The Gusu Mistake - Chapter 26

The road ahead, Jiang Yilan and Yuan Ruo chattered and joked, expecting the follower to make a move, but he remained silent.

“You said, what does that fool behind us want to do?” Jiang Yilan whispered to Yuan Ruo.

“He’s just waiting for the right moment!” Yuan Ruo glanced back, confirming the person was still there. “Or maybe he’s waiting for backup!”

“Backup?” Jiang Yilan couldn’t help but purse her lips. “If his backup is powerful, won’t we be in big trouble?”

Yuan Ruo nodded. “Yes, it’s a possibility!”

Jiang Yilan frowned. “So what about us? We can’t just sit here and wait for death, can we?”

Yuan Ruo countered, “Do you have any ideas?”

Jiang Yilan’s eyes darted around, and she suddenly gave a mysterious smile. She leaned close to Yuan Ruo’s ear and whispered something.

After listening, Yuan Ruo’s face showed worry. “I’m just afraid…”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of!” Jiang Yilan whispered. “When we’re together, the person behind us might be too cautious to act. Having this follower constantly on our tail is really annoying!”

“Let him follow,” Yuan Ruo said nonchalantly. “He won’t die from it!”

Jiang Yilan’s lips curled up. “Don’t you want to see the person behind him sooner?”

“I do!” Yuan Ruo was very certain about this. “I’m just worried that if we separate, something might go wrong!”

“He’s only one person!” Jiang Yilan said. “If we separate, no matter who he chooses to follow, he can only follow one of us. Isn’t that easier to handle?”

“Hmmph!” Yuan Ruo raised an eyebrow. “You may be younger than me, but you’re smarter!”

“Oh? Are you buttering me up?” Jiang Yilan feigned suspicion. “No good deed goes unpunished. Tell me, what’s your motive?”

Yuan Ruo played along, her eyes darting around playfully. “You’re right, there is a motive!”

Jiang Yilan tilted her chin, looking as if she expected it. “Spill it, what’s your purpose?”

Yuan Ruo leaned closer to Jiang Yilan, her expression ambiguous. “Do you remember my second brother?”

Jiang Yilan gave a sarcastic laugh. “How could I forget that guy!”

Yuan Ruo said, “You dislike my second brother so much because he was interested in you?”

“Not entirely!” Jiang Yilan scratched her head. “I don’t know why, but I just can’t stand the sight of him!”

“I see…” Yuan Ruo said. “Then let me ask you something.”

Jiang Yilan leaned in to listen. “What is it?”

Yuan Ruo smiled. “If I had the same thoughts as my second brother, would you also dislike me?”

“Of course not!” Jiang Yilan pretended to be flirtatious, putting an arm around Yuan Ruo’s neck. “After all, you’re so good-looking!”

“Really?” Yuan Ruo’s eyes lit up.

“You’re being weird, stop it!” Jiang Yilan pushed Yuan Ruo away, ending the joke, and completely missed the look of disappointment that flashed in Yuan Ruo’s eyes. “Okay, if we keep dawdling, it’ll be dark soon!”

Yuan Ruo composed herself and forced a smile. “Alright, what do you plan to do?”

“Over there!” Jiang Yilan pointed ahead. “There’s a fork in the road. We’ll each take a different path and see who that jerk behind us follows!”

“Okay!” Yuan Ruo warned, “Be careful!”

“It’s fine, I’m not a child anymore. I can protect myself!”

As they spoke, the two reached the fork in the road. Without another word, they suddenly split, one going left and the other right, leaving the person behind them flustered. But he only hesitated for a moment before choosing to follow Yuan Ruo.

Yuan Ruo’s path was lined with bamboo groves. The wind blowing through the bamboo created an eerie, quiet atmosphere, making it a perfect place for an ambush.

At that moment, as Yuan Ruo passed between three clusters of bamboo, a hidden arrow suddenly shot out.

Yuan Ruo dodged it and sternly shouted in the direction the arrow came from, “Who’s there?”

“Han Yan, I’ve been looking for you!” It was the same black cloak, covering his face and concealing his identity. But the familiar feeling was the same as the one Yuan Ruo had encountered on the mountain path the night she had gone to escort Han Ming’s bride.

“You?” Yuan Ruo recognized the person and sneered, “You were lucky enough to escape last time, and now you’ve come back? Are you really trying to die?”

“This time, who dies is uncertain!” The one who spoke was Qiu Yue. “You took my brother’s life, and today is the day I get my revenge!”

Yuan Ruo looked at Qiu Yue. “You scoundrel, you’re not dead yet?”

“If you’re not dead, I certainly won’t be!” Qiu Yue’s hatred for Yuan Ruo was intense, and he didn’t want to wait a moment longer, launching a killing blow.

Seeing Qiu Yue open a three-foot-long iron box, revealing a foot-long centipede, Yuan Ruo couldn’t help but take a half-step back in surprise.

However, the centipede didn’t stop because Yuan Ruo retreated. Its speed was not only several times faster than a regular centipede, but it could also leap. The moment Yuan Ruo stepped back to dodge, the centipede also leaped, charging straight at her.

“What a treasure, her blood is the most delicious, go and suck her dry!” Qiu Yue was excited to see Yuan Ruo clumsily dodging, but he didn’t join the fight because his injuries hadn’t healed yet.

But even without Qiu Yue’s involvement, Yuan Ruo was no match for the centipede. As she swung her arm, the centipede’s legs scratched her arm, and a sharp pain immediately spread through her.

“Hiss…” Though in pain, Yuan Ruo didn’t dare stop for a second, because the centipede was coming at her again. After all this time, she had noticed that the centipede was filled with intense negative energy, so she imbued her sword with a spell. The next time it attacked, she swung her sword at it.

However, her full-force strike only made a “clang” sound, deflecting the centipede without harming it in the slightest. In a blink of an eye, it was back.

The pain in her arm was getting worse, and her vision was starting to blur. A feeling of despair welled up in Yuan Ruo’s heart.

“Am I really going to die here today?”

As Yuan Ruo thought this, the person in the black cloak thought the same. Seeing that Yuan Ruo was losing her strength, his sword began to stir. “Qiu, this treasure of yours is truly a good thing!”

“Of course, otherwise why would I put so much effort into raising it?” As Qiu Yue spoke, the wound on his back started to throb again, re-igniting all his hatred. Gritting his teeth, he said, “She’s weakening, benefactor, you can act now!”

“Alright!” The man in the black cloak didn’t hesitate. He drew his sword and charged at Yuan Ruo, who was at the end of her rope.

However, at that very moment, a puff of white powder was scattered, not only blinding the man in the black cloak but also landing on the centipede that was lunging at Yuan Ruo, immediately producing a “sizzling” sound.

“Yilan…” Hope immediately ignited in Yuan Ruo’s heart. Seeing the centipede was injured, she swung her sword again. This time, there was no empty clang, but a strike that cut the centipede in half.

“My treasure!” The situation changed in an instant. Qiu Yue, who had been on the verge of getting his revenge, now lost the treasure he had painstakingly acquired. He rushed toward the two halves of the centipede, ignoring everything else.

But what Qiu Yue didn’t expect was that the centipede wasn’t dead, and its desire for blood had reached its peak. The moment he got close, it bit him.

“Ah…” Qiu Yue let out a painful howl. Seeing this, the man in the black cloak took a step forward, but seeing that Jiang Yilan had a hidden sleeve sword and Yuan Ruo still had the strength to fight, he hesitated and abandoned Qiu Yue to flee.

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