Chapter 86: Escaping from Peril Brings Future Blessings

Chapter 86: Escaping Danger, Fortune to Follow

Zhang Sanlu waited until the coast was clear before pulling Zheng Ji to sit with him at the stone table. In a low voice, he asked, “Zheng Ji, after you escaped with the carriage, what happened? How did you suddenly end up marrying into the Li family?”

A flush of excitement colored Zheng Ji’s face, as if he were reliving that brush with death.

After parting ways with the two of them that day, Zheng Ji drove the carriage, intending to draw the pursuers away.

He whipped the horse mercilessly, caring nothing for its exhaustion, dashing wildly along the rough mountain roads. All he wanted was more speed, ever more speed. Though fear pounded in his chest like a drum, Zheng Ji had never felt so resolute, so determined—as if he could turn all his terror and anxiety into the force propelling that carriage forward.

But the pursuers behind him, relentless and drawing ever closer, made it clear that if he kept running like this, he would soon be caught. At that point, even a quick death might be a luxury; under torture, he might betray the whereabouts of Dao Ye and Hui Niang.

He had no choice but to think of an even more desperate plan.

With a fierce shake of the reins, he tied them off to the shaft and loosened the harness. Taking a deep breath, he leapt with all his might—soaring through the air without hesitation, landing on the horse’s back as it thundered forward.

He nearly slipped off, but his hands clung tightly to the bridle. With all his strength, he unfastened the carriage traces.

In that instant, the carriage, unbridled, hurtled ahead out of control, while Zheng Ji clung to the horse, urging it to veer away—parting ways with the runaway coach.

After passing several crossroads, he looked back and saw no sign of the pursuers. To ensure escape, he drew his knife and plunged it into the horse’s haunch. The animal shrieked and bolted in wild terror, fleeing madly down the main road.

Taking advantage of the horse’s rear, Zheng Ji rolled off to the ground, tumbled into the grass at the forest’s edge, and—ignoring his scrapes—circled back through the woods to the mountain path.

He remembered the plan to meet Dao Ye at the deserted graveyard near Heisong Post Station. The journey was filled with dangers; he ate wild fruit, drank from mountain springs, and slept under the open sky.

To avoid pursuit, he disguised himself as a vagrant, never daring to linger in towns or villages, often sleeping in trees or abandoned mountain shrines. By day, he observed his surroundings with utmost caution, fearing the slightest misstep that could reveal his trail.

Hearing this, Zhang Sanlu couldn’t help but praise Zheng Ji’s wit and courage.

So, after several days and nights of flight, Zheng Ji finally arrived near Heisong Post Station. Having often traveled that way before, he was familiar with the area and his presence raised no suspicion.

Still, he dared not visit the cloth shopkeeper or return home. Instead, he hid in the forests near the post station, planning to leave a sign at the graveyard for Dao Ye, then hide for a few days in the ruined ancestral hall he’d seen before, waiting for Dao Ye and Hui Niang to find him.

But that very evening, as he took shelter in the old shrine, the howling of wolves echoed from the mountain. Amidst the eerie cries, he faintly heard a feeble call for help—unsettlingly clear in that lonely place, sending a chill through his already haunted heart.

Cautiously, Zheng Ji followed the sound and soon saw an elderly woman huddled by a large stone, her face etched with terror and helplessness. She did not look like one of humble means, though now disheveled and shivering, and before her crouched a lone wolf, ready to spring.

Zheng Ji drove off the wolf with stones and sticks, but, fearing more might appear, hurriedly helped the woman escape.

On the way, he learned she had missed her meeting with an old friend and, thinking it was still early, sent her family ahead. Riding her donkey home, she was overtaken by darkness near this place. She considered waiting at the crossroads for her family to fetch her, but then a lone wolf appeared, frightening her donkey into fleeing.

At this point, the old woman was sobbing uncontrollably.

Seeing the desolation around them, Zheng Ji could not leave her to the mercy of wild beasts. He asked for directions and escorted her home.

They arrived at Yangxi Town, where it turned out the woman was a respected servant of the Li family—a stepmother to the Li family’s steward.

The steward, seeing her safe, was moved to tears and insisted Zheng Ji stay the night as a guest, promising generous reward.

That night, the Li family’s second master, having heard the tale, was eager to meet the brave rescuer. He summoned Zheng Ji for a conversation, scrutinized him, made polite inquiries, and then—quite unexpectedly—asked about Zheng Ji’s family circumstances and birth date.

Though Zheng Ji felt uneasy, out of courtesy he answered truthfully.

To his astonishment, the next morning, the second master declared that Zheng Ji’s character was upright and bold, and—having consulted a fortune-teller—found his birth date matched perfectly with his own unmarried daughter. Given Zheng Ji’s lack of family in the area, the second master offered to have him marry into the Li family.

He was even granted a night to consider the offer.

Such a fortune was like a pie falling from the sky, nearly leaving Zheng Ji dizzy with astonishment, stirring in him excitement and worry in equal measure.

That night, unable to sleep, Zheng Ji sat alone in a quiet corner of the Li household, memories flickering through his mind like lanterns.

He recalled his orphaned childhood, shunned by his half-brother and sister-in-law, years of drifting and hardship, and brushes with death.

Now, the second master’s proposal shone like a sudden ray of hope in his dark life, filling him with longing.

“To marry into the Li family means to have kin, no more wandering,” Zheng Ji repeated silently, each word striking his heart with weight.

He knew, for someone rootless as he, the Li family’s wealth was a powerful temptation. He’d once vowed to follow Dao Ye, but what was that uncertain future compared to this tangible promise?

At this point in the story, Zhang Sanlu patted him on the shoulder, signaling his understanding. He, too, hoped Hui Niang would one day find a good home, marry and settle down, rather than endure a life of hardship by his side. That way, he could be a little less burdened.

Grateful, Zheng Ji went on.

After much deliberation, Zheng Ji made his decision. The next morning, he agreed to the arrangement.

He saw, in the second master’s eyes, a flash of satisfaction and approval. In that moment, he glimpsed a future filled with warmth and peace.

But that very night, something happened.

A thing that, to this day, fills him with terror whenever he remembers it, leaving him uncertain whether his choice was right or wrong.