The Gusu Mistake - Chapter 32

Since it concerned their own lives, Yuan Ruo barely needed to use any words to convince the nearby villagers to voluntarily go up the mountain to search for the demon.

“Yuan Ruo, where do you think that ghostly thing could have gone?” After searching for a long time without success, Jiang Yi Lan complained a little.

“It’s hard to say!” Although Yuan Ruo was a bit more patient, her brow was also furrowed.

“I just hope your sword strike killed it!” Jiang Yi Lan expressed her wishful thinking. Then, seeing that all the villagers on the mountain had found nothing, she couldn’t help but feel discouraged: “We’ve been looking all day and haven’t seen it. If it’s still alive, do you think it’s already escaped?”

“It’s possible!” Yuan Ruo said. “But if it has, then people in other places will be unlucky!”

“This…” Jiang Yi Lan angrily kicked a dead weed. “This ghostly thing, who knows where it came from!”

“Let’s keep looking!” Yuan Ruo had nothing else to say, only hoping to find some clues.

“Huh?” After walking a bit further, Jiang Yi Lan’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she walked forward.

“What’s wrong? Did you find something?” Yuan Ruo asked Jiang Yi Lan.

“No!” Jiang Yi Lan pointed to some very tender, green grass on the ground. “Look at this!”

“What is this?” Yuan Ruo asked as she walked closer.

“This is called ‘fu yi grass’!” As Jiang Yi Lan spoke, she had already squatted down and carefully picked the grass, putting it away. “The medicinal powder I use to deal with those powerful Gu insects is made from this!”

“This is it?” Yuan Ruo also squatted down to help Jiang Yi Lan collect the grass. “You just said yesterday that you had run out. These are perfect to restock!”

“Mm!” Jiang Yi Lan simply replied, and her movements became more forward as she picked the grass. Finally, she vaguely saw an empty space ahead and couldn’t help but frown.

“What’s wrong?” Yuan Ruo asked when she saw Jiang Yi Lan stop moving.

“It seems to be hollow in here!” Jiang Yi Lan said, looking back at Yuan Ruo. Yuan Ruo understood, drew her sword, and horizontally sliced at the obstructive weeds and wood. This resulted in a clear clang: “Keng!”

“Oh, so it’s a black stone!” Jiang Yi Lan sighed in disappointment and continued to pick the grass. After she had finished picking the grass and had gathered it in her clothes, she stood up. “Since we’re not sure if the demon is dead, we might as well stay here for a few days. We’ll leave after I’ve remade the medicinal powder!”

“Mm!” Yuan Ruo agreed. “That’s a good idea!”

In the following days, Yuan Ruo led the villagers to continue the demon hunt, while Jiang Yi Lan stayed in the village to make her medicine. Each had their duties, seemingly in an orderly fashion, but in reality, no one noticed that behind the black stone that Yuan Ruo’s sword had hit, in the same place where Jiang Yi Lan had picked the fu yi grass, a cave was hidden.

The cave entrance was extremely difficult to find, but inside it was another world, large enough to accommodate a middle-aged man in a gray robe and a scorpion demon that was seriously injured and not yet fully transformed.

Suddenly, it began to rain. The villagers could no longer continue their search of the mountain and had to stop. However, the rain did not affect Jiang Yi Lan’s medicine-making, nor did it affect the middle-aged man who had finally found an opportunity to emerge from the hidden cave.

The scorpion demon was too big for the man to take with him, but he needed supplies, so he went alone first.

This was a simple roadside restaurant.

The middle-aged man walked into the restaurant, gave a few instructions to the owner, and then sat down to wait.

There weren’t many customers in the restaurant, only the middle-aged man, so the food was served quickly. Just as he was halfway through his meal, another group of people arrived, braving the rain.

It was a very large group, so large that the entire restaurant was almost too small to hold them. However, they seemed to be in a master-servant relationship; one person sat down while the others stood, which made it just about manageable.

“Such heavy rain!” The master who sat down started complaining as soon as his backside touched the bench. “What bad luck!”

“Young Master, calm down!” The confidant next to the master tried to appease him. “What would you like to eat? I’ll go ask the owner to make it!”

The master looked around. “What good stuff can a small place like this have? Just bring some random things. We’ll leave as soon as the rain stops!”

“Yes!” The confidant took the order and went to the owner. Regardless of what it was, he chose some good wine and dishes. The owner, seeing their aggressive demeanor and fearing they might cause trouble, didn’t dare to ask a single question and went to cook.

“Have the people sent to the Jiang family returned?” While waiting for the food and wine, the master asked his confidant.

The confidant replied: “They have returned. The message has been delivered to the Jiang family!”

“Hmph!” The master snorted. “Now it’s up to Jiang Ting to do his part!”

The confidant lowered his head and said nothing more, but the master continued:

“I also need you to think about the matter of the corpse demon Gu!”

“This…” The mention of the corpse demon Gu made the confidant worried. “Young Master! I really…”

“That’s enough!” Fortunately, the master didn’t make things difficult for him, just showing a little impatience. “If that Qiu Yue can do it, why can’t I?”

The confidant said: “Young Master, perhaps we can recruit a person who knows Taoist magic!”

“Mm!” The master nodded. “We do need to recruit one, but those Taoist priests are all after fame. It won’t be easy to get them to cooperate!”

“There are always those who value profit!” The confidant said. “Once we find someone, if we offer them a great deal of wealth, they will surely cooperate!”

“Just tell people to go and look!” The master waved his hand. “As long as you find the person, money is not a problem!”

“Yes!” The confidant took the order. Just then, the food and wine arrived. The master had a table to himself, while the others shared some dishes. Just as they had all finished eating, the rain had almost stopped, and they all set off together, leaving the restaurant.

Ahead was a fork in the road, but the master suddenly stopped, his face sinking, and he turned around. “Sir, have you been following me all this way? Don’t tell me it’s just a coincidence!”

The middle-aged man in the gray robe smiled slightly, bowed to the master, and greeted him: “I am Fu Cong, a cultivator. I was traveling here and felt that your demeanor was extraordinary. I have come to admire you and ask for your name!”

The master’s initial cautious and impatient attitude vanished completely upon hearing Fu Cong’s identity as a cultivator, replaced by a light of excitement in his eyes: “Wu Yun Fei!”

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