After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 16

Ran Fanyin  looked at the unidentified object before her, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly. She delicately pointed a finger at it, “You say this is Laba Congee?”

She picked up her chopsticks and gently poked it. The semi-solid substance wobbled, then quickly returned to its original shape.

She picked up the bowl and tilted it slightly. The substance remained completely motionless, clinging tightly to the bowl’s inner wall, showing no intention of sliding down.

This is congee? Even Qin Siyue  couldn’t refine a poison so bizarre.

Ran Fanyin was momentarily speechless, a rare occurrence. She leaned back, comfortably observing the young girl whose cheeks were flushed red. The little one clutched the edge of her apron tightly with both hands, stammering and unable to speak. After a long pause, she finally whispered, “Y-yes… it’s… I’m not good at cooking…”

[Wuwuwuwu, a university student, a 24-karat pure failure.]

[I’ve only ever seen people knead dough into a non-Newtonian fluid. I must be the first one to boil congee into… this isn’t a non-Newtonian fluid either!]

Is there anyone who can knead dough into this state?!

Ran Fanyin’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and the hand holding the chopsticks trembled.

If she hadn’t overheard her disciple scheming about liking this person or that person just a few days ago, she would have suspected the young girl was trying to poison her.

…It’s not entirely impossible, though.

She finally put down her chopsticks, beckoned Ning Songwu  over, and gently pressed the side of the girl’s face, delivering the cruelest possible words—

“You did very well. Don’t do it again next time.”

“We have spiritual beings responsible for cooking on our peak. You won’t starve, so you don’t need to trouble yourself learning this.”

At this, even the normally noisy inner voice fell silent. A thin mist gathered in the graceful little girl’s eyes, which made Ran Fanyin’s heart soften greatly. But for the sake of her future safety, some things were better left untouched.

The young girl remained silent for a long time, then slowly nodded. The inner voice, which had been quiet for a while, finally started up again.

[This isn’t working either. What else can I do?]

Elder Ran’s heart stirred, “So, why does little Ning’er want to do these things?”

“Ah? N-nothing… just wanted to learn,” Ning Songwu responded haltingly, afraid that the person in front of her would hear anything unusual. She hugged the bowl to her chest, bowed slightly, turned, and ran.

She nearly tripped over the doorway again.

[I can’t possibly tell her I was trying to prepare a gift for her, can I? If these things count as gifts… hehe, Master would laugh me to death.]

[Now there is only one path left…]

[Pluck Luo Sheng’s  fur!]

Elder Ran finally chuckled without a trace of kindness, resting her elbow on the table and shaking her head helplessly.

Oh dear, these children nowadays.

Back in the day, no one thought about plucking Helan’s  fur, right? How did these children grow up like this?

Ran Fanyin quickly called out to the young girl to stop her from actually going to pluck Luo Sheng’s fur. If she did, Helan would likely hunt her down for a long time.

A small cat, when truly angry, can scratch quite painfully.

“So, that plan didn’t work either.” Liu Ruoying  propped her chin up, looking helplessly at the person who clearly had an intelligent face.

Why is she so bad at cooking?

Luo Sheng swallowed a piece of pastry before speaking, “Everyone has things they’re not good at. Ning Songwu, don’t be sad. Maybe you’re good at something else?”

“I won’t be sad if you call me Senior Sister.”

Luo Sheng glanced at her, silently put another piece of pastry in her mouth, and shook her head.

The girl sighed again. Back in modern times, she never had to worry about such things; she could always buy something suitable.

Now, here, she really couldn’t think of anything someone like Ran Fanyin would lack or need. She could only attempt small tasks, but she was too useless; she couldn’t even do small things well.

I can’t possibly steal the work of the spiritual beings and do things like sweeping. That wouldn’t even count as a gift, would it?

Ning Songwu scratched her hair, experiencing for the first time what it meant to regret having little experience when you need it most.

If only she hadn’t stayed in bed playing on her phone when her mom asked her to learn to cook.

Liu Ruoying was very curious. She leaned closer and asked, “Why do you keep wanting to give Elder Ran a gift?”

Ning Songwu was momentarily tongue-tied. She stammered, “To celebrate her birthday, of course. Don’t you celebrate your Masters’ birthdays?”

The other two shook their heads. Luo Sheng, “How do you know Elder Ran’s birthday? I don’t know my Master’s birthday.”

Ning Songwu was about to speak when the subtitles, which had been dormant in her mind for a long time, flickered and popped up a line of numbers—The fifth day of the sixth lunar month.

This was the first time an outsider’s comment had triggered the subtitles. She tried to press her advantage, but the subtitles immediately returned to silence, becoming useless again.

The two people sitting on either side of her were still looking at her curiously. She gritted her teeth and said frankly, “I just know. I also know that Elder Helan’s birthday is the fifth day of the sixth lunar month. A-Sheng, remember to prepare something.”

Luo Sheng nodded, silently noting the date.

Liu Ruoying, “How do you know that too? Do you know my Master’s birthday?”

The subtitles remained unmoved, and Ning Songwu could only shake her head helplessly.

Liu Ruoying puffed out her cheeks and let out a soft “Oh.”

A soft laugh suddenly came from behind, followed by a familiar, cold mockery, “Not focused on cultivating, but scheming how to butter up the Elders here?”

Ning Songwu turned her head. Lin Yuxue (林玉雪) was standing there with her arms crossed. Seeing Ning Songwu turn, she let out another scoff, “Isn’t this the time for cultivation? How can you face Elder Ran if you’re slacking off here?”

The person who was called out raised her hand to stop the other two and stepped forward.

The gold thread on her white dress reflected a faint light. She positioned herself at an angle, making sure that the person who was always looking for trouble could clearly see the pattern sewn onto the side of her shoulder and waist belt.

She had repeatedly avoided conflict, hoping to change that bloody ending, but if someone came right to her to target her, she was no longer the cowardly little beast she was initially, without any ability to fight back.

Having a meal in peace is interrupted, and she’s eavesdropping! What a person can endure, a relative cannot endure!!

Besides, this segment wasn’t in the original plot. Her survival and fate depended entirely on how she handled the situation now, didn’t it? A physical fight was out of the question, but she could use other ways to disgust Lin Yuxue.

For example, right now, she was using the clothes on her body to remind this person that she was Ran Fanyin’s disciple. If Lin Yuxue offended her too much, she would probably only get further and further away from what she wanted.

“Since this is the time for cultivation, why is Junior Sister appearing here?” The girl hooked her lips into a smile, slightly adjusting her angle.

Forty-five degrees is the coolest angle for an entrance. She remembers that.

Lin Yuxue was momentarily choked. “I came to buy some supplies. But as for you, instead of cultivating properly, you’re just thinking about how to fawn over the Elders.”

“Fawning over the Elders? We are just eating. You passed by, heard two incomplete sentences, and decided to frame us? Or are you saying… you’ve been listening all along?”

The hand hidden behind Ning Songwu’s back moved slightly. Liu Ruoying immediately got the hint and said with a smile, “Look what I’ve discovered. Some people like to eavesdrop.”

Luo Sheng hugged a bowl of noodles and nodded, “Yes, you do. What evidence do you have? Tell us.”

Ning Songwu gave the two a thumbs-up from behind, silently applauding them.

In truth, her line of reasoning wasn’t strictly sound; it could be easily refuted with a couple of sentences. However, she was betting that the person in front of her would be too concerned about saving face to admit she had been listening.

As expected, Lin Yuxue coldly snorted and turned to leave.

She was still just a child after all. Although Ning Songwu didn’t know where that inexplicable hostility and ferocity came from, she was still a child at heart. Ning Songwu looked at her the same way she used to look at the students she tutored: a bit foolish.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Her confidence in facing Lin Yuxue in the future had grown by a few points.

She can’t rely on the protection of her elders forever.

Behind her, Liu Ruoying had already lightly clapped her hands, “Senior Sister is as formidable as my Clan Sister!”

“Clan Sister?” Ning Songwu raised an eyebrow slightly.

Liu Ruoying nodded, “My second uncle’s daughter when I was little. She was very articulate. Unfortunately, she got married after coming of age and later died in childbirth… I didn’t want to get married, so I secretly ran away and came to the Immortal Mountain alone, working in the Outer Sect to support myself.”

Luo Sheng, “Senior Sister is amazing.”

Ning Songwu, “That’s very brave. You did the right thing.”

“Did the right thing?” The girl’s eyes widened slightly. “Don’t both of you find me eccentric and rebellious?”

The two shook their heads in unison. This time, little Liu herself was embarrassed and scratched her hair, “Well, I suppose that’s true.”

The two people in front of her are an orphan who grew up in the Outer Sect and a mixed-race person who grew up wandering. They probably wouldn’t care much about these things.

The three of them together can’t make up a single complete family.

As soon as Ning Songwu returned to the peak, she was summoned to the study by Ran Fanyin. Several pieces of paper were laid out on the table.

Seeing her arrive, Elder Ran delicately picked out a few of the papers and pushed them toward the girl, saying gently, “These are the background investigations of the disciples recruited this year. I imagine you’ll be interested in these people. Have a look.”

The girl sat down obediently and picked up the summaries. The one on top was Lin Yuxue’s background.

“Daughter of a wealthy merchant…”

The investigation results stated that Lin Yuxue was the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy merchant, raised outside the main family’s home, and was not favored. After her mother was abandoned by the merchant, she, too, had a hard life, which is why she developed the desire to enter an immortal sect to seek knowledge and the Dao.

[That’s not right. Why do I remember she was supposed to be the daughter of a wealthy farmer?]

Ran Fanyin smiled slightly and took out another piece of paper, handing it to the girl, “Regarding her, we also found another background.”

“Another one? Why are there two?”