"Tell me quickly! Where exactly is Mu Bai?"
Wan'er gave Xiaoyu a deep look, then slowly stood up.
Do you know why your master led you to Caixia Village?
Wan'er gazed into the distance, looking at a towering tree in the distance.
She then stepped forward, saying, "The answer you're looking for is right there."
Su Ruanruan paused for a moment, then followed closely behind.
Even though I'm getting closer and closer to the truth, I feel a sharp, stabbing pain in my heart.
Wan'er stopped beside an ancient tree, pointing to a grave without a tombstone. "The person you're looking for is right there."
Su Ruanruan glanced to the side, her head throbbing with pain.
"You're saying Brother Mu Bai is dead? He's dead?"
"You're lying to me! How could my brother Mu Bai be dead?"
"You must be lying to me, right?" Su Ruanruan's eyes were bloodshot, and her body swayed.
Wan'er calmly replied, "I've seen you before."
“Back then, when Young Master Chu Mu parted from you with tears in his eyes by the bridge, I watched you from afar, wearing a veil.”
"When Young Master Chu Mu participated in the Autumn Examination, he was recognized by the people of the Prince of Zhennan. The Prince of Zhennan ordered his master to take him away and even threatened that if he dared to disobey, he would take your life."
“He knew that the Prince of Zhennan was ruthless and a man of his word. To protect you, he had no choice but to obey. He knew that the bond between you was stronger than gold and hard to break, so he begged his master to put on a show with him so that you would turn your love into hatred and give up your feelings for him. Thus, the show came about, in which I was kidnapped by bandits while trying to save him, and he was forced to marry me.”
"Young Master Chu Mu is proud and aloof by nature, cold as frost. Even when the people of Zhennan King used all kinds of cruel tortures to torment him day and night, he would rather die than submit and would never recognize a traitor as his father. He endured all kinds of tortures, but he still held hope in his heart and longed for the day when he would be reunited with you."
"But in the end, he resolutely slammed into the gray stone wall of the prison, his brains splattering and blood gushing everywhere..."
At this point, Wan'er paused, "Do you know why he wanted to die?"
Su Ruanruan's nails dug into her palms, and the scene of Mu Bai's tragic death kept flashing through her mind.
Her heart felt as if it were sealed in eternal ice, the biting cold almost suffocating her, and the pain in her heart swept over her like a flood breaking through a dam.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Wan'er continued, "The one who really took you away wasn't Chu Ran, but the Prince of Zhennan. Because General Huo couldn't find you, he crippled one of Chu Ran's eyes. The Prince of Zhennan ordered his master to find a filthy, smelly beggar to humiliate you and vent his anger."
"The first time our master disobeyed the Prince of Zhennan's orders was because of you."
"He gave you and Young Master Chu Mu a very strong aphrodisiac, Peach Blossom Intoxication. When you wake up, apart from the marks left on your bodies, you won't remember anything..."
Su Ruanruan's face was ashen, her trembling hand slowly stroking her flat stomach as she asked in a hoarse voice, "You...you mean, the person with me that day...was Mu Bai?"
Wan'er nodded, "That's right."
"However... Master is very curious to know just how deep is Young Master Chu Mu's love for you."
"So, when Young Master Chu Mu's drug wore off and he woke up from his coma, the person lying next to him was no longer you, but another girl."
Su Ruanruan closed her eyes tightly and said painfully, "So... Mu Bai couldn't accept it, which is why he chose to end his own life, right?"
Wan'er remained silent, her silence seeming to be an admission of everything.
She dragged Xiaoyu's body away.
At that time, dark clouds rolled across the sky like ink-stained cloth, streaks of lightning ripped through the sky like sharp swords, and muffled thunder roared like cannons, instilling fear in everyone.
In an instant, the rain poured down like a burst dam, the sorrowful tears engulfing the entire mountaintop. The sky seemed to weep and lament, the surging rain resembling endless tears.
Su Ruanruan knelt on the ground, as if isolated from the world, unable to hear any sound from heaven and earth.
It turns out that she and he had a child together.
However, it was she who ended this little life with her own hands.
She frantically dug at the muddy, wet soil with her bare hands, her hands bleeding and covered in mud, the pain excruciating, but she was completely oblivious.
"Brother Mu Bai, I'll take you home."
"Wait for me, I'll take you home, okay?" Her voice echoed in the wind and rain, filled with endless sorrow.
...
Su Ruanruan returned to the familiar Northwest, dressed in plain clothes, sitting upright in the carriage, tightly holding an urn of ashes in her arms.
She cremated Mu Bai, herself in the space, and the tiny embryo that had been buried in the courtyard of the capital and then placed in the space together.
The small urn was filled with the bitter and tragic life she shared with Mu Bai.
Once, Mu Bai had taken her to his mother's grave. Following her memory, Su Ruanruan led the coachman to the place.
She buried the urn beside the grave, engraving her and Mu Bai's names on it. After a moment's thought, she wrote down the child's name, "An'an." Regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl, she hoped he would be safe and happy in the next life.
Time has passed, and returning to Qingshan County feels like stepping into another world. Qingshan County remains the same, but those familiar figures have vanished.
She could no longer hold Mu Bai's hand as they strolled through the streets, nor could he carry her home through the night sky. Xiao Xi would no longer hold her hand, sweetly calling her "Sister." There was no longer Gu Ji's sly smile, nor the little animals he wove.
Su Ruanruan caught a glimpse of a familiar figure and hurriedly told the coachman to stop.
Looking out the window, she saw Qin Bei standing next to a shop with a woman, who was carefully wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
The woman said softly, "Let the staff do these things, don't tire yourself out."
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