CH 67

Yan Yan and I, We Are Family

Day by day, Ming Qin could feel her physical condition improving.

The thin mist that had obscured her vision gradually dissipated, and she was always happy to be able to see Murong Yan more clearly.

The peony season in April was short but precious. Ming Qin sat in a wooden chair facing the wide-open window, feeling the breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers in the courtyard brushing her cheeks.

The afternoon sun shone into the room, and tiny specks of dust floated in the air. Letting the bright warmth shine on her eyelids, she blinked lightly.

“Ah Qin.” Holding a bamboo cane, Murong Yan took off her coat and entered the room.

The slight vibration from the floor made Ming Qin turn her head from looking out the window. “Yan Yan, you’re back.”

The shadow guard wanted to stand up and greet the person, but was held down on the shoulder and sat back down.

Murong Yan threw down the cane in her hand and sat astride Ming Qin’s lap, wrapping her arms around her neck intimately.

“Have you seen Prince Yu?” Ming Qin gently held the woman’s waist, lowering her head to lightly kiss Murong Yan’s hair pinned in a bun, asking in a muffled voice.

Today was the day when Prince Yu returned to the Northern Territory. The siblings of Prince Yu’s Mansion had left the city early to send off their father, the Prince.

Not knowing when they would meet again, Murong Can felt a bit melancholic facing his father, who he both admired and resented.

He dismounted his horse outside the city walls and poured wine for himself and Prince Yu. The two sat facing each other in silence.

At the very end, the middle-aged man who suddenly seemed to age sighed and looked remorseful as he got up, his voice hoarse as he said, “Take care of yourself and Yue’er.”

Murong Can solemnly bowed to his father and watched as the group of people rode away.

Murong Yan, on the other hand, remained in the carriage the whole time. Only at the very end, she lightly hooked her finger and pulled aside the curtain, nodding her head from afar to her father on horseback.

With a calm expression, Murong Yan’s heart was extremely tranquil.

If it weren’t for her brother’s request, she would have considered even participating in this event a waste of time.

After all, she was naturally cold-hearted, and the bonds formed only by blood were already insignificant, let alone now that her heart was filled with more important things. She had no energy left to accommodate any other insignificant matters.

Lying in the warmth of Ming Qin’s embrace, Murong Yan’s mind wandered.

“Don’t be sad.” Ming Qin was a bit worried as she saw that Murong Yan didn’t react to her question.

The shadow guard, who had never experienced the love of family, was afraid that parting with her father would make Murong Yan sad. She awkwardly patted her slender back and comforted her, “It’s okay, it’s okay, Yan Yan, don’t be sad.”

Don’t be sad because of parting with family, don’t be afraid because you’re alone, don’t be homesick…let’s all go back to the Northern Territory together.

At least until she is well enough to accompany Murong Yan…

“Yan Yan won’t be alone.” Ming Qin blinked and spoke with utmost seriousness, “If you’re tired, rely on me to rest. If you’re wronged, I’ll support you.”

She leaned her forehead against Murong Yan’s and felt their breaths intermingling. “If you miss home…I’ll be with you. Don’t be sad just because you miss Prince Yu’s Mansion…”

Murong Yan noticed Ming Qin’s unnecessary worries about her and didn’t bother correcting her lack of sentimentality towards Prince Yu’s Mansion family. She simply listened carefully to the unintentional whispers of affection from the person in front of her, a smile on her lips.

The dull shadow guard didn’t notice the woman’s sarcasm and awkwardly tried to comfort her with her incoherent words, not knowing how to express her genuine feelings. The guard stammered, “It’s not like you can’t be sad…it’s okay to be sad, it’s just…uh…”

Seeing Ming Qin’s embarrassed and helpless expression, Murong Yan couldn’t bear it. She gently picked up the hand that the shadow guard had placed on her own body and wrote something on it.

『Even if everyone in Prince Yu’s Mansion were to die like my mother』

『I wouldn’t feel sad because I have no family there』

As Murong Yan wrote each stroke, the words were clear and concise, yet her expression remained calm and still, as if she were simply stating a fact.

However, as Ming Qin calmed down, she inexplicably felt a sense of sorrow, as if she were taking Murong Yan’s place, feeling a cold and empty loneliness. Ming Qin was temporarily deaf and blind, and couldn’t see the words that Murong Yan wrote on her hand.

Ming Qin had been an orphan since childhood, but she had Song Shu Qing, who was as close as an elder sister, her master and mistress whom she treated like parents, and the group of shadow guard comrades who were like siblings.

But over the years, there was nothing around Ming Qin…nothing at all…

There was no one who could protect her unconditionally, no one who could open their arms to embrace her at any time, and no one who could stand by her side without hesitation. Not a single one.

Ming Qin hugged Murong Yan tightly, swallowing the bitterness in her throat and looking directly at her, promising with conviction,

“I can be your family.”

Her gaze was pure and her tone was resolute. Afraid that Murong Yan might not understand, she raised her voice and declared,

“From now on, I am Yan Yan’s family. Yan Yan is not a person without a family!”

After speaking, Ming Qin couldn’t see Murong Yan’s lips moving or hear the choking sobs coming from her chest. As a shadow guard who had lost her senses, she could only sense Murong Yan’s surging emotions through the slight tremble of her body and the salty taste in her mouth.

Her lips, blocked by her sensory deprivation, quietly repeated their affirmation again and again.

“Yan Yan and I are family.”

As spring drew to a close, Ming Qin’s vision gradually cleared, and she looked at Wang Wei, who was taking her pulse.

“Doctor Wang, you’ve gained weight since coming to the capital. Is it because the food at the hospital is too good?”

Although she still relied on touch to read words, Ming Qin could tell from the roundness of the old man’s face that he was in a good mood.

“Hmph, it’s all because of you, Little Shadow Guard Ming!” Wang Wei glared at her and gestured angrily. “If it weren’t for you, would I be eating so much every day?”

Although Ming Qin couldn’t hear his response, she still wore a cheerful smile as she watched the old man jumping up and down in agitation.

Wang Wei withdrew his hand from Ming Qin’s wrist and used his index finger to write forcefully in the palm of her hand.

『You’re still smiling』

『Do you know how bad her condition is?』

Song Shu Qing managed to get Murong Yan out of the room, leaving only Ming Qin and Wang Wei behind.

『You’ve lost a lot of weight』

“I feel like I’m getting better every day. Although I can’t go back to my prime, my martial strength has also recovered by about 40-50%. I am very content,” Ming Qin said, feeling the strokes in her hand that seemed to vent frustration and answering with a smile.

His nose about to spew fire, Wang Wei wrote again.

『It’s not martial strength, it’s vitality, vitality』

『You’ve aged twenty years beyond your actual age, do you not understand the implications of that?』

『Are you a pig? You eat anything and everything』

『Are you happy to see a younger person sending off an older one with white hair?』

Wang Wei’s handwriting was crooked and frenzied, as he wrote without giving Ming Qin a chance to respond. He sat down with folded arms, feeling exhausted from his outburst.

“Wu… Doctor Wang, don’t be angry,” Ming Qin cautiously spoke up after feeling her hand released.

“I know my body has been affected. I am aware of the loss of sensation, and even breathing has become difficult,” she continued before Wang Wei could explode.

“But I really am okay. I don’t need to live as long as an ordinary person. I don’t need to live too long…”

“I just want to live one day longer than Yan Yan.”

“I can’t bear to let Yan Yan watch me die, nor can I bear to leave her alone to live, so I won’t die so soon…”

Ming Qin placed her hand on her lap, sitting up straight and obediently. “Senior sister once told me that she had seen someone with a terminal illness, who even the divine doctor couldn’t save, travel everywhere after giving up treatment. Day by day, he lived happily and carefree, adding another year to his life and another year…”

“I am the same.”

Smiling, Ming Qin spoke with conviction. “As long as I stay by Yan Yan’s side, I will definitely live for a long, long time… even if the King of Hell comes to collect me, I will fight him for Yan Yan.”

“So, Doctor Wang, don’t be angry.” Ming Qin stood up and patted the old man’s shoulder. “Don’t be angry with me, and don’t be angry with yourself.”

Wang Wei lowered his head, staring blankly at his shoes and not responding.

After a long time, he came back to his senses and shook off Ming Qin’s hand with a disgusted look on his face. He growled, “Hmph, you better take your medicine properly and not ruin the reputation of this divine doctor.”

“I’m telling you, as a health expert, I’m going to live to be a hundred years old, at least forty more years. You have to be healthy, even if the medicine tastes bitter!”

“What damn bodily deficiencies? Let me feed you a big meal and replenish your energy so that your spirit can soar to the heavens!”

Although Ming Qin had no idea what the old man was talking about, she still nodded meekly while he caught his breath, trying to calm him down.

The old man and the sickly woman were making a ruckus in the room, completely unaware of the woman who had already returned from the study and was leaning against the doorframe, trying to suppress the tears welling up in her eyes.