Chapter 735 716: The Past is Like Rain

「In a flash, five years had passed.」

The innocent little girl from back then had grown up. Though still young, she was now a budding beauty, destined to one day become a woman of devastating grace.

One day, she went alone to a bookstore to buy some Xuan paper.

The bookstore was ancient, with several hundred years of history. The Xuan paper it produced was the finest in the Imperial Capital, so despite its remote location in the city's slums, business was excellent.

But as luck would have it, it was pouring rain that day. The streets were nearly deserted, and the young girl had no choice but to walk through the downpour, holding an umbrella and carrying a thick stack of Xuan paper on her back.

A few local thugs saw her walking alone in the rain and decided to have some fun. They started whistling and catcalling her.

But the girl was no ordinary person. After the incident five years ago, she had started practicing martial arts and had also learned how to swim.

When the men started harassing her, she didn't shrink away like most people would. Instead, she chose to rebuke them angrily.

As a result... all the thugs surrounded her.

But they weren't ordinary people either!

They were all enforcers for the Imperial Capital's underworld, taking shelter from the sudden downpour under the eaves of the buildings lining the street.

At first, hidden by the umbrella, they couldn't see her face clearly and only knew she was a girl. But when she talked back, they were surprised to find she was such a pretty young woman, and their intentions turned foul.

Seeing that the street was empty, the thugs immediately closed in, getting handsy. They planned to drag her off somewhere secluded and defile her.

Catching one of the thugs off guard, she slapped him across the face. Then she used the tip of her umbrella to stab another one directly in the eye.

That stirred up a hornet's nest. The thugs went berserk and attacked her outright.

At that time, her strength was still meager. She could handle one thug, no problem, but against several, she was completely outmatched.

Just as her virtue was about to be lost, the same person who had saved her years ago descended as if from the heavens. With a few quick moves, he took care of the thugs, beating them until their flesh was torn and they were barely breathing.

She recognized him at a glance. He was the same "big brother" who had saved her before. But he... he didn't recognize her at all, the little girl who had grown into a beautiful young woman over five years.

So, after making sure the thugs were in no condition to fight back, he said to her, "It's not safe here. Why is a young woman like you out walking alone? You need to be more careful next time!"

With that, he turned to leave.

Having just escaped with her life, the young girl finally cast aside her reserve. Blushing, she couldn't help but call out to him and ask for his name. But he simply waved his hand and said, "It was just a coincidence. No need for names."

At twelve years old, the girl, who was just beginning to understand the feelings between men and women, stared dazedly at his retreating back, her cheeks flushed. All she could do was watch as he walked further and further away.

It was the thugs, who had been beaten half to death, who revealed his identity.

"Damn our fucking luck! Why did we have to run into him?"

"Hey, we're lucky to be alive. Dammit, if it were anyone else, I'd get my revenge. But that bastard is the General's son!"

"His old man is a Tiger General. Pissing him off is like asking to die. Forget it. We got out of this with our lives... that's good enough!"

"That damn scoundrel. Instead of enjoying his life as a General's son, he insists on being a blacksmith in the slums..."

The girl's heart pounded. She had a feeling she could find out who he was now!

Ignoring the barely breathing thugs, she quickly left the area.

Later, she did indeed find out his identity. She learned he was the only son of General Xu Zhongtian, his name was Xu Jie, he loved blacksmithing, preferred living in the slums, and had a personality that despised evil. The entire underworld of the Imperial Capital feared him.

She also learned that he had several sworn brothers: one was the Eldest Prince, who was disliked by his family; another was a Noble Family Descendant who couldn't cultivate; another was a chubby guy who liked to flirt with girls but knew his limits; and then there was the stoic Sui Yan, who loved to study Mechanical Skill.

From that day on, the young girl secretly followed any news about him. Whenever she heard of his heroic deeds, she would lock herself in her room, blushing as she fantasized about meeting him again one day.

A few more years passed. Not only did the girl not forget him, but his impression on her grew even deeper. She saw him again at several high-society events that she had been reluctant to attend—events he was equally reluctant to be at...

But that oblivious guy had forgotten her yet again.

The girl tried to approach him, but he was always with his band of brothers and never spared her a single glance.

She was a little heartbroken, a little disappointed, but he still occupied a place in her heart.

Until one day, her family began to arrange a marriage for her. The girl panicked. She wanted to tell them there was already someone in her heart, but those words... how could a proper young lady bring herself to say such a thing?

All she could do was refuse... and refuse again.

Constantly refusing!

It got to the point where she earned a reputation in the Imperial Capital for being cold and arrogant, but she didn't care.

She believed that one day, she would be able to move his heart.

And just like that, she had blossomed into a great beauty of her generation.

Then, as if fated by the heavens, his mother came to her family's door with a marriage proposal, asking for her to be his wife.

In that moment, she felt like she was the happiest woman in the world.

Her mother asked for her opinion as a matter of routine, assuming that she would, as always, refuse...

But she nodded and agreed.

To this day, she still remembered the look of astonishment on her mother's face.

She couldn't believe that her daughter, who had shown no interest in any of the handsome young men of the Imperial Capital, would actually agree to marry a coarse man who only knew how to forge iron...

But his family background was indeed excellent, and although Xu Jie was unrefined, he had a very good reputation.

He wasn't like those profligate sons of other nobles, who only knew how to tarnish their fathers' names. So, her mother also nodded and approved the marriage.

However, life is unpredictable and full of drama...

He returned from the front lines... with another woman by his side.

That woman was a Female General from an enemy nation. But he liked her, loved her, and wanted to make her his wife!

The girl's world collapsed. The day she heard the news, she locked herself in her room and cried for an entire day.

She was utterly heartbroken, unsure of what to do. Only then did she feel regret. 'Why didn't I tell my family sooner? Why didn't I tell him sooner?'

'If only I had told my family earlier, how could he have brought back another woman?'

The price of her reserve was watching the man she loved about to marry someone else.

Her mother comforted her, saying, "Just let it go. I didn't want my precious daughter marrying such a boorish man anyway!"

She just wept silently, unable to respond.

She continued to follow news of him. Whenever she heard something, she would become unusually quiet.

Then, later, the Female General from the enemy nation ran away from the wedding. Suddenly, she felt her world light up again.

Even though by this time she had secretly cultivated her own strength to an extremely high level, she still thought: 'As long as he is willing to marry me, I will marry him, even if I have to endure the world's ridicule!'

'Female General of the enemy nation, you may not love him, but I do!'

Later, his parents, swallowing their pride, came to her family's home, hoping to rekindle the engagement. Her father was furious and wanted to throw them out.

At that moment, she finally cast aside all her reserve and pride, stepped forward, and shouted the words that had been buried in her heart for more than a decade.

"I will marry him!"

On their wedding day, he left. But she had no regrets, because she was no longer the naive little girl she once was.

She knew him well and had already guessed that he would, in all likelihood, run away.

She just wanted to fulfill that long-held wish. Though she still loved him, she no longer insisted on staying by his side.

She was Liu Ruyu, the proud Liu Ruyu! The Liu Ruyu who had achieved the Dao through the literary arts!

The scenes from the past unfolded before her eyes like a painted scroll.

Years had passed. Now, upon seeing him again in this unfamiliar land, Liu Ruyu found that she could finally face him calmly.

Though deep in her heart, a small ripple would still stir from time to time...

But really... it was nothing now.

'I'll just think of him as an old friend.'

'My savior!'

'What I owe him... I can never repay it in this lifetime.'

Liu Ruyu looked at the man before her, who sat with his eyes closed, regulating his breath. A flicker of heartache crossed her eyes. In her heart, her hatred for the Xuan City Jin Family was absolute.

After a long while, Xu Jie slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Liu Ruyu, who still stood before him like a Fairy from a painting, and a bitter smile appeared on his face. "Thank you. And I'm sorry."

Liu Ruyu gazed at Xu Jie and said, "I'll accept your thanks. But you can keep your apology."

"Back then..." Xu Jie's mouth felt bitter as he tried to say something.

"Don't bring up the past. I am a daughter-in-law of the Xu Family, but I am not your wife." As she said this, a ripple of sorrow disturbed Liu Ruyu's calm heart.

"I... I didn't know about all that..." Xu Jie stammered. The man of iron, never good with words, was at a complete loss.

"It's all in the past. Let's just leave it there," Liu Ruyu said, feigning a relaxed tone as she looked at Xu Jie. "Are you all right?"

"I... I'm all right, I guess," Xu Jie sighed. "The Divine Domain isn't as good as I imagined. If I could choose, I would rather not have ascended."

"No matter where you are, as long as there are people, things like this will happen. It's unavoidable." Liu Ruyu looked at Xu Jie and said softly, "I don't want to see an old friend so dispirited. I have some news that I think will make you very happy."

"Oh? What news?" Xu Jie looked at Liu Ruyu.

"I have news of Xu Luo," Liu Ruyu said calmly.

"What?" Xu Jie shot to his feet, took two steps forward, then stopped, feeling awkward. With an abashed look, he rubbed his hands together and chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry... I got a little excited."

Liu Ruyu watched him, her voice soft. "You didn't seem this happy to see me..."

"That's not it... It's just... I don't know how to face you," Xu Jie finally blurted out, gritting his teeth.

Liu Ruyu's eyes lit up. She looked at Xu Jie. "Do you really mean that?"