Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

six years later

Inside the quiet courtyard, a crisp and powerful sound, "Pia!" seemed to vibrate through the air.

Just then, a lively and agile girl dressed in bright red suddenly swung the long whip she was holding tightly in her hand. The whip drew a beautiful arc in the air, carrying an undeniable air of power. She stood tall and proud under a large, leafy tree, her eyes blazing as she stared directly at the child in the tree who was grinning and trying to avoid punishment.

"Gu Yijing, who gave you permission to skip class? Who gave you permission to pull the old teacher's beard? Get down here right now!"

"I'm not going down! I'm not stupid. Second sister, you're so fierce, can't you learn from eldest brother? You don't show your emotions!" The little boy, not even four years old, mischievously swung his legs in the tree, a string of candied hawthorns dangling from his mouth, but his eyes sparkled with a mischievous and cunning light.

"Get down here right now! Don't think I won't come up and grab you!" With a snap, the whip struck the tree trunk. Gu Yiyao's clear and loud voice echoed around, startling several birds that were leisurely foraging nearby, which flapped their wings and flew away into the distance.

Outside the quiet pavilion, a boy carrying several books stepped in.

"Big brother, help! Second sister is going to beat me to death!" Gu Yijing, who was in the tree, cried out for help.

The eldest brother, Gu Yichen, glanced at the little girl wielding the whip in front of him, then at the monkey in the tree, and calmly said, "Jing'er, come down first."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yijing, who was in the tree, immediately seemed to have received a pardon. He nimbly climbed down the tree and stood steadily in front of Gu Yichen. At this moment, he was no longer the mischievous and unruly boy he had been before; his face was full of sincerity and remorse. "Big brother, I was wrong."

"Hmph, as soon as you see Big Brother, you put on a show of admitting your mistake. You're such a two-faced person!" Gu Yiyao snorted angrily, and swung her long whip again, creating a gust of wind that cracked crisply in the air.

Upon seeing this, Gu Yijing's face changed in fright, and he hurriedly hid behind Gu Yichen for protection.

"Brother Yijing, these are today's scrolls. You forgot to take them." A warm-looking little girl with cute braids walked into the courtyard carrying the scrolls. This was Zhi Ning from the Chengfeng family, whose name was given by Gu Ruoxiao, just like Xi Heng from the Chiwu family.

Gu Yijing didn't dare to move under her older brother's stern gaze. Gu Yichen took the test paper from the little girl's hand and smiled, "Thank you, little sister Zhi Ning."

"You're welcome," Zhi Ning said with a childlike laugh.

“Little sister Zhi Ning, Aunt Zhu Ling asked me to take you to the kitchen.” Xi Heng from the Chi Wu family stepped into the courtyard. “Brother Yi Chen, Sister Yi Yao, and Brother Yi Jing, you’re all here. I’ve come to take Zhi Ning.”

Gu Yichen nodded at him.

"Let's go, little sister." Xi Heng took Zhi Ning's hand and walked outside.

"Jing'er, come with me to apologize to Master Chen," Gu Yichen said calmly.

"Big brother, can we reschedule for another day?" Gu Yijing asked nervously.

"What do you think?" Gu Yichen asked expressionlessly.

"I remember now, this candied hawthorn is for Sister Zhi Ning." Gu Yijing looked at the candied hawthorn in his hand and had an idea. He took off running outside, calling out, "Sister Zhi Ning, here's your candied hawthorn!"

"Gu Yijing, you ran away again!" Gu Yiyao's clear voice was somewhat urgent. The whip in her hand drew a beautiful arc in the air as she chased after him.

Gu Yichen rubbed his forehead helplessly, sighed softly, his eyes filled with both doting and resignation. He could only follow behind; since his parents didn't care, his eldest brother, being like a father to him, had to take care of things.

As the children's figures gradually disappeared into the distance, the Jingxuan Courtyard returned to its usual tranquility, broken only by the occasional chirping of birds.

Yun Chu, standing by the window, witnessed this scene and couldn't help but smile slightly.

The person behind her put their arms around her waist and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"Is this what bloodline suppression is?" Yun Chu asked with a smile, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and teasing.

"Don't worry, they can't turn the tide," Gu Ruoxiao said calmly. He gently rested his chin on Yun Chu's shoulder, his voice low and firm.

"Tell me, how come Jing'er is so naughty? She's even more mischievous than Yao'er. And Chen'er, he's only six years old, but he's already like a little adult, always with a stern face, never showing his anger, just like you were before," Yun Chu complained.

"No way, I'm very gentle," Gu Ruoxiao's defense came from beside him.

"Don't try to deny it. You were quite fierce before I knew you, not just in this life, but in my past life too."

"How can you bring up old grievances, Madam? We agreed not to." Gu Ruoxiao gently pinched Yun Chu's waist. Although Yun Chu was already a mother of three, her waist was still slender and soft, making Gu Ruoxiao's heart flutter.

"Hmph, what, you don't admit it?" Yun Chu said angrily.

"I admit it, I admit it," Gu Ruoxiao surrendered.

"Yun Chu, I told you before that I would take you out for a walk. Didn't you yearn for the freedom of the martial world? Now it's time to put that on the agenda, right?" Gu Ruoxiao asked gently, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"But..." Yun Chu's eyes flickered slightly, a complex expression appearing on her face. She hesitated, reluctant to part with her child.

Gu Ruoxiao sighed softly, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes, but she quickly replaced it with a determined look.

"Stop with the 'buts,' it's always the 'buts,' you always use this excuse to brush me off. It's been six years. Don't just focus all your attention on the kids, give me some too, look at me too." His words carried a hint of vying for attention, yet also revealed a deep longing and grievance.

Yun Chu couldn't help but smile. Listening to his words, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

“That’s settled then. We’ll leave in a few days after Xuan’er’s fourth birthday.” Gu Ruoxiao shook Yun Chu.

"Okay." She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with tenderness and a smile. She also wanted to spend some time alone with him.

Yun Chu leaned against Gu Ruoxiao, looking at the scenery outside the window. As she looked, she noticed that the hand that had been holding her was starting to wander. She gently patted his hand, "If you keep messing around, we won't be able to get out again."

“I’ll be careful,” he said.

Yun Chu remained unmoved and didn't want to pay him any attention; it was only just getting dark, and the night was still long.

"I'm hungry." A whisper came from beside her ear, but Yun Chu suppressed a smile and remained calm.

Gu Ruoxiao steeled her heart and picked the person up in her arms.

Yun Chu exclaimed and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Gu Ruoxiao!"

"I'm here!" He smiled and carried the person to the bed, whereupon the curtains fell.

Gu Ruoxiao thought that he could only be devoted to Yun Chu for the rest of his life. Even after so many years, he had grown to love her more and more. If it weren't for the concern that he didn't want her to get pregnant again and go through another brush with death, he wouldn't have wanted to restrain himself. He wanted it to continue forever.