A'Zhu's Fatal Choice

This flow follows A'Zhu's growing love for Xiao Feng, her discovery of her parentage, and the sacrifice that ends their shared future.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

An Unlikely Companion

Trust on the Road Shared danger A'Zhu travels with Xiao Feng through hostile territory, using disguise and wit to avoid attention. Her practical help makes her more than a rescued companion. Affection taking shape Their conversations and mutual reliance gradually soften Xiao Feng's isolation. What begins as an alliance becomes a relationship neither has yet fully declared.

A Promise Beyond the Pass

A Shared Future Imagined A possibility offered A'Zhu suggests that Xiao Feng leave the Central Plains and live beyond Yanmen Pass. He admits that a life of herding and freedom appeals to him. Mutual commitment She makes clear that she wants to accompany him. Their plan turns an abstract escape into a shared future, giving Xiao Feng hope after the violence of his search.

A Sister Recognized

The Hidden Family Tie The matching marks A'Zhu sees A'Zi's gold lock and shoulder mark and recognizes that they share the same parents. She learns that Ruan Xingzhu and Duan Zhengchun gave both daughters away in infancy. A private decision A'Zhu understands that Xiao Feng may soon kill her father, the man he believes responsible for his family's deaths. She keeps her discovery to herself and weighs love against the approaching revenge.

The Substitution

A Daughter Takes the Blow The disguise A'Zhu impersonates Duan Zhengchun and goes to meet Xiao Feng in his place. She means to prevent him from killing her father and to protect Xiao Feng from retaliation by the Duan family. The fatal strike Xiao Feng's palm lands with full force before he recognizes her. Her sacrifice saves the intended target but leaves Xiao Feng confronting the consequences of an irreversible mistake.

The Promise Buried

A Future Lost Her last request A'Zhu asks Xiao Feng to protect A'Zi. She explains that her sacrifice was meant to spare him the consequences of killing Duan Zhengchun. An altered journey Xiao Feng buries her and discovers that the promise to travel beyond the pass can no longer be fulfilled as imagined. His grief becomes the defining burden of the road ahead.

During the southward journey after Yanmen Pass

After Zhiguang's death on the road from Mount Tiantai

At Square Bamboo Forest beside Little Mirror Lake

At the bluestone bridge during the appointed meeting

The day after A'Zhu's death at the Square Bamboo Forest