The carriage stopped in front of the Mo family's side courtyard. It was not grand like the main gate. The walls were clean but plain. The guards did not announce her arrival. They opened the door, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her down.
"Walk," one of them said.
Liang Yue stepped forward. Her robe was simple. Her hair was tied with a cloth strip. She did not lower her head. She looked at the yard, the doors, and the faces that stared at her.
A woman in a dark red dress stood near the doorway with two maids behind her. Her posture was straight. Her eyes were cold. This was Madam Hua, the official wife of Mo Jian, the Mo clan master.
Madam Hua looked at Liang Yue for a long moment. "You are the Liang family's abandoned daughter?"
"Yes," Liang Yue said.
"Good," Madam Hua said. "You know your place. Today you will be married to the child we do not recognize. There will be no feast. There will be no guests. There will be no gifts. You will not step into our main hall after this. Do you understand?"
"I understand," Liang Yue said.
One of the guards laughed. "Perfect match."
Madam Hua turned to the maid. "Bring him out."
The door behind them opened. Two servants led out a young man. He was tall, with broad shoulders, but his back was slightly bent. His hair was messy. His clothes were clean but old. His eyes looked unfocused at first glance, but when he lifted his head, there was a short flash of clarity before it faded again.
This was the "fool."
A maid poked his shoulder. "Stand straight."
He flinched and tried to obey. A thin scar lay across the side of his neck. There were faint marks on his wrists, as if ropes had been there before.
Madam Hua spoke without emotion. "This is Mo Chen. He cannot carry the Mo name in public. He will not inherit anything. He will not step into my house again after today."
Mo Chen did not respond. His eyes moved slowly from Madam Hua to Liang Yue. He stared at her face, at the burned skin and the steady eyes. His lips parted, then closed again.
Liang Yue spoke first, her tone calm. "I am Liang Yue."
Mo Chen's expression shifted a little. He nodded once, then looked down.
A short, thin man in gray stepped forward with a register book. He wore the Mo clan's steward tag.
"The ceremony will be simple," he said. "Exchange names. Share a cup. Bow to the sky. Then leave. The clan does not accept you, but the contract will be recorded to end further rumors."
Liang Yue looked at the small wooden table. There were two cups and a cold teapot. No incense. No red cloth. No music.
She walked to the table and stood on one side. Mo Chen stood opposite her. His hands shook a little. He tried to hide it by pressing his fingers against the table edge.
The steward opened the book. "Names."
"Liang Yue," she said.
"Mo Chen," he said, his voice rough from disuse.
The steward poured the cold tea into the cups. "Drink and exchange."
Liang Yue lifted her cup. She looked at Mo Chen. "To a clean start."
Mo Chen stared at the cup in his hand. He seemed to think about the words. He looked back at her and nodded. "To a clean start."
They drank. They exchanged cups and drank again.
The steward closed the book. "Bow to the sky."
They turned to face the open yard. Together, they bent at the waist. There was no sound except footsteps and the small movement of cloth.
"Done," the steward said. "You are now married."
There was no blessing. No congratulations. Only silence.
Madam Hua spoke again. "You will leave now. The cart is outside the back gate. Food for three days. No more."
A maid brought a small cloth bundle and placed it on the ground. "Dried buns and water."
Liang Yue picked up the bundle. "Thank you."
A guard laughed again. "Thank her? You really are strange."
Liang Yue ignored him.
She turned to Mo Chen. "Can you walk?"
He looked at his feet, then at her. "Yes."
"Then let's go," she said.
They walked toward the back gate together. The yard remained quiet. No one stopped them. No one watched with pity. A few servants stood near the wall and whispered.
"Look at them."
"She is the burned one."
"He is the broken one."
"Perfect."
The words did not change their pace. Liang Yue did not look back. At the gate, a simple cart waited with one old driver. He yawned, looked at them, and waved his hand.
"Get in. I was told to drop you near the southern hills. After that, not my business."
Liang Yue climbed in first, then reached out a hand. Mo Chen hesitated, then took it. His palm was warm but calloused. He sat opposite her. The cart started to move.
For a while, the only sounds were the cart wheels on the dirt road and the driver's occasional cough.
Liang Yue looked at Mo Chen directly. "Do you understand what happened?"
He stared at the floorboard. "Marriage," he said slowly. "Then… go away."
"Yes," she said. "We were sent away to die."
He looked up. His eyes were dark and steady for a moment. "Do you want to die?"
"No," she said. "Do you?"
He shook his head. "No."
"Then we won't," she said.
He held her gaze for a second longer, then nodded.
They rode in silence. After a while, Mo Chen spoke again, his voice low. "Why did they burn your face?"
Liang Yue answered with the truth. "Because I was pretty. Because I was easy to hurt. Because someone wanted me to feel small."
Mo Chen's jaw tightened. "Did it work?"
"No," she said. "It hurt. It did not make me small."
He looked at her for a long time. Then he said, "Good."
Liang Yue looked at his wrists. "Who tied you up?"
He looked away. His voice grew flat. "People at home."
"Your stepmother?"
He nodded.
"Your father?"
He did not answer at first. Then he said, "Looked away."
"I see," she said.
He took a slow breath. "Do you hate me for this marriage?"
"No," she said. "You did nothing to me."
He searched her face. "Everyone hates me."
"I don't," she said.
His hands moved slightly, as if he didn't know where to put them. He looked confused. "Why?"
"Because I choose who I hate," she said. "I don't follow other people's feelings."
He absorbed the words like someone tasting a new food. He nodded again. "All right."
The cart reached the dirt road beyond the city. The driver stopped near a rocky path that led toward the southern hills. He pointed ahead with his whip.
"This is it. I go no farther. There are caves in the hills. If you're lucky, you won't meet wolves. If you're unlucky, you will."
He jumped down, pulled out their bundle, and tossed it onto the ground. "Take your things."
Liang Yue stepped down and lifted the bundle. Mo Chen followed. The driver turned the cart around without another word and left.
They were alone.
The wind was dry. The sky was clear. The hills looked near, but the path was uneven and full of stones.
Liang Yue looked at Mo Chen. "Can you walk far?"
He tested his legs. "Yes."
"We'll aim for a cave or a hollow," she said. "We need water and a place to block the wind. Then we will plan."
He nodded. "I listen."
They began to walk. The ground shifted underfoot. Mo Chen stumbled once on a loose rock. Liang Yue reached out and steadied him by the elbow.
"Thank you," he said.
"Watch the ground. Move slower. We have time," she said.
After a short distance, Mo Chen spoke again. "Why are you calm?"
"Because fear wastes strength," she said. "We only have a little."
He thought about that. "You sound like a teacher."
"I am not," she said. "I am only trying to live."
"Me too," he said.
They reached a narrow stream that cut through the dirt. The water moved slowly. It was not clean, but it was not stagnant. Liang Yue knelt and studied it.
"We will boil it later," she said. "For now, wash your face and hands."
Mo Chen crouched and splashed water on his skin. The dirt on his cheeks ran off. Under the grime, his features were sharp. His eyes were long, his nose straight. He was handsome in a quiet way. The marks on his neck and wrists looked darker after the water.
Liang Yue rinsed her hands and wiped the dust from her pendant. The small silver cross caught the light for a second.
Mo Chen noticed it. "What is that?"
"Something from my past," she said. "It helps me remember who I am."
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Someone who refuses to be thrown away," she said.
He fell silent. Then he said, very soft, "Me too."
They followed the stream toward the rocks. After half an hour, they found a shallow cave under a ledge. It was narrow but dry. There was enough space to sit and lie down if they stayed close.
"This will work for now," Liang Yue said. "We need wood, stones, and something to keep the wind out."
"I can carry," Mo Chen said.
They worked without speaking for a while. He gathered fallen branches. She arranged stones into a small ring and cleared the dirt. She used her hairpin to scrape a flat spot near the wall.
When they sat down, both were breathing hard. Liang Yue opened the cloth bundle. Inside were six hard buns and a waterskin.
"Two buns today," she said. "One now, one later. We need to make this last."
Mo Chen stared at the buns. "I can take less."
"We share the same," she said. "We need strength."
He accepted the bun and took small bites. He chewed slowly, as if he was unused to eating calmly. Liang Yue drank a small sip of water and closed the skin tightly.
After a moment, Mo Chen spoke. "Do you believe in heaven?"
"I believe in God," she said.
He looked at her pendant again. "Does God help?"
"Yes," she said. "But not in the way people think."
"How?" he asked.
"He gives strength to stand up," she said. "He does not move our legs for us."
Mo Chen sat very still. "Then… we stand up."
"Yes," she said.
A quiet fell over the cave. Outside, the wind pushed small leaves across the ground. A bird called once, then stopped.
Liang Yue rubbed her left arm. The old poison in her veins made it stiff sometimes. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out slowly. Warmth moved faintly in her chest. It was not qi. It was not heat. It was only a steady calm that helped her focus.
Mo Chen noticed. "Are you in pain?"
"A little," she said.
"Because of poison?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "It blocks cultivation. It also makes the body tired. But I can still live."
He lowered his head. "I am sorry."
"You did not do it," she said.
He clenched his hands. "I still feel sorry."
"You can use that feeling to do something useful," she said. "We need water boiled. We need a door for this cave. We need a way to warn ourselves if someone comes near."
He looked at the cave opening and nodded. "I will make a door. Branches and rope. I can weave."
"You can weave?" she asked.
He nodded again. "I learned to mend nets for a fisherman when I was hiding from the house. He did not ask questions. He only asked me to work."
"Good," she said. "Then weave."
He stood, picked up the branches, and began to measure the cave mouth with his hands. His movements were careful. He checked lengths twice before he bent anything. He tested knots until they held. It took time, but the progress was clear.
Liang Yue gathered dry grass and smaller sticks. She used a flint stone from the bundle to start a small fire. The smoke rose straight up. She smiled a little. The air would carry it out.
She set a flat stone over the fire and poured a small amount of water to heat. When it steamed, she set the clay cup over the stone and boiled enough for two gulps each.
"Drink," she said.
Mo Chen came over, wiped his hands, and took the cup. "Thank you."
"Careful," she said. "It's hot."
He blew on it and drank. He closed his eyes. "This is good."
"It is only water," she said.
"It is warm," he said. "Warm is good."
They returned to work. By late afternoon, a simple woven door covered the cave mouth. It was not strong, but it blocked the wind and the view from outside. Liang Yue tied a small cord to the bottom edge and attached a line of dry berry shells to it.
"If anyone lifts the door, these will fall and rattle," she said.
"Good," Mo Chen said. "Alarm."
She sat and stretched her legs. "Yes. Enough for today."
He sat across from her. He looked more focused now than he had in the morning. The dullness in his eyes had thinned. He studied her face again, not with curiosity, but with attention.
"Can I ask something?" he said.
"Yes," she said.
"When you looked at Madam Hua," he said slowly, "you were not afraid. Why?"
"Because people like her are only strong when others kneel," she said. "If you do not kneel, they have to work harder. Most of them are lazy."
He thought about that. "Then I won't kneel."
"Good," she said.
He hesitated. "If I forget, remind me."
"I will," she said.
He lowered his voice. "If I become… that again…" He tapped his temple with two fingers. "If I become confused… if I say wrong things… will you still speak to me like this?"
"Yes," she said.
"Even if I am useless?" he asked.
"You are not useless," she said. "You built a door. You carried wood. You watched the ground when I told you. You listened. That is not useless."
He swallowed. "No one said that to me before."
"Get used to it," she said. "I will say more."
He laughed once, a short, surprised sound. "All right."
The sky darkened. Liang Yue fed the fire a little more wood and set two small stones to warm. She pushed one toward him.
"Put this near your hands when you sleep. It will help."
He obeyed. "Will you sleep?"
"In turns," she said. "I will watch first. You sleep. When the moon rises over the rock, I will wake you."
"I can watch first," he said quickly.
"Tomorrow," she said. "Today you worked harder."
He looked at her for a long moment. Then he lay down near the wall, facing the door. "If anything moves, wake me."
"I will," she said.
He closed his eyes. His breathing evened out after a few minutes. The tightness in his jaw relaxed. He looked younger like this — not weak, only tired.
Liang Yue sat with her back against the stone. She held her pendant in her palm and closed her fingers around it.
"God," she said in a low voice. "We are alive. Thank You. Please keep us steady."
There was no sound except the small crackle of the fire and the soft wind outside the woven door. She did not ask for miracles. She asked only for a clear mind and a steady heart.
Time passed. The moon rose.
Mo Chen stirred and opened his eyes. "My turn?"
"Yes," she said. "Your turn."
He sat up and rubbed his face. "Sleep."
She lay down on the warm stone and closed her eyes. The floor was hard, but her body relaxed slowly. Her last thought was simple and firm.
We did not die today.