The Gusu Mistake - Chapter 34

“Yilan, Yilan!” Yuan ruo shot up from her slumber, startled. At first, she was confused, but after a moment, she suddenly remembered falling into the swamp with Jiang Yilan. She instinctively looked around and saw Jiang Yilan, covered in mud, lying next to her.

“Yilan!” Ignoring her own muddy state, Yuan ruo quickly went to help Jiang Yilan up and held her close. She checked for a pulse and sighed in relief when she confirmed that Yilan was still alive.

“You’re awake!” A sudden, gentle female voice made Yuan ruo instinctively look up in the direction of the sound. There stood a woman in a light-colored silk dress, her demeanor as soft and gentle as her voice.

Yuan ruo stared at the woman for a while, stunned. “Did… did you save us?”

“Yes,” the woman said, moving gracefully toward the two. “I heard some noise outside, and when I came out to look, I found you.”

“Thank you,” Yuan ruo said, her first reaction being gratitude. The next moment, she realized something was amiss. “Outside? You live here? Are you from Jingbo Gate?”

“Hmm?” The woman paused for a moment, then chuckled softly. “I do live here, but… I don’t know the Jingbo Gate you speak of.”

Yuan ruo frowned. “You live here, how could you not know about Jingbo Gate?”

The woman just smiled gently. “I’ve lived here for several years, and I’ve truly never heard of a Jingbo Gate.”

“Several years?” Yuan ruo scrutinized the woman, growing suspicious. “From your age, you seem to be about the same as me. How could you have spent several years of your youth living here?”

“Ah? Haha…” The woman’s expression changed, and she laughed heartily. “My age is probably much older than you think.”

Yuan ruo’s brow furrowed. “You… really don’t know about Jingbo Gate?”

“Truly I don’t,” the woman added. “And I live here in seclusion; I’ve seen the surrounding area, and living creatures are rare.”

“Are you saying,” Yuan ruo’s eyes darted around, “that Jingbo Gate doesn’t exist at all?”

“Perhaps your information is wrong. If you look farther, you might find it,” the woman said. “But there’s no need to search in this place anymore. You should go back.”

Yuan ruo looked at Jiang Yilan in her arms, then at the endless swamp. “Can you help us get out?”

“Yuan ruo!” Jiang Yilan suddenly woke up, grabbing Yuan ruo’s shoulder and sitting up. “Where are we?”

“Yilan, you’re awake!” Seeing Jiang Yilan awake, Yuan ruo was overjoyed. “You scared me to death!”

“Huh?” Jiang Yilan was still a bit groggy. After looking at Yuan ruo for a moment, she looked around and finally fixed her gaze on the woman. “Who is this?”

“We were trapped in the swamp, and she saved us,” Yuan ruo said, looking at the woman.

Jiang Yilan sized up the woman. “Are you a fairy?”

“Heh,” the woman chuckled softly. “I’m not a fairy, but if you two want to leave, I can lend a hand.”

Yuan ruo quickly asked, “Can you really take us out?”

“It’s not difficult,” the woman said, glancing at their muddy clothes. “The place where I live has a clear spring. You might as well wash up before you leave.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yilan shivered. “Is there really water we can use to wash up?”

“Of course,” the woman said, leading the way. Jiang Yilan scrambled to her feet and followed her without delay, and Yuan ruo had no choice but to follow as well.

The woman led Jiang Yilan and Yuan ruo to a bamboo building. Unlike the muddy surroundings outside, the area around the building was beautiful, with clear springs, small bridges, and a bamboo forest.

“I can’t believe there’s such a beautiful place here,” Yuan ruo sighed.

“I live here alone and take care of these things when I have nothing else to do,” the woman said. She led them to the clear spring and then brought out two sets of women’s clothing. “They’re mine. You can make do with them.”

Jiang Yilan took the clothes, but Yuan ruo hesitated.

“Heh,” the woman covered her mouth with a light laugh. “Your disguise as a man is not bad; ordinary people wouldn’t notice, but I’ve seen more of these things.”

Yuan ruo felt a bit embarrassed and finally took the clothes. “You’ve caught me. May I ask for your name?”

The woman was silent for a moment. “My name is An Zhi, as in ji lai zhi ze an zhi (come as you are, be at peace).”

“You…”

“You don’t need to ask about my affairs,” An Zhi interrupted before Yuanruo could ask. “Go and wash up. Once you’re clean, I’ll lead you out.”

Since the woman didn’t want to talk, Yuanruo didn’t press the matter. She and Jiang Yilan went to clean themselves from head to toe and finally changed into the clothes An Zhi had given them.

“Wow!” After changing, Jiang Yilan gasped in admiration at Yuanruo. “I never knew you were so beautiful in women’s clothes!”

“Am I beautiful?” Yuanruo looked at her new clothes. “You’re probably talking about the clothes.”

“The clothes are beautiful too!” Jiang Yilan straightened Yuanruo’s clothes. “In my opinion, after your brother’s revenge is done, you should change back into women’s clothes and dress up. You’ll surely captivate many people!”

Yuanruo laughed. “Will I captivate you?”

“Yes!” Jiang Yilan exaggerated dramatically. “I’m almost captivated to death!”

Knowing that Jiang Yilan was joking, Yuanruo didn’t respond. Just then, An Zhi walked over, and Yuanruo said, “Please, Miss, lead us out.”

“Alright,” An Zhi turned around. “Follow me.”

They returned to the edge of the swamp, and An Zhi stepped out first without hesitation.

“Hey, you…”

“Just follow her,” Jiang Yilan hadn’t expected An Zhi to be so casual and tried to stop her, but An Zhi called back to them, “Don’t miss a step, and we’ll be out soon!”

Jiang Yilan and Yuanruo exchanged glances. It was clear that they had no other choice but to trust An Zhi. So, the two of them held hands and followed her.

They were afraid of another accident, but An Zhi walked with an exceptionally steady pace. Before long, she had led them out of the swamp. Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief and thank An Zhi, they found that she had lightly floated away.

“She… she flew away?” Jiang Yilan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Yuanruo was also shocked. “She can fly? What kind of qinggong (lightness skill) is that?”

Jiang Yilan asked, “You’ve never seen anything like it before?”

“Never,” Yuanruo said, and then a thought suddenly flashed in her mind. “Wait, I have seen it, but that was…”

“Shu!” Yuanruo’s words were cut off by a sudden projectile. She instinctively blocked it with her sword and looked up to find that she was surrounded by a group of masked men in black.

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