After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 41.1

No one could dislike such a pair of eyes.

Ning Songwu subconsciously raised her hand to touch her eyes.

She couldn’t bring herself to say those two words, nor could she think of them. She subconsciously bit the tip of her tongue, turning her head away, afraid to look at the scene before her.

She vaguely tasted a feeling akin to the timidity one feels when nearing home after a long absence.

Ning Xiujie also noticed that there were two people at the gap today, not Ning Leyan alone, but the other person seemed deliberately to avoid her gaze, turning her head away. From Ning Xiujie’s angle, she could only see a little bit of the child’s profile. There was a little plumpness, suggesting she had been well-fed.

A chord in her heart seemed to be lightly plucked. She thought of something, then immediately denied it.

Impossible. That child, how could she still be alive.

She had used all her strength to protect and save her, but that child had clearly passed away right in front of her, placed in a wooden basin, and sent out to sea.

No. She must be a new friend Ning Leyan has made.

She didn’t know what this friend’s identity was, yet Leyan brought her here.

Even so, the person was still somewhat…

Preoccupied.

Ning Leyan was the first to leap down, turning her head, “Hurry up and come down, the moonlight will be gone soon!”

Ning Songwu quickly followed. Just as she landed, Ning Leyan was already quickly walking towards the restrained person, whispering, “Little Aunt, I made a lot of money this time. I bought you a specially effective trauma medicine. Come, try it.”

Ning Songwu reached into her storage ring. The trauma medicine she casually grabbed was a salve gifted by Qin Siyue, costing several hundred taels of silver.

Ning Xiujie still didn’t seem to notice her. Her gaze was completely focused on Ning Leyan, soft and warm, with a hint of a smile, “Leyan is truly amazing, but next time, you must learn to save money.”

Ning Songwu’s hand, gripping the medicine bottle, rose and fell. Her tightly clenched teeth felt slightly sour.

Ning Leyan pouted, “What’s the point of me saving money? Little Aunt doesn’t think I’m clumsy and teaches me to cultivate. All my money belongs to Little Aunt.”

“What did I teach you? These are all cultivation methods from the Nine Provinces Continent. You should thank the people of the Nine Provinces.”

It wasn’t a long sentence, but after Ning Xiujie finished speaking, she paused and gasped for breath for a long time. Cold sweat was dripping from her forehead. Her body was already being pushed to its limits.

Ning Leyan was distressed for her. She told her not to speak anymore and was about to start applying the medicine. From the shadows, the girl spoke, “Use mine. It should be more effective.”

The person who had hidden herself in the shadows since landing walked out slowly, holding a small medicine bottle in her hand, her head lowered. Her high ponytail coincidentally fell in the direction of the moonlight, obscuring half her face in shadow.

She crouched in front of Ning Xiujie, twisted open the medicine bottle, held a hand full of scars, and applied the warm, cool ointment onto it.

She applied it quietly. Ning Leyan put away her own medicine, and Ning Xiujie… fell completely silent, letting her manipulate her hands as she pleased.

It seemed too quiet, so Ning Songwu started making conversation—

“This is an ointment given by Elder Qin Siyue of Shangyun Sect. She is my Martial Aunt.”

“My Master is Elder Ran Fanyin. I have an Ice Spiritual Root, I cultivate the sword, I’m over twenty, and I’m currently at the Mid Nascent Soul stage.”

“Oh right, Elder He Lan said that if I could see you, she wanted me to convey an apology. She said she’s very sorry, she truly didn’t know that the person subjected to the Spiritual Restraint Lock was you. She’s really, truly sorry.”

Ning Xiujie was sobbing uncontrollably, trying hard to shake her head, “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. Please look up, okay? Please look up.”

Ning Songwu had considered what the reunion would be like. She had even planned many sentences in advance, hoping that the meeting wouldn’t be too silent or dull, that the two of them wouldn’t be too awkward.

Fortunately, I overthought it. A mother wouldn’t let her child fall into boundless awkwardness. The faint sound of sobbing was the best response.

But Ning Songwu still needed to introduce herself. She sniffled and said, “My name is Ning Songwu. I have an Ice Spiritual Root. I grew up without a father or mother, fed by various families near Shangyun Sect. I was favored by Fairy Ran and taken as her direct disciple.”

“I… I met Senior Cheng Yunhuan due to some events. She told me some things related to the Outer Domain, so… I came.”

She paused for a moment and said, “I’m sorry.”

Ning Xiujie had long lost the ability to speak or think. She shook her head, tightly biting her lower lip, not daring to utter a sound. Her hands, bound by the iron chains, trembled as they tried to lift up.

Ning Songwu quickly said, “Wait a moment.”

With that, she was about to get up when her sleeve corner was suddenly pulled. The woman shook her head desperately, “Go, hurry and go. This is not something you can shake. Hurry and leave.”

The woman’s words were tearful, and the hand gripping her sleeve trembled slightly.

Ning Songwu gently curved a smile and said, “Don’t worry, don’t worry. I will definitely take you away. Moreover, it’s not just me and my friends. There is one more person waiting for you.”

She slipped the small spatial ring from her finger into Ning Xiujie’s hand. Even though she didn’t say anything, the woman realized that there was another world within this ring, and a person of utmost importance was residing in that world.

“Yunhuan, is she here?”

“Yes, she is also waiting for you, so…”

“Take her! I don’t have any spiritual energy. She is also injured. You… you are only a small cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage. We can’t do it, we can’t…”

“Leyan, you listen to your aunt the most. Take her, take your…” Ning Xiujie bit her lip. The next moment, she sighed, “You leave with your cousin. Be obedient.”

Ning Leyan probably guessed the identity of this tall, cold-looking sister, but hearing her aunt say this still surprised her from the bottom of her heart. She was even more surprised to hear Ning Xiujie ask her to leave as well, “No, Little Aunt, what about you if I leave? Your injuries… No, I’m not leaving. Cousin, I will escort you out.”

Ning Xiujie, however, crawled forward a step, grabbing the robe that hung down. Her watery autumn eyes looked at Ning Songwu, saying, “Leyan is the posthumous child of my older brother. My brother was killed by Ning Yuanyue because of their differing political views, leaving only Leyan. Her meridians are naturally different from those of the Ning family children, so I taught her the cultivation method of the Nine Provinces Continent. She has a great talent for cultivation. Take her… I don’t ask for her to be a direct disciple, but she can find another place to live…”

Ning Songwu: “You still remember how to control spiritual energy, right?”

Ning Xiujie was slightly stunned. She had been restrained for decades. Although she still remembered how to control spiritual energy, she didn’t know how long it had been since she felt spiritual energy. Her meridians were already withered, and her limbs were increasingly weak. Moreover, the Spiritual Restraint Lock was still in place. What did she mean?

Ning Songwu continued, “Not only do you need to control it, but you also need to disguise it. You must remember your current state and continue to present yourself in this state.”

Ning Xiujie didn’t know what she was going to do, but she nodded.

The method for reinforcing the Spiritual Formation, which Elder Cat had repeatedly instructed her on before setting off, surfaced in Ning Songwu’s mind. She used her finger as a brush, outlining paths to open the mechanism in the air. As her posture changed, she stepped in a highly complex shifting direction, pressing onto a talisman paper.

On the grand formation, the somber aura brought by the Spiritual Restraint Lock did not change at all, but the entire formation had undergone a fundamental change.

【If I cannot seek it inwardly, then I shall seek it outwardly.】

【Once I become powerful, I must fight back. Oh, Senior Brother Song Yi, right? Just you wait!!】

【It hurts so much. Why didn’t he remind me about so many small wounds?】

【Hmm, can Sword Intent actually cut through skin without damaging clothing?】

Unlikely. This is actually the smartest move.

Because the full version of that sentence should be: “Let’s have a fight. If you win, I’ll keep your identity a secret.”

Just from the two pieces of information—that she’s Elder He Lan’s disciple and not a Demon Clan member—to deduce that her identity is not simple, and thus use it to propose a battle request… This person is just a bit direct, but not stupid at all.

Luo Sheng used two fingers to clamp the long sword, which held little force, pushing it aside little by little. She said faintly, “Your sect will likely stay at Shangyun Sect for a few days. Please go through the normal process to apply.”

Jiang Mang said, “I have money. I don’t know how to apply. Let’s fight now.”

“I’ll help you apply. See you the day after tomorrow.”

After Luo Sheng walked away, Jiang Mang turned her head to look at Jiang Yue, who seemed to have been reborn after a disaster. She said softly, “Alright, I’ve applied.”

Jiang Yue: … Ah, yes, yes, yes.

As the competition time approached, the Elders of the two sects sat on opposite sides as agreed, with the training ground of the main peak in the middle. The disciples, who had been screened in advance, stood on both sides, waiting to go online one by one.

Ran Fanyin politely declined Tiancheng Immortal Gate’s invitation to converse, saying warmly, “This Sovereign is still ill. I must not pass my illness to Daoist Mingde.”

Since she had said so, Daoist Mingde could not insist. He cupped his hands in salute and relented.

Ran Fanyin chose a comfortable corner. He Lan Mianmian sat to one side, squinting her eyes, staring at Daoist Mingde, who was talking and laughing with the Sect Master in the distance. She was very displeased and secretly transmitted her voice, “This old man, why did he go find Cen Ran after talking to you? Why didn’t he go find the Second or Fifth Elders?”

Ran Fanyin coughed quietly a few times, looking at her helplessly, “How are you getting more and more like Ning Ning?” The implication was, How are you getting more and more childish?

“I just don’t like him.”

“Alright. He talked to this Sovereign because of the war from some years ago. The Sword Immortal was a wandering immortal at the time, and casually took a battle at Tiancheng Immortal Gate. They are old friends. As for Cen Ran… do I need to explain to you, my unreasonable little cat?”

He Lan sniffed, letting out a soft “hmph,” and conjured warm water from somewhere, handing it to Ran Fanyin.

They stopped their idle chatter and focused their attention on the training ground, where the disciples were making their final preparations.

This competition adopted a wheel-battle format. Ten people from each side. Whichever side finished their last person first was considered defeated. It was primarily a competition between Sword Cultivators and Blade Cultivators. The rest of the disciples sat in the stands to watch.

Without much instruction, both sides saluted, gripped their swords, and stood firm. As the barrier rose, blades and swords clashed, sparks flying everywhere.

At first, the fighting was back and forth, with Shangyun Sect even gaining the upper hand. Only three people had gone up, yet the opposing side was already down to two people.

That is, until a white-robed woman leaped onto the ring, holding her sword. She did not salute, only stating with a cold, aloof expression, “Jiang Mang.”

“Song Yi. Please guide me.”

The moment the barrier rose, countless vines drilled out from the gaps in the ring. The water phantom Song Yi summoned seemed to aid the vines, helping them grow taller and thicker. Jiang Mang also drew her long sword at this moment. The dark-green, narrow sword body flashed with a cold light in the gaps between the vines.

Jiang Mang pushed off the ground. Her long sword pointed heavily downwards. The sword tip met the water sword in Song Yi’s hand. Her wrist hooked back, wrenching the long sword towards her side.

Song Yi gritted his teeth and snatched his long sword back, barely retreating half a step. However, the dark-green sword body closely followed, aiming straight for the shoulder on the side holding the sword.

“This Jiang Mang is actually a Wood Spiritual Root,” Elder He Lan lamented. “Many people must have advised her to study medicine. It’s truly not easy for her to have come this far on the path of swordsmanship.”

He Lan propped her face up with both hands, “She has a firm will, swift and decisive moves, and high fighting spirit. Can we dig Ning Ning out of the snow and have her come learn from this?”

Ran Fanyin was intentionally or unintentionally observing the battle situation in the field. Hearing this, she looked at He Lan Mianmian with amusement, “You go dig.”

“Is that the main point, Senior Sister? The main point is that Ning Ning is still too gentle when she fights, isn’t it? She focuses on defense, looking like she doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Sigh.”

Ran Fanyin raised her hand to tap the side of her forehead, feeling helpless in her heart.

Her nature is like this. How can I force her?

If Ning Songwu’s connection to the grand formation is as she suspects, then prioritizing defense and not being able to hurt people is a guideline carved deep into her soul.

What can be done?

The finger tapping the side of her forehead froze. Gasps of surprise came from the surroundings.

In the field, Jiang Mang’s single sword charged forward relentlessly, pressing straight onto Song Yi’s forehead, forcing him back to the edge of the ring. Song Yi blocked the downward pressure of the dark-green sword with his raised sword. Half his body was already pressed against the outer edge, precariously suspended in the air.

He turned his head to look behind him, gritted his teeth, and used his foot to push off the ground, lending force. The immense force pushed Jiang Mang back several steps. Before Jiang Mang could react, layers of water phantoms surfaced around him. No longer the soft water mist that aided the growth of vines, but water that could leave small wounds on the skin with a light touch.

Jiang Mang, who had been silent since entering the stage, let out a soft “tsk.” Vines extended backward from her hand guard, forming a defensive circle around her hand. Then, she resolutely charged forward, rushing straight through before the water phantoms could solidify into sword intent. Disregarding the numerous small wounds left on her face, she parried the water sword and stabbed her own sword into Song Yi’s shoulder blade, halting his offensive.

Jiang Mang lightly withdrew her sword and said coldly, “Finished.”

Song Yi cupped his hands, “Your sword heart is firm, Miss. I have lost.”

“Mm, correct.” Jiang Mang left this sentence and then turned to retreat to the side of the ring.

The “Mm” was for the firm sword heart, and the “correct” was that he had indeed lost.

On the side, even Ran Fanyin couldn’t help but curl her lips. How could this child be so silly?

But the silly child truly deserved the title of a swordsmanship genius. She fought all the way to the last person. Watching Daoist Mingde’s face, which had previously fallen,