After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 56

A night of peace and tranquility passed.

Daylight had broken completely. Ning Songwu had long cultivated a habit of waking up early at Hongfei Pavilion, but this time was an exception. She slept in a little longer, though she still woke up relatively early.

At least, Ran Fanyin had not yet risen.

She did not know what happened after they fell asleep last night. Originally, Ran Fanyin had been holding her to sleep, but when she woke up, it had inexplicably turned into her holding Ran Fanyin. Her Master must have been in a deep sleep, instinctively wanting to be closer to her “furnace,” which resulted in the current posture.

This person was like a speck of ice and snow on a mountain peak; holding her in one’s arms, one feared she would melt.

Ning Songwu gently brushed her nose against Ran Fanyin’s neck, taking in the pleasant, cool scent of plum blossoms on Ran Fanyin’s body. It had been a long, long time since she had felt so satisfied and warm.

Ran Fanyin tilted her head, and her face rested exactly on the side of Ning Songwu’s cheek. Her trembling, slender eyelashes brushed against Ning Songwu’s skin, tickling her right down to her heart.

With such a beautiful woman, who would not wish to follow her for a lifetime?

Ning Songwu could not restrain her feelings. Her love for her Master grew thicker with time, bringing her joy but also heartache because she did not truly possess her. The person she loved most was in her arms, but she did not belong to her.

Ran Fanyin let out a few soft murmurs in her throat and slowly woke up. Instinctively turning her head, her soft lips lightly brushed Ning Songwu’s cheek. She opened her eyes with a frown and raised a hand to rub them.

“Master, good morning,” Ning Songwu said, holding Ran Fanyin with reluctance. She genuinely never wanted to let go for the rest of her life.

“Morning… morning…” Ran Fanyin’s consciousness was still hazy. She squinted her eyes with some difficulty to look around, her expression a little confused.

Because she didn’t know what kind of fuss they had made last night, their positions had been completely reversed. Ning Songwu was now sleeping on the inner side, and Ran Fanyin on the outer.

Ning Songwu said softly, “Master… Shall we get up?”

Ran Fanyin didn’t realize she was on the outer side, so she replied softly, “You get up first…”

Ning Songwu lifted her upper body slightly and looked around. The only way to get out quietly was to gently step over Ran Fanyin.

Due to her movement of stepping across, her entire body was momentarily pressed onto Ran Fanyin. The soft contact of their bodies was transmitted without warning, and the intimate closeness almost made her unable to hold herself up off the bed.

Because Ning Songwu was directly above Ran Fanyin, blocking the morning light, Ran Fanyin’s eyes were now fully open, gazing steadily up at Ning Songwu.

The current posture was extremely suggestive.

Ning Songwu was entirely pressed against Ran Fanyin. Meeting Ran Fanyin’s light-brown eyes, she momentarily forgot what she was supposed to do. She simply remained there, leaning over Ran Fanyin, not daring to move.

Time stood still for a moment.

Cheng Yunhuan left in a hurry, packing some simple luggage into the carriage, bringing only twenty disciples with him. Barely two hours after leaving the Sword Forging Pool, he and Ran Fanyin rode the carriage down the mountain together.

The horses pulling the carriage were two excellent Ferghana horses, fast and enduring for an overnight journey. Traveling south, they quickly crossed the Northern Frontier and entered the Central Plains. In just four days, Cheng Yunhuan and his group were preparing to enter the Guanzhong region.

Cheng Yunhuan had been busy with his deployment, spending the whole day writing endless messages on carrier pigeons. Ran Fanyin assisted him a little on the side. Both of them were naturally taciturn people, and along the way, besides discussing matters of the sect or the martial world, they didn’t converse much. However, the residual poison in Ran Fanyin’s recently injured wrist frequently caused severe pain, which Cheng Yunhuan alleviated by giving her some medicinal pills.

Cheng Yunhuan decided to lead the disciples to rest for a night at a post station. After four days and three nights, even if he and Ran Fanyin could endure sitting in the carriage, the twenty disciples who followed them were all on horseback, without rest, and needed a proper break and resupply of food.

At the dinner table, Cheng Yunhuan and Ran Fanyin shared a table, on which a few abundant dishes were laid out. Cheng Yunhuan finished quickly, while Ran Fanyin slowly chewed her bowl of white rice in a relaxed manner beside him.

Cheng Yunhuan was immersed in writing something, occasionally glancing at Ran Fanyin from the corner of his eye. He said in a low voice, “You haven’t been resting well these past two days. Take a calming pill tonight. Otherwise, you won’t have enough spirit, and your injury will heal slowly.”

“Yes, Senior Brother,” Ran Fanyin replied.

“You are still the same as you were all these years—you don’t speak about what’s bothering you. I am your Senior Brother, you…” Cheng Yunhuan paused, then changed the subject. “Eat some vegetables. You always prefer to only eat white rice, which offers no variety in flavor.”

Ran Fanyin put down her bowl and chopsticks. “Senior Brother, please continue with your work. I will go out for a walk.”

Cheng Yunhuan nodded. He watched Ran Fanyin step across the threshold and leave his sight, then returned his focus to the letter in his hand. The post station in Guanzhong was not meager in scale, and the scenery was naturally quite different from the Northern Frontier. It was early autumn, and the garden of trees in the post station’s backyard was filled with layers of red maple and yellow leaves.

Ran Fanyin had just reached a corner turn by a tree when she saw two people talking in a dark corner of the courtyard not far away, one fat and one thin. She had intended to avoid them, but a few words occasionally carried on the wind into her ear, making her pause involuntarily.

“When exactly will the Gate Master tell us to return? We were, at least, the original thirty-six secret guards, but now we’re wasting time in these aimless places…” The fat man’s tone was full of resentment.

The thin man consoled him, “Who would have thought? The Gate Master insists on searching, and this search has gone on for so many years. Who the ghost knows where that person is? You were only recently assigned here. Just come to terms with it; it’s no big deal. Perhaps the Gate Master will give up on this matter after a while.”

“Is that possible? The Gate Master’s stance seems like he intends to search for a lifetime!”

“Where did you hear that? Once they’ve found the person, it’ll be over. Although… it really is a bit absurd.”

The fat man’s voice dropped. “But… didn’t I hear that the Gate Master’s whole family was killed years ago? They were clearly wrapped in coffins and buried. Why is he starting to look for the Young Master again?”

“Exactly! He’s looking for him without reason. Maybe a grave robber carried him away for convenience, and he’s probably turned to dust somewhere by now…”

“Alas, complaining is useless. Let’s just keep searching… Search for a few more years, and we’ll all be searching from the grave…”

The subsequent conversation was not worth listening to, and Ran Fanyin slowly walked away. Both of these people had excellent martial arts. If Ran Fanyin’s breath hadn’t been so light and her hearing so exceptional, she would not have heard them say these things.

Ran Fanyin quietly pondered these words. After thinking for a while, she couldn’t figure out which sect these two belonged to. There were countless martial world groups founded as ‘Gates’—the Tang Family Stronghold in Bashu was also called the Tang Gate. She didn’t know which ‘Gate Master’ these two were referring to. Over the years, there had been so much enmity between families, and countless sects had been exterminated. This particular instance was a strange tale: a dead person coming back to life.

In any case, it was none of her business. She treated it as an amusing anecdote.

As Ran Fanyin was pondering these things, she unknowingly walked out of the post station. Night was gradually falling, and the streets were lit with bright lanterns. People were starting to gather and walk eastward, all looking cheerful and rosy-faced. Thinking there must be something interesting going on, Ran Fanyin followed them, rarely feeling the urge to join a crowd.

It was an evening market to the east. By coincidence, this market only gathered once every seven days, and Ran Fanyin had stumbled upon it. The small streets crisscrossed, lined with bustling vendors. Each street was different yet similar, and it was so full of people that it felt like a small maze.

The lantern light illuminated the area as if it were daytime, filled with moving heads, incredibly prosperous. Ran Fanyin preferred quiet, but since she was already inside, she couldn’t leave for a while, so she could only look around.

There were many stalls on both sides of the street selling trinkets—things either favored by women or enjoyed by children, like rouge and powder, calligraphy and antiques, sugar pills, and dough figures. Unfortunately, Ning Songwu was not with her. There were many interesting things here that the North Fa Sect never had. A child would surely be happy to see these.

When Ning Songwu grew a little older, she would bring her to see it.

Ran Fanyin stopped at a small mask stall, her gaze suddenly drawn to a half-face mask with white jade auspicious cloud patterns. The thin layer of white jade looked glossy and cool to the touch. The exquisite, complex fine lines of the auspicious clouds on it were beautiful.

Ran Fanyin looked at it for a moment and reached out to pick up the mask.

As her cool fingers touched it, they suddenly met another person’s fingers. With that instantaneous contact, the soft feeling of the person’s warm fingertip bloomed on her slightly cold one, causing Ran Fanyin to subconsciously retract her hand immediately and move away.

Ran Fanyin looked up, only to see a woman in a green robe standing beside her. The woman was also looking at her, her eyebrows and eyes as bright and beautiful as an ink painting, full of life. Her black hair, which reached her thighs, was loosely tied only at the ends, giving her a distinctive grace. She looked no older than sixteen or seventeen but gave a sense of reserved maturity.

The atmosphere was silent and awkward for a moment.

Two women of striking beauty stood facing each other on the street—one dressed in snow-white, transcendent and ethereal; the other quiet and elegant, with features as beautiful as a painting. This drew the attention of many passersby.

“Does this lady also like this? Please take it,” the woman in green spoke first, her tone humble and polite, her eyes holding a calm maturity beyond her age.

“Thank you for the kindness, but I was just looking. Excuse my rudeness,” Ran Fanyin bowed slightly, gestured, and turned to leave.

She had only taken two steps.

“Lady, wait.” The woman in green called out to Ran Fanyin again.

“What is it?” Ran Fanyin stopped, her words carrying her usual cool detachment.

“I remember now; I recognize you. I saw you when I was little, seven years ago,” the woman in green stepped closer to Ran Fanyin, a smile touching her lips. “You are… Ran Fanyin, correct?”

Ran Fanyin re-examined the woman in green, but had absolutely no recollection. “I don’t remember you.”

“Heh… You don’t remember me… But you should have heard of me. My name is Lin Yuxue.”

“So it is the Young Valley Mistress.” Ran Fanyin raised her eyebrow slightly. She hadn’t expected to encounter someone from the Valley of Chaotic Flowers here.

“Seven years have passed, and Venerable Ran Fanyin looks just as she did back then, not aged at all. I was probably only up to here seven years ago.” Lin Yuxue gestured to her chest.

Ran Fanyin only politely acknowledged this. “Mm.”

“To think that I would run into the Venerable of the North Fa Sect in a night market, and… both of us would take a liking to the same mask. What a coincidence,” Lin Yuxue looked at Ran Fanyin, her smile deepening.

“Is the Young Valley Mistress also heading to Luocheng? Where are the others from the Valley of Chaotic Flowers?”

“I am going to Luocheng. The others have gone to the post station to settle in. I took a moment to wander around here. The North Fa Sect… actually sent the Venerable in person?”

“My Senior Brother is also here, currently settled in the post station.”

Lin Yuxue was a little surprised. “Two of you came? Hmm… Since we are staying in the same place, why don’t we walk around together? Be companions?”

Ran Fanyin replied calmly, “No need. I am heading back now. Young Valley Mistress, enjoy your stroll.”

Lin Yuxue said again, “Wait.”

With that, Lin Yuxue raised her right hand, and a small, delicate bird suddenly flew out of her sleeve. It circled her once and then landed skillfully on Ran Fanyin’s shoulder.

Ran Fanyin turned her face to look. On closer inspection, she realized the bird was made of wood. The fine wooden skeleton was crafted to the extreme; the bird’s head and wings were lifelike. The circle it had just flown was no different from a living bird.

She knew the Valley of Chaotic Flowers was skilled in celestial craftsmanship and mechanisms, but she had never known that they had reached such a level, comparable to living creatures.

“Consider this our first meeting. This is a small trinket, just a token of my regard.” Lin Yuxue cupped her hands in farewell. “Venerable, safe travels.”

A mechanism created by the Valley of Chaotic Flowers was certainly more than just fun. This small wooden bird must have many uses, and since Lin Yuxue carried it on her person, it was definitely not a common item. Ran Fanyin did not refuse. After accepting it and thanking Lin Yuxue, she turned and took light, slow steps, gradually disappearing into the crowd.

Lin Yuxue watched Ran Fanyin leave, standing rooted to the spot for a long time, lost in thought, staring at the place where Ran Fanyin had vanished. After a long while, she slowly turned her head to look at the white jade mask.

The lantern light on the dark street shone on the lustrous white jade. The originally cool jade was coated in a warm glow by the dim light, making it even more unique.

Suddenly, a drop of fresh blood dripped onto Ran Fanyin’s pale cheek. The scalding temperature of the blood seemed to melt her cool cheek.

Ran Fanyin awoke as if from a dream, her body trembling. Her hand immediately groped for the table beside her, finding and pulling over a handkerchief, which she placed over Ning Songwu’s perfectly shaped nose.

Ning Songwu’s face instantly flushed bright red. She quickly pressed the handkerchief Ran Fanyin handed over and hastily climbed off Ran Fanyin. Good heavens, why… did she get a nosebleed again…

“Are you alright?” Ran Fanyin didn’t have time to worry about the streak of blood on her own face. She gathered the edges of her open robe and quickly got up.

“I’m fine… I’m fine…” Ning Songwu tightly covered her nose. In a panic, she put on her outer robe, not even having time to tie the belt, and fled in haste, running out of Ran Fanyin’s sleeping chambers.

Ran Fanyin hadn’t fully reacted yet. She touched her face and looked down at the smear of blood on her fingertips, lost in thought.

People were still noisily conversing below the Sword Discourse Platform. Hong Shengcen and the three Venerables slowly ascended the high platform and took their seats at the very top.

Hong Shengcen used his deep voice, mixed with internal energy, to speak loudly: “Everyone—”

The sound was like an ancient bell, making people’s eardrums ring. The noisy crowd instantly fell silent. Many people covered their ears, all looking toward the highest point of the Sword Discourse Platform.

Because it was a formal occasion, Ran Fanyin’s brow was adorned with a fiery red huadian drawn in vermilion, symbolizing her status. It looked like a flame burning between her eyebrows, highlighting the exquisite and cool detachment of her face.

No matter when, Master always looked so beautiful, so beautiful that one could not take one’s eyes off her.

Helan Mianmian, who had returned at some unknown point, suddenly slapped her on the shoulder. “Hey! Snap out of it! The competition is about to begin. You’re still staring blankly at the Venerable. Don’t worry, she’s right there, she’s not going anywhere.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Ning Songwu looked down and stroked the Phoenix Feather Sword in her hand.

“Look at you. Your mind has already flown up to the Discourse Platform. Alright, hurry to the platform where you’re competing. I just went to check. That platform is at least twenty feet high!” Helan Mianmian pushed Ning Songwu, urging her into the bustling crowd.

The person Ning Songwu was competing against in the first round was, coincidentally, her fellow disciple, Wen Jiang.

Wen Jiang looked at the woman standing gracefully across from him, smiled honestly, and cupped his hands. “Junior Sister Ning Songwu! Please don’t go easy on your Senior Brother.”

Ning Songwu drew the Phoenix Feather Sword, lovingly stroking the golden phoenix totem on the sword body. She chuckled softly, “Senior Brother, rest assured.”

Wen Jiang glanced down below the platform. It was a sea of black heads. A crowd of people were all looking up. Disciples resting on the surrounding high platforms were also looking over. Suddenly bearing the gaze of so many people made him feel a little constrained. “Junior Sister Ning Songwu, fight is a fight, but don’t kick your Senior Brother off the platform! I have a fear of heights, and from this high up, I’ll be crippled if I fall.”

“Senior Brother, rest assured,” Ning Songwu said lightly.

A disciple responsible for managing the field struck a gong in the center and shouted, “The competition officially begins!” Then, fearing the two would start fighting and injure him, he quickly used his qinggong to fly off the high platform.

The platform was only about the size of one ordinary room, flat and bare. There were no obstacles, not even the expected safety rails around the edge, which made one feel truly insecure.

Ning Songwu had a good idea of Wen Jiang’s gongfu. She estimated that the match would be over in no more than ten exchanges.

Wen Jiang took the initiative, raising his sword. He pushed off the ground and swung his sword to attack Ning Songwu. Ning Songwu easily flashed and dodged the first move, landing lightly about five steps away from Wen Jiang. Wen Jiang turned around, swung his massive sword, and swept it towards Ning Songwu.

Wen Jiang’s weapon was an extremely heavy giant sword. Logically, one should find the flaw in such a weapon and win with agility, not by meeting such a heavyweight weapon head-on. But Ning Songwu tightened her grip on the Phoenix Feather Sword. She wanted to meet it.

The crystal-red Phoenix Feather Sword slammed violently against the giant sword in Wen Jiang’s hand. The huge vibrations from the collision caused their two streams of True Qi to converge, nearly tearing the web of skin between Ning Songwu’s thumb and index finger. She quickly channeled her Qi to resist, gripping the Phoenix Feather Sword as she scraped it fiercely along the giant sword, throwing up sparks. The wild flow of True Qi caused Ning Songwu’s long hair to fly, the dark ends coiling around the tip of the crystal-red blade.

Wen Jiang hadn’t expected Ning Songwu to take the move. A look of approval appeared on his face, but his move was anything but gentle. After this strike, he executed a clean turn and brought the giant sword down with full True Qi.

Ning Songwu gritted her teeth. Competing with Wen Jiang involved none of the sword techniques she practiced diligently; it was a sheer test of strength. The giant sword in his hand weighed sixty to seventy kilograms. The pressure of it coming down was already more than she could handle, let alone with Wen Jiang’s True Qi fully channeled into it.

The Phoenix Feather Sword in her hand seemed excited for the coming trial, causing the luminous jade around Ning Songwu’s neck to vibrate. Both the sword and the jade began to heat up, carrying their owner’s high-spirited battle intent. Ning Songwu’s black, obsidian-like eyes became sharp. The cinnabar mole between her eyebrows looked as if it were weeping blood. Her long hair, lifted by the surrounding battle intent, flew behind her, forming shapes of wild beauty in the air.

Ning Songwu gripped the Phoenix Feather Sword tightly, channeling all her power, and met Wen Jiang’s giant sword head-on.

The moment the two swords touched, the True Qi in the air twisted, emitting a deafening roar. For some reason, Ran Fanyin’s face suddenly flashed through Ning Songwu’s mind.

Those light, tea-like eyes.

“Clang—”

A crisp sound of snapping metal tore through the air.

Sweat poured down Wen Jiang’s forehead. His jaw dropped in shock as he looked in disbelief at the giant sword in his hand, which was now only half its size. The massive blade had been neatly snapped in two. The severed half of the blade spun away and was deeply embedded in the wooden platform.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Feather Sword in Ning Songwu’s hand, thin as a cicada’s wing, remained completely intact.

The crowd below the high platform suddenly erupted in noise, like an explosion.

Wen Jiang exclaimed, “What is this—! What kind of sword is this? Impossible, this is impossible!”

In just three moves, his sword was actually cleaved in two?!

Ning Songwu exhaled a long breath. Her left hand, which held the sword, trembled constantly from exerting too much force. Seeing this, Helan Mianmian below flew onto the high platform and supported Ning Songwu. “Are you alright?”

Ning Songwu nodded and returned her sword to its sheath. The sharp blade rubbed against the scabbard, producing a faint metallic scraping sound that was inexplicably chilling to hear.

The disciple with the gong mounted the platform and struck it heavily. “Ning Songwu versus Wen Jiang—Ning Songwu wins!”

The North Fa disciples and martial world figures below the high platform cast admiring glances toward her. The match had been so fast, over in just a few blinks of an eye. In such a short time, she had actually cut her opponent’s weapon in two. This new rising star of the martial world made people look at her with new respect.

Ran Fanyin, seated at the highest point, merely watched Ning Songwu calmly, her gaze never leaving her for a moment.