Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

The old lady touched Ye Xingchen's face and pulled her to sit on the bed. "Come on, it's comfortable in bed." Ye Xingchen then snuggled into her grandmother's quilt, just like when she was a child.

The old lady took a box out of the bedside table and handed it to him.

"Grandma?" Ye Xingchen asked, puzzled.

"You've come back to get this, haven't you?" the old lady said kindly, opening the box. "Besides, this should be returned to you."

Ye Xingchen looked at the parchment scroll in the box, unsure of what to say.

"Child, don't be afraid. Do whatever you want to do. Xiyan Mountain will always be your support." The old lady patted her hand.

"Alright, go out and have some fun. Take your friends to see the night view of Xiyan Mountain. You had a good time this afternoon and drank too much, so you want to take a nap now," the old lady said with a smile.

Ye Xingchen got up, tucked the blanket around the old lady, and then left.

After stepping outside, Ye Xingchen looked up. Not far away, Gu Ruoxiao was leaning against a pillar, looking over. Their eyes met, but neither of them said a word.

Now that it's dark, the lanterns in front of each house are lit. Perhaps because they ate too late in the afternoon and drank some wine, most of them are still asleep. Although it's quiet, you can feel the warmth of home and the warmth of family life.

Seeing such a heartwarming scene, Ye Xingchen suddenly felt a pang of fear. She remembered her past life, when she had gone up the mountain alone to retrieve the sheepskin scroll and returned the next day. Upon returning to the capital, she heard that a raging fire had engulfed Xiyan Mountain, and everyone had perished in the flames. Now, she wasn't alone; Gu Ruoxiao was with her. Did that mean she couldn't come down the mountain tomorrow morning? Yes, she had to leave immediately.

Thinking of this, she ran to Gu Ruoxiao, grabbed his arm and said, "Gu Ruoxiao, let's go down the mountain now."

Gu Ruoxiao looked at Ye Xingchen, and although she had some doubts, she did not ask. "Okay."

Ye Xingchen quickly called over Little Dot, and without disturbing the other relatives, asked Little Dot to lead them along the vine-covered path behind the mountain.

At the crossroads of parting, Little Dot's spirits sank. "Sister Yun Chu, will you come back?"

"Yes, next time I come, I'll bring you the best candies and pastries from the capital." Ye Xingchen patted his head.

"Alright then." The little guy was still not happy. He turned to Gu Ruoxiao and said, "Brother-in-law, you have to take good care of Sister Yun Chu, or I'll beat you up." He even waved the weapon in his hand as he spoke.

Ye Xingchen looked surprised, then suddenly heard the person next to her laugh and reply, "Okay."

She shook her head, not dwelling on it, and said, "Little one, take good care of Grandma and everyone else."

The little one nodded vigorously.

The connecting corridor descended, and the two of them slowly climbed down the mountain along the path they had taken to get there.

Reaching the foot of the mountain, Ye Xingchen emerged from the vines and hurriedly searched for the horses that had been tethered there earlier that day, but unfortunately, he couldn't find them at all; there wasn't even a trace of them.

Gu Ruoxiao whistled, and a fine horse with a white cloud mark on its forehead galloped towards them from afar—his beloved horse.

He mounted his horse and extended his hand to Ye Xingchen, "Aren't you in a hurry to go down the mountain?"

Yes, we have to leave here immediately. Without saying a word, Ye Xingchen mounted her horse. At this moment, she was anxious and uneasy, completely unaware of the look Gu Ruoxiao was giving her from behind.

The horse galloped swiftly through the darkness and finally arrived at the inn. After checking in, she tossed and turned on the guest bed, feeling uneasy. She got up and opened the window, wanting some fresh air. There was no moon tonight, and the night grew even darker.

Ye Xingchen saw someone leading a horse at the gate of the post station, mounting it, and galloping away. A sudden flash of inspiration struck her—that person? That person! Ye Xingchen remembered; it was the person who had met her when she returned from Xiyan Mountain in her past life. The direction he was heading was towards Xiyan Mountain.

Ye Xingchen rushed out the door and arrived at the stable, where there was only Gu Ruoxiao's horse. She tried to pull it for a long time without success; the horse remained unmoved. Ye Xingchen turned and went upstairs, knocking urgently on Gu Ruoxiao's door.

Gu Ruoxiao opened the door while buttoning her clothes, and Ye Xingchen rushed over, "Let's go! Let's go! We're going to Xiyan Mountain!"

Although surprised by her actions, Gu Ruoxiao said nothing and led her towards Xiyan Mountain.

They saw the firelight when they were still far from Xiyan Mountain. This sight made both of them anxious.

As they drew closer, the flames grew larger, engulfing the entire mountainside in flames. "Hurry, hurry!" Ye Xingchen cried out.

Flames soared into the sky, illuminating half the heavens and lending an eerie touch to the deep night. In the firelight, the mountain shadows twisted, like a colossal beast awakened, roaring in the darkness and unleashing boundless destructive power. Thick smoke billowed upwards, mingling with the night to create a bizarre and tragic scene. The smoke, deep black and impenetrable, seemed like a messenger of the night, announcing the arrival of disaster. The wind swept in all directions, pushing the fire to even more distant corners. The trees, licked by the flames, crackled and popped, like a natural lament echoing through the silent valley.

The fire spread so fiercely that it inevitably aroused doubt and fear.

This wildfire was not a natural disaster, but a man-made one. When they reached the foot of the mountain, a group of people were setting fire to the mountain. When they saw them coming, they tried to stop them. Gu Ruoxiao fought with them, and Ye Xingchen took advantage of the chaos to run towards the vines on the side of the mountain.

Fortunately, Chiwu arrived in time to meet them. Gu Ruoxiao threw down a sentence, "Take them alive!" and ran towards Ye Xingchen's direction.

The vines in front of him were all engulfed in flames, with flames shooting into the sky. Ye Xingchen even seemed to hear the cries of his relatives on the mountain.

A wave of heat rolled in, threatening to ignite the air itself, making it impossible to get even a fraction closer. But at that moment, Ye Xingchen had only one thought: she would rush into the sea of ​​fire, she would climb to the top!

The next second, Gu Ruoxiao stopped her, "You can't go over there, the fire is too big!"

"Let me go! Let me go!" she cried.

"The fire is too big, it's too late." Gu Ruoxiao desperately tried to stop them.

"Let me go, let me go! I need to save them! Grandma is waiting for me!" Her cries were filled with helplessness and despair.

"Yun Chu! It's too late, you can't save them!" Gu Ruoxiao roared.

Ye Xingchen looked up at him, "I can't save them? I can't save them anymore." She collapsed to the ground, muttering to herself, while flames roared and raged not far away.

"It's me, it's my fault. I couldn't save them in my past life, and I can't save them in this one either. It's me, if it weren't for me, they wouldn't have died. I knew they would die, but I still couldn't save them this time. I thought I could change fate, things are clearly different now, why? Why!"

A wave of self-reproach washed over Ye Xingchen, engulfing her. She felt as if bound by invisible chains, unable to break free, each breath feeling like a thousand-pound burden. "Pfft!" Overwhelmed by grief, Ye Xingchen coughed up a mouthful of blood and immediately fainted. In her last moments, she heard someone calling her name, Yun Chu! Yun Chu! Was it Grandma and the others calling me? Ye Xingchen wondered.