You Are My String Of Fate

2.15 || Virtuous To One's Husband

Yuzhen had always lived in accordance to whatever that woman wanted.

In this life, she was Liu Qirong, the last Phoenix of a fallen clan.

In their past life, he was a magic mirror, she was the fairest lady in all the land.

In another life before that, he was much younger, a child who steadfastly believed in his step-aunt. Before that, He was a random jailer, a farmer, a passer-by, a shop-keeper. For every single lifetime, he died after her.

After she was gone, there was no meaning for him to continue his life. 

Was it love? Yuzhen was initially sure it was not. He just knew his fate was always tied to hers, for whatever reason. Rather than attributing it as an emotion called love, it was more precise to call it a mission. 

Initially he hated it, but as he followed her through her lifetimes, he was mesmerized. She was truly the brightest person he had ever come across. Even when she knew she had been betrayed or schemed against, she never hated. What was she thinking exactly? Yuzhen would never know.

But for him, she was still the fairest lady in all worlds.

Yuzhen also realized; his role was getting stronger in every world they were reborn to. Although he might not be the lead character, he had begun to have authority and strength in his most recent identities.

Black Mirror had his magic, Yuzhen was a Khagan.

"Yuzhen," Liu Muyan called him, his face wincing in pain, "My children need medical aid soon.". The last attack had given Liu Muyan a large bloody gash on his upper right arm. Yuzhen was not sure if Liu Muyan would ever be able to hold a weapon again in the future. However, his three daughters were not any better. The attackers did not hold any tender feelings to women and children.

They had just buried Liu Muyan's main wife, she died protecting her son. His concubine and three daughters also sported some wounds. All of them were now feverish and delirious.

Yuzhen looked at the direction where the attackers had taken Liu Qirong to. She had asked him to save her family. He had done the best he could, Liu Muyan's wife died not long after the attack started, when Yuzhen was still protecting Liu Qirong.

Although vexed, he knew Liu Qirong should be physically safe, at least for now. From how the attackers had solely targeted Liu Qirong, they would not do any mortal harm.

But Yuzhen could not be calm. After several lifetimes, he already had a guess that this woman was a weirdo. Although she was kind to others, she was not kind to herself. It was as if she was a masochist, steadfastly willing to walk towards her death.

But how should he bring Liu Muyan and his family across the border? Yuzhen and his men had scouted the security, there would not be a problem for them to fight their way through. But if that were to be their course of action, they had to be prepared to go to war with Nan Shu in the future. After all, this was as good as a blatant announcement of annulling the alliance.

Yuzhen exchanged a glance at Anluo and his handful of men. They were all his friends who had followed him from childhood, orphans who only knew each other as family.

Anluo smiled, his hands crossed on his chest, "From the beginning, our lives are yours, not the other Khagans', not our country's. Don't be a sissy and abandon your woman now. Whoever you choose, is as good as our family too. We must not turn our back on our family. I'm sure King Yungao would understand too."

Yuzhen groaned, "She's not my wo-.... ."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's break our way through. Whatever we do, does not represent the Khaganate," another chimed in and laughed good-naturedly, "If we all live through this, we can find a remote place and do some farming."