The Gusu Mistake - Chapter 42

Pain won’t spare anyone just because they’re being tough, and Jiang Yilan was no exception. It had only been a couple of days since she was poisoned, but she insisted on following them up the mountain. She was fine at first, but as they neared the summit, she suddenly started feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

“Yuan ruo…” Jiang Yilan, who was walking ahead, suddenly swayed. Yuan ruo quickly reached out to catch her, but unexpectedly, at the very moment Jiang Yilan collapsed, Yuan ruo dodged an attack.

A red shadow flashed by. Yuan ruo didn’t get a clear look at the face, but she saw the claw that had nearly injured Jiang Yilan.

“Yilan!” Yuan ruo swiftly pulled Jiang Yilan behind her, then drew her sword and held it in front of her. “What manner of creature are you?”

“You’ve trespassed into my territory, and you ask me that?” The red shadow revealed itself to be a woman in a red dress.

Yuan ruo studied the woman for a moment. “A fox demon?”

The fox demon was visibly surprised. “You… you can see my true form?”

Yuan ruo said, “I can see you have some power. Why are you doing such harmful things?”

“Harmful things?” The fox demon’s red eyes shifted. “What do you mean?”

Yuan ruo stepped aside and pushed Lanlan forward. “Do you recognize her?”

The fox demon looked Lanlan over carefully. “She looks familiar!”

Yuan ruo smiled. “Just familiar?”

“Hmm?” The fox demon then thought back seriously, and her eyes suddenly lit up. “I remember now, she’s my husband’s younger sister!”

“My brother isn’t your husband! You kidnapped him, and my parents too!” The normally timid Lanlan suddenly became agitated and pointed at the fox demon, arguing.

“Don’t get worked up!” Yuan ruo restrained Lanlan, then asked the fox demon, “You said her brother is your husband? You’re married to her brother?”

The fox demon replied, “Of course!”

Yuan ruo’s tone was meaningful. “Was he willing?”

The fox demon’s gaze darted away. “That’s none of your business. You don’t need to ask.”

Yuan ruo pulled Lanlan behind her. “What if I insist on asking?”

“Hehe!” The fox demon laughed with a hint of sarcasm. “Mortals, you don’t know your place!”

“I didn’t want to fight you,” Yuan ruo took a half-step forward. “But it seems a battle today is unavoidable!”

“You’re asking for death. Then I’ll grant it to you!” Enraged by the mortal’s audacity, the fox demon’s hands turned into claws and she immediately attacked Yuan ruo.

“Sister!”

“Don’t be afraid!”

Lanlan cried out anxiously, but Jiang Yilan pulled her to her side. “Trust your Sister Yuan ruo. She’s very powerful!”

Lanlan was still worried. “But that’s a monster!”

“We’re not afraid of monsters!” Jiang Yilan watched Yuan ruo fight the fox demon. “She’s a Dao Immortal!”

Hearing Jiang Yilan’s words, Lanlan felt a little more at ease. But only a little. She clutched her clothes tightly, hoping for a swift conclusion.

“Ah…”

Yuan ruo didn’t disappoint Jiang Yilan and Lanlan. In just one exchange, she stabbed the fox demon’s palm with her sword, causing the demon to cry out in pain. However, just as Yuan ruo pulled her sword back to strike again, the fox demon retreated at high speed, fleeing towards the mountain peak.

“She’s running, quick, after her!” Seeing the fox demon flee, Jiang Yilan shouted. But Yuan ruo was worried that if she left, the fox demon might trick them and come back to harm Jiang Yilan, so she didn’t move.

“Sister, please save my brother!” Seeing Yuan ruo not moving, Lanlan thought she was giving up and immediately knelt down. “Please!”

“Get up!” Yuan ruo helped Lanlan to her feet. “I’m not abandoning you. It’s just that if I leave you here, it wouldn’t be good if that fox demon returned.”

Jiang Yilan asked, “What should we do now?”

“Let’s go to the summit!” Yuan ruo said. “Her cave must be up there!”

“Okay! Let’s go!” Jiang Yilan tried to act tough again, but Yuan ruo took her arm.

“Stop being so tough. I’ll help you.”

Jiang Yilan gave an awkward smile. “I just…”

“I’m not saying you’re weak,” Yuan ruo interjected. “It’s just that the path on this mountain is really difficult. It’s better if we support each other.”

“Alright!” Yuan ruo’s words made Jiang Yilan feel better, and she agreed to be supported.

It took them some time, but they finally reached the summit. However, looking around, there was no sign of a cave.

“Where is this fox’s cave?” Jiang Yilan asked, scratching her head.

“You two stay here. I’ll go look.” Yuan ruo picked a direction to search. She hadn’t gone more than a few steps when she heard a commotion not far away:

“Please let me go. I’m a human and you’re a demon. We can’t have those feelings for each other.”

“That’s right, that’s right. My son is just a mortal. You’re a fox immortal. There’s no need to be so entangled.”

“Brother, Mom, Dad!” Lanlan was the first to recognize the voices and, without thinking, ran towards them.

“Lanlan? What are you doing here?” Lanlan’s mother saw her first. “Hurry, go! Don’t come here!”

“Mom!” Lanlan didn’t care about anything else and ran towards them, throwing herself into her mother’s embrace.

“Oh, Lanlan, you shouldn’t have come!” Lanlan’s father was also heartbroken, fearing his daughter would also be trapped.

“Little girl, did the person you found come?” The fox demon suddenly walked over, clutching her hand. “Do you want me to die?”

“I…” Lanlan shrunk back into her mother’s arms in fear. “You captured my parents and brother, of course I had to find someone to save them! Was I supposed to wait for you to harm them?”

“Hmph!” The fox demon sneered. “She didn’t follow you? You dare come alone? Then stay with them!”

“What are you doing?” Lanlan’s brother was the first to step in front of her. “Don’t hurt my sister!”

The fox demon looked at Lanlan’s brother with a resentful expression. “Do you think I would hurt her?”

“I…” Lanlan’s brother lowered his head. “No matter what, our family shouldn’t be here. You should let us go.”

“Let you go?” The fox demon’s expression was a mix of sadness and grief. “I’ve been so sincere with you. Do you really feel nothing for me?”

Lanlan’s brother took a deep breath. “Miss, you’re a fox immortal and I’m a human. We’re not the same kind. How can there be a future for us?”

“Why not?” Tears streamed down the fox demon’s face. “I have a senior who is with the person he loves. They’re in the capital, and they’re very happy. Why can’t we be like that?”

“I…”

“The senior you’re talking about wouldn’t happen to be Demon Lord Lang Yan, would it?” Just as Lanlan’s brother was at a loss for words, Yuan ruo’s voice chimed in.

The fox demon subconsciously turned her head, her pupils contracting. “You… you followed me?”

“You don’t even think to look behind you to see if we’ve followed?” Jiang Yilan said irritably.

The wound on the fox demon’s hand was still throbbing with pain. She knew she was no match for Yuan ruo. As Yuan ruo walked closer, she backed away. “What do you want?”

“Nothing much!” Yuan ruo said. “Right now, I just want to ask you, is that senior you mentioned Demon Lord Lang Yan?”

The fox demon countered, “How do you know?”

Yuan ruo smiled. “I know a lot. For example, not only does Demon Lord Lang Yan have hundreds of years of cultivation, but his beloved is also a Dao cultivator. What’s more, they are both of pure yang constitution. Even though foxes are born with charm magic, his beloved’s willingness to be with him means she won’t be harmed by it.”

Support The Gusu Mistake