After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 22

Ran Fanyin decided to sit up straight, watching the Water Mirror with an air of extreme elegance. She lightly tapped her fan against the tabletop and remarked calmly, “Perhaps Junior Brother remembers incorrectly.”

She sent a secret transmission to He Lan: Don’t forget, Luo Sheng is there too.

He Lan immediately shifted her leaning position without changing her expression, ensuring the Senior Brother couldn’t see her face. With a smile, she said, “A few thick-browed, big-eyed little liars.”

Yue Changsong felt more and more that something was wrong. He leaned directly over the edge of the Water Mirror, his thick, slanted brows trembling. He cried out, “Something is wrong! I remember burying quite a few celestial herbs here!”

There were indeed many—so many that the inside of Ran Fanyin’s head was echoing with her disciple’s fragmented “menu” of names. She tapped the tip of her fan against her temple, attempting to alleviate the excitement and joy she felt through Ning Songwu’s mental list-making.

Suppressing her laughter was already difficult enough. If her young disciple got any more excited, she really wouldn’t be able to hold it in.

She decided that later she would find some excuse to send the Fifth Elder some silver banknotes; it would serve as a roundabout way of apologizing.

Glancing to the side, she saw the Fifth Elder was still deeply mired in self-doubt.

After all, the three people in the Water Mirror were simply walking straight ahead; they hadn’t been seen stopping to dig up herbs or search for treasure. Could it be that those celestial herbs and treasures had vanished into thin air?

It was truly as if the place were haunted.

Yue Changsong ground his teeth until they made a faint sound. Finding no explanation, he could only comfort himself: at least he hadn’t placed the secret realm containing the Twin Snow Sword and the Seeds of the Heart-Nourishing Lotus in this area. No matter who this “plucker of every blade of grass” was, they wouldn’t be able to get the most precious items.

While these celestial herbs were expensive, since he had placed them there, he had prepared for the possibility of disciples finding and taking them.

It was just… they had plucked it so clean.

They hadn’t even spared the stones!

Whose child was this? So greedy for money, so destitute—did they not receive their monthly allowance? Or was their Peak Master withholding it, forcing the child to save up private funds so desperately?

He better not find out which peak they belonged to.

Ran Fanyin let out a small sneeze. The gazes of several people immediately converged on her, filled with both concern and scrutiny.

There was truly no need.

She gave a light cough and pointed to the Water Mirror. “Someone is coming. Are we watching?”

She hoped Ning Songwu would be in sync with her once more and put on the exact show she wanted to see.

[Truly, a narrow road for enemies. But since we are all at the Foundation Establishment stage now, this lady isn’t afraid of you.]

Ning Songwu thought to herself. A faint light flickered in her hand as she gripped a long sword tightly. Facing the newcomer, she showed no hint of cowardice, slightly tilting her chin up. “Hello. You’re blocking the way.”

Lin Yuxue frowned slightly. She had only heard a sound behind her and stopped to see who it was, so as not to have her own path obstructed.

She hadn’t expected it to be these three.

Thanks to the people she had stationed on the Fifth Elder’s peak, she knew the final destination was to the East. That was why she had been heading in that direction. As for these three… was it a coincidence? Or did they also know something?

Lin Yuxue gripped her long sword. “Are you also… heading East?”

Luo Sheng found it strange. “You—did you build this road? Do we need to apply to you just to walk in that direction?”

“A-Sheng, ignore her. Let’s go.”

According to the “subtitles” (mental prompts), the location of the token was not far ahead. Getting entangled with this person here was pointless—a waste of time and life.

Thinking this, Ning Songwu raised her hand and recalled the three “little paper men” following behind her.

Though they were hard to detect, they were still a potential liability. Besides, the trial was almost over; she should leave a few treasures for her Fifth Senior Uncle.

Having crossed paths, Lin Yuxue was clearly unwilling to let them leave so easily. She took a step forward, her long sword leaving its sheath and barring their path. She asked coldly, “Why have you been heading East this entire time?”

Unable to step around her to the left or right, Ning Songwu stood her ground with her sword held to her chest. She let out a soft laugh. “The secret realm is vast; we can walk wherever we please. On the contrary, why are you so obsessed with the East?”

This question naturally voiced the confusion of the Elders. Why was this young girl so persistent about blocking the path to the East?

Ran Fanyin tapped her finger on the table. “Was the token placed in the East?”

“No,” the Fifth Elder shook his head. “There are tokens in the North, South, East, and West.”

Ran Fanyin smiled enigmatically, her gaze returning to the Water Mirror. In the reflection, Ning Songwu saw that the girl refused to answer and took another step forward. “Or rather, does Junior Sister Lin know what is in the East?”

A mischievous thought flickered in her mind, and she added: “Speaking of which, as we came along just now, the celestial herbs and treasures on the road had been cleared out. Is Junior Sister Lin afraid of her deeds being exposed, so she won’t let us continue East?”

[Either you know what’s in the East, or you’ve done something there. You have to give me a reason.]

[When I read the book, I found it strange. Why was the female lead so unwavering in heading East? The subtitles tell me there are tokens in every direction—it’s just a matter of time. Looking at it now, she must have obtained information in advance.]

[Information… wasn’t this secret realm created by the Fifth Elder alone? She couldn’t have gotten information from him.]

Hearing this, Ran Fanyin glanced fleetingly at the man whose teeth were audibly grinding. Naturally, she wouldn’t have gotten information from him, but whether he had created the secret realm entirely alone was another story.

She lightly shook her folding fan and said as if in passing, “Speaking of which, Junior Brother, did you design this secret realm yourself?”

“I naturally called a few disciples to help. Why do you ask?”

“Then, the disciple responsible for the Eastern sector was…?”

Even the least perceptive person understood something at this hint. He clenched his fists and said coldly, “I understand.”

“Sigh, I wonder what the situation is in the other peak lineages? Perhaps everyone should conduct a check,” the woman said with a quiet laugh. “My own peak is quiet and secluded; at this moment, I have avoided such troubles.”

From the other Elders—especially the Second Elder, who was in charge of the inner sect disciples—came a heavy, resentful glare. The woman simply leaned back, avoiding their gazes.

It couldn’t be helped; her spiritual root grade was unique, her health was poor, and she was unable to teach so many disciples.

However…

Ran Fanyin pressed against the ribs of her fan, feeling strange. In the “book” her disciple was reading, was she truly that stupid? How could she not see such an obvious problem with Lin Yuxue? Normally, a sense of wariness should have been triggered by now.

Could it truly be the “mysterious force” Ning Songwu often thought about—the one that forces the plot back on track—forcibly blindfolding her?

The so-called “Protagonist Halo” was apparently so powerful that it led them, step by step, toward a predetermined path of destruction.

This time, having discovered such a flaw and begun her screening and repairs, could they avoid that fate?

She rubbed her fingers together, her fan forming a semi-arc.

Whether it works or not, I’ll act first and see.

While the person outside the mirror was calculating several steps ahead, the person inside was still blocked by the long sword. The one holding the sword kept her lips pressed tight, unwilling to speak and refusing to move.

Ning Songwu scratched her head. If this continued, the time her group had gained by taking a shortcut would be entirely wasted by this person. Truthfully, she really wanted that first-place spot. There wasn’t much of a reward, but it sounded good.

Ran Fanyin’s first disciple achieved the top score in the secret realm assessment. How nice that would sound.

She pressed her hand to her brow and said helplessly, “Lin Yuxue, I really don’t want to compete with you, nor do I want to make any bets. Can’t we just leave each other be?”

[You wait for your Demon Lord to marry you, and I’ll live my own little life. Isn’t that fine? Why do you have to target me!]

[Did I steal your money or something…]

[Oh, I stole your Master.]

[That’s because Ran Fanyin didn’t want you; what does that have to do with me!]

Lin Yuxue remained silent, her wrist turning slightly as the tip of her sword pointed directly at the girl opposite her.

“What are you doing? Forcing me to fight you?”

“The two of them can go first. You, fight me.”

“…” Heh, she really called it.

The three discussed for a moment. Liu Ruoying led Luo Sheng around the side. Their expressions were full of wariness; the little fox even bared her teeth before rushing toward the finish line at maximum speed so they could return as quickly as possible, lest Lin Yuxue do something nefarious.

In just one year, even Ning Songwu—the one with the fastest cultivation speed—was only at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. This was also due to her not spending much time on cultivation in the last six months.

Especially when Spring arrived, Ran Fanyin had commissioned someone to forge a long sword for her named Chaosfrost as a birthday gift. The materials chosen were top-tier. She had privately shown it to Elder He Lan; He Lanmianmian only clutched her heart, lamenting that rich people were truly extravagant, then added several array seals to the hilt to trigger spiritual energy.

Now, this sword was so expensive that no one could afford it.

Since receiving the sword, Ran Fanyin had adjusted her cultivation curriculum. Most of her day was spent practicing sword forms or combat. Whenever this happened, Elder Ran would move a rattan chair to a shaded spot and watch her practice.

The impression this person left on Ning Songwu was drifting further and further away from the one in the book.

Back to the matter at hand—she had focused on basic sword forms this year, slowing her cultivation to solidify her foundation, which is why she was barely at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. The person opposite her, however, had already touched the late stage. Perhaps after leaving this place, she would be ready to breakthrough to the Golden Core.

Either Lin Yuxue possessed extraordinary talent like the original body, or there was a hidden secret behind it.

Ning Songwu leaned toward the latter. In the book, at this exact moment, the female lead was just a “little rookie” at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. This sudden acceleration seemed more like a deliberate attempt to suppress her.

Could there truly be such a technique? One that could raise strength so quickly with no apparent side effects? Why hadn’t the book mentioned a single word of it?

Ning Songwu absent-mindedly checked the “subtitles,” but the response was equally blank.

A butterfly flaps its wings, and the resulting wind causes unknown changes even in the female lead.

She didn’t dare be careless. With Ran Fanyin not present, if this person suddenly played some dirty trick, it was truly possible she could be killed right here.

Chaosfrost left its sheath. She gripped it tightly, prepared for battle. Her gaze locked onto the girl’s sword, which shimmered with a black light. A layer of flame momentarily flared up as the long sword came straight for her face.

Chaosfrost was forged from ironstone with a cold nature, and the array seals on the blade emitted a chill even without spiritual energy. She raised her hand, and the blade met the flames, sending up a layer of white mist.

Ning Songwu maintained a defensive stance throughout, her steps steady as she subtly changed directions while retreating. The attacker’s eyes were tinged with red; the ruthlessness and killing intent that occasionally surfaced were now even thicker. Naturally, she didn’t notice the clever shifts in the defender’s footwork, assuming she was simply defending and retreating.

“Ning Songwu, can’t you be serious? Am I so unworthy of your respect?!” Lin Yuxue ground her teeth and hissed.

Her wrist turned and pressed down, causing the blade to draw a beautiful arc in the air. Leaving only a trail of flame, she attempted to strike from below.

The frost-shimmering long sword seemed to possess a spirit of its own, blocking the strike perfectly. With a flick and a push, the force was so immense that the attacker was pushed back several steps.

[It seems the special training from this past half-year was effective after all.]

Ning Songwu was still feeling self-congratulatory when her back foot stepped onto a hard stone, making a light click.

[Oh crap, what is this? It’s not a bomb…]