Chapter 95
Xuan Yuan Lin’s voice was pure and sweet, crisp and clear. Though she hadn’t spoken loudly, everyone in the ward was drawn to her words.
Lin Tian nearly jumped out of his skin!
He hurriedly waved his hands and spoke anxiously.
“Um, I’m not in that kind of relationship with Miss Xuan Yuan… please, don’t misunderstand!”
Xuan Yuan Lin tilted her chin ever so slightly in a prideful, playful manner, speaking with the precociousness of someone far beyond her age.
“Brother-in-law, stop pretending… I know Sister Qingya better than anyone. She’s never spoken to anyone else so gently before… You must be her boyfriend! What, did Sister Qingya not let you tell us?”
Lin Tian’s mouth twitched violently.
What the hell—Xuan Yuan Qingya spoke to him gently?
Not really!
At most, compared to earlier in his room, just now Xuan Yuan Qingya had only spoken lightly, asking him to wait here. That was it!
Where was this brat getting all her nonsense from?!
Lin Tian patiently explained, “Little sister, you really misunderstood… I only met your Sister Qingya today. How could we possibly already be boyfriend and girlfriend?”
The main reason he kept his tone calm was because the people present in this room were no ordinary crowd.
Take Xuan Yuan Chen and Li Li, for instance—this couple was of utmost importance to Xuan Yuan Qingya and Xuan Yuan Xing, mother and daughter. Not to mention the other members of the Star Organization who were present.
If Xuan Yuan Lin’s words somehow spread outside, Lin Tian figured he wouldn’t get out of this unscathed—even if he wasn’t killed, he’d surely be skinned alive!
And if, by terrible chance, this reached Jiang Yifeng’s ears… then Lin Tian could kiss his peace goodbye.
Looking seriously at Xuan Yuan Lin, he warned, “Little sister, don’t say things like that. If it spreads, it won’t be good for your Sister Qingya.”
Xuan Yuan Lin blinked in confusion, then turned to glance at her mother.
Li Li gently patted her daughter’s head.
Since Xuan Yuan Qingya had already said she had a solution, Li Li wasn’t as anxious as before.
They all knew Xuan Yuan Qingya well enough to understand that she never spoke without reason. Since she said she had a way, then surely there would be no problem.
At this moment, listening to her daughter’s words and Lin Tian’s responses, Li Li’s face unconsciously softened into a gentle smile.
“Young man, how should I address you?”
Lin Tian felt helpless, but still answered politely, “My name is Lin Tian. You can just call me by my name… or Little Lin, that’s fine too.”
Li Li nodded slightly, her eyes carrying a faintly teasing smile.
“Little Lin, you really aren’t Xiao Ya’s boyfriend? Just like my little girl said, I’ve truly never seen Xiao Ya speak to anyone else so gently. Hehe, in front of me, you don’t need to cover anything up. Just say whatever’s in your heart.”
Her expression was warm and kind, as though she truly regarded Lin Tian as Xuan Yuan Qingya’s boyfriend.
Lin Tian was utterly speechless.
Why couldn’t he clear up this misunderstanding no matter what he said?!
What he didn’t realize was that Xuan Yuan Qingya’s pride was famous throughout the entire Xuan Yuan family. All these uncles and aunts had never once seen her show warmth or kindness to anyone.
So now, the moment her attitude toward Lin Tian showed the slightest difference, it became glaringly obvious to the elders.
Never mind the elders—even Xuan Yuan Lin, that little girl, had already noticed it.
Lin Tian let out a deep sigh, glancing around the room. He could only feel a wave of relief that, aside from Xuan Yuan Chen’s family and the Star Group members, no outsiders were present. Otherwise, today might have been the day he got buried here…
“Auntie, I really am not Xuan Yuan Qingya’s boyfriend. She and I… at most, we’re just friends.”
When he said the word “friends,” Lin Tian’s expression turned a little strange.
After all, what kind of “friends” secretly kissed each other?
Just as he was explaining, the door to the inner room suddenly opened. Xuan Yuan Qingya stepped out.
Seeing Lin Tian chatting with her fourth uncle’s wife and her younger sister, an unintentional smile appeared on her face—something even she hadn’t realized herself.
Normally, Xuan Yuan Qingya was like a celestial flower blooming high above the mortal world. But now, with that smile, it was as if the immortal flower had blossomed, filling the world with spring warmth.
The moment Xuan Yuan Lin saw her, her eyes lit up, and she called out loudly, “Qingya-jie, isn’t this my brother-in-law?”
Xuan Yuan Qingya froze for a second at the words, and then a faint blush crept across her cheeks. She didn’t bother explaining, only speaking softly, “Xiao Lin, Fourth Auntie, I’m going to help Fourth Uncle with his treatment in a moment. Could you step outside for a while?”
Lin Tian’s mouth twitched.
Why don’t you explain yourself?! And blushing—seriously? Isn’t that just deliberately making people misunderstand?!
But with a patient right in front of them, Lin Tian couldn’t really argue with Xuan Yuan Qingya. He could only swallow this “loss” in silence.
Hearing Xuan Yuan Qingya’s words, both Xuan Yuan Lin and Li Li naturally had no objections.
They wouldn’t feel at ease leaving this matter to anyone else. But with Xuan Yuan Qingya and Xuan Yuan Xing, the mother and daughter, they had absolute trust.
“Xiao Ya, your fourth uncle… we’re counting on you,” Li Li stood up and said softly.
Xuan Yuan Qingya nodded, her tone calm yet full of reassurance.
“Fourth Auntie, don’t worry. Uncle really won’t be in danger… perhaps by tonight, you’ll see him completely recovered.”
“Mm!”
With that, Li Li and Xuan Yuan Lin left the ward and entered the outer room.
Now, only Xuan Yuan Qingya, Lin Tian, the Star Group members, and Xuan Yuan Chen—who was lying on the bed—remained.
Afterwards, Xuan Yuan Qingya instructed the Star Group members to carry in a tightly sealed box. Once it was set down, she dismissed them as well.
The ward was instantly left with just three people: Xuan Yuan Qingya, Lin Tian, and Xuan Yuan Chen.
After locking all the doors and windows to make sure nothing she was about to do could be discovered, Xuan Yuan Qingya finally approached the bedside and turned her gaze toward Lin Tian.
“Lin Tian, you… could you help me?”
Lin Tian looked at her in puzzlement.
“How am I supposed to help you? I really don’t know anything about medicine…”
“No medical skills are needed. Just help me open that box.”
Lin Tian hesitated for a moment. Since he was already here, and there was no sign of Jiang Yifeng, it didn’t seem like a big deal to give Xuan Yuan Qingya a hand.
Besides, after this woman had secretly kissed him, no matter how much he wanted to cut off all ties with her, he couldn’t quite harden his heart completely.
“What’s inside? Is this the thing you’re going to use to save your fourth uncle?”
He asked while moving, already undoing the seal on the square box.
But to his surprise, inside were two more boxes, both made of heavy hardwood.
Lin Tian took them out, lifted the lids, and the instant he laid eyes on what was inside, his pupils contracted sharply!
Inside were objects he knew all too well—
The jade carving “Spirit Monkey Offering Peach”, and that massive 24-kilogram block of agarwood!
Why on earth would Xuan Yuan Qingya bring out these things?
Lin Tian was utterly baffled.
[Sss… why did Xuan Yuan Qingya take out these two things? Could it be… she wants to use the spiritual essence sealed within the “Spirit Monkey Offering Peach” to save her fourth uncle? But… how could she possibly know about that?]
Hearing Lin Tian’s inner voice, Xuan Yuan Qingya calmly said, “I once heard from a wandering hermit that, on rare occasions, jade can preserve remnants of primordial spiritual essence from ancient times… This spiritual essence should be able to save my fourth uncle. That is also why I insisted on bidding for it at the auction.”
She paused, glancing at Lin Tian’s expression, then went on, “Actually, when I discovered that this jade held spiritual essence, my original intention was to win it at the auction and present it to my great-grandfather as a birthday gift. The essence within it would certainly prolong his years and strengthen his health.”
“But now, with my fourth uncle gravely ill, the only choice is to break it open, extract the essence, and use it to save him first.”
After finishing her explanation, although not a single word was true, Xuan Yuan Qingya’s face remained calm and steady, without the slightest hint of unease.
And that composure made Lin Tian unconsciously believe her story…
[So that’s how it is? I never would’ve thought… besides me, there are actually others who know that jade might contain spiritual essence… Could that wandering hermit be Jiang Yifeng’s master?]
[No… no, the timing doesn’t match… sigh, looks like there really are quite a few hidden experts in this world!]
Lin Tian sighed inwardly, and Xuan Yuan Qingya almost burst out laughing when she heard it.
She had only made up those words to keep him from suspecting anything, never expecting him to spin such wild connections on his own.
Simply going along with it, Xuan Yuan Qingya added, “That hermit also said… spiritual essence preserved from ancient times often contains powerful spiritual force. Without something to neutralize it, I fear an ordinary person’s body would be unable to withstand it… sigh, that’s what troubles me now. I don’t know what I should use to neutralize it…”
As she spoke, she glanced at Lin Tian, curious to see what he would come up with under such circumstances.
Looking at Xuan Yuan Qingya’s slightly troubled expression, paired with the utterly convincing helplessness in her eyes—as if she truly didn’t know what to do—Lin Tian coughed lightly and cautiously suggested, “Ahem… how about trying honey?”
Afraid she might doubt him, he quickly explained, “Honey is… well, it’s really good stuff! It’s full of nutrients, and it’s actually a very effective… solvent. Maybe it could be used to neutralize the spiritual essence you were talking about…”