Then, after a pause, she looked at him seriously.

"There is something I want to know," she said. "This curse… the curse of the Long and Gu families. What is it really about? And why am I affected so much by it?"

Long Yifan sighed deeply. His eyes turned heavy as if remembering a painful history.

He began slowly.

"A long time ago, our two families were enemies. The Gu family and the Long family never stood on the same side. But… one day, the heads of both families fell in love with each other. They tried to run away together."

Gu Jin's eyes widened slightly. "The heads of the two families? They were lovers?"

"Yes," Long Yifan nodded.

"They tried to escape from the blood feud. But on their way, they came across a priest in a small temple. The priest was meditating, praying to the gods. The couple rushed past, but soon the pursuers of both families caught up. A battle started right outside the temple."

He paused for a moment, his voice dropping lower.

"In that battle, an attack struck the priest. He was innocent, but he was hit and died on the spot. His death was ignored by everyone. The pursuers mocked him, the couple didn't notice, and everyone treated him like he was nothing."

Gu Jin's brows furrowed. "And then?"

"Then," Long Yifan said slowly, "the priest's soul rose up. His spirit appeared in front of everyone. He was furious. With his last strength, he cursed them all."

Gu Jin leaned forward slightly.

"What curse?"

"He said," Long Yifan's voice was solemn,

"'From now on, the Gu and Long families are bound. Only if they fall in love and stay together will they survive. If not, their bloodlines will suffer, and their leaders will die mysteriously.'"

Gu Jin's lips parted in shock.

Long Yifan nodded.

"At that time, no one believed him. They thought it was nonsense. But after the heads of the families were killed by the pursuers, the next generation of heads rose. They continued to fight. They continued to ignore the curse. But one after another, each head of the Gu family and each head of the Long family started to die… mysteriously."

His voice turned heavy.

"No poison. No wounds. Just… their bodies drying up, their souls leaving. The curse was real."

Gu Jin felt her chest tighten. She whispered, "So that is why I was affected…"

"Yes," Long Yifan said softly. "We both most likely are the most pure blooded in the line of Long and Gu Family and hence the curse lies on us most heavily. If we are not together, the curse will tear us apart."

Gu Jin looked at Long Yifan seriously. Her eyes were calm, but her heart was filled with curiosity.

"There is something I want to ask," she said slowly.

"What happened to the Long family after the head of the family died? Who inherited the position?"

Long Yifan gave a small chuckle. It was quiet, almost cold.

"It was given to my half-brother," he replied. "But he was incompetent. He wasted everything. In the end, he lost the family's fortune and could not take the pressure. He killed himself."

Gu Jin's eyes widened. "He… committed suicide?"

Her voice carried disbelief. She remembered his half-brother's arrogance. Even if he was useless, he had always been prideful. The thought of him ending his own life sounded strange.

She blurted, "Committed suicide? That doesn't make sense. A man like him, even if he was foolish, would never go that far."

Her gaze was sharp, almost burning. It was like she was trying to see through Long Yifan's soul.

But Long Yifan only smiled faintly and looked away, ignoring her piercing stare.

"My stepmother also shared his fate," he continued calmly.

"She loved her son too much. When he died, she could not accept it. She soon followed him to the grave."

Gu Jin stared at him quietly. Her lips curled slightly, though her eyes remained sharp.

"So, they both died…" she whispered.

She did not speak the words forming in her heart. She knew very well that it was not coincidence.

Long Yifan must have been behind everything. But she did not expose him. Not yet.

Instead, she leaned back and said softly, "Since that is the case… I want to sleep."

Long Yifan's expression changed at her words. A trace of tension appeared in his eyes. He reached out and took her hand, holding it firmly.

"If you want to sleep, then rest," he said. "I will guard you by your side."

Gu Jin paused. She looked at his serious face, and for some reason, her heart felt a little lighter. She gave a small nod.

"All right," she said softly.

She closed her eyes. His hand was warm, and though she never admitted it out loud, it gave her a strange sense of safety. Slowly, her breathing calmed, and she drifted into sleep.

…..............................

When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer in the room.

Instead, she stood in the exact place where she had first transmigrated into Gu Jin's body. The air felt strange. Her surroundings seemed blurred, like a dream.

Gu Jin looked around in shock. "What… is this? Am I reborn again?"

Her voice echoed, but no one answered. Suddenly, the scene before her began to move forward as if someone had pressed a button to fast-forward time.

She watched herself being led to the academy in Fujio City by Ren Aiguo, just like before. She studied, trained, and made progress, exactly as she had lived.

But then, something changed.

After she had saved Si Kai and returned to the Magic Academy, she saw the first meeting with Long Yifan again. Only this time, something was different.

In her past memory, she had been the one to look at him first, the one who had been drawn to him.

But in this dream… Long Yifan was the one staring at her. His eyes were captivated, almost burning with curiosity.

Gu Jin frowned. "What… is this? Why is it reversed?"

She watched with wide eyes as Long Yifan began to chase her. He followed her silently, finding excuses to talk to her, to appear around her.

Unlike in her memory, where she had worked hard to gain his attention, this Long Yifan was the one who worked hard to win her heart.

The dream moved quickly. She saw how Long Yifan obtained a strand of her hair and used it to prove her true identity.

He was the one who revealed that she, not Gu Aihan, was the real heir of the Gu family.

Gu Jin gasped softly.

She watched as she was reunited with the Gu family. They pampered her, protected her, and treated her with warmth. It was everything she had longed for.

Her eyes trembled. "Is this… what I wanted?"

But the dream did not stop. Another familiar face appeared.

Luo Meng.

The man who had betrayed her in her real life.

In this dream, he again became her disciple. At first, everything looked fine. But soon, he created a situation where both he and Long Yifan were in danger at the same time.

Dream Gu Jin rushed to protect Luo Meng first, not realizing Long Yifan was also in danger.

Long Yifan was badly injured.

Gu Jin clenched her fists as she watched. "Why? Why would I choose him over Long Yifan?"

Her chest felt heavy.

But then she saw Long Yifan in the dream. Despite his injury, despite almost losing his life, he only chuckled when she came to him. He forgave her easily after a short embrace and a soft kiss.

Gu Jin's eyes widened. She shook her head in disbelief.

"This… This isn't me. I would never…"

Her voice faltered.

The dream moved faster. She watched herself and Long Yifan skipping grades, their cultivation rising side by side. Together, they applied to become mighty mages.

She saw them enter a forbidden land, battling countless beasts.

There, they encountered the Water Dragon.

Gu Jin's eyes softened as she saw the dragon. It was the same creature she had once contracted.

In the dream, she watched herself heal the dragon, slowly gaining its trust until it became her contracted beast again.

The dragon curled beside her, loyal and protective.

Then the dream showed her and Long Yifan rising higher, becoming the mighty mage couple, feared and respected across the land.

It was perfect. Too perfect.

Gu Jin's lips trembled. "This… this cannot be real. It is what I wished for… but it is not the truth."

Before she could think more, the dream shattered like glass.

She blinked.

When her eyes opened again, she was back in the room. Long Yifan was sitting beside her, holding her hand tightly. His face was filled with worry.

"You are awake," he said softly.

Gu Jin blinked, disoriented. "How long… How long was I asleep?"

"Only twelve hours," Long Yifan replied gently.

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