Chapter 28 Yun Qian's Study

Zhao Xiang bowed to Yun Bai and said, "Lord Yun, I have fulfilled my promise."

Yun Bai looked at the empty sleeve on his left side—the left arm had been cut off by Zhao Xiang himself.

He weakly took out a note from his bosom with his only remaining right arm: "This is a note for 100,000 Spirit Stones, which can be withdrawn at any bank. The matter you asked me to handle has also been completed; these are the admission vouchers for Qingya Academy, two copies. Please take a look."

Yun Bai took these items. After glancing at the Spirit Stone note to ensure it was correct, he checked the two Qingya Academy admission vouchers.

Qingya Academy was an official academy established by the State Religion, where Cultivation knowledge from all walks of life would be taught with a System approach; it was an important introductory class for Cultivators.

Yun Bai had no means to enroll at that time, and he could not let his sister suffer any longer.

He had originally only instructed Zhao Xiang to get the academy admission vouchers, without specifying how many.

He did not expect Zhao Xiang to have obtained two.

Yun Bai looked at the three large carts of goods behind Zhao Xiang.

"I am going to eat. Have your men move them to the backyard first," Yun Bai ordered bluntly.

"Yes." Zhao Xiang's body seemed to bend even lower.

"Follow me." With his hands behind his back, Yun Bai led the three carts to the backyard. The laborers Zhao Xiang had found immediately began to unload the goods.

"Lord Yun, these books and study supplies were prepared by me following the format of the academy. They have already been sorted and categorized, and the boxes are all clearly marked. This is the inventory list, please take a look." Zhao Xiang handed Yun Bai a list.

Yun Bai lowered his head to scan it and was quite satisfied.

This Zhao Xiang was quite capable in his work. The classification of these books was quite similar to the classification in the Scripture Pavilion of the State Religion. It was evident that this method of book classification might already be a kind of official standard.

Even though the books were not as comprehensive as those in the State Religion, they were already very abundant for a home collection.

"That is all." Yun Bai glanced at Zhao Xiang, "You still have your severed left arm preserved, right? You have suffered enough; go ahead and reattach your arm."

Zhao Xiang was stunned upon hearing this, and then his body trembled slightly.

"You... this lowly one thanks you for your great kindness, Lord!"

Zhao Xiang was so excited he was incoherent. He had been keeping an eye on Yun Bai's situation, and before coming, he had learned that the military's attitude toward Yun Bai was very ambiguous and had even warned the Chen family not to go too far. It was clear that this Lord Yun Bai he had provoked was extraordinary.

He had originally thought he would spend the rest of his life as a disabled man with a severed arm, never expecting Lord Yun to be so kind-hearted and forgive him!

"If there is something in the future, I may still look for you. I am going to eat." Seeing that the goods had all been unloaded, Yun Bai impatiently issued an order to leave.

"Yes, yes, yes." Zhao Xiang hurriedly called the laborers to leave.

With this sentence from Yun Bai, he knew his life still had hope.

Yun Bai patted the dozen large boxes with satisfaction, just as he heard Qianqian's urging voice: "Brother! What are you doing? If you don't come soon, I won't save any for you!"

"Coming, coming!" Hearing his sister's shout, Yun Bai lifted his legs and rushed to the table like a whirlwind, "Qianqian, you can't do this. The food, at least save some for me..."

"Giggle." Yun Qian covered her mouth and let out a laugh like silver bells, "I saved some for you. Honestly confess, who was looking for you just now?"

"Ahahaha, good news, good news." Yun Bai deliberately kept her in suspense, "I will tell you after I've eaten my fill."

"Hmph!" Yun Qian pouted in dissatisfaction, "What kind of matter is so mysterious that you didn't even let me know when the things were moved to the backyard."

Yun Bai did not answer, burying his head in the bowl and eating voraciously.

Yang Peilan and Shen Qi watched the scene of the siblings bickering with smiles, feeling a long-lost warmth of home in their hearts.

...

After the meal, Yun Bai moved the boxes into the few remaining empty rooms by himself.

Yun Qian felt increasingly puzzled. Her brother was rarely this mysterious. If there was something he didn't want her to know, he would simply not mention it. If he wanted to tell her, he was always straightforward.

More than an hour later, she saw her brother wipe the sweat from his face, wash his hands, and walk toward her with a smile.

"Is it finished?" Yun Qian asked.

"Come!" Yun Bai pulled Yun Qian up.

The moment the door was pushed open, Yun Qian was stunned.

It was completely dark outside by now, and the lamps inside had been lit. Perhaps fearing she wouldn't see clearly, Yun Bai had placed lamps in every possible dark corner. The room was as bright as day. But that was not the point; the point was what was being illuminated.

This place had been arranged by Yun Bai into a study.

Tables, chairs, and stationery were all provided. The bookshelves on the side were arranged neatly, and at a glance, one couldn't even count how many there were.

"This..." Yun Qian was shocked by the scene before her.

She had always wanted a study of her own. She had also wanted to read, wanted to understand the wider world, and wanted to study and succeed in hopes of helping her brother. But they had never had the means.

To cure her illness, Yun Bai had taken her everywhere to seek medical help. They had struggled with treatments, but there were no results.

Until one day, they met a white-haired immortal elder with an Immortal Qi demeanor on the road. After hearing their story, the old man enthusiastically took Yun Qian's pulse. The final answer he gave was exactly the same as the results given by the famous doctors they had visited before.

Yun Qian had been born with an ailment; whenever her headaches flared up, the pain was always unbearable.

But the old man later provided a solution. That was to find a "soul-stabilizing pill".

Nowadays, the only places in the world capable of refining the "soul-stabilizing pill" and authorized to sell it were likely the State Religion, the government, and the military.

Whether it was the State Religion, the government, or the military, only those who were Cultivating could enter.

Thus, holding onto their last shred of hope, they began the path of Cultivating.

They did not have much money, and it was even more impossible to have the conditions for Cultivating. Cultivating in the Initial Realm required many external aids, and even more, it required someone to provide guidance.

And they had nothing.

Yun Bai could only work for others to earn money while occasionally going up the mountain to pick herbs.

Stumbling along the road, falling countless times, gritting their teeth and getting up countless times, taking countless detours, and getting lost countless times. This was the portrait of their past.

They had no way to seek knowledge, no way to seek schooling!

The two siblings had tried to memorize as many books as they could get their hands on, but for such profound knowledge as Cultivation, there were simply not many books in this chaotic Northwest that could guide them!

The Northwest Region was too chaotic and backward! There were laws here, but no one to enforce them, and the gap between rich and poor was immense. They had also heard about the situation in places outside the Northwest Region. It was said that the capital was paved with gold, people were charitable, and knowledge was within reach. But how could they have the ability to leave?

Yun Qian snapped out of her memories and walked closer to the bookshelves. She saw the labels on the shelves.

[Cultivation Technique] [Martial Skill] [Secret Technique] [Geography] [Literature and History] [Demons] [Legends] [Investigation of Things] [Miscellaneous]...

She finally could not hold it back, and crystal-clear tears rolled down her cheeks.

She knew that these were all specially prepared for her by her brother.

"Qianqian, this is the book inventory list; keep it safe. These are the two admission vouchers for Qingya Academy that I obtained for you; you can give the extra one to Miss Shen Qi. You have difficulty moving around; wait until I earn some more money, and I will hire a private tutor to come to the house for you." Yun Bai gently hugged his sister.

By this time, Yun Qian was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Yun Bai gently patted his sister's back.

In the bright room, the two siblings held each other tightly just like that. Just like in the years past, the two relied on each other for survival, becoming the only pillar of support in each other's lives. No matter how heavy the wind and rain, or how poisonous the sickness, nothing could separate their blood-thicker-than-water kinship.

They had finally waited for this day.

In the sky, the moon hid behind the clouds; inside the room, the dawn light was faint.