170 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

Ran Fanyin's mind was in disarray. She was still injured, with the wound affecting her heart meridian; she couldn't even stand. How did she manage to reach Kunlun in such a short time? What had happened to her body? She... was right now at the entrance to Huaxu Realm. Just a few steps outside, and she would see her. Ran Fanyin clenched the black stone but couldn't make a move for a long time. Cang Min quietly gazed at the empty chessboard without speaking a word. She knew when to say something and when to let her be alone with her thoughts. The cave mouth slowly opened, and a light snow drifted out. Bo Xue emerged, looking at an increasingly weakened Ning Songwu, frowning, "Respected Senior Ran Fanyin said, no visitors. Miss, her injuries are severe. Quickly find a doctor here in Kunlun to treat her." Ning Songwu struggled to open her eyes, her voice faint, "She said... no visitors?" Cen Ran was nearly in tears, holding Ning Songwu tighter, "Did you hear that? Have you given up? Come with me to find a doctor..." Contrary to Cen Ran's expectations, Ning Songwu summoned all her strength and pushed her away forcefully, causing her to stumble back several steps. As Ning Songwu herself lost her support, her legs buckled, and she knelt in the snow. Ning Songwu lifted her head, her eyes unnaturally red, perhaps from holding back tears or from a fever, "I won't leave. I'll wait for her here." "You're crazy! You'll die here!" Cen Ran cried out. The falling snow grew heavier, settling in a fine, soft layer on everyone's clothing, a pristine embellishment. "Then let me... die here..." Ning Songwu smiled, "Look, it's so... close to her..." "Ning Songwu! You promised me, no fooling around, you..." "I'm not fooling around," Ning Songwu's hand sank weakly into the snow to support her body, her breath becoming labored, "Wherever she is... that's where I'll be... forever..." Unknowingly, Cen Ran's face was already wet with tears. "Master... Master!" Ning Songwu shouted with all her strength, knowing Ran Fanyin could hear her, "Master! Master!!..." ... She shouted nothing extra, just those two words, hoarse and heart-wrenching. Ran Fanyin's hand holding the black stone trembled uncontrollably. She bit her lip tightly, the faint sound continuously echoing in her ears like the cruelest punishment, lashing at her heart fiercely, over and over. Cang Min quietly looked at Ran Fanyin, took the black stone from her hand, and placed it back in the container, "How about we end this game here?" Cang Min said, reaching for Ran Fanyin's stone container. Ran Fanyin suddenly pressed down on the container, not letting Cang Min take it, her voice filled with the last remnants of her resolve, "No... Continue the game." "Ayin, what are you thinking?" Cang Min suddenly asked. Ran Fanyin took a deep breath, holding back her tears, "Cang Min..." "Hm?" "Have you ever... loved someone so deeply... that it hurt?" Cang Min froze at the words. After a long while, she withdrew her hand from the black stone container, ripples appearing in her gaze, "Yes." "Have you ever... loved her so much it made you ache...?" Ran Fanyin's body trembled slightly, her voice carrying an indecipherable emotion. "It was more than ache..." Cang Min smiled bitterly, lowering her head to caress the red sandalwood chess table, "I wished I could die." Cang Min paused and smiled gently, "But I couldn't die. Because I promised her I would wait for her to come home. Though sometimes, even when it was night and she hadn't returned, if I had also died, and her soul found its way here, with no one at home to welcome her, wouldn't she be very disappointed?" Ran Fanyincovered her mouth, sobbing softly. "The one you love, your disciple Ning Songwu, right?" Cang Min's eyes fixed on the smooth red sandalwood tabletop, "Ayin, you have too many restraints in your heart. It's not morality, not the master-disciple relationship, not defying the natural order. It's your own heart." "But this kind of feeling... is... wrong," Ran Fanyin said with difficulty. "I remember asking you many years ago if there is absolute right and wrong. There's no absolute right or wrong in this world, nor absolute truth. But there's absolute happiness, being with whom you love, and absolute despair, never being able to be together again." Ran Fanyin just hung her head, covering her mouth. Cang Min shook her robes and stood up, "It's getting dark. I'll sit by the entrance for a while. If your little disciple dies at the door, I'll remember to inform you." Chapter 67: Seeking to Send My Thoughts Cang Min half-opened her sleepy eyes, casually draped in an outer robe, holding the newly found elixir as she walked towards the bed. The Huaxu Realm was not large, but it at least had a spare guest room where Cang Min placed Ran Fanyin and Ning Songwu. Looking at Ran Fanyin, Cang Min yawned helplessly, "Don't hold her so tight; you'll strangle her. Don't transfer all your internal energy to her; she can't withstand that much. Stop crying, she won't die. I was just scaring you earlier. Here, I accidentally got this a few years ago. Taking this will save her life." Ran Fanyin wiped her eyes, took the pill Cang Min handed over, and carefully fed it to Ning Songwu. She recognized it as one of the last ten remaining Tian Shan Snow Toad Pills in the world, made from the most rare medicinal ingredients known to revive the dead: Tian Shan Snow Lotus, Jiangnian Spiritual Ginseng, Extreme Cold Toad Heart, Volcanic Spirit Grass, Deep Sea Jade Qilin, among others. It was excellent for nurturing the heart meridian and healing internal injuries. Cang Min offering this pill showed how much she valued Ran Fanyin as a friend. It was because she knew this pill could save Ning Songwu that she let Ning Songwu go through such self-destructive actions. Cang Min crossed her arms over her chest, thoughtfully looking at Ran Fanyin and Ning Songwu, "Ayin... Have you ever felt... that her brows and eyes look somewhat familiar? I can't put my finger on it, but it feels like I saw her many years ago somewhere."