Chapter 18

Xiao Ningchen lowered his head in disbelief, looking at his own legs, then his gaze fell on the little one before his knees who seemed completely unaware of what he had done, merely blinking his big eyes at him.

Boundless shock, overwhelming joy, and an awe bordering on fear instantly engulfed him.

Xiao Ningchen's eyelids twitched slightly, his fingertips tensed, and he bent over to hug Tuan Tuan in his arms.

Tuan Tuan sat steadily in the crook of his arm, eyes shining intensely.

Xiao Ningchen held her tight, then slowly took a step, two steps…

"Young Master!" Qi Xing walked in from outside carrying a tea tray, seeing the situation before him, he let out a startled cry, and the tea tray in his hand fell to the ground.

Xiao Ningchen's face lit up with radiance, he paced back and forth in the room a few steps, then suddenly he swept the back of his foot toward the table leg, with a "Crack!", the wooden tenon at the table corner was kicked open a crack by him.

Tuan Tuan looked delighted, her little hands continuously clapping: "Second brother's leg is better! Second brother's leg is better!"

She giggled nonstop, very pleased: "The boo-boo fears me, it flew away!"

Xiao Ningchen held her tighter, her little head resting against his shoulder: "Yes! Tuan Tuan is amazing, she chased away second brother's boo-boo!"

"From now on, wherever Tuan Tuan wants to play, second brother will accompany you! What would you like to eat? The sweet snacks at Jingcheng's most famous pastry shop, Skillful Crisp Pavilion, are the best; second brother will buy them all for you!"

Tuan Tuan yawned, wrapping her arms around his neck: "Tuan Tuan is sleepy, second brother; I want to nap a bit, then after I wake up I'll go eat snacks."

"Good! Good! How about you nap here with second brother? After you wake up, I'll take you to buy snacks."

"Okay!" Tuan Tuan replied obediently, lying on his chest, and almost instantly fell asleep.

"Qi Xing, go add another layer of blanket to the bed and close all the curtains."

"Yes!" Qi Xing hurriedly put everything in order, then Xiao Ningchen gently placed Tuan Tuan on the bed and carefully covered her with a blanket.

The two brothers walked to the outer room, glanced at each other: "Qi Xing, go boil another pot of good tea."

"Yes! Second Young Master!" The master had something to say; Qi Xing understood and left.

Only the two brothers remained in the room.

Xiao Ningxun then hurriedly asked: "Second brother! Is your leg really completely healed?"

Xiao Ningchen sat down slowly, his hand lightly rubbing his knee: "Not fully healed. Just now after kicking that, my foot twitches and feels sore here. But I believe that with diligent practice from now on, full recovery is imminent."

"Tuan Tuan is truly amazing! Second brother! I'm no longer afraid to speak in front of strangers, no matter how many people there are, and that's all thanks to her."

"Oh?" Xiao Ningchen raised his brows: "What's happening?"

Xiao Ningxun recounted the day's events in detail, and Xiao Ningchen's expression of surprise grew even stronger.

"Just now the fourth younger sister fell..." He glanced at his brother and swallowed the rest of his words.

"Hmm." Xiao Ningxun nodded: "Did you also see, second brother? You said Tuan Tuan is like a little immortal, right?"

"Since she came, Father's and my illnesses have been improving." His face suddenly changed: "Not good! Qi Xing just...?"

"It's fine; at that moment Qi Xing had his back to us, wiping the Carrying Shadow sword, and didn't see. You were talking about Father?"

Xiao Ningxun spoke for a while longer, then related everything that had happened in the Prince's Mansion these past days.

Upon hearing that Tuan Tuan had been falsely accused by Fang Qingyan, Xiao Ningchen's gaze turned icy cold, and even Xiao Ningxun couldn't help but shiver.

Upon also hearing about the snow leopard and Night Bright Sand, Xiao Ningchen's face showed an expression of "as I thought."

"Third brother, the matters concerning Tuan Tuan are beyond extraordinary; if they were to spread, they might bring disaster upon her, so you and I must keep our mouths shut."

"Definitely! Definitely! I understand." Xiao Ningxun kept nodding: "No matter which celestial path Tuan Tuan comes from, she is already a member of our family, so we naturally must protect her!"

The two talked for over half an hour; Xiao Ningxun glanced at the outside sky: "Tuan Tuan still hasn't woken? If we wait longer, Skillful Crisp Pavilion will close, second brother, let's wake her up."

The two brothers entered the inner chamber and saw Tuan Tuan completely still, still in the pose Xiao Ningchen had placed her in; they couldn't help but smile at each other: "She's sleeping so deeply."

Xiao Ningxun took her little hand: "Tuan Tuan? Wake up, or else all the delicious snacks will be bought by someone else."

Her wrist was soft and pliable, lying obediently in her brother's hand, not moving a bit.

A faint smile appeared on Xiao Ningchen's lips: "Tuan Tuan, get up; second brother will take you to buy the most delicious snacks in Jingcheng, and after eating we can sleep again."

Tuan Tuan remained still.

The two brothers exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of surprise in the other's eyes; they quickly sat beside the bed, and Xiao Ningxun lifted Tuan Tuan together with her blanket, shouting loudly: "Tuan Tuan! Tuan Tuan!"

Her small head limp and drooping, both brothers felt their hearts tighten.

After calling several more times, Tuan Tuan still gave no response.

"Second brother! Tuan Tuan..." Xiao Ningxun's voice trembled, tears welling up; these past days Tuan Tuan had stuck to him all day and had already become his dearest little sister.

She was a hundred times closer than Xiao Ningshu, who had grown up together in the Prince's Mansion.

Xiao Ningchen, worried his leg strength wasn't enough, wrapped Tuan Tuan in the blanket into a bundle and placed her in his brother's arms: "Hold her steady! To Tranquil Orchid Pavilion!"

The two brothers raced at top speed into their mother's courtyard: "Mother! Tuan Tuan! We can't wake her!"

Cheng Ru'an saw Tuan Tuan's state, her heart ached greatly, she could barely stand: "Someone! Go fetch Guo Taiyi!"

"My legs are fast, I'll go!" Xiao Ningxun rushed out.

When Guo Taiyi stepped into Tranquil Orchid Pavilion, the Old Madam, Cheng Ru'an, and Xiao Ningchen were sitting beside Tuan Tuan's bed; he was about to salute when the Old Madam stopped him: "No need for formalities, hurry and examine my granddaughter."

Guo Taiyi hurriedly took Tuan Tuan's pulse; after a moment, he stroked his beard and shook his head: "The young lady's pulse is steady; she doesn't seem ill."

"Why then is she unconscious and won't wake? Could it be... the Prince?" Cheng Ru'an dared not think further; her husband had suddenly lost consciousness like this, could her daughter be the same?

"Please console yourself, Princess Consort; the young lady is merely asleep."

Guo Taiyi's face showed doubt: "The whole household of Ning Prince's Mansion seems to have strange ailments: although odd, according to my judgment it is not illness, but rather seems to be due to excessive exhaustion of heart and mind."

Xiao Ningchen and his brother exchanged a glance, already having a suspicion in their hearts.

Guo Taiyi rose and bowed: "Let her sleep; I will prescribe a tonic for the heart, and after she wakes I will give her a few doses, which should pose no serious problem."

The Old Madam nodded: "Thank you, Doctor." Her tightly held prayer beads loosened: "May the ancestors bless us!"

Cheng Ru'an wiped the tears from her face, tucked the brocade quilt around her: "Good Tuan Tuan, sleep your fill and wake up soon, don't scare Mother."

After Guo Taiyi left, Cheng Ru'an looked at her two sons: "Do you two have something? Chen'er, why didn't you have someone support you? And where is Qi Xing?"

She had been anxious earlier, and only now could she ask in detail.

Xiao Ningchen glanced at his brother: "No need to hide anything."

Then, the two of them exchanged words, one sentence each, and related the whole story.

Old Madam and Cheng Ru'an were overjoyed; Xiao Ningchen's leg, which had suddenly fallen ill three years prior and had defied countless doctors, was healed by Tuan Tuan in just a single night!

After the surprise, they both understood: 'So that's why—Tuan Tuan exhausted her spirit to heal your leg, causing her to fall into a deep sleep.'

She glanced at Old Madam, who said: 'There's no need to hide things among family.'

Cheng Ru'an told his two sons about Old Madam's eye ailment and the matter of the Exquisite Pure Calamity Pearl.

Old Madam exclaimed: 'An immortal sage! Tuan Tuan is a blessing bestowed by our ancestors' spirits; since her arrival, all affairs in the Prince's Mansion have improved. From now on, you must regard her as close kin and cherish her.'

'But to outsiders, you must never mention anything unusual about Tuan Tuan.'

Several people nodded solemnly.

'Mother, please return to the Listening Rain Pavilion to rest; I and the children will watch over her. You are already advanced in years—if you fall ill from staying up, the younger generation would be uneasy.'

Old Madam nodded: 'As soon as Tuan Tuan wakes, send someone to inform me immediately.'

That night, the two brothers refused to leave the Tranquil Orchid Pavilion, staring fixedly at Tuan Tuan.

Seeing this, Cheng Ru'an stopped trying to dissuade them, instead kneeling in the ancestral hall to burn incense and pray.

Old Madam, unable to sit or lie still in the Listening Rain Pavilion, finally rose, took out the Big Dipper Scripture, and spent the night copying it.

The next morning, Tuan Tuan still had not awakened.

The whole family was gathered around Tuan Tuan's bedside when a servant outside reported: 'The Second Young Master of the Vice Minister of Personnel's household is outside requesting an audience… Miss.'