Chapter 150 Awakening

The person who arrived was none other than the master of the Liu residence, Master Liu.

Master Liu’s arrival did not surprise Mu Qing. Mu Qing had been waiting for him by the table with a lit candle, and Master Liu seemed to have anticipated this as well.

The two of them acted as though they had planned it long ago.

Mu Qing invited Master Liu to take a seat and poured a cup of tea, placing it within his reach.

Master Liu picked up the teacup, turned it over in his hands for a long time, and finally spoke slowly, "Were the intruders from the Kingdom of Li?"

Mu Qing nodded. "Yes."

A solemn look shadowed Master Liu's eyes. According to his subordinates' reports, those men were not only from the Kingdom of Li, but they might even be connected to the Li royal family. Exactly who were Master Mu and Little Five? What kind of backgrounds did they possess?

Master Liu said nothing more. Mu Qing sighed inwardly; it was they who had brought trouble upon the Liu residence and implicated the young mistress.

"Rest assured, Master, they will not come again."

That was his only guarantee. Not a single extra word of explanation was offered, yet Master Liu chose to believe it. He nodded and took his leave.

Liu Qin was having a long, long dream.

In the dream, she was a young child of a few years old, born into a family that cherished and loved her. She had a father and mother, an eldest brother and sister-in-law, a cousin who would never forsake her, and...

When she finally awoke, she found herself lying in a hospital room reeking of Lysol, utterly alone.

The IV drip bottle swayed overhead. Lifting her gaze listlessly, she saw that the medicine had run out, and wisps of air were being compressed into the tube, creeping downward along the plastic line.

A primal instinct for survival drove her to lift her hand with great effort and pull the needle out. Because she used too much force, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she almost stopped breathing altogether.

After a long while, her breathing returned to normal.

She raised both hands in front of her eyes, looking at those chicken-claw-like, skin-and-bone hands, and could easily imagine the state of her face.

Suddenly, a wave of sorrow surged into her heart. Why was heaven so unfair to her? Why take her away at such a young age?

Dad, Mom, I was wrong. Even in such miserable times, I should have stayed with you.

I want to go home. I want to go home.

An indomitable will supported her as she struggled to crawl out of bed, dragged herself to the edge, and rolled onto the floor. Such a simple action took her a very long time to complete.

As soon as her legs touched the ground, everything went pitch black, and she collapsed abruptly, her consciousness gradually sinking into darkness.

"The patient in Bed Number 3 is in critical condition! Are there any family members? Are there any family members?" These were the last words she heard...

"Mom and Dad... Mom and Dad... Father... Mother..."

The person lying on the carved wooden bed kept her eyes tightly shut, muttering indistinctly from time to time.

It had been three days, yet there was still no sign of waking.

Darkness—boundless darkness, endless darkness...

She searched in the darkness, groping through the gloom without direction or destination. Her surroundings were like a sealed room with no doors, no windows, and not the slightest crack of light.

Am I dead? She sighed and closed her eyes in resignation.

"Little sister..."

A voice broke through abruptly, causing her to open her eyes in astonishment.

"Junior sister."

"Qin'er."

"Little sister."

...

Various voices intersected, tangling together to form a beam of light that shattered the darkness before her, guiding her forward.

Daylight broke brilliantly, and the intense light pierced her eyes. She blinked involuntarily, closed them, and then slowly opened them again...

Before her were two pairs of bright, shining eyes.

"Little sister! Little sister is awake!" Both pairs of eyes overflowed with bubbling joy.

Yet she was stunned.

Where is this? A hospital? A hospital bed?

Was I saved?

Or am I still dreaming?

Perhaps it was a dream. She blinked again, closed her eyes, and opened them once more. They were still the same two pairs of eyes, filled with heartache and pain.

"Little sister, it's me, Brother A-Li, and this is Little Five. Do... do you not recognize us?" The distant and unfamiliar gaze of the person on the bed after waking made Jiang Li's heart ache almost to the point of suffocation.

"Brother A-Li... Brother Little Five..."

The person on the bed seemed to slowly regain her senses and gradually remembered: this was the Liu residence; her name was Liu Qin; the people before her were her cousin Jiang Li, her senior martial brother Little Five, as well as Cuiliu, Cuiyu...

"The young mistress is awake! Wonderful! I'm going to tell the Old Madam."

Cuiyu's loud voice rang out just as she darted toward the door. With her forever impatient temper, Liu Qin couldn't help but curve her lips into a smile. It was so good to be awake, and so good to be back here!

She shifted her somewhat stiffened body, wanting to sit up. But the moment she moved, a piercing pain flared in her right chest, twisting her mouth and almost making her cry out loud.

The tears fell unyieldingly, patter by patter.

Laughing and crying at the same time, she herself cared little, but her actions caused the hearts of the two youths beside her to tighten and loosen in turn.

"Little sister, does it hurt very much?"

"Junior sister..."

Jiang Li's complexion was haggard, making his eyes appear exceptionally large. He raised a hand to gently wipe the tears from her face and stroked her forehead.

Little Five fared no better; his already slightly sunken eyes were hollowed out further, and his gaze held not only care and heartache, but also deep remorse and guilt.

Waves of warmth flowed through her heart. To comfort the youths before her, Liu Qin hurriedly lifted her face and offered a broad smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm really fine."

News of Liu Qin's awakening spread rapidly, and before long, the Plum Courtyard was crowded with people.

"My child..."

The Old Madam hugged her and wept anew.

During these past three days, the Old Madam did not know how many times she had wept, keeping a sleepless vigil in the Plum Courtyard for a day and a night before finally being carried back to the main room. Now that she had finally woken up, the Old Madam wept tears of joy while simultaneously shuddering with lingering fear.

"Mother." Buried in the Old Madam's embrace, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace. She had finally returned home, back to her mother's side.

Her gaze swept across the room: her father, eldest brother, sister-in-law, master, tutor, Fang Nuo, Xing Sheng, An Kang...

Everyone who loved her and everyone she loved was right here, by her side.

This moment was so fulfilling that she would gladly trade her entire life for it.

"Father."

She reached out to grasp her father's hand, pouring all her attachment into her voice. She had never expected a man as unyielding and iron-spined as Master Liu to have tears glistening in the corners of his eyes at this moment.

"It's good that you're awake, good that you're awake." Master Liu patted her hand, voicing what was in everyone's heart.

"Father, Mother, Little sister has just woken up. We should let her rest more. Any talk can wait until later; after all, there's plenty of time."

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming overly sentimental, Cai Xinlan hurried forward to persuade them.

Master Liu nodded. Everyone could also see that Liu Qin was somewhat exhausted from just waking up. After the Old Madam gave repeated instructions, she reluctantly departed, and the others gradually dispersed as well.

In the end, only Little Five remained to guard the bedside.

She was a young lady, and it was improper for Little Five to keep watch here, but once Little Five's stubborn streak flared up, he could neither be driven away nor scolded away. Seeing that the two were still young and that Little Five only cared for her granddaughter, the Old Madam had no choice but to turn a blind eye and let him be.

Jiang Li had been escorted back by Mu Qing. Jiang Li had not escaped lightly, especially the sword wounds on his legs, which had missed his meridians by a hair's breadth. Had they been any deeper, both of his legs would have been crippled, making even walking impossible, let alone practicing martial arts.

Mu Qing had ordered him to lie in bed and recuperate without moving an inch.

Because Liu Qin had not woken for three days, Jiang Li had spent those same three days in the Ink Fragrance Courtyard without closing his eyes. Driven by deep anxiety, he had secretly had Changxing and Changsheng carry him into the Plum Courtyard.

Now that little sister had woken up, his mind was finally at ease. Relaxing completely, he fell asleep inside the sedan chair even before returning to the Ink Fragrance Courtyard.

Under the bright sunlight, yellowbirds chirped merrily in the tree branches, chattering so noisily that the person deep in slumber furrowed her brow. Fang Nuo flicked a pebble forward and lightly rebuked, "Shoo."

The yellowbird, nearly struck, fluttered upward, spread its wings, and flew toward the distant horizon, gradually shrinking into a tiny black speck that vanished from sight. (To be continued.)