After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 76.1

In the disciple’s dormitory of the Grand Flight Pavilion.

He-lan Mian-mian  curiously examined the silly, staring young girl sitting at the head of the bed. Her face was soft, her chin was pointed, and she had a red mole between her tightly furrowed brows. She looked quite pretty, but for some reason, she seemed… unhappy.

She had just turned nine this year. Being able to come to Northern Vengeance Palace, being selected as a new disciple to live in the Grand Flight Pavilion, had made her so happy she hadn’t been able to sleep for two full nights. Was there anyone in this world who could enter the Grand Flight Pavilion and still be unhappy?

He-lan Mian-mian decided to greet her first. After all, from today on, they would be eating and sleeping together outside of classes. “Hello? My name is He-lan Mian-mian.”

Ning Song-wu listlessly glanced at He-lan Mian-mian. The girl, who was about her age, smiled very kindly, with two deep dimples in her cheeks, delicate white skin, and long eyelashes—a very pretty little person. Ning Song-wu weakly replied, “Oh… my name is Ning Song-wu.”

“Oh, I heard others chatting about you two days ago! Are you from the Withering-Prospering Pavilion?” He-lan Mian-mian exclaimed.

A wave of annoyance rose in Ning Song-wu’s heart, and she turned her head away.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you already the disciple of Venerable Ran Fan-yin?”

“I…” Just as Ning Song-wu was about to answer, an ordinary disciple rushed in from outside, urging them: “You’re about to pay respects to Daoist Priest Ping Zi-lai, do you still have time to chat? Hurry to the main hall!”

“We’re going to acknowledge our Master!” He-lan Mian-mian’s eyes sparkled. She instantly stood up and, ignoring Ning Song-wu’s reaction, grabbed her hand and ran out.

Ning Song-wu wanted to stay immersed in her own world of sadness for a while, but He-lan Mian-mian dragged her out in a mad rush without question. Before she could regain her senses, they were already at the entrance to the main hall of the Grand Flight Pavilion.

Many disciples about her age were standing at the entrance. They had not yet entered the main hall and were chatting in small groups.

A boy was standing quite close to Ning Song-wu. Ning Song-wu heard him excitedly telling the two people next to him: “Hey, have you met the Three Venerables? My roommate told me that he saw the hem of a Venerable’s robe at the Sect Master’s main hall entrance two days ago…”

“If it were you, which Venerable would you want to take as your Master?” another child interrupted him, clearly extremely excited.

A young girl interjected with a look of adoration: “Of course, Venerable Jiang Yue (蔣悅)! I’ve seen his portrait. He really is like the immortal gentleman written in the books!”

“If it were me, I’d want to take Venerable Ran Fan-yin! Even though the legends say she doesn’t talk much and has a cold personality, she’s beautiful! Like an immortal lady descending to the mortal world.” A little chubby boy’s eyes lit up, and it seemed like his drool was about to run out.

“Venerable Cheng Yun-huan (成韻歡) is also great! They say his alchemy is unique in the world. If you become his disciple, you can refine the elixir of eternal life!”

Ning Song-wu listened with a tsk of contempt, thinking to herself: What’s so great about Martial Uncle Jiang Yue? He keeps running to the Withering-Prospering Pavilion to tease Master for no reason. Martial Uncle Cheng Yun-huan is also always so solemn and stone-faced, looking like someone owes him eight pieces of silver every day.

Although Master is also often stone-faced… she is still very gentle to me! Master is still the best!

But… wait!!… Do their words mean… they will have the chance to be taken in as disciples by the Three Venerables?!

Ning Song-wu was startled, and her mind was instantly flooded with thoughts. This was a world where humans and demons co-existed. The demon race was naturally powerful, while the human race was weak. Humans did not want to be slaves to the demon race, so they rose up in resistance and made countless sacrifices. Unfortunately, they were still no match for the demon race’s power.

It was thought that the path of resistance would be long, but the appearance of Ran Fan-yin accelerated the rise of humanity. She suddenly appeared in people’s view, and then, alone, entered the demon territory, killing the then-Demon Emperor. Her action became the foundation for the human race to negotiate with the demon race.

Unfortunately, her appearance only managed to balance the one-sided situation. The demon race merely restrained its sharp edge slightly. The human and demon races drew boundaries, achieving a false peace.

Ning Song-wu quietly listened to Lin Yu-xue’s (林玉雪) introduction to this familiar yet strange world. What surprised her was that although Lin Yu-xue seemed naive, she had a clear understanding of the current situation. The so-called peace now was false. As soon as Ran Fan-yin died, the situation between the two races would return to what it was five hundred years ago.

Ning Song-wu looked at Ran Fan-yin ahead. From her appearance, Ran Fan-yin looked like she was only in her twenties, but she was unexpectedly over five hundred years old. However, one couldn’t compare the age of a cultivator with that of an ordinary person. For some unknown reason, Ning Song-wu always felt an instinctive dislike for Ran Fan-yin. She sneered internally: “Turns out she’s an old woman.”

“Azure Peak Mountain has arrived!”

Lin Yu-xue’s voice sounded a little excited. She descended on her sword, leading Ning Song-wu toward the mountain gate. Ran Fan-yin was a step ahead of them. The gate-keeping disciples wore the same white robes as Lin Yu-xue, indicating that this was the sect uniform. Seeing the Sect Master return, the two disciples respectfully bowed: “Sect Master!”

Ran Fan-yin nodded in response. She then walked away without waiting for Ning Song-wu and Lin Yu-xue, and her figure quickly disappeared onto the mountain path.

Lin Yu-xue took Ning Song-wu and walked up. This was the base of Azure Peak Mountain. If they wanted to go up the mountain, there was a very long mountain path to walk. A type of black yin plant was planted on both sides of the path. Ning Song-wu leaned in for a look. The surface of the yin plant was so smooth that it reflected her face. Being surrounded by such a large patch of black created a sense of oppression.

Ning Song-wu frowned. She disliked this place.

Lin Yu-xue saw that Ning Song-wu hadn’t followed, and was standing in front of the dark yin plant as if very interested. She started her introduction again: “These are Dark Yin plants. Don’t let the quantity fool you; they are all from a single plant. There’s nothing much to look at here. They are everywhere on the mountain.”

Ning Song-wu reached out and touched the smooth surface of the yin plant. The sensation on her fingertips was cold. Ning Song-wu lowered her eyes and said faintly, “So cold.”

Lin Yu-xue didn’t want to delay any longer. She grabbed Ning Song-wu’s hand and continued up the mountain path: “All right, let’s hurry up.”

It was funny to think that Lin Yu-xue, as a cultivator, still had to rely on her legs to climb the mountain, but this was a rule set by Ran Fan-yin. Since the Sect Master herself was diligently following it, how could Lin Yu-xue dare to be lazy?

The mountain path was long, and Ning Song-wu was exhausted from climbing. She refused Lin Yu-xue’s offer to carry her and continued to walk upward with trembling legs. Her sixth sense had always been strong, and she felt that someone was watching her.

Ning Song-wu was right. Ran Fan-yin had already returned to her peak. She conjured a water mirror to observe the two still on the mountain path. That path had an array set up. If a demon entered the array, its mind would be disturbed, and it wouldn’t be able to maintain its human form. Once the demon revealed its true form, the array would slay it.

But after all this time, Ning Song-wu’s behavior had been consistently normal. Everything about her was exactly as a human should be.

Ran Fan-yin couldn’t help but doubt her own judgment. She muttered to herself, “Perhaps I was wrong.”

The furnishings in Ran Fan-yin’s room were also very simple: a plain wooden table, wooden chair, and a wooden bed. The only thing with some color was the painting hanging on the wall. The painting depicted a man with a gentle face, holding a sword.

Ran Fan-yin sighed. Unlike her cold demeanor in public, she looked troubled as she spoke to the portrait: “Master, if only you were here. You could definitely do better than me.”

At this moment, Ning Song-wu and the other girl had arrived at the real gate of Azure Peak Mountain in the water mirror. Ran Fan-yin retracted her spell, and the water mirror immediately dissipated. Ran Fan-yin pushed open the door. She had once again transformed into the cold, unapproachable Sect Master of Azure Peak Mountain. She thought that since she couldn’t see through her, she would find a way to keep her close.

Although Ran Fan-yin wasn’t used to having people close to her, she couldn’t just ignore a hidden threat.

Ning Song-wu had no idea that she had been targeted by Ran Fan-yin. She just wanted to find a meal ticket at Azure Peak Mountain. So far, this sect looked great. If she dismantled the stone pillars at the base of the mountain, she could be wealthy for the rest of her life, and her descendants wouldn’t have to work hard again.

Although Ning Song-wu was tempted, she wasn’t stupid. If she really went to dismantle them, she would probably be expelled from Azure Peak Mountain. That would truly be a case of trying to save a penny and wasting a pound.

Suppressing the urge in her heart, Ning Song-wu obediently followed Lin Yu-xue to Morning Dew Peak, where the new disciples lived. Lin Yu-xue let Ning Song-wu choose a room and helped her complete the new disciple registration.

Lin Yu-xue handed the new disciple uniform, the introductory cultivation manual, and some spirit stones to Ning Song-wu: “These are for you. If you don’t understand anything, you can ask me. I’m on Morning Glow Peak.”

“Don’t rush to practice the manual. You’re a little older, so it might be difficult for you to learn, but don’t lose heart.”

Ning Song-wu held the new disciple uniform. She found that Lin Yu-xue was a bit of a chatterbox and could talk happily with someone like her, who didn’t like to talk much. As for the problem Lin Yu-xue was worried about, it didn’t exist at all because Ning Song-wu was fundamentally a person who didn’t strive for advancement.

So, she just murmured a few “goods” in response to everything Lin Yu-xue said.

After handing over everything that needed to be explained, Lin Yu-xue left Morning Dew Peak.

Ning Song-wu watched her walk away, then turned and entered the room. She placed the items in her hand on the table. She was a little tired from all the rushing around. There was a small bed in the room. Ning Song-wu lay down, put her hands behind her head, faced the ceiling, and closed her eyes.

A gentle breeze blew. Ning Song-wu had not closed the window, but whether she closed it or not, she couldn’t stop Ran Fan-yin.

Ran Fan-yin walked into Ning Song-wu’s room. She looked at the young girl on the bed who had already fallen asleep. The girl was sleeping uneasily, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. Ran Fan-yin waved her hand and cast a spell. She was casting a detection spell, but she was not skilled in this kind of magic; she was proficient in combat.

After casting the detection spell, the girl’s frown deepened, but there was no change in her aura. She looked like an ordinary girl troubled by nightmares. Ran Fan-yin withdrew the spell. She felt a little frustrated, thinking she had messed things up.

There are many types of cultivators. Some can move mountains and fill seas, while others can divine heavenly secrets. However, heavenly secrets are hard to fathom, and people who receive warnings from the heavens usually have short lifespans. Ran Fan-yin’s Master, Cen Ran (likely the same person as Cen Mian or an equivalent name in the original text), was a powerful diviner.

Four hundred years ago, before he died, he prophesied that the Demon Emperor would return to the world, and humanity would cease to exist.

Ran Fan-yin followed his instructions and found Hundred Fortune Village, but there was only a weak fish demon there. The only remaining suspect was the girl lying on the bed, but this child was clearly not of the demon race.

To avoid panic in the cultivation world, Ran Fan-yin had kept this news a secret for four hundred years.

Ran Fan-yin was still contemplating, but Ning Song-wu had already woken up. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the woman in the blue robe standing by the bed. Ning Song-wu was puzzled. She got up and bowed in the manner of the gate-keeping disciples: “Sect Master.”

Ran Fan-yin pulled herself out of her thoughts. She looked at Ning Song-wu, her tone somewhat cold: “Have you adapted?”

Ning Song-wu was even more puzzled. She didn’t understand why this important figure would have time to care about someone as insignificant as her. Her lack of understanding was reflected in her tone: “This disciple has adapted very well. May I ask why the Sect Master is looking for me?”

Of course, Ran Fan-yin couldn’t state the real reason. After thinking it over, she still felt that Ning Song-wu was highly suspicious, but since she couldn’t confirm Ning Song-wu’s identity, Ran Fan-yin didn’t want to kill an innocent person.

“Are you willing to become my disciple?”

The cold voice entered Ning Song-wu’s ears. Ning Song-wu’s eyes widened. Although she was surprised, Ning Song-wu didn’t want to become a hero; she just wanted to coast through life. So, she refused without thinking: “This disciple’s aptitude is too poor. Please choose someone better, Sect Master.”

Ran Fan-yin disliked people getting close to her, so she had never taken a disciple. As the strongest fighting force of the human race, a figure who could be called a legend, countless people in the cultivation world wanted to become Ran Fan-yin’s disciple. If outsiders knew that Ning Song-wu had rejected Ran Fan-yin, Ning Song-wu would probably be drowned in the spittle of people all over the world.

Ran Fan-yin also hadn’t expected to be rejected. She was a little surprised: “You don’t need to consider anything else. I’m just asking if you are willing.”

“I am unwilling. Please find a more deserving student, Sect Master.”

This time, Ning Song-wu’s answer was even more decisive. Not only did she just want to coast through life, but she also disliked Ran Fan-yin as a person. She hated the strong and the aloof, and Ran Fan-yin possessed all of those qualities.

Sensing the young girl’s aversion, Ran Fan-yin also grew angry. Her voice dropped a few degrees colder, and her expression became even more unpleasant: “That is not up to you.”

Ning Song-wu suddenly became paralyzed, unable to move. Ran Fan-yin lifted Ning Song-wu like a little chick and carried her onto her flying sword, rushing angrily toward Morning Farewell Peak, Ran Fan-yin’s residence.

This time, Ran Fan-yin did not use a spell to block the wind. Ning Song-wu felt icy cold. To keep herself from falling off, Ning Song-wu immediately wrapped her arms around Ran Fan-yin’s waist.

Ning Song-wu clearly felt Ran Fan-yin’s body stiffen, and then the speed of the flying sword slowed down. The wind blowing in their faces also disappeared, indicating that Ran Fan-yin had used a spell.

Ran Fan-yin’s voice sounded somewhat unnatural: “Let go of me.”