The Mighty Mage
Chapter 349: Curse

Chapter 349: Chapter 349: Curse

Gu Jihu shrugged, his tone calm and detached.

"I was out of the country for work when it happened. Didn’t have the time or interest to meet him."

Relief washed over Gu Jin like a cool breeze. So, no one in her family seemed to know the full details.

That meant she could control the situation. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, her face calm but her words sharp.

"Well, it doesn’t matter. I want to break off the engagement."

The air in the car suddenly grew tense.

The easy atmosphere from earlier disappeared, replaced by an awkward silence. Gu Jichun, who had been chatty moments ago, fell completely quiet.

Even Gu Jihu, who rarely showed much emotion, glanced at her with a frown.

It was Gu Jichun who finally broke the silence, her voice hesitant but firm. "Jin’er... you can’t break it off."

Gu Jin raised an eyebrow, her tone sharp. "Why not? It’s my life. I didn’t even agree to this engagement."

Gu Jichun looked down at her hands, avoiding Gu Jin’s piercing gaze. "It’s not that simple."

Gu Jihu sighed heavily, leaning his head back against the seat as though debating whether to say more. Finally, he spoke, his voice low but steady.

"There’s more to this than just a simple engagement, Jin’er. It’s not just about family pride or alliances. It’s... a prophecy."

Gu Jin turned to him, her expression sharp with disbelief.

"A prophecy? What kind of nonsense is that?"

Gu Jihu didn’t flinch. Instead, he met her gaze with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

"The Gu family and the Long family are meant to be tied together. It’s been foretold for generations. If one of us rejects the bond, both families will suffer."

Gu Jin blinked, her skepticism clear.

"Suffer? How? You don’t really believe in that, do you?"

Gu Jichun, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around to face them.

Her usually lighthearted expression was replaced by something grim.

"It’s true, Jin’er. It already happened before... with our aunt."

"Aunt?" Gu Jin asked, confused.

Gu Jichun nodded, her tone solemn.

"Dad had a younger sister. She was supposed to marry the current head of the Long family, but she refused. She said she didn’t love him and wanted to live her own life."

Gu Jin frowned, her curiosity piqued despite her doubts.

"What happened to her?"

Gu Jichun’s voice softened, tinged with sadness.

"She... she died. A series of horrible things happened to her, one after another. First, she lost all her savings in a scam.

Then, she got sick—really sick. And finally... she died when she awakened a new type of element. She didn’t make it."

Gu Jin felt a chill run down her spine, but she kept her expression neutral.

Gu Jihu spoke up, his tone calm but insistent.

"It wasn’t just bad luck, Jin. The Long family suffered too. The man she was supposed to marry—the current head of their family—lost his mind after she died.

He’s barely more than a puppet now, controlled by his elders. And it gets worse."

He paused, glancing at Gu Jichun, who nodded for him to continue.

"The Long family head was so confused and broken that he... he indirectly caused his first wife’s death.

He didn’t mean to, but his actions led to her being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Finally, she broke the silence.

"So, you’re saying if I don’t marry into the Long family, something bad will happen to me? And to them?"

Gu Jihu nodded slowly.

"That’s exactly what we’re saying. You don’t have to believe it, but... can you really afford to take that risk?"

Afford to? Hell no.

Gu Jin’s heart trembled when she thought about her near-death encounters before.

Every time she questioned why she was the only one who had such bad luck. Now...it was a answered.

Gu Jin was silent for a while before asking, " Why me?"

Gu Jichun as if expecting the question answered, "Because of horoscope. Your and that Long family’s son’s horoscope match so..."

The ride to the villa was a long one for Gu Jin.

The car came to a gentle stop, and Gu Jin reached for the door handle, ready to step out.

Just as she was about to push it open, Gu Jichun’s soft voice stopped her.

"Jin’er..."

Gu Jin turned, raising an eyebrow in question.

Gu Jichun hesitated for a moment, glancing nervously at Gu Jihu before speaking again.

Her usual confidence was replaced by something tender and hesitant.

"If... if there’s someone you already like, someone you want to be with..." she began, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Then tell me. I’ll do everything I can to find another way. Maybe we can reverse the curse, or at least weaken it."

Gu Jin froze her hand still on the door handle. For a moment, she wasn’t sure she had heard her sister correctly.

"You... you’d do that?" she asked, her voice uncertain.

Gu Jichun nodded firmly, her earlier hesitation giving way to determination.

"Of course, I would. You’re my sister, Jin’er. I don’t want to see you unhappy. If there’s someone you care about, we’ll figure it out together. No matter how hard it is."

Gu Jihu, who had been quiet, added in his usual calm tone,

"She’s right. We may not have all the answers, but we’ll try. The elders might push for this engagement, but at the end of the day, it’s your life. You deserve to live it the way you want."

Gu Jin felt a lump rise in her throat.

"Why... why are you saying this now?" she asked, her voice softer than before.

Gu Jichun sighed, leaning back in her seat.

"Because, Jin’er, no one should be forced into something they don’t want. Not even because of some stupid prophecy. If you can be happy without all this mess... we’ll do our best to make that happen."

Gu Jihu nodded in agreement.

"We just need to know the truth. If you have someone in mind, tell us. It’ll help us figure out what to do next."

Gu Jin looked between the two of them, her emotions swirling.

"No," she said finally, shaking her head. "There’s no one."

Gu Jichun tilted her head, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"No one? Are you sure? You don’t have to hide it if there is."

Gu Jin chuckled softly, a hint of bitterness in her tone.

"I’m sure. Do you think I’d have time for romance with everything else going on in my life? No. There’s no one."

The car grew quiet for a moment, the only sound the faint rustle of leaves outside.

Gu Jichun reached over and squeezed Gu Jin’s hand gently.

"Then we’ll face this together, okay? No matter what you decide, we’ll be here for you."

Gu Jin met her sister’s gaze, her eyes softening. "Thanks," she murmured.

Due to the incident, Beijing University issued a one-week holiday, as they were investigating the matter.

Gu Jin hence got 1 week of time to spend with her family.

............................

After 3 days.

Jasmine and a few people opened the portal to the Forgotten Elemental World.

Three days passed, which means 30 days had passed in the Forgotten Elemental World and Long Yifan should have gotten over his breakthrough.

With such thought, they crossed over.

The island on which they landed was completely destroyed. It was a sign of how impactful the breakthrough was.

The group that accompanied her paused, taking in the destruction before them.

The once lush island was unrecognizable—trees lay scattered like broken twigs, the ground was cracked and scorched, and faint trails of smoke rose in the distance.

"This... this is insane," muttered one of the men, his voice trembling.

Jasmine nodded, her sharp eyes scanning the wreckage.

"It must’ve been the result of Yifan’s breakthrough," she said, her voice steady but laced with urgency.

"Spread out," she commanded. "Look for him. He must be somewhere nearby."

The group moved quickly, fanning out across the ruined landscape.

Jasmine’s heart clenched as she stepped over broken rocks and fallen branches.

The air smelled burnt, and every step felt like walking through the aftermath of a storm.

"Yifan!" she called, her voice echoing across the empty island. "Where are you?"

There was no response, just the eerie silence of the island. She clenched her fists, trying to keep her worry from turning into panic.

"Miss Jasmine!" one of the group members called out from a distance.

She hurried over, her boots crunching against the scorched ground.

The man pointed to a trail of uneven footprints leading away from the center of the island.

"These tracks... they’re fresh," he said.

Jasmine examined them closely. "It has to be him," she said.

She motioned for the others to follow and began to trace the path.

The trail led them through a jagged canyon, its walls blackened from the energy that had been unleashed.

The further they went, the stronger the residual energy in the air became.

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the edge of a clearing.

In the center, surrounded by charred earth and swirling remnants of elemental energy, stood a lone figure.

"Yifan!" Jasmine shouted, relief washing over her.