Destined Hearts of Mu and Yu (GL) - Chapter 1

Today was a special day for Huangming Mountain, one of great significance. It was not the first day of the new year, nor a festival for celebration, but rather the birthday of their great leader.

Huangming Mountain lay in the western outskirts of the capital, standing opposite the Imperial City. What made officials of the court shudder at its name was that the mountain controlled the only route into the capital. Rumor said that the Wei Kingdom had no need for a Ministry of Justice, for everyone—whether human or ghost—passed through Huangming Mountain. Those who entered the capital alive were upright officials with clean sleeves, while those whose heads were hung above the city gates were corrupt ones. Never had the mountain misjudged a case, and so it won the admiration of the common people. Each year on the eighth day of the New Year, people gathered at the foot of the mountain, bringing food and drink as tribute to the bandits of Huangming Mountain, so they might continue to rid the land of evil.

And indeed, Huangming Mountain was brimming with festivity. The entire stronghold was decorated with lanterns, joy filling the air. In the great hall stood a broad rattan chair, and above it a wooden plaque bore four bold characters: Ren Yi Zhong Gan — Benevolence, Righteousness, Loyalty, and Courage.

The hall was crowded, men holding elaborately wrapped gifts, awaiting the arrival of their honored guest. A youth stepped gracefully into the courtyard, like a breeze through the trees.

At once, the crowd split into two lines, creating a path. When the youth seated himself on the rattan chair, they bowed respectfully, addressing him as Great Chief. Dressed in a blue long robe, his black hair tied in a single knot that draped down his back, he carried an elegant demeanor. His face lacked the ruggedness of a man’s, instead fine and delicate, his skin pale, his eyes dark and deep, carrying a weight beyond his years.

“Great Chief, today is your eighteenth birthday. May your life be as long as the heavens.”
“Great Chief, may every year bring such a day, may every year bring such a morning.”
“Great Chief, this is a gift I have prepared especially for you.”

On the broad rattan chair, the youth, Qin Mu, smiled faintly. She sipped her tea, gaze calm as she looked at the men before her. Her every gesture radiated authority, the bearing of a true leader—hardly like a girl of eighteen.

“Great Chief,” the second-in-command, Qin Lao’er, stepped forward with a smile in his eyes. “Uncle Bo once cast a divination. He said that on the day of your eighteenth birthday, you would meet your destined match. Should you seize this fate, your future will be boundless, like a dragon rising from the depths.”

Qin Mu only smiled, saying nothing. Inwardly, she could not help but feel a flicker of anticipation. Yet how could someone of her rough mountain life ever meet the one in her heart? And with her awkward identity, it was a burden she could never speak of. As for why she had become the Great Chief of Huangming Mountain, that tale alone would take three days and nights to tell.

It was then that a booming voice came from outside the hall.
“Qin Lao-san comes to offer birthday greetings! May the Great Chief’s fortune be as vast as the Eastern Sea, and life as eternal as the heavens!”

Qin Mu rose at once, her rare smile brightening her face. She stepped forward to greet him.
“Lao-san, have you brought me a great gift?”

“Indeed,” Qin Lao-san laughed, hands on his hips. “It awaits you at the gates of the stronghold.”

Qin Mu clapped him on the shoulder, noticing the dust still clinging to his clothes, his lips dry and pale. She knew he had lain in ambush at the foot of the mountain for a month for this gift. Sincerely, she said, “You’ve worked hard, Lao-san.”

With pride, Qin Lao-san waved it off. “Not only did I capture the corrupt official Zhou Hankai, I also seized the ten thousand taels of gold he prepared as tribute for that dog of an emperor.”

The hall erupted in cheers. Qin Mu too was pleased. After a month of pursuit, they had finally caught the corrupt official. She raised her hand. “Come, let’s all go take a look.”

The crowd followed her in high spirits. But just as Qin Mu stepped out of the hall, a gleaming blade flew straight at her, embedding itself into the doorframe. She lifted her gaze and saw a man in white standing in the courtyard, eyes like burning torches.

“Thief,” she said coldly.

Qin Mu chuckled. In this entire stronghold, no one had ever dared address her so. She prepared to retort, but her men surged forward, surrounding the stranger. One rushed in with his blade, only for the man to twist his wrist with bone-cracking force, sending the weapon clattering to the ground. With effortless grace, the stranger seized it, the blade flashing cold in the sunlight. In moments, dozens of men lay defeated.

Qin Mu stroked her chin, studying him. His features were finely carved, strikingly handsome—far too beautiful for such a wild place. She turned to Qin Lao-san with a teasing smile.
“Wasn’t Zhou Hankai supposed to be short and fat, with a pig’s face? This man looks nothing like him. Did you bring back the wrong person?”

Flustered, Qin Lao-san explained, “This man is Zhou Hankai’s companion. We followed them and saw Zhou Hankai show him great respect. He must hold high rank in the capital, surely an accomplice. So I brought him back as well.”

Qin Mu frowned slightly, studying the white-clad stranger again. She knew every official in the capital by face, yet could not place him. If Zhou Hankai treated him so respectfully, perhaps he was no ordinary man at all. Her heart beat faster at the thought.

The fight raged on. Just as Qin Lao-san charged again, Qin Mu snatched the blade from his hand with a smile.
“Careful, brother. That edge is too sharp—you might hurt her.”

Her words stunned him. It was the first time he had seen Qin Mu so unsettled by a supposed official. But before more could be said, a sudden sweep of a staff struck the stranger’s hair, sending her black locks tumbling loose like a waterfall.

“She’s a woman!” gasps rose all around.

Even Qin Lao-san froze, staff in hand, struck by her beauty and her unshaken poise. To see such skill and composure in a woman was awe-inspiring. And since their quarrel was never with women, the men hesitated.

“Miss, lay down your weapon, and we will not harm you,” Qin Lao-san said firmly, planting his staff deep into the ground.

The woman, Wei Hanyu, clenched her jaw. She would not so easily fall into bandit hands. Her gaze shifted when a soft, teasing voice reached her. She turned and saw a delicate young man watching her with sharp, playful eyes, as if appraising a rare treasure.

“Old Zhang,” Qin Mu murmured beside him, “can you see if there’s a mole at the corner of her right eye?”

“Too far, Great Chief,” the old man squinted.

Unfazed, Qin Mu pulled him forward. “Then let’s take a closer look.”

Despite warnings, she stepped nearer, until fate itself intervened. Wei Hanyu’s sword flashed like a silver dragon, lunging straight for Qin Mu.

“Great Chief, beware!” Old Zhang cried.

Shock flickered in Wei Hanyu’s eyes—this frail-looking youth was the infamous Great Chief of Huangming Mountain. But before she could recover, Qin Mu caught the blade between two fingers, a flick sending it tumbling from her grasp. In a swift motion, she seized her arm and pulled her close.

Their faces nearly touched, Qin Mu’s warm breath brushing her cheek. Wei Hanyu met those clear, smiling eyes—so different from her own, full of killing intent. Heat rose to her face, shame and anger battling within her. She tried to strike him, but he caught her wrist effortlessly, pinning her hands behind her.

“Miss, don’t move,” Qin Mu said softly, voice gentle as her hand lifted to her cheek. “Let me look more closely at your face.”

Wei Hanyu’s heart raced. His closeness carried a faint, clean fragrance, nothing like the coarse breath of rough men. Their eyes locked, breaths mingling, so near they could hear the beat of each other’s hearts.