188 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

Ran Fanyin's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't respond. Instead, she led Ning Songwu to sit beside her. She was reluctant to let go of Ning Songwu's hand, so she directly picked up her chopsticks with her left hand and began eating. Ning Songwu found it strange watching Ran Fanyin use her chopsticks, but she couldn't pinpoint why. It took Ning Songwu quite a while to realize that Ran Fanyin was using her left hand. No wonder her master seemed somewhat awkward eating today… Suppressing her laughter, Ning Songwu grasped Ran Fanyin's hand even tighter and continuously served her food. Cang Min, while eating, took a sip of tea and remarked, "Why are all these dishes so sweet?" Bo Xue nodded vigorously in agreement. "Indeed, out of the six dishes, four of them are quite sweet. Ning Songwu, do you like sweet foods this much?" Ning Songwu laughed and glanced at Ran Fanyin. "Master, do you find the dishes delicious?" "Yes." Ran Fanyin nodded with satisfaction. The dishes were exactly to her taste. Ning Songwu's smile deepened, she hadn't eaten much herself as she was preoccupied with serving Ran Fanyin. "Then I'll often cook for you, Master." --- **Chapter 73: Sword Moves** Jiang Yue, carrying the severely weakened and unconscious Ran Fanyin, rushed to the pill pavilion using her lightfoot technique. The guarding disciple, seeing them approach, hurried forward to inquire, "Respected Jiang Yue, what happened to respected Ran Fanyin?" "Where is Senior Brother?" Jiang Yue nearly grabbed the disciple by his collar in her urgency. Frightened by Jiang Yue's intense gaze, the guarding disciple quickly replied, "Respected Cheng Yunhuan... Senior Cheng Yunhuan is in the main hall with the sect leader..." "Go get him right now!" Jiang Yue ordered, then hastily carried Ran Fanyin inside the pill pavilion, gently placing her on a bed before rushing to rummage through the medicine cabinet. She found several bottles of blood-replenishing pills, poured them all out, and fed them to Ran Fanyin, aiding her in swallowing them by gently pressing her throat. Qing Muzi, alarmed by the commotion, dropped what he was doing and ran over. Upon seeing Ran Fanyin, he exclaimed, "What happened to respected Ran Fanyin? What kind of injury could cause her to lose so much blood?" "Qing Muzi, check on her, I'll get bandages to stop the bleeding from her wrist," Jiang Yue instructed, her sleeves stained crimson with Ran Fanyin’s blood, a stark contrast to her white robes. Qing Muzi approached, pressing several acupoints on Ran Fanyin’s body and checking her pulse. "How did the esteemed master end up in such a state…" Qing Muzi sighed while helping Jiang Yue bandage Ran Fanyin’s wounds. Jiang Yue infused Ran Fanyin with a substantial amount of true qi, but her complexion remained pale. Cheng Yunhuan arrived swiftly, his usually stern face visibly anxious. Striding over in a few large steps, he pulled out a small bottle, extracting two white pills to feed to Ran Fanyin. "Jiang Yue! How did you let this happen to Ran Fanyin?" Cheng Yunhuan shouted angrily. "It’s my fault… It's my fault…" Jiang Yue admitted guiltily. Chen Siting was deeply puzzled; she believed she was only dealing with evildoers. Times had changed, and she was no longer the mute girl who could be bullied. She had used illusions to kill two disciples from the Lishui Sect. Later, the Lishui Sect sent more people, whom Chen Siting also killed. Each claimed they were acting for the greater good, which made Chen Siting extremely angry. In her greatest time of need, no one had come to her aid, but now, in avenging her old grievance, she was targeted by everyone. “Does the respected master still believe she’s saving the world?” Chen Siting leaned against the rock wall, her face contorted as she looked at Ran Fanyin, waiting for an answer. Hearing this, Ning Songwu grew curious too and looked back at Ran Fanyin, who was lowering her head pensively. At the same time, Ning Songwu noticed Ran Fanyin's temperature was alarmingly low, raising concern. Ning Songwu thought this could be bad. Might her master die here? The supreme combatant of the human race couldn't be this feeble, could she? Ning Songwu nudged Ran Fanyin with her shoulder, whispering, "Master? Master!" Ran Fanyin remained unresponsive. To Chen Siting, this scene suggested Ran Fanyin was too ashamed to answer. Chen Siting smiled triumphantly, her tone dripping with mockery, "Admit it, you’re all just a bunch of hypocrites. All that talk about saving the world and upholding justice is nonsense." Still, Ran Fanyin did not react. Ning Songwu felt her hand was ice-cold, biting cold. Ignoring Ran Fanyin’s condition for the moment, Ning Songwu noted Chen Siting, whose current form was that of a young girl. Based on her story, Ning Songwu guessed she had died as a child. Acknowledging herself as part demon, part resentful ghost, it was ambiguous. With Ran Fanyin’s fate uncertain and Ning Songwu in a dire situation, she noted that the semi-demon, semi-ghost creature before them feared Ran Fanyin and had not dared to approach, which allowed Ning Songwu to seize a moment of false bravado. Curious, Ning Songwu directly asked, "So, beautiful elder, when did you die? And how?" Chen Siting, previously sneering, froze. Confusion clouded her features. "How did I die… I don’t remember." Her face contorted with pain, she grabbed at her hair, screaming, her voice shrill and piercing, "How did I die! How did I die!" Her form kept changing, from a beautiful face to a ghastly skeletal figure, looking terrifying. Unexpectedly, Ning Songwu's question seemed to hit a nerve. Seeing a chance to survive, she realized if she escaped now, presumably no one would force her to train again. Life on Cangjun Mountain wasn’t too bad for a lazy person. Envisioning a bright future, Ning Songwu foresaw a happy life ahead if she passed this trial.