171 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

Ran Fanyin gently caressed Ning Songwu's face, her eyes lowered. "You're mistaken. You never met her." Cang Min chuckled and shook his head. "Perhaps. I've lived long enough; it's not surprising to see someone who looks similar." "Cang Min, your medical skills are better than mine. How is she? When will she wake up?" "...My medical skills aren’t that exceptional. Don't look at me like that. However, the wound on her chest is over two weeks old and has started to heal. Her damaged heart meridians have been nurtured with elixirs and should fully recover in a bit. Right now, she just has a fever. She should be fine once she wakes up." Cang Min spoke slowly. Ran Fanyin held Ning Songwu's shoulder with one hand while interlocking fingers with Ning Songwu with the other, continuously transmitting pure qi to her. She lowered her head, her delicate nose gently brushing against Ning Songwu's hair. Cang Min adjusted his outer robe, his gaze falling on the peacefully sleeping Ning Songwu. He spoke gently, "Ah Yin, cherish her well." "Mm." Ran Fanyin responded quietly. She shivered slightly, discomforted by the intense warmth in her abdomen, instinctively gripping Ning Songwu's hand. Ning Songwu moved away from Ran Fanyin's lips, her breathing heavy. She bit gently on Ran Fanyin’s blushing ear, her hand gripping Ran Fanyin’s waist tightly, as if wanting to merge her into her own bones. Ran Fanyin reflexively dodged Ning Songwu’s bites on her earlobe, her hand unconsciously pushing Ning Songwu away. Ning Songwu caught Ran Fanyin's hand and bit down on her wrist without hesitation, licking and kissing the dark red scar, causing Ran Fanyin to gasp sharply. "Ning Songwu..." Ran Fanyin's head tilted slightly, her voice trembling. With tears in her eyes, Ning Songwu clutched Ran Fanyin's hand beside her, frantically tearing at Ran Fanyin's outer robe. The elegant white crane-patterned robe became disheveled as Ning Songwu fervently kissed Ran Fanyin's exposed slender neck while forcefully stripping her clothes. In a panicked reaction, Ran Fanyin instinctively resisted, ignoring her own exposed, smooth shoulders as she hastily seized Ning Songwu's hands to halt her wild actions. Ning Songwu, suddenly quiet, rested her face on Ran Fanyin’s shoulder. When her eyes closed, tears fell, dampening Ran Fanyin's shoulder. "I know... I'm dreaming... I always dreamed like this before... I'm surely about to die, and heaven can't bear it, so it gave me such a dream... But if it's the last dream, why can't you behave?" Ning Songwu choked out. Ran Fanyin released Ning Songwu’s hand, tightly hugging the frail girl in her arms. The tears alarmed her. "Ning Songwu, this isn't a dream. You still have a wound on your chest, so don't do anything too... intense..." "You're lying. How can this not be a dream? Master abandoned me... she abandoned me..." Ning Songwu cried even more vehemently. "Ning Songwu, look at me." Ran Fanyin gently pulled Ning Songwu to face her, wiped away her tears, and, blushing, lightly raised Ning Songwu's hand, bringing it to her eyes. She slightly closed her eyes and discreetly bit Ning Songwu's fingertip. "Does it hurt? If it hurts and you’re still not waking up, then it means this isn't a dream." Ran Fanyin seriously said, her face flushed. Ning Songwu felt her head spinning with fever. She withdrew her finger, lowered her head, and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "It didn't hurt at all." Ran Fanyin and her group stayed peacefully on Mount Kunlun for a few days. When He Lanmian learned that Ning Songwu said Cenran had returned to Beifa Mountain, she eventually couldn't resist and left alone to chase after Cenran. Lin Yuxue was in no rush either, accompanying Ran Fanyin on Mount Kunlun for a few leisurely days. It wasn’t until Wuji, Wugong, and Wuming urged her to return to the Central Plains that she reluctantly began preparing the carriage. Ning Songwu and Ran Fanyin stood beside Lin Yuxue, ready to send her off. Lin Yuxue glanced at the three guards surrounding the carriage and sighed softly. She took one more look at the Huaxu Border and suddenly turned to Ran Fanyin. “Ran Fanyin, isn’t it dull to stay here all the time? Why not come to the Central Plains with me this time?” Ran Fanyin pondered for a moment and then turned to ask Ning Songwu beside her, “Do you want to go?” Ning Songwu raised an eyebrow. Originally, she had thought about staying for a month or two to enjoy some peaceful days with her master before returning to Beifa. But Lin Yuxue’s seemingly sudden proposal intrigued her. Having spent her life in cold places, and not having left Beifa Mountain's gate in the past ten years, she was yearning for some adventure. If she were an old woman, staying in Beifa to live out her days wouldn’t be bad, but she was still young and had developed formidable martial arts skills over the past ten years. She longed to experience the bustling world outside. The Central Plains, with its lively crowds, was particularly enticing. "I want to go, Master." Ning Songwu smiled. "I always knew you would prefer such places. Since we’ve left Beifa Mountain, let’s take a trip to the Central Plains. It shouldn’t take much time." Ran Fanyin smiled gently at Ning Songwu. She herself loved peace and quiet, but traveling with someone she loved might be better than staying in the cave for months. Lin Yuxue also smiled happily. "That's great. I'll have company on my journey to the Central Plains this time. Given Beifa’s close ties with Luanhua, as the Young Valley Master, I should extend an invitation for Lord Ran Fanyin to visit the valley." “Going to Luanhua Valley sounds good. Let me pen a letter to inform my master about our journey; then we can depart.” Ran Fanyin got some paper and ink, writing a detailed letter and sending it off with a carrier pigeon. The Sword Trial should be wrapping up around now, and her master should have time to deal with the affairs of Burning Heaven Sect and Luanhua Valley. With Brother Cheng Yunhuan assisting their master, she believed her absence from Beifa for a while wouldn't cause any issues. Cang Min leaned against the entrance of the Huaxu Border, nibbling on some sunflower seeds and smacking his lips. "They weren't even here for long, and now everyone's leaving again. Ah Yin, who knows how many years it’ll be before we meet again? Farewell requires some good wine! Bosnow!"