Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

That night, Tug dined in the princess's palace. Sitting at the table, he gently stirred the white rice in his bowl with his chopsticks, looking sullen and restless. Even his favorite dishes held no appeal for him. The princess observed this and understood.

"Are you really gone?" the princess asked.

Tug nodded and put down his chopsticks.

"What a pity." The princess sighed and reached out to ladle a bowl of soup for Tug and place it in front of him.

"Sister Wang, you heard everything?"

The princess nodded.

“Rather than make her resentful, it’s better to do as she wishes. Besides, what she said is true. I have to admit that the throne of the Northern Region is indeed more important than her,” Tug sighed.

"Such an open-minded and insightful woman, it seems we were destined to be apart," the princess sighed.

When Yun Chu left the palace, she saw Gu Ruoxiao standing next to her carriage.

Yun Chu sighed. Knowing martial arts is truly remarkable; his speed is so fast.

"I need to go to Yihe Pavilion, but there are no more carriages available," Gu Ruoxiao explained.

Mo Han thought to himself, "Such a lame excuse."

Yun Chu looked up and saw that besides the two of them, only Mo Han was left, who was Gu Ruoxiao's subordinate. Oh well, she would just hitch a ride with him since it was on the way.

Yun Chu tacitly allowed him to get into the car.

The carriage was extremely quiet throughout the journey; the only sound was the two people breathing.

"You and the Second Prince..." Gu Ruoxiao broke the silence.

Yun Chu looked up, but couldn't see the expression on his face in the dimly lit carriage.

"I'm here to discuss with the Northern Region the joint effort to combat Dongchi." He didn't continue with the previous question, but instead changed the subject.

"Then I wish Your Highness all the best," Yun Chu said politely yet distantly.

The carriage stopped. "Miss, we've arrived," Mo Han's voice came from outside the carriage.

"What is your relationship with the Second Prince?" he finally asked.

"He and I are friends." After Yun Chu finished speaking, she got up to get out of the car. Just as her hand touched the curtain, she heard a voice behind her.

"Are we friends then?"

Yun Chu paused, her hand gripping the carriage curtain. She closed her eyes, then opened them again, her mind clear. "I don't want to be friends with Your Highness, and please don't waste your kindness on me. I don't need it," she replied, before decisively getting out of the carriage and entering the hospital.

Only Gu Ruoxiao sat in the car for a long time.

Mo Han dared not utter a sound, but could only wink at Cheng Feng, who was hiding in the shadows, signaling him to return the carriage to the courtyard later.

The next day, after everything was packed up, Yun Chu and her group set off home. Now that the goods had been sold, there were three carriages left. One was driven by Xu Li, with Yun Chu and Mo Han accompanying them; the other two were guarded by six bodyguards, and were loaded with the special products from the Northern Region that Yun Chu had purchased. They were finally going home, and everyone was very excited.

Yun Chu sat in the carriage, lifting the curtain to look back. The ancient city seemed to be gilded with a layer of dazzling gold under the sunlight. There were righteous people here, as well as people vying for power. Everyone had their own story, and she had her own path to walk. Yesterday, she declined Tu Ge's offer to see her off. She thought she had to rely on herself to take each step carefully.

Two people stood in the shadow of the sunlight in a corner of the city gate.

"Aren't you going to see him off, sir?" Chiwu asked.

"Let's get on with our business first." Gu Ruoxiao's gaze was fixed on the distance, deep and lingering.

After traveling for several days, we stopped to rest at a teahouse. On the official road next to us, many people were turning back. We wondered what had happened ahead.

Seeing this, Liu Da hurried forward to inquire. Yun Chu stood not far away, watching Liu Da chat with various hurried passersby, wondering if anything major was happening at this moment.

Soon Liu Dabian returned. "Master, the official road ahead was blocked by landslides caused by heavy rain yesterday. It's full of rocks and mud and impassable. I heard it will take another six or seven days."

It turned out to be a natural disaster. Yun Chu thought for a moment, then realized that six or seven days was too long and asked, "Are there any other routes?"

“There are shortcuts, but they’re not necessarily safe,” Liu Da said after thinking for a moment. “In the past, there were robbers who frequented these places, but I’m not sure about now.”

Yun Chu frowned. If she delayed too long, her family would worry. "Let's take the back road," she decided.

After resting, they set off. The path was far from the main road, with towering canyons on both sides, and few people were around. Judging from the terrain, it was indeed a place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The once drowsy bodyguards now perked up, keeping their eyes and ears open, ready for anything.

Three carriages sped along the road, the wind whistling through the narrow valley, carrying a chilling wind. The sound of hooves echoed loudly in the empty canyon, and Yun Chu prayed that everything would go smoothly.

A rumbling sound followed, accompanied by the rolling of gravel. Xu Lile stopped the carriage.

Yun Chu lifted the carriage curtain and looked ahead. A barrier had been erected in the middle of the road ahead, and then several people emerged. They were wearing tattered fur coats, their weathered faces were expressionless, their skin was rough and dark from the scorching sun, and they held sharp weapons in their hands.

It seems we've encountered robbers. That's what everyone thought.

Mo Han stood in front of Yun Chu, surveyed the surroundings, and whispered, "There are too many of them, and there are falling rocks on both sides. I can only protect you and get through."

Yun Chu frowned. She looked up at the cliffs on both sides and saw that there were many boulder rolling devices installed on them. If the mechanism was pulled, those boulders would probably fall down, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

A man who appeared to be the leader stepped forward. He was in his early thirties, with dark skin and a burly build, wearing a tattered felt hat. He said, "This road is mine, these trees are mine. If you want to pass, leave your toll." Behind him, a group of henchmen were eager to move, their sharp blades reflecting the cold light in the sunlight.

The two sides remained silent and motionless.

Faced with the sudden appearance of robbers, Yun Chu was inwardly turbulent, but outwardly remained calm. She was thinking rapidly, her gaze shifting among the robbers, searching for a possible breakthrough.

"Heroes and valiant men, my family and I are returning home after visiting relatives. We do not have much money on us, so we hope you will be lenient and help us." Liu Da hurriedly stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Who is your master? Let him come out and speak!" the leader shouted.

Yun Chu lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out, standing on the carriage. Mo Han quickly stood protectively beside her.

"Gentlemen, I am new here and unfamiliar with the place. I hope you will forgive me."

"So it's just a young woman." Someone in the crowd muttered quietly.

"So you're a young lady. We don't mean to make things difficult for you; we're just after your money. Give us the money, and we'll let you pass." Seeing that it was a woman, the man actually loosened his grip slightly.

"How much do you need?" Yun Chu asked.

“There are nine of you, so let’s round it up to one hundred taels,” the other party said loudly.

"You're asking for the moon!" Xu Li said angrily.