That night, Luo He returned to Jin Mulans side as if nothing in the world had changed. Jin Mulan was exhausted from her relentless training, her body heavy and her mind barely able to keep up.
She felt the bed shift, and before she could react, his arm slipped around her, pulling her firmly against him. "Too tired to fight back?" Luo He murmured, a faint smirk in his voice. "What happened to the fierce warrior from earlier?"
Jin Mulan frowned, but her body refused to respond with its usual strength. She tried to push his arm away, yet her effort lacked force. Luo He tightened his hold just slightly, not enough to hurt just enough to remind her.
"Look at this," he continued, amused. "I'm holding you like this, and you can't even stop me." She shot him a glare, though her eyes were half-lidded with fatigue. "You're my wife," he added, his tone softer now but still firm. "So don't think you can just slip away whenever you like." Got it.
Jin Mulan clicked her tongue in annoyance but said nothing more. Whether she liked it or not, she didn't have the strength to argue tonight.
And Luo He, satisfied, simply closed his eyes still holding her close.
The next morning came without warning.
Before the first light of dawn had fully touched the sky, Luo He was already gone.
He moved in silence, every action precise. Su Kim and the child were taken into his care, and within moments, he stepped beyond the estate gates. Three thousand guards fell into formation behind him like a silent tide of steel.
Before leaving, he gave only a single instruction.
"Do not trouble Jin Mulan. And don't let her worry," he said. A brief pause followed. "Tell her I gave my word. I'll be back for her." And then he disappeared.
Jin Mulan slept on, unaware.
Her body was heavy with exhaustion, her mind too drained to even dream. When she finally woke, the sun was already high enough to cast warmth across the room. She frowned. Something felt wrong. The air was empty. Too empty.
"Where is he?" she asked, her voice sharper than she intended. The servant hesitated. "My lady the lord left at dawn." Everything inside her went still. "Left?"
Her voice barely came out. Without waiting, she rushed to her child. And stopped. Empty. No child. No Su Kim.
Nothing. Her fingers trembled.
A slow, suffocating pressure built in her chest. He left. The thought came quietly.
Then louder. He left me. Her breathing grew uneven as her mind betrayed her.
Images formed unwanted, uncontrollable.
Luo He walking away without looking back. Another woman standing beside him. Someone stronger calmer more worthy. Someone who didn't struggle like she did. Someone who could keep up.
Her nails dug into her palms. Of course
Why would he stay?
She couldn't even master her element.
Couldn't stand beside him in battle.
Couldn't even stop him from holding her last night. Her vision blurred. Maybe this was always how it would end.
She would be left behind while he moved forward into a world she couldn't reach.
Her knees gave out. She collapsed to the floor, her strength completely gone not from training this time, but from something far worse. For the first time Jin Mulan felt small. "You're making a mess of your thoughts again."
The voice cut through everything. Jin Mulan didn't move at first. Slowly, she looked up. Standing there was Luo Xinyue, her expression calm, almost unimpressed. "He told you to be ready," she continued. "He's coming back for you himself."
"Coming back?" Jin Mulan whispered.
"Yes. Personally." The words didn't bring instant comfort. But they cracked something. The suffocating weight in her chest loosened just slightly. He didn't leave her. Not completely. Still…a trace of doubt lingered.
And then he returned. When Jin Mulan saw him again, standing there as if nothing had happened, something inside her twisted. Relief. Anger. Embarrassment. All at once. He spoke to his family calmly, even taking time for tea, as though the storm inside her didn't exist. And somehow that made it worse.
Before she could say anything, he turned to her and pulled her into his arms.
"Be a good girl," he said quietly. Her body tensed slightly. "Hold on tight. And close your eyes." "Why?" she asked, her voice faint. "We'll be moving very fast," he replied. "Too fast for you to process."
A brief pause. Then, softer "Trust me."
She hesitated. Just for a moment. Then, silently she obeyed. The world vanished.
The force of it hit her instantly. Wind roared like it wanted to tear her away. Even with her eyes closed, the sheer speed pressed against her senses, overwhelming, unstoppable.
Her grip tightened unconsciously.
This wasn't something a normal person could endure. This was his world.
And she could barely keep up. Then.
Stillness. "Open your eyes." She did.
And everything had changed. They had already arrived.
In less than two minutes. Jin Mulan stood there, her breathing uneven, her mind struggling to catch up not just to the speed but to the truth. This was Luo He.
This was the man she stood beside.
Her master a figure of great power, for her felt really distant.
Luo He had been far beyond that level all along. Jin Mulan slowly lowered her gaze. The earlier thoughts returned but different now. Not fear of being abandoned. But something quieter.
He could leave me behind if I stay like this. Her hands slowly clenched.
Then I won't. For the first time her doubt began to turn into resolve.
Luo He looked at her for a moment, as if he could see straight through the storm of thoughts she had just gone through.
"Did you really think I would leave you?" he asked calmly. Jin Mulan didn't answer.
He stepped closer. "For another woman?" His lips curved slightly. "Su Kim, perhaps?" Her eyes flickered, but she still said nothing. Luo He let out a quiet breath, then reached out not roughly, but with a certain certainty and drew her closer.
"I told you before," he said, his voice lower now. "I consider you a part of me."
His gaze moved over her, slow and deliberate, not rushed, not careless like he was assessing something he already owned.
"And you think I would just abandon that?" Jin Mulan's fingers tightened slightly at her sides. He tilted his head, a faint hint of mockery returning. "Especially when you look like this now he directly looked at what he was talking about."
She frowned, immediately catching the shift in his tone and eyes. "Weak from training. Unable to even keep your thoughts steady," he continued. "And still jumping to such foolish conclusions."
His voice wasn't harsh but it carried weight. "Your body has changed," he added, almost casually. "And yet your mind hasn't caught up." Jin Mulan's cheeks flushed faintly whether from anger or embarrassment, even she didn't know.
Luo He's smirk deepened just slightly.
"Focus on improving," he said. "Instead of imagining things that might never happen."