After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 62

Inside the Rongku Pavilion on Beifa Mountain.

Luo Sheng looked at the beggar girl lying on the bed with a pair of startled, fearful eyes. After carefully examining her injuries, his young, fifteen-year-old face held a trace of pity, and he said with a sigh, “Master, she is covered in frostbite and whip marks, and the tendons and bones in her right wrist are severely damaged. It will take at least a year and a half to recover properly.”

Ran Fanyin walked a few steps into the inner room. Only after seeing that the maid had prepared the hot bath did she turn back to Luo Sheng. “She is still young. If treated properly, it might not be impossible for the bones and tendons to regenerate. But as you can see, her right hand is practically destroyed. I can try to find a way, but at best, it will only recover to fifty or sixty percent. In any case, she will never be able to hold a brush or a sword with that right hand again.”

Luo Sheng’s handsome face showed surprise. “Master, I still don’t understand. Why did you bring back this scrawny brat?”

Ran Fanyin’s eyes immediately softened. “I encountered her on my way back from my spiritual journey. Meeting her is fate, as I rarely venture out of the sect.”

Luo Sheng chuckled. “Is Master planning to take this brat as a personal disciple? Master is one of the three Honored Lords of the great Beifa Palace. Ordinary disciples seeking to cultivate must work hard and distinguish themselves for many years within the sect to even have a chance of being selected as a personal disciple by an Honored Lord. Now, this small child, picked up from the street, has mediocre aptitude and a crippled right hand…”

Ran Fanyin slanted her eyes toward him, her voice slow and measured. “Zisheng, I have been away for three months, and you have become quite bold.”

Luo Sheng’s still-young face immediately broadened into a bright smile. “No, no, Master, you worry too much. I was just talking. After all, my junior sister and I were both taken in simply because Master felt a connection with us.”

“…Help this child wash up properly. The maids do not know how gentle to be. You understand what is appropriate, so take good care of her.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Sheng immediately and gently lifted the wide-eyed beggar girl from the bed, placed her in the hot water, and removed her tattered clothes without a word.

Ran Fanyin saw that things were temporarily settled and swept her sleeves, intending to return to her own chambers to clean up as well.

Before she could step out of the doorway, she heard a howl of anguish from inside: “Master!!!”

Ran Fanyin’s eyebrow twitched, and she turned back. “…What is it?” Ran Fanyin’s tone was even, revealing no emotion.

The noise interrupted Cen Ran’s thoughts, leaving her mind in a jumble. Unauthorized visits, taking a disciple in private… No, not exactly taking a disciple, but still… How much had Master overheard? Master’s face was always unreadable. Was this just a common question, or a subtle command for her to confess?

Helan Mianmian heard the commotion, peered out the window, propped her chin on her arm, and said with a smile, “Sister Cen Ran came to bring clothes for Ning Songwu.”

Ran Fanyin glanced at Helan Mianmian and then asked Cen Ran, “Why didn’t you come during the day? Why use the window when there is a door?”

Helan Mianmian saw sweat beginning to bead on Cen Ran’s forehead and quickly spoke up for her again. “Then why didn’t the Honored Lord visit Ning Songwu during the day? The Honored Lord has a door but used the window?”

Ran Fanyin was left speechless for a moment. Her eyes widened slightly, making her look somewhat vacant. Ning Songwu couldn’t help but chuckle softly from the side. This was the first time in her life she had seen her Master show such an adorable expression.

Ran Fanyin paused briefly, looking at Helan Mianmian’s deeply dimpled smile. She showed no displeasure, only dropping a single sentence to Cen Ran: “Return to Rongku Pavilion.”

Daring not to linger, Cen Ran immediately followed Ran Fanyin away.

Ran Fanyin rested for two days. After freshening up, she took the Sword-Casting Stone and hurried back to the Sword-Casting Pool.

Jiang Yue slowly poured the smooth stone out of the brocade pouch. The material could not exactly be called stone; it had a strange texture, something between stone and metal. Jiang Yue was a man of the world, especially a renowned sword-smith who had forged countless famous swords and handled tens of thousands of ores. Yet, even he had never forged a sword with a stone like this.

“This stone is very special. I only saw it once, when Master first gave it to you. This is the second time I’ve seen it, and I know nothing about it. Wait a moment, let me examine it properly.”

Jiang Yue took the Sword-Casting Stone to a wooden shelf filled with various ores and began to compare it carefully.

The substance that had been constantly burning in the pool suddenly made a series of gurgling sounds, as if boiling, and the commotion gradually intensified, creating a considerable noise.

Jiang Yue quickly put down what he was holding and walked over to examine it closely. After studying it for a while, he picked up some powder from the side and sprinkled it in.

“I remember Senior Brother saying three years ago that it would be inconvenient to forge a sword for the next few years. Was he planning to forge this very sword even then?” Ran Fanyin peered over Jiang Yue’s shoulder at the molten material in the pool.

Jiang Yue nodded. “Yes, it has been three years. But for three years… it has been stuck in the refining stage… You see? To forge an extraordinary sword, it can take many years to succeed.”

His tone carried a hint of helpless sigh.

Jiang Yue watched the molten material gradually calm down, and his brow slightly relaxed. He walked back to the wooden shelf filled with ores and continued to examine the unique Sword-Casting Stone.

After a long time, Jiang Yue finally walked away with the stone and went to another cauldron next to the Sword-Casting Pool, dropping the stone into it. The high-temperature fire waves rolling in the pool sizzled and bubbled. Tongues of fire leaped high, wantonly licking the rim of the melting pot. Just watching the scene made one feel the unbearable heat.

“I can tell a little bit about it, but not much. We’ll start the refining first. We can discuss the mineral powders to remove impurities later; we mustn’t act rashly. You can monitor the heat now. Stir it occasionally.”

With that, Jiang Yue walked back to the cauldron he was refining and focused on his work.

Ran Fanyin secretly pondered the essentials. She rolled up her sleeves, and her hands struggled to stir the iron rod plunged into the molten material. In just a short time, Ran Fanyin was sweating profusely.

The newly cast Sword-Casting Stone was extremely unstable, emitting faint crackling sounds, followed by a peculiar gudong gudong sound that grew louder and louder.

The surface of the molten material suddenly began to churn as if boiling, as though something was trying to bore its way out. Bubbles constantly surged up and burst. Hearing the commotion, Jiang Yue’s gaze sharpened. He swiftly moved over, grabbed Ran Fanyin’s shoulder, and pulled her back.

“Be careful—!”

Zii—!!!

“Hiss…” Ran Fanyin gave a muffled groan.

It was still a little too late.

Along with the violent movement, the surging molten material splashed out of the cauldron. The fiery hot mineral liquid splashed onto Ran Fanyin’s delicate white wrist, instantly scalding a horrific wound. The red of the molten material and the red of the flesh were smeared together.

Jiang Yue immediately plunged Ran Fanyin’s wrist into the ice-water pool for careful washing. He knew how painful this was; it was not just ordinary hot water, but high-temperature molten material containing toxic minerals! Any delay in treatment could completely corrode a person’s wrist.

Despite the pain, Ran Fanyin, though drenched in sweat, endured it without a sound.

Such habitual forbearance inexplicably tugged at the heartstrings.

“It was my oversight. Sit down here.” Jiang Yue sprinkled an unknown powder into the surging molten material, and the substance in the cauldron immediately calmed down like a ferocious beast whose claws and teeth had been clipped.

The bloody, raw wrist looked extremely ghastly, covered in splash-like injuries. The most unbearable part was the toxic corrosion. Though not fatal, it was truly agonizing.

But Ran Fanyin said nothing. She only furrowed her brow, quietly watching as Jiang Yue used a blade to slowly, agonizingly cut away the rotten flesh and pick out the toxic matter. She was as calm as if the hand were not her own. Any other person would have fainted just by looking at it.

All her suffering was habitually buried deep within her cold eyes. It wasn’t that she was feigning strength; crying or shouting from the pain wouldn’t make the pain go away. She never wanted to waste time on meaningless actions.

“Fortunately, it’s your left hand; it won’t affect your ability to hold a brush or a sword. Don’t worry, I’ve had this kind of injury too. It will fully recover in a while. It might just leave a scar…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ran Fanyin replied faintly.

Jiang Yue sighed. “In all these years of being fellow disciples, you rarely sustained such injuries. It’s all because of your little disciple. If I may be frank, that child Ning Songwu has too much intense emotion in her eyes. Tempering will only make her mature, but it will not erase her desires. She is not suited for cultivation.”

“She… is indeed someone who easily develops feelings. Perhaps away from a place like Beifa, which demands coldness and detachment, she could live more freely,” Ran Fanyin said, placing her gaze on the fiercely burning Sword-Casting Pool, but her topic changed. “However, having entered my tutelage, there is no rationale for her to leave. As long as she does not wish to leave, she will always be my disciple.”

Just as Jiang Yue finished bandaging Ran Fanyin, the heavy stone door of the Sword-Casting Pool rumbled open slightly, and a person walked in.

It was Cheng Yunhuan in his blue and white robes. His handsome eyebrows were tightly knitted, suggesting an important matter.

“Senior Brother? What wind blew you, the busiest man, to the Sword-Casting Pool?” Jiang Yue teased Cheng Yunhuan.

Cheng Yunhuan said in a deep voice, “It’s good that Junior Sister is here as well. We have an urgent matter, and I need both of you to come down the mountain with me.”

Jiang Yue shook his head. “I cannot leave right now. What matter requires the mobilization of three Honored Lords?”

“It’s a long story. The Blazing Fire Banner of the Fentian Sect crossed Yushui Pass and is causing disputes in Luo City. …To be precise, they want to seize Luo City, which has already agitated the Imperial Court.”

“Senior Brother means… this order is…”

Jiang Yue said, “I see. If it were just the Blazing Fire Banner, it would be fine. But I fear that Wen Jinglei has also entered Yushui Pass, which is why they are calling for the Honored Lords. In my opinion, the Fentian Sect’s action is mostly a test. The time for them to conquer the Central Plains is not yet ripe, so they dare not make a major move.”

Cheng Yunhuan pondered for a moment and said, “Master holds the same view. But the Imperial Court has issued an order, so we should go, regardless. The Luanhua Valley has also sent people, so Beifa certainly cannot be seen to merely appease them.”

Ran Fanyin, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke. “Senior Brother Jiang Yue is indeed unable to leave the mountain. I will go with Senior Brother. Two of us should be enough to save face with them.”

Jiang Yue approved. “That’s the best approach. It also serves as a warning to the Imperial Court. Do they think they have so much clout that if they ask for three, three must go? Too much obedience will compromise the face of our Beifa Sect. It’s time to make the Imperial Court wary of us.”

Ran Fanyin remained silent. After all, her disciple was a prince, so she found it difficult to comment.

Cheng Yunhuan said, “Very well, Junior Sister, let’s leave now. The matter is urgent and cannot be delayed. If Luo City is truly seized by the Fentian Sect, it will become truly troublesome.”

“Senior Brother, be careful to look after Ran Fanyin. She has a fresh injury on her wrist,” Jiang Yue instructed.

“No need for your concern. I have my own medicine prepared for her.” Cheng Yunhuan glanced briefly at the contents of the Sword-Casting Pool, then looked away and turned to leave.

“I will look after that sword for you. Don’t worry,” Jiang Yue kindly told Ran Fanyin.

Ran Fanyin nodded and followed Cheng Yunhuan away.

Luo Sheng, with his sleeves still rolled up and his hands still damp from the bath, ran out, his face flushed, and stammered, “Master, that, that brat is a female… Ah, no, that child is a girl…!”

“Hm,” Ran Fanyin raised an eyebrow.

Luo Sheng frantically waved his hands, his handsome face utterly red. “I’m a man who is fully fifteen years old. Now you’ve made me see that brat naked… Even the Founding Ancestor in heaven won’t forgive me!”

Ran Fanyin was amused by her disciple, a flash of laughter in her eyes. She spoke as if comforting a child. “Stop it. Is it that big of a deal? You may leave.”

Luo Sheng muttered to himself as he retreated. “I am a cultivator…”

Ran Fanyin walked back to the bathtub. The beggar girl was sitting inside, looking bewildered, scared, and unsure of what was happening. Her exposed small body was emaciated and covered in scars.

A young girl, so miserable yet so tenacious? Ran Fanyin reached out to touch the beggar girl’s head. Meeting the child’s moist, large eyes, her typically cold eyes filled with pity and affection. She carefully touched the child’s stiff body and scooped up hot water to pour over her.

The beggar girl was extremely dirty, and Ran Fanyin had to use somewhat forceful methods. Even though the child had many injuries, Ran Fanyin gritted her teeth and scrubbed with a brush. As soon as she began to scrub, the child whimpered in pain, instinctively clutching Ran Fanyin’s sleeve tightly, and looked at Ran Fanyin with a pair of pitiful, tear-filled eyes.

Ran Fanyin looked at the little figure before her. Her eyes subtly conveyed a deep, sorrowful pity. But she was naturally cold and offered little verbal comfort. Instead, she lifted the beggar girl out of the water and held her close, completely disregarding the fact that she was wetting her own robes. She gently stroked the child’s protruding, bony back while slowly brushing away the grime from her body.

“Honored Lord, why don’t we take over…” The maids on the side had never seen Ran Fanyin like this and quickly asked.

“No need. She has many wounds. You do not understand how much pressure to apply. I feel more at ease doing it myself.” Ran Fanyin continued to gently hold the beggar girl and clean her.

The beggar girl was still in pain, but she only tightened her small hand around Ran Fanyin’s collar, as if clutching the only life raft she could grasp in the world. She secretly wiped her tears onto Ran Fanyin’s snow-white clothes, whimpering softly in her throat.

The washing lasted from morning until dark, and Ran Fanyin only slowly managed to clean the little girl. Ran Fanyin had a slight obsession with cleanliness, so she changed the water several times and continued washing from dark until the next morning, using various herbal medicines. She only stopped when the beggar girl looked as if she had shed a layer of skin.

Ran Fanyin, feeling a little tired, used a soft blanket to dry the beggar girl, wiping her tender face. The child’s appearance was surprisingly beautiful—her features were delicate, her eyes dark, cold, and bright. Her small white face was clever and adorable, and a natural cinnabar mole was prominently dotted between her eyebrows, which further set off her star-bright eyes. She was simply too malnourished; she lacked the chubbiness a child should have, and her chin was thin and sharp.

Ran Fanyin carried her back to the bed and, without stopping, began to apply medicine. The doctor, who had been summoned earlier from the Pill Hall, stood nearby, watching as Ran Fanyin gently applied the topical medicine before stepping forward to mend the tendons in the beggar girl’s right hand. Ran Fanyin sat beside her, staring intently, her brows tightly furrowed.

The beggar girl cried out loudly in pain and struggled violently. Ran Fanyin held her down and continuously murmured comforting words in a low voice, but it had no effect. She had no choice but to point her pressure point. Ran Fanyin watched the silent agony in the child’s cold, bright dark eyes. Unable to even cry out, her features trembled. Ran Fanyin’s own heart ached slightly in response. She could only tightly hold the beggar girl’s left hand and transmit a thread of zhenqi to her.

After another day of turmoil, the doctor finally finished his work and left late into the night. During this time, the beggar girl had fainted and woken up several times due to the pain and now lay on the bed nearly exhausted.

Ran Fanyin carefully arranged the beggar girl’s heavily bandaged right wrist, meticulously covered her with the quilt, placed a warming stove in the child’s hands, and tucked in the corners of the quilt. Finally, she let out a sigh of relief.

Despite her extreme fatigue and pain, the beggar girl kept her eyes fixed on Ran Fanyin, unwilling to even blink. She did not fully understand what was happening, but she knew that this person was consistently good to her and was someone she could trust. Seeing Ran Fanyin turn as if to leave, the beggar girl anxiously leaped up, sending the quilt and the warming stove tumbling to the side. In her haste to grab Ran Fanyin’s sleeve, she nearly fell off the bed.

Ran Fanyin turned around, caught the beggar girl, and pulled her into her arms, sighing softly, “I am dirty—covered in mud and water. Be a good girl and go to sleep. I will come back after I bathe.”

The beggar girl did not understand the words. She only followed her instinct, wrapped her arms tightly around Ran Fanyin’s neck, and made a soft, spoiled humming sound in her throat.

Ran Fanyin had no choice but to move a stool to the side of the bed. She carefully tucked the beggar girl back into the covers, held her wrist, and secretly transmitted some soothing zhenqi to help her fall asleep easily. It seemed she would not be able to leave until the child was fully asleep.

“Master!” A beautiful girl in a green dress, looking about thirteen or fourteen years old, suddenly pushed the door open. Her eyes were filled with worry, and her voice was naturally raised. “Master, I just returned from down the mountain this afternoon, and Senior Brother said you’ve been busy here for two whole days without closing your eyes…”

“Hush,” Ran Fanyin’s tone was cool and light, as if nothing was wrong, but there were already streaks of blood in her weary eyes.

Cen Ran saw her Master’s rarely displayed fatigue and was anxiously distressed. “Master, you are so exhausted… Senior Brother is always dropping the ball at crucial moments! He kept saying there was something here he couldn’t look at and refused to come in. Otherwise, how could Master have been so overworked without anyone intervening…”

Ran Fanyin gave her second disciple a sideways glance. “Hush.”

Cen Ran froze instantly, standing there with her mouth half-open and feeling helpless, but she dared not say another word.

“It’s fine. She’s sound asleep,” Ran Fanyin’s expression softened. She gently let go of the wrist of the beggar girl, whose cheeks were rosy from sleep, and motioned for Cen Ran to leave with her.

It was still snowing heavily on Beifa Mountain. The magnificent complex of buildings stood proudly here, the layers of intricate and majestic palace structures, with carved beams and painted pillars, like a celestial palace hovering above the mortal world. This was the Beifa Palace—the foremost place of cultivation in the land, renowned throughout the martial world.

“Master, who is sleeping in the room?”

Ran Fanyin’s pale, ice-like eyes looked at Cen Ran. “Did Zisheng not tell you?”

“Senior Brother said Master intends to take her as a disciple,” Cen Ran lowered her gaze.

“I never said that,” Ran Fanyin’s expression was unreadable. “That child’s right hand is already crippled. She will not accomplish anything under my tutelage. Once she is physically better, I will send her down the mountain. You personally choose a family to entrust her to; do not let her be wronged.”

“Master, Senior Brother said you once mentioned a connection of fate with her. If that is the case, why not keep her?”

Ran Fanyin was silent for a moment. After some deliberation and hesitation, she still shook her head. “Everything will wait until she is fully recovered.”

Just then, a maid rushed over. Though flustered, she remained respectful. “Honored Lord, the child is awake and is throwing a fit in the room. It looks like she is looking for you.”

Hearing this, Ran Fanyin immediately turned and followed the maid back to the room, leaving Cen Ran alone in the heavy snow. Cen Ran stared blankly for a moment, then silently departed.

The beggar girl was being forcefully held down on the bed by several maids. She was extremely panicked, making noises others couldn’t understand, and her thin, small body struggled desperately. She only stopped moving rigidly when her gaze met Ran Fanyin’s.

Ran Fanyin’s expression was calm, but her steps toward the beggar girl were noticeably quicker than usual. She saw that the thick bandages wrapped around the child’s right wrist were already bleeding due to the violent struggle, and her beautiful brows furrowed again. Waving the maids away, Ran Fanyin sat by the bed, pulled the beggar girl into her arms, and lowered her eyes to carefully examine the child’s right hand.

Ever since Ran Fanyin entered, the beggar girl had been staring intently at her. Seeing Ran Fanyin gently hold her, the dark eyes softened. Looking at the snow-jade-like profile so close, the beggar girl smiled happily. Relying on the animalistic instinct cultivated during her long time in the deep mountains, she extended her pink tongue to gently lick it, then lightly gnawed on it with her small, sharp teeth, using this to express her affection for Ran Fanyin.

A warm, wet, and smooth sensation came from her cheek, and the soft breath of the little girl gently puffed onto her face. Ran Fanyin’s expression froze. Her movements stiffened in mid-air, and she felt goosebumps rise all over her body.

Ran Fanyin’s cheek turned slightly red, the blush spreading all the way to her ears. She was unaccustomed to this and wanted to push the beggar girl away, but as her hand was still holding the child’s partially unwrapped wrist, she could only silently continue to treat the wound.

The beggar girl stopped fussing. She simply nestled her small head into Ran Fanyin’s shoulder, inhaling the woman’s unique cool plum scent. Her eyes curved contentedly, and the cinnabar mole between her eyebrows seemed to be happily pulsing.

Ran Fanyin forgot how she even fell asleep. After practicing for several nights without rest and then being busy for two whole days upon returning to Beifa, her body was utterly exhausted. She fell asleep with the beggar girl’s right wrist carefully held in her hand. Seeing Ran Fanyin quiet down, the beggar girl also burrowed into Ran Fanyin’s arms, found a comfortable position, and closed her eyes to sleep.