All For the Fate - Chapter 29

 

Having gone without sleep all night, and with the heavy sack of raw flour still untouched, Meng Ruji was drained—physically and emotionally. Hearing Mu Sui’s stomach growl again, she sighed. Finding a quiet spot, she had him sit down.

“Don’t move around anymore,” she said softly. “Wait here. I’ll find you fruits and dew.”

Mu Sui was silent for a long moment before nodding. But just as Meng Ruji turned to leave, his voice drifted after her:

“Can the man you threw away really hold back the Master of Linlan Mountain?”

Meng Ruji thought for a moment. “Hard to say. But since the mountain master hasn’t caught up with us yet, he must be holding him off. Even in the Wuliu Land, Yan Tianjun should still have some skill to survive.”

At her faint note of approval, Mu Sui’s expression darkened. His lips pressed into a line, then he quickly smoothed it over, schooling his features into calm. When he looked up again, his eyes carried only warmth.

“Elder Sister,” he said gently, “tomorrow at dawn, let’s get the marriage certificate. I don’t want to wait even a moment longer.”

Meng Ruji arched a brow, but before she could speak, Mu Sui pressed on:

“You’ve given me your answer. I don’t want to delay.”

Her brow relaxed. “Alright.”

She left, her figure vanishing among the trees.

When her footsteps faded, Mu Sui leaned back under the strange green moon of the Wuliu Land. The night wind swept over him as he whispered:

“I hope dawn comes quickly…”

Then he closed his eyes as if to rest.

But in truth, Meng Ruji had not gone far. Perched on a tree trunk, she watched from the shadows. For a long time she waited, but heard nothing more from him. The forest was quiet save for the wind, insects, and the harsh rumbling of Mu Sui’s stomach.

At last, convinced he was harmless, she slipped away in search of fruit.

The moment she disappeared, Mu Sui’s eyes snapped open. The green moonlight reflected sharply in his pupils, no longer clear and guileless but edged with something darker.

He opened his palm. Six silver pearls gleamed faintly as he formed them into a miniature array. Light flared, and in his palm appeared Chensha’s tiny figure.

“C-City Lord?” Chensha stammered, struggling with something thrashing in his grasp. “Why use Palm Reflection? It consumes too much silver—”

“Palm Reflection is brief. Speak quickly.” Mu Sui’s tone was solemn. “At sunrise, no matter the means, sever the connection between the Nai River Yinyuan Hall at Changlin Market and Zhuliu City’s Marriage Tree.”

Chensha froze. He pinned down the squirming bundle in his arms before replying with difficulty:

“If we cut that tie, no marriage contracts from here can be carved onto the Marriage Tree. They won’t count.”

“Then cut them all. For one hour after sunrise, no marriages from anywhere are to reach the Tree.”

Chensha hesitated. “That will cost our last gold piece… I won’t be able to bring you back soon.”

“No matter. Did you catch Tuzi?”

“She’s in my hands right now.”

“Good. Lock her in a cage. If she stirs more trouble, I’ll hold you accountable when I return.”

The captive squirmed violently. Chensha pressed down harder. “Understood.”

Mu Sui clenched his fist, scattering the pearls. The array collapsed, and Chensha’s image vanished. Exhaling slowly, Mu Sui let his shoulders ease. The matter was settled.

Meanwhile, Meng Ruji struggled through unfamiliar woods, taking longer than expected to find food. When she returned, Mu Sui was hunched beneath the tree, face drawn with hunger. His stomach rumbled like distant drums, audible even from three zhang away.

She rushed to him with her gathered fruit.

Mu Sui devoured them ravenously while Meng Ruji sat beside him, swiftly peeling more with practiced hands. In mere moments, the skins curled away and a neatly peeled fruit sat in her palm. Without looking, she handed it to him, then reached for the next.

He accepted it instinctively, then glanced at her cracked lips. “Aren’t you eating?”

“You eat first.”

Her tone was flat, weary, the sound of someone who had long since grown used to sacrificing for another.

Silently, Mu Sui obeyed, but when she handed him the rest, he pushed three back. Despite his still-rumbling stomach, he stood and said firmly: “I’m full.”

Exhausted, Meng Ruji ate the remainder herself. As dawn neared, she led him along hidden paths to the market.

She paused in a corner to observe the streets, wary of Mo Li’s movements. To disguise themselves, she picked up scraps of cloth and tied them around their faces.

Mu Sui, however, seemed more concerned with the sky than with caution. As soon as sunlight warmed the air, he seized her hand and strode toward the shabby Yinyuan Hall, nearly dragging her along.

“Slow down!” Meng Ruji hissed. “You’ll draw attention.”

“Eager to marry,” Mu Sui replied without looking back.

They burst into the dilapidated hall. Behind a plain wooden counter, a soldier blinked at them.

“So early?… Eh? Didn’t you two come yesterday?”

Meng Ruji rubbed her nose. “You have a sharp memory.”

“In the Wuliu Land, no one thinks of marriage. You’re the only ones this month.”

“Yesterday’s contract was lost,” Mu Sui cut in. “We need another.”

The soldier squinted at him, recognition flickering.

Meng Ruji, uneasy, leaned close to Mu Sui, tugging his cloth higher. “Husband,” she cooed softly, “let me wipe your face.” Her grip was anything but gentle. In a whisper she warned: “Stay low.”

Mu Sui’s ears flushed red, but he said nothing.

Meng Ruji smiled brightly at the soldier. “It was my fault. I was so happy yesterday that I tripped and burned the contract. Please trouble you for another.”

The soldier grunted, fetched pen and paper. “Be careful this time.”

Before Meng Ruji could take them, Mu Sui snatched the pen and swiftly signed—Mu Sui. Then he thrust it toward her.

Caught off guard by his eagerness, Meng Ruji nonetheless signed her name.

The contract glowed red, transforming into a thread of light that shot into the sky.

“Congratulations,” the soldier said warmly. “The Marriage Tree will soon inscribe your names. You’re now husband and wife in the Wuliu Land.”

Meng Ruji blinked at the flying thread, a dazed smile tugging at her lips. She had actually married herself off, just like that.

So absurd… but Zhuliu City was halfway hers now.

“Mu Sui,” she whispered, “from this day, we are truly husband and wife.”

“Right,” Mu Sui answered evenly. “We are husband and wife.”

Only in the Wuliu Land, only for now.

The bond with the Marriage Tree had already been severed. The red silk thread could no longer return to Zhuliu City’s Marriage Tree. It would stop mid-air, then vanish into nothingness. He and Meng Ruji would remain… unbound. Pure.

“Hey, look! The Master of Linlan Mountain is here!”

A sudden uproar burst outside Yinyuan Hall.

“So imposing! So majestic—descending from the heavens!”

“He went toward the theater stage!”

“He’s carrying someone with him!”

Meng Ruji’s chest tightened with a sudden, heavy premonition. She turned toward the entrance, her expression guarded.

Outside the dilapidated Yinyuan Hall, crowds craned their necks to see in one direction, while disciples of Linlan Mountain, clad in uniform robes and swords at their waists, rushed past in formation.

Then came a voice—deep, resonant, carried through the entire market until it reached every ear.

The Master of Linlan Mountain’s voice boomed:
“You two petty thieves! Your father is in my hands. If you want to save him, come quickly!”

Meng Ruji nearly smashed the counter in front of her in fury.

Mu Sui, on the other hand, turned his head slowly, his face twisting into a look of pure disgust—one that Meng Ruji couldn’t see.

Whose father?

Disgusting whom?

Mo Li’s voice dripped with mockery:
“Come save your daddy! Your dear old father!”