bookcurios Chapter 523 I want you to stay with me for a long, long time.
Chapter 523 I want you to stay with me for a long, long time.
Yunfeng looked down at Jiang Jiang with a helpless expression: "It's just sweeping up fallen leaves, it's nothing."
Jiang Jiang wouldn't listen to him.
Last time, she believed him when he said he would help with the laundry so she wouldn't get cold, but she ended up coughing terribly that night and fell into a coma.
If it weren't for one of Danfeng's senior brothers taking pity on her and making a special trip to Zayi Peak to treat her, he wouldn't know what to do.
A mistake can only happen once; it must never be repeated.
She lit a fire, placed the earthenware pot for cooking spirit rice on it, and carefully took out half of the spirit rice she had exchanged that day. Then she put it into the pot and added some water.
She put the lid on and went to gather firewood.
Because she was born with incomplete spiritual roots, she couldn't even learn the most basic small fire spell, so she had to go to the forest on the mountain early every morning to collect some dry branches to start a fire.
Logically speaking, someone with her talent shouldn't be able to stay in the sect. It was only because her brother pleaded with her repeatedly, mentioning that she had no other relatives and was too young, that she was allowed to stay as an exception.
She didn't become a disciple of the sect, but she was already very content. She had a place to shelter from the wind and rain, and her brother's illness could be alleviated by the spiritual plants here. In the days of her previous wandering and hardship, she simply couldn't have imagined such a thing.
"Brother, the food is ready. I also made mushroom soup. Come and try it." Jiang Jiang scooped most of the cooked spirit rice into Yun Feng's bowl and then scooped him a large bowl of soup.
Yunfeng took the bowl and casually shoved half the rice back into hers. Jiang Jiang got impatient and called out to him, "Brother!"
He is weak now and needs to eat his fill.
Whether she eats or not doesn't matter to her; she's already tried it, going a whole day and night without a drop of water, and she doesn't feel any discomfort.
I don't know if it's because I'm naturally healthy...
Yunfeng didn't stop her, and instead pushed the mushroom soup in front of her, urging her to drink it quickly.
Jiang Jiang couldn't do anything with her brother, knowing that if she refused to eat half of it, he wouldn't eat a single bite.
"Brother," Jiang Jiang neatly cleared away the dishes after finishing her meal, firmly refusing Yun Feng's help. After finishing, she sat down in front of Yun Feng, and without a word, closed all the half-open windows tightly before speaking with a serious expression, "My senior brother from Danfeng said that your illness is curable, but you're missing two medicinal herbs. I've inquired around, and one of them is available on the peak. I'll find it for you. We'll inquire about the other one later. In any case, I will definitely find a way to cure you."
Yunfeng's eyes showed reluctance and guilt. He held her hands, his voice hoarse, "Don't do anything foolish for me. Don't worry, I won't die from my illness. You don't need to..."
“Brother!” Jiang Jiang interrupted him, “You are my only family. I know my strength is insignificant, but as long as there is even the slightest hope, I will never give up. Whether you support me or not, I will definitely cure you!”
"Jiang'er..."
"Brother, I have no relatives or friends here. I want you to stay with me for a long time. Wherever you are, that's my home!"
Yunfeng stared blankly at the girl in the flickering candlelight, his lips moving slightly. A complex look flashed across his eyes in the darkness before disappearing into the unnoticed secret.
He sighed deeply, reached out and gently rubbed her head, promising, "Okay, I'll grant you any wish you have."
As Jiang Jiang listened to his words, her heart suddenly ached for some reason, a dense, bittersweet feeling washing over her, as if—as if she owed him so much, in some past time and space.
"Brother, shall I help you to bed? What book do you want to read today? 'Tales of Demons and Monsters' or 'One Hundred Little Tricks to Achieving Elixir'? Or should I go to the bookstore tomorrow and bring back some more interesting books?"
As Yunfeng tucked the blanket around her, he bent down and draped his outer robe over her shoulders, shaking his head and saying, "No need, I don't read that fast. There are still many of the books you gave me last time that I haven't read yet."
Jiang Jiang pouted, a little skeptical: "Brother, don't try to fool me. I know you have a photographic memory. If I find out you're only doing this because you're afraid I'll spend my points, I'll be absolutely furious, really furious, and I won't talk to you for a whole day!"
Yunfeng pursed his lips and chuckled softly.
"Don't worry," he said, gently brushing a stray hair from her forehead. "How could I dare to make you angry with me? Go back to your room and rest; you've had a long day."
Seeing that he looked tired, Jiang Jiang nodded, got up and left the room, then thoughtfully closed the door behind her.
After returning to her room, she tried to induce Qi into her body, as was her custom, following the free distribution of the Qi Induction Manual to each person by the sect.
However, no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't sense any spiritual energy.
Lying back on the bed, she looked out the window at the bright moonlight, feeling incredibly envious of her senior brothers and sisters who could easily manipulate spiritual energy. If she could also successfully guide the Qi into her body, she could take on more odd jobs, accumulate more points, and improve her and her brother's lives.
Although they now have a courtyard to live in, food to eat, and the older brother has low-level spiritual plants to slow down his illness, it is ultimately not a long-term solution.
What if the sect deems them siblings worthless and a burden, and kicks them out? What if the brother's condition worsens, requiring even more precious spiritual plants? What if they encounter demons or monsters and have no power to protect themselves?
Too many uncertainties kept her on edge, unable to find peace.
However, she had to force herself to fall asleep quickly. From now on, after getting two hours of sleep, she would have to get up early and go to the steward elder of the Miscellaneous Service Peak to grab tasks with high points. If she went too late, she would have to beg people everywhere, hoping that someone would take pity on her and see if there was anything she could do to exchange for points. Otherwise, she would have to go back empty-handed tomorrow.
It doesn't matter if she goes hungry, but her brother absolutely cannot go hungry with her.
As I drifted off to sleep, I suddenly slammed the manual for guiding qi into the body onto the ground, sending up a flurry of dust.
The next day.
The weather was sunny with fluffy white clouds drifting by.
Jiang Jiang squeezed out from the steward's place, clutching a wooden plaque tightly.
She got it!
This time, she managed to snag the job of cleaning up the spirit beasts' droppings in the beast park. Although it sounded tiring, it might earn her a lot of points—a full one hundred! With these points, she could participate in the special trial at the Miscellaneous Service Peak at the end of the month.
She heard that the first place winner of this trial would receive the spiritual plant her brother needed, so she had to give it a try no matter what!
Jiang Jiang raised her hand to wipe the corner of her mouth, which had been accidentally broken while fighting for the wooden plaque, with her sleeve. She let out a soft "hiss" and then smiled broadly as she happily headed to the teleportation array from the servants' peak to the beast garden.