After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 7

As fate would have it, when Ran Fanyin and her disciple arrived at Qingye Peak, they saw the “red-haired Nine-Tailed Fox” from afar. The girl was dressed in a light pink dress, following closely behind her own Master. She looked like she had just arrived and was tidying her sleeves.

Ning Songwu saw the girl in pink from a distance. She was stunned for a moment, desperately pressing her lips together to suppress a smile, but her heart was already roaring with laughter.

“Hahahahahaha! I didn’t expect this! To see the Demon King’s daughter, who usually wore black in the book, in pink! Hahahaha! Thank you, Sixth Martial Uncle!”

Ran Fanyin glanced at her calmly, also forcibly pressing her lips together to avoid being led to laughter by the mind-numbing sound of the child’s inner laughter.

Yesterday, this little girl was also wearing rough gray-black clothes. Today, she was adorned in pink and tender colors. It was a sure bet whose handiwork it was, right down to the little hair buns on her head.

“Ah, Mianmian’s taste!”

She tried her best to maintain a straight face, welcoming the pair with a slight smile. “Martial Sister, have you come here to…?”

Elder Helan looked around, then played coyly, tugging Ran Fanyin’s sleeve, standing on tiptoe, and whispering in her ear, “Senior Martial Sister, we picked up so many treasures this year!”

“Last night, I checked her bloodline. Although she’s a hybrid, her demon bloodline is extremely noble. Do you want to guess what it is?”

“What is it?” Ran Fanyin feigned surprise.

The little cat excitedly shook her arm. “It’s a fox! A Nine-Tailed Fox! I, a miscellaneous-breed cat, actually get to be the Master of a Nine-Tailed Fox! Heavens! If my mother knew in the afterlife, she would probably be happy for a long time!”

Ran Fanyin was slightly startled. Her own mind-wandering disciple had actually guessed correctly. Still, she was genuinely happy for her Junior Martial Sister and pinched her nose. “Then you must instruct her well and must not hold her back.”

“I know. I picked out my favorite clothes for her today. I originally wanted to style her hair into a bun, but the child refused. Alas, I’ll let it go for now,” Helan Mianmian sighed.

Ran Fanyin pondered for a moment and still subtly hinted, “A Nine-Tailed Fox. Be careful—it might be the Demon King’s bloodline.”

“I anticipate that. If it is the Demon King’s bloodline, then I must hide her even better. The Demon King is cruel and has countless blood debts. I absolutely won’t let my adorable little disciple suffer,” Elder Helan decided, clapping her hands together.

Ran Fanyin briefly glanced at the little girl, who was a head shorter than her own disciple. She was wearing pink, her hair neatly tied in a ponytail behind her head. A few strands of hair on her forehead were likely what her Master insisted on keeping. She stood there with a serious, set face.

Her own disciple was standing stiffly at her side.

They complemented each other, making for an interesting sight.

The goal of both Elders today was the same: to discard the cultivation their two disciples had accumulated down the mountain and start anew.

“Why doesn’t Lin Yuxue have to do this? Oh, Lin Yuxue hasn’t started cultivating yet, right? Okay, fine.”

Ning Songwu curled her lips and let out an unamused humph. She and Luo Sheng sat obediently side-by-side. Neither of their Masters entered the room; after all, they couldn’t help much even if they did.

With no one else around, Ning Songwu gently poked the person beside her and whispered, “How old are you?”

The statue-like girl trembled, gave her a cold glance, and didn’t reply.

“Hey, little one, just tell me.”

“Have you been wandering all this time?”

Luo Sheng lowered her eyelids and quietly mumbled an almost imperceptible yes. “Yes.”

“Do you like your Master?” Ning Songwu continued to ask.

The little girl finally looked up, her eyes slightly flickering. She stared at Ning Songwu and nodded heavily. “I do! She cooks delicious food!”

“Elder Helan can cook? Why was the description of her in the book so minimal, only occasionally mentioning her cuteness? Such a wonderful character. Writing her out more would be so much stronger than that boring and idiotic main plot.”

“Even though she dressed you in pink?”

Luo Sheng’s face flushed slightly. After a long pause, she stammered, “Pink is, not entirely bad. It looks pretty.”

“Maiden, you’ve succumbed.”

Outside the hall, Ran Fanyin, who was holding a white chess piece and observing the board, jolted from the words, nearly dropping the piece.

The woman leaning on her hand with a bored look asked, “What’s wrong, Senior Martial Sister?”

“…They’re having a very cheerful conversation.”

“Indeed. The two little icebergs sitting together have actually started chatting. Isn’t it about time?”

Ran Fanyin looked up and saw the young girl bringing in two bowls of herbal soup before dropping a piece onto the board. “It’s time to begin.”

“One sword cultivator, one magic cultivator, one medical cultivator. A perfect combination.”

“You’re completely discounting the one under Cen Ran’s tutelage, aren’t you?”

The pink-robed woman pouted. “That person has impure intentions. Let’s not count her.”

“But she will eventually need teammates.” Elder Ran dropped another piece. “Let’s see how long the person behind the scenes can remain seated.”

The woman followed with a piece and clapped happily. “Senior Martial Sister, I win! Pay up, pay up.”

“This Venerable One truly cannot compete with your shrewd little cat heart.”

“Bad at chess is bad at chess. Senior Martial Sister, are you going to renege on a debt? Hmm?”

Unlike the cheerful atmosphere outside, the two maidens sitting inside looked at the two bowls of thick, dark, and shiny medicinal soup brought in by Liu Ruoying and instinctively shrunk back.

The smell alone suggested bitterness—a numbing bitterness.

Luo Sheng reacted more strongly, her fingers tightly clutching her clothes, her lips pursed, and her face serious, preparing for the ordeal.

Ning Songwu was not unafraid; she just didn’t show it. She sat calmly, though her heart was already crying a river.

As if to prevent them from fleeing, several thick vines rose from the ground, binding them tightly to the couch, immobilizing them.

They watched helplessly as the medicinal liquid flew up on its own, approaching them, slipping into their mouths, and sliding down.

Instantly, a bitter essence permeated and stained their bodies.

Luo Sheng trembled like a sieve, her brows tightly furrowed. The pain had not yet fully set in, but she was already sweating and shivering, looking unwell.

The green-robed girl waiting by the side quickly came over and placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, slowly transmitting warmth to calm her trembling. Luo Sheng gave her a grateful look. Before she could speak, the medicinal effect reached her Dantian, and the tearing pain, as if her body were being ripped apart, washed over her.

At that very moment, her pale, cool fingers were enveloped in the hand of the person next to her, who gently squeezed them.

She looked to the side. The white-robed girl was also trembling, her eyes tightly shut, her forehead covered in cold sweat. Even the white-gold ribbon in her hair was shaking. As if sensing her gaze, the girl turned her head, slightly opened her eyes, and gave a weak smile.

Luo Sheng could not hear the girl’s inner thoughts and simply assumed she still had energy. She did not know that the girl was internally questioning the ancestry of the Dao of Heaven for eighteen generations.

“It’s a good thing the Dao of Heaven can’t hear her inner thoughts.”

“…Isn’t it just severe abdominal pain! This girl has endured period pains before!”

Even her inner voice was trembling.

Ran Fanyin rubbed her ear, attempting to discard the foul language she had just heard cursing the Dao of Heaven. Across from her, her opponent had now changed to the green-robed woman, whose hair was half-tied back and secured with a single wooden hairpin, exceptionally simple.

Qin Siyue noticed her unusual state and briefly glanced up. “What’s wrong? Are you unwell? Did you collect this month’s medicine on time?”

“I collected it. I am not unwell.”

“Then why are you frequently changing your expression? I thought you had finally understood the chessboard.”

Helan Mianmian, sitting to the side, smiled upon hearing this. “The possibility of her understanding this chessboard is less likely than the income from her estate doubling again, Senior Martial Sister.”

“…” Ran Fanyin silently dropped a piece.

Qin Siyue changed the topic. “Have you made any progress in cultivation recently? Are the restrictions on Heavenly Grade Spiritual Roots still so severe?”

Elder Ran sighed faintly. “Yes, the rate of cultivation hasn’t increased much. However, I checked. Ning Songwu went from starting cultivation to Mid Foundation Establishment in two years in the Outer Sect. She seems to be unconstrained.”

Qin Siyue paused, her hand holding a piece. “Since that’s the case, you now have a control group. Both will cultivate using your technique. If Ning Songwu is fast, it means the technique is fine. If she’s just as slow, you’ll have to reconsider.”

“Mm, I will.”

“Alright, I win.” Elder Qin held out her palm. “Pay up, Elder Ran.”

Ning Songwu was woken up by the scent of fragrant food. Her mind was clear, but her limbs were weak, her lower abdomen felt empty and sore, and her whole body felt much heavier.

She only remembered a searing pain sweeping from her Dantian throughout her body. Her meridians felt as if they were being peeled open inch by inch and then stitched back together. Her body became increasingly limp.

Just before her consciousness completely plunged into darkness, she felt herself collapsing into a soft, fragrant embrace.

“…Was that Master in the end?”

“A moon-white dress. It must have been my Master.”

“Master smells so good…”

“These dishes smell so good too…”

“If you’re awake, get up and eat,” Ran Fanyin’s voice drifted in, her tone calm and devoid of emotion.

Ning Songwu tried to push herself up in bed but failed.

“So painful, so painful, so painful! Why does it hurt so much? If I had known it would be this painful, I might as well have been pushed off by Lin Yuxue. I don’t even know if I would go back to my world if I died.”

A sharp flick landed on her forehead. Little Ning yelped and covered her forehead, opening her eyes wide. Her Master was staring at her with a displeased expression. Seeing that she was awake, she snorted coldly. “Get up. Eat.”

“Why is Master suddenly angry? Sure enough, a woman’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea.”

“Why suddenly angry?” Ran Fanyin sneered internally. “A person who shows such disrespect for life could be directly kicked off Chaomu Peak. The fact that I only flicked her forehead is me being very considerate.”

Ning Songwu followed the woman with trembling legs. The white clothes she wore earlier, soaked with cold sweat, had been replaced. It was still a white robe, but the pattern was slightly different.

“Master really loves the white and gold color scheme.”

“No, the air is too awkward. Think of a topic, think of a topic.”

The woman, who had intended to explain the current situation, closed her mouth again, waiting for the girl to find a topic.

Ning Songwu touched her head. “Master, what time is it?”

Ran Fanyin paused, questioning inwardly.

“Ah, they probably don’t use this time-telling method here…”

“‘Now’—my disciple seems to constantly place herself outside the present world.”

“Master, what shichen is it now?”

Ran Fanyin sat in the principal seat and said calmly, “It is approximately xushi san ke [7:45-8:00 PM]. You slept for the entire day.”

“Oh…”

The air fell silent once more.

“Why is it even more awkward now…”

“You have now reverted to the initial stage of Qi Cultivation. Tomorrow, you will rise at maoshi [5:00-7:00 AM] to practice the sword, followed by cultivation and practice, in preparation for the assessment one year from now.”

“What time is maoshi again…? Is it 7 AM?! No, it’s 5 AM!!”

“I, a university student who never attended 8 AM classes, have to attend a 5 AM class every day here?”

Ran Fanyin roughly guessed that “8 AM” and “5 AM” referred to morning classes, and her little disciple apparently never attended morning classes.

“Not a good child.”

She picked up a piece of spare rib and placed it on her disciple’s plate, lightly tapping the edge of the plate with her chopsticks. Lowering her eyes, she said calmly, “If you are late, you will be punished.”

“See? I told you! The punishment is going to be mine!” ♂

Her eyes were vacant as she replied, “Yes, Master.”

“Making me attend 5 AM classes is worse than killing me!!!”