Chapter 148: The Gu Family, A Lineage of Unwavering Loyalty

"Let's find a secluded cave first." Lin Jingyue held a branch she had picked up from the roadside, heading straight ahead.

Da Hui followed happily at her heels.

She didn't venture deep into the mountains, choosing instead to scout the surrounding area. It took several tries before she found one to her satisfaction. The entrance was small, just enough for one person to squeeze through, but inside it was a different world—spacious and, most importantly, dry.

She nodded in satisfaction.

The girl and the wolf tidied up simply. Lin Jingyue took some hay from her space to spread on the ground, placed a quilt on top, and then transferred the woman from her space.

Da Hui: "...!!"

Watching Lin Jingyue conjure a person out of thin air, its emerald eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. If Da Hui could speak, it would undoubtedly have blurted out a string of profanities.

"Da Hui, keep a close watch, you hear? Don't let her get eaten by wild beasts." Lin Jingyue patted Da Hui’s head and filled a basin with spiritual spring water for it. "Here, your reward."

Catching the scent of the spiritual spring water, Da Hui’s brain ceased to function, and it buried its head into the basin to drink greedily.

Lin Jingyue looked away and, after a moment's thought, took out some supplies: two pounds of rice, two pounds of meat, a few steamed buns, a clay pot, two bundles of firewood, a change of clothes, and some salt.

She was thorough, ensuring everything necessary was prepared before taking out her silver needles.

"Awoo~"

Da Hui turned around, saw the woman’s head covered in needles like a hedgehog, and nearly jumped in fright.

"Damn it, keep it down! You nearly scared me to death." Lin Jingyue’s hand trembled; luckily, she steadied it just in time. She shot a glare at Da Hui.

"Awoo~" Da Hui whimpered, feeling wronged.

Lin Jingyue rolled her eyes and turned back. "Holy..."

She clapped a hand to her chest, locking eyes with a pair of wide-open, staring eyes. "When did you wake up? How did you make no sound at all?"

The woman’s eyes were wide. The moment she woke, she had grasped her current situation. Meeting Lin Jingyue’s gaze, her pupils gradually focused. "Thank you... for saving me."

Perhaps because she hadn't spoken in a long time, her throat was dry and her voice was raspy.

"You're welcome. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Just pay me back, and we'll be even."

"...Cough, cough." The woman’s mouth twitched at the latter part of Lin Jingyue's sentence.

"How are you feeling?" Lin Jingyue was terrified that she might cough herself to death, rendering all her efforts in vain.

"I'm alright." The woman took a breath, enduring the pain radiating through her body.

Seeing her pale but resilient expression, Lin Jingyue raised an eyebrow. "I'm Lin Jingyue. What should I call you?"

"Gu Yizhi."

"Comrade Gu, I've prepared some things for you. Due to special circumstances, you'll have to recover in this cave. Do you think—"

"Watch out!" Gu Yizhi, who had been listening to Lin Jingyue, saw a wolf head suddenly appear behind her. Instinctively, she lunged upward, pulling Lin Jingyue behind her while facing Da Hui herself. "You go! I'll hold it off—"

Before she could finish, Lin Jingyue plucked her back behind herself.

Gu Yizhi: "??"

"Da Hui, go lie down at the entrance!" Lin Jingyue gave Da Hui an annoyed look, then turned back to the stunned Gu Yizhi, her mood not particularly good. "Lie back down immediately; your wounds are definitely bleeding again."

"Your strength..." Gu Yizhi, remembering the force she couldn't resist, didn't know what to say. "And that wolf..."

"That's my Da Hui," Lin Jingyue replied. "Enough, lie down. It took a lot of effort to save you; I don't want all that work to go down the drain."

"..."

Ten minutes later, Lin Jingyue finished re-dressing Gu Yizhi’s wounds.

"Done. You can recover here. Once you're healed, just give me an IOU, and you can leave." She brushed off her hands.

Gu Yizhi’s mouth twitched. Watching the girl who couldn't go three sentences without mentioning payment, amusement flickered in her eyes. She teased, "I'm an orphan. You might lose out on this rescue..."

"It's fine. As long as you have an inheritance, I’m not picky. Just give me ten or twenty thousand in cash, or gold and antiques. If that's too much, houses or shops will do."

"..." Is she even human?

Lin Jingyue blinked. "I'm just teasing."

Gu Yizhi thought: Do you think I believe that?

"By the way, who were the people chasing you?" Lin Jingyue asked, appearing casual.

Gu Yizhi’s face changed instantly, a murderous aura surfacing in her eyes. "You met them?!"

"Mm, caught a glimpse from afar."

"Then I need to leave immediately."

"If you leave now, you're basically asking for death." Lin Jingyue rolled her eyes. "You can tell me who they are, or who you are."

Looking at the girl and the wolf, and recalling how easily she had been lifted earlier, Gu Yizhi took a deep breath. "I can't tell you who they are yet, but could you do me a favor and make a phone call?"

Lin Jingyue looked at her deeply. "I can."

...

Descending the mountain, Lin Jingyue felt conflicted about the call Gu Yizhi had asked her to make. She was very familiar with that number.

"You're back?" At the educated youth dormitory, she saw Jiang Xun washing his hands and smiled.

"Yes, the others went into town. Did you go up the mountain?" Jiang Xun asked, noticing her attire.

"Yes. Come over once you're done washing; I have something to tell you."

Jiang Xun suspected she might have encountered something on the mountain and felt a surge of worry. He quickly washed his hands and went to Lin Jingyue’s room.

Lin Jingyue closed the door and lowered her voice. "Do you know a girl named Gu Yizhi?"

Gu Yizhi?!

Jiang Xun’s pupils constricted. "How do you know her?"

Lin Jingyue raised an eyebrow; her identity was indeed not simple. "I saved her. She asked me to help her make a phone call, and that number... is your home's."

The number Gu Yizhi had given was for Jiang Xun’s house—specifically, the old residence where Elder Jiang lived, the one in the main compound. If not for a close friend or family member, who would have that number?

Jiang Xun took a deep breath. "You saved her?"

"Is there something wrong with that?" Lin Jingyue frowned.

"But she died three years ago!"

"What?!" Lin Jingyue froze.

Jiang Xun took a deep breath and recounted Gu Yizhi’s story.

Gu Yizhi was the child of a subordinate of Elder Jiang, an orphan of martyrs. To be precise, the entire Gu family was loyal to the core. Her grandparents were veteran soldiers who had sacrificed themselves; her mother died when she was eleven, her father and uncle when she was thirteen. She joined the army at sixteen and died at nineteen.

The Gu family... was a name that could not be mentioned in front of Elder Jiang.