After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 41.2

gradually recover its smile, the atmosphere on Shangyun Sect’s side was no longer so relaxed.

After Jiang Mang unexpectedly stabbed with a backhand from behind, the last person was also forced to the edge of the training ground. The woman needed only a heavy push to eliminate her directly.

Cen Ran’s hands, clasped in front of her, had already tightly clenched into fists, her knuckles white. At this moment, she slowly let go, sighing in relief.

Forget it. Since it has come to this point, there’s no need to insist.

If we lose, then we lose.

It only means that these children need to be properly disciplined. Increasing the training load is inevitable.

The woman gently rubbed the thumb ring, already starting to contemplate how to approach He Lan Mianmian next and how to ask those Fiend Clan seniors for help.

Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, the cold swordsman in the field suddenly put down her sword and said loudly, “I concede.”

Everyone was silent for a few seconds.

Seeing the frozen smile on Daoist Mingde’s lips, Cen Ran finally confirmed that she had not misheard. She struggled to suppress the corners of her mouth. Her authority was immense. She raised her voice and asked, “Junior Nephew Jiang Mang, what happened? Why the sudden concession?”

【Ouch, how can you hit a girl’s face?!】

【Is this the medicine the person in the previous dream applied to Lin Yuxue?】

【It seems not.】

At that time, Cen Ran and He Lan were making their final inventory and deployment. After the door was knocked, the two went out to look—

How did Jiang Mang end up here, and seemingly unconscious?

Fortunately, the person who brought her didn’t want the two of them to spend time guessing. They left a letter, placed neatly on Jiang Mang’s chest.

It was crumpled and torn, only slightly better than a wad of waste paper, but not by much.

He Lan Mianmian frowned, picked up the letter, and opened it. She instantly closed her eyes, appalled by the ugly handwriting.

It wasn’t ugly, just too unrestrained, too inconsistent with her reading habits.

Cen Ran smoothly took the paper. She heard the cat muttering beside her, “You should be able to understand it. Your handwriting is not much different from this.”

You don’t need to say what’s in your heart. Besides, I am practicing calligraphy, but there’s been no progress. What can I do? It’s just like writing novels. I really tried, but the Heavens can’t see my effort and have closed the door on me again and again.

What can I do!

Cen Ran took a deep breath, looking at the unrestrained letter. The writer of the letter must be a very lively and adorable girl, and her language was quite casual—

“To everyone in Shangyun Sect,

Oh, I haven’t been this serious in a thousand or two thousand years. I’m not used to it. Forget it, I won’t be serious.

I’ve sent this girl, Jiang Mang, to you. You should all be smart enough to know how to use her, right? (I heard you found a way to counteract the source poison, so I only suppressed it for her. You’ll have to completely remove it.)

But you need to be sure to talk to her nicely. This girl has a tendency for self-harm. Don’t really treat yourself as a chess piece and die just because you’re told to. (Oh, it scares me just talking about it. I just missed saying one thing, and this child actually wanted to sacrifice herself to me. It’s too scary, too scary.)

Also, don’t worry about Little Ran’er and a certain simpleton’s whereabouts. They have things they need to understand. You leave assuredly. They will catch up soon. (Don’t insist on waiting for them. Be obedient. I wouldn’t trick them, would I?)

Furthermore, don’t ask me why I helped you. I couldn’t help it. You are the only ones with a bit of skill, a bit of brains, and a bit of luck. Thank your Patriarch for choosing a good location, a place of good feng shui. It will surely protect you, keeping you safe and glorious.

Finally, please send my regards to Ning Xiujie and Cheng Yunhuan. It’s a pity I can’t meet them in person and have a meal. I truly admire the two of them and their family’s simpletons. (Seriously, I’m not gritting my teeth.)”

Signature—Your loving, your Senior.

Afterward, a name seemed to have been written, but it was fiercely crossed out with a pen, leaving only a blob of semi-dry ink, which was enough to show how urgent the situation was when the letter was written, as well as…

He Lan Mianmian pondered for a long time before asking, “This looks like another person with an identity similar to Ning’er’s. So why would she ask about Ning Xiujie and Cheng Yunhuan?”

Cen Ran shrugged, her expression still serious. She could only say, “How would I know? But we still need to thank the person who helped us everywhere.”

“Then… we leave?”

Cen Ran nodded solemnly. Just then, the Second Elder, who had gone to the Immortal Gate to bid farewell, returned. After exchanging information with the two, he sighed, saying, “I originally wanted to stay two more days to let the children gain more experience.”

Cen Ran threw the letter into his arms, half-mockingly and half-coldly, “They don’t lack this bit of experience. The time to gain real knowledge is just beginning.”

“Now, have the people left in the sect begin reinforcing the Mountain Protection Grand Formation. Invite the Medicine Sect to relocate to Qingye Peak. And the two of them will proceed to the East Sea coast as planned.”

She gently pulled her sleeve, chuckled, and said, “Since we’re going to play, let’s test the depth of this Immortal Gate.”

The so-called “system” in Ran Fanyin’s mind was still being mysterious about the current situation, saying things like there are three thousand minor worlds under the Nine Heavens, and the one she is in now is one of them—a world without cultivation methods.

「Oh right, because there are no cultivation methods, your spiritual energy can’t be used here either~」

The body she had “transmigrated” into now was that of a teacher, surnamed Lin. The system praised her as gentle, generous, and possessing extraordinary ability. It was now close to “off-duty” time. She could tidy up the things in front of her and then go out for a casual stroll.

「It’s not too embarrassing for you, right? Your next task is to perfectly impersonate this person, and then…」

Ran Fanyin forced a laugh from her throat. The voice in her mind paused for a moment, then instantly flared up, 「What are you laughing at!! Am I that funny!!」

“No. I just wanted to ask, Senior. Do you like that mask?”

The “system” stuttered for a moment, seemingly a bit flustered, 「What mask? What are you talking about? I don’t know anything… So you…」

Ran Fanyin corrected her voice and said, “Before we came in, you said this place is an illusion.”

Xiao Wanchen was speechless.

She couldn’t even tease this person. Why did she expose her little scheme so directly? Annoying.

Why is she as straightforward as that guy, as if carved from the same mold!

Boring.

Thus, she said boredly, 「Fine, you know everything. Then go have fun. Don’t rush to leave here. The flow of time is different. You have enough time.」

She was about to leave, but Ran Fanyin quickly stopped her, asking, “If I want to leave here, what should I do?”

「Shout ‘System, System, I love you’ three times, and I’ll let you go.」

Xiao Wanchen suddenly felt a chill down her spine, as if someone had crossed infinite mist and was staring intently at her, making her feel guilty. She quickly said, 「Just kidding, haha. When you want to leave, just use your spiritual energy, and you’ll naturally break free. Don’t use it now! I can only send you here once. You should still take a look.」

「You will find many answers here. Don’t rush, don’t rush.」

「Go have fun.」

Ran Fanyin: …

Why do I feel inexplicably teased? Is it truly impossible for me to destroy this place with my power?

Although she could summon her spiritual energy right now and test it out, she still restrained her impulse. Since she finally came to the world where Ning Songwu once lived, she wanted to see what it was truly like and look for the answers the person mentioned.

At the same time, the office door was gently pushed open. A young girl poked her head in, looked around, and then darted in, running up to Ran Fanyin, “Teacher Lin, have you finished work?”

Ran Fanyin nodded compliantly.

The young girl in front of her was Ning Songwu when she was still a little girl—a youthful, sixteen or seventeen-year-old appearance, with a bit of baby fat on her face. She always looked a bit shy when she looked at her, grinning foolishly and showing a few of her teeth. She was wearing a loose, light blue top, exposing her arms.

Seeing this, Ran Fanyin subtly raised an eyebrow.

What a cool top. Is this what the clothing style of this era is like?

Seeing her nod, Ning Songwu said happily, “Then, today is Saturday. Do you have any plans for later, Teacher?”

【If she does, that would be too miserable. Saving up for months just to feed a bad person.】

【That’s right. Why did the person in the dream look so much like me?】

【Also, Ah Sheng, who I dreamed about last time, why did she say she gave me a piece of her tail?】

【… What a great answer.】

【My sin, my sin…】

【I want to see, I want to see.】

【But I lost to Senior Brother Song Yi today. The next few days…】

【You are the omniscient and omnipotent system. You should be asking me?】

【So what’s the situation now? I feel like the future has been completely messed up by me.】

【… Can you give me some useful information? Or tell me how to cultivate Sword Intent?】

【! But the character in the plot appears at the late-stage of the Integration stage. Is five years enough for her to break through from the mid-stage to the late-stage? That’s a bit difficult, right?】

She angrily made her final conclusion.

Ran Fanyin didn’t have to turn around to know that a little mouth was sticking out in the void, enough to hang a teapot on.

After the waiter led the two to their room, closed the door, and left, Ran Fanyin gracefully took off her veil and hung it on Ning Songwu’s head.

Ning Songwu: …?

“Let’s see if your little mouth can push a hole through the thin gauze,” Ran Fanyin said with a smile, playfully tweaking the little fellow’s nose.

The woman raised an eyebrow. Was there anything wrong with this action? It seemed she hadn’t read enough novels. She needed to study more.

He Lan had never said there was anything wrong with her doing this.

There shouldn’t be… right?

Ran Fanyin fell into self-doubt. Ning Songwu took this opportunity to take off the veil and hang it aside, pulling out a quilt from her storage ring.

She turned around and spread it on the floor.

“What are you doing?”

Ning Songwu was crouching on the floor, spreading out the quilt, and said seriously, “There’s only one bed. Master sleeps on the bed, and I’ll sleep on this.”

Ran Fanyin walked over, wanting to hook the little girl’s arm, but the little fellow’s speed at burrowing into the quilt was unparalleled. Before she could hook her, the person was already wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon.

Her beautiful eyes curved, and her lips slightly lifted, “Master, rest early.”

The woman frowned, “Come up. It’s cold.”

Ning Songwu was speechless for a moment, then blinked, “…Master, I am an Ice Spiritual Root cultivator. I’m not afraid of the cold.”

“Besides, wrapping up like this isn’t cold, don’t worry. Hurry and rest. Didn’t Master want to see that so-called Immortal Master? If we leave early tomorrow, we should be able to see her when we return.”

Seeing Ran Fanyin’s slightly surprised expression, Ning Songwu inwardly scoffed a few times.

Ran Fanyin was left not knowing whether to laugh or cry. So she’s still a trickster, is she?

Seeing that she didn’t move, Ning Songwu silently wrapped herself up tighter, physically demonstrating one thing: I’m sleeping on the floor.

Ran Fanyin couldn’t say anything more. She shook her head, simply going along with her little disciple’s wishes, and gently bid goodnight to the girl, who only had her eyes exposed.

Ran Fanyin rarely dreamed. She almost never did when she was young. Since her mother passed away, she would occasionally dream of the past when her longing was particularly deep.

They were not particularly pleasant dreams either.

For some reason, today, she dreamed of her indifferent and emotionally aloof mother.

The woman wore a heavy purple robe and a lotus crown on her head. In her hand, she held a long, completely black sword. The sword was named Night Chill, and like its owner, it kept people thousands of miles away, radiating a chilling coldness.

She had a pair of the most captivating peach blossom eyes, yet she was naturally aloof. Her eyes held only indifference and a thin layer of frost. Even when facing her daughter and adopted daughter, it was the same—extremely detached and not given to smiling.

In the past, Ran Fanyin mostly dreamed of scenes where she was supervised in cultivation and sword practice, having to re-experience the constant complaining of the past even in her dreams.

But this time was a completely new scene, a scene she rarely dreamed of.

The woman walked gracefully into a cave. Ran Fanyin followed her in. The path was dark until a stone emitting a faint blue, cold light appeared.

Ran Fanyin naturally recognized this place. It was the Guardian Grand Formation, passed down from antiquity, that her mother had guarded all her life. It was called the Sky-Severing Formation, located within Shangyun Sect, thus protecting Shangyun Sect. However, there were also rumors that when the formation was fully operational, it could even protect the entire Southeast, not just Shangyun Sect.

Now, the duty of guarding the formation naturally fell on her shoulders.

But why would she dream of this place? She had never been here when her mother was alive.

Before she could continue her confusion, the person in the dream touched the stone emitting the faint blue, cold light. Her voice, surprisingly, held a rare tenderness. She said softly, “I have guarded you for over a thousand years. Now that my time is approaching, I have something to ask of you. Are you willing?”

The stone flickered, as a response.

“I still have two daughters remaining in the mortal world. You must protect them well for me.” The woman’s voice trembled slightly. Her fingertips, stroking the formation core stone, were slightly white, “Perhaps I don’t need to tell you, you will guard Yin’er, won’t you… But you can’t only guard her.”

Ran Fanyin stood frozen in place.

Her mother had never told her or Mianmian any of this.

The faint blue divine stone suddenly erupted in white light, stinging the eyes of the person standing still, making them feel sore and painful. After an unknown amount of time, the white light gradually condensed, and a snowflake slowly drifted down. Then, a silver sword stabbed out, and the snowflake landed steadily on the sword tip.

The white light gradually faded, and a much more mature, familiar face appeared.

Even though she was much more mature, the girl’s face still held a hint of shyness. It was clearly a very swift and clean sword strike, but when she retracted it, she slowed down significantly, carefully supporting the snowflake, and said gently, “Master, Happy Birthday.”

“I feel that the extremely strong ice control ability behind this snowflake is the best birthday gift I can give Master now.”

“Master, are you happy?”

An extremely unfamiliar, sour emotion spread out, striking the woman’s heart, one beat after another, heavy as a thousand pounds.

Ran Fanyin suddenly opened her eyes, subconsciously touching the side of her face.

The already cool tear traces hung there, reminding her that everything she had just dreamed was not illusory.

She sat up, still in her clothes, and walked to the window, using the cold moonlight that filled the room. She leaned on the window frame, slowly letting out a breath of stale air.

Why did she dream of something she had never known? From the look of it, those must be the words her mother left before her death, left for the Sky-Severing Formation, not for her.

The crescent moon hung in the starless night sky, softly emitting a cold light, spilling through the window frame onto the dim room.

Ran Fanyin looked at the girl covered in cold, white moonlight, her expression complicated.

Was that the future, or the past?

But that soft expression, tinged with timidity, made her instinctively feel that this was not her disciple, at least not the one in front of her.

She suddenly recalled the two times her disciple had been in trouble, the feeling of her already weak heart suddenly being squeezed to the point of being unable to breathe. She could even inexplicably hear the little girl’s inner voice. At that time, she already suspected if the girl had some deeper connection with her.

Combined with this dream now, an indescribable and unclear connection had just been added.