179 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

Time dragged on into the late night. Cang Min stood up, straightening her robes before turning to leave. Ning Songwu remained kneeling. Cang Min exhaled into her palms to warm them before she entered the Huaxu Realm. In the pitch darkness, Ran Fanyin sat exactly as she had left her, poised like a statue. "Ah Yin, go rest. It's very late," Cang Min said calmly. Ran Fanyin looked up at her, "…How is she?" Cang Min replied nonchalantly, "Your little disciple? She's dead." Ran Fanyin began to tremble all over, stiffly standing up as she uttered each word with difficulty, "You... you're lying to me." "Yes, I'm lying to you," Cang Min stated indifferently, "But come morning, I won’t be." Ran Fanyin clung to the table for support; her expression was hidden by the darkness. Ning Songwu felt her body reach its limit. The wound on her chest hurt so much it felt like it was tearing her chest cavity apart, and her mind was plagued with a burning fever. Every movement drained her of all strength. She knelt in the snow, the thick snowfall almost covering her thighs. Giant snowflakes swirled in front of her eyes, making her dizzy and nauseous. Ning Songwu suddenly mustered the last bit of strength left in her and screamed from the depths of her soul: "Ran Fanyin!!! Ran Fanyin!!! You coward!!! You coward!!!" Blood surged in Ning Songwu, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the white snow with a glaring crimson, leaving a terrifying imprint on the soft snow. Ning Songwu felt completely drained of strength and collapsed into the snow. Her eyes half-closed, her gaze unfocused and scattered. The cinnabar dot between her brows was concealed by frost and snow, devoid of any sign of life. Her consciousness grew hazy, and she muttered weakly, "Master… why don't you want me… why don't you want me..." Her obsidian-like eyes finally closed, and as they did, a tear trickled down from the corner, melting into the snow, merging with the blood. Why did no one want her? She had thought that if her parents didn’t want her, and no one in the world wanted her, at least her master would. Now, even her master didn’t want her. Jing Hu, who had not rested, rushed over and held Ning Songwu, cradling her head in his arms, "Ning Songwu! Ning Songwu!" At the same time, the door of the Huaxu Realm opened, and Ran Fanyin, dressed in an elegant white crane-embroidered long robe, walked out with restrained emotion, her gaze fixed intently on the unconscious Ning Songwu. Jing Hu's eyes stung as he tightened his hold on Ning Songwu. "Master Ran, you finally came out." In the snowy landscape, the scene of the tall, handsome man holding the delicate, beautiful woman was stunningly picturesque, evoking envy. This was the appropriate emotion. A master and a disciple being together, especially both being women—that was what was truly and utterly wrong. Moments later, having made a heartbreaking decision, Ran Fanyin closed her eyes, which were as serene as frozen tea, and each word she spoke pierced her own heart like needles: "Will you... take good care of her?" Jing Hu looked at Ran Fanyin incredulously. Why, after Ning Songwu had gone through so much, was Ran Fanyin still so cold-hearted? Ning Songwu was a woman, so fragile and in need of care. Why should she have to suffer so many hardships? Jing Hu sneered, lifting Ning Songwu in his arms, and stared steadily at Ran Fanyin: "I'll marry her." With that, Jing Hu carried Ning Songwu away with unwavering resolve. Ran Fanyin clung to the doorframe of the Huaxu Realm, covering her mouth, sobbing uncontrollably. Never had she understood her own heart so clearly as in that moment. She loved Ning Songwu. For the love of her, she had taken care of her for ten years. Ning Songwu only felt an unbearable pain in her head and chest, a gust of wind howling past her ears, and some voice constantly speaking to her, but she couldn’t discern it. She didn't even realize when she lost consciousness. Nonetheless, she was reassured by the thought that she had fainted in Ran Fanyin’s arms. In her unconscious dream, she could see nothing but darkness. Voices swirled around her ears, all calling out a single name: A Luo. A Luo… A Luo… A Luo… A Luo... It sounded like a chant or an unrelenting curse, making her head throb with pain. Why were they calling her by that name?! In her confusion, she seemed to see her master’s figure, clad in white, sitting upright opposite her, gazing at her indifferently. She felt a surge of joy, hoping to hear the familiar call of "Ning Songwu" from Ran Fanyin's lips, so she could grasp onto a lifeline. But Ran Fanyin turned her head lightly and murmured as if repeating someone else’s words: "A Luo." Why... Why… why… She instinctively wanted to struggle, but a hand tightly grasped hers, holding her as if she were the most precious treasure in the world, causing her heart to slowly settle. It felt as though her heart was flowing through that one hand into the other’s heart. A faint voice seemed to pull her slipping consciousness back: "Why is her nose still bleeding? Why… why so much…” "Don’t be alarmed. It’s due to internal energy chaos, a clash of vital energy and blood." "What’s wrong with her? Why did the wound suddenly break out again?” Ning Songwu tried to open her eyes or move her fingers to see Ran Fanyin, but she had no strength left in her body. "…The internal energy clashed violently, breaking open the wound from within..." "Internal energy clash?" "Her body has some inherent issues, but they were deeply hidden before and couldn’t be detected… I’m not sure what kind of problem it is. It seems to be lingering damage from a formation. With my skill alone, I can’t figure it out—we need to find someone more skilled in medicine.” "Is her life in danger?" "Hard to say for now."