Exiled!? Ha! I have An Infinite Space

Chapter 217: Chapter

The heavy wooden gate shook under the force of the command. Inside the courtyard, everyone went completely still.

Song Qingheng stepped back from Bai Ming. His easygoing smile vanished, replaced by the calm, sharp look of a real officer. Outside the walls, the six plain-clothed men hidden in the dark waited for his signal.

Fu Sheng did not step away from Su Long. His heavy broadsword stayed in his hand, resting at his side, his fingers gripping the leather handle tightly.

"Stay behind me," Fu Sheng whispered, keeping his eyes locked on the shaking gate.

"I am fine, Fu Sheng," Su Long replied softly, her voice steady and calm. "It is General Lin. He promised to take care of Tiger Alley, but he also said he would come here to question us."

Before Fu Sheng could answer, Song Qingheng stepped forward and pulled open the heavy wooden latch, swinging the gate open.

Standing in the street under the warm glow of burning torches was General Lin Yanzhe. Behind him stood a dozen heavily armed soldiers, their iron armor stained with soot and rain. Lin Yanzhe’s dark cloak flapped in the cool night wind as he stepped into the yard. His sharp eyes scanned the court before stopping right on Su Long.

For a long moment, no one said a word. The tension between Lin Yanzhe and Su Long was obvious, a silent clash that Fu Sheng noticed right away.

Fu Sheng’s jaw tightened. He took a step forward, sword ready, placing his large frame directly between Lin Yanzhe and his wife.

"General Lin," Fu Sheng said, his deep voice cutting through the quiet night. "Tiger Alley has fallen at the border. You have the evidence. Why bring an armed squad to a peaceful house at this hour?"

Lin Yanzhe slowly looked away from Su Long and stared at Fu Sheng. His eyes narrowed, taking in Fu Sheng’s torn clothes, the bloodstains on his sleeves, and the fearless posture of a man ready to fight anyone.

"So you are Fu Sheng," Lin Yanzhe said quietly, his voice cold. "The banished general."

"And you are the court’s general," Fu Sheng countered, refusing to back down. "If you are here to enforce the law against Tiger Alley, you have your prisoners. If you are here for something else, state your business."

Lin Yanzhe’s hand rested on the hilt of his own sword. "Master Bao Li is captured, and his compound is secure. But an official investigation means every witness must be questioned. I am here to make sure no hidden threats remain in these lands."

"Is that really why you came, General?" Su Long’s voice broke the silence as she stepped out from behind Fu Sheng, standing right beside her husband.

Lin Yanzhe’s eyes softened for a brief second when he looked at her, but his face quickly turned back into a hard military mask.

"I am doing my duty, Su Long," Lin Yanzhe said softly, dropping his voice so only those in the yard could hear. "The army will secure the Barren Lands by morning. But like I told you in my tent... the past cannot be ignored forever."

Song Qingheng stepped between them. Hidden under the shadow of his sleeve, he showed Lin Yanzhe a small silver badge—the secret mark of the Emperor.

Lin Yanzhe’s eyes opened slightly in surprise as he recognized the high-ranking seal. He looked at Song Qingheng, shocked for a moment before hiding his expression again.

"General Lin," Song Qingheng said smoothly, his voice full of quiet authority. "Everything here is under control. The Fu family helped us fully tonight. Your job is at the eastern estate, guarding the prisoners."

Lin Yanzhe stared at Song Qingheng, then looked at Su Long, who met his gaze without any fear or regret. Beside her, Fu Sheng stood like a solid wall, holding her protectively.

Lin Yanzhe let out a slow breath and stepped back toward the open gate.

"Very well," Lin Yanzhe said, his voice cold and formal again. "My soldiers will guard the area until sunrise. We will talk again when the imperial order arrives."

He turned and marched out into the night, his soldiers following close behind as the sound of horses faded into the distance.

As the gate swung shut, Fu Sheng turned to Su Long, his dark eyes searching her face.

"He knew you," Fu Sheng said softly, his voice low and cautious. "How does an imperial general from the Capital know my wife?"

Su Long didn’t answer right away in front of the others. Instead, she reached out and gently took Fu Sheng’s hand, her fingers closing tightly around his warm, calloused palm.

"Come with me," she said softly.

She looked back over her shoulder at the rest of the family. Song Qingheng was already guiding a quiet, still-shocked Bai Ming toward the porch, while An Li ushered Madam Fu, Master Fu, and the sleeping children inside to get warm tea and rest.

Without waiting for Fu Sheng to object, Su Long pulled him down the side path of the courtyard, away from the main house and out of earshot. They stopped near the quiet shadow of the old stone well at the back of the yard, where only the cool night breeze and the distant rustle of leaves could hear them.

Fu Sheng let her pull him, his heavy boots making almost no sound against the dirt. But the moment they stopped, his eyes remained fixed on her face, dark and full of unasked questions. He didn’t pull his hand away from hers, but his grip was tense.

"Su Long," Fu Sheng said, his deep voice barely above a whisper in the dark. "Who is General Lin to you?"

Su Long took a deep breath, looking up into his worried, searching eyes. She didn’t dodge his gaze or look away.

"His name is Lin Yanzhe," Su Long began gently. "In the Capital, long before my family was sent here... our families were close. He was a childhood friend. An old acquaintance."

Fu Sheng’s jaw tightened slightly at the words childhood friend. He thought back to the way the young, handsome general had looked at Su Long in the courtyard not like a commander looking at a civilian, but like a man looking at someone he had lost.

"He didn’t look at you like an old acquaintance," Fu Sheng said, his tone low and grounded, though a trace of guarded pain leaked through. "He came to this house looking for you."

"He did," Su Long admitted openly, stepping a half-step closer to him so there was no distance between them. "When I went into his command tent tonight to deliver the ledger, he offered me a way out. He told me my family in the Capital had arranged a pardon. He said I could leave the Barren Lands tonight, go back to my old life, and be safe."

Fu Sheng went completely still. The breath caught in his chest, a heavy, familiar coldness settling over his heart. He looked down at his own rough, dirt-stained hands, then at her so capable, so bright, and far too good for a life spent hiding in dusty, dangerous borders.

"A pardon..." Fu Sheng repeated softly, his voice rough. He looked away, his chest heaving with a sudden, sharp ache. "You could go back home. You wouldn’t have to live like an exile anymore. You wouldn’t have to fight gangs or sleep with a blade under your pillow."

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to look back at her, his voice tight with an agonizing selflessness. "Su Long... if you want to go with him—"

"I told him no," Su Long cut in firmly, her voice ringing clear in the dark.

Fu Sheng froze, staring at her in disbelief. "What?"

"I told him no, Fu Sheng," Su Long repeated, taking his other hand in hers so she was holding both of his palms against her chest. "He told me the only condition to go back to the Capital was that I had to divorce you and leave you behind."

Fu Sheng’s breath hitched. He stared at her, his eyes wide as he tried to process her words. "You... you refused?"

"Of course I refused," Su Long said softly, a gentle smile breaking across her face as she looked at him. "Lin Yanzhe thinks I am still the girl who only cares about comfort and status in the Capital. But he doesn’t know who I am now. And he doesn’t know you."

She squeezed his hands tightly, her eyes shining with absolute certainty.

"I told him that Fu Sheng is my husband. We have bled together, survived Tiger Alley together, and built a life here. My place is with you, Fu Sheng. Not in some grand estate in the Capital, and certainly not with him."

Fu Sheng stood frozen under the night sky, her words washing over him like a warm light, melting away every trace of doubt and fear that had been gripping his heart. He looked down at their joined hands, then up at her face, his throat working as he tried to find his voice.

Slowly, Fu Sheng let out the heavy breath he had been holding, his shoulders finally relaxing. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms securely around her waist and pulling her against his chest, burying his face in the side of her neck.

"You really stay?" he murmured, his voice thick with emotion, his arms holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world.

"I am staying," Su Long whispered back, leaning into his warmth and resting her hands on his shoulders. "Always."

For a long moment, they just held each other in the quiet darkness of the yard, the threat of Tiger Alley finally behind them, and the path ahead clear at last.

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