Exiled!? Ha! I have An Infinite Space-Chapter 36 -

"Master Fu, I will ask once again. Did you, or did you not, see anyone push the wagon?" the head guard said, staring directly at Master Fu, along with everyone else.

My brows lifted.

Why on earth wasn’t he saying anything?

Madame Fu quickly spoke up, her voice anxious.

"He’s probably still in shock," she told the head guard. "That’s why he hasn’t said anything yet."

The head guard let out a slow breath and shook his head slightly.

Behind her, Grandma Fu scoffed loudly. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, her expression full of mockery, as if the entire matter was a waste of time.

Just as the head guard was about to speak again, Master Fu suddenly raised his voice.

"No one pushed it," he said clearly. "The wagon slid by itself."

The words stunned everyone.

I felt my breath hitch, and beside me, Fu Sheng stiffened. We exchanged a quick look, both of us equally shocked.

Fu Fei was the first to react. She stepped forward at once, her voice shaking with disbelief.

"That’s impossible," she said. "The ground wasn’t even that steep. The wagon wouldn’t just move and slide on its own."

She looked at Master Fu desperately.

"Father, think again. Did you really not see anyone near it?"

Master Fu’s expression hardened.

"I didn’t see anyone," he shouted this time, his voice sharp and final. "I won’t lie. This was an accident, and this matter ends here."

His words hit like a blade.

Fu Fei’s eyes filled with tears, her shoulders trembling as she struggled to hold them back. She clearly didn’t want this to be brushed aside, didn’t want the truth buried.

She tried to speak again, but I reached out and gently held her hand.

She turned to look at me, her eyes red and wet.

"Sister-in-law..."

I shook my head slightly, silently telling her to stop.

She understood. Slowly, she stepped back.

I then walked toward the head guard and bowed slightly.

"I apologize for wasting your time," I said calmly.

The head guard sighed. He looked conflicted, his brows drawn together. It was clear he didn’t fully believe Master Fu’s words, but without proof, there was nothing he could do.

"I don’t understand why Master Fu would protect whoever caused this," he said slowly. "But it’s not my place to judge family matters."

He nodded once and warned, "Your family’s troubles are getting out of hand. Watch yourselves."

With that, he turned to leave with his men.

But before he could take more than a few steps, Master Fu called out again.

"Head Guard."

The head guard stopped and turned back, clear irritation written on his face.

"What is it now?" he asked sharply. "Are you finally ready to speak properly?"

Master Fu shook his head slowly.

"No," he said. "But I want you to stay and witness what is about to happen here."

That single sentence stunned everyone.

Even I straightened in surprise, my fingers tightening at my side. Fu Sheng turned to look at his father, his brows drawn together, clearly not understanding where this was going.

The head guard raised one brow. "Witness what?" he asked. "Speak clearly."

Before Master Fu could answer, footsteps approached from the slope below. Fu Fong appeared, leading the way, with Grandpa Fu following behind him. The children were with them, dusty and tired, clinging to their elders as they returned to the group.

Their arrival drew even more attention.

Master Fu waited until they were close enough, until everyone had gathered again, before he finally spoke.

He slowly pushed himself more upright, ignoring the pain written across his face. His eyes moved over his children first, then his wife, then finally to his parents standing opposite him.

"For many years," he said, his voice steady but heavy, "I have endured this family the way it is. I have endured favoritism, neglect, insults, and blame, all in the name of blood ties."

Grandma Fu scoffed immediately, opening her mouth to interrupt, but Master Fu raised his hand.

"For once," he said firmly, "listen."

The air grew tense.

"I stayed silent when my wife was looked down on," he continued. "I stayed silent when my children were treated as less than others. I stayed silent even when my own suffering was ignored."

He looked at his parents directly now, his gaze calm but unyielding.

"But tonight," he said, "I watched my family lose everything we had to survive. And instead of standing together, you mocked, accused, and celebrated."

A ripple of unease spread through the crowd.

The head guard did not interrupt. He simply watched.

Master Fu took a slow breath.

"I said the wagon slid by itself," he went on. "Not because I didn’t know the truth, but because I no longer care to protect this family’s false peace."

Fu Sheng’s eyes widened slightly.

"I don’t want investigations," Master Fu said. "I don’t want punishment. What I want is an end."

He turned his head slowly, taking in everyone standing before him. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"From this moment on," he said clearly, his voice carrying across the hilltop, "I wish to split from the Fu family."

The words fell like thunder.

Gasps rang out. Grandma Fu’s face went pale, then red. Uncle Fu stiffened. Aunt Fu stared in disbelief.

"What nonsense are you saying?" Grandma Fu shouted. "You think you can just leave?"

Master Fu looked at her calmly. "I am not asking for permission."

He turned to the head guard. "You wanted to know what to witness," he said. "This is it. From today onward, my wife, my children, and I will walk our own path. We will no longer share food, property, or responsibility with the rest of the Fu family."

The head guard studied him closely, then nodded slowly. "If that is your decision," he said, "it will be recorded."

Uncle Fu stepped forward sharply. "Brother, are you serious?" he demanded. "Over one accident?"

Master Fu met his gaze. "This was never about the wagon," he said quietly. "It was about everything before it."

The moment Master Fu said those words, my heart jumped.

I was stunned for a second, then happiness rushed through me so suddenly that I almost forgot where I was. I didn’t need to scheme anymore. I didn’t need to push myself or force anything to happen.

My mission was being completed.

And I hadn’t even stressed myself to the limit.

I lowered my head slightly, pressing my lips together to hide the smile that almost appeared on my face. Inside, I felt light, as if a heavy stone had finally been lifted from my chest.

Unknown to me that Fu Sheng noticed the small smile that appeared on my lips, his brows raising slightly.

Just then, Grandma Fu completely lost it.

"What nonsense are you saying?!" she cried out loudly.

She suddenly burst into tears, beating her chest as she wailed, her voice sharp and dramatic. "My own son wants to break the family! After all these years, you want to abandon us now?"

She stumbled forward, crying and shouting, as if she were the greatest victim in the world.

"Have you lost your mind?" she screamed. "You want to split the family? Do you want to shame us? Do you want everyone to laugh at us?"

Her crying echoed through the hilltop, drawing even more attention.

I watched quietly as for once, I didn’t feel angry.

I only felt relieved.

Because no matter how much she cried or made a scene now, it couldn’t change what had already been said.

The Fu family...

was finally breaking apart.

Uncle Fu finally stepped forward.

His face was dark, his voice tight with anger and disbelief as he looked straight at Master Fu.

"Brother," he said, "have you really thought this through? Splitting the family over something like this, do you know how ridiculous it sounds? Mother is crying like this, Father is still here, and you’re talking about breaking away as if blood ties mean nothing."

He pointed toward Grandma Fu, who was still sobbing loudly.

"She raised you. She gave birth to you. And now, because of a few misunderstandings and one accident, you want to walk away?"

Before Master Fu could respond, Fu Sheng stepped forward.

His movement was sudden, his expression cold and sharp in a way I had never seen before.

"Uncle," Fu Sheng said, his voice low but heavy, "don’t talk as if you’ve been fair to us."

Uncle Fu turned toward him, clearly shocked. "Fu Sheng, this doesn’t concern—"

"It concerns me," Fu Sheng cut in immediately. "It has always concerned me."

The air around us seemed to freeze.

"For years," Fu Sheng continued, "you watched my mother be ignored. You watched my father endure everything in silence. You watched us be treated as outsiders in our own family, and you said nothing."

Uncle Fu’s mouth opened, but no words came out.

"And now," Fu Sheng said harshly, "you suddenly remember blood ties? Where were those ties when we were the ones suffering?"

His eyes were sharp, unyielding.

"You don’t get to lecture us about family," he went on. "Not after everything you chose to ignore."

Uncle Fu’s face flushed red. "You—"

"If you truly cared about this family," Fu Sheng interrupted again, "you would have spoken up long ago. But you didn’t. So don’t stand here now and act like the righteous one."

The crowd was completely silent.

Grandma Fu’s crying faltered slightly, her sobs uneven now.

Fu Sheng turned his gaze back to Master Fu, his voice softening just a little.

"Father has made his decision," he said. "And we will follow him."