After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 21

“Senior Sister Ning, I want to make a bet with you.” The young woman slightly lifted her chin, her expression arrogant and cold. “Do you dare?”

Ning Songwu looked bored. “No. Please leave.”

“It’s not hard. We’ll simply compare whose final assessed score is higher. How about it?” The girl was aggressive, leaving no room for retreat. In front of Ning Songwu was a cold sword glinting menacingly, urging her to agree.

She didn’t even need to think; the hidden purpose behind the sword was surely branded with Ran Fanyin’s name.

She absolutely cannot use that name for a playful bet. No purpose is acceptable.

[I’m not saying I don’t dare to compete with you, Lin Yuxue. I just don’t want to compete with you right now.]

[Take your messy, irrelevant agenda and scram.]

With this thought, Ning Songwu slowly took half a step forward. The sudden surge of pressure forced the girl to retreat. Ning Songwu said coldly, “I won’t bet, period. Your attempt at provocation won’t change my mind, Junior Sister. You should share this kind of fun with others, or set up a stall that bets for enjoyment, not money. I guarantee you’ll get your fill of onlookers, and it won’t violate the sect’s rules. How about that?”

She was young after all. A head full of schemes was still no match for this sudden intimidation. Lin Yuxue stared blankly at Ning Songwu, who was much firmer than when they last met. In that moment of daze, the young woman had already left with her companions, ignoring her.

Lin Yuxue naturally knew the source of this newfound confidence. The burning pain in her dantian reminded her that she needed medicine, or… she needed to approach Ran Fanyin sooner to beg for her exquisite control over the Heaven-Grade Fire.

Why, being of the same Heaven Grade, was she the only one so unlucky as to suffer the Spirit Root’s self-erosion, requiring medicine to suppress it?

Pain fostered envy, and envy scorched reason. Yet, she was not permitted to let her rationality collapse; there was still something she absolutely had to obtain.

However, if she could acquire the so-called ‘Ice and Snow Exquisite Heart’… would that also suppress the abnormal fire burning within her body?

Lin Yuxue clenched her fists, unconsciously revealing a hint of malice, which she quickly hid. However, it was fully observed by the person who had been watching her the entire time.

The silver-haired woman smiled faintly, her fingers moving slightly. A wisp of divine sense silently climbed up the slender, fair neck of the person in front of her, flashed twice, and then faded.

When they entered the Secret Realm later, the barrier would cut off sound. She wouldn’t be able to hear her disciple’s thoughts or assist her promptly. A wisp of divine sense would serve as a safeguard for her disciple.

A gust of wind blew through the thin gauze, causing the woman to shiver lightly twice and cough a few muffled sounds, the corners of her eyes immediately turning red.

Fortunately, her disciple wasn’t here, otherwise, she would be forced to wear a thick cloak again.

Suddenly, a hand holding a medicinal pill extended in front of her. Qin Siyue said flatly, “Cast a Wind Aversion Spell and take it.”

“Senior Sister, don’t be so fierce.” Ran Fanyin blinked. The moisture from her muffled cough still clung to her long lashes, making her look pitifully vulnerable… Like hell she was.

Qin Siyue rolled her eyes and stuffed the pill into the hands of this person, who was inexplicably acting up today. “I don’t treat brains.”

With that, she distastefully patted her own hand, as if having touched something dirty. She was about to lightly smooth her sleeve and leave, but the other woman called her to a stop.

“What is it?”

Ran Fanyin curved her lips. “Could you prepare some injury medicine and send it to my peak?”

“Resurrection elixirs?”

“It won’t be that serious.”

Qin Siyue stared fixedly for a moment. “I hope you can lure out the big fish you’re looking for this time.”

Elder Ran looked utterly innocent. She wasn’t trying to lure a fish; she was afraid the big fish would turn into a piranha and bite off half of her clear-minded, silly disciple’s life.

Ah, why does no one believe her? When she asked Mianmian to draw a set of defensive talisman formations on the robe, Mianmian didn’t believe her either and drew a set that would sell for at least two hundred thousand taels, proving how little trust she had in her.

What a pity. She really didn’t want to close the net this time. Within the scope of her control, the net truly…

The bigger, the better.

After a dizzying, uncontrollable sensation, Ning Songwu and her two companions finally stepped onto solid ground again. Looking up, they had landed on a small island in the middle of a lake. In the vast white mist, there was only one small boat, barely able to fit three people.

[This starting point is terrible. If this were a game, I’d be cursing.]

When Ning Songwu’s inner voice sounded in Ran Fanyin’s mind again, she slightly widened her eyes—

How could this be? Wasn’t there a defensive barrier separating them? Did the barrier fail, or was there another principle at play here?

Looking at the three young women still scratching their heads in the water mirror on the table, Ran Fanyin pretended to be bored and said, “These three will be stuck here for a while. Let’s look at someone else?”

“You’re being unusual. You’re actually willing to look at someone else?” The Sect Master, who usually wore a perpetually stern face, carried a hint of amusement. Ran Fanyin only looked at her, her gaze slightly lowered, subtly conveying the information the two of them knew.

Cen Ran naturally understood her underlying meaning and switched the scene to the next group, while Helan Mianmian looked completely puzzled.

“Hey!” Helan whined. “I want to watch my disciple, too! Senior Sister is playing favorites!”

The moment the screen switched, the inner voice that was half-spoken abruptly cut off.

It seemed that either they needed to be within a certain range, or there had to be some spiritual interaction, or she had to be able to see her disciple. In short, to hear Ning Songwu’s inner voice, there needed to be some form of connection between the two.

A one-way connection, with the control in her hands. This matter was becoming increasingly interesting.

Ran Fanyin joked, “Mianmian, don’t give the Sect Master a hard time.”

Yet, her gaze couldn’t help but shift between the two of them. Watching Helan Mianmian huffing again, Cen Ran’s somewhat troubled handsome face, combined with the fact that her disciple had been nagging about them for a year, she could now vaguely taste what her disciple meant by “deliciously shippable.”

It was indeed deliciously shippable.

During the time the screen was switched away, the three of them had already rowed the small boat to the shore together. As soon as they landed, a dense spiritual power tightly enveloped the three.

It was the first time Ning Songwu realized that besides oxygen intoxication, a person could also experience spiritual power intoxication.

It was too dense. The meridians were so full they felt slightly bloated, and every step they took caused a throbbing itch.

Luo Sheng seemed to have a stronger reaction. Pale blue veins gradually surfaced on her fair face, making her look somewhat contorted. The fox tail behind her was faintly visible.

Ning Songwu gritted her teeth. “Too much is as bad as too little. Something is wrong here. We need to get out quickly.”

“I… I can’t move, Ning Songwu,” Luo Sheng said. She hadn’t taken two steps before she fell to her knees, her expression pained. Veins bulged on the exposed skin of her hands, shoulders, and neck.

The distribution of meridians in the demon race is different from humans. Because they are more intimately connected to the spiritual power of heaven and earth, their reaction is more intense.

However, the person who set up the Secret Realm couldn’t have been unaware that there were disciples with demon bloodlines in this batch, so this place was definitely not intended to take lives.

Then what was it for?

Ning Songwu quickly racked her brain, slowly approaching the collapsed Luo Sheng. She struggled to help her up. When she looked up, she saw a flower in the distance that seemed to be beckoning.

“Junior Sister Liu, look at that flower.”

Hearing this, Liu Ruoying also endured the pain and itching and struggled to walk over. She stared fixedly at the flower the two were pointing at for a moment. She raised her hand and summoned a vine to reach for it.

Because she mobilized her spiritual power, a vacuum formed, and the surrounding spiritual power rushed more fiercely towards the three of them. But before it could get close, the vine wrapped around the flower and lifted it into the air. The dense spiritual energy instantly faded, and the three people who had been barely holding on let out a sigh of relief.

Liu Ruoying said, “This should be an immortal herb that can draw in the surrounding spiritual power to form a protective zone of spiritual energy. Picking it fixed the problem.”

Ning Songwu asked, “Can it be used as medicine?”

Liu Ruoying was stunned. “It should be possible, but this is inside the Secret Realm…”

“Who cares? Wrap it up and put it away. Quickly, quickly, if we do it fast, no one will see.”

Since they came all this way, why not take it if it’s free?

Liu Ruoying was still stunned when the other girl came over, shoved the immortal herb into her spatial ring, and patted it solemnly. “Keep it safe. This is our private stash of money.”

“Yes… yes, Senior Sister.”

Ning Songwu quickly signaled the ‘Subtitle Brother’ (her internal monologue monitor). The objective of this Secret Realm was to find a token. She had already asked in advance, and both the token and the Frostfall Swords (Shuangxue Jian) should be in the east. She now wanted to know if there were many more treasures like this along the way.

The monitor seemed speechless by her, lagging for a long time before slowly displaying a line: Go east. Many treasures.

Having received a definite answer, Ning Songwu patted the two on the shoulder and whispered, “Let’s head east. If we see anything good along the way, we’ll take it. Understood?”

Luo Sheng was a little nervous. “Won’t Fifth Senior Uncle hit us for this?”

Fifth Elder Yue Changsong was responsible for the design of this Secret Realm. It could be said that many of the immortal herbs and treasures within were his doing. If they were pocketed, they would probably be held accountable, right…? Liu Ruoying thought, looking at Ning Songwu.

The young woman smiled slyly, lowering her voice. “So, we have to sneak into the village. No shooting.”

“What sneak into the village? What no shooting?” And what was with that accent! It was so strange.

Ning Songwu chuckled, lowered her head, and quickly formed a few hand seals. Then, a small ice figurine appeared in her palm, holding her spatial ring.

She raised an eyebrow. Liu Ruoying understood the hint and, following suit, conjured a small wooden figurine.

Luo Sheng: They’re learning bad habits! They’re really learning bad habits!

The two girls looked at her. The little one was the youngest after all, thin-skinned, and she reluctantly conjured a small water figurine with a deep red face.

Before long, three small, staggering figures followed behind the trio. They were palm-sized, and once covered by the grass on the ground, they were completely invisible.

Ning Songwu: This establishes a relationship of being accomplices. When we get out, no one can sell anyone out.

When the water mirror scene switched back, Ran Fanyin heard Ning Songwu’s inner voice and was momentarily stunned—

[Three immortal herbs that can be used as medicine. Fifth Elder truly has a grand hand.]

[It makes sense. To put the Frostfall Swords into the Secret Realm, Fifth Elder truly is rich and powerful!]

She secretly glanced at her Fifth Junior Brother. This person was currently spaced out, barely looking at the water mirror. His thick brows and large eyes made him look particularly unrestrained, just sitting there in a daze… It was a little funny.

The thought of the treasures he had placed in the Secret Realm being entirely pocketed—

Ran Fanyin managed to suppress the smile on her lips with great difficulty, holding her folding fan against the corner of her mouth, slightly pulling it down.

Helan suddenly exclaimed, “Senior Sister, why did you dress your disciple up in the same color scheme as your fan?”

“You really love that combination, hahahaha!”

Ran Fanyin glared at her. “Only just noticed?”

Though she said that, the little cat was definitely up to no good.

Helan Mianmian winked at her, giving a teasing smile.

Sure enough, after everyone’s attention was drawn back to the water mirror, the Fifth Elder examined it closely for a long time and turned his head suspiciously. “Where are the immortal herbs I buried? Isn’t this the right area?”