Chapter 11: Kind Fate

Indeed, loose lips sink ships. Just as Wei Zijun was regretting her talkativeness, she saw the man pull out a dark-colored silk pouch and toss it toward her.

Wei Zijun subconsciously reached out and caught it; it was heavy. "For me?"

She didn't need to open it to guess what was inside.

The man waved his hand. "I am a man on the verge of death; keeping it is useless. If I don't give it to you, I don't know who might pick it up later, so I might as well give it to you. There is a small village five miles ahead. Tomorrow, go buy a donkey, some new cotton-padded clothes, and some dry rations. Use the rest for your future."

Wei Zijun felt deeply comforted. Fortunately, she hadn't just walked away; if she had, she would have missed the chance to save a kind-hearted person.

Just as she was about to return the pouch, she saw the man frown again. "No, that won't do," he muttered to himself.

"The world is too chaotic. A female beggar like you shouldn't show off wealth. That wouldn't just fail to help you; it might even cost you your life," he added.

Wei Zijun smiled upon hearing this. She knew this better than anyone; it wasn't just hearsay, she had seen it with her own eyes more than once.

It wasn't just that a beggar showing wealth would get killed; even having a little extra food on one's person could lead to death.

It sounded exaggerated, but such things had truly happened.

To her, what was truly exaggerated was that in some places during famines, victims would eat the corpses of their own family members.

Whether that was true or not, she couldn't be sure, but when people are starving, it is truly, truly unbearable.

When she was at her hungriest, she had peeled bark from trees and eaten mountain plants. That was only because she understood herbs and knew which ones were edible.

"So, thank you for your kindness, but I'll return this to you," Wei Zijun said as she tossed the pouch back to him.

"Forget it, forget it. The poison only flares up once a day. I'll escort you to Xuzhou. I've killed people my whole life; if I can help one person before I die, I don't expect it to lessen my sins, and I'm not afraid of going to hell. I just think you're a good person.

That’s settled. Get some rest early, and we’ll set off tomorrow morning." The man wasn't consulting Wei Zijun; he had made the decision himself.

Seeing her looking at him, the man regained his focus. "Of course, if you don't want to, forget it. Just pretend I said nothing. Also, you don't need to be afraid because of what I just said. I have killed countless people, but they were all unforgivable, wicked people who deserved to die.

Under my blade, there has never been an innocent soul."

After saying this, the man's eyes, which had just brightened, dimmed once more.

What did it matter if he didn't kill the innocent? He still ended up in such a tragic state!

"No, I'm not afraid. Since you aren't bothered by the trouble of escorting me, it’s exactly what I was hoping for. I’ll be in your care," Wei Zijun said quickly, rising to give him a formal bow.

Sure enough, once the man heard this, he immediately brightened up again, urging her repeatedly, "Then sleep inside; it's warmer. Don't be afraid of anything; I'm here."

Following the direction of his finger, she saw the altar table. The cloth curtain on it was of good quality—very old, but still sturdy—and the lotus pattern embroidered on it was still vivid.

Wei Zijun didn't stand on ceremony. She stepped forward and lifted the curtain, only to see that a straw mat was laid out under the altar table. She turned back, wanting to ask why he didn't sleep there since it was warm.

"A man of my size would feel cramped sleeping inside," the man said with a smile, as if guessing her confusion.

Pfft, Wei Zijun laughed too. She crawled in, took a tattered blanket from her bundle to cover herself, and used the bundle as a pillow.

"Thank you for not leaving, and thank you for bandaging me," a voice came from outside the altar table after a long while.

The voice wasn't loud, but in the silence of the temple at night, Wei Zijun heard it clearly. She could even hear the deep emotion contained in his tone.

Yes, her actions were, to him, also a kindness from a stranger.

"It was just a small favor," Wei Zijun replied simply.

The person outside said nothing more. She closed her eyes to rest, expecting that she would struggle to fall asleep as usual, but to her surprise, she drifted off into a dream very quickly.

In her dream, she saw Lu Huai wearing a bright red wedding robe, riding a tall horse to fetch his bride.

She followed the wedding procession with her heavily pregnant belly, crying out, "Brother Huai," from behind.

She woke up crying in the middle of the night, realizing it was just a dream, but the tears on her face were real. She couldn't fall back asleep, so she just lay inside the altar table. Even if she couldn't sleep, she had to rest well; she couldn't afford to be too exhausted.

Why did she have such a dream? Didn't they say that what you think about during the day appears in your dreams at night? All she wanted now was to carry her child safely to Xuzhou, find a place to settle down, and prepare to be a mother.

Although she did think of Lu Huai, it was only out of concern for his safety, wondering if he was safe.

Had she really never thought about him marrying someone else? How could she have such a dream?

Even though she knew that if she were to learn one day that he had truly married another, she would feel uncomfortable and sad, she felt she could bear that result.

After all, she had told him back then that the vows they made on their wedding night were only valid within the Soul-Severing Valley; once they left the valley, the vows would no longer count.

Therefore, if he married someone else, it wouldn't mean he had failed to keep his promise or broken his vows.

As for herself, she couldn't guarantee whether she would remarry in the future.

Years later, especially after learning he had truly started a family, perhaps she would let him go and consider remarrying if she truly met a good man!

If she still couldn't let him go, there was nothing wrong with never marrying again.

Although she hadn't truly grown old with him, she was already very content. Meeting him in this life, becoming husband and wife, and having a child—this was already a blessing from the heavens.

One shouldn't be too greedy or insatiable!

Lost in these wandering thoughts, she didn't know how much time had passed. Seeing light through the gap in the altar curtain, she realized it was already dawn.

She quickly crawled out and saw that the charcoal fire in front of the altar was still burning brightly. Guessing that the man had kept watch over the fire all night, she felt a warmth in her heart. She put the tattered blanket back into her bundle and stretched her arms and legs, just as the man walked in from outside.

"You're awake. Get ready, and we'll set off." The man stomped the snow off his feet, and while speaking, he went to the straw pile to rummage around, pulling out a bundle of his own.

Wei Zijun knew what he meant by "get ready." She hurried outside to the nearby bushes to relieve herself, then wiped her hands with snow.

She suddenly remembered the two steamed buns and handed one to him. He didn't refuse; he took it and, imitating her, toasted it by the charcoal fire before eating.

"Make do with this for now. We'll be able to eat something good once we reach that village," the man said.

"As long as I can fill my stomach, that's enough," Wei Zijun replied with a smile.

The bun was soon finished. When the two left the ruined temple, they didn't forget to cover the remaining embers with snow to avoid burning down the temple; no matter how ruined it was, it could still provide shelter from the wind and rain for travelers.

The wind and snow outside had stopped, and as far as the eye could see, everything was silver-white.

One tall and one short, the two walked one after the other. The one in front was wounded, his robes stained with blood, his sword at his waist, head held high; behind him followed a ragged beggar.

Wei Zijun had been traveling alone for a long time and had certainly hoped for a companion, but she hadn't expected to have one now—and a bodyguard-like one at that.

Because she had already decided to use her own blood to heal him, she felt no embarrassment or apology that he was now escorting her to Xuzhou. It wasn't that she wouldn't have saved him if he hadn't done this; it was simply because he was kind-hearted, and it wasn't a transaction of interests.

She had already thought of how to heal him without exposing herself...

(End of chapter)