Chapter 43 - Arrived Home

"Let Grandpa take a good look. Oh, my Xue'er has grown taller and prettier," Leng Qingtian said proudly. His grandchildren were his pride, but right now, his grandson… alas!

"Xue'er, who is he?" Leng Qingtian looked at the stunningly beautiful man standing behind Xue'er curiously. He wouldn't have noticed him if he hadn't coughed twice.

"Hello, Grandpa. I am Ye Chen," Ye Chen introduced himself. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to be ignored like this one day.

"Ye Chen?" Leng Qingtian looked at Leng Ruoxue. The meaning in his eyes was obvious—Was he the frail and sickly Ye Chen?

Leng Ruoxue nodded. "It's him."

"How did you two end up together?" Leng Qingtian was puzzled.

"We met in the Illusionary Forest."

"Ah, this…" Leng Qingtian pondered on what he should call him.

"Grandpa, just call me Ye Chen."

"Alright, I'll call you Ye Chen from now on," Leng Qingtian said with satisfaction. How does this kid look like someone who's sick? Rumors can't be trusted.

"Grandpa, how is Big Brother? What happened?" Leng Ruoxue asked worriedly.

"Alas!" Leng Qingtian sighed. "Xue'er, it's too late today. Go and rest first. Grandpa will tell you tomorrow."

"Grandpa, I'm not tired." How could she sleep without knowing her brother's condition?

"Then let's talk inside," Leng Qingtian said.

"Xue'er, Ruohan is seriously injured. All the meridians in his body have been broken, and all his spiritual power has been destroyed. He can't be a spiritualist anymore," Leng Qingtian said sadly. Alas, his good grandson suddenly turned from a genius into a cripple who couldn't cultivate spiritual power. Was this the jealousy of the heavens toward geniuses?

Leng Ruoxue was stunned after hearing what her grandfather said. She didn't expect him to be so seriously injured.

"How did Big Brother get hurt?" Leng Ruoxue asked. Big Brother should be a Spiritual Sovereign now. Since a Spiritual Sovereign could be injured so severely, his opponent should be much stronger than him. Hmph, no matter who it is, I will make them pay the price for hurting my big brother.

"Sigh, don't remind me of it." Leng Qingtian said angrily.

"Grandpa, I want to know," Leng Ruoxue said seriously.

"Sigh, the academy said that Ruohan provoked a group of fire rhinoceroses and was besieged by them. Ruohan would have died if the teachers leading the team didn't save him in time." Leng Qingtian told Xue'er the exact words the academy told him.

"Grandpa, do you believe that? Is Big Brother such an irrational person? Why would he provoke fire rhinoceroses?" Leng Ruoxue asked angrily. Fire rhinoceroses were very barbaric spiritual beasts that lived in groups, and even Spiritual Supremacies wouldn't provoke them.

"There's nothing we can do even if we don't believe it. The students and teachers who went on the training exercise testified that it was Ruohan's mistake, and they were also injured because of it," Leng Qingtian said angrily. Some parents even came to ask for compensation. He was really furious.

"Did you ask Big Brother?" Her brother was the party involved, so surely her grandfather would have asked him.

"Ruohan was unconscious for a long time and only woke up a few days ago. Even until now, he's still refusing to say a word," Leng Qingtian said helplessly. He wouldn't have allowed those people to say whatever they wanted if Ruohan hadn't been unconscious.

"What did the principal of the Heavenly Phoenix Academy say? Isn't he Big Brother's master?" Leng Ruoxue asked again. A master should at least understand their disciple's character.

"He has the same opinion as me. He didn't believe that Ruohan would be so rash. But Ruohan was unconscious the whole time, so we had no way to verify it. Alas, Grandpa is useless," Leng Qingtian rebuked himself. If Old Man Lin hadn't been away from Phoenix City at the time, the matter wouldn't have reached the point where it couldn't be sorted out. By the time Old Man Lin rushed back, the news had already spread throughout Eastern Lagoon.

"What about Big Brother's spirit beast?" Leng Ruoxue asked. The spirit beast should know what happened.

"Dead."

"…"

"The teachers of the academy said that they wouldn't have been able to save Ruohan if his spirit beast hadn't self-exploded," Leng Qingtian said.

"I'm going to see Big Brother." Leng Ruoxue decided to check on her brother first.

"Grandpa will accompany you!"

"Xue'er, I'll go too," Ye Chen said.

"Grandpa, please have some rest. Ye Chen and I will go."

Leng Ruoxue and Ye Chen arrived at the Cold Tea Pavilion, where Leng Ruohan lived. As soon as they entered, they saw a tall and thin figure standing in the middle of the yard. Leng Ruoxue could already feel the sadness from her big brother before she approached him.

"Big Brother," Leng Ruoxue called out tenderly.

Upon hearing Leng Ruoxue's voice, the thin figure standing in the middle of the yard turned around.

"Xue'er." Leng Ruohan, who had been silent since waking up, finally spoke when he saw his beloved sister.

"Big Brother." Leng Ruohan hugged the emaciated Leng Ruohan and cried out in heartache. Damn it, my big brother, who used to be handsome as an immortal, is almost as thin as a piece of paper. He looks so haggard and dejected. Hmph, no matter who caused him to become like this, I will never let it go.

"Xue'er." Leng Ruohan hugged Leng Ruoxue tightly as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Xue'er, Ardent is dead," Leng Ruohan said sadly.

Leng Ruoxue knew that Ardent was her brother's contracted spirit beast. Ardent's death must have devastated her brother. Alas, at this moment, she really hoped that her brother's relationship with Ardent hadn't been so deep. But it was too late to say anything now. Everyone in the Leng family greatly valued their spirit beasts and treated them as their family!

"Big Brother, Ardent wouldn't want to see you like this." Leng Ruoxue knew that in her brother's heart, losing a partner whom he viewed as family devastated him more than losing his spiritual power and becoming a cripple.

"It was all to save me. I am too useless." Leng Ruohan blamed himself.

"Big Brother, can you tell Xue'er what happened?" Leng Ruoxue took the opportunity to ask.

"Xue'er, do you believe me?" Leng Ruohan asked. When he woke up, Ming An had told him the academy's explanation. But because he had been so immersed in the sadness of losing Ardent, he didn't bother to defend himself.

"Of course I believe you," Leng Ruoxue said. Why would she believe outsiders instead of the big brother who loved her?