"Back in that village, I..."
After thinking it over, Ye Tiancheng decided it was best to let Hou Mingzhu know what had happened outside, lest she be misled due to her lack of understanding. Thus, he ultimately decided to tell her about the fat man's betrayal.
Ye Tiancheng knew that Hou Mingzhu was likely unaware of the situation.
The fat man had exploited this timing to deceive Hou Mingzhu, leading to her being put into a comatose state by Gui Hu A Zi and imprisoned, making it impossible for Ye Tiancheng to find her.
Now that Ye Tiancheng had finally rescued her, he couldn't let history repeat itself.
Ye Tiancheng continued, "At that time, I was in an illusion and was about to leave. Then, for some reason, the fat man suddenly betrayed me. He stabbed me, causing me to be severely injured and unable to return promptly."
Hou Mingzhu was quite shocked upon hearing that Ye Tiancheng had been stabbed.
Ye Tiancheng could see Hou Mingzhu's emotional reaction, a mix of excitement and surprise. He quickly comforted her, "Mingzhu, don't worry. It all happened a long time ago, and I'm fine. This was a long time ago."
He didn't mention the stab wound that pierced his chest.
If Long Miaomiao hadn't happened to be at the bottom of the lake, and if Long Miaomiao hadn't been so fond of Ye Tiancheng, Ye Tiancheng might have died right then and there.
However, with Hou Mingzhu having just woken up and in a poor state, Ye Tiancheng didn't want her to worry about him. Therefore, he glossed over the most dangerous parts.
After comforting Hou Mingzhu, Ye Tiancheng continued, "I was injured at the time and lost consciousness, unable to leave. When I woke up and returned to where you used to live, I discovered that the fat man had taken you away."
At that time, Hou Mingzhu had no idea that Ye Tiancheng had been betrayed by the fat man.
Given Ye Tiancheng's close, life-or-death friendship with the fat man, it was understandable that Hou Mingzhu wouldn't suspect anything and would believe the fat man, leaving with him.
Ye Tiancheng said, "I chased after you all the way, wanting to rescue you. After one attempt, I realized that although I had rescued Qingcheng, there was another person impersonating you, and I didn't know where you had gone."
Hou Mingzhu listened nervously but breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Ye Tiancheng had rescued Ye Qingcheng.
Besides Ye Tiancheng, her greatest concern was Ye Qingcheng, her and Ye Tiancheng's biological daughter.
Ye Tiancheng added, "Then, for the next few years, I had to search for the whereabouts of the Fuxi Qin fragments, and at the same time, I was trying to find you. Many things happened, and I had no news of you all these years."
"It wasn't until about four months ago that someone here discovered that Su Muxian, along with others, had imprisoned you in the Su family mansion, in a very hidden location. They hid you so well that I couldn't find any trace of you."
"You were in a coma all these years until I finally found an opportunity not long ago to rescue you. I gave you medicine, and you finally regained consciousness today."
"Because you were bedridden for a long time, your bodily functions have inevitably degenerated to a certain extent. Therefore, speaking may be difficult for you in the short term, and so will moving. However, I will help you recover as quickly as possible."
Hou Mingzhu finally understood everything.
So, she had been lying in bed for years. No wonder she was in this state now. It was quite good that she had woken up after lying there for years.
It was no different from waking up after being in a vegetative state for years.
Upon hearing Ye Tiancheng's explanation, she finally understood.
However, after learning the cause and effect, Hou Mingzhu didn't blame Ye Tiancheng. She knew that this couldn't be blamed on Ye Tiancheng, and he hadn't wanted this to happen.
She listened silently as Ye Tiancheng spoke for a long time. After getting a general understanding of the situation, she asked Ye Tiancheng with concern, "Where is Qingcheng now?"
As her throat was uncomfortable, Hou Mingzhu tried to speak in short sentences.
Ye Tiancheng replied to Hou Mingzhu, "My situation hasn't been very safe these past few years. I didn't dare let Qingcheng take risks with me, so I had to find a place to settle her."
"We are currently on the territory of the Special Operations Team. When I rescued you, for safety's sake, only by coming here were we the safest."
"Therefore, Qingcheng is not here. Once you recover a bit and can move on your own, I will take you to her. You and Qingcheng can hide together for a while, and soon, I will resolve everything."
"After that, our whole family will have no more worries and can live together peacefully."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng say this, Hou Mingzhu felt both happy and a little worried.
She knew that Ye Tiancheng had made the best arrangements to protect their daughter. Hou Mingzhu was happy that everything was finally coming to an end, but she also knew what the final moments meant and was very worried that Ye Tiancheng might get hurt because of it.
Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu reminisced for a while.
It was mainly Ye Tiancheng speaking, with Hou Mingzhu listening. Since Hou Mingzhu could not speak much, Ye Tiancheng mostly recounted his experiences and encounters over the past few years.
Hou Mingzhu felt very sorry for Ye Tiancheng as she listened.
After chatting for a while, Ye Tiancheng finally calmed down a bit from the joy of his wife's awakening. He went out to inform others that Hou Mingzhu had finally recovered. Consequently, Nie Chongyang, Xiao Huli, and the others came over to meet and visit Hou Mingzhu, saying a few words to her.
Ye Tiancheng also introduced the new member, Ye Wuji, to Hou Mingzhu.
He told Hou Mingzhu, "Mingzhu, this is the child I told you about before, the one I met who can transform into a bird. He is now my brother, our brother. Since he didn't have a proper name before, I gave him one. Like Xiao Huli, he also takes my surname, Ye. His name is Ye Wuji."
Then, Ye Wuji lay by Hou Mingzhu's bedside. After hearing Ye Tiancheng introduce him, he smiled and greeted Hou Mingzhu.
He said to Hou Mingzhu, "Sister-in-law Mingzhu, hello. I'm Ye Wuji. You can call me Wuji, just like you call Big Brother!"
Hou Mingzhu nodded at Ye Wuji and then softly said, "Hello to you too."
Ye Tiancheng said from the side, "Your sister-in-law hasn't fully recovered yet and has a sore throat, so she can't speak much. Don't make your sister-in-law talk too much."
Ye Wuji obediently nodded and said, "Oh, I understand."
Hou Mingzhu found Ye Wuji quite cute and didn't mind anything. Moreover, Hou Mingzhu didn't think there was any problem with talking to Ye Wuji for a bit, so she said, "It's alright."
Ye Wuji said to Hou Mingzhu, "Sister-in-law Mingzhu, you don't know how much Big Brother misses you. He's always been worried about you but couldn't find you. Although I haven't been with Big Brother as long as Brother Huli, I've always seen Big Brother worrying about you."
"It's so great that you're back and have woken up!"
Ye Tiancheng ruffled Ye Wuji's head and said with a smile, "What nonsense are you talking about? Don't make your sister-in-law worry, understand?"
Hou Mingzhu looked at Ye Tiancheng with amusement and concern.
Ye Tiancheng then said to Hou Mingzhu, "It's natural for me to worry about you. It's my fault for not protecting you. I know that if something happened to me, you would worry about me just the same, right?"
Hearing Ye Tiancheng say this, Hou Mingzhu nodded slightly.
However, she also knew that Ye Tiancheng must have been very anxious when she was missing for years, and he was carrying such a heavy burden. She understood Ye Tiancheng very well and therefore comforted him, saying, "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself."
Ye Tiancheng smiled and didn't reply.
Xiao Huli also came over and spoke a few words with Hou Mingzhu.
Hou Mingzhu had treated Xiao Huli well in the past, so they had a good relationship, and they had things to talk about. Xiao Huli also cared about Hou Mingzhu quite a bit.
Ye Wuji asked Ye Tiancheng, "Big Brother, with Sister-in-law Mingzhu in this condition, when will she recover?"
Ye Tiancheng said, "Your sister-in-law was bedridden for too long, and her bodily functions have degenerated to a certain extent. She needs time to recover and will be fine. There are no other major problems."
Ye Wuji indicated that he understood and felt a little relieved.
In the following days, Hou Mingzhu mainly rested in the rooms of the Special Operations Team to recuperate.
It was not easy for a normal person who had been lying down for years to suddenly wake up and want to restore their bodily functions. They might even suffer from muscle atrophy, be unable to stand, and require rehabilitation to recover.
Moreover, such rehabilitation would surely be very painful and uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Gui Hu A Zi probably didn't have any malicious intent towards Hou Mingzhu. When she acted against Hou Mingzhu, some measures actually prevented Hou Mingzhu's bodily functions from degenerating too severely.
Furthermore, Ye Tiancheng was no ordinary person.
After restoring Hou Mingzhu's consciousness, he also enlisted the help of Bai Long and Qiong Qi, refined medicine for Hou Mingzhu using the Shen Nong Ding, and treated her with his own cultivation.
As a result, Hou Mingzhu's recovery progressed surprisingly quickly.
In just a few days, Hou Mingzhu could speak normally and walk on her own. However, she was still somewhat weak and would become very tired after walking for a short distance, requiring some time to fully recover.
However, Hou Mingzhu's recovery to this extent was almost complete.
This meant that Ye Tiancheng could prepare to take Hou Mingzhu to Ye Qingcheng, arrange for their safety, and then he could confidently go about his own business.
After giving Hou Mingzhu another day, Ye Tiancheng went to bid farewell to Nie Chongyang and the others.
Seeing Ye Tiancheng about to leave, Nie Chongyang naturally knew what Ye Tiancheng was going to do next. He earnestly urged Ye Tiancheng to take care of himself and return safely. Liang Ping and Xiao Miaomiao felt the same way.