After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 50.1

The Warmth Sword  vibrated and complied.

Upon leaving the cave, the discomfort deep within her heart pulse slowly subsided. The girl in her arms, who had been unconsciously seeking the warmth, finally settled down, with only one hand tightly clutching Ran Fanyin’s chest garment.

After resting for a moment at the cave entrance, the frost on the back of the girl’s hand gradually receded, and the body that was nearly frozen into an ice sculpture softened.

Ran Fanyin lifted the hand clinging to her chest. The girl tightened her grip instead of loosening it, murmuring softly, “Beautiful Master is so soft…”

A smile rose in the woman’s heart. It’s a good thing you can still tell who’s who at a time like this.

Frost still clung to Ning Songwu’s delicate face. Ran Fanyin warmed her palm and gently pressed it against the girl, attempting to melt the frost and snow. However, after rubbing for a bit, she discovered that the condensed frost was not on the surface of the skin.

She had no choice but to take the girl’s free hand, send her spiritual energy inward to examine the source of everything, and saw that the surface of her frantically beating heart was also covered in frost.

How did it even infiltrate this deeply?

The woman frowned slightly. Her spiritual energy cautiously probed, melting this layer of frost and cold.

The breath exhaled from the girl’s mouth gradually grew warmer. The warm air wafted against Ran Fanyin’s ear, slowing down.

Only then was the recovery complete.

After the situation in the cave stabilized, the Warmth Sword floated out, turned back into a folding fan, and automatically drilled into Ran Fanyin’s storage ring, behaving remarkably well.

Ran Fanyin looked back at the cave and let out a soft sigh.

Until she could clearly understand the connection between all of this, she would have to constantly keep an eye on her little troublemaker.

“I truly want to find a rope and tie you to my waist so you can’t get lost no matter where I go,” Ran Fanyin said, gently pinching the girl’s peaceful little face.

Ning Songwu was wiping her sword, secretly thinking to herself.

Fortunately, that day only the core of the array (陣芯) trembled and didn’t trigger the entire grand array. Besides the few Elders who constantly paid attention to this area, it didn’t draw any greater concern.

Cen Ran  also fell into contemplation after learning of the matter. Thinking back now, it was suspicious that Ning Songwu, an orphan with no family legacy, possessed the unparalleled Heaven-grade Ice Spirit Root and had an extremely strong talent for cultivation. Everything was a point of doubt.

Not to mention the many other suspicious points about her, especially her ability to predict the future…

Cen Ran rubbed a black piece, staring intently at the chessboard, searching for the optimal place to make her move.

Across from her, Ran Fanyin, who was holding a white piece between two fingers, covered her mouth and coughed lightly, shaking her head at the concerned glance. “I’m fine. I used the Warmth Sword a few days ago, and the spiritual energy fluctuation merely impacted my heart pulse and internal organs.”

Cen Ran sighed softly and said, “In the future, if there’s time to slow down the situation, don’t use it. You mustn’t affect that heart pulse you only just managed to stabilize.”

“I know. The two of you are more concerned about my health now than you used to be.”

Cen Ran: “…” What kind of thing to say? Didn’t we care before?

As for the events the two experienced down the mountain, Elder Ran had brought it up during the Elders’ meeting before Ning Songwu woke up. While Cen Ran reported it to the other sects, she selected disciples above the Nascent Soul Stage within the sect who were due for experiential training and assigned the suppression of the wicked cultivators as a training mission.

According to the Second Elder, the Inner Sect was much more spacious now, and he no longer needed to apply for funding for monthly expansion. He suggested having a few more training missions, killing two birds with one stone.

Ning Songwu stumbled back a few steps, trying to escape the range of the water mist, but the mist followed her like a shadow and soon covered the entire arena. A few steps were enough to completely soak her.

The Frost Blade  in her hand seemed to have turned into scrap iron. After all, if she lowered the temperature casually now, it wouldn’t just be the water mist in the air that turned into ice flowers; it would be herself as well.

In the distance, a pool of water rippled, laughing softly.

Ning Songwu pouted, put one hand on the ground, and slowly spread a thin layer of ice.

However, the disparity in cultivation was too significant. Before the frost could spread, the water waves condensed, and a snake shadow slipped under the ice. With a sudden thrust, water and ice splashed everywhere. The girl lost her balance and was caught by the snake’s tail. The slippery, cold snake skin touching her exposed skin instantly raised goosebumps.

The girl was much more decisive now and much bolder. Even though she was practically hanging upside down in the air, she stretched out her left hand, which she could still move freely. A short ice sword instantly condensed in her hand and stabbed straight into the snake’s tail, causing water to splash.

Losing its support, Ning Songwu nearly plummeted headfirst. She quickly urged her spiritual energy, but water was ultimately faster than ice. Before the spiritual energy could be pushed out, it was pushed back by the water—

Instead, she partially froze herself and crashed to the ground.

Ning Songwu gasped for breath, simply lying there and giving up.

The water gradually condensed into a snake shadow, then faded into human form. Su Ye  casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and laughed, “Little Ice Block, freeze a few for your Elder Sister. It’s the fifth month, and it’s so hot.”

Ning Songwu closed her eyes and ignored her.

A weight settled on her shoulder, a heavy pair. The woman’s cold breath sprayed against the girl’s neck, and she said in a restrained voice, “Little Ice Block, freeze a few, and Elder Sister will go easy on you next time, alright?”

“…No need. Senior Sister, lowering the temperature is also a form of self-training.”

Su Ye glared at her. “You little girl.”

Elder Helan  interjected with her perpetually rising tone, “Su Ye~ Bring Ning’er  up here~”

Su Ye gave a soft hum, curled her long tail, and wrapped the ice sculpture, departing.

When Helan Mianmian saw the pose, she laughed so hard she doubled over. She lightly pointed a finger to melt the thick ice, rescuing the girl.

Helan pressed her hands on her hips, restraining herself for a long time, and with difficulty suppressed her laughter. “It’s the fifth month. Senior Sister asked me to take you youngsters out for something delicious. Shall we go?”

Ning Songwu: “…Where is Master?”

Helan said, “Oh, she’s arguing with the Yangtian Sect. Yin Xi has such a hard mouth, so Senior Sister won’t let her go until she coughs up three thousand stalks of high-grade medicinal herbs.”

Ning Songwu was speechless in her heart. [Does she deserve it?]

The cat Elder chuckled. “No, she doesn’t. But you deserve it. Don’t you know how protective your Master is?”

Ning Songwu fell silent.

Inside Luoyun Hall, the woman who had just taken a sip of warm tea suddenly coughed a few times. The Elder of the Yangtian Sect, who had been speaking endlessly, froze. Facing several scrutinizing glares, his voice trembled. “I did not touch the tea!”

Ran Fanyin maintained a cold, detached expression, cleared her throat, and said calmly, “It’s nothing. You may continue.”

“I… continue?” How can I continue now?!

Cen Ran elegantly said, “Continue, please.”

[Divine Soul!]

[Before, it was only Divine Sense, a wisp of mental energy. Now it’s a wisp of soul…]

[There shouldn’t be any burden, right?]

[The subconscious reaction is not panic, nor hesitation. Is the subconscious thought to boost her spiritual energy?]

[Your acting isn’t very good, Demon Venerable.]

Ning Songwu followed the scent she smelled, heading toward the south of the city.

The closer she got, the stronger the scent became. When she found herself in front of a residential compound, the girl fell to her knees, nearly throwing up the dinner from the day before yesterday.

Ran Fanyin raised a hand and pressed it against her back, her warm spiritual energy acting as a comfort. She drew a barrier in the air to isolate the demonic energy and asked in a low voice, “Are you feeling better?”

The girl rubbed her nose and barely managed to get up. “Much better, Master.”

“Although it’s normal for human cultivators to react to demonic energy and the demon race, a reaction as strong as yours is truly rare,” Ran Fanyin said, pulling her up with one hand, resting it lightly on her wrist. Her brow was slightly lowered. “There’s nothing strange inside your body, though.”

Ning Songwu smiled. “Perhaps I was born to be incompatible with the demon race?”

Ran Fanyin tapped her head.

For no reason, the woman suddenly recalled the dream from a few days ago. The words her mother spoke while stroking the array core in the dream were one of the few pieces of warmth she could feel. She wondered if the array core had listened to them.

However, she had been guarding the grand array for years and hadn’t noticed any changes, so perhaps it hadn’t listened.

But she always felt something was amiss. For instance, when she took over the grand array, she never imagined the array core would be so friendly to her, a fire-spirit-root cultivator. She was even prepared to be repelled or even injured.

It didn’t happen. The process of connecting with the array core was gentle and smooth. The ice-blue array core radiated warmth. They accepted each other, very smoothly.

This was strange. Mianmian had tried, too, but was frozen so badly that she shed a layer of fur without even touching the array core.

At the time, they joked that the array core was repaying Senior Ran’s kindness. She had merely laughed it off, but now it seemed that might indeed be the case.

But why, following that dream, did an unfamiliar disciple suddenly appear?

Ran Fanyin was still lost in thought when the girl somehow produced two strips of cloth, wadded them up, and shoved them into her nostrils. She breathed through her mouth and calmly pushed the door open.

Then she calmly threw up.

[Why is the demonic energy so concentrated inside this door? Is it not dissipating?]

She was genuinely close to throwing up the dinner from the night before last. She clung to the doorframe, retching, while Ran Fanyin could only help her with a wry smile, rapidly deploying her spiritual energy to shield the surrounding demonic energy.

It was truly difficult.

After the young girl was barely able to straighten up, Ran Fanyin said with a gentle smile, “Stay close to your master; it can shield you from some of the demonic energy.”

“Yes, alright, Master.”

Pushing open the main hall door, a pile of indescribably twisted things lay on the ground, surrounded by even denser demonic energy. Even though Ran Fanyin had put up a protective shield, the visual impact could sometimes punch the stomach even harder.

The hand clutching Ran Fanyin’s clothing stiffened abruptly. The girl’s already pale face was now overlaid with another layer of frost and snow. She knelt straight down, trembling violently.

“Mas… Master… Did Yin Xi do this?”

“This is a late-Nascent-Soul-Stage demon. She wouldn’t be able to defeat it, but she must be a beneficiary.”

Ran Fanyin frowned and walked over. She had expected the scene to be extremely tragic, but not this tragic. She lifted the cloth covering the demon. Fragments rolled onto the feet of the person who was already shaking like a sieve.

The disciple’s inner voice was practically tearing the sky.

Ran Fanyin helplessly tapped her ear, trying to ease the sensation, and continued to inspect the demon. Finally, beneath layers of the body, she found a piece of paper, recording something in the demon language.

“Alright, I’ve found it. Take this back to Qin Siyue.”

[Heh…]

[If I am not the real Ning Songwu, what does all this count as?]

[Heaven granted the two of them a chance to start over, but the body of ‘Ning Songwu’ is occupied by me, someone with the same name. The similarity is that we both deeply love the person in front of me and want her to become better.]

[But ultimately, all this is the result of my efforts. What does it have to do with whether I am the real Ning Songwu?]

[At least in… her eyes, I am me, am I not?]

The person who had already departed naturally heard this trembling inner voice. She closed her eyes, letting tears roll down her face.

A short while ago, in the Boundless Illusion Realm—

After Xiao Wanchen agreed to send her into the illusion, Ran Fanyin paused for a few moments. Her vision returned to brightness, and she saw Xiao Wanchen busy at work.

This was her in the illusion—the person who was there to answer her questions.

Xiao Wanchen poured two cups of warm tea and handed one to the cute person across from her, whose face was cold and detached.

What’s wrong with thinking she’s cute?

She then held her own cup, watching Ran Fanyin, waiting for her to speak.

Ran Fanyin contemplated for a moment and tried to imitate her past self’s tone, asking, “If I want to resurrect someone during the process of world reboot, how should I do it?”

Xiao Wanchen responded with confusion, “After the world reboots, that person will naturally be alive.”

She suddenly realized something, putting down her teacup. “Are you talking about Ning Songwu?”

Ran Fanyin nodded in response.

It was more accurate to say that her purpose in seeking these methods was twofold: the world and Ning’er.

“If it’s impossible, will you still do it?” Xiao Wanchen asked in a low voice.

Ran Fanyin smiled casually and said, “I have to do it.”

Xiao Wanchen didn’t say much, only sighing softly. “Didn’t I tell you? Little Tian  is the array spirit of the Jue Tian Array. What is an array spirit? A soul constructed with the array core as its core. When we were human, this heart was the key to starting the grand array, and she has already returned her fundamental Heavenly Spirit  to the grand array. Her soul is also dispersed within the array. How can you save her?”

“What about taking out the array core again?”

“She returned her Heavenly Spirit to the grand array in exchange for a moment of freedom. This means she has dissipated. The array core will give birth to a new array spirit… This process cannot be stopped.”

Ran Fanyin, whose body already looked a bit weary, hunched over slightly and asked, “Is there really no chance?”

Seeing her current state, Xiao Wanchen felt a pang of heartache. She clenched her fist tightly, but… she couldn’t bring herself to reveal the method.

After a long time, she sighed softly and said, “Fine, actually, there is still a way.”

“Besides, you already need to give up everything you have in exchange for a reboot. Sacrificing a little more, you probably won’t mind, will you?”

The suddenly emaciated person’s spirits lifted. She looked at Xiao Wanchen, her eyes brightening a little. “Please tell me.”

Xiao Wanchen couldn’t help but sigh repeatedly in her heart.

She now wished she could go and smash the remaining soul of that bastard, so Ran Fanyin would completely drop this idea. The reboot still had to happen, and only she could do it, but at least… at least she could negotiate more with the Dao of Heaven and sacrifice less.

After all, acting purely for the public good is the supreme virtue, but if private emotions are mixed in, it is unacceptable to the Dao of Heaven.

The Dao of Heaven is that ridiculous, yet utterly fair.

But she couldn’t do that. Though full of resentment, she could not bear to see the person in front of her suffer.

Xiao Wanchen pondered for a moment. “The array core acts as the array spirit’s heart. Not this beating, fresh heart, but the coagulation point of the divine soul, the core that stores the origin. Ning Songwu’s core is what you humans call the Ice-Snow Exquisite Heart. Do you understand?”