182 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

Ning Songwu also enjoyed the leisure life. Every mealtime, Lin Yuxue would come to fetch her, and the days passed by happily. The two often dined at the peak of Chaoci Mountain. Lin Yuxue had already given up eating, merely accompanying Ning Songwu. Today, however, was different. Lin Yuxue mysteriously retrieved a jar of wine from her spatial ring. She promoted it to Ning Songwu: "Little junior sister, would you like to try this?" The jar's seal hadn't even been broken, yet the aroma of the wine impatiently wafted out, hinting at its quality. But Ning Songwu had never drunk wine before; she had seen too many embarrassing incidents caused by it and felt strongly opposed to the idea. Without much thought, she declined Lin Yuxue: "No, thank you, senior sister." Lin Yuxue's enthusiasm dimmed but she persisted, "This is wine that I made myself. It's just fruit wine; it won't make you drunk." "Not drinking." Ning Songwu continued eating her meal, ignoring Lin Yuxue's pitiful gaze. Lin Yuxue withdrew her plaintive look and placed the wine jar next to Ning Songwu, saying, "I'll give you a jar. It doesn't matter if you try it or not, but if you do, please let me know your thoughts." Ning Songwu was puzzled by her persistence. She set down her bowl and chopsticks, her voice tinged with curiosity, "Are you particularly interested in winemaking, senior sister?" Lin Yuxue’s expression turned somewhat unnatural. She scratched her face and stammered, "N-not particularly." "Then why waste your time on such a meaningless activity?" Ning Songwu looked directly into Lin Yuxue’s eyes, filled with probing curiosity. In her impression, this senior sister appeared gentle and soft-spoken, but was actually very rational and pragmatic. Meaningless activities weren’t something Lin Yuxue would normally engage in. Lin Yuxue broke into a sweat, feeling seen through. She swallowed and mumbled, "Just trying to get a certain stubborn person drunk." Seeing that Lin Yuxue didn’t want to elaborate, Ning Songwu didn’t press her. Some cultivators did keep spirit beasts, so perhaps her senior sister was interested in a wine-loving ox and thus interested in winemaking. Ning Songwu wasn’t pretentious. She accepted the jar and said politely, "I'll accept it then, but I have nothing to give you in return, senior sister." Lin Yuxue quickly waved her hand, "No need for that. I just want to know how the wine is." "In that case, senior sister, you could easily have other disciples try it. As someone who doesn’t drink, my opinion wouldn’t be very valuable." At this, Lin Yuxue looked troubled. She sat on the grass, propping her head up, "Don't mention it. Here in Cangjun Mountain, our status is relatively high. If we let other disciples try it, they’d just suck up to us. As for my peer Senior Sister Luo..." Lin Yuxue paused, looking distressed, "Senior Sister Luo detests me." Ning Songwu had noticed this as well. Although Lin Yuxue and Luo Sheng were fellow disciples, Luo Sheng's face always looked sour when they were together. Even though Luo Sheng generally had a stern expression, it was even worse around Lin Yuxue. Lin Yuxue’s gentle personality and high talent, combined with being the disciple of Cen Ran, made her very well-liked at Cangjun Mountain. Luo Sheng, however, had a rigid and serious demeanor, which was somewhat unapproachable. Ning Songwu found it amusing to see Lin Yuxue in a tough spot. Not because she disliked her, but simply for the fun of it. She teased with a smile, "I didn't expect there to be someone you couldn't handle, senior sister. How rare." Lin Yuxue hugged her knees, looking somewhat dejected, even her voice didn’t carry its usual lightness, "Yeah, it’s too difficult." Lin Yuxue and Ning Songwu had become quite familiar with each other, and knowing that Ning Songwu wouldn’t mind, Lin Yuxue felt comfortable saying so. However, this wasn’t just Lin Yuxue’s question. Ning Songwu herself couldn’t understand what qualities she had that attracted Ran Fanyin. If she had to say what she had to offer, it was probably just her life. After Chen Siting was subdued, Ran Fanyin revealed her identity and investigated Chen’s mother at Lishui Sect. The findings showed there was no such person as Chen's mother, nor had any ghost incidents occurred in Wanjia Village. The sudden revelation made it unlikely that Lishui Sect colluded to lie. In this case, either Lishui Sect or Chen Siting was false, yet back then, Chen Siting’s heart-wrenching demeanor didn’t seem fake. "Chen Siting was under an illusion." Ran Fanyin’s voice pulled Ning Songwu back from her thoughts, "An illusion? But..." "Wanjia Village had a formation set up to confuse people’s minds and absorb spiritual energy. Chen Siting was just trapped in the formation." "Can the formation be broken?" "No. Wanjia Village was just a small part of the grand formation. Even my full-strength strike didn't shake it." Ning Songwu was a bit shocked, and felt that all this effort was in vain. After a moment of contemplation, Ning Songwu felt a headache coming on. She massaged her temples, her brows showing discomfort, "Then Master, what should we do next?" Seeing her in pain, Ran Fanyin hesitated before placing a hand on her forehead. The cold touch brought relief, and Ning Songwu’s expression relaxed. She softly said, "Thank you, Master." Ran Fanyin’s expression remained unchanged as she continued, "Leave this matter for your martial uncle to handle. Let’s return to Cangjun Mountain first." Ning Songwu had no objections; she also wanted to return for a good sleep. On the way back to Cangjun Mountain, a curiosity suddenly arose in Ning Songwu’s heart. Gazing at the slim figure ahead, it was hard for her to imagine that these not-so-broad shoulders bore such a burden. The stronger a person is, the more indifferent they become to life. They get used to deciding others’ fate, which was why Ning Songwu despised the powerful. Suppressing her turbulent emotions, Ning Songwu gently asked, "Master, if what Chen Siting said was true, how would you handle it?" Ran Fanyin was silent for a moment, "If what she said is true, then she harmed others, and she was harmed herself. The only thing I can do is dispel her resentment and send her into reincarnation." "...Master, you are a kind person. At least there's still some choice left."