Chapter 54: This Is the One You

Su Mo hadn't expected Lan Ling, that dragon, to be so love‑obsessed.

For A Yun, that female, he really risked everything.

For a moment I couldn't tell whether to call him too naive or downright foolish!

The Military Advisor glared with a sour expression at Lan Ling, who was forced to kneel on the ground.

Long Yan's expression was also far from pleasant; deep in his eyes lay disappointment.

When Su Mo first told him the plan, she made it clear that Mo Xiao bore no Love Gu.

Such a lie can only deceive a guilty conscience.

Long Yan had even doubted then whether her method could actually work.

But she said: "Minor General, never underestimate the darkness and fragility of human nature. Some things are clear to onlookers yet bewildering to those involved; a lie that sounds absurd to us may be believed wholeheartedly by the parties concerned. Set a trap and test it, and the truth will reveal itself."

Long Yan never imagined that before the three‑day deadline, the instigator would actually walk into his own trap.

Lan Ling knelt there, staring at Su Mo among the crowd, his eyes full of resentment.

He gritted his teeth: "I lost; I accept the bet. Take this life, Miss Su, if you wish!"

The Military Advisor beside him, seeing Lan Ling's death‑like resolve, said bitterly, "Commander, you are utterly muddled!"

Lan Ling dared not meet the Old Military Advisor's disappointed gaze; he lowered his head and said, "I, Lan Ling, erred and voluntarily accept punishment! Minor General, please remove me from the Commander post!"

From the moment A Yun came crying, begging him to contact the Black Market for an antidote, his heart was dead.

He refused to believe that the one he had protected for years could truly betray him.

He persistently asked her whether that day she had deliberately lured Mo Xiao; when she knelt at his feet, crying and admitting it, he truly went mad.

Though Lan Ling was disappointed, the bond forged over years made him unwilling to see A Yun in any danger.

So even if it was a trap, he still leapt into it.

He had originally thought that once A Yun's offspring Gu was lifted, he would seek forgiveness from the Minor General; now it seemed everything had long been part of the plan devised by that female called Su Mo.

Su Mo narrowed her eyes at the kneeling man and asked coldly, "Commander, the devotion to risk everything for a beloved is indeed moving. Yet this all‑or‑nothing gamble is excessively foolish! Since you're willing to stake your life for her, then I will…"

"Miss Su!"

The Military Advisor spoke promptly, "May I have a word in private?"

Lan Ling's expression shifted slightly as he looked at the Military Advisor and Long Yan, "I, Lan Ling, feel ashamed before the Military Advisor and the Minor General's trust! I cannot repay the two of you for your nurturing. Taking responsibility for A Yun is my personal decision; please, Military Advisor, say no more!"

The Military Advisor cast an irritated, cold glance at him, then bowed slightly toward Su Mo, "Miss Su, please."

Su Mo turned her head to glance at the obstinate Lan Ling, then followed the Old Military Advisor aside.

Cang Lan, nearby, squinted at the Lan Ling on the ground, truly wishing he could eliminate him at once!

Fei Yan slipped him a glance, signaling not to act rashly.

A moment later, Su Mo and the Military Advisor returned to their original spot.

Lan Ling coldly looked at Su Mo and said, "Regardless of what the Military Advisor told you, I stand by our original wager! I am willing to bear the consequences for A Yun!"

Su Mo sneered, "Lord Lan Ling, you're bold, truly willing to trade one life for another, but the one you're willing to sacrifice for may not accept this sentiment!"

"Whether she accepts it or not, I'll take it. If we love once, I just need not owe her."

"Foolish!" Su Mo barked coldly, "You may not owe her, but you owe the Dragon Clan's people! You owe the Military Advisor! You owe the Minor General! I ask you, for a single A Yun, what have you done to the entire Dragon Clan?!"

"Stop performing that absurd 'prefer to sacrifice the masses than betray you' drama. You think it's a heroic rescue, but to others it's merely reckless childishness!"

"A truly upright Beastman should prioritize the greater picture, protect those who need protection, and shoulder the corresponding responsibilities! If every subordinate of the Minor General were like you, discarding duty for a fleeting impulse, then I'd say the Dragon Clan need not endure—just dissolve it altogether."

Lan Ling's eyes flickered, his mind exploded like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.

He stared at Su Mo in disbelief, humiliation flashing in his eyes, but no longer any resentment.

"Commander, think this over carefully; if your original intention remains unchanged, this lady will gladly fulfill the beautiful outcome!"

Just then, an Attendant from the prison reported that someone had tried to poison the Snake Young Master, but it was discovered in time.

While he was speaking, the bound A Yun was brought over.

Mo Xiao was also escorted out of the prison by an Attendant, and after crossing eyes with Su Mo, he stood quietly beside her.

The Attendant flung A Yun straight to Lan Ling's side!

She looked at the person beside her, sobbing, "Commander, save me! Save A Yun!"

Lan Ling's expression turned complex as he looked at her, both disappointed and pained: "I told you not to do anything foolish, why didn't you listen!"

"I… I!" A Yun stammered, unable to finish a sentence.

Two clear tears streamed down her face as she pleaded, "Commander, didn't you say you would definitely help me find a Gu‑dispelling method? I don't want to die… Commander, please help me!"

The Military Advisor, his face flushed with anger, stared at the clueless female and shouted, "You incited Lan Ling into this grave mistake! You still don't realize your error!"

Su Mo spoke promptly, "I've just discussed with the Old Military Advisor: every grievance has a source, every debt a holder; whoever made the mistake must bear it. As for the instigator…"

Her meaning‑laden gaze swept over the A Yun on the ground.

"Naturally, it calls for dismembering the body into countless pieces, five‑horse division… Yet Lan Ling just admitted he was momentarily foolish, incited by you to commit such a blunder. Even now, you still won't admit fault!"

Beside him, Lan Ling furrowed his brow; he hadn't said that a moment ago, this Su…

Before he could speak, A Yun's terror in her eyes was instantly crushed by a harsh reprimand.

She already believed Su Mo's words without doubt, her gaze at Lan Ling laced with a hint of malice!

All the talk of being willing to die for her turned out to be false!

Since that's the case, she had no reservations left!

A Yun suddenly changed tone, "It wasn't me; the Commander forced me to do this! He made me lure the Snake Young Master, and he made me poison him! It was all his idea! He wanted to spark a war between the two tribes! I'm innocent."

"A Yun, you…" Lan Ling looked at the person beside him, utterly disappointed at that moment.

A brief, intense pain surged through his chest and heart, leaving only desolation…

A Yun crawled before the Military Advisor and Long Yan, sobbing and repenting, "I truly am innocent! How could a tiny female dare? Please, Minor General, and Military Advisor, see clearly!"

The Military Advisor, raging, said, "Commander, this is the beloved you've been devoted to protecting!"

Lan Ling's hand placed at his side clenched tightly, his nails digging into flesh, his palm a blur, yet he felt no pain at all.

Su Mo bent over, pinching A Yun's chin, and sneered: "Actually… just now Lord Lan Ling never said a single word against you; I deceived you. On the contrary, he was more than willing to die for you, but unfortunately, you were too impatient."

"You! You!" A Yun's venomous gaze fixed on Su Mo.

She struggled, trying to kill the person before her!

Su Mo suddenly flung her aside, then looked at Lan Ling with calm composure and asked, "Commander, have you made up your mind, and are you still willing to die for such a beloved?"

A Yun looked at Lan Ling's eyes full of disappointment, already knowing there was no chance of survival.

She cannot die alone; she must kill that damned female!

The rope in her hand loosened, A Yun drew a blade from her sleeve, rose, and lunged toward Su Mo.

Su Mo furrowed her brow, instinctively stepped back, and reached for the Confusing Drug hidden at her waist.

At the same time, Cang Lan, the closest to Su Mo, unleashed a fierce palm wind!

In an instant his surrounding aura surged violently, shielding Su Mo behind him like a hellish Asura.