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Chapter 65: You Raise Corpse Gu?
Time flew by quickly in Gu Yunlan’s idle hours. Amidst Xuanyuan Meng’s hurry to keep hidden, it was Thursday in the blink of an eye. The Zi Family’s lord Zi Jiangliang’s birthday was the next day.
After lunch, Gu Yunlan put down her chopsticks and declared, “I’ll only bring Mengmeng and Zhangyu tomorrow! Xin’er will stay behind to look after the house!”
“Then what about me?” Bai Nightspring immediately asked.
“I can only bring two, I wonder whether second young master Yan is going?” Gu Yunlan casther gaze towards Yan Zhikuan.
Seeing Bai Nightspring’s expectant look, Yan Zhikuan could only nod his head, “Alright, I’ll go and only bring two as well! Mister Bai and Nightspring are good!”
“Since it’s like this, we’ll have to prepare two gifts then. This’ll be up to Nightspring, Xin’er, and second young master Yan to choose, anything you think of as fine is good! The cost for them will be covered!” Gu Yunlan stood up and looked at the group, “After everyone else finishes eating, come to the study room!”
After half an hour, Bai Yiran, Xuanyuan Meng, and Zhangyu were all already sitting and waiting in the study room.
“To be honest, I don’t really want to go to the Zi household…” Gu Yunlan lowered her head, drawing nonstop with a bamboo charcoal pen in hand.
“You may not all know of or have heard, but in the western courtyard of the Zi household, there’s a thousand year old white-boned demon!” Gu Yunlan’s pen didn’t stop moving.
“Is it that Bai Linlang you talked about?” Xuanyuan Meng creased her brows while asking.
Gu Yunlan nodded her head and continued, “The corpse poison I contracted was her doing!”
“Then, does Zi Luolan know she has a white-boned demon in her home?” Bai Yiran asked, tapping on the table.
Gu Yunlan didn’t raise her head and sighed, “I don’t know either, she may or she may not! I didn’t tell her. This time around there will be many people at the Zi household, I really worry whether something will happen …”
Bai Yiran creased his brows. Zi household, Zi Luolan, Bai Linlang, if… suddenly his pupils flashed, “Yunlan! If, if I said Zi Luolan knew about Bai Linlang, it would make more sense if she was playing tricks!”
The other three fell silent. What he said wasn’t wrong; if Zi Luolan knew about this, then it explained everything that had happened before..
Gu Yunlan halted her hands. If it was Zi Luolan, what he said was logical, “However, if it was her, what benefits came from doing this to the Gu Family? Wealth? Her family’s wealth isn’t something we can compare to! Power? If she wants it, getting it would probably be easy!”
“Could this birthday celebration truly have no ulterior motive?” Bai Yiran’s question was sharp, directly on point.
The study room sunk into a period of silence. If there was some motive, then what on earth could it be?
After a while, Gu Yunlan clapped her hands and passed over the drawing she’d done moments earlier, “Done! We should keep our eyes out and protect ourselves. Take a look at this place I circled, it’s where Bai Linlang resides.”
Xuanyuan Meng received the paper and looked; it was a bird’s-eye view map, everyplace in the Zi household drawn clearly. In the northwest area, a bold mark encircled a big courtyard. She quickly memorized this place on the map, then passed it over to Bai Yiran.
Bai Yiran took it and carefully memorized it as well before passing it to Zhangyu. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, finally saying after a while, “Yunlan! If we are keeping an eye out and making sure not to go near, what would happen?”
Gu Yunlan thought for a moment, ”I don’t know either. I don’t know if that place has a barrier like the Shingwong temple? If something goes wrong, we will flee and hope for the best!”
“No!” Xuanyuan Meng opposed her idea. If she and Zhangyu were to flee and leave behind Yunlan, then her big brother would probably strangle the two of them to death, “That Bai Linlang had her eyes set on Yunlan in the first place. As long as Yiran keeps those two troublemakers away, Zhangyu and I will be enough to protect Yunlan!”
“Alright!” Bai Yiran nodded his head, this was the best plan. He instructed, “If something unexpected happens, I will send them home first, then come back to save you guys!”
“Pft!” Gu Yunlan laughed out loud, “Enough! Maybe nothing will even happen! Let’s end this meeting and go rest. Go and prepare for tomorrow!”
Exiting the study room, Gu Yunlan and Xuanyuan Meng walked back to their courtyard.
“Yunlan! Do you still trust her?” Xuanyuan Meng asked once no one was around.
“I don’t know.” Gu Yunlan shook her head, her eyes on her feet. Do I trust Zi Luolan? The truth is, she really doesn’t know. It was Zi Luolan who let her see her father for the last time in her previous life. This life, Zi Luolan had spoken up for her, helping her out many times. She also can’t help but blame herself too, for letting Auntie take care of matters in the mansion…
Seeing Gu Yunlan’s silent thinking, Xuanyuan Meng knew she was also hesitant. Only when she sees the truth with her own eyes would she be convinced!
The two walked near Gu Yunlan’s courtyard in silence.
“Mengmeng!” Gu Yunlan stopped Xuanyuan Meng as she walked into the building, “Give back that pot I gave you at the Miao Territory!”
Xuanyuan Meng took a step back and walked towards Gu Yunlan’s room. She asked bewilderedly, “Say, I’ve always wondered exactly what was in this pot? Come on, let me look!”
Gu Yunlan entered the room after her. She removed the items on the table and hinted for Xuanyuan Meng to take it out.
Xuanyuan Meng looked at her with hesitation. After a moment, she took out a large black pot. This was the thing Yunlan gave her, it was the only item she had brought from Miao territory.
Gu Yunlan brightened and immediately walked forward. She took out a handkerchief and wiped it like a precious treasure.
“Yunlan! What is this? For you to treat it like a precious treasure?” Xuanyuan Meng sat down, completely puzzled. Suddenly it was treated like treasure, if her big bro were here to see this, then he would probably… Xuanyuan Meng didn’t dare imagine any more, and immediately disconnected her line of thinking.
“Corpse Gu!” Gu Yunlan hooked up the corners of her mouth and slowly opened the lid of the pot.
TLN: I previously called it venomous insects or something, but this thing is pretty specific to what it is.. So… I’ll call it Gu or Venomous Gu. Basically poisonous bugs u raise.. It’s pretty gruesome. Look it up at your own risk.
“You raise Venomous Gu, yet also Corpse Gu?” Xuanyuan Meng immediately stared at each of Gu Yunlan’s movements.
She watched as Gu Yunlan dumped a pink-colored maggot onto the palm of her hand. The thing was neither big nor small. It wriggled around in Gu Yunlan’s hand.
“Yi? Wasn’t this the Corpse Gu that Master used on you to suck out the corpse poison? Why did she give it to you?” She saw Master taking it out a few times before; she was super protective of it!
“Master said after it was used to suck out the corpse poison, its appetite changed. So she gave it to me to raise for a while. At the same time, it can be used to protect me against that Bai Linlang!” Gu Yunlan rubbed the maggot’s head, “What do you think I should name it?”
“This I can’t do!” Xuanyuan Meng shook her head, and looked at the little fella curiously, “Yi? Wasn’t this thing supposed to be pure white? How come it’s pink-ish now?”
“It evolved! After gaining the corpse poison from me that time, Master fiddled around with it and it evolved. I heard, if it’s ability to absorb things is high, it can turn purple. That’s when it can make pupas!” Gu Yunlan gently put the bug down on the table.
“Yunlan!” Xuanyuan Meng had an extremely excited expression as she lowered her head to ask, “You can’t want it to…”
Gu Yunlan lifted her brows, “What’s wrong with that? That Bai Linlan took me for some medicinal herbs, why can’t I return the favor? What’s the harm in taking a chance?”
“How ambitious!“ Xuanyuan Meng gave a big thumbs up, she’s liking Yunlan more and more; Big guts, fierce heart, quick-witted, taking care of every problem smoothly. Without big bro here, there’s no need to worry about her anyway. Only this kind of lady is fit to be her sister-in-law! Despite nothing happening yet.
Gu Yunlan stared at her, then picked up the bug. She said gently, “From now on, I’ll call you Little Cutie! Wait for your big sis to get you some food, go ahead and eat till you’re full!”
“Pfft!” Xuanyuan Meng laughed out loud, “Yunlan, you really are a name-picking genius. If this little fella could talk, then it would probably stand up in protest, just call it Diandian!”
After teasing Diandian for a while, Gu Yunlan put it back in the pot. She was really looking forward to some excitement tomorrow!
The next morning, Gu Yunlan had just woken up when Xin’er rushed in and started whispering. Even the closeby Xuanyuan Meng was roused awake.
“Young Miss! Big Sister Xuanyuan! You have no idea how rich the Zi Family is, the dishes at the reception banquet are incredible! Tche tche! The people arriving really are just flowing in!” Xin’er said while combing Gu Yunlan’s hair.
“That Zi Family really is wealthy! That Zi Luolan is also quite good, comparable to a man in relation to others, especially due to how wealthy her family is!” Xuanyuan Meng said, sitting to one side.
“Look at you two!” Gu Yunlan shook her head helplessly. They’re too gossipy. She pointed at her hair saying, “Tie my hair so that it doesn’t loosen easily, something that won’t get in the way but don’t make it too complicated!”
Xin’er nodded her head, then pouted while fastening her hair and saying, “Young Miss! You really don’t need me to be here?”
“Xin’er! No need to worry! With big sis here, I guarantee that not a single hair on your family’s young miss will be harmed!” Xuanyuan Meng stood up and patted her shoulder, “I’ll go get dressed as well. Xin’er really is skillful! Help me with my hair later too!”
“No problem!” Xin’er smiled gleefully, it’s great as long as somebody likes it!
About ten in the morning, the group of six set out. Driving two cars, one behind the other, they headed towards the Zi Family residence.
Xuanyuan Meng sat shotgun, her face curiously looking at Zhangyu. Big brother isn’t here, but she also wanted to start learning how to drive, “Zhangyu! Teach me when you have time!”
“Why would a woman learn to drive?” Zhangyu shot a side glance towards her.
“Yunlan knows how though!” Xuanyuan Meng pouted; woman can’t drive, what complete nonsense!
Gu Yunlan kept her eyes shut, acting as if the two’s conversation had nothing to do with her. She remembered that Mengmeng feared Zhangyu before, since when did they become comfortable with each other? Could there be something she doesn’t know about going on?
Noticing Gu Yunlan’s silence, Xuanyuan Meng started to pester further, “I don’t care! If you don’t teach me, then I’ll go clamor at your room and follow you around every day!”
Gu Yunlan’s mouth curved up. Three words flashed relentlessly in her head: A pestering bug? Hah!
While Xuanyuan Meng babbled away by herself, they arrived at the Zi Household. Zhangyu parked the car. Carrying the gifts, he followed Gu Yunlan through the gates of the Zi Family.
Many people stood at the gates, each one dressed beautifully. A red carpet trailed out from the entryway. The servants outside greeted guests, smiling brightly, red light flooding the surrounding.
The three followed along the red carpet. A chubby, middle aged man stood smilingly next to the gates a hundred meters away with a couple of pretty young ladies. Zi Luolan stood at the head of the group, as for that chubby middle aged man, he must be Zi Meiguang!
Gu Yunlan lifted the corners of her mouth and led the two behind her confidently towards them. She cupped both her hands in a greeting, “Happy Birthday, Uncle Zi! May you live happily for many years and celebrate many birthdays!”
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