The Gusu Mistake - Chapter 13

Nights are usually silent and dark, but not at Drunkard’s Alley. The later it got, the more lively and bustling the place became.

It was the third watch of the night when Widow Zhou, clutching a small bottle, approached Drunkard’s Alley step by step.

“Hey, you? What are you doing here?” A courtesan spotted Widow Zhou and looked her up and down with annoyance. “Looking for your man?”

“I…” Widow Zhou was too nervous to speak.

“Not talking?” The courtesan scrutinized her again. “Oh… I get it. Looking at you, you must be here to see Mama!”

“I’m not, don’t talk nonsense!” Seeing the courtesan about to lay a hand on her, Widow Zhou quickly slapped it away and ran off.

Widow Zhou didn’t stop until she reached a desolate, dark corner. Before she could catch her breath, Ru Yi’s figure suddenly appeared before her. “You wait here. I’ll go by myself!”

“You…” Widow Zhou reached out.

Ru Yi looked back. “Hmm?”

“Be careful!” Although she knew Ru Yi was not human, Widow Zhou still wanted to show concern.

Ru Yi didn’t say anything, just gave Widow Zhou a light smile. The next moment, she transformed into her most terrifying form.

Widow Zhou’s eyes widened. She couldn’t help but feel a chill at Ru Yi’s appearance, but she forced herself to watch as Ru Yi floated towards Drunkard’s Alley.

“Ah… a ghost…”

“Someone’s dead, someone’s dead…”

Not long after Ru Yi entered Drunkard’s Alley, screams and cries erupted from within.

Widow Zhou gripped the small bottle tightly, waiting anxiously and fearfully until Ru Yi’s red figure reappeared before her.

“Are you scared?” Ru Yi’s voice was gentle and devoid of malice.

Widow Zhou looked up and saw Ru Yi in a gentle and soft appearance. “Are you… all right?”

“Yes!” Ru Yi nodded. “I’m all right!”

“Young Master Wang…?” Widow Zhou asked, daringly.

“Dead!” Ru Yi chuckled lightly. “And the madam!”

“Good!” Widow Zhou swallowed. “So… shall we go back now?”

Ru Yi fell silent.

Widow Zhou asked, “Do you… need to find someone else?”

Ru Yi closed her eyes. “I want to go home and see. Can you… lead me there one more time?”

Widow Zhou hesitated. “Is your home far? Will we make it back in time?”

“If it were far, I wouldn’t have been sold here!” Ru Yi smiled bitterly. “It’s not far. Don’t worry, we’ll be back before sunrise.”

Widow Zhou hesitated for a moment longer. “Okay, I’ll take you there!”

“Thank you!” Ru Yi tried to take Widow Zhou’s hand, but Widow Zhou instinctively pulled back. “I’m sorry!”

Widow Zhou then realized what she had done and quickly took Ru Yi’s hand back. “No, I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that you… are so cold!”

Ru Yi smiled bitterly. “I am no longer a living person. Being cold is natural!”

“You remember everything, but you really don’t remember your original name?” Widow Zhou asked Ru Yi on the way.

Ru Yi twitched her mouth. “What’s the point of remembering?”

Widow Zhou pursed her lips. “So… what are you going to do on this trip back?”

“I don’t know!” Ru Yi seemed a little dazed. “I don’t know what I want to do there, I just want to go back once!”

Widow Zhou cautiously asked, “Do you… hate your parents?”

Ru Yi countered, “If you were me, would you hate them?”

Widow Zhou lowered her gaze. “I probably would.”

“Then I hate them, too!” Ru Yi replied.

After that, Widow Zhou stopped talking, and Ru Yi also fell silent, until a small thatched hut appeared not far ahead.

“Is that… your home?” Widow Zhou asked Ru Yi.

Ru Yi’s eyes looked dazed as she stared at the hut for a while. “I guess so!”

Widow Zhou said, “Are you…?”

Before Widow Zhou could finish, Ru Yi had already floated over.

Widow Zhou hesitated for a moment and then followed. When she got there, she saw Ru Yi standing in a daze. Following her gaze, she saw two old people huddled in the corner outside the house.

“Are they your parents?” Widow Zhou asked.

Ru Yi nodded but didn’t say anything.

“I can’t believe they’re living so miserably now!” Widow Zhou sighed.

Ru Yi still didn’t reply. She turned around and was about to leave.

Widow Zhou followed Ru Yi. “Are you just leaving?”

Ru Yi smiled bitterly. “What else?”

Widow Zhou was speechless. The old couple was pitiful, but Ru Yi was even more so. But they were her parents, and it was not a good idea to harm them.

“Let’s go…”

“You old fools, get out of the way!” Just as Ru Yi was about to speak, a rough voice came, and she turned around to see a man kicking the old couple.

Widow Zhou frowned. “Is that… your brother?”

Ru Yi nodded. “Yes!”

Widow Zhou asked, “Is he… hitting your parents?”

Ru Yi nodded again. “Yes!”

Widow Zhou opened her mouth several times before saying, “You…”

“Son, don’t hit your father!” The cries from over there interrupted the conversation between the woman and the ghost. “There’s really no money left at home!”

“No money? How can that be?” The man yelled. “Didn’t you still have some left from selling that slut to the brothel?”

“We only got twenty taels for that girl, and it was meant for you to get a wife!” The old man cried. “You’ve spent it all. Where would there be any left?”

“You two useless old things, if I knew that slut was so easy to sell, why didn’t you have more kids?” The man grumbled, and in his excitement, he pointed his hand backward, but ended up pointing at something. “What’s that?”

“Turn around and see!” The evil-looking Ru Yi floated behind the man. When he turned around, she grabbed him by the neck.

“Ghost…” The cry was stuck in his throat, and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t make a sound.

“Son!” The two old people, who had just been beaten, saw their precious son being choked by the ghost. They immediately forgot everything and rushed forward to pry Ru Yi’s ghostly hand off.

“He treats you like this, and you still protect him?” Ru Yi’s eyes flowed with tears of blood. Her hand loosened, and the man fell to the ground.

“Son!” The two old people shielded the man, one on each side, and then all of them looked at Ru Yi in unison. “Evil spirit, don’t hurt our son!”

Ru Yi’s bloody tears were still flowing. As she took a step closer, they retreated.

“You… don’t come any closer…” The man, in his fear, suddenly got up and ran, leaving the two elders trembling in place.

“You… what are you going to do?” The old woman stuttered, asking Ru Yi.

Ru Yi, however, asked, “Don’t you feel the slightest bit of guilt for your daughter?”

“Daughter?” The old man looked up and suddenly reacted. “You, you, you…”

“The bond of this life has ended!” Ru Yi retreated, dodging the old man’s outstretched hand. “You gave me life and raised me, and you also ruined me. I don’t owe you anything. For all the ages to come, in all lifetimes, I ask that we never meet again!”

After saying this, Ru Yi turned and left, her figure gradually returning to its normal form. The two old people behind her were still shouting something, but she no longer wanted to listen or care. When she reached Widow Zhou, a red glow just stained the horizon, and she turned into a wisp of smoke and entered the small bottle.

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