Chapter 4 Warm and Cozy

At this moment, Yun Bai had shed his usual calmness and sharpness, appearing completely defenseless.

His breathing was steady and deep, occasionally emitting a slight, rhythmic snoring sound, like a small beast that had finally relaxed after being exhausted to the limit.

He smacked his lips unconsciously, as if tasting something delicious in his dreams, or perhaps mumbled incoherent sleep-talk that no one could understand, occasionally stretching his arms and kicking his legs, pushing aside a corner of the thin quilt covering him.

"Pfft—" Watching her brother's rare, naive appearance, Yun Qian couldn't help but laugh out loud, quickly covering her mouth with her hand, afraid of waking him up.

But deep in her eyes, the joy of having him back and the intense heartache were intertwined, making her smile appear exceptionally tender.

Shen Qi also smiled, pursing her lips, and whispered to Yun Qian: "Qianqian, look at Brother Yun like this, he looks just like those lazy big yellow dogs I used to see back in the village; even when the sun is beating down on their backsides, they won't wake up."

"He's nothing like that!" Yun Qian immediately retorted in a low voice, with a little pride in defending her brother, "Brother is just too, too tired... He would never be like this."

She turned her head and looked at Jiang Shuanger, who had been sitting by the table watching them with a smile, her eyes full of curiosity and urgency: "Sister Shuanger, tell me quickly, how did Brother actually do it? That soul-stabilizing pill is so expensive, he..."

She could not imagine what kind of hardships her brother had gone through during the time she was unconscious.

Jiang Shuanger put down the teacup in her hand, a trace of emotion and lingering fear appearing in her eyes.

She took a deep breath and began to recount: "Yun Bai really risked his life."

"After you fell into a coma, he was so anxious that his eyes turned red. He first ran to the State Religion to find Supervisor Zhou, then went to find Elder Yin, and begged almost everyone he could..." Jiang Shuanger's voice was very soft, fearing to disturb Yun Bai's sleep.

"But... over ten million Spirit Stones, it was just too difficult. I saw him being struck by reality time and time again, his face getting paler and paler." Shen Qi added from the side, recalling the scene at that time, her nose aching again.

Yun Qian listened, her small hand unconsciously clenching the corner of her clothes.

"Then, as if he had gone mad, he rushed to the Black Tower." Jiang Shuanger's voice paused, "That was the only way to quickly get enough Spirit Stones—to pass the third level!"

"The Black Tower?!" Yun Qian gasped. Although her cultivation was not high, she knew well the difficulty of the Black Tower trials; that was simply not a place for a First Realm Cultivator to go!

"Yes, we were all terrified, and no one could stop him." Jiang Shuanger sighed, "We waited outside, our hearts hanging in our throats. His name never appeared on the hidden dragon ranking, everyone thought there was no hope, and some even said a lot of nasty, sarcastic things..."

Yun Qian held her breath as she listened, as if she were also in the midst of that anxious wait, feeling deeply worried for her brother inside the tower.

Jiang Shuanger briefly explained the meaning of the "hidden dragon ranking".

"Later... later his name finally appeared on the ranking! He rose from the very last place!" Jiang Shuanger's tone suddenly became excited, "He passed the second level! Everyone was stunned!"

"But the third level was even harder. We didn't know what happened inside, we only knew he was in there for a very, very long time." Jiang Shuanger's description made the atmosphere tense again, "And then, it was Elder Yin who brought people to carry him... to carry him out like this."

Hearing this, Yun Qian's tears couldn't help but roll down again; it was out of heartache, and also pride.

She could imagine what kind of tragic battle her brother had experienced inside the tower.

After the story was finished, the room quieted down, leaving only the sound of Yun Bai's steady breathing.

Yun Qian was already teary-eyed, yet couldn't help but smile. She was crying and laughing at the same time, her mood like the sky after a storm finally seeing a rainbow, a mix of a hundred feelings.

She carefully reached out and gently held her brother's hand that was resting outside the quilt; that warm and real touch made her feel incredibly at ease.

After an unknown amount of time, Yun Bai's eyelashes trembled a few times, and he slowly opened his eyes.

At first, he was still a bit dazed, but when he saw the three people gathered around the bed, especially his younger sister with a rosy complexion and tears mixed with smiles, he froze for a moment, then suddenly woke up!

"Qianqian?!" He almost sprang up from the bed, grabbed his sister's shoulders, and looked her up and down nervously, "Qianqian, don't be afraid, I have passed the third level of the Black Tower, I will be able to get the soul-stabilizing pill immediately, I—"

"No, wait, I—you—why are you here? Are you better?"

His voice was a bit hoarse because he had just woken up.

Yun Bai stammered, unable to figure out what exactly had happened.

"Yes! Yes! Brother, I am completely better! Look!" Yun Qian nodded vigorously, spinning around with a smile, moving her hands and feet to show him, "Even better than before!"

Yun Bai looked carefully again and again, feeling the steady Qi and vigorous vitality within his sister's body, and his tense heart finally calmed down.

A huge joy and relaxation swept through his whole body like a warm current, making him involuntarily reveal a tired but incredibly brilliant smile.

"That's great... that's great..." he murmured, his voice somewhat choked with emotion.

Shen Qi wiped her tears and smiled from the side: "Brother Yun, you didn't see it; when Qianqian woke up just now, you scared us to death, we even thought you..."

"Pah, pah, pah, you are not allowed to say unlucky things!" Yun Qian quickly interrupted her, laughing as she pounced to cover Shen Qi's mouth.

Jiang Shuanger also couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"So, this, what exactly is going on?" Yun Bai sat up and looked at the three women laughing and playing, scratching his head.