, still unmarried, the title had fallen to the original heir’s wife.
Hearing the title, Gu Chusheng snapped back to reality. Meeting Chu Yu’s gaze, he quickly lowered his head, composing himself to hide his emotions. He took a step back and said, "My apologies. Meeting an old friend so suddenly—I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed."He forced back the heat in his eyes, closed them to calm his emotions, then raised his head again and offered a slow smile to the crowd, cupping his hands in greeting. "I am Gu Chusheng, at your service, Madam."
Chu Yu remained silent, observing the man before her with a sense of peculiarity.
She studied him. In the past, he had never been one to smile at her. Gu Chusheng was known for his social grace—everyone praised his amiable temperament, yet he had never shown her a kind expression, only cold mockery or silent indifference.
But now, he gazed at her quietly, his eyes still glistening with unshed moisture, his lips curved into a near-perfect smile. Yet the warmth in his expression didn’t feel false. Instead, it made Chu Yu feel as though...
As though he was trying to present his best self to her.
The thought struck her as absurd.
She reined in her wandering thoughts and stepped out from behind Wei Qiu, offering Gu Chusheng a respectful bow. "Greetings, Lord Gu. I have been sent by the Marquis of National Stability to escort you safely to the capital. May I inquire about your current condition? Are you able to depart immediately?"
Her icy demeanor gave Gu Chusheng pause, but he quickly understood. Chu Yu was a woman of unwavering duty. Once she married Wei Jun, even after his death, as long as she remained the Wei family’s Madam, she would uphold their reputation at all costs—never allowing any action that might tarnish their name or betray Wei Jun’s memory.
When she had once been his wife, she had held herself to the same rigid standards. No matter how fiercely they quarreled at home, she had never once humiliated him in public. He had been the man she once agreed to elope with, and now, facing him again, she naturally kept her distance.
A bitter ache filled Gu Chusheng’s chest, but he played along, offering no further comment. "Very well," he said simply.
Then, lifting his gaze to meet hers, he added gently, "Whatever you say."
His words sent an odd ripple of discomfort through the onlookers. Chu Yu pretended not to hear, raising a hand in gesture. "After you, my lord."
Gu Chusheng nodded and pushed himself forward, clearly injured—his clothes soaked with blood—yet he uttered not a sound of complaint. If Chu Yu said they must go, then go they would.
Changyue and Wanyue, aware of their shared history, found the exchange strange but could guess at the underlying reasons, keeping their silence.
The Wei family’s Covert Guards, however, were less restrained. As they trailed behind Chu Yu, one of them couldn’t resist whispering to Wei Qiu, "That bastard’s looking at Madam all wrong."
"Do you think I’m blind?" Wei Qiu shot back with a cold glance. The way Gu Chusheng stared at her couldn’t even be called fervent—it was something far more intense. Clutching his sword, Wei Qiu muttered, "But he hasn’t done anything yet. We’ll watch him. Once we reach Hua Jing, the young marquis will deal with him."
"And if he tries something before we get there?"
Wei Qiu fell silent for a moment before answering slowly, "Then we’ll see what Madam decides."
While the guards murmured among themselves, Gu Chusheng followed Chu Yu outside to fetch the horses.
Chu Yu walked briskly, offering him no consideration, her irritation growing with every step he took behind her.
She wanted no further entanglement with Gu Chusheng. One lifetime of it had been more than enough—did she really need another?
Not a chance.Chu Yu couldn't help but quicken her pace, while Gu Chusheng followed at a leisurely pace. His wound started bleeding again from his excessive movements, yet he felt no pain. Just seeing Chu Yu alive and walking beside him filled him with a trace of sweetness.
When Chu Yu reached the horses and turned back, she noticed Gu Chusheng's wound had reopened. Frowning, she asked, "Are you really alright?"
If he died halfway, this trip would have been for nothing.
Hearing her question, Gu Chusheng froze momentarily before an overwhelming joy surged within him.
No matter how much she tried to hide it, she still cared for him!
He pressed his lips together, lowering his head to conceal his smile. Chu Yu, however, was unnerved by his reaction—she couldn't shake the feeling that this man had something wrong with his head and couldn't be judged by normal standards.
"I'm fine."
Gu Chusheng spoke softly, "Don’t worry. As long as you're with me, I'll be alright."
Hearing this, Chu Yu had the sudden urge to curse. Back in the military camp, she had learned plenty of vulgar language, but after becoming Madam Gu, years of his corrections had refined her speech. Yet now, in just this short moment, he had managed to make her want to revisit those old habits. That was some skill.
With a stern expression, she turned away and mounted her horse. "You seem fine enough. Get on."
Gu Chusheng chuckled lightly, tilting his head. "Alright."
He then attempted to climb onto his horse, but his weakened state made it difficult. After several failed attempts, everyone else had already mounted and was waiting, leaving him struggling alone.
He didn’t ask for help, stubbornly persisting on his own. Chu Yu couldn’t understand why Gu Chusheng was acting like this now. Her emotions were in turmoil as she coldly ordered, "Wei Qiu, help him."
Wei Qiu hesitated before reluctantly stepping forward to assist Gu Chusheng. The moment Gu Chusheng settled onto his horse, Chu Yu spurred hers forward.
Gu Chusheng hurriedly urged his horse to follow, the jolting ride filling his mouth with the metallic taste of blood. Wanyue, ever observant, grew concerned and rode up beside Chu Yu, whispering, "Young Master Gu doesn’t look well. If this continues, whatever anger you’re holding onto, Madam, perhaps you should wait until after we’ve settled the young marquis’s matter."
Chu Yu paused at these words.
Right—what reason did she have to be so upset?
The seventeen-year-old Gu Chusheng before her had done nothing wrong. She had stubbornly pursued him, and he had resisted fiercely. Before this, their lives had barely intersected.
If there had been any connection at all, it was only that, at twelve, Gu Chusheng had saved her on the battlefield.
After that, during holidays, he would visit the Chu family, bringing gifts for both Chu Jin and her. He would play with Chu Jin while she accompanied them.
Their last interaction had merely been her one-sided gestures—sending him gifts, writing him love letters, even proposing they elope.
But he had returned every gift, down to the last coin. And her letters? Sent back unopened.
At seventeen, Gu Chusheng was simply a man who did not love her.
No matter how deep her resentment, she shouldn’t take it out on someone who had done nothing wrong.
To vent her anger on an innocent person—even if that anger stemmed from the man he would become—was still cruelty.
A person need not be kind, but they must never be cruel.Chu Yu slowly calmed her emotions. She glanced at Gu Chusheng, who was closely following behind, and slowed her horse, speaking indifferently to those behind her, "Let's slow down a bit. There's no rush."
Hearing Chu Yu's command, everyone reduced their speed. Chu Yu tossed a bottle of medicine to Gu Chusheng and said calmly, "Take this to replenish your strength first. We'll reach the inn soon, and I'll have someone examine you."
Hearing her words, Gu Chusheng's eyes curved gently as he replied softly, "Mm."
Chu Yu didn’t look at him again and moved ahead. Gu Chusheng held the bottle, carefully opened it, took one pill, and then treasured it by placing it close to his chest.
After traveling for about half an hour, the group found an inn on the outskirts. Gu Chusheng, bearing injuries that could easily draw attention, was draped in an outer robe by Chu Yu's order. She then had Wei Qiu support him, disguising them as a frail young master traveling with his sister, and they checked into the inn.
Gu Chusheng coughed his way up to the guest room while others in the dining area continued chatting.
"Yao Yong has put a bounty of twenty thousand taels of gold on Gu Chusheng's head across the entire province. If I could get my hands on that, I’d be set for life!"
Chu Yu shot a glance at the two men but said nothing. Gu Chusheng, having removed his disguise, walked past them with an unruffled expression, completely unrecognized.
Once inside the inn, Gu Chusheng collapsed as soon as he entered. Wei Qiu hastily called for a physician, who examined Gu Chusheng’s pulse and quickly prescribed several remedies.
Some of the ingredients were extremely rare and impossible to obtain in such a remote area. Fortunately, Chu Yu had come prepared, bringing ample supplies of these commonly used precious herbs.
After a night of frantic efforts, Gu Chusheng finally stabilized. The physician wiped his brow and remarked with admiration, "This man is truly tough. An ordinary person with injuries like his would have collapsed long ago."
Chu Yu remained silent. Watching the furrowed brow of Gu Chusheng in his sleep, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of respect.
"Enough," she said, glancing at the sky outside. To those beside her, she added, "Wei Qiu, make the arrangements. Those who need rest should rest. We have a long journey tomorrow—no need to exhaust ourselves further."
"Yes."
Wei Qiu acknowledged the order, and Chu Yu left with Mingyue and Changyue. Just before stepping out, she heard Gu Chusheng’s hoarse whisper: "A Yu…"
Chu Yu froze for a moment, then rubbed her ears.
She thought she must be hallucinating.
Changyue, puzzled by her actions, asked curiously, "Madam, what are you doing?"
"Quick, give me a sugar pill," Chu Yu stretched out her hand urgently, her face full of alarm. "I need to calm my nerves."
Author's Note:
The next update will likely be around midnight. I’ll announce the exact time on Weibo.
Mini Theater:
Mo Shubai: "When did you first realize you weren’t the male lead?"
Gu Chusheng: "From the moment A Yu saw I couldn’t climb onto the horse and had Wei Qiu help me instead. Shouldn’t the normal plot be her taking pity, pulling me onto the horse, and then galloping off into the sunset together?!"
Author's Words: To prevent everyone from making wild guesses and getting angry when they're wrong, let me explain my writing logic. My stories have always been centered around growth and fulfillment, never abandoning light even in the darkest plots. Characters gradually mend their flawed personalities through the narrative. So there's never a scenario where an extremely bad character appears and the female lead retaliates with overwhelming force—please don't expect that. I've repeatedly warned that I don't write wish-fulfillment or sweet stories, so everyone must keep this in mind.
As for how karma is handled for characters in the story, I've always advocated "repay injustice with justice, and kindness with kindness"—this is the original meaning of "how to repay virtue."
Regarding fairness and integrity, I follow existing judicial principles:
To harbor evil thoughts without acting upon them is not a crime;
To attempt but fail to carry out an act warrants leniency;
To commit a crime but show remorse or have mitigating circumstances, and thus be redeemable, may also warrant leniency.
This is my sense of justice.
Take Chu Jin, for example. The deeds she committed in her past life were met with an untimely end—that chapter is closed. In this life, she hasn't committed those acts, so she bears no guilt.
In this life, she did three things:
Tricked Chu Yu into falling into a well—As the author, I arranged for Chu Linyang to punish her by making her suffer the same fate.
Encouraged Chu Yu to elope so she could become the young madam of the Wei family—This act doesn’t even qualify as instigation, and it was unsuccessful. The punishment was Chu Yu retaliating by pushing her into an unwanted marriage with Gu Chusheng (though it also failed).
Attempted to ruin Chu Yu’s reputation—Unsuccessful, and the corresponding punishment was Chu Linyang’s discipline and Chu Yu’s warning.
Later, she was forced to apologize, bared her heart to Chu Yu, and sincerely repented. Only then did she gradually earn the right to seek happiness.
This is how I, as the author, judge a character and determine their fate.
The same principle applies to all other characters. Kindness is rewarded, and malice is punished. So when speculating about the plot, following this logic will generally lead you in the right direction.
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