Chapter 53: Awakening

After the middle-aged man’s gentle persuasion, the woman finally let go of her worries. The two slipped into their room, arms around each other, their affection clear as day.

…………………

Night faded away as a pink glow bloomed on the horizon. The rising sun slowly climbed into the sky, marking the start of a brand new day.

The next morning, the rain had cleared and sunlight returned. The entire courtyard came alive with the chirping of insects and birds. The path was still damp and raindrops clung to the tips of branches, trembling but refusing to fall.

Nangong Lin, lying in bed, fluttered her lashes. A moment later, she slowly opened her eyes.

“Where… am I? Why am I here?” she murmured, bewildered, her gaze wandering the strange room.

“Are you awake, child?” came a gentle voice from outside the door.

With a soft creak, the door swung open.

“You silly girl, why didn’t you let us know you woke up!” A graceful woman, radiant despite her age, walked in with a warm smile. When she saw Nangong Lin awake, she gently took her hand.

Caught off guard by the woman’s friendly face, Nangong Lin gripped the covers tighter and nervously asked, “Auntie, hello—um, how did I end up here?”

Patiently, the woman explained, “Did you forget? Last night, you suddenly collapsed outside our door. We found you and brought you back to care for you!”

Nangong Lin lifted her arm to find the wound had been carefully treated.

A bandage was tied in a neat bow around it.

Memories rushed back—she’d wandered here in a daze before passing out. This family had saved her life.

She tried to sit up, wanting to thank her rescuers properly.

The woman quickly hurried to help her, worry etched on her face. “Sweetie, you’ve just recovered. You should stay in bed and rest!”

Nangong Lin obediently lay back down, then suddenly said, clearly moved, “Auntie, what should I call you all? I want to repay your kindness someday!”

“That’s right, we did save you.” The woman smiled. “My name’s Zhao Fang, but just call me Auntie Zhao—no need for formalities!”

Just then, three people appeared in the doorway.

“Mom, the porridge is ready.” A teenage girl walked over, holding a steaming bowl.

Zhao Fang smiled and introduced the newcomers. “That’s my husband, Nalan Qiang. This is my son, Nalan Su. And this is my daughter, Nalan Xue.”

“We’re not fond of hustle and bustle. Our family likes freedom, so we moved out here from the village.” She kept her eyes on Nangong Lin.

“By the way, young lady, what should we call you? And how did you end up in such a state out here?” Zhao Fang fixed her with a searching look, clearly wanting answers.

The sharpness in Zhao Fang’s gaze made Nangong Lin squirm, her eyes darting away as she faltered, “Auntie Zhao, uh… My name is Nangong Lin. I ended up here by accident, really! As for the injuries, I just tripped, that’s all!”

Zhao Fang looked unconvinced. “Is that really the truth? You’re not going to say you ran here after being dumped by some heartless man, are you?”

“No, it’s nothing like that! I really just got lost, Auntie Zhao!” Embarrassed, Nangong Lin’s cheeks turned bright red. Her words tumbled over each other as if her secret had just been discovered.

Nalan Qiang, seeing Zhao Fang was about to press her further, quickly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, “Let the girl keep a little privacy, dear. Let’s get on with things.”

“Mom, the porridge will get cold if you don’t bring it over,” said Nalan Xue, handing the bowl to Zhao Fang.

“Oh my precious girl, how could I forget about you!” Zhao Fang took the porridge carefully, blew on it, and got ready to feed Nangong Lin.

Propping her up in bed, Zhao Fang smiled at Nangong Lin and gently coaxed, “Come on, open up, sweetheart. Let Auntie feed you.”

Nangong Lin obediently opened her mouth and tasted a spoonful, her eyes lighting up. “This is delicious!” she exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Zhao Fang’s face broke into a smile and she playfully touched Nangong Lin’s nose. “But seriously, you’re so pretty. Are you sure you’re not the young lady of some rich family out on an adventure?”

“Of course not! Please, Auntie, stop asking!” Nangong Lin was halfway through her porridge when she nearly choked at Zhao Fang’s words, coughing and glancing away, her voice dropping to a mumble.

Zhao Fang gave her a knowing look and smiled. “Alright, alright—I’ll drop it. Eat up, or the porridge will get cold.”

A few days passed, and all of Nangong Lin’s injuries healed.

She spent her days playing with the Nalan siblings. The two of them would gush, “Sis, you’re so beautiful—prettier than any girl we’ve ever seen!”

“You little rascals!” Nangong Lin laughed and gently ruffled their hair. “Xue’er, you’re lovely too. Just you wait, one day you’ll have a line of admirers trailing after you!”

“And Su’er, you’re barely past sixteen, already a fine young man. Give it another year and I bet the matchmakers will be knocking down your door!” She squatted down and playfully tousled Nalan Su’s hair.

The siblings exchanged a mischievous look, then immediately teased, “Lin’er, I bet you have hordes of admirers yourself!”

At their question, Nangong Lin’s smile froze. She lowered her head, her eyes tinged with sadness. In a small voice she said, “No… That’s not true. The person I like doesn’t like me back.”

The siblings scowled in indignation. “Whoever’s missing out on you has no idea how lucky they are! What an idiot!”

………………

Meanwhile, on the road to Sky Sword City, Gu Qingyi stifled a sneeze.

“Could it be I caught a cold the other day?” he mused, rubbing his nose before shrugging it off and heading on his way.

Back at the house, seeing Nangong Lin’s sad expression, the Nalan siblings brightened up and said, “Sis, come play a game with us!”

Without waiting for a reply, they grabbed her hands and happily dragged her into their game. The front of the house soon filled with the sound of laughter.

Watching the children play so well together, Nalan Qiang hugged Zhao Fang, relief and happiness written all over his face. “Look at them. We don’t have a thing to worry about now.”