Chapter 94 - Ninety-Two: My Husband Has a Secret, and He Owes Me an Explanation

Chapter 94: Chapter Ninety-Two: My Husband Has a Secret, and He Owes Me an Explanation

"...Rui’an?"

The name left Shen Rui’s lips like a forgotten prayer.

Lin Yue stared at him.

Then she stared at the blank book.

Then she looked back at her husband.

"Shen Rui."

He didn’t answer.

"Dear husband."

Still nothing.

She placed both hands on his shoulders and gave him a gentle shake.

"Beloved husband who promised never to hide anything important from me?"

His eyes finally focused on her.

"Hmm?"

Lin Yue smiled sweetly.

It was the sort of smile that made farm workers suddenly remember urgent business elsewhere.

"Would you like to explain why a mysterious book has just called you by a name I’ve never heard before?"

Shen Rui looked at the book.

Then at her.

Then at the book again.

"I don’t know."

Lin Yue’s smile widened.

"Wonderful."

He knew that tone.

He had heard it when she discovered someone had watered the seedlings incorrectly, when Lumi denied eating the last mooncake with crumbs still on its nose, and when Aster tried to classify her perfectly healthy tomato plants as an unknown botanical anomaly.

It was never a good sign.

"Lin Yue—"

"No, no. Please continue not knowing. I’m fascinated by the process."

A faint cough came from behind them.

Lin, the other Lin Yue, was standing in the doorway with her arms folded.

"Ah," she said. "This is the part where you discover that your husband is more complicated than he looks."

Shen Rui gave her a helpless look.

"Must you encourage her?"

"Absolutely."

Lin Yue nodded approvingly.

"I like her."

"I noticed," Shen Rui muttered.

Lumi climbed onto the table and peered at the book.

"Perhaps Rui’an is the name of a secret prince."

Everyone looked at it.

Lumi’s eyes widened.

"Or a secret chef!"

It considered this possibility for a moment.

"Actually, I prefer the chef."

Lin Yue rubbed her forehead.

"Why is every mystery in this world connected to food when you are involved?"

"Because food brings people together."

For once, nobody argued.

Then the blank book turned a page.

A new sentence appeared.

IDENTITY FRAGMENT RECOGNIZED: RUI’AN.

Beneath it, smaller words formed.

MEMORY ACCESS: RESTRICTED.

Shen Rui went completely still.

Lin Yue’s teasing expression faded.

"Have you seen that name before?"

He stared at the page for a long moment.

"I don’t remember."

She took his hand.

"That’s not the same as saying you don’t know."

He looked at her.

Something in his expression softened, but the uncertainty remained.

"I know."

Lin Yue squeezed his fingers.

"Then we’ll find out together."

He let out a slow breath.

"Together."

"Good." She paused. "But if you turn out to be a secret prince, I’m negotiating better farm taxes."

A surprised laugh escaped him.

"And if I turn out to be a secret chef?"

"You’re cooking dinner."

Lumi immediately raised both claws.

"I support this investigation!"

The next morning, Lin Yue established what she called the Shen Rui Mystery Investigation Committee.

Its members consisted of Lin Yue, Shen Rui, Lin, Aster, and Lumi.

Lumi appointed itself Head of Snack Security.

Nobody had authorized this position.

Nobody had the energy to argue.

Their first meeting took place at the greenhouse table, beside the blank book and a breakfast spread that Lin Yue had insisted upon before anyone was allowed to touch the mysterious archive.

She had learned long ago that people made poor decisions when hungry.

Magical systems were apparently no exception.

Aster projected three lines of text above the table.

SUBJECT: SHEN RUI

KNOWN INFORMATION: NAME, FAMILY BACKGROUND, PERSONAL HISTORY AS CURRENTLY REMEMBERED.

UNKNOWN INFORMATION: CONNECTION TO RUI’AN.

Lin Yue folded her arms.

"Can you compare the name with the archive records?"

"I can attempt a search."

"Please do."

Aster flickered.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then a small symbol appeared.

A crescent.

Beside it was a broken compass.

And beneath both symbols was a tiny golden seed.

Lin’s expression changed.

"That mark belongs to the original archive."

Lin Yue leaned closer.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning Rui’an was recorded before the archive was divided."

Shen Rui frowned.

"Before the Golden Space and the Heartline were separated?"

"Yes."

Lin tapped the screen.

"There are only a few surviving records from that period. Most were sealed when the First Observer divided the archive."

"Can you retrieve them?" Lin Yue asked.

"Not without authorization."

"Whose authorization?"

Aster paused.

Then a new message appeared.

REQUIRED: FIRST OBSERVER OR ARCHIVE-BEARING WITNESS.

Lin Yue stared at it.

"I’m the Observer."

"Your title is recognized," Aster replied. "Your authority remains incomplete."

Lin Yue gave the projection a long look.

"Do you practice being difficult, or does it come naturally?"

"I do not practice."

"Somehow, that makes it worse."

Shen Rui chuckled.

Then he glanced at the crescent symbol.

A faint crease appeared between his brows.

"There’s something familiar about it."

Everyone turned toward him.

"What?" Lin Yue asked.

He touched the edge of the projection.

"I don’t know. I feel as though I’ve seen this mark somewhere before."

"Where?"

He closed his eyes, concentrating.

For a moment, he seemed to be listening to a distant sound.

Then he shook his head.

"It’s gone."

Lin Yue didn’t push him.

Instead, she reached for his hand beneath the table.

He looked at her.

"We’ll take it one step at a time," she said.

His fingers closed around hers.

"Thank you."

She smiled.

"Of course. But if you remember that you’re secretly a prince, please tell me before I accidentally order you to carry sacks of fertilizer."

"I would never deny you the pleasure."

"Excellent. Your survival instincts are improving."

Lin cleared her throat.

"Can we return to the investigation before the two of you turn this into a marriage celebration?"

"No," Lumi announced. "I have prepared a speech."

"No speeches," Lin Yue and Shen Rui said together.

Lumi sighed.

"Oppression. Everywhere."

The archive room lay beneath the ancient tree.

A narrow stone stairway descended from a small opening between its roots. Lin had kept the entrance sealed for years, and the brass key she had given Lin Yue was the only known way to open it.

Now, with the golden seed resting in Lin Yue’s palm, the lock glowed.

The door opened with a soft click.

Lin Yue took the first step down.

Shen Rui followed closely, carrying the lantern.

Lin came next.

Lumi brought the snacks.

Aster projected itself above them, its blue light illuminating the narrow passage.

At the bottom stood a round chamber lined with shelves. Unlike the greenhouse, this place was spotless. Tiny golden symbols moved across the walls, appearing and disappearing like fireflies.

In the center of the room stood a stone pedestal.

Three shallow hollows had been carved into its surface.

A seed.

A compass.

A book.

Lin Yue placed the golden seed into the first hollow.

It fitted perfectly.

Lin set the broken compass into the second.

The chamber trembled.

Then Lin Yue placed the blank book into the third.

A golden line spread across the pedestal.

The walls brightened.

For a heartbeat, the entire room seemed to breathe.

A voice spoke from the ceiling.

"Archive access restored."

Lin Yue glanced at Shen Rui.

"Ready?"

He nodded.

"Ready."

The first wall lit up.

Images appeared across its surface: ancient settlements, broad rivers, enormous forests, villages beside fertile fields, and people exchanging seeds and tools.

The Heartline.

Lin Yue recognized the network immediately.

The second wall showed a beautiful expanse of land filled with orchards, greenhouses, irrigation channels, and thriving crops.

The Golden Space.

Her home.

But the third wall was different.

It showed a young man standing beneath the black tree.

He wore dark robes and held a broken compass.

His hair was longer than Shen Rui’s, and his face looked thinner, but the shape of his eyes was unmistakable.

Lin Yue’s breath caught.

"Shen Rui."

He was already staring at the image.

The young man on the wall turned his head.

For a moment, his eyes seemed to meet Shen Rui’s.

Then a line of text appeared beneath the image.

RUI’AN — KEEPER OF THE LAST RETURN PATH.

Lin took a sharp breath.

"The last return path?"

The image changed.

A younger version of the First Observer stood beside Rui’an. Between them lay a golden seed, a compass, and an open book.

They were arguing.

Even without sound, the expression on the woman’s face was unmistakable.

She looked furious.

Rui’an appeared equally stubborn.

Then the image flickered.

The two figures stood beneath the tree again, this time with their hands pressed against its trunk.

A web of golden light spread outward.

The walls displayed another message.

WHEN THE ARCHIVE WAS DIVIDED, THE KEEPER REMAINED BEHIND.

Lin Yue looked at her husband.

"Shen Rui..."

He had gone pale.

"I’ve never seen this place."

"I believe you."

"I don’t remember being here."

"I believe that too."

His eyes remained fixed on the image.

"Then why does it feel as though I’ve lost something?"

Lin Yue stepped closer.

She took his hand.

"Because perhaps someone took the memory away."

He looked at her.

"And if that person was the Origin?"

"Then we’ll ask it why."

Her voice was calm.

Her eyes were not.

For the first time, the mystery was no longer only about Lin Yue’s past.

It was about the man who had stood beside her through every strange turn of her journey.

And someone had hidden his story, too.

A new image appeared.

Rui’an stood beside the First Observer beneath a sky filled with silver stars.

This time, the archive provided sound.

"You cannot stay," the young woman said.

Rui’an answered, "Someone must keep the return path open."

"And what happens to you?"

"I will wait."

"For how long?"

He smiled.

"Until you find a better plan."

The First Observer looked ready to strike him.

"You always say that as if it is a sensible answer."

"It has worked before."

"Rui’an!"

He laughed.

Then he reached out and touched her forehead with two fingers.

"Go. Save the world you can reach."

The woman’s expression crumpled.

"And leave you here?"

"Not forever."

He placed the broken compass into her hand.

"Promise me you’ll come back."

She closed her fingers around it.

"I promise."

The image froze.

A final line appeared.

RETURN PATH STATUS: LOST.

The chamber fell silent.

Lin Yue could barely breathe.

The First Observer had made a choice.

Rui’an had remained behind.

The archive had been divided.

And somewhere along the way, the memory of the man who kept the return path had become entangled with Shen Rui’s own forgotten past.

But the image did not prove that Shen Rui had been Rui’an.

Not yet.

Lin Yue refused to confuse a resemblance with an answer.

She turned toward Aster.

"Can you confirm whether Rui’an and Shen Rui are the same person?"

Aster’s projection flickered.

"Insufficient evidence."

"Can you determine whether Shen Rui carries a fragment of Rui’an’s memory?"

"Possibly."

Lin Yue pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I am beginning to understand why people throw books across rooms."

Shen Rui gave a faint laugh.

Then he looked at the frozen image.

"I think I remember one thing."

Lin Yue turned toward him immediately.

"What?"

He touched his chest.

"A promise."

The chamber’s golden light pulsed.

Shen Rui closed his eyes.

"I don’t remember the words. I only remember that I promised someone I would keep a path open."

Lin Yue’s heart tightened.

"Do you know who?"

"No."

He opened his eyes.

"But I think I was waiting for someone to return."

The room seemed to grow colder.

Then Lumi sneezed.

A tiny burst of golden sparks shot from its nose and landed on the pedestal.

The archive chimed.

A new message appeared.

RETURN PATH: PARTIAL SIGNAL DETECTED.

Everyone turned toward Lumi.

Lumi blinked.

Then it slowly raised a claw.

"I would like to point out that this time, I sneezed for the benefit of history."

Lin Yue stared at the message.

Then she stared at Lumi.

Then she began to laugh.

She couldn’t help it.

They had spent days uncovering ancient secrets, following hidden routes, and trying to understand the choices that had shaped entire worlds.

And the breakthrough had come from a sneeze.

Shen Rui wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Perhaps we should bring Lumi to every investigation."

"Absolutely not," Lin Yue said.

Lumi gasped.

"But I am a historical treasure!"

"You are a walking health and safety hazard."

"A historically significant hazard!"

Lin shook her head, smiling.

"Some things never change."

The archive had one more surprise.

A narrow golden line appeared on the floor, leading from the pedestal to a small panel in the eastern wall.

Lin Yue followed it.

Behind the panel lay a shallow compartment containing a folded map and a tiny wooden token.

The token bore the same crescent symbol as the gate.

On the back, someone had carved a short message.

FOR THE ONE WHO RETURNS.

Lin Yue unfolded the map.

It showed the First World, but not as it appeared today.

The ancient tree stood at its center. The Heartline stretched outward in dozens of branching paths. At the far edge lay a small settlement marked with a symbol Lin Yue had never seen before.

Beside it were two words.

LAST GARDEN.

Lin studied the map.

"The Last Garden is not part of the current Heartline records."

"Could it be one of the settlements erased by the Cartographer?" Shen Rui asked.

"Possibly," Lin replied. "Or it may have been deliberately kept off the map."

Lin Yue traced the route with her finger.

It began at the ancient tree, crossed the First World, and ended beyond a stretch of blank space.

A handwritten note appeared in the corner.

THE RETURN PATH OPENS WHEN THE KEEPER REMEMBERS.

Lin Yue glanced at Shen Rui.

"Do you remember anything else?"

He studied the map.

"No."

She nodded.

"That’s all right."

He looked at her, surprised.

"You aren’t going to demand that I try harder?"

"Would that make you remember?"

"No."

"Then I shall resist the temptation to be annoying."

"An extraordinary sacrifice."

"I am a very generous wife."

He smiled.

"You are."

She leaned against his shoulder.

For a moment, they stood together beneath the ancient tree, looking at the map of a world that had waited for them longer than either could imagine.

Lin Yue had come searching for the truth about her past.

Now she had found a path that might explain Shen Rui’s.

She did not know whether Rui’an had been an earlier life, a lost memory, or someone whose promise had somehow survived inside her husband.

But she knew one thing.

She would not let the Origin, the Cartographer, or the Possibility Weaver decide what that connection meant.

They would discover it together.

And if the truth turned out to be painful, they would face it together, too.

That evening, they sat outside the greenhouse with Lin and watched the moon rise over the garden.

Lumi had fallen asleep beside the snack basket, one paw still resting protectively on a remaining bun.

Lin Yue leaned against Shen Rui.

"You know," she said, "if you really are Rui’an, there is one thing I need to discuss with you."

He looked down at her.

"What is that?"

"Your secret identity."

"My secret identity?"

"Yes. If you’re an ancient keeper of a lost world, I expect certain benefits."

Shen Rui looked thoughtful.

"Such as?"

"Unlimited access to the archive."

"Reasonable."

"Useful information about the Golden Space."

"Certainly."

"And a permanent exemption from carrying heavy fertilizer sacks."

He looked at her.

"Absolutely not."

Lin Yue sat up.

"Excuse me?"

"If I am an ancient keeper, surely I should be capable of carrying fertilizer."

She stared at him.

Then she burst out laughing.

Lin joined in.

Shen Rui smiled, pleased with himself.

After a moment, Lin Yue rested her head against his shoulder again.

"Whatever your past was," she murmured, "I hope you know you don’t have to earn your place beside me."

His expression softened.

He kissed the top of her head.

"I know."

"And if you turn out to be a prince, I am still making you work on the farm."

"I would expect nothing less."

"Good."

She slipped her hand into his.

"Because I married Shen Rui. Not a title, not an ancient mystery, and certainly not a man who thinks he can escape farm duties."

He laughed quietly.

"Then I shall remain Shen Rui."

She smiled.

For now, that was enough.

Far beneath the ancient tree, the archive’s final page opened by itself.

A line appeared in golden ink.

RUI’AN: PARTIAL MEMORY RESTORED.

Then another.

THE KEEPER HAS RETURNED.

The golden letters faded.

A new message appeared in a different hand.

BUT THE PATH IS NOT EMPTY.

Deep within the sealed passage, something moved.

A bell rang once.

Then a second time.

And somewhere beyond the Last Garden, a voice that had been silent for centuries whispered:

"Rui’an has returned."

A pause followed.

Then the voice added, with unmistakable irritation:

"About time. The garden is a mess."

To be continued...