The Mighty Mage-Chapter 407: Fifty Years

Long Yifan coughed awkwardly. "Uh... woo her?"

Gu Jichun nodded excitedly.

"Yeah! Like, did you give her flowers? Write her love letters? Follow her around like a lovesick puppy?"

Long Yifan scratched the back of his head.

’I did follow her like a lovesick person...’ He thought.

But considering it wasn’t glorious history he decided to lie.

"Well... not exactly. I tried to talk to her a few times, but she mostly ignored me."

Gu Jihu smirked. "So, you failed?"

Long Yifan sighed.

"It’s not about failing or winning. Jin is... different. I can’t just chase her like some romance drama."

Mrs. Gu raised an eyebrow. "Then what did you do?"

Long Yifan thought for a moment.

I just stayed close. Helped when she needed it. Tried to make sure she wasn’t alone."

Mr. Gu nodded. "That sounds more like it."

Gu Jihu, still suspicious, leaned forward. "And? Did she ever look at you differently?"

Long Yifan hesitated, then smiled a little.

"Maybe once or twice. But she’s very guarded. It’s like she’s afraid to let people in."

Gu Jichun sighed.

"She won’t magically fall for you just because you say you love her."

Long Yifan chuckled.

If he told the Gu family that Gu Jin had once fallen in love with him at first sight and he had behaved idiotically which resulted in Gu Jin giving up on him.

"I know. I’m willing to wait."

Mrs. Gu tapped her chin. "Fifty years, right?"

Long Yifan’s smile stiffened. "Uh... yeah. Fifty years."

Gu Jihu grinned. "We’ll see if you last that long."

Just then, the waiter arrived with their food.

The tense atmosphere eased a little as they started eating.

But even as he ate, Long Yifan’s mind stayed on Gu Jin.

He wished to see her.

A day has passed by since he last saw her.

After dinner, Mr. Gu asked Mrs. Gu and Gu Jichun to step out.

Long Yifan calmly sipped the green tea as he watched Gu Jichun and Mrs. Gu step out.

Once they left, Mr. Gu and Gu Jihu looked at Long Yifan with a stern gaze.

"Young Man let’s be clear on some things, that you absolutely can’t do."

Long Yifan nodded, put down the green tea, and said shamelessly,

"Please go ahead, father-in-law."

Father-in-law?

Both Mr. Gu and Gu Jihu’s faces turned green.

"Who is your father-in-law?" Mr. Gu angrily looked at Long Yifan.

Long Yifan blinked, looking innocent.

"You, of course! You are Jin’s father, and I am her fiancé, so—"

"Shut up!" Mr. Gu slammed his teacup on the table.

Gu Jihu sneered.

"Fiancé? Says who? We just put your engagement on hold for fifty years. You are nothing to Jin right now!"

Long Yifan coughed.

"Future fiancé, then."

Mr. Gu took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"Listen, brat. There are some rules you must follow if you want to stay near Jin."

Long Yifan sat up straight.

"Of course! Please tell me."

Mr. Gu pointed a finger at him.

"First—no touching Jin without her permission."

Long Yifan nodded quickly.

"Understood."

"Second," Gu Jihu added, crossing his arms, "you are not allowed to secretly meet Jin in the middle of the night or do any sneaky things."

Long Yifan gasped. "I would never!"

"Third," Mr. Gu continued, "if Jin ever tells you to leave her alone, you leave her alone."

Long Yifan hesitated but still nodded. "...Okay."

"Fourth," Gu Jihu leaned forward, his eyes sharp, "if you ever make Jin cry—"

"I will never make her cry!" Long Yifan interrupted quickly.

Mr. Gu and Gu Jihu exchanged a glance before Mr. Gu snorted. "We’ll see."

Long Yifan took a deep breath and looked at both of them seriously.

"I know you don’t trust me yet, but I really do love Jin. I will never hurt her."

Mr. Gu didn’t answer, just sipped his tea slowly.

Gu Jihu raised an eyebrow. "You say that now, but love isn’t just words. It’s actions."

Long Yifan nodded firmly. "I understand."

Long Yifan straightened his back. "I will."

Just then, Mrs. Gu and Gu Jichun returned.

Mrs. Gu looked around. "What did we miss?"

Gu Jihu smirked. "Nothing much. Just setting some ground rules for our future son-in-law."

Long Yifan’s mouth twitched.

Mrs. Gu chuckled. "Oh? Then did you tell him the most important rule?"

Long Yifan looked at her nervously. "Most important rule?"

Mrs. Gu smiled sweetly. "Yes. If Jin ever finds someone else she likes more than you—"

Gu Jihu finished, grinning, "—you step aside immediately."

Long Yifan froze.

"That won’t happen," he said quickly.

Mrs. Gu shrugged. "We’ll see."

Long Yifan suddenly felt that waiting fifty years wasn’t even the hardest part.

He had to make sure Jin never fell for anyone else.

Otherwise, everything would be over before it even started.

...........

On the way back, the entire Gu Family fell silent.

"I will consult my friend and ask what are the proper steps to take." Gu Jihu said.

Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu nodded.

"It’s all because of that Gu Aihan. If she hadn’t taken my sister’s place, my sister wouldn’t have developed such mental illness at all." Gu Jichun’s face was twisted with anger.

Mr. Gu sighed. "Enough, Chun’er. What’s done is done. We need to focus on Jin now."

Gu Jichun clenched her fists.

"But it’s not fair! My sister suffered so much because of that woman!"

Mrs. Gu patted her shoulder gently.

"I know, but holding onto anger won’t change anything. What matters is keeping Jin safe now."

Gu Jihu nodded.

"I’ll talk to my friend tomorrow and figure out the best way to handle things. We need to be careful."

..........

The next day.

Gu Jin woke up and started cultivating.

With so many elements, she needed to dedicate almost all of her day to keeping up with her peers.

Just as she was cultivating in her space, she felt a pressure on her thighs.

When she looked downwards, she saw the white lizard staring at her with its big round eyes.

Gu Jin was amused and asked,

"Do you want to play?"

The chubby big-eyed lizard with red patches on its body nodded its head.

Its intelligence was still stuck at that of the 3-month-old beast’s intelligence.

Gu Jin chuckled and picked up the little lizard, placing it on her palm.

"You really like sticking to me, huh?" she said, poking its soft belly.

The lizard let out a tiny squeak and wrapped its tail around her finger.

Gu Jin sighed. "I can’t play for long. I have to finish my cultivation."

The lizard tilted its head as if trying to understand.

Then, after a moment, it jumped onto her shoulder and curled up, as if saying, Fine, I’ll just stay here.

Gu Jin shook her head, amused.

Just as she was about to focus again, a knock came from outside her room.

Gu Jin exited her space and heard Mrs. Gu’s voice from outside.

"Jin, are you awake?"

"Yes, Mother?"

Mrs. Gu smiled gently. "Your father wants to talk to you after breakfast."

Gu Jin nodded. "Alright."

She quickly freshened up and joined the family at the dining table.

As she picked up her chopsticks, she noticed the strange atmosphere.

Her father and brother were unusually serious, and even her mother seemed deep in thought.

Gu Jin put down her chopsticks. "Did something happen?"

Mr. Gu sighed.

"Jin, we’ve been thinking about your situation. Jihu spoke to a friend, and we have some ideas on how to help you."

Gu Jin’s expression didn’t change. "Help me?"

Gu Jihu nodded.

"Yes. We know you’ve been struggling with your emotions and trust. We want to find a way to make things easier for you."

Gu Jin doesn’t have to guess who might have told the Gu Family about her real condition, she just calmly said,

"I don’t need help."

Gu Jichun frowned. "Jin—"

Gu Jin shook her head. "I know you all mean well, but this is my problem. I don’t want anyone else to interfere."

Mr. Gu’s face darkened. "You are our daughter. How can we not interfere when you’re suffering?"

Gu Jin looked at him calmly.

"Because I have to handle it myself. If I rely on others too much, I won’t get stronger."

Mrs. Gu sighed.

"At least let us support you in some way."

Gu Jin thought for a moment before nodding.

"As long as you don’t force me into anything, I won’t stop you."

Mr. Gu exchanged glances with Mrs. Gu and Gu Jihu.

"Alright," Mr. Gu said. "But promise us one thing, Jin."

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Gu Jihu spoke up. "If you ever feel like you can’t handle something alone, tell us."

Gu Jin hesitated, then slowly nodded.

"...Okay."

The tension at the table eased a little, and they continued eating.

After breakfast, Gu Jin returned to her room to cultivate again.

The little lizard, who had been sleeping on her shoulder, suddenly jumped down and ran around in circles.

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "What’s wrong?"

The lizard suddenly stopped and stared at the window.