Chapter 30: Speculation

A Ran looked at Jiu Baiyun’s pale and tired profile, then her gaze involuntarily turned to the only simple wooden bed in the room.

That was where she usually slept, covered with a thin straw mat and old cotton padding.

Though simple, it was much better than a stool.

“Big Brother Jiu,” A Ran said softly, “you’re injured so badly. Lie down on the bed and rest. I… I’ll sleep on the floor.”

As she spoke, she reached out to support Jiu Baiyun’s arm, but her movements were cautious, afraid of touching his wound.

Jiu Baiyun slowly opened his eyes, gently shook his head, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly into a smile.

“No need, A Ran. This little injury is nothing. I’m fine sitting here.”

He wasn’t lying; these injuries really were nothing to him.

Besides, he had inflicted these injuries on himself; he couldn’t bring himself to take A Ran’s bed over that.

A Ran looked at Jiu Baiyun’s expression, her mouth slightly open as if to persuade again, but Su Zhiyun gently pulled her arm.

“Let it go, A Ran,” Su Zhiyun’s voice carried a hint of helplessness.

“Let him sit here.”

A Ran might not understand, but after Jiu Baiyun had given her that breathing method, she knew one thing very clearly.

For recovery from injuries and mental fatigue, meditative breathing was far more effective than sleep.

If she hadn’t been unable to do it yet, she would have wanted to do it all night too.

Jiu Baiyun didn’t explain further.

He simply closed his eyes and concentrated.

His hands formed a simple hand seal on his knees, his fingertips moving slightly, and the remaining spiritual energy in his body began to circulate.

A faint golden light quietly appeared around him, enveloping his entire body like a thin mist.

His breathing gradually became long and steady, and the rise and fall of his chest slowed down.

He had entered the state of meditative breathing.

A Ran watched Jiu Baiyun sitting motionless with his legs crossed, her brows furrowed with even greater worry.

She tugged at Su Zhiyun’s sleeve and lowered her voice: “Sister Su, can Big Brother Jiu really rest like this? He lost so much blood. If he doesn’t lie down and sleep, won’t his wound hurt more?”

Hearing A Ran’s worried question, Su Zhiyun couldn’t help sighing and pulled A Ran toward the bed.

While smoothing out the straw mat, she explained in a light tone.

“Don’t worry, your Big Brother Jiu is a cultivator.”

Seeing that A Ran still looked confused, she simply sat down and patiently added,

“Cultivators are different from ordinary people like us. When they sit cross-legged and breathe, that’s their rest, and it can even heal injuries. This is called ‘cultivation,’ much more effective than sleeping. See how steady his breathing is now? Spiritual energy is helping him repair his body. It’s ten times better than lying down.”

While speaking, she pointed at the faint golden glow around Jiu Baiyun.

“See, that’s the proof. If an ordinary person sat like this, they’d be exhausted. But he’s a cultivator. With an injury like this, sitting and meditating for one night can heal most of it.”

A Ran nodded, half understanding, and her gaze shifted between Jiu Baiyun and Su Zhiyun.

Although she still felt it was too harsh to let Big Brother Jiu sit on a stool, Su Zhiyun’s words still comforted her a bit.

Even though she couldn’t fully understand Su Zhiyun’s explanation, seeing that Big Brother Jiu really seemed to have entered a special state rather than enduring pain, the heavy stone in her heart was mostly lifted.

The night had grown deep.

Inside the ancestral hall, only the dim yellow glow of the oil lamp flickered. A Ran let out a small yawn.

After the series of upheavals tonight and the fading excitement of the Fox Immortal’s appearance, fatigue surged over her like a tide.

She rubbed her eyes, her gaze falling on her wooden bed covered with a thin straw mat and old cotton padding, then looked at Su Zhiyun standing by the bed, also showing signs of tiredness.

“Sister Su,” A Ran’s voice was soft, carrying a hint of sleepy nasality, “you must be tired too? It’s so late now. Let’s… sleep together?”

As she spoke, she pointed a little shyly at her small bed.

“It’s a bit cramped, but still better than sleeping on the floor.”

Hearing this, Su Zhiyun nodded in agreement almost without any hesitation.

“Okay!”

Once the previously tense nerves relaxed, the irresistible fatigue swept over.

Having a bed, even if just half, was much better than the hard floor.

She wasn’t Jiu Baiyun; she couldn’t sit and meditate all night!

“Mm!”

A Ran, seeing Su Zhiyun agree so readily, revealed a faint smile.

After Su Zhiyun lay down on the bed, she walked to the old wooden table and carefully blew out the flickering oil lamp.

The weak flame went out, and the last trace of the dim yellow glow disappeared.

The small ancestral hall room was instantly engulfed by thick darkness.

Only the cold moonlight seeped through the gaps in the door panels and window lattice, casting a few blurry, distorted patches of light on the floor.

Rustling sounds of fabric came from the darkness.

A Ran groped her way onto the bed, squeezing herself as far inside as possible.

Soon, the room fell into a deep and even silence.

…

Soon, the cold moonlight was replaced by the faint light of dawn.

The first rays of light stubbornly pierced through the cracks in the door panels and the holes in the window lattice, casting several warm golden streaks on the dust-covered floor of the small ancestral hall.

A night passed, and nothing else happened inside or outside the ancestral hall.

A Ran was the first to wake up.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and carefully sat up, afraid of disturbing Su Zhiyun, who was still sleeping beside her.

First, she subconsciously looked at the door.

The door panel, propped up by a wooden table and stones, still stood firmly in place, which immediately made her sigh in relief.

This also meant that nothing else had happened during the night.

Then her gaze turned to the corner of the room.

Jiu Baiyun still maintained his cross-legged sitting posture, his back straight, his hands forming a seal placed on his knees.

Looking at Jiu Baiyun’s figure, A Ran was momentarily stunned, then began to ponder what had happened last night.

According to Sister Su’s implication, Big Brother Jiu seemed to have some connection with Lord Fox Immortal?

And Big Brother Jiu was also a cultivator…

For some reason, A Ran recalled the first time she had met Jiu Baiyun, when he was stealing the offerings meant for Lord Fox Immortal.

Remembering how Jiu Baiyun had still acted nonchalant when she told him not to steal the Fox Immortal’s offerings, A Ran became a bit curious about the relationship between Jiu Baiyun and Lord Fox Immortal.

The more she thought, the more A Ran felt that Jiu Baiyun definitely had a connection with Lord Fox Immortal!

Could it be… that Big Brother Jiu was actually sent by Lord Fox Immortal to help?

In just a short while, A Ran had already conjured up a bunch of guesses about the relationship between Jiu Baiyun and Lord Fox Immortal.

While A Ran was still pondering, a yawn filled with sleepiness and lazy satisfaction came from beside her.

“Mmm—haah…”

Su Zhiyun, on the outer side of the bed, stretched a very exaggerated lazy stretch, her arms raised high, making vague humming sounds.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes, her long lashes fluttering, and it took a moment for her to focus and see A Ran sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at her.