"Hmm?"
"Xiner? Xiner! A-Wei! A-Wei!!" Jian Wei called out to Chen Jian in pleasant surprise upon discovering that Jian Xin had regained consciousness.
"Xiner!" A woman's anxious voice came from outside the doorway, accompanied by the sound of something being tripped over.
*Creak.*
The door opened. Chen Jian stepped into the room carrying a bowl of medicine with a small chip on its rim and traces of spilled liquid. Her forehead showed a faint sign of injury, likely from stumbling over something and taking a fall just moments before. Though she had spilled the medicine she was holding, she paid it no mind, hurrying straight to Jian Xin's side and reaching out to stroke her head. "You're awake? It's good that you're awake! It's good that you're awake!"
Looking at Chen Jian's forehead with a pang of heartache, Jian Wei said, "How old are you, and you're still so clumsy."
Chen Jian had no desire to pay Jian Wei any mind. She hadn't even settled accounts with him yet for turning their daughter into this state! How could she possibly give him a pleasant expression? "Xiner? Xiner?"
"Xiner? Your mother is calling you. Xiner??"
Only then did the couple realize that although Jian Xin had woken up, she lay on the bed like a corpse, her gaze blank and lifeless, her body stiff, radiating a terrifying aura.
"Xiner?" Chen Jian tried to approach Jian Xin, but Jian Wei pulled her back.
"Let me look." Jian Wei found that he couldn't get close to his daughter at all, because the cyan qi radiating from Jian Xin was constantly turning black, forming a protective barrier that kept him at a distance and threatened to push him far away.
The two exchanged a glance. Chen Jian's legs instantly went weak, and she cried out, "Where is that old man?! Didn't he promise he wouldn't harm Xiner? You old bastard, get out here! Get out here! Give me back my daughter!" But there was no movement in the room, only the sound of Chen Jian's weeping.
"I—I'll go—give it a try!" Watching Chen Jian cry like that, Jian Wei clenched his fists. As if making some heavy resolution, he turned and made to go outside.
Just as Chen Jian was at a loss for what to do, the black qi enveloping Jian Xin completely replaced the cyan qi, and a brilliant light burst forth from the room—a thousand times brighter than candlelight, resembling the blazing sun outside.
*Creeeak.*
The door opened, and at the same time, Jian Xin slowly sat up from the bed, staring blankly at the weeping Chen Jian and Jian Wei, who was about to head out. "Dad? Mom?"
Hearing Jian Xin call out to him, Jian Wei felt as though his heart had been struck by something. This word, "Dad," was something he hadn't heard in a very long time. Once upon a time, it was just an ordinary phrase, but after what happened a few months ago, hearing this "Dad" again had become a very difficult thing to wish for. Eagerly turning around to go to her and touch his daughter's face, he suddenly didn't dare to step forward, silently retreating several steps instead.
Chen Jian didn't overthink things. Extremely excited, she rushed onto the bed, her trembling hands reaching out to stroke Jian Xin's head. Her voice hoarse, she suddenly pulled Jian Xin into her embrace, her tears breaking through the levies once more. She wanted to call out to Jian Wei, but having already heard the movement behind her, she guessed Jian Wei's actions and understood what he was thinking. "Xiner, Jian Wei... Xiner, tell Mom, did you hurt anywhere? Does it hurt?"
"Mom, I want water." Jian Xin rasped. Although her voice was a bit hoarse, it was only because the Body Refining process had been too painful and she had shouted too hard; her mental and physical state were actually excellent, not at all like someone who had been injured.
"Okay, okay, okay, water! A-Wei, go, quickly go get some!" Chen Jian called out to Jian Wei, though Jian Wei had already run off to get water the moment he heard Jian Xin ask for it, without even needing her to prompt him.
"Xiner, this is all your dad's fault. If it weren't for him making you practice that thing, you wouldn't have suffered so much. Your dad doesn't know his own strength, look at what he beat you into... but still, you can't blame your da—you can't blame him, you hear?"
"Water." Just as Chen Jian reached the middle of her sentence, Jian Wei brought over the bowl filled with water.
Taking the bowl, Chen Jian said to Jian Wei, "Alright, get out! Don't disturb us mother and daughter talking!" In truth, she didn't really want Jian Wei to leave; which parents wouldn't be overjoyed to see their child doing well? Though she was angry with Jian Wei, it wasn't enough to bar him from seeing Jian Xin, but really... She handed the bowl to Jian Xin. "Drink some water, drink some water."
"I don't have any strength..." Jian Xin tried to take the bowl, but her hands lacked any force. "Mom, feed me. Huh? Mom, why are you bleeding?!"
Hearing this, Chen Jian was overjoyed, because this sounded like her precious daughter rather than the icy person from a moment ago. "Okay, okay, okay, Mom will feed you. It's fine, it's fine, I just accidentally took a fall, it's nothing."
"Slowly now, don't choke. Having no strength just means you're hungry. I'm going to go cook some porridge, you just lie here properly." Chen Jian picked up this bowl along with the medicine bowl from earlier and said to Jian Xin.
"I don't want to drink porridge!" Jian Xin protested.
"Be obedient! You can only have that after you finish the porridge—" Chen Jian stopped herself midway, because not long ago that was exactly how she used to lecture Jian Xin...
"I don't want to! I don't want to, Mom, look! My spirit and energy are great, look, I can even get up and jump right now! Ow!" Jian Xin made a motion to stand, but nearly had a close encounter with the floor before Chen Jian caught her.
"Forgot who couldn't even hold a water bowl just a second ago?"
"Just lie down properly, I'll go boil some porridge and medicine. You two stay right here in peace." Jian Wei walked out the door, feeling almost unable to believe it. Chen Jian inside the room was equally astonished. For no other reason than that the two of them realized their daughter seemed different from before—she had become... willing to grow close to them again. Especially with Jian Wei; sometimes Jian Xin wouldn't even let Jian Wei appear before her, and usually gave him no pleasant expressions. While she had been normal enough with Chen Jian, whenever Chen Jian spoke up in Jian Wei's defense, Jian Xin would give Chen Jian the cold shoulder too, which left Jian Wei's heart aching. But today was different; everything seemed to have returned... returned to several months ago! Everything seemed to be heading in a good direction. Thinking of this, Jian Wei's pace became practically buoyant. "Did that old man really return a complete daughter to us?!!"
"Xiner, lie down nicely, dear."
"Mom, I want to change my clothes. They're all sticky."
"Okay, good, you should change. In this weather, not changing means catching a cold. Let me see..." Chen Jian got up and rummaged through a battered wooden cabinet in the corner for Jian Xin's clothes. "Found them. You change, Mom is going outside." She placed the clothes next to Jian Xin and turned to leave.
"Don't go, Mom. You have to help me, I have no strength."
"Huh? Alright." Chen Jian smiled, though the corners of her eyes grew damp once more. Wonderful, her daughter had finally come back. Wonderful!!!!