She and Lin Jiudong exchanged a glance, and then walked into the house together.

The house where Lin Xiao lived was not large. Upon entering, there was a main room, which was simply and neatly furnished with only a table. Further inside was where he usually slept.

When Lin Qixia followed He Zhilan inside, Lin Xiao was leaning against the bed, his body wrapped in bandages stained with deep red blood, with a high pillow behind him.

He leaned against it with his arms hanging down, looking somewhat weak, and even sitting up was a struggle.

"Big brother—" Seeing him like this, Lin Qixia was also somewhat shocked, and her nose tingled.

After all, when she first met him after transmigrating, he wasn't in such a bad state as he is now.

Lin Xiao, who had initially looked somewhat dejected, turned his gaze to Lin Qixia when he heard her voice, and reassured her with a deliberately calm tone, "Don't look at me like that, your brother's condition isn't that serious—cough cough cough—"

He seemed to choke on something while speaking, and coughed violently a few times.

His cough aggravated his wounds, causing him to furrow his brow and display an expression of enduring pain.

Seeing this, Lin Qixia hesitated, her eyes filled with reluctance.

He Zhilan quickly went over to help him catch his breath: "Speak slowly, don't get agitated."

"Cough cough—I understand." It took Lin Xiao a while to recover.

He looked up at Lin Qixia and said, "Okay, you've seen my situation, it's like this now."

"I am no longer able to perform the tasks that Xia'er assigned to me."

Lin Xiao finally recovered from his initial dejection. He shed the subconscious pretense he had when he saw Lin Qixia and lay back on the bed with a look of utter defeat on his face.

Lin Qixia stared at Lin Xiao's disappointed face and finally understood why her adopted sister had been so worried earlier.

"The military doctor, Lao Liang, told me the truth: given my condition, it's impossible for me to take up arms again, let alone manage your troops or escort supplies."

Lin Xiao had known about Lin Qixia's burning ambitions since the beginning of the year, but he regretted that he couldn't accompany her all the way.

Even though he survived this time, the fact that he couldn't follow Lin Qixia to do those things was a bigger blow to him than anything else.

Faced with his discouraging words, Lin Qixia remained silent for a long time.

Then she suddenly said sternly, "Brother, what discouraging things are you saying? He's just Doctor Liang!"

"But--"

Lin Xiao was about to say something when Lin Qixia interrupted him: "Do you only believe Doctor Liang's words and not my medical skills?"

Her question stumped Lin Xiao.

He then thought for a moment and muttered to Lin Qixia, "I'm getting old after all. My previous serious injury already damaged my foundation, and I had barely recovered a bit before this happened..."

He meant that his recovery ability was not as good as before.

But Lin Qixia had no intention of listening to him at all. "Big brother, don't think so much. If I say you can recover, then you can. Don't worry about those useless things!"

"Yes, since Xia'er has said so, you should rest first."

He Zhilan was initially surprised by Lin Qixia's attitude, but she quickly realized that it was a smart thing for the other party to do.

So I simply started to agree.

Lin Jiudong choked up as she said, "Big brother, just listen to your sister-in-law and sister, they're sure to be right!"

Lin Xiao was rendered speechless by their retorts.

He remained silent for a while, then finally mumbled, "Okay, I understand."

As they were leaving the room, He Zhilan excitedly grasped Lin Qixia's hand: "Xia'er, was what you just said true? Can your older brother really recover?"

Her question made Lin Qixia's expression stiffen for a moment.

She then smiled and replied, "I will do my best."

First and foremost, we must not let Lin Xiao lose hope.

"Okay, Xia'er, it's great that you say that." He Zhilan actually sensed a hint of uncertainty in Lin Qixia, but she couldn't afford to doubt it at all right now.

Lin Xiao is already in this state; she can't afford to collapse now.

Afterwards, Lin Qixia asked Lin Jiudong to take He Zhilan to rest, since they had been traveling all night and were severely exhausted.

I'm not feeling very well these days.

After seeing them off, Lin Qixia wandered alone in the village.

"System, I just asked you to scan Lin Xiao's physical condition, are the results in yet?"

The three of them in the room were too focused on Lin Qixia's reaction, and she herself was also preoccupied with her own thoughts, so even though the system checked, she didn't have time to look at the results.

Now that things had quieted down, she specifically asked the system a question.

System: [Lin Xiao's injuries are severe, but he can recover. However, recovering to the level he desires will be quite difficult.]

"I understand." Lin Qixia nodded knowingly.

Receiving this answer made her feel even heavier.

It certainly doesn't seem easy.

Lin Qixia sighed inwardly, then asked the system, "Do you have any specific treatment plans to offer?"

[Some hosts.]

The system then provided her with three similar treatment options, along with the time and gold coin costs associated with each.

Lin Qixia chose the most expensive one without hesitation.

"It's decided then, one month, right?" Lin Qixia paused, then said firmly, "I will definitely make my brother fully recovered within a month."

This means that she will be staying in Beiling Mountain Village for the next month.

The system in her mind went silent, and she walked in the direction Lin Jiudong had left earlier, intending to go and pick her up in the coming period.

In the evening, Yunzhi hosted a banquet for them in the main building of the mountain stronghold.

It's that house with the secret passage hidden in the back.

The once empty hall was now filled with tables, all occupied by people.

The table was laden with food, but most people didn't touch it, instead chattering amongst themselves.

Despite their efforts to keep their voices down, the large number of people and the limited space still made it quite noisy.

Lin Qixia and Yun Zhi sat in the main seats, while He Zhilan and Lin Jiudong sat on the sides.

"Ahem, we are truly honored by the presence of our chief today." Yun Zhi's words immediately quieted the surroundings considerably.

Lin Qixia corrected him somewhat awkwardly: "I said, you can just call me Miss Lin."

"Oh, look at my memory," Yun Zhi said apologetically, tapping his head.

Lin Qixia waved her hand, signaling him to continue.

"Although our mountain stronghold has encountered some minor mishaps, the losses are all under control, so please rest assured, Miss Lin."

Facing the stares of the crowd, Lin Qixia said stiffly, "Okay, I understand."

"Everyone, please don't be shy. Although today is a welcome dinner for me, please eat and drink well and don't worry about anything else."

She then addressed the group of people not far away.