Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

As soon as he finished speaking, the person who came in was dressed in black and lifted the curtain.

Yun Chu quickly stood up and ran to Gu Ruoxiao's side, pulling the puzzled person to the desk and pointing to the paper on the table.

Gu Ruoxiao shook her head helplessly and said, "What do you want to write?"

"Ah, I don't know." Yun Chu looked bewildered. "You figure it out."

Since returning from the pilgrimage to Xiyan Mountain, Yun Chu and Gu Ruoxiao seemed to have grown closer. Gu Ruoxiao would visit Qingfeng Courtyard for tea every few days, and Chengfeng and Chiwu had become familiar with the courtyard. Fengxing, having become acquainted with Ping'an at the Prince's Mansion, now spent every day playing together. Gu Ruoxiao seemed to tacitly approve of their current relationship, neither explicitly stating it nor explicitly revealing it. Yun Chu, of course, dared not bring it up, fearing another disappointment.

Gu Ruoxiao pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen and wrote, "May peace and good fortune shine upon you every year, and may health and prosperity come to you every year," with the horizontal inscription "Peace and Joy."

As he finished writing, a Spring Festival couplet with profound meaning and vigorous strokes appeared on the paper. Yun Chu stepped forward and carefully carried the couplet to let it dry.

"This one's done. You keep writing, I'll go put them up first. There are still several more! For the front door, the study, the bedroom!" Yun Chu instructed, then casually took the finished couplets and stepped out the door.

Outside, Yun Chu was busy directing Xu Li to put up the poster, "Higher, yes, a little to the left, no, that's the right. A little lower. Right, right, that's it."

Gu Ruoxiao stood in front of the study door and smiled as she watched Yun Chu solemnly paste up the Spring Festival couplets.

"Yun Chu," he called out.

"What's wrong?" Yun Chu waved to him. "Wait for me."

Gu Ruoxiao gestured to the bamboo chair by the courtyard and sat down there to wait for her.

"What's wrong?" Yun Chu, whose hands were covered in red from pasting the Spring Festival couplets, asked Gu Ruoxiao after washing her hands.

"I've been thinking about what happened last time. Since none of the people in your courtyard know martial arts, I've brought someone with me."

Yun Chu looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Mo Han."

Suddenly a person appeared in front of them, dressed in black and holding a sword.

Yun Chuchu was stunned when she heard the name, and then when she saw the person in front of her, she couldn't help but rush forward and hug her.

At this moment, Mo Han didn't dare to move at all. She had a look of astonishment on her face and wanted to turn to her master for help.

Yun Chu quickly realized her rudeness. She hurriedly let go of his hand. "Sorry, you look too much like a friend of mine."

Gu Ruoxiao frowned and continued, "Mo Han is a member of the secret guards, and she's a woman, which makes it easier for her to protect you."

Yun Chu smiled gratefully at Gu Ruoxiao.

"Um, Mo Han, there's a vacant room on the east side. I'll have Nan Rao take you to see it." After saying that, he called Nan Rao over and gave her instructions.

Watching Mo Han's retreating figure, Yun Chu thought, "I will never let anything happen to you again in this life. You must take good care of yourself too."

"What's wrong?" Gu Ruoxiao asked from beside her.

"Mo Han, who was by my side in my past life, was your person?" Yun Chu couldn't help but ask back.

Gu Ruoxiao shook her head in surprise, "I didn't know that a woman named Mo Han had ever appeared by your side. And she had been in the Black Rider Guard Camp since she was a child."

Well, no matter what, it's good that I can still see Mo Han in this lifetime.

"Gu Ruoxiao, thank you," Yun Chu said sincerely.

In the following days, Chengfeng and Fengxing frequently came to deliver New Year's gifts, and the storeroom in Qingfeng Courtyard was almost full. Soon, Mo Han also became familiar with everyone, but Mo Han was taciturn and didn't like to talk, always appearing cold.

Before we knew it, it was Lunar New Year's Eve. The last rays of the setting sun gradually disappeared below the horizon. Every household was brightly lit, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, filling the air with the enticing aroma of food. Bright red lanterns hung high, illuminating the doorways and casting a rosy glow on everyone's faces.

In Qingfeng Courtyard, everyone was busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. Nanrao was the head chef, and everyone else was lending a hand. Even Chengfeng and Fengxing came over pretending to help but actually just to freeload. In Ping An's words, after spending time at the Prince's Mansion, they had become enamored with Nanrao's culinary skills.

"Sister Nanrao, why are we cooking so much? Even if ten more people come, they won't be able to finish it all!" Ping An asked curiously.

"That's because you should do more during the New Year. It's called 'having abundance every year,' which is a good omen," Nan Rao explained with a smile.

As night fell, everyone sat around the dinner table. Yun Chu, Nan Rao, Zhu Ling, Ping An, Xu Li, Cheng Feng, Mo Han, and Feng Xing filled the table. The dishes on the table were steaming hot and plentiful, including fish and meat.

"Let's eat!" Yun Chu gave the order, and everyone started eating.

Suddenly, a loud "thump" was heard outside.

Yun Chu hadn't even reacted yet, but Ping An, due to the conditioned reflex from the last hostage incident, jumped up and grabbed a wooden stick from behind the door, intending to rush out, but was stopped by Feng Xing.

Feng Xing hurriedly said, "We're on the same side, we're on the same side."

Everyone looked puzzled, then pondered, "With three top-tier bodyguards here, there shouldn't be any problems, right?" Curious about what was happening outside, they all craned their necks to look towards the door.

"Thump," another sound. Everyone looked at Chengfeng, then at Fengxing, and then at Mohan.

Chengfeng sighed and called out, "Come in, everyone."

Suddenly, six people dressed in guard uniforms flashed into the room, all with their heads down, making it impossible to see their expressions.

The room fell silent, and everyone looked at Chengfeng with puzzled expressions.

"Tell me about it." Chengfeng tapped his fingers on the table.

"It's all Zhuliu's fault. I hadn't even gotten my footing when he threw the sack in," a voice came from the crowd.

"How can you blame me? It's because you're not skilled enough. Go back and practice twenty more times," someone retorted.

"What?" Ping An asked, puzzled. He ran out of the dining hall and into the courtyard, then quickly ran back. "Miss, there are several sacks piled up in the courtyard, full of sweet potatoes, corn, vegetables and the like."

Yun Chu looked bewildered.

“They’re just here to freeload, just like them,” Mo Han suddenly said, pointing at Chengfeng and Fengxing, earning him eye rolls from the two of them.

"But won't you go back to be with your family and relatives on New Year's Eve?" Zhu Ling asked, puzzled.

“Our Black Riders and Dark Guards are thirty-six men working in three shifts. These are all resting today. Those with relatives have already gone home, and the rest are all alone,” Feng Xing explained. “Like Brother Chengfeng, he was supposed to accompany the master to the palace to celebrate the New Year because he lost the lottery. If he hadn’t pestered Brother Chiwu to switch shifts, he definitely wouldn’t be here right now.” As Feng Xing spoke, he let Chengfeng slip a secret, which earned him a kick in return.

"I see," Yun Chu thought for a moment, "Then let's all stay and celebrate the festival. Fortunately, Nan Rao made a lot, enough to eat."

So everyone helped set up the tables and serve the dishes. The small dining room was packed with people, making it a very warm and welcoming place.

Everyone kept praising how delicious the dishes were, making Nan Rao blush. She quickly said, "It's all thanks to Miss's excellent teaching." This drew a burst of laughter.

After a hearty meal, it was already past midnight. Everyone helped clean up the dishes, and then gathered in the dining room to warm themselves by the fire, eating oranges and chatting. Ping An had already become familiar with them, and was now pestering the guards to tell them about his travels all over the country, occasionally eliciting gasps of surprise when he mentioned the thrilling parts.

Suddenly, silence fell. The guards exchanged glances, rose, and vanished through the door. Everyone looked on in confusion at the three skilled guards who remained.

Unable to bear the sight of five pairs of eyes focused on him, Feng Xing spoke up, "It's Master who's here."

A knock came from the courtyard gate.