I Refused The Male Lead And Got Claimed By His Triplet Sisters [GL]

Chapter 112: Brothers on the Road

The sound of horses distracted everyone gathered in front of Madam Xiao’s house. A small group of villagers, two older men, and a woman made their way into the courtyard with two sturdy horses trailing behind them.

One of the men stepped forward first, clearing his throat. "We heard you’re leaving today," he said. "The road ahead isn’t kind. You’ll need more than your feet."

Qingyue’s gaze shifted to the horses, then back to him. "This is too much."

"It isn’t enough for what you’ve done for our village," the woman replied gently. "Please accept the horses. It’s all we can give."

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then Lieyin stepped forward and took the reins of one horse, inspecting it with a practice eye. "They’ll hold on mountain paths," she said.

The man nodded. "I raised them myself."

Qingyue stepped closer, her fingers brushing along the horse’s neck. It leaned slightly into the touch, warm and steady.

"Thank you," she said, her voice firm but sincere.

Later, the villagers would brag about how the princesses were traveling with horses they’d bred. For they believed the sisters might be in exile but they’d soon reclaim their power and rightful place beside the Emperor.

It did not take long for the triplets to prepare.

Supplies were brought out—bundles of dried food, spare cloth, a coil of rope, a small cooking pot.

They worked efficiently, securing everything to the saddles with practiced hands. Qingyue adjusted straps, Lieyin checked balance and weight, and Yexue tied down the final bundle with a firm pull.

Ru Yi stood back for a moment watching them.

This quiet coordination, this unspoken understanding between them grounded her in a way nothing else could. If she was being wishful then she’d want to be a part of what they had.

When everything was ready, Qingyue turned to her. "Do you remember the names?" she asked.

Ru Yi nodded.

They’d chosen fake names for each of them carefully, common enough to avoid attention, plain enough to disappear into any passing crowd.

Qingyue would be Lin Jian.

Lieyin , after a brief pause before agreeing to anything at all, had taken Mo Ren.

Yexue had smirked when she chose hers— Shen Yu, as if the name itself amused her.

Ru Yi hesitated the longest. In the end, she settled on Xu An.

Peace.

The only thing she wished all of them.

Qingyue rested a hand briefly on Ru Yi’s shoulder which had her going still. "Stay alert. The closer we get to the mountains, the fewer people we’ll trust."

Ru Yi was unable to meet her gaze but she nodded.

"Don’t take unnecessary risk," Qingyue added, eyes going to Lieyin.

Yexue snorted lightly. "You say that like she ever listens."

Lieyin glanced back at her. "I do."

"Rarely."

Ru Yi was glad to see that the tension from the earlier days was behind them. She already promised herself never to put Yexue in a position where she’d had to choose between Ru Yi and her sisters.

Lieyin stepped past them, already mounting one of the horses with quiet ease. "Are we doing this or not?"

They said their final farewells quickly. There was no space for lingering, not with the road ahead...waiting.

Everyone stepped back as the four of them mounted.

Qingyue swung up behind Lieyin, settling with steady familiarity. Lieyin adjusted the reins without looking back.

Ru Yi moved toward the second horse, but Yexue caught her wrist before she could mount. "Let me help you up."

"I can mount—"

"But I want to help you," Yexue whispered next to her ear. "Now be a good girl and let me help you up."

Ru Yi’s cheeks were a deep crimson when Yexue put her hands on her waist and lifted her in front of everybody.

A moment later with a teasing smile on her face, Yexue mounted after her. She settled in too close, perhaps closer than necessary.

After that they left, waving goodbye to the people to the people they’d gotten to know over the days. Even little Xiao Yi had tears in his eyes.

The road stretched forward in uneven lines of packed dirt and scattered stone. At first, it was easy enough—gentle slopes, familiar ground. But as they rode farther, the terrain began to shift.

The earth grew harder, the path narrower. Rock began to replace soil.

Yexue adjusted her grip slightly as the horse stepped over uneven ground. Her other hand rested on Ru Yi’s waist, keeping her steady but not restraining.

At least...not at first.

When the road turned rougher, the horse jolted slightly over a ridge of stone.

Yexue shifted with it.

The movement pressed her closer—her chest brushing against Ru Yi’s back before settling again. She felt Ru Yi stiffen but only leaned closer.

"It’s the road," Yexue whispered in a hoarse voice.

"Of course," Ru Yi whispered back, being all too aware of how close they were. Her body was already growing more, eager for more connection that went past the layers of clothes they both had on.

Ru Yi tried to forget how perfectly she fit in Yexue’s arms by staring ahead, all her focus narrowing onto the path in front of them.

Behind them, Qingyue’s voice carried faintly. "The path splits ahead. Take your left."

Lieyin adjusted her direction without hesitation, even though her grip tightened in annoyance. Why was she forced to watch the pair in front of her? It was already literal torture that she could feel every emotion Ru Yi felt.

And who was to blame?

Nobody but herself.

As they climbed higher, the air thinned, cooling against their skin. The landscape opened in sharp lines of stone and sparse trees clinging stubbornly to the mountain side.

And then, through a break in the rising terrain Ru Yi saw it.

Far from a distance.

Barely visible through the haze of distance and light.

It was a peak, jagged and unforgiving. The mountain that held Ashen Fortress. It stood there waiting...watching.

Ru Yi’s breath slowed down as she watched it. She felt something in her chest stir. It wasn’t pain or fear.

It was something else, something deeper.

We’re waiting.

The voice came softly, breezing past her ears like a phantom.

Ru Yi’s eyes widened slightly. She turned her head just enough to look at Yexue. "Did you say anything?"

Yexue looked at her, brow faintly furrowed. "Did I what?"

Ru Yi shook her head.

Yexue’s lips hadn’t moved. There’d been no sound.

So where did that voice come from?