After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 43.1

The cat froze. The next moment, she had happily transformed into a three-colored cat, practically leaping into the arms of the woman in the pale twilight purple gown. Her voice was trembling with joy: “Senior Sister, you’re out? Are your injuries all healed?”

Ran Fanyin took her seat, her eyes shimmering with a watery gleam. She lifted the cat by the scruff of her neck, pretending to clutch her own chest, and whispered, “I was fine, but now this several-kilogram cat has given me internal injuries again. What am I to do?”

The cat subconsciously retracted her claws, then cautiously extended one paw to tentatively touch the head of the person in front of her. “Are you Senior Sister?”

How did she become… so flirtatious after cultivating in seclusion for so many years?

My face is red, my fur is pink!

“No, it’s Little Five, who just finished transforming,” Ran Fanyin said crossly, tossing the mischievous cat into Cen Ran’s arms.

As soon as she came out of seclusion, she saw a little girl with puppy ears and a fluffy tail stumbling over, hugging her and calling her “Mother.” Heaven knows how terrifying that was. This mischievous cat taught Little Five to transform but didn’t teach her enough.

My clumsy disciple was nearly scared silly.

Thinking of a certain fool, Ran Fanyin looked towards the training ring with a smile.

Almost at the same moment, a figure rushed in anxiously, like a meteor hitting the ground. However, instead of boundless dust, what was scattered around her was the slow-spreading ice mist.

In the center of the ice mist, several ice swords floated behind the woman. She held Morning Frost in her hand, cupped the other, and said, “Shangyun Sect, Nascent Soul Stage Ning Songwu, requests guidance.”

The viewing platform was silent for a moment, then instantly erupted into even more fervent discussion. The uproar nearly lifted the air.

Ning Songwu pretended not to hear, casually drew her long sword, and quietly waited for her old opponent to return the salute.

During the more than four years of seclusion, she and Ran Fanyin stayed quietly in a deep, dark cave, undisturbed, living a four-year peaceful life. In fact, they didn’t do many unspeakable things. After all, circulating energy for healing was the priority. Especially after discovering that her spiritual energy, even in its normal state, could serve as an auxiliary, the two first focused all their efforts on healing. Then, they concentrated on cultivation. With the aid of a special cultivation method, Ning Songwu had already reached the Mid Nascent Soul Stage by the time she was close to coming out of seclusion. If she had cultivated for a few more days, breaking through to the Late Stage was not impossible.

Ning Songwu gently stroked her sleeve, inwardly letting out a soft sigh.

After a brief rest, she remembered a piece of clothing that had been forgotten in the depths of her memory. She flipped through the wardrobe. Fortunately, it was placed where she usually put things and was easy to spot.

It was the set of green and white clothes Ran Fanyin had given her previously. It was decorated with dark gold and deep silver stitching, making it luxurious but not ostentatious. It matched her current state of mind very well. Most importantly—

Ning Songwu looked at herself in the ice mirror. Her ponytail was tied high, making her look capable and composed. Her fingers traced from her fair, delicate neckline all the way down, finally resting lightly on the black belt, gripping it tightly.

No other person’s figure appeared in her mind. Instead, she recalled a figure in turquoise, a graceful silhouette that she had been away from for many years. Clouds obscured her face, and even when they parted, they never dispersed enough for her to see clearly.

【Medicine Sect. Annoying, annoying, Medicine Sect.】

【Maybe Master spends every holiday like this every year. The past two years only added me, but she can actually manage without me.】

【But I only have Master here…】

【No more, no more… How would I dare… Although it’s true I don’t have any left.】

【Master has such poisonous eyes; she saw through my thoughts just like that…】

【I can’t see through Master, but I don’t want Master to be unhappy anymore.】

【Although it’s so nerve-wracking to ask directly, ahhhhhh.】

Qin Siyue said coldly, “Your hand.”

A segment of pale, fair wrist was obediently extended. Very compliant.

Seeing that the person didn’t even move her head, the woman scoffed, “You really are accustomed to being sick.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“…” The doctor rolled her eyes, pressing down on the wrist. She asked faintly, “What is her relationship with the Grand Formation?”

The woman slightly opened her eyes, thinking for a moment. As if only now realizing who she was referring to, she let out a soft “hmm,” “Why do you ask?”

“Don’t pretend.”

“This Sovereign truly does not know.” A look of innocence.

“Nonsense.”

The woman closed her eyes and said lazily, “Elder Qin, as a teacher, please watch your words.”

Qin Siyue tilted her head to look at He Lan Mianmian, who was sitting next to her, chin propped up, “Perhaps she’s burned out. Who do you think would be best to take her disciple after she comes out of seclusion?”

The cat tightly bit her lower lip, not daring to speak. The smile was suppressed under her tongue; if she opened her mouth, it would spill out.

Ran Fanyin knew she was joking and was too lazy to open her eyelids. She dragged out the end of her sentence, “Do you think Ning’er would go with you?”

“Tell her that you can hear her inner thoughts, and she will naturally leave with us.”

“…” The woman’s expression changed. She held the chair and sat up straight, saying sternly, “Under no circumstances are you to reveal this point. What’s thought in the heart is inherently unconstrained… cough, cough, cough…” Before she could finish speaking, she began coughing so much that she couldn’t sit upright. Her already sickly pale face became even paler.

Qin Siyue stopped the anxious cat from rushing over, looking at her indifferently, “Weren’t you very alert usually? Why are you so flustered when you care about someone today?”

He Lan bypassed her, helped the continuously coughing person up, gently patted her back. The corners of her eyes were slightly red. Hanging on her face, which already looked young, it made her appear even more pitiful and wronged.

Qin Siyue: …

Enough. She had said enough.

She was just making a joke. If this went on, she would truly feel guilty!!

Struggling to suppress her twitching brow, Elder Qin let out a long sigh and said helplessly, “Alright, that’s enough. It was unnecessary for me to come this trip!”

“Cough… This Sovereign never said that.”

Ah, yes, yes, yes. You never said that, but the look in the eyes of the cat you raised is about to devour me! Qin Siyue complained inwardly, silently rolling her eyes. She sat down gracefully. “For all these years, your Fire Spiritual Root and this cold air have always been in a state of mutual balance. Although you are prone to illness, you’ve never been sick for this long. Recently, I’ve been wondering what broke the balance. After thinking about it, the only thing is the persistent frost and snow on your mountain. But we’ve been to snow mountains colder than this, and even then, you were only sick for half a month.”

Ran Fanyin composed herself and listened carefully, gently tapping her palm with her folding fan. This was a sign that she was also thinking.

“…But this is the only clue after all. If you think about it carefully, this persistent frost and snow is related to Junior Nephew. Thinking further, Junior Nephew can use the formation to heal and help you heal, which is something even Senior Uncle Ran couldn’t do back then, and you just happen to be bound to this formation, guarding this Grand Formation.”

“Thinking it through carefully, the only possibility is that this frost and snow is related to the Sky-Severing Formation. The persistent frost and snow cause the cold air of the Grand Formation to become increasingly dense, which, in turn, affects you, the Guardian.”

“So…” Qin Siyue placed her two fingers together and lightly tapped the stone table, “How much have you been hiding? Tell me in detail.”

Ran Fanyin was startled but also understood. After all, none of her Senior and Junior Brothers and Sisters were foolish. They simply didn’t want to think. Mianmian also habitually pretended to be calm and composed. If they thought about it carefully, finding some small clues was only a matter of time.

But…

Ran Fanyin softened her expression, her lips curving gently, “It would be good if this Sovereign knew.”

Qin Siyue stared at the person’s relaxed and easygoing face. After a long time, she said faintly, “Fine. I believe you. Then you can continue to be sick.”

The woman lowered her gaze, whispering, “Alright.”

Pretend. Keep pretending.

The few of them sat for a while longer until Su Ye brought tea. Qin Siyue picked up the warm tea, gently blew on it, and then returned to the topic settled in the morning meeting.

“In a few days, Tiancheng Immortal Gate will come to our sect for a few days of exchange and study. They have sent an Elder of Enforcement with the team. Among the team is said to be the strongest Sword Dao disciple currently at the Nascent Soul Stage.” The woman paused, then continued, “It is said that this person greatly admires you.”

She said this while looking at the person casually playing with her folding fan. Therefore, only after a long silence did Ran Fanyin realize she was talking about her, questioning with a puzzled sound.

“Why? Does this little disciple not know that this Sovereign is unwell and never accepts challenges?”

“…Have you ever considered that the two labels, ‘Daughter of the Sword Immortal’ and ‘Never accepts challenges,’ when placed together, conjure an image of a transcendent immortal, naturally drawing attention?”

The woman smiled lightly, leaning gracefully into the chair, “That’s unfortunate. This Sovereign is sick.”

Qin Siyue tapped the table, “When you two were absent today, one clause in the document submitted by Tiancheng Immortal Gate was a hope for a competition among disciples. Jiang Mang, the number one in Sword Dao, wants to challenge your Little Ning’er.”

“Isn’t that an even greater coincidence? She hasn’t come out of seclusion yet. Why rush? I recall that the Grand Competition among the various sects is not many years away. Are they fighting now to probe the strength beforehand?”

He Lan Mianmian raised her hand and interrupted, asking softly, “May I ask if Tiancheng Immortal Gate’s talisman array has developed?” The implication was: Does anyone want to challenge my Su Ye and Ah Sheng?

The question earned two eye rolls.

Ran Fanyin raised her hand to pinch the side of the woman’s cheek, twisting it around and then rubbing it, “You can go tell that to their leader sometime. They’ll surely beat you up and throw you out.”

“I can do that, but Senior Sister, you must come with me. It just so happens that the little disciple who admires you can clearly see that what’s mine, what’s our Ning’er’s, is our Shangyun Sect’s. No stealing is allowed.”

The woman looked at her helplessly, “You, when will you truly grow up a bit?”

Qin Siyue didn’t hear anything wrong with the sentence and nodded in agreement, “Elder He Lan, you should grow up. Why argue with a child?”

“May I be so bold as to ask if this Jiang Mang is a boy or a girl?”

Elder Qin thought for a moment and said, “A girl.”

“Oh… Then it’s indeed necessary to make it clear that this is our Little…”

“Mianmian!” Ran Fanyin interrupted the little cat’s teasing, half-shy and half-annoyed. A rare flush of color appeared on her snowy pale face.

Does she think I don’t understand the meaning hidden in those words?

【Master, hurry up and answer! I’m so nervous!】

【It’s not expensive. Then why is Master hesitating…?】

【I knew the Medicine Sect was no good. Dammit, dammit.】

【Why are they still rushing people to marry when they’re cultivating to immortality?】

【I’m only eighteen, almost nineteen, in this world. What’s the rush!!】

【If Master is tired of me, I’ll go into seclusion for ten or eight years. By then, she probably won’t be so tired of me anymore.】

【I don’t belong here after all. Only the mountain has a place for me. Leaving Shangyun Sect, leaving Zhaomu Peak, the world is vast and boundless, but it ultimately does not belong to me.】

Ran Fanyin curled her fingers. She didn’t feel much discomfort in her heart. Whenever her disciple was about to encounter danger, she would always feel a palpitation. Judging from this… it should still be normal.

Thus, she slightly let go of some of her worries.

But time waits for no one. She couldn’t waste time here either. She could only hold a hint of worry and take one last look at the vast snow before dragging her sleeve and leaving the area.

The four towns surrounding Shangyun Sect seemed to have received no news of having to host the guests from the distant Tiancheng Immortal Gate in the North. Everything was as usual. Outer sect disciples on chores walked among the people. The pale moon-white robes and the common people’s cotton clothes mixed together. Outsiders could easily mistake another group of people also wearing their own clothes for ordinary people.

Jiang Yue was playing with a small wooden carving pendant in her hand. A piece of light-colored jade was hanging from the tail. It was swinging playfully in her grasp, quite amusing.

She turned her head to talk to the person beside her, but when she looked, she found that the woman had already walked far ahead, maintaining her perpetually tense shoulders and neck. Jiang Yue quickly rushed to catch up, saying quickly, “The four towns around here are so lively, Senior Sister. Much better than the surrounding common people who are only focused on cultivation and are so lifeless.”

“Watch your words,” Jiang Mang said coldly, not even glancing at her. She just walked forward, holding her sword.

The Elder had let her come down the mountain to play and told her to return when it was time for the competition, but after walking around, she really didn’t know what was so fun down the mountain.

I might as well take this time to meet Elder Ran Fanyin.

Or, it would be good to have a match with Elder Ran’s disciple beforehand. She heard that person was only twenty years old but was already at the Late Golden Core Stage. She wondered what her talent in Sword Dao was like and if she lived up to the title of Ran Fanyin’s disciple.

Jiang Mang subconsciously tightened her grip on her scabbard. Her already cold eyes, with their slightly drooping corners, became even more intimidating.

Jiang Yue chattered beside her, mentioning what fun things were on this street. It all went in one ear and out the other, drifting past Jiang Mang, who was perpetually immersed in her own world.

Suddenly, a waiter rushed out from the side of the road, holding a booklet of fiction.

“The two young heroes are not familiar faces! Have you just come out of seclusion, or are you from somewhere else? In that case, you must not have read this very popular book of ours, right? This is about…” The waiter enthusiastically introduced the book in his hand. The expressions of the two people he stopped were surprisingly varied.

Jiang Yue secretly glanced at the frost-faced Jiang Mang, but her eyes couldn’t help but dart towards the book. The two people drawn on it looked like women, performing slightly intimate actions, but the title of the book was simple and elegant, making people curious about the content.