The Mighty Mage
Chapter 505: Solution-1

Chapter 505: Chapter 505: Solution-1

His voice cracked. "I just got her back."

Tears welled in his eyes. "I didn’t even get a chance to be a father to her. And now you’re telling me that she might not live to see her thirtieth birthday?"

Dr. Yuan looked away, giving him the space to grieve.

Mr. Gu lowered his hands. His eyes were red now, raw with pain and helplessness.

"But even if she gets better," he said hoarsely, "you’re saying she still won’t live long?"

Dr. Yuan nodded slowly. "You’re still the smartest among us."

Mr. Gu gave a humorless laugh, bitter and broken. "Smart enough to understand... but not enough to save her."

Dr. Yuan’s voice dropped, grave.

"Her emotions, or rather, the lack of them, are affecting her internal systems. Her heart rate, her immune system, and her ability to repair damage.

All of it’s slowing down. Like her body is shutting down, little by little. It might not be visible now but that is the truth."

He looked at Mr. Gu carefully. "Even if we bring her back emotionally, the damage done won’t be completely reversible. Her organs, her energy, her life force—they’ve already begun to deteriorate. We’re not just fighting the illness. We’re fighting time."

Mr. Gu stood suddenly, turning his back to the room as his shoulders trembled.

He whispered, "She doesn’t deserve this. After everything..."

There was a long silence.

Then he turned back, face streaked with tears.

"Please," he begged, voice cracking.

"Yuan, you’re the best doctor I know. If anyone can save her, it’s you. Find a way. Even if there’s only a one percent chance... even if it’s risky... I’ll do anything."

Dr. Yuan stood too, walking over and placing a firm, steadying hand on Mr. Gu’s shoulder.

"I promise I’ll do everything I can," he said.

"But this will take time. A lot of it. And patience. It all depends on her will to live. If she doesn’t... no one can save her."

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

Outside.

Long Yifan sighed dramatically. "You’re heartless."

Gu Jin didn’t reply, just gave him a knowing smile and shook her head.

His steps slowed as he looked at her more seriously.

"Jin’er... don’t do this. Think about everything we’ve been through. The times we spent together, the things we’ve overcome. You really want to throw all of that away?"

Gu Jin blinked once, then twice. Her teasing look faded, replaced with a quiet calm.

"Those memories," she said gently, "they belong in the past."

Long Yifan stepped in front of her, blocking her path. For the first time, the confidence in his eyes wavered.

He reached out and held her hand tightly.

"Please. Just remember. Remember when you were on the verge of breakthroug and I stayed with you the whole night."

"I was unconscious and didn’t know that you were helping me."

"The point is... those memories are real. Don’t they mean anything to you?"

Gu Jin looked down at their hands, then back up at him. Her expression was unreadable.

Before she could answer, the door behind them opened.

Mr. Gu stepped out, his eyes red, his face pale. It was clear he had been crying.

Gu Jin’s eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?" she asked instantly.

Mr. Gu stopped in his tracks, startled by her gaze. He looked between her and Long Yifan, but didn’t answer.

Gu Jin stepped closer. "Why were you crying?"

Mr. Gu shook his head quickly, forcing a small smile to his lips. "Dr. Yuan just... reminded me of something emotional. That’s all."

Gu Jin didn’t look convinced.

Long Yifan suddenly felt a cold wave run through him. His instincts—sharpened from years of dealing with danger—kicked in. Something was wrong. Deeply wrong.

"Gu Jin," he said quickly, his voice unusually serious. "Why don’t you go wait in the car? We’ll be out soon."

Gu Jin gave him a glance. "I’m not a child."

"Please," he said, almost pleading now.

But she didn’t budge. Her eyes returned to her father. "What did he say to you?"

Mr. Gu only smiled again, a little tighter this time. "Nothing you need to worry about. Go on. I’ll be right behind you."

Gu Jin stared at him for a long second before finally turning and walking toward the car, her back straight, movements quiet.

Long Yifan wanted to say something—to her or to Mr. Gu—but the moment was gone.

Once inside the car, he tried to lighten the mood.

"Well," he said with a strained grin, "this is probably the quietest the two of you have ever been in one space."

No one laughed.

Gu Jin looked out the window. Mr. Gu sat in silence.

Long Yifan’s smile faded.

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

At the Gu Mansion.

The car pulled up to the front gate. Mr. Gu stepped out first, followed by Gu Jin, who didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to. He wasn’t going to tell her anything—not yet.

She gave him one last look, then walked toward the mansion, her figure slowly disappearing behind the doors.

Long Yifan hesitated, then turned to Mr. Gu.

"...Uncle Gu."

Mr. Gu stopped.

"What happened?" Long Yifan asked. His voice was quiet, but urgent. "Tell me the truth. Please."

Mr. Gu looked at him for a long time. The man who had always seemed strong, composed, and dignified... suddenly looked much older.

"I’m not going to hide it from you," he said softly. "You’ll find out anyway."

Long Yifan stood still, heart pounding.

Mr. Gu took a deep breath.

"She’s sick. Not a physical sickness you can see or touch, but something deeper. Her emotions have been locked away for too long. It’s hurting her body—slowly killing her."

Long Yifan’s eyes widened. "What?"

"If she doesn’t get therapy soon... she won’t live past thirty."

Long Yifan’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. His hands trembled.

Suddenly, he felt as if someone had stabbed him in his heart.

He felt dizzy, and everything seemed to have turned misty for him.

"And even if she does get help," Mr. Gu continued, voice heavy, "she might not live past fifty. Her organs... her entire system... It’s already deteriorating. It’s too late to completely stop it."

Long Yifan’s legs felt weak. He reached for the car door to steady himself, his knuckles white.

"...She’s only twenty-two."

Mr. Gu nodded. "That’s why we have to help her now. Before it’s too late."

Long Yifan stared at the mansion door, where Gu Jin had gone.

His hand was still shaking.

"...No," he whispered. "No, she can’t die. Not like this."

He had just realized his feelings.

He wasn’t ready to back out now.

Not now...not ever...

Long Yifan took a deep breath, steadying himself as best as he could.

His heart was still pounding, and his hands hadn’t stopped trembling, but his voice was firm.

"You don’t need to worry, Uncle Gu," he said.

"I’ll find a good psychiatrist for her. I’ll make sure that she is completely cured. And if she doesn’t get cured by thirty then I will die along with her."

Mr. Gu looked at him, surprised by the sudden steadiness in his tone.

"I’ll take care of it," Long Yifan continued. "Just trust me. Please... rest for now."

He turned and began walking toward the mansion, toward Gu Jin’s room.

Mr. Gu watched his back, silent for a long moment. Then, in a voice almost too soft to hear, he said,"If you can save her... If you really manage to bring her back... I’ll approve your marriage."

Long Yifan paused.

Normally, that would’ve been everything he wanted to hear. A moment of triumph. He might’ve even smiled, joked, or thrown his fists in the air like a victory.

But not tonight.

There was no joy in his heart. No sense of achievement.

He didn’t turn back. He simply gave a small nod and continued down the hallway.

As he passed the courtyard window, something caught his eye.

A flash of white.

He stopped and turned.

There, perched on the stone railing under the soft moonlight, was Little White—Gu Jin’s beloved contract beast.

The small lizard blinked slowly, its snow-white body almost glowing under the moon. It raised its head and tilted it curiously at left side.

He took a step closer, then paused again.

Little White wasn’t alone.

Just beside it, curled lazily on a wide leaf, was a blue caterpillar.

But this wasn’t any ordinary insect.

It was huge—easily the length of a human forearm, and thick, like a tightly packed roll of cloth or even a small football.

A fine layer of soft fuzz covered it, and it had tiny antennae that swayed as it "spoke" in soft clicks and high-pitched squeaks.

And... it was talking.

Long Yifan wasn’t one to jump to conclusions, but the way Little White tilted its head and responded with low hisses and clicks of its own made it clear—they were communicating.

His eyes narrowed.

He stepped closer, careful not to make any sudden moves. The two beasts paused and turned toward him.