The Gusu Mistake - Chapter 5

Although the Han family was considered prominent, the deceased was a junior member, so there weren’t many people at the funeral.

However, among the few attendees was Jiang Yilan, whose presence was ostensibly to bid farewell to her sister-in-law, Han Yan.

“Aren’t you worried about bad luck, doing this?” The living stood solemnly as the deceased was buried. After everyone else left, only Jiang Yilan and the boyishly dressed “Han Ming,” Yuan Ruo, remained.

Yuan Ruo shifted her gaze from the tombstone to Jiang Yilan’s face. “What kind of bad luck is that strong? I’d like to meet it. Better yet, I hope my brother’s spirit returns and tells me directly, so I don’t have to go through the trouble of finding the killer.”

“Uh…” Jiang Yilan tilted her head at Yuan Ruo. “Didn’t your family raise Gu worms? From your demeanor, you seem more like a…”

“I was sent to the Jade Radiance Palace when I was four. I don’t understand Gu arts, but I do understand some Taoist techniques!” Yuan Ruo formed a hand seal and intentionally waved it in front of Jiang Yilan. “If you ever encounter evil spirits, I might be able to help.”

“Wow, so you’re a Taoist priestess!” Jiang Yilan said with a laugh, then draped an arm over Yuan Ruo’s shoulder. “But will your identity have to change from now on?”

Yuan Ruo looked her in the eye. “I am Han Ming, your husband!”

“I know!” Jiang Yilan withdrew her arm. “So, what are your plans now? How can I help?”

“Phew!” Yuan Ruo exhaled. “I had some suspicions, but you saw my brother’s body and said he died from the Myriad Vicious Gu.”

“Yes,” Jiang Yilan nodded. “From his appearance, he really did seem to have died from the legendary Myriad Vicious Gu.”

“Legendary?” Yuan Ruo frowned. “You’d never seen this Gu art before?”

Jiang Yilan spread her hands. “That Gu art has been lost for decades. I’m only twenty-one, where would I have seen it?”

Yuan Ruo pressed on, “Then why did you say my brother died from the Myriad Vicious Gu?”

“It was documented in a book in the Jiang family library; I read it.” As Jiang Yilan spoke, she noticed Yuan Ruo staring at her intently. “What are you looking at me for? I don’t have the time or interest to raise those Myriad Vicious Gu.”

“It’s not you,” Yuan Ruo said gravely. “Could it be other members of the Jiang family?”

“I wouldn’t know about that,” Jiang Yilan pouted. “Anyway, there are plenty of rotten people in the Jiang family.”

Yuan Ruo gritted her teeth. “If it really was a Jiang family member who harmed my brother, I will never let them go!”

“If it is a Jiang family member, you do the killing, and I’ll help!” Jiang Yilan twisted her fingers. “I’m just worried that those people have the heart but not the skill. The Myriad Vicious Gu is extremely complex. Just gathering the myriad creatures alone is incredibly difficult.”

Yuan Ruo replied, “There’s always a chance.”

“That’s true,” Jiang Yilan said. “But with hundreds of people in the Jiang family, how will you find them?”

“Sigh!” Yuan Ruo sighed. “This truly requires a long-term plan.”

“Hmm?” Jiang Yilan raised an eyebrow. “I thought you had a plan already arranged for today.”

Yuan Ruo looked at Jiang Yilan. “I did, but now I’m not so sure.”

“What is it? Tell me about it,” Jiang Yilan asked.

Yuan Ruo explained, “I originally thought that since the news of my brother’s death hasn’t spread, if I were to ostentatiously go to welcome the bride in his name, the guilty party might reveal themselves.”

Jiang Yilan scratched her face. “That’s not a bad idea. What went wrong?”

Yuan Ruo said, “On the way to welcome the bride, I met a man. He called himself a Jiang family member and kept saying my brother was unworthy of you.”

“Heh heh!” Jiang Yilan immediately guessed the outcome. “He got away, didn’t he?”

Yuan Ruo said, “I wounded him, but I couldn’t capture him.”

Jiang Yilan gestured to Yuan Ruo’s male attire. “So what are you going to do now?”

Yuan Ruo countered, “Are you sure my brother died from the Myriad Vicious Gu?”

Jiang Yilan shook her head. “Not entirely.”

Yuan Ruo asked, “Why do you say that?”

Jiang Yilan said, “The Myriad Vicious Gu is very difficult to cultivate. Using it just to deal with your brother seems a bit wasteful.”

Yuan Ruo frowned, remaining silent.

“Hey, don’t mind me for speaking bluntly!” Jiang Yilan realized Yuan Ruo’s mood had shifted. “But what I’m saying is the truth. Your brother wasn’t an important person. Why would someone use such a secret art as the Myriad Vicious Gu on him?”

Yuan Ruo took a deep breath. “What you’re saying makes sense, but it’s the only clue I have right now. Even if it’s not the right one, I can’t let it go.”

Jiang Yilan said, “What about the person you wounded?”

“I didn’t see his face and don’t know where he came from!” Yuan Ruo felt frustrated recalling the incident. “If I had captured him then, maybe the truth would be out already.”

“Regret is useless; there are no ‘what-ifs’,” Jiang Yilan stretched her neck. “Just calmly think about what to do next.”

“You’re right, there’s no point in thinking about what’s already happened,” Yuan Ruo said. “Do you know of anyone else who practices the Myriad Vicious Gu?”

“As far as I know—and this is only what I’ve heard,” Jiang Yilan thought carefully. “This Gu is too sinister and difficult to cultivate. It’s pretty much a lost art in the martial world. Only the people of the Jingpo Sect still preserve it as a secret.”

“Jingpo Sect…” Yuan Ruo repeated the three words. “Where is that?”

“The Land of the Fallen Bodhi,” Jiang Yilan added. “But I’ve heard that place is hard to get to. It’s all marshes. Without a guide, you can easily get trapped and can’t get out.”

“No matter how difficult, I have to go!” Yuan Ruo’s expression was determined. “I’ll go through fire and water.”

Jiang Yilan nodded. “Your brother is truly lucky to have a sister like you.”

Yuan Ruo replied, “And my brother isn’t living in vain with a wife like you.”

“That’s not right,” Jiang Yilan corrected. “I haven’t even met your brother.”

Yuan Ruo said, “I’ve already married you for him.”

“But it was you who married me!” Jiang Yilan joked. “Don’t tell me you want to spend your life with me?”

Yuan Ruo fell silent for a moment. “If you’re willing, I have no objections.”

“Tsk, forget it.” Jiang Yilan had been joking with Yuan Ruo, but suddenly she didn’t find it funny anymore, so she changed the subject. “Even if you go to the Land of the Fallen Bodhi and find out your brother’s death has nothing to do with them, wouldn’t you have gone for nothing?”

“It won’t be for nothing,” Yuan Ruo said meaningfully. “A Han Ming who was harmed but not killed, the killer won’t just let him be.”

“You’re going to…” Jiang Yilan immediately understood. “Lure the snake out of its hole?”

Support The Gusu Mistake