Qin Xun, being kissed by Feng Yuan’s pouting little lips, seemed to feel it. His long eyelashes fluttered.
Feng Yuan looked at him and kissed him again.
After several consecutive kisses, Qin Xun was fully awakened.
Upon waking, the first thing Qin Xun saw was Feng Yuan’s beautiful little face.
“Yuan Yuan.”
He even softened his breathing, his voice calling Feng Yuan low and gentle.
Seeing him awake, Feng Yuan curved his eyes at him.
“Good morning, Qin Xun!”
“Good morning, Yuan Yuan.”
Qin Xun propped himself up on the bed, sat up, and patted Feng Yuan’s little head.
Feng Yuan looked bright and energetic.
After getting up, Qin Xun first took care of himself, then turned to help Feng Yuan get dressed.
Changing clothes, putting on shoes, brushing teeth, washing face, applying lotion.
Qin Xun did it all very skillfully.
Feng Yuan closed his eyes, letting Qin Xun apply the lotion.
After Qin Xun finished, the little one still tilted his face up, leaning straight toward Qin Xun.
While putting the lotion away, Qin Xun leaned over and sniffed Feng Yuan’s little face.
“Smells nice.”
Qin Xun commented.
Hearing this, Feng Yuan finally grinned and ran out.
He went next door to check on his dad.
Dad wasn’t awake yet.
Li Sheng let him in and had him lie by the side of the bed, watching his dad for a while.
“Is Dad not feeling well?”
Feng Yuan held his dad’s hand and looked back at Li Sheng to ask.
Li Sheng hummed in response: “Dad’s too tired and needs a good rest.”
Feng Yuan nodded and obediently said, “Yuan Yuan won’t disturb Dad.”
Once he said he wouldn’t disturb Dad, he really didn’t make a sound.
He stared at his dad for a while, then carefully kissed his hand.
After spending a little time with his dad, the little one finally left the bedroom.
He couldn’t stay with Dad too long.
Today was Monday. He still had to go to the base.
The breakfast outside was already prepared. Ever since Feng Yuan started training, the family’s daily schedule had been adjusted to match his.
At the dining table, Feng Qi and Li Sheng were not there.
Feng Yuan sat on a chair, focused on eating his meal.
After eating, he got into the car with his brother and sister.
Qin Xun also got in.
Feng Yuan had originally thought Qin Xun was there to see him off.
But when the car reached its destination, Qin Xun directly followed him inside.
The further Feng Yuan walked, the more he felt that something was off.
Li Si glanced at him and asked straightforwardly, “You’re coming, too?”
Qin Xun: “Mm.”
Before coming this time, Qin Xun had, just like Feng Yuan, taken a long leave from Little Sun Kindergarten.
He had also agreed with Li Sheng that for the training Feng Yuan was attending, he would accompany him.
This training required a fee.
Qin Xun didn’t lack money, but Li’s family still insisted on covering his training expenses.
Li Sheng knew Qin Xun’s intention for coming was simply to be there for Feng Yuan.
With him accompanying Feng Yuan, he could even help Feng Yuan with his homework…
The Li family practically wished they could give him an extra salary.
All the adults in the Li family, including Li Si and Li Wang, had tried personally tutoring Feng Yuan with his homework.
And the outcome of their attempts, without exception, had all ended in failure.
One of the reasons Li Si could tolerate Qin Xun, despite not liking him, was precisely that this guy was really good at teaching Feng Yuan.
It was uncanny.
Things they couldn’t teach Feng Yuan, no matter what, when Qin Xun taught them, Feng Yuan seemed to understand immediately.
“This training here isn’t easy. If you can’t handle it, you can leave anytime.”
Li Si said lightly, then went with Li Wang to the assembly area.
Qin Xun, on the other hand, followed Feng Yuan to meet the instructor.
Brian looked at Qin Xun, finding him increasingly familiar.
“Haven’t we met before?”
“Yes.”
Qin Xun replied. “You came to the Little Tiger Training Camp once.”
Brian raised an eyebrow. “I remember now. You performed quite well back then.”
Qin Xun had also participated in a similar training camp.
Don’t let the seemingly childish name of his training camp fool you. The quality and rigor were far from low.
The instructors at the Little Tiger Training Camp were also familiar with Brian.
“Since it’s you, there’s no need for you to stick with Yuan Yuan. You—”
“Reporting, Instructor! I just want to stay here!”
Qin Xun didn’t want to be reassigned. He loudly voiced his decision.
Brian looked at him, then glanced at Feng Yuan beside him.
The little guy was staring at him eagerly.
Because Feng Yuan was so young, most of the time he trained individually.
Brian could tell that Feng Yuan wanted Qin Xun to stay with him.
The two of them standing side by side looked quite harmonious.
Brian was silent for a few seconds, then agreed.
“The usual rules apply: from now on, you’ll have three days of individual training and two days of group training each week.”
“The base rules, Feng Yuan, you’ll explain to the newcomers.”
Feng Yuan shouted: “Yes!”
After finishing his instructions, Brian assessed Qin Xun’s physical condition.
Qin Xun was undergoing the assessment while Feng Yuan continued training with Nickel.
Before long, the entire morning was spent at the base.
Qin Xun’s assessment results greatly pleased the instructors.
“Your stamina is excellent, and all your indicators are outstanding.”
Qin Xun was not very old, yet he already knew so much.
The instructors admired him greatly.
At that time, Feng Yuan hadn’t received nearly as many compliments.
After praising Qin Xun, the instructors also prepared a training schedule for him.
Then they sent him off to eat with Feng Yuan.
“Feng Yuan, after the meal, you can take him around the base for some activity.”
“Okay!”
Feng Yuan nodded eagerly, grabbed Qin Xun’s hand, and led him away.
The base was very large, but Qin Xun didn’t let Feng Yuan rush him around.
“No need to hurry now. We’ll take our time exploring later.”
Qin Xun was mindful of Feng Yuan’s leg pain from yesterday, so today he didn’t let him walk too much.
Feng Yuan didn’t know the reason and simply thought Qin Xun didn’t want to wander around.
After eating, the two little ones returned to the dormitory for a midday rest.
Li Si and Li Wang’s dormitory now had one more resident—Qin Xun.
Qin Xun could have been assigned his own dorm room, but he requested to sleep in the same room as Feng Yuan.
Feng Yuan didn’t have any objections to this.
However, when they returned at noon, Li Si’s expression wasn’t very pleasant.
Qin Xun hadn’t slept well the night before. His nap had been coaxed by Feng Yuan.
Feng Yuan, after seeing him fall asleep, hadn’t slept himself.
When Li Si returned, the little guy was sitting on the bed playing with cards.
“Sister.”
Hearing the door open, Feng Yuan’s eyes lit up.
He stretched out his chubby little hands, signaling for his sister to pick him up.
Li Si, with a serious little face, directly picked him up and set him on her bed.
“Why is Qin Xun here?”
“He’s sleeping on Yuan Yuan’s bed.”
Feng Yuan answered, also noticing that his sister was in a bad mood.
So the little guy, very skilled at acting cute, clung to his sister and pressed himself against her nonstop.
“Yuan Yuan wants to sleep with Sister, too! Sister, don’t be upset.”
Li Si stubbornly said, “I’m not upset.”
Feng Yuan: “……”
Feng Yuan looked at her darkened expression: “Okay then.”
To make his sister happy, Feng Yuan not only offered up his soft little belly for her to pinch.
He also volunteered to join Robert’s family trip.
Hearing this, Li Si’s expression finally softened a bit.
“Mm, Qin Xun can’t go,”
Li Si said. “He’s not a member of our family.”
Feng Yuan froze.
If we’re talking about family members, he’s not Robert’s family member either.
Robert was his sister’s grandfather, not his.
“I’ll tell Grandpa that you’re coming. This time, we might cross the Grand Canyon and reach the most mysterious forest in the world.”
Li Si was telling Feng Yuan about their family trip.
“If you want to see penguins, we can also go to the icy world and experience it there.”
Feng Yuan listened as his sister described the landscapes around the world.
He listened with his mouth slightly open.
Since the day he was born, Feng Yuan had lived in the world of mountains and seas, confined to the small plot of land near his little house.
After coming to the human world, he had only explored the area around Huasheng Street.
He hadn’t even fully wandered around the neighborhood where Grandpa lived!
Now, although he had gone abroad, his activity routes after going abroad were still limited to home and the base.
The number of times he went out for fun wasn’t many. The places he visited weren’t far either.
In summary, Feng Yuan was still basically a little country bumpkin who hadn’t really seen the world.
Hearing what Li Si said, he was stunned.
“Yuan Yuan, desert, snowy mountains, jungle. Where do you want to go? Do you have a preference?”
Feng Yuan: “No… no preference.”
He hadn’t been to any of these places.
Seeing that he didn’t make a choice, Li Si simply followed the original plan.
After the cousins finished talking about the family trip, Li Si glanced at the time and let Feng Yuan take a half-hour nap on her bed.
In the afternoon.
Qin Xun and Feng Yuan separated for their academic lessons.
Their educational levels were different, so it wasn’t practical for them to attend the same class.
However, when it came to after-school homework tutoring, the two of them no longer had to rely on video calls, which was very convenient.
This continued for three consecutive days.
With Qin Xun around, Feng Yuan was incredibly happy.
At the base, he had someone to train with, and Qin Xun helped him with his homework.
Whatever he wanted to play, Qin Xun would accompany him, though games were off-limits.
Feng Qi, worried that he might get addicted to games, hadn’t dared to relax his control over him.
In the past few days, Feng Yuan hadn’t been begging to play games either.
He had been very well-behaved.
“Qin Xun, when will Dad get better?”
In the middle of the night, Feng Yuan, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly sat up.
He didn’t turn on the light, just sat on the bed, clutching his little blanket with his tiny hands.
Qin Xun was almost startled.
But he quickly recovered, held Feng Yuan’s chubby little hand, and comforted him: “Your dad will get better soon. Once he’s rested, he’ll be able to play with you.”
Feng Yuan didn’t reply.
He played as usual over the past few days, seeming no different from normal.
But only Qin Xun, who slept beside him, knew that this wasn’t the first time the little guy had woken up suddenly.
He hadn’t slept well at night these past two days.
Yesterday, he had even cried in his sleep, his little face streaming with tears, his small body trembling.
Qin Xun comforted him for a long time, even picking him up and gently patting his back.
Finally, the little guy woke up.
When he did, he still had tearful eyes as he recounted his nightmare.
He had dreamed that his dad was gone.
He searched everywhere for his dad but couldn’t find him, no matter how hard he looked.
Even though he had fallen asleep tonight, he suddenly sat up in the middle of the night and asked that one question.
Qin Xun knew he wasn’t sleeping soundly, so he had been paying close attention.
That meant he could answer the little guy’s questions immediately.
He answered, but Feng Yuan didn’t respond.
The little one sat on the bed for a while before climbing down.
He walked to his dad’s bedroom door.
It was already two o’clock in the morning.
Li Sheng’s bedroom light was still on. The bedroom door was only slightly ajar, not fully closed, as if someone had just gone in or out.
Because the door wasn’t fully shut, Feng Yuan pressed his tiny ear gently against it and could still hear voices inside.
“Li Sheng, do you regret it?”
Feng Qi, lying on the bed, coughed twice. His voice still sounded a bit weak.
Even after these days of rest, his fatigue hadn’t noticeably diminished.
Li Sheng sat beside him, holding his hand, and said softly, “I don’t regret it.”
Li Sheng continued, “I don’t regret being with you, Feng Qi. I only regret not bringing you and Yuan Yuan back sooner.”
“Feng Qi, I’m sorry for leaving you to raise Yuan Yuan alone for so long.”
Li Sheng thought of his son, who got scolded or punished almost every few days.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt heartache for Feng Qi.
Taking care of this little guy had truly been hard on him.
Feng Qi, however, didn’t see raising his son as a burden.
He squeezed Li Sheng’s hand back and smiled: “Yuan Yuan is my egg. Raising him is only natural.”
“Li Sheng, do you know why I suddenly came to you with Yuan Yuan?”
Li Sheng pursed his lips and didn’t answer.
He had a suspicion in his heart, but he wasn’t ready to face it.
Seeing that he wouldn’t speak, Feng Qi continued on his own.
“I came to you with Yuan Yuan because I had a premonition that my time was limited.”
When Feng Qi went to find Li Sheng, he already knew he wouldn’t last much longer.
But unexpectedly, by Li Sheng’s side, he had unknowingly lived for nearly three months.
The medicinal herbs Li Heng had given him.
And the two consecutive times he had sealed the ferocious beasts seemed to give him a faint thread of hope.
In short, for him to have held on until now felt truly remarkable.
This time, after sealing Zheng, the overwhelming wave of exhaustion that surged through his body made him clearly realize—
His luck had run its course.
“Li Sheng, Yuan Yuan has suffered a lot following me. Don’t be fooled by how mischievous he can be sometimes. He’s actually a very obedient, thoughtful, and considerate child.”
“I lived with him on Huasheng Street. The other kids on the street had better food and clothing than him.”
“Even though he clearly envied them, he never complained.”
“When I gave him money to buy snacks at the small store, he couldn’t bear to spend it.”
“When he collected scraps and sold them, he handed all the money to me.”
“Li Sheng, Yuan Yuan is the best, most wonderful child in the world.”
“When I’m gone, you must take good care of him.”
Feng Qi spoke of Yuan Yuan’s virtues while also reminding Li Sheng to care for the little one.
On the surface, he appeared calm, but inside, his heart was still aching.
He couldn’t bear to part with his son, nor with the man before him.
Li Sheng’s eyes were red as he gripped his hand tightly.
For a long, long while.
Li Sheng, his voice hoarse, spoke: “Feng Qi, you’re not going to die.”
“Didn’t you say that as long as we find the nourishing herbs and strengthen the body, recovery is possible? I’ve already sent people to look.”
“The list of herbs has already been released.”
“Also, subduing ferocious beasts brings blessings…”
“You’re not going to die.”
Li Sheng’s hoarse voice carried his inability to accept Feng Qi truly leaving him.
In the bedroom, the two dads were still talking.
At the bedroom door, the little one eavesdropping clutched his chubby little hands over his mouth, his eyes brimming with tears.
He didn’t rush in to call for his dad.
He turned his small body and ran to the study.
Qin Xun followed him all the way.
Seeing him enter the study, Qin Xun held his little body and asked, “Yuan Yuan, calm down a bit.”
“What do you want to find? I’ll get it for you.”
“The medicine, the prescription list.”
Feng Yuan cried as he said, “The prescription list that Grandpa wrote. The list of medicines that can heal Dad.”
Qin Xun: “Okay.”
Qin Xun placed the little guy on a chair.
Then he began searching through the study.
Whether it was because Feng Yuan’s determination was too strong or Qin Xun’s luck was on their side.
He hadn’t been searching long before he pulled out a prescription list.
He read aloud the names of the medicines to Feng Yuan.
These so-called medicines… their names…
Qin Xun had only ever seen them in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Some of the ingredients were even the skins or bones of beasts from the same text.
Listening to this, Feng Yuan’s little face nearly filled with despair.
He couldn’t find a single one of these!
Wait.
The crying Feng Yuan suddenly stifled his sobs.
His little head suddenly remembered something. The beast had said it while fighting him.
This little phoenix of his was the most nourishing… and at the same time, the least nourishing thing of all!
Thinking of his dad in the bedroom, Feng Yuan clenched his tiny fists and made a major decision.
“Qin Xun, hold me!”
Having made up his mind, Feng Yuan wiped his little face by himself, then had Qin Xun carry him back.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152