Chapter 4: It's Good to Be Alive

"Your stepmother brought people to capture you…"

Nan Rou wiped her tears and recounted everything that had happened.

"I'm sorry — it's my fault you got dragged into this." Qin Guan felt a pang of guilt after hearing her out.

"No, it's my fault for dragging you in!" Nan Rou shook her head quickly, then asked with some hesitation: "Did you really kill Hu Liu?"

"Yes, I killed him. He was disrespectful to you, so I killed him." Qin Guan nodded.

Nan Rou's face went deathly pale at those words. She grabbed his arm and pushed him urgently. "You need to leave, you need to leave now!"

Her stepmother had said Qin Guan beat Hu Liu to death, but she hadn't quite believed it — she'd assumed her stepmother was just trying to frighten her, since Qin Guan and she weren't yet married and he posed a threat to Nan Qiao's position.

But now, hearing it from Qin Guan's own lips, her heart lurched with panic.

"I said I would marry you, and I will. Don't be afraid." Qin Guan gave her a reassuring pat.

His words warmed something in Nan Rou's chest, but her worry only deepened as she said:

"Hu Liu was one of my stepmother's people, and on top of that, he was Yang Ao's cousin. This is going to be a real problem!"

"Who is Yang Ao?" Qin Guan asked, curious.

"Yang Ao is my stepmother's own nephew. Nan Qiao and I call him Cousin Brother." Nan Rou explained.

The corner of Qin Guan's mouth twitched. Cousin brothers and cousins all over the place…

As if a thought had just struck her, Nan Rou added with fresh worry:

"Yang Ao is currently in closed-door cultivation. If he comes out and finds out you killed his cousin, he won't let you off!"

"What's his cultivation level? Is he really that fearsome?" Qin Guan asked with a smile.

"The fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage, and he's a Sword Cultivator on top of that. His talent is no less than my little sister's!" Nan Rou said with complete seriousness.

Qin Guan scratched his head. A little Sword Cultivator at the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage — even if he just stood there and let the guy stab away, the attacks wouldn't even get through his defenses…

Seeing Nan Rou worry about him so persistently, Qin Guan took her cold little hand in his and said earnestly:

"Do you know that your future husband is quite the fighter? Cousin brothers, cousins — I'll knock them all down with one punch each."

"But, but…"

Nan Rou still wanted to say more, but Qin Guan cut her off: "Don't overthink it. Come on, let me cure your poison first."

With that, he took Nan Rou by the hand and led her into the woodshed.

He lit a fire, and the dark woodshed instantly brightened and grew warm.

Looking at the tear stains on Nan Rou's cheeks, her lovely eyes filled with nothing but worry, Qin Guan couldn't help but feel a twinge of tenderness.

"Warm yourself by the fire first. I'll brew the medicine, and once you've taken it, I'll treat you."

As he spoke, Qin Guan got to work in the woodshed. His plan was to have Nan Rou take the Century Blood Ginseng first to replenish her blood and vitality, and then purge the Cold Poison.

Watching Qin Guan bustle about at the stove on her behalf, Nan Rou's gaze grew complicated.

She had already made her peace with death — but since meeting Qin Guan, a sudden, unfamiliar fear of dying had taken root in her heart.

Though she had known him for less than a day, she found herself reluctant to let go. If she could live, she truly wanted to marry this man before her — to take care of him, to tend to him, to wash his clothes, to cook for him, to…

Lost in her thoughts, Nan Rou suddenly shook her head hard, then smiled bitterly. She was nearly dead, and here she was thinking about all this.

One hour later, Qin Guan finally finished brewing the Blood Ginseng.

"Here — it's cooled down. Drink it while it's still warm." Qin Guan brought a bowl of ginseng broth over to Nan Rou.

"Alright." Without even glancing at it, Nan Rou drained the entire bowl of Century Blood Ginseng broth in no time at all.

The moment she swallowed it, warmth flooded through her body, and the cheeks that had been as pale as paper gradually flushed with color.

Seeing that Nan Rou's complexion had improved considerably, Qin Guan produced the Ice Silver Flower:

"Once you take this, the Cold Poison inside you will be expelled. The treatment may be a little painful, but that's a normal reaction — don't resist it."

"Alright." Nan Rou gave a gentle nod.

It wasn't that she truly believed Qin Guan could cure her — she simply didn't want to disappoint his kindness.

Shortly after, Nan Rou chewed the Ice Silver Flower and swallowed it.

The instant it went down, Nan Rou felt as though her body had plunged into an icy abyss, shivering uncontrollably with cold.

Seeing this, Qin Guan gently pressed his palm to the top of Nan Rou's head, and his vigorous Gang Qi slowly flowed into her body, wrapping around her organs and meridians.

The Ice Silver Flower had grown in a place of extreme cold for years — it was among the most frigid substances in the world. Even a Cultivator with robust meridians would not dare take it lightly. Without Qin Guan's powerful Gang Qi to shield her, Nan Rou would likely have turned into a block of ice in no time.

Mmph!

As the chill of the Ice Silver Flower collided with the Cold Poison inside Nan Rou, she let out a pained groan.

The Cold Poison within her, sensing the Ice Silver Flower's chill, reacted as though it had met an enemy — it began rampaging wildly through her body.

Ten minutes later, Nan Rou suddenly retched and spat out a large mouthful of black, bloody fluid. In the blink of an eye, the dark liquid solidified into a chunk of black ice.

Seeing the bone-deep Cold Poison forced out, Qin Guan swiftly drove his Gang Qi to expel the remaining chill of the Ice Silver Flower.

Nan Rou's lips parted involuntarily, and a stream of white icy vapor slowly breathed out from between them.

A moment later, Qin Guan withdrew his hand and smiled. "How do you feel?"

Nan Rou opened her eyes and took stock of the changes within her body. After a brief moment, a brilliant light burst from the depths of her gaze, and she said in disbelief: "It's really cured!"

She could clearly feel that there was not a trace of cold energy left inside her. On the contrary, her whole body felt light and warm — a comfort she couldn't put into words.

Over the years, her father had invited no small number of skilled healers and experts to treat her illness, but every single one of them had shaken their heads helplessly after examining her condition. She never would have imagined it could be cured so simply, just like that, by Qin Guan!

It all felt so unreal — like a dream!

"Well then — do you believe in my abilities now?" Qin Guan said with a teasing smile.

"Yes!" Nan Rou nodded vigorously, and the tears of joy in her eyes could no longer be held back — she wept with happiness!

Recovering from a grave illness, the feeling of coming back from the brink of death — there were no words for how wonderful it was.

It's good to be alive!

"Thank you, Young Master Qin!" Nan Rou threw herself into Qin Guan's arms in her excitement, hugging him tightly.

"You really are better — you've even gotten stronger." Qin Guan laughed.

Nan Rou realized she had lost her composure and quickly let go of him. A deep flush spread across her fair, lovely cheeks.

"You're about to be my woman — stop calling me 'Young Master Qin' every other word." Qin Guan looked at Nan Rou with a roguish grin.

Nan Rou bowed her head in embarrassment, her voice barely above a whisper: "I… I'll call you Brother Guan for now. Can I… can I change it after we're married?"

"Sure." Qin Guan nodded, then added: "Wait here for a bit — I'm going to find some blankets."

Seeing him about to leave, Nan Rou stepped forward quickly: "It's the middle of the night — where are you going to find blankets? And if my stepmother finds you…"

"I could cure your Cold Poison — do you really think I'd be afraid of your stepmother?" Qin Guan smiled, then added:

"You just had your poison expelled. Stay here and don't go out."

"Alright, I'll do as you say."

Nan Rou nodded obediently and stepped back. She had always thought Qin Guan was an ordinary person, but thinking it over carefully now — he had beaten Hu Liu of the fifth level of the Body Tempering Stage to death, and had effortlessly cured her Cold Poison. That made it clear he was no ordinary man.

Qin Guan stepped out of the woodshed and vaulted over the courtyard wall in a single leap.

It was deep in the night, the world utterly still and silent. The Nan Family members, exhausted from a long day, had all fallen into a deep sleep.

Qin Guan stood atop a tall building within the Nan Family estate, his gaze cold as he looked down over the courtyard below.

After a brief moment, he swept toward the direction of the main courtyard.

"Sleeping so soundly at this hour, are you?" Arriving at the main courtyard, Qin Guan suddenly stomped hard off the ground and launched himself into the air.

"So you like tearing down houses, do you?"

Qin Guan clenched his right fist and drove it downward with full force!

Boom!

In the next instant, the shockwave from that single punch caused dozens of the main courtyard's grand rooms to collapse almost simultaneously.

"Intruder! Intruder!"

The guards who had been dozing jolted awake in a panic. Nan Yunqi, Yang Hongmei, Nan Qiao, and the others scrambled out of the rubble in the very first moments.

At the same time, the Nan Family's many guards and two Elders came rushing over.

Everyone stood in the courtyard, exchanging bewildered looks. As for the attacker — they couldn't spot so much as a shadow.

"Father, look!" Nan Qiao suddenly pointed at a deep pit and cried out urgently.

Nan Yunqi stared at the pit in astonishment. It was an enormous crater in the shape of a fist.

"That punch was no simple feat!" One Elder swallowed hard, his expression grave.

"A force like this could not have come from an ordinary person!" The other Elder was equally stunned.

Hearing the two Elders' words, everyone present was seized with alarm.

"Husband, has the Nan Family offended some great figure recently? Why else would someone attack us out of nowhere?" Yang Hongmei said, frightened.

Nan Yunqi furrowed his brow. "That's impossible. Our Nan Family has always acted with caution and prudence — we've always kept a low profile and never overstepped our bounds."

At that moment, one of the Elders suddenly said: "It's obvious the other party didn't want our lives — they only wanted to teach us a lesson."

Hearing the Elder's words, Nan Yunqi looked around, then bowed deeply in all directions:

"If we have given offense in any way, we humbly ask the esteemed expert to offer us guidance. The Nan Family will sincerely correct our ways!"

Everyone raised their heads and looked around cautiously. There was not the slightest response.

Receiving no reply only made everyone's hearts sink further. If whoever this was decided to throw a punch like that while they were sleeping — they'd be crushed to a pulp!

"Investigate — find out if anyone from the Nan Family has recently offended someone!" Nan Yunqi ordered several guards.

As if something had just occurred to him, Nan Yunqi added: "Deploy more men to guard the Second Young Miss closely!"

Now that Nan Qiao had awakened her Yin Spirit Physique, he suspected that certain factions in Luyun City might harbor ill intentions.

Hearing her father say he wanted to protect her, Nan Qiao's heart lurched with unease. Could someone be trying to snuff her out before she could grow?

For a time, everyone was rife with speculation, their hearts in turmoil.

* * *

Meanwhile, Qin Guan returned to the woodshed with an armful of blankets.

Seeing him come back, Nan Rou let out a sigh of relief. "Brother Guan, I thought I heard a huge commotion just now — did something happen?"

"Just some sparring. I saw two people practicing against each other." Qin Guan made up a casual excuse.

"Oh." Nan Rou nodded, though her brow furrowed slightly. Sparring in the middle of the night?

Well, never mind — why think so much about it? Qin Guan was back safe and sound, and that was what mattered. Nan Rou quickly took the blankets and began making the bed.

Once the bed was made, an awkward silence fell over the woodshed — there was only one bed. How were they supposed to sleep?

"I'll stay outside for the night." Qin Guan broke the awkward silence and started toward the door.

Nan Rou quickly stepped forward and grabbed his arm. "It's freezing outside, and the rooms are all gone — don't go out."

"We're not married yet. An unmarried man and woman spending the night alone in the same room — if word got out, it wouldn't be good for your reputation." Qin Guan said with a smile.

Nan Rou looked at him. "You gave me my life. I don't care about any of that."

Qin Guan hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "Alright then — you sleep on the inside, I'll sleep on the outside."

"Alright."

Nan Rou nodded, then curled up obediently on the inner side of the bed like a little cat.

Qin Guan was equally careful, lying down beside Nan Rou. It was the first time in his life he had shared a bed with a girl — it felt very strange.

Nan Rou felt the same way. It all felt so unreal. The two of them lay there quietly, side by side, without a word.

* * *

The next morning.

The moment Qin Guan opened his eyes, he found Nan Rou tiptoeing around, busy with something.

"Brother Guan, did I wake you?" Nan Rou said apologetically when she saw him stir.

"No." Qin Guan rubbed his eyes.

"You must be hungry. I'll make you something to eat as soon as the water boils."

"No need — let's go out to eat." Qin Guan stretched lazily and got to his feet.

"Go out to eat?" Nan Rou frowned.

"To your parents' place." Qin Guan said with a grin.

Nan Rou shook her head in alarm. "Brother Guan, they're looking for you everywhere — wouldn't going there be walking straight into a trap?"

"Their trap can't hold me." Qin Guan took Nan Rou by the hand and headed for the door.