Not following the expected path? Reborn and unexpectedly married to a demon.

Chu Songyuan, who was furious at first, gradually calmed down because of these words.

"It's not enough that the Jin family is suppressing the Chu family; you've even gone so far as to involve Wang Youshi and Xiao Yuanyi. I truly underestimated you. But do you know that the Canal Gang and those two have always been at odds? What will you do if I send this news to the Jin family?"

Chu Luo really didn't know about this.

Chu Yinmei then spoke up, "You're just a lowly concubine's daughter. How could you possibly get involved with those two without your looks? If this gets back to Jin Wuchen, I bet he'll skin you alive."

"You can try it and see if he treats me like that."

Chu Luo appeared confident, but she was unsure of herself. However, if she wanted to protect her mother, she couldn't let anyone see that she was guilty.

"What exactly do you want?" Chu Songyuan asked.

Without hesitation, Chu Luo said, "Take my mother away from the Chu family."

"No!" Chu Songyuan, his wife Chu Yinmei, and the other two, each with their own ulterior motives, surprisingly spoke in unison.

After the three finished speaking, Chu Luoniang surprisingly also said, "I'm not leaving."

She could argue with those three no matter what they said, but her mother didn't want to leave either. What was there to miss about this place?

Chu Luo's courage waned considerably. She couldn't understand why her mother was still reluctant to leave this place that devoured people without spitting out their bones.

"Mother, what did you say? Say it again!" Chu Luo turned her head in disbelief to look at her mother who was protecting her behind her.

"I told you I'd stay with the Chu family and not go anywhere else. Your father didn't sell me; he just took me out to play. You've misunderstood."

"Mother, are you talking nonsense? What is there in the Chu family that you are attached to?" Chu Luo could no longer control her emotions and asked her mother loudly.

"Your father will treat me well from now on. Go back to the Jin family and live your life well."

Chu Luo's tears flowed uncontrollably. "It's very good, very good."

She could fight against all injustice for her mother, but her mother herself stood on the opposite side.

"A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. Listen to me and go back to your own home. You don't need to worry about me here. I'll be fine," Chu Luo Niang said with tears in her eyes, trying to persuade her to let things go and not make a fuss anymore.

Chu Luo's mother's repeated attempts to hold onto hope for Chu Songyuan utterly disappointed Chu Luo. She felt pity for her mother's lack of ambition and anger at her mother's misfortune. "Fine, I'm leaving."

She ran out of the hall as fast as she could, tears streaming down her face. Being beaten and scolded was nothing compared to her mother's words that made her feel worse.

As she was about to leave the Chu family's gate, she stopped again, turning her back to them as a warning.

"I can't stop her from staying if she wants to, but like I said, if you dare to make her suffer, I won't let you suffer either. I don't care about being struck by lightning."

Chu Luo ran quickly down the street, trying to find a quiet place where no one was around.

Everything she did seemed like a joke; her mother so easily forgave the person who wanted to sell her, and still couldn't bear to leave this place that had tormented her for so many years.

The sky was overcast, and the sun, which had just risen, was covered by dark clouds. Suddenly, large raindrops began to fall.

Chu Luo walked slowly in the heavy rain. At this moment, the rain seemed to fall not from the sky, but more like it was falling into her heart.

Soon an umbrella was placed over her head, and when she looked up, she saw it was Wen Feng.

"I want to get some rain and be alone," Chu Luo said softly.

After understanding her meaning from her lip movements, Wen Feng vanished in a flash, quietly protecting her from the shadows.

Chu Luo walked aimlessly forward, the torrential rain making it difficult for her to walk.

She walked to the riverbank, stopped, and silently watched the rising waters.

The wind and rain were heavy, and there were few people on the road. A group of people wearing raincoats and straw hats rode past on horseback, which was particularly eye-catching.

Upon seeing the people by the river, the leader suddenly reined in his horse, told the others to turn around first, and then headed towards the river.

The man on the tall horse was Jin Wuchen, returning from an errand. The woman by the river looked a lot like Chu Luo.

When Jin Wuchen got closer, he realized he hadn't mistaken her; the heartbroken person was indeed Chu Luo.

He couldn't understand how Chu Luo had become so hopeless and suicidal after only a few days away.

He immediately stood not far behind Chu Luo, quietly watching her until Chu Luo opened her arms and took a step forward, blown by the wind. Only then did he spur his horse and fly to Chu Luo's side, grabbing her hand.

Chu Luo looked up at the person who had pulled her back, and it was Jin Wuchen. "You're back?"

Jin Wuchen frowned when he saw the red and swollen handprint on her face and her eyes, which were red from crying. "Were you bullied? Fight back whoever hit you. Coming here looking for trouble, you're really something."

"Who's upset? I just came to see how the river is rising," Chu Luo pushed him away. She wasn't as fragile as he made her out to be.

"With such a strong wind and rain, what difference would it make if you stood by the river? It's no different from someone who's contemplating suicide. The wind doesn't care whether you want to be blown away or not. Go home."

Jin Wuchen lifted Chu Luo onto his horse, pulled her into his arms, and wrapped the small girl in a large raincoat.

Leaning against Jin Wuchen, Chu Luo noticed that despite the heavy rain, she was soaked to the bone, while Jin Wuchen's clothes under his raincoat were completely dry.

Afraid of getting his clothes wet with her wetness, she moved a little closer to him.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Jin Wuchen asked twice because of the heavy rain, but Chu Luo didn't hear him clearly. He then slowed down the horse's speed and asked her again.

Chu Luo said what was on her mind: "I'm soaked but I'm not afraid of the rain. Your clothes are still dry, and you'll feel uncomfortable if they get wet."

Jin Wuchen wanted to say that he knew it was uncomfortable to have wet clothes, so why did she stay out in the rain and get soaked? But then he thought that she was in a bad mood, so there was no point in saying anything more. He just reached out and pulled her back into his arms.

Chu Luo tried to break free several times, but without exception, he pressed her back down with his large hand.

The warmth in his arms gradually relaxed her tense nerves. Once she relaxed, she was exhausted and powerless to struggle anymore, so she obediently sat against him without making any other movements.

Exhausted and chilled from being in the rain for so long, Chu Luo grew increasingly sleepy and slumped softly into Jin Wuchen's arms, drifting off to sleep.

Jin Wuchen noticed something was wrong and stopped his horse to check on her.

She was getting hotter and hotter, like a little furnace.

Jin Wuchen dried his hands on his clothes and touched her forehead, which felt like red-hot iron.

"Today will be the day when the river's water level is at its lowest," Chu Luo repeated.

"Why?"

Jin Wuchen asked, and although it was nonsense, he still listened very carefully. He asked so that she wouldn't fall into a deep sleep and would stay conscious. He didn't expect to get an answer from her at all.

But Chu Luo replied, "This heavy rain will last for eight days. The southern part of the river by the Cao Bang will also encounter a water monster due to the torrential rain. The Lilan Dam will breach its banks, and the floodwaters will change course, causing widespread flooding downstream."

Jin Wuchen pondered her words. If the rain continued for eight days, it was not impossible for the dam to break. But why would it be the newly built Lilan Dam?

And how could a water monster have appeared in this river due to the torrential rain? Jin Wuchen neither took her words seriously nor completely dismissed them as nonsense. "How did you know?"

"I saw it in my dream," Chu Luo answered him dazedly, like a good student who would answer any question a teacher asked.

The rain was heavy, and the Jin family's house, which he could usually reach quickly, took him quite a while to get there because of his frequent stops and starts.

At the entrance of the Jin family home, Xingzhu, Granny Jin, and Steward Sun were already there waiting for him to return home.

When they saw Jin Wuchen return, they wanted to go up to greet him with umbrellas, but he rode his horse up the stairs and entered the gate.

Everyone's hearts were lifted.

Jin Wuchen rarely rode his horse so freely into the gate, unless he was seriously injured and his horse carried him in.

After the servant took the reins of the horse, Jin Wuchen, unusually, took off his rain-soaked raincoat on the horse and took a fox fur cloak to cover his chest.

They then discovered that their young master had brought a woman home this time, which was unprecedented. Although they couldn't see her face clearly, judging from her figure, she must be a beauty.

Xingzhu immediately felt angry for the young mistress. Her young master was going too far. In the past, his philandering was always outside, but this time he actually brought a woman home openly.

"Xingzhu, have someone prepare hot water and send it to the young mistress's room," Jin Wuchen instructed Xingzhu, holding the person in his arms.

Xingzhu was shocked to hear this. Not only did he bring people back, but he also ordered hot water to be delivered to the young mistress's room. Did he want to take a bath with her in the young mistress's room?