Escaping the Gu Family

A flash of white light appeared before her eyes, and she found herself standing on a patch of grass.

She took a deep breath. The air here was much fresher than outside, making her feel as though every pore in her body was opening up.

The space consisted of about a hundred square meters of grassland, surrounded by a thick white mist. The faint shadows of trees could be seen within the fog.

On the grass stood a stone pillar, a thatched cottage, a pool of water, and a small sapling without a single leaf.

Huh. She remembered that in the original book, the space the heroine opened was just a vast expanse of empty land with nothing else in it.

She couldn't figure it out, so she decided not to overthink it.

Creak—

Gu Ningyun pushed open the small, worn door. The cottage was empty except for a prayer mat in the center, with a book resting upon it.

The pages felt neither like paper nor leather. She couldn't tell what material it was, but it was incredibly flexible and sturdy.

Excitedly, she checked the title: ■■■■■

Great. She couldn't read a single character.

She flipped open the cover to check the content. Fine, she still couldn't understand it.

She possessed the original host's memories. The host had been tutored alongside the heroine and had learned the common script of the cultivation world.

Could this book be written in some kind of ancient script?

Sitting on the prayer mat felt very comfortable, giving her a sense of mental clarity and refreshment.

She put the prayer mat and the book back exactly as she had found them and walked over to the pool.

The pool appeared to be about two meters in diameter, surrounded by a rim that rose ten centimeters above the water's surface.

To Gu Ningyun, it looked as if a single massive piece of jade had been hollowed out to create a giant round bowl to hold the water.

The water was colorless and odorless, clear enough to see the bottom. As she drew closer, Gu Ningyun felt her very soul relax. It was incredibly soothing.

Could this be a spirit spring with special properties?

At that thought, she paused just as she was about to take a drink.

If the changes after drinking it were too drastic, the Gu family might notice something was wrong. It would be better to wait until after she escaped.

Gu Ningyun didn't recognize the small tree next to the spirit spring, and she couldn't get close to the white mist surrounding the grass, so she finally turned her gaze to the stone pillar.

The stone pillar was a teal jade color and stood a head shorter than her.

As soon as she placed her hand on the pillar, a transparent light screen popped up. On the screen was a clearly visible, exquisitely decorated ancient-style room.

Wait, isn't this her bedroom?

Looking at the bed with only a single quilt remaining and the candle stand by the bedside that had burned down halfway, she understood.

It seemed she had entered the space physically, and the time flow inside the space was likely the same as outside.

Leaving behind the string that had originally held the jade gourd around her neck, Gu Ningyun willed herself out of the space.

She tiptoed off the bed and peered through the crack in the door. Outside, there were only the dim shadows cast by lanterns; everything was silent.

The time and conditions were perfect. If she didn't pack up now, then when?

The space likely possessed some special magic; though she had been walking barefoot inside, her feet were still perfectly clean.

She opened her wardrobe, picked out ten sets of clothes suitable for movement, and stored them in the space, placing them directly on the grass next to the cottage.

She also took a set of brand-new bedding from a trunk. She was still a mortal and would definitely need to rest at night.

She could drink the spring water in the space if she got thirsty, but as for food, she took the pastries out of the box and left the empty box where it was.

She stored away the bathtub, wooden basin, bath supplies, and towels from behind the bed. Tomorrow, she would keep Lvluo busy so that no one would check behind the bed in the morning.

Finally, she collected the fifty taels of silver she had saved in her jewelry box. Gu Ningyun restored the room to its original state and lay back down on the bed, satisfied.

With these belongings, even if something went wrong with tomorrow's plan, it should be enough to sustain her for a few days.

...

The next day, Lvluo indeed did not try to stop her again.

When they reached the main gate of the Gu Manor, two guards carrying sabers bowed, blocking the exit. "What are your orders, Eldest Young Miss?"

Gu Ningyun grabbed Lvluo's sleeve and spoke in an innocent tone, "I'm going to pick out a birthday gift for my sister. Lvluo is coming with me, so I don't need you. Step aside."

"This..." The guard quickly glanced at her left, and Lvluo gave a slight nod.

The guard stepped back to the side of the gate. "Please, Eldest Young Miss."

Gu Ningyun pretended not to notice their silent exchange and skipped out the gate, her voice bright. "Let's go, Lvluo! I'm going to pick the best birthday gift for my sister today!"

...

The Gu Manor was located in the western part of Yanlin Town, so Gu Ningyun intentionally wandered toward the east.

After walking for over an hour, she spotted the eastern gate and her eyes darted around as a plan formed.

She picked out a mother-of-pearl hairpin from a roadside stall. "Lvluo, look down."

"What is it, Miss?"

She held the hairpin against Lvluo's hair to measure it. "Lvluo, you look so good with this hairpin. it really brings out your elegance."

"Young Miss has a good eye! This is a mother-of-pearl hairpin I bought from Yunzhou. Even the immortals of Xiaoyao love wearing them!"

The stall owner spoke enthusiastically, "If you truly want it, out of respect for the bond between master and servant, I'll give you a discount. It's only one tael of silver."

"Alright, I'll take it."

Ignoring Lvluo's complicated expression, Gu Ningyun reached down for her purse.

Suddenly, her face fell. She put the hairpin back, pulled Lvluo to a less crowded spot, and squatted down, covering her face with her hands. "Lvluo, I left in such a hurry today that I forgot to bring any money!"

"Miss, why don't we go back for today and come again tomorrow?"

"No, no!" Gu Ningyun shook her head repeatedly. "I really want to give that mother-of-pearl hairpin to you. What if someone else buys it by tomorrow?"

"Lvluo, you're fast. Could you go back and get the money for me? It's in the second drawer of my dressing table."

Seeing Lvluo's hesitation, Gu Ningyun insisted, "I'll wait for you right here under this tree. There are so many people around, I won't get kidnapped. Don't worry."

Lvluo frowned slightly, recalling Madam Gu's exact words when she had reported last night: "Since she's buying a birthday gift for Xue'er, let her go. She's been so stupid all these years; what kind of trouble could she possibly cause?"

Lvluo touched the pouch in her pocket containing a spirit stone. As a servant, the only reason she had obtained a low-grade spirit stone was because she had done a good job monitoring Gu Ningyun, and Madam Gu had rewarded her.

She wanted to save this spirit stone to break through to the first level of Qi Refining, so she naturally didn't want to spend it on a mundane item that could be bought with silver.

Looking at Gu Ningyun's simple, innocent gaze, Lvluo hesitated for a long moment before finally leaving.

Gu Ningyun remained squatted there with her face in her hands. When she saw Lvluo look back, she gave her a sweet smile. "I'll wait for you, Lvluo!"

Once she calculated that Lvluo had turned at least two corners, Gu Ningyun stood up and left the spot.

...

In the original book, the World Carriage House was the largest and most reliable transportation company in the cultivation world.

They served both immortals and mortals alike, boasting that they had a branch in even the smallest of towns.

Gu Ningyun had made sure to remember their location while they were wandering earlier.

Walking into the carriage house, Gu Ningyun found a carriage. "Uncle, please head out through the eastern gate. Go to the western gate of the city closest to Yanlin Town and pick up a friend of mine."

"Once you reach the gate, wait for the duration of one incense stick. If he arrives, bring him back here. If he doesn't, the job is over, and you don't need to wait any longer."

The driver replied, "You mean Luoyan City? It's a four-hour round trip. That'll be two taels of silver."

Gu Ningyun paid the money and watched the carriage leave. Only then did she walk toward another carriage and say to a middle-aged man in brown clothes, "Uncle, please follow that carriage for me."

The man in brown didn't ask questions. "No problem. Hop in, little girl."

Once they were out of the town, Gu Ningyun spoke again. "You can stop following them now, Uncle. Please speed up. After heading east for a bit, take a detour to Yushui City."

The man in brown replied cheerfully, "No problem, little girl. There's a small path behind that mountain up ahead. It's a bit remote, but if you're not scared, we can take it and be there in about three hours."

The World Carriage House had grown so large because of its reputation. Not only was she not scared, but she actually wanted the route to be as complicated as possible.

It wasn't until the boundary stone of Yanlin Town vanished far behind them that Gu Ningyun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

No matter how powerful the Gu family was, their influence was limited to Yanlin Town. Once she was out of town, even if they wanted to catch her, they wouldn't dare make too much of a scene.

With the weight lifted from her chest, Gu Ningyun felt jubilant.

She leaned back against the carriage seat and thought about all her schemes since she had transmigrated. She giggled to herself. The twenty-sixth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems—Feigning Madness. She, Ningyun, had won a total victory.