The Gusu Mistake - Chapter 39

The cave was already dim, and as dusk fell, it became even more shadowy.

Yuan ruo settled Jiang Yilan on a pile of withered grass in a corner. The antidote had been administered, but Yilan was still unconscious, which worried Yuan ruo greatly.

“When will the antidote take effect?” Yuan ruo asked coldly, her position unchanged. From another corner, Jiang Yuan’s voice answered.

“In… in another hour, she should wake up!”

“An hour!” Yuan ruo repeated the words. “If she’s not awake in an hour, I’ll chop off one of your fingers. If she’s not awake after another incense stick’s time, I’ll chop off another!”

“You…” Jiang Yuan was furious, but the words were stuck in his throat.

Yuan ruo shot a glance at Jiang Yuan. “If you try any tricks, I’ll make sure you pay for it dearly!”

Jiang Yuan fell silent, daring not to speak out. Yuan ruo had targeted his fengfu acupoint, a severe move. Even after several hours, he still couldn’t feel any strength returning to his body.

“Clatter!” A sudden noise came from another corner. It was the young girl who had stabbed Jiang Yilan, now huddling there.

In fact, Yuan ruo had not restrained the girl or given her any trouble. The girl had even followed them here on her own. The sound just now was her bumping into a pile of loose stones.

“I know you were being used!” Yuan ruo wasn’t a fool; she could see that hurting them was not the girl’s true intention. “If you want to leave, then go. You don’t have to stay here!”

“Waaah…” The little girl began to sob. “Sister, I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to hurt you!”

“Sigh!” Yuan ruo sighed. “I know, so don’t worry, I won’t give you a hard time.”

The little girl continued to cry. “I’m scared!”

Yuan ruo asked, “What are you scared of?”

Crying, the girl said, “I ran away, but she captured my mom, dad, and brother. If I go out, she’ll catch me too!”

“She?” Yuan ruo subconsciously looked at Jiang Yuan in the corner. “Was it him?”

“Not him. On my way here, I was caught by human traffickers who wanted to sell me. It was… it was him…” The little girl sobbed, pointing at Jiang Yuan. “He said that if I did what he told me to, he would save me!”

“Heh!” Yuan ruo let out a cold laugh, her tone full of sarcasm. “Young Master Jiang, you certainly put a lot of thought into this for the two of us. What a grand plan!”

Jiang Yuan, of course, still didn’t dare to speak, silently waiting for the restraints on his body to wear off.

Yuan ruo asked the little girl again, “Who were the people who captured your mom, dad, and brother?”

“I… I don’t know!” The little girl started crying again. “Sister, can you please save them?”

Yuan ruo laughed. “You want me to save them?”

The girl nodded repeatedly. “I know I did something wrong, but… but I’m scared…”

“Stop talking!” Yuan ruo was a kind person, but she was no saint who would repay evil with good. With Jiang Yilan still unconscious, she didn’t want to get involved in anything else.

Failing to get help, the little girl could only continue to squat in the corner and cry alone. It wasn’t until it was almost completely dark that they finally heard a soft moan from Jiang Yilan.

“Mmm…”

“Yilan, you’re finally awake?” Jiang Yilan waking up made Yuan ruo the happiest. She rushed over to check on her. After confirming Yilan’s eyes were open, the weight in her heart was finally lifted. “That’s wonderful, you’re finally awake!”

“Yuan ruo?” Jiang Yilan first called Yuan ruo’s name, then looked around. “Where is this?”

“You passed out, so I brought you here to this cave!” As Yuan ruo explained, she helped Jiang Yilan sit up and lean against her. “How are you? Is there any part of you that still feels uncomfortable?”

Jiang Yilan moved her throat. “I’m a little thirsty!”

“Thirsty? I’ll go find some water!” Yuanruo was about to put her down but changed her mind at the last moment. “Bear with it for a bit; I’ll find water for you later!”

Jiang Yilan looked up, confused. “Hm?”

Yuanruo pointed to Jiang Yuan in the corner. “How should we deal with him?”

“Jiang Yuan?” Jiang Yilan laughed. “You useless waste of a thing, you’re not dead yet?”

Yuan ruo chimed in, “If it wasn’t to get the antidote for you, I would have ended him with my sword long ago!”

Jiang Yilan tried to stand up but failed, so she remained seated. “Your parents have been gone for a while, and your grandfather only has you, this useless thing. Did he really send you out? Is he not afraid I’ll kill you?”

Jiang Yuan finally couldn’t hold back. “If I die, my grandfather will not let you off!”

“Hehe!” Jiang Yilan scoffed. “When the Jiang family was in trouble, you had to rely on me to save the day. Now you’re so confident?”

“You…” Jiang Yuan was speechless and fell silent once more.

“Later,” Jiang Yilan said, “I’ll tie you up and take you back to the Jiang family. I’ll tell all the Jiang family members about the wonderful things your grandfather and you have done.”

Jiang Yuan gritted his teeth but remained silent.

“Alright, Yilan, stop talking!” Yuan ruo adjusted Jiang Yilan’s posture to make her more comfortable. “When you’re feeling better, I’ll go get some water for you.”

“Okay!” Jiang Yilan naturally knew that Yuan ruo couldn’t bear to leave her alone with Jiang Yuan. In her current state, she was weak and completely unable to protect herself.

“Do you want to lie down for a while longer?” Yuan ruo asked Jiang Yilan softly.

Jiang Yilan shook her head. Her eyes glanced over, catching sight of the little girl in the corner, and her expression immediately soured. “Why is she here?”

Yuan ruo said, “She didn’t mean to hurt you, so I didn’t give her a hard time. She followed us here herself.”

Jiang Yilan frowned. “Why did you follow us here?”

The little girl said timidly, “I… I’m scared!”

“She said her mom, dad, and brother were all captured…” Yuan ruo briefly explained the situation to Jiang Yilan.

Jiang Yilan laughed upon hearing this. “You hurt me, and now you want me to help you?”

“I, I…”

“Jiang Yuan…”

While the two of them were focused on the little girl, Jiang Yuan suddenly regained his strength. He scrambled to his feet and ran out of the cave. Jiang Yilan cried out, wanting to chase him, but lacked the strength. Yuan ruo had the strength but couldn’t leave Jiang Yilan, and so could only watch him escape.

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