After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 67

Cang Min’s half-closed eyes still held a trace of sleepiness. She wore an outer robe casually draped over her shoulders, and in her hand, she held an ancient pill she had just found as she walked towards the bed.

The Huaxu Realm cave was not large, but it did have a vacant guest room, where Cang Min had settled Ran Fanyin and Ning Songwu.

Cang Min watched Ran Fanyin’s appearance and yawned helplessly. “Don’t hold her so tightly, be careful not to strangle her. Don’t transfer all your qi to her; she can’t handle that much. Don’t cry. She won’t die; I was just trying to scare you earlier. Here, I obtained this by chance a few years ago. Take this pill, and her life will be saved.”

Ran Fanyin raised her hand to wipe her eyes, accepted the pill Cang Min handed her, and carefully fed it to Ning Songwu, who was in her arms. She recognized it: it was the Heaven Mountain Snow Toad Pill (Tiānshān Xuěchándān), of which only ten remained in the world. It was compounded from several rare, life-saving medicinal ingredients, including the Heaven Mountain Snow Lotus, Millennium Spiritual Ginseng, Arctic Cold Toad Heart, Volcano Spiritual Herb, and Deep-Sea Jade Kirin. It was excellent for nourishing the heart pulse and treating internal injuries.

The fact that Cang Min was willing to offer this pill showed how much she valued Ran Fanyin as a friend. It was also because she knew this pill could save Ning Songwu that she allowed Ning Songwu to engage in behavior that was nothing short of self-harm.

Cang Min crossed her arms over her chest and watched Ning Songwu in Ran Fanyin’s embrace, deep in thought. Suddenly, she said, “A’yin… don’t you think… her features look a bit familiar? …I can’t place it, but I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere many years ago.”

Ran Fanyin’s hand gently stroked Ning Songwu’s cheek. Her eyes were lowered. “You’re mistaken. You should have never seen her before.”

Cang Min smiled and shook her head. “Perhaps. Having lived for so long, it’s not surprising to see similar-looking people.”

“Cang Min, your medical skills are better than mine. What is her condition now? When will she wake up?”

“…My medical skills aren’t that good. Don’t rely on me. However, the injury on her chest is from half a month ago and has started to heal. With the pill nourishing her damaged heart pulse, she should fully recover after a while. Right now, she just has a slight fever. She’ll be fine once she wakes up,” Cang Min said slowly.

Ran Fanyin wrapped one arm around Ning Songwu’s shoulder and intertwined the fingers of her other hand with Ning Songwu’s, continuously channeling pure qi to her. She lowered her head into Ning Songwu’s hair, her delicate nose lightly rubbing against it.

Cang Min adjusted her outer robe, her gaze falling on the peacefully sleeping Ning Songwu, and slowly said, “A’yin, cherish her.”

“Mm.” Ran Fanyin replied deeply.

Ning Songwu began to regain consciousness, not knowing how long she had been asleep. She felt as if her entire body was falling apart, so exhausted she couldn’t even lift her eyelids.

She was tired all over, and she hurt all over.

The Liu Yu (Flowing Jade) at her chest, unlike its usual warmth, felt a little cool. She suspected that because her body was burning up, it had actually heated past the naturally yang-natured jade.

Her left hand seemed to be held by someone. That person’s cold fingers were tightly wrapped around hers—so tight she could feel the trembling.

She urgently wanted to see the hand holding hers.

Ning Songwu swallowed the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. Her mind was chaotic for a long time, but driven by a single-minded determination, she managed to open her eyes slightly with difficulty.

The scene before her was doubled. After a long while, the multiple blurred images slowly converged, becoming clear in her eyes.

The hand that was intertwined with her left hand was long, slender, and pale white, and the movement was a little stiff. The wide sleeve had slid down to the forearm, revealing the person’s delicate wrist.

On the inner side of the wrist was a splash-like, dark red scar, like a wildly blooming lotus flower. Across the patch of scars, a hideous, long, straight scar protruded jarringly.

Ning Songwu stared blankly at the hand, feeling the warmth of the person embracing her from behind, and couldn’t help but squeeze the fingers of her left hand tighter.

The person behind her must have been awake the whole time. Sensing her subtle movement, their left hand immediately tightened, holding her firmly.

After a long pause, a faint, hoarse voice came from behind: “Ning Songwu?”

“…Mm.” Ning Songwu let out a difficult hum.

Ran Fanyin hugged the person in her arms tightly, burying her head in Ning Songwu’s shoulder, her lips pressed against Ning Songwu’s ear, her voice as gentle as if speaking sweet, intimate words: “Are you thirsty? I’ll pour you some water.”

Ning Songwu’s eyes instantly felt a mysterious pang of soreness, and her throat was muffled with a sob. “…Mm.”

The water must have been in Ran Fanyin’s hand. The person behind her moved slightly. Her left hand still held Ning Songwu tightly, and a moment later, the rim of a cup was pressed against her lips.

The cool water slowly slid down her throat. The burning, unbearable sensation in her throat eased considerably, and her mind became much clearer.

Ning Songwu struggled to raise her right hand and pressed it against the hand Ran Fanyin was holding the cup with.

“…What’s wrong?” Ran Fanyin asked softly.

“Am I… dead?” Ning Songwu opened her mouth hoarsely, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Ran Fanyin lowered her head and lightly kissed Ning Songwu’s cheek, her own sensitive ears turning bright red. She kissed Ning Songwu cautiously and tenderly, as if handling the most precious treasure in the world. A kiss, and then another.

Clumsy, but persistent kisses.

The Liu Yu on her neck suddenly became hot. Ning Songwu suddenly felt a stream of pure qi flow from the jade into her body, instantly giving her the strength to move.

Ning Songwu turned over forcefully, pivoting out of Ran Fanyin’s embrace, and tightly hugged Ran Fanyin’s waist. She didn’t care that the water in the cup spilled onto the bed. She reached up to touch Ran Fanyin’s face. Without a word, she forcefully kissed Ran Fanyin, pressing their lips together with extreme intimacy.

Ran Fanyin was incredibly quiet. Her left hand was still intertwined with Ning Songwu’s. A flush spread from her cheeks down to her neck. Her expression was reserved and restrained, yet it couldn’t hide the signs of arousal.

It wasn’t the first time they had kissed, but it was the first time she hadn’t resisted, the first time she had genuinely participated in the kiss.

Ran Fanyin felt Ning Songwu’s lips were scorching, yet they were incredibly soft, the unique softness and sweetness of a woman. She thought she would habitually reject it, but unexpectedly, she liked it—she liked this kind of intimate, seamless contact.

Ning Songwu kissed more and more passionately, not satisfied with simple touching. She tentatively poked out the tip of her tongue, carefully exploring Ran Fanyin’s lips and teeth. Their messy, warm breaths intertwined, stirring up desire.

Ran Fanyin’s face was completely flushed. With a hint of shyness, she slightly opened her teeth, allowing Ning Songwu entry.

The moment Ning Songwu’s tongue probed in, she seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly withdrew, turning her head away from Ran Fanyin’s lips.

As they separated, a silver thread, redolent with intimacy, still connected them.

“I’m sorry, I forgot… I’m still burning up. I shouldn’t pass this on to you…” Ning Songwu’s face was also scalding hot, whether from the fever or from passion.

Ran Fanyin breathed softly. Her cool fingers reached up to touch Ning Songwu’s face, slowly tracing her perfect features. With an excruciatingly slow motion, her fingers traced down to Ning Songwu’s delicate chin, where she grasped it and tilted her face up slightly.

Ran Fanyin didn’t say a word. She simply lowered her head and actively kissed Ning Songwu’s lips again. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then boldly imitated Ning Songwu’s earlier motion, probing with her soft, wet tongue and easily slipping inside, causing Ning Songwu to freeze.

Ning Songwu no longer held back. Trembling, she tightly embraced Ran Fanyin, focusing on deepening the kiss.

Ran Fanyin was unable to control her emotions. Kissed into a daze by Ning Songwu, she let out a soft moan from her throat: “Mm…”

Ning Songwu desperately wanted to devour Ran Fanyin. Her love was so intense that kissing alone could no longer express her desire. She began to nip at Ran Fanyin’s lips, her breathing growing wildly erratic.

Her hand discreetly untied Ran Fanyin’s sash. Her scorching hot hand reached in, resting on Ran Fanyin’s toned, taut abdomen, forming a “川” shape (meaning ‘river’ but here describing the shape of her abs).

Ran Fanyin’s body shivered fiercely. The scalding warmth on her abdomen made her extremely uncomfortable. She subconsciously pressed down on Ning Songwu’s hand.

Ning Songwu pulled back from Ran Fanyin’s lips, panting, and leaned in to gently nibble on Ran Fanyin’s earlobe, which was red to the point of bleeding. Her hand gripped Ran Fanyin’s waist tightly, with enough force to want to melt her into her own bones.

Ran Fanyin sensitively dodged Ning Songwu’s attempt to bite her earlobe. Her hands instinctively pushed Ning Songwu away.

Ning Songwu grabbed Ran Fanyin’s hand, and unceremoniously nibbled on her wrist, licking and kissing the patch of dark red scar back and forth, causing Ran Fanyin to gasp sharply.

“Ning Songwu…” Ran Fanyin slightly tilted her head back, the end of her voice trembling.

Ning Songwu’s eyes were filled with tears. She pinned Ran Fanyin’s hand to her side and frantically tore at Ran Fanyin’s outer robe. The exquisite white garment, patterned with the pressed texture of white cranes, was pulled into a mess. With one hand, Ning Songwu vigorously kissed Ran Fanyin’s exposed slender neck, and with the other, she forcefully tried to undress Ran Fanyin.

In her panic, Ran Fanyin instinctively resisted. She didn’t care that the white robe had been pulled off, exposing her fair, rounded shoulders. She quickly found and tightly gripped Ning Songwu’s hands, stopping her from continuing the frantic actions.

Held by Ran Fanyin’s hands, Ning Songwu suddenly quieted down. She rested her face on Ran Fanyin’s shoulder. The moment her eyes closed, tears fell, wetting Ran Fanyin’s shoulder.

“I know… I’m dreaming… I’ve always had dreams like this… I must be close to death; even the heavens couldn’t bear it and gave me a dream like this… Since this is the last dream, why can’t you be a little more compliant?” Ning Songwu choked out.

Ran Fanyin released Ning Songwu’s hands and tightly wrapped her arms around the weak girl in her embrace. The tears she was shedding made her a little flustered. “Ning Songwu, this is not a dream. It’s just that you still have an injury on your chest. You shouldn’t do such… intense movements…”

“You’re lying to me. How could this not be a dream? Master doesn’t want me… she doesn’t want me…” Ning Songwu cried even more fiercely.

“Ning Songwu, look at me.” Ran Fanyin pulled Ning Songwu back so she could look at her, helped wipe away her tears, and blushed as she gently took Ning Songwu’s hand, slowly raising it to her eyes. She closed her eyes halfway and, in a deeply reserved manner, gently nipped Ning Songwu’s fingertip.

“Does it hurt? If it hurts and you still don’t wake up, it means this is not a dream,” Ran Fanyin said earnestly, her face red.

Ning Songwu only felt a slight dizziness from the fever. She withdrew her finger, lowered her head, and remained silent for a long time. After a while, she said:

“Your bite didn’t hurt at all.”

Ran Fanyin and her group stayed safely on Kunlun Mountain for several days. Helan Mianmian, after hearing Ning Songwu say that Cen Ran had returned to Beifa Mountain, seemed distracted for a while, but eventually couldn’t bear it and ran back to Beifa alone to chase after Cen Ran.

Lin Yuxue was not in a hurry and spent a few leisurely days with Ran Fanyin on Kunlun Mountain. It wasn’t until Wu Ji, Wu Gong, and Wu Ming came together to urge her to return to the Central Plains that she reluctantly prepared the carriage.

Ning Songwu and Ran Fanyin stood together, preparing to send Lin Yuxue off for a distance. Lin Yuxue looked at the three guards standing around the carriage, sighed quietly, then turned to look at the Huaxu Realm, and suddenly said to Ran Fanyin:

“Ran Fanyin, it must be so boring to stay in a place like this all day. Would you like to come with me to the Central Plains this time?”

Ran Fanyin pondered for a moment, then turned to ask Ning Songwu beside her, “Do you want to go?”

Ning Songwu raised an eyebrow. She had only planned to stay here for a month or two, spend some affectionate time with Master, and then return to Beifa. Now, Lin Yuxue’s seemingly sudden suggestion made her a little excited inside. Since she could remember, she had always been in freezing cold places. In the ten years she had been in Beifa, she hadn’t even stepped outside the mountain gate.

If she were an old person who had experienced the world’s vicissitudes, staying in a secluded place like Beifa for retirement would be nice. But she was still so young, possessing the high level of martial arts she had cultivated over the past decade. How could she not want to wander the lively Jianghu (martial world)? Currently… her body had recovered very well, and she was very willing to see the Jianghu, especially the bustling and populous Central Plains, which was particularly appealing.

“I want to go, Master,” Ning Songwu said with a smile.

“I know you must like those places. Since you’ve already left Beifa Mountain this time, let’s take a trip to the Central Plains. It shouldn’t take too much time,” Ran Fanyin replied to Ning Songwu with a light smile. She was naturally fond of quietness, but traveling to see the sights with the person she loved would certainly be better than staying foolishly in this cave for a few months.

Lin Yuxue also looked happy. “That’s wonderful. I’ll have company on my way to the Central Plains this time. Since Beifa and Luanhua Valley (Luānhuā Gǔ) are so closely related, as the Young Valley Master, I should also invite Honored Lord Ran Fanyin to visit the Valley.”

“A trip to Luanhua Valley would be good. Let me write a letter to inform my Shīzūn (Master) of my itinerary, and then we shall depart.”

Ran Fanyin fetched paper and brush, clearly wrote down the sequence of events, and sent it out via a carrier pigeon. The Trial Sword Assembly should be nearing its conclusion now. Shīzūn should have time to deal with the matters of Fentian Gate and Luanhua Valley. With Senior Brother Cheng Yunhuan assisting Shīzūn with other matters, her absence from Beifa for a period of time should not be an issue.

Cang Min leaned against the entrance of the Huaxu Realm cave, cracking melon seeds and clicking her tongue. “It hasn’t even been lively for a few days, and now everyone’s leaving again. A’yin, who knows how many years it will be before we meet again. How can we part without wine? Bo Xue!”

Tea and wine were essential items in the Huaxu Realm. Bo Xue sighed and brought out several jars of wine, filling the cups for everyone.

Cang Min tossed away her melon seeds, held up her wine cup with both hands, shedding a bit of her usual flippancy. “May you be well after this parting.”

“May you be well,” Ran Fanyin toasted Cang Min and drank the wine in her hand.

The affairs of the world are unpredictable, and life is full of twists and turns. Only being safe and worry-free is the simplest, yet the most difficult thing to achieve.

“A’yin, it is rare for me to find a kindred spirit in this life. The depth of our friendship needs no words. No matter when in the future, you will be my closest friend. No matter what the matter, I, Cang Min, am willing to stand by you, even if it means risking my life!”

“We have known each other for decades. Why speak so much of this?” Ran Fanyin curved her lips in a smile and handed the wine cup back.

Cang Min smiled with red eyes. “It’s a separation, so I can’t help but feel emotional. In consideration of our years of friendship, I won’t ask you to compensate for the red sandalwood bed. Take good care of yourself. You are such a quiet person; don’t be so boring all the time, or you’ll bore the people around you.”

“I understand,” Ran Fanyin softly replied.

“The mountains and rivers fill my sight, but I yearn in vain for what is far away; the fallen flowers and the wind’s sleep make me mourn the spring more deeply. I won’t see you off. Go well.” Cang Min cupped her hands, flicked her sleeves, and walked back to the Huaxu Realm cave entrance. She sat down at the entrance and began to pour and drink wine alone.

Ran Fanyin, Ning Songwu, and Lin Yuxue all got into the carriage, taking one last lingering look toward the Huaxu Realm.

The mountains and rivers fill my sight, but I yearn in vain for what is far away; the fallen flowers and the wind’s sleep make me mourn the spring more deeply.

It is better to cherish the person before your eyes.

This was Cang Min’s final instruction to her: cherish the person before your eyes.

The three people sat in the same carriage, while Wu Ji, Wu Gong, and Wu Ming rode horses behind them as escorts.

Ran Fanyin looked faintly at the scenery outside the carriage window, seemingly lost in thought. Lin Yuxue and Ning Songwu, on the other hand, started chatting casually.

“The first time I met Honored Lord Ran Fanyin was when I was just a tiny bit old,” Lin Yuxue said with a light chuckle. “So many years have passed in a flash. I’m almost getting old, yet look at her—she’s still the same. It really makes one feel unfair.”

Ning Songwu recalled her childhood and also smiled. “Yes, the first time I saw Master, I was only seven years old. I truly can’t imagine a situation where I have grown white hair in another ten or eight years, and she still looks the same.”

“How can you compare yourself to ordinary people? You are a cultivator. Cultivators have long lives.”

“I am different from others,” Ning Songwu shook her head, her brows slightly furrowed. “My natural talent has been poor since I was a child. I’m probably not suited for cultivation. In the future, at most, my martial arts will surpass others, but as for longevity…”

“No, I see that your bone structure is unique, and your previous generation must have also been excellent martial artists. If you are lagging behind others in cultivation and martial arts, it should be due to other postnatal reasons,” Lin Yuxue affirmed, nodding.

“Young Valley Master… what do you mean?”

“I don’t know much about this aspect, but I can roughly guess that you must have suffered a devastating trauma when you were a child, destroying your original potential, which caused your foundation to be ruined.”

“…When I was young… never mind, I can’t even remember it myself. But I’ve never heard Master mention it,” Ning Songwu frowned, thought for a moment, and glanced at Ran Fanyin beside her. “Master?”

Ran Fanyin hummed, suddenly snapping back to attention, and looked blankly at Ning Songwu. “What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing. What were you distracted by?” Ning Songwu asked with a smile.

Ran Fanyin was silent for a moment, then thought for a long while, and said, “Am I truly, very boring?”

Ning Songwu was stunned for a moment before she remembered that during the farewell just now, Cang Min had said, “You are such a quiet person; don’t be so boring all the time, or you’ll bore the people around you.” She couldn’t help but smile. So Master had been pondering this question for so long.

Lin Yuxue held back a smile at the corner of her lips. “Yes, you are very boring.”

“And extremely boring, too,” Ning Songwu added with a laugh.

Ran Fanyin paused, lowered her head in serious contemplation, and after a moment, looked up at Ning Songwu. “What should I do to be more interesting?”

“You’re perfect just the way you are. You were originally this cold and clear person. Being boring is your charm,” Ning Songwu said with a smile.

Ran Fanyin turned to look out the window, murmuring softly, “I’m afraid you’ll find me dull.”

“It’s not dull. If you suddenly became talkative, I would be the one who wasn’t used to it,” Ning Songwu quietly reached back and took Ran Fanyin’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.