Chapter 4735 — The Phone Call

Had it been otherwise, Ning Xuefei would not have fainted dead away. An ordeal this great would be more than anyone could bear, let alone a simple-hearted girl like her.

Keeping watch nearby, Han Jingyi exchanged a few quiet words with Shangguan Lan'er, then took out her phone and placed a call, her heart stirring with an involuntary unease.

She did not know whether the call would even go through. Although she had fitted both phones with solar charging panels after buying them—on a place like Yunjie Island there was essentially no way to charge anything except by sunlight—and so need not worry too much about the battery, if the weather over in the Trial Land turned foul and the sun did not shine for a long while, then it was hard to say.

Fortunately, after a moment's wait, the dial tone finally began to sound from the phone, and only then did Han Jingyi let out a strained breath of relief.

Seeing Han Jingyi's movements, Shangguan Lan'er pricked up her ears as well. Though they had learned of Wei Zhao's condition earlier from the two West Island guards, both she and Han Jingyi wanted to confirm it with Huo Yudie herself.

They waited patiently, but a few seconds later Han Jingyi suddenly froze.

"What is it?" Shangguan Lan'er thought something had gone wrong and asked urgently, her face full of alarm.

"Uh... she hung up on me..." Han Jingyi said blankly. Before she had even finished speaking, the phone suddenly rang; without a second thought she answered it at once: "Hello, is this Sister Huo Yudie? This is Han Jingyi!"

"Oh... yes, it's me..." Huo Yudie's voice came over the line, a little embarrassed. What had just happened was purely a mix-up—she only knew how to make calls, not how to answer them, and in her fluster she had hung up, so she had hurriedly called back.

"Sister Huo, how is Brother Wei Zhao now?" Urged on by Shangguan Lan'er's gaze, Han Jingyi skipped the pleasantries and asked at once.

"His breathing and pulse are about the same as before, no change at all. It's very faint, but he's just barely holding on. Still, I don't know how long he can last like this..." Huo Yudie said, unable to hide her worry.

Wei Zhao's condition now could hardly be called good; he was merely clinging to his last breath. In the mortal world, he would be counted as critically ill at every moment. If he pulled through, all would be well, but the slightest mishap would mean death at once.

"Sister Huo, remember one thing—for Brother Wei Zhao, no change is the best news of all. So you must have faith in him!" Han Jingyi said, trying to cheer her on.

"Mm, I understand. Don't worry, I'll take good care of him." Huo Yudie sounded noticeably calmer.

"Thank you, Sister Huo. Without you, the rest of us truly wouldn't know what to do—thank goodness you're at Brother Wei Zhao's side. You two must stay safe; we'll be waiting on West Island for your safe return." Han Jingyi spoke with heartfelt gratitude. Setting everything else aside, the mere fact that Huo Yudie was willing to stay in the Trial Land for Wei Zhao's sake had moved her deeply.

"It's nothing... I... I chose to stay with him of my own accord..." Huo Yudie's voice suddenly faded to barely a whisper. For some reason, she now felt rather like a concubine meeting the legal wife; she knew such a thought was absurd, yet she could not help thinking it—and could not quite pull herself out of it.

The two talked a while longer, and Han Jingyi made a point of reminding Huo Yudie to take the phone out into the sun to charge it often. Only then did she hang up. She and Shangguan Lan'er exchanged a glance, and both breathed a sigh of relief in unison.

"How... how is he?" At that moment Ning Xuefei suddenly stirred and woke, and the first words out of her mouth were to ask after Wei Zhao.

"Don't worry, Feifei, Brother Wei Zhao is fine. He's recovering on his own, and Sister Huo Yudie is there keeping him company—there won't be any problem," Han Jingyi reassured her.

"Really? That's good, that's good." Only then did some color return to Ning Xuefei's face. After a pause she suddenly realized something and asked, "Huo Yudie is Vice Director Liu's disciple, isn't she? She seemed to rarely leave the Eastern Continent before—how would she know Wei Zhao?"

"I don't know either. These past two years I've been with you the whole time, Feifei—you all are the ones who told me what Brother Wei Zhao has been through," Han Jingyi said with a pout.

"That doesn't add up. Our young junior brother hasn't been to the Eastern Continent these two years, and I've never once heard him mention any girl!" Shangguan Lan'er was the authority on such matters. She thought it over, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "Jingjing, do you remember—right before the trial began, there was a veiled girl who tried to strike up a conversation with our junior brother. Could that have been Huo Yudie?"

"I doubt it. Brother Wei Zhao turned her down flat right there in front of everyone. After a public rejection like that, no girl could very well keep pestering him," Han Jingyi said, shaking her head.

"Who knows? Maybe something happened after they went in," Shangguan Lan'er said thoughtfully.

"Whatever the case, she was willing to sacrifice herself and stay behind to keep Wei Zhao company, never leaving him through good times and bad. We must find a way to thank her properly!" Ning Xuefei was still weak, but there was a certain dignity in her voice as she said it—as though, without quite realizing it, she had already come to regard herself as Wei Zhao's woman.

"Thank her with what? Sister Huo doesn't need our thanks. If you really want to repay her, you might as well have our junior brother give himself to her in marriage!" Shangguan Lan'er giggled from the side.

"Huh? Give himself to her?" Ning Xuefei and Han Jingyi were both stunned at these words. All they had felt was gratitude; such a thought had never crossed their minds.

"You two really are silly girls. Sister Huo and our junior brother met by chance—if she hadn't fallen for him, why would she risk herself to stay at his side? She's a pure and spotless girl, you know. If word of this got out, it would ruin her reputation. So of course our junior brother has to take responsibility!" Shangguan Lan'er analyzed with great solemnity.

Ning Xuefei and Han Jingyi looked at each other, and only after a long while did they finally manage to close their mouths. It really was rather unexpected—yet Shangguan Lan'er's reasoning was not without sense; otherwise, they truly could not think of any other plausible explanation.

"Feifei, Jingjing, congratulations! You're about to have another sister!" Shangguan Lan'er teased with a mischievous grin.

"Isn't she your sister too?" Ning Xuefei and Han Jingyi retorted in perfect unison, as if their minds were linked. (To be continued)