168 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

Lan Ze couldn't care less about Ning Songwu's feelings. He didn't even give her a moment to catch her breath before bringing down the second strike with a fierce whistle. This time, it landed on Ning Songwu's buttocks. Ning Songwu's fingers, clutching the wooden bench, had already been cut and were bleeding. Lan Ze, like a madman, swung the wooden stick savagely at Ning Songwu's body—on her back, arms, and thighs. No place was spared from harm as he struck and shouted, "You little scum! How dare you hit me?! Why don't you scream? Huh? Pretending to be tough! You should just die! Just die already!!" Ning Songwu was bleeding all over, with multiple wounds trickling bright red blood that formed thin streams dripping onto the ground. Puddles of blood dotted the ground, creating a gruesome sight. Ning Songwu coughed up a lot of blood, staining the entire length of the bench red. She struggled to maintain a thread of consciousness, focusing intensely on the ground in a desperate attempt to find something to latch onto. At this point, she didn't even need to hold back her cries of pain—she no longer had the strength to scream. "Master… Master…" Ning Songwu suddenly began to murmur softly. As soon as she uttered these two words, the tears she had held back for so long finally broke free, falling to the ground and mixing with her blood. "You still think of your master? Ha! What a joke! Your master left the mountain half a month ago! She doesn’t care about you anymore!" Wha… what? Master… left? Master… left… half a month ago…? Why… why didn't she tell her… why… Didn't her master know… that she had been waiting for her at Hongfei Pavilion all this time… Why… was it because… she wasn’t obedient… Ning Songwu could only see a blur of blood before her vision went completely dark, and she lost consciousness. A male disciple rushed to stop Lan Ze, shouting, "Stop! You're going to kill her! She will die!" "So what if she dies? She's just a worthless wretch! There are thousands more like her! She’s nothing! I spit on her!" Lan Ze threw down the stick and stormed off. The male disciple carefully picked up the unconscious Ning Songwu and ran towards the main hall. Chapter 66: Realization Cen Ran, having kept her plans secret from everyone, found a carriage and carefully helped the severely injured Ning Songwu onto it. She couldn’t spare the time to find a coachman and decided to drive the carriage herself. But trouble arose just as she reached the mountain gate. At the snow-covered mountain gate, a dozen disciples of varying ranks from the Northern Punishment Sect stood in orderly rows, all dressed in white and armed with long swords, guarding the gate tightly. A gatekeeping disciple stopped the carriage, "Senior Sister Cen Ran, are you leaving the mountain on a mission? Do you have the necessary documents or token?" Cen Ran gripped the reins tightly, her gaze evasive: "The matter is urgent, and I have not yet obtained the proper credentials. Time is of the essence; please allow the carriage to pass." "That won't do, Senior Sister Cen Ran. You know the old rules of the Northern Punishment Sect, and this carriage also needs to be searched. Disciples below the age requirement are absolutely forbidden from leaving the mountain…" Desperate, Cen Ran's eyes reddened. She thought of driving the horse straight through, but with the person inside unable to withstand the jostling, and the gate being guarded by so many disciples, forced entry was impossible. From a distance, the sound of horse hooves echoed, growing louder. Clad in blue robes, a tall and handsome figure approached on horseback, carrying a bundle on his back. It was Jing Hu. Cen Ran suddenly remembered that Jing Hu had left the mountain to gather rare medicinal herbs for the severely injured Ning Songwu some time ago. He should be back around this time. Cen Ran jumped off the carriage and hurried to intercept Jing Hu, "Brother Jing Hu, please stop!" Jing Hu reined in his horse and, seeing it was Cen Ran, looked anxious, "Why are you here? How is Ning Songwu? Is her condition not good…" "Brother Jing Hu…" Cen Ran lowered her voice, "Ning Songwu is in the carriage behind me. We must leave the mountain immediately. I'll explain everything to you later, but we need your help this time." Jing Hu started in surprise, quickly glanced at the carriage, and after a moment's thought, said, "Cen Ran, you’ve always been steady in your actions, so I’ll trust you this time. But I must go with you to be reassured. With just the two of you, and you driving the carriage, who will take care of her? What if something happens on the way…" "Brother, you're right! Then please take the reins." Cen Ran got onto the carriage and went inside, while Jing Hu dismounted and took the driver's seat. He drove the carriage up to the gate, "We have urgent business to attend to. Will you let us pass or not?" The gatekeeping disciples glanced at each other in hesitation before finally letting Jing Hu through. After all, Jing Hu often went on missions down the mountain, and as the chief disciple of the Sect Leader’s top disciple, he might very well become the Sect Leader in the future. If anything truly important were happening, they couldn't afford to delay. It took two days of non-stop travel to get from Northern Punishment Sect to Kunlun. Jing Hu personally drove the carriage, while Cen Ran attended Ning Songwu inside. Ning Songwu's condition was not optimistic. She had a persistent low fever, severe internal injuries, and her meridian was extremely fragile. Cen Ran cradled Ning Songwu, giving her a pill from a water bottle. As she did so, her fingers brushed against Ning Songwu's lips, which were burning hot and dry, a sign of a high fever. Jing Hu's voice came from outside: "Cen Ran, with injuries this severe, what are we heading for?" "Her master is in Kunlun. She needs to find her master." There was a brief silence outside before he asked again, "…Why?" "Brother Jing Hu, haven't you seen how focused Ning Songwu is on her master?" Cen Ran replied with a bitter smile. Jing Hu remained silent, driving the carriage. He wasn't blind or foolish. Many times, he had seen how Ning Songwu's eyes followed their esteemed master with a fervent and deep admiration. He just didn't want to believe it, and he never thought such a misguided infatuation would amount to anything. In the entire Northern Punishment Sect, no one else was more suited for Ning Songwu than him. If Ning Songwu continued this wayward pursuit, the master certainly wouldn't tolerate it, hence the trip to Kunlun. Perhaps this visit would help Ning Songwu abandon her absurd notions once and for all. Cen Ran gave Ning Songwu some water and looked at her unnaturally silent and vacant eyes, her heart aching, "Ning Songwu, how do you feel? Can you hold on?"