Chapter 88 Unconscious

Chapter 88: Drowsiness

"Take him away? Where to? Why can't I understand what Big Brother is saying?"

"Who wants to take me away from the Yan family? Big Brother, why would you say that?" Yan Zhoubai was genuinely perplexed.

Yan Anxuan and Bu Qiran both fell silent for a moment. Yan Zhoubai also noticed Bu Qiran's fist, resting at his side, was clenched tightly.

"It's nothing. Just focus on recovering well. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Yan Anxuan adjusted Yan Zhoubai's blanket, tucking him in properly.

Yan Zhoubai was puzzled; they were definitely hiding something from him. But there was nothing he could do about it now. Once he recovered, he would investigate the reason himself.

Over the next two days, Yan Zhoubai's hospital room was never empty. Visitors kept coming to see him. Aside from Lin Qihua, who unexpectedly came on behalf of the Lin family, there were even people from other prominent families in Jing City bringing gifts and tonics to visit him.

Yan Zhoubai had never received such treatment before, and it genuinely made him feel a bit overwhelmed.

When Lin Qihua visited, Yan Zhoubai felt that her expression was that of someone looking at a poor, unfortunate soul.

Although she kept uttering comforting words and continuously cursed his second uncle for being a scumbag, Yan Zhoubai sensed that her underlying message was: "Oh, you poor thing, how did you end up so miserable?"

Unfortunately, Lin Qihua didn't stay long either, because Bu Qiran had been staying at the hospital to keep him company these past two days—after all, he was the only one with free time in the family, the kind who had nothing to do 24/7.

It had been clear from their first meeting that Bu Qiran and Lin Qihua didn't get along. So, before long, Bu Qiran, with a scowling expression, started urging her to leave.

He claimed that other visitors were coming to see Yan Zhoubai and that she shouldn't monopolize the space.

Lin Qihua didn't want to bother arguing with Bu Qiran either. There would be plenty of time to chat with Yan Zhoubai later, so after sitting for a while, she left.

After Lin Qihua left, Yan Zhoubai looked at Bu Qiran and spoke unhappily, "Why are you even doing here?"

Bu Qiran's mood instantly improved seeing Lin Qihua leave. He grinned and said, "I'm here to take care of you. Of course, someone should be with you while you're in the hospital. Otherwise, what would visitors think if they saw you lying here all alone?"

"I don't need you to take care of me. You're terrible at caregiving—even a nurse would be better than you."

Yan Zhoubai didn't want to hear any of Bu Qiran's nonsense. Bu Qiran hadn't been taking care of him at all; he just sat by the bed scrolling through his phone all day, occasionally looking up at him, which was downright weird.

"Who says I can't take care of you? Didn't I help you to the bathroom? Didn't I help you wash your hands? To be honest, I could even help you shower, but you're not willing."

Bu Qiran ignored Yan Zhoubai's resistance. He had offered to take care of Yan Zhoubai, assuming his parents would naturally agree. To his surprise, they had hesitated.

Were they joking? Didn't they trust him? Did they really think he would bully Yan Zhoubai? Was he that much of a jerk?

If it weren't for the fact that the mess left by that old fool, the second Yan brother, was so difficult to handle that none of the three of them had free time to stay here, this task wouldn't have fallen to him.

"Who asked for your help? I'm just a bit weak right now; it's not like my legs are broken. I can go to the bathroom myself."

This thought made Yan Zhoubai angry. He felt that Bu Qiran staying here was just annoying him—not only unhelpful but actively adding to his frustration.

Seeing Yan Zhoubai about to get agitated, Bu Qiran quickly apologized, "Alright, alright, my fault, my fault. Don't be angry, don't upset yourself. It's not worth it."

"Leave. I want to be alone for a while."

Yan Zhoubai didn't want to see Bu Qiran right now. The thought of him constantly driving visitors away annoyed Yan Zhoubai to no end.

"If I leave, you'll be alone. That won't do," Bu Qiran refused to go.

Just as Yan Zhoubai was considering how to make Bu Qiran leave—even thinking about calling hospital staff to kick him out—he saw Bu Qiran suddenly slump onto the bed as if he had fainted, not moving.

What was going on? Had his wish come true?

The hospital room door suddenly opened by itself, and then Yan Zhoubai saw someone he hadn't seen in a long time standing at the doorway.

His Senior Brother, Qin Hemeng.

"What's wrong, Xiao Chuaner? Too surprised to see your Senior Brother that you've forgotten how to speak?"

Qin Hemeng was dressed simply in a white T-shirt and black shorts, his long hair tied up and wearing a baseball cap. He looked completely different from his usual casual wear—so low-key that he seemed like he could disappear into a crowd instantly.

"Senior Brother, why are you here?"

Yan Zhoubai was indeed so surprised he didn't know what to say. It had been almost half a year since he left Cangru Temple, and he hadn't returned since. Of course, he missed Qin Hemeng a lot.

"With something this serious happening to you, of course, I had to come see you. How did you end up like this after leaving Cangru Temple?"

Qin Hemeng closed the door and walked over naturally, reaching out to roughly ruffle Yan Zhoubai's hair. His tone carried a hint of anger.

"Oh, new hairstyle? Not bad, not bad. Looks quite handsome. But these days lying in bed without grooming, it looks a bit limp."

"How did you know something happened to me?" Yan Zhoubai asked anxiously.

"Xiao Chuaner, are you underestimating our sect and our Master too much? You now know the sect's secrets. Did you think just because Master is at the temple, he wouldn't know about your situation? You almost lost your life."

Qin Hemeng casually pulled over a chair and sat down, leaning back against it. At first glance, he almost seemed like he was here to confront him, making Yan Zhoubai feel inexplicably guilty.

The sect secret Qin Hemeng mentioned naturally referred to Yan Zhoubai having used the talisman Master Wuchen gave him and learning that Master Wuchen was a true cultivator, different from ordinary people.

"Then he—"

Hearing Qin Hemeng say this, Yan Zhoubai finally realized that Bu Qiran collapsing wasn't an accident—it wasn't just a young person being healthy enough to fall asleep instantly.

"I cast a sleep spell on him. He was a bit in the way. I waited outside for a long time, but he never left and kept driving visitors away. My time is limited, so I just put him to sleep first."

When mentioning Bu Qiran, Qin Hemeng just glanced at him casually, not taking him seriously. It was also clear that he wasn't very fond of Bu Qiran, speaking about him quite disdainfully.

Yan Zhoubai was truly shocked. "So Senior Brother, you really know spells. You're incredible."

Back when the talisman took effect and Yan Zhoubai called Qin Hemeng for help, he had only given an ambiguous answer about whether he knew spells. But now it was confirmed—he did, and he seemed very skilled.

"If you had stayed at Cangru Temple, you could have learned it in a few years. What a pity. Master said you're not meant for cultivation—too many worldly attachments. Sooner or later, you were destined to leave the mountain, so he didn't tell you anything."

Speaking of this, Qin Hemeng genuinely felt some regret. He thought someone with Yan Zhoubai's sincere and pure nature should have been a perfect candidate for cultivation, but Master said it wasn't possible.

Meanwhile, someone like himself, free-spirited and unruly, clearly unsuited for cultivation, was now Master's most proud disciple. Some things were truly hard to explain.

But if Yan Zhoubai had stayed at Cangru Temple and never left the mountain, how would he have encountered such things? Thinking of this, Qin Hemeng narrowed his eyes. The Yan family was nothing but a nest of vipers.

"Can I use a talisman to make him fall asleep too?"

Yan Zhoubai seemed to have found a useful cheat code.

"You can, but at most for three minutes. The talismans Master gave you are of relatively weaker potency and can't sustain effects for long."

Qin Hemeng felt that after not seeing him for a while, Yan Zhoubai's mindset seemed different from before.

"Senior Brother, I'm fine now. The doctors said I just need rest. The most critical time has passed."

It wasn't that Yan Zhoubai completely distrusted traditional Chinese medicine, but he had already been saved, so he probably didn't need it now.

"Who said I'm here to treat you? The hospital is handling the poisoning incident. I'm checking your condition on behalf of our master. Stay still. Don't move."

Yan Zhoubai obediently let Qin Hemeng take his pulse. Qin Hemeng didn’t say anything after finishing. When asked, he explained that this was to report to their master, and even if he told Yan Zhoubai, he wouldn’t understand.

"Alright."

Yan Zhoubai’s voice sounded a bit sulky, as if he felt it was his own fault for being too dumb to understand, which was why his senior brother wouldn’t tell him. Just like back on the mountain, he never knew actual magic existed, so they never told him.

"Why are you being sulky now?"

Qin Hemeng noticed Yan Zhoubai’s low spirits and pinched his cheek.

"Yeah, you’ve really lost weight. There’s no flesh left on your cheeks anymore."

Qin Hemeng gave it a firm tug, pulling back just before Yan Zhoubai could swat his hand away. He looked playfully annoying, but the concern in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Xiao Chuaner, why don’t you come back to the mountain with me? Your life at the Yan family hasn’t been going well at all," Qin Hemeng suddenly suggested.

"I can’t, Senior Brother. I got into college. I need to finish my studies before thinking about what comes next. Besides, didn't Master say I'm not really suited to stay on the mountain long-term?"

Yan Zhoubai explained that he couldn’t leave just yet—he couldn’t give up just because he faced some difficulties. Besides, he still planned to make big money.

"Right, I almost forgot."

Qin Hemeng muttered to himself, his voice so low that Yan Zhoubai, this close to him, didn’t catch what he said.

"By the way, Xiao Chuaner, what’s your relationship with that newly prominent figure from the Zhan family who just returned to the country? As far as I remember, you only met him once at the daoist temple. Why would he go so far to help the Yan family?"

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Author's note: Here you go [dog head], a bit earlier today.