After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 54.1

Ran Fanyin slowly opened and then closed her fingers, looking at the disgustingly thick consistency of the egg mixture in her hand. She turned her face slightly. “I want to learn how to cook. I want to… make something for her to taste.”

Lin Yuxue watched Ran Fanyin with a half-smile, yet her heart sank further.

Ran Fanyin’s voice became much softer, her tone slow and gentle. “Consider this my plea to you.”

“Fine.”

Ran Fanyin finally managed a shallow smile and walked toward the water basin to wash her hands.

Lin Yuxue ladled out the contents of the pot. While tidying the stove, she said, “A full day has passed since we left the Floating Jade Pavilion. When I fully woke up, I thought about it carefully. When we first entered Zhongyang City, Wuji and the other two had already exchanged blows with the Heaven-Burning disciples. It was my oversight that I missed this point. I’m afraid that’s when Wen Jinglei learned of our whereabouts, and our every move since has been under his surveillance.”

Ran Fanyin’s voice, mixed with the sound of running water, came through. “He is indeed very clever. He could guess from your reaction after entering the room that you had outside help. Although we are still unsure what the purpose of that gǔ is, he must have seen that your complexion was normal and inferred that the black-clothed man on the roof beam had already met with misfortune.”

Ran Fanyin continued, “Perhaps there were no imperial soldiers around Consort Si’s tomb, which is why the people from the Bing Mountain Sect went there.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Since she was a consort, there’s no reason not to send troops…” Lin Yuxue was muttering to herself when she suddenly remembered something. She snapped her head up and slammed the bowl in her hand onto the counter. “Damn it!”

“What’s wrong?” Ran Fanyin stopped what she was doing and looked up at Lin Yuxue.

“I was still unconscious when we returned yesterday, and I didn’t think much of it when I woke up today. Since the Heaven-Burning Sect has been monitoring us since we entered the city, they must naturally know the inn where we are staying… Ning Songwu is seriously injured, and I failed to move her to a safer location immediately…”

Ran Fanyin and Lin Yuxue exchanged glances. Their expressions abruptly changed. Both simultaneously dropped what they were holding and rushed quickly toward the inn building.

The speed at which the two of them reached the room was extremely fast, but the time they had left Ning Songwu alone was already too long. When they pushed the door open, the quilt on the bed was curled up in one corner, and the person in the bed was gone.

“I wouldn’t know about that. After they settled in the Grand Lake Chamber, they dismissed all the girls and only received the martial artists who came for discussions.”

Ran Fanyin glanced at Ning Songwu. Ning Songwu understood, stood up, walked out, and called softly into the air, “Wuji!”

Wuji instantly appeared from somewhere, standing with his head bowed respectfully. “What is your command, Miss?”

“Did the Young Valley Master go to the Grand Lake Chamber?”

Wuji was about to answer when someone interrupted him from the side. “Who said I went to the Grand Lake Chamber?”

Lin Yuxue ascended the nearby stairs, swinging her plain fan and smiling sweetly. She stopped in front of Ning Songwu and peered into the room. “I didn’t go in; I just walked around outside.”

“You want to assassinate Wen Jinglei? …Just the few of us?!” Ning Songwu’s eyes widened.

“We might not strike, but I must go there to see. Even if we can’t kill him, we must bring back some valuable information,” Lin Yuxue lowered her eyes and sighed. “You don’t understand. The martial arts world is outwardly calm, but secretly, it’s being stirred into chaos and peril by the pervasive invasion of the Heaven-Burning Sect. Therefore, no matter regarding the Heaven-Burning Sect can be easily ignored.”

Ning Songwu pondered for a moment, then had no choice but to nod. “Alright, are we going now?”

“It’s getting dark. We’ll go when it’s completely dark.” Lin Yuxue snapped her fan shut and followed Ning Songwu into the room.

After dark, Lin Yuxue and her group headed toward the Grand Lake Chamber.

There was indeed a large area of water north of the Floating Jade Pavilion. Under the cover of night, the lake water looked like a solid piece of emerald glass, without a single ripple. A mountain was built across the Grand Lake, looking as if it had been piled up and reshaped from the earth dug out when the lake was created. It was not small. A five-story pavilion seemed to be embedded in that mountain, looking from afar like a magnificent pagoda, layered and grandly corniced, utterly imposing.

Just before they were about to split up, Lin Yuxue confirmed once more. “You absolutely must not alert the guards. Once inside, head straight for the top floor. You know to stay in the shadows, yes?”

“The assassination plan is too rash. The martial artists who entered before were all victims of persecution. Be careful yourself, and don’t act recklessly,” Ran Fanyin said softly, looking at Lin Yuxue.

“I will.” A soft light seemed to flicker in Lin Yuxue’s eyes. She took a deep look at Ran Fanyin and turned to leave.

Ran Fanyin silently circled around the other side of the Grand Lake, intending to go behind the small mountain and climb over the gap.

Ning Songwu watched Ran Fanyin’s unusually quiet back and stepped closer, grabbing Ran Fanyin’s hand. “Master…”

“Mm?” Ran Fanyin replied faintly.

“Are you angry? Why haven’t you spoken to me?” Ning Songwu gently squeezed Ran Fanyin’s hand.

“No, don’t overthink it.” Ran Fanyin turned, lightly glanced at Ning Songwu, and squeezed her hand in return.

Ning Songwu pouted. “But your expression doesn’t look good.”

“…You know why.”

“I don’t know. Tell me,” Ning Songwu tilted her head and smiled softly.

Ran Fanyin curved her lips into a helpless smile, her voice clear and light. “You know I love cleanliness. How can I be happy when someone else touches my things?”

“I didn’t mean to. It won’t happen again next time,” Ning Songwu grabbed Ran Fanyin’s hand, gently kissed it several times near her lips, and kept smiling.

“…Compensation.”

“What?” Ning Songwu raised her eyebrows.

“I want compensation.”

As Ran Fanyin spoke, she curved her lips, her gentle gaze like ice that had just melted, carrying a soft and cool feeling.

Such a rare, tender gaze, like the first thaw of ice, from such an aloof, calm, and cool woman—it felt worth dying immediately just to be looked at by her like that.

Ning Songwu fell silent for a moment, staring at Ran Fanyin dazedly.

She desperately wanted to hug Ran Fanyin right now, to kiss her eyes and lips, and then hide her securely away, preventing anyone else from seeing her. She spent a great deal of effort restraining herself, afraid that she might accidentally hurt this woman. Ran Fanyin was like a wisp of mist in the sky, ethereal and untouchable, or a flake of snow resting on a flower petal in early winter. It seemed that only gazing upon her was the correct thing to do; no one was entitled to contaminate or possess her.

“I’ll buy you a bundle of candied hawthorns tomorrow,” Ning Songwu finally whispered after a long time.

“…Very good.” Ran Fanyin couldn’t help but smile even more deeply.