As the sun descended, Meng Ruji spotted a clearing by the roadside and ordered Tuzi to stop. They would camp here for the night.
She surveyed the nearby forest and turned to Ye Chuan. "We're running low on flatbread. How about we forage for wild potatoes and fruit? My throat is parched from eating bread for days."
"There's a small pond nearby. I can make a fishing rod and catch fish."
"Perfect."
Tuzi finished organizing their supplies and settled beside Mu Sui, muttering: "They act like an old married couple raising children together."
Mu Sui glanced at him, then stood without a word. He picked up a slender branch, walked directly between Ye Chuan and Meng Ruji, and held it out to Ye Chuan. "Fishing rod. You go. Meng Ruji and I will gather in the forest."
Meng Ruji watched with obvious amusement. He's jealous of Ye Chuan again.
Ye Chuan's expression soured, but he took the branch and turned toward the forest.
"Let's go," Mu Sui said.
The moment the words left his mouth, Miaomiao unleashed a piercing scream.
"No!"
She jolted upright and lunged at Ye Chuan with such force she tackled him to the ground. The branch snapped beneath them. Splintered wood pierced his palm, drawing blood—and the scent seemed to shatter what remained of Miaomiao's fragile control.
She seized him by his robes, screaming: "Give me back his heart! Give me back his heart!"
Ye Chuan bore the pain. "Miss Miaomiao, please, get up first!"
Meng Ruji stepped forward and withdrew two copper coins from Miaomiao's pouch. She pressed them against the back of the girl's neck—not hard enough to cause unconsciousness, but enough to freeze her in place like a statue.
Ye Chuan scrambled out from beneath her.
Meng Ruji checked his hand. "Surface wound?"
"Nothing serious," Ye Chuan confirmed.
Meng Ruji crouched before Miaomiao, whose face was streaked with tears, whose entire body trembled. She smoothed the girl's hair gently. "Doesn't Miaomiao want to go back with me to get married? Have you forgotten?"
Miaomiao's terror flickered, replaced by confusion.
Meng Ruji removed one copper coin. Miaomiao's lips began to move. "Yes... getting married... with Brother Changyun..."
When her emotions stabilized, Meng Ruji released the second coin.
Miaomiao's body went limp. She stared up at Meng Ruji, trembling as she raised one finger to touch Meng Ruji's chest directly above her heart: "But... why did I see you get hurt?"
"What kind of hurt?"
"A beam of light. Thin and bright. It... took your heart. You were standing beside me, and then you fell."
Meng Ruji froze. A terrible guess took shape in her mind. "Was it... Immortal magic?"
The question seemed to unlock something. Miaomiao covered her head, her words tumbling out in fragments: "In the sky... two beams of light fighting. Magic everywhere. Houses collapsing. Alleys in chaos. People running. Brother Changyun... Brother Changyun..."
She suddenly gripped Meng Ruji's arms with surprising strength, her eyes wild, tears streaming—and they were red. Blood-colored tears traced horrifying lines down her cheeks.
"Covered in blood... you disappeared..."
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I couldn't... I couldn't marry you in the end..."
Her hands shook as she gripped tighter. "You said I'm sorry, I couldn't marry you..."
Meng Ruji remained silent, unable to speak.
In those fragmented words, she glimpsed a scene of absolute chaos: Immortals warring in the sky above, their magic indiscriminately destroying homes and lives below like children crushing an ant colony, people scattering in panic.
"You disappeared... no... you're not Brother Changyun! He disappeared! You're not him!"
Her agitation intensified, her grip tightened. Meng Ruji's brow barely furrowed before a hand reached from behind, pressing another copper coin to Miaomiao's forehead. Her eyes closed. Her body went limp. She released Meng Ruji and fell unconscious.
Mu Sui lowered his hand, glancing at Meng Ruji's arms. "Usually you retaliate against me for every offense. But now you don't know how to resist?"
"Of course I must respond seriously to your every action, husband," Meng Ruji replied flatly, turning immediately to check on Miaomiao.
Mu Sui was stunned. He coughed awkwardly and turned his head away.
Meng Ruji positioned Miaomiao more comfortably and arranged her for sleep.
"Miss Miaomiao's past is truly heartbreaking," Ye Chuan said, having picked splinters from his hand. "Those who enter the Land of No Refuge all carry such regrets..."
"What are you lamenting about?" Tuzi muttered angrily. "Isn't it just that you Immortals fighting caused innocent mortals to suffer? You talk about gods being tyrannical, but I don't see how Immortals are any better."
"We—" Ye Chuan began to defend himself, but looking at the blood tears on Miaomiao's cheeks, the words died in his throat. He glanced at Mu Sui, who was calmly adjusting his clothes as though none of this concerned him. Embarrassed, Ye Chuan fell silent.
"We still need to eat," Meng Ruji said, breaking the tension. She beckoned Tuzi. "We're foraging. Watch her carefully. If anything happens..." She smiled coldly. "Well, your city lord brother has already warned you about tongue-cutting."
Tuzi pressed his lips together fearfully, muttering "bad woman," but obediently settled beside Miaomiao.
"Same arrangement as before," Meng Ruji called to Ye Chuan and Mu Sui, heading toward the forest.
Once they'd split up, Ye Chuan fashioned another fishing rod and headed to the pond. Meng Ruji and Mu Sui worked nimbly, gathering fruit and digging wild potatoes as darkness fell.
As the light dimmed, Mu Sui moved to join Meng Ruji at the fruit tree. He'd barely reached her when—
A grief-stricken roar split the night: "Kidnapping! Kidnapping!"
Meng Ruji and Mu Sui exchanged one look. Without hesitation, she jumped from the tree and ran like wind. Mu Sui followed.
When they reached the camp, they found Tuzi bound to a tree, his mouth gagged, making only muffled sounds. Miaomiao was gone.
Meng Ruji yanked the cloth from Tuzi's mouth. "Where is she?"
"Three bandits! They knew magic! They took her northeast! They just left—they used money magic and flew fast!"
Meng Ruji's expression darkened. She let out a cold laugh.
Mu Sui picked up a copper coin from the ground, glancing at Meng Ruji. "The one I used earlier. No one noticed it fell."
Meng Ruji took the coin and stared toward the northeast. "I'd like to see which fool dares steal my employer."
She broke the copper coin in half and gave one piece to Mu Sui. "Not much power split this way, but equal distribution. Don't slow me down."
Mu Sui held his half, then grasped her hand. "Raise your half to match mine."
Meng Ruji complied.
He chanted an incantation. The broken coin flashed with bronze light. Wind rose beneath their feet.
"Not bad," Meng Ruji remarked. "You've accomplished much with small amounts of money these years in the Land of No Refuge. Qianshan Jun has recovered well."
Mu Sui glanced at her. "Fortunate to have my wife's favor."
In the next instant, they rode the wind northeast, leaving Tuzi shouting behind: "Untie me first!"
Ye Chuan came running from the forest moments later, breathless, carrying fresh fish. "What happened?"
"Untie me and I'll explain..."
By the time Tuzi and Ye Chuan, both gasping for breath, caught up to them, the matter was already resolved.
Three bandits knelt in a circle, each slapping the others in turn, their faces bruised and battered. As they slapped, they cursed: "You're worthless!"
The rhythm continued: slap, slap, slap.
Mu Sui stood with arms crossed, supervising coldly, ensuring they never stopped.
On the other side, Meng Ruji guarded Miaomiao—who rested safely under a tree—while her hands worked methodically, counting through the girl's purse to ensure nothing was missing. Satisfied, she returned it.
"Enough," Meng Ruji called to the bandits.
Already dizzy from their self-inflicted punishment, they hit each other a few more times before stopping, looking pathetically at Meng Ruji: "Sister, have you calmed down?"
"Mm," she replied indifferently.
They turned hopefully to Mu Sui. "Big brother? Maybe you could—"
Mu Sui's cold stare silenced them immediately.
Tuzi arrived, fury radiating from him, ready to scold them—until Mu Sui's glance sent him and Ye Chuan scurrying aside. "Let's grill the fish," Tuzi muttered to Ye Chuan. "After that run, they're starting to smell."
Ye Chuan obliged, setting up a fire to cook.
"Let them go," Meng Ruji said, weighing the compensation the bandits had offered. "Their sincerity is sufficient."
The three bandits nodded frantically.
Mu Sui paused, then spoke: "Answer my questions first."
"Yes, yes! Anything!"
"This place is within fifty li of Zhuliu City. Theft and robbery here are forbidden. Didn't you know?"
Meng Ruji raised an eyebrow, surprised. So Zhuliu City has such enforcement? No wonder Tuzi was so furious.
The bandits' faces fell. "We know, but desperation drove us. We used to make honest livings in Zhuliu City, moving goods for others. But a few days ago, the city issued a sudden order requiring everyone to hand over all their earnings. We couldn't accept that, so we fled..."
Meng Ruji's eyes narrowed. She glanced at Mu Sui, thinking he must have secretly sent orders to squeeze the people—typical of his business methods. But she found his brow furrowed in genuine confusion.
Interesting. He doesn't know.
"Who issued this order?" Mu Sui asked.
"Zhuliu City's new master."
The words hung in the air.
New master. Meng Ruji's amusement froze on her face.
"What did you say?" Meng Ruji grabbed the bandit's collar. "What kind of thing came to Zhuliu City?"
The bandit trembled. "New... new master..."
Meng Ruji released him and turned to Mu Sui. His expression had gone grave. He turned to look at Tuzi, who sat by the fire, completely stunned—his rabbit eyes wide, mouth agape, unable to process anything.
Mu Sui turned back to the bandits. "Who is this new master?"
The three exchanged glances, struggling to piece together what they knew. "He came suddenly. He claimed to have taken the Golden Staff from Chiying Hall. His orders came suddenly too. We fled that same night and don't know his name. We only know he wasn't from Zhuliu City before. We'd remember the former elders and guardians. This one is a newcomer."
Newcomer.
Mu Sui's eyes lowered slightly as he processed this. Zhuliu City never lacks for turmoil. In just days, before my return, a grand gift awaits.
Meng Ruji's eyes also lowered as her own thought crystallized:
In the Land of No Refuge, how exactly does one file for divorce? This is quite urgent.
Meng Ruji's final thought: Husband and wife are like birds in the same forest—when disaster strikes, they fly their separate ways. Goodbye, husband.
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