CH 24.1

The next evening, as the sun began to set, Xiao Zhenyun appeared at the doorway of Si Di’s hospital room in a wheelchair, dressed in a hospital gown. The parents of Si Di and Ye Feiran, as well as four elders, were standing outside the room, engaged in hushed conversations. The main voices were those of Ye’s father and Si’s father, while Ye Feiran’s mother stood at the farthest corner, her polite attitude concealing an underlying forced smile. Si’s mother also had a worried expression, her gaze lost in thought.

The familiar bench outside the room was occupied by Si Chu, who sat there with a normal expression, absentmindedly patting the head of the wolfdog in his arms, lost in his own thoughts. He was the first to notice Xiao Zhenyun’s arrival, and he stood up in surprise, shouting, “Uncle Xiao? What brings you here?”

His voice caught the attention of the others, and Si’s father, Si Qiaorong, quickly approached, saying, “Zhenyun, weren’t you just awake yesterday? Why are you here? Don’t be reckless! Did the doctor allow you to get out of bed?”

Xiao Jingfeng was pushing the wheelchair from behind, his usual nonchalant demeanor replaced by a subtle expression. Seeing Si Qiaorong’s concerned look towards Xiao Zhenyun, his gaze grew more complex, and in the midst of that complexity, he seemed to sense a certain atmosphere.

Xiao Nian stood beside the two, wearing a serious expression and saying nothing.

“I came to see Xiao Di,” Xiao Zhenyun said softly. His dark hair contrasted with his pale skin, especially now when his body was weakened from illness. The blue veins beneath his skin were visible, resembling delicate glasswork. Si Qiaorong hesitated, glancing at the room door where two figures moved. Xiao Zhenyun immediately coughed twice and asked, “Is there any inconvenience?”

“No, no inconvenience,” Si Qiaorong couldn’t bring himself to refuse someone like Xiao Zhenyun, who had crossed two hospital buildings to show concern for his nephew despite being unwell. He was afraid that if he said no, the next moment this sickly beautiful cousin would cough up blood in front of everyone.

At the door, Si’s mother promptly knocked and, after waiting for two seconds, pushed open the door for Xiao Zhenyun.

Before Xiao Zhenyun entered, there was a doctor in the room facing Ye Feiran, explaining something in detail. Ye Feiran held two boxes of medicine in his hands, his emotions neither too high nor too low as he responded.

“Chairman, Vice Chairman,” Ye Feiran looked up somewhat sluggishly and greeted.

Xiao Zhenyun smiled briefly.

“Yes,” Xiao Jingfeng, accustomed to sitting in the upper tier, nodded slightly and then spoke earnestly, “Xiao Ye, come out with me. Doctor, please join us.”

Ye Feiran didn’t know what Xiao Jingfeng intended, but he habitually obeyed the Chairman’s command. He turned and exited the room. The doctor was also puzzled, but seeing that no one objected and knowing the status and influence of this person, he followed suit. Soon, the room was left with Xiao Zhenyun sitting quietly in the wheelchair, his deep gaze fixed on the person sleeping in the bed.

Xiao Nian considerately tiptoed to close the door behind him.

“In any case, this matter needs to be handled promptly. The patient’s condition can’t afford any delay,” the doctor seemed to have concluded other matters and, upon leaving, summarized to Ye Feiran before hurrying away. Ye Feiran nodded, his gaze subconsciously meeting with that of Si Chu in the distance, before quickly looking away. Neither of them showed any unusual expression.

“Chairman.” Ye Feiran called softly, indicating that you could now give your orders. However, Xiao Jingfeng just nodded again and showed no intention of speaking. He crossed his arms mysteriously, leaning against the wall beside the door, his waist and abdomen slightly obscuring the door lock.

Ye Feiran didn’t know whether to urge him or not, exchanging glances with his parents.

After an eerie silence, the others finally realized that the Chairman’s request for the others in the ward to leave was probably just to let Xiao Zhenyun and Si Di be alone. They faintly sensed something odd from the behavior of these three members of the Xiao family, but an explanation seemed possible: an uncle’s deep affection for his nephew, wanting to spend some time alone with his comatose eldest nephew.

When did Xiao Zhenyun and Si Di become so close?

Si Qiaorong was utterly baffled. Wasn’t his cousin always doting on Si Chu the most? He stood closest to the room, puzzlingly peering inside through the hospital room door’s small window. As if anticipating the consequences of that glance, Xiao Jingfeng had already closed his eyes in silence.

Inside the room, a pair of golden-brown deer ears sprouted from the top of Xiao Zhenyun’s head, resembling mushrooms eager to inhale the fresh air, shivering slightly in the hospital’s year-round warm air. Behind him stood a proud, tall, golden stag with antlers resembling gracefully branching leaves, solid and smoothly extending upward.

Outside the door, Xiao Jingfeng heard the sound of people inhaling sharply and then a series of amazed gasps.

Before visiting Si Di, Xiao Zhenyun had spent two afternoons receiving personal guidance from the union chairman and attempting to enter the spiritual domain of three sentinels. It took Xiao Zhenyun nearly half an hour to successfully connect with the sentinel with the lowest compatibility, even using a saliva test strip, which the sentinel didn’t place between his lips but politely put it on the back of his neck.

Interestingly, when Xiao Jingfeng used this sentinel as an example, establishing a mental link took just a blink of an eye, easier than breathing and without any bodily fluid assistance. His compatibility with this sentinel was 5 percentage points lower than Xiao Zhenyun’s.

“It’s just a matter of familiarity.” That’s how the Chairman explained it, as if this concealed his true identity as an S-level guide.

Even before the mental level data report came out, Xiao Zhenyun had already self-assessed that his level would be low, not high. So, when he received the report and saw the ‘C’ grade, he sighed with a touch of sadness on the surface, but inside, he was cursing with several choice dirty words.

He thought he could at least score a B, but now he had to console himself that at least he wasn’t a D.

In the evening, after the training session with the sentinel that Xiao Jingfeng had called, Xiao Zhenyun felt a bit downcast due to the slow progress. Xiao Nian walked over and comforted him with little emotion, “At least it’s not a C-. If you work hard, there’s hope for a C+. C+ is much better than C.”

Xiao Jingfeng returned after washing his hands, “…”

The way Xiao Nian said that made him want to scold Xiao Zhenyun’s son for him.

“Take this time to nurture your spiritual energy. Your spiritual pool is too shallow; it dries up before you even use it much ” Xiao Jingfeng said, “Remember, even a 90% compatibility won’t instantly cure Si Di’s pseudo-eternal sleep. After awakening him this time, he’ll still occasionally fall into sleep over the next while, but it’ll be much easier to wake him up the second and third time. Plus, with the mental frenzy… with your mental level and current pool capacity, it’s quite difficult. You’ll probably need another guide to assist you.”

He put on the coat hanging behind the door, ready to leave. “Rest well, don’t think too much. Uncle will definitely take care of things on their side. You’ve suffered so much since childhood; I’ve never seen you ask me for anything. This time, whatever you say, your uncle will make your wishes come true.”

Xiao Zhenyun’s spirit trembled, and he quickly spoke with a worried expression, “No… don’t force it. Maybe all of this is just wishful thinking on my part. If Si Di doesn’t want it, don’t push him. After all, I’m just a C-grade guide, and I’m still his nominal uncle. He deserves a better and stronger guide…”

“He should belong to you, as a matter of course,” Xiao Jingfeng stated firmly. “A 90% match isn’t a joke; even mortal enemies hold their heads and kiss. You’re a C-grade guide, which means he should be fated with a C-grade guide.”

Xiao Zhenyun didn’t know what image came to his mind, but upon hearing this, he slightly tugged at his lips, though he didn’t dare to laugh out loud. After all, he still had to continue playing the role of the fallen immortal, pretending to be mistaken in his human emotions.

“Uncle, I know you feel a bit guilty about not realizing that Du Nai was the spy. Because you couldn’t recognize people, you want to make it up to me, but it’s not your fault. You’re busy with so many things and can’t possibly keep track of everything. Besides, everyone makes mistakes, so you don’t need to push yourself for my sake.”

Xiao Jingfeng’s somewhat nonchalant expression on his face softened slightly, and he gently touched Xiao Zhenyun’s hair with a deep sense of emotion. “…Uncle only realized that I haven’t been caring for you enough in regular times… Just focus on taking care of yourself, and I’ll handle the rest.”

“Thank you, Uncle.” Xiao Zhenyun nodded contentedly, raising his gaze to the misty blue eyes of Xiao Jingfeng, akin to the gentle drizzle over a riverside scene in Jiangnan.

Xiao Nian, sitting on the sofa with his legs hanging, was left in shock. He silently put down the soda can in his hand and struggled to swallow his drink.

As soon as Xiao Jingfeng left, Xiao Zhenyun’s demeanor immediately changed. His formally composed posture relaxed into a laziness that seemed boneless. He impatiently pressed his slightly throbbing forehead and looked at Xiao Nian with a hint of insolence. “Got a cigarette?”

“…,” Xiao Nian handed him a lollipop.

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