189 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

Ning Songwu decided to throw all her questions out there to provoke Chen Siting, "So, senior, are you a demon or a ghost?" Chen Siting ignored Ning Songwu completely, still troubled by the earlier question, perhaps the agony was too intense. She slammed her head against the stone wall to the point of drawing blood. Ning Songwu noticed that Chen Siting had a physical form, making her appear more like a demon. "Senior, you haven't answered my question. Are you human or a demon? If what you said is true, we can go to the Li Shui Temple to seek justice for you. May I ask, what is your mother's name?" Chen Siting suddenly stopped. A different voice intruded into her mind, telling her that she was a demon. It was strange. Chen Siting no longer felt the headache, but she still couldn't recall the specifics of her death, not even her mother's name. As she tried to think further, the voice echoed in her mind again, filled with a thick coercive tone, "Don't think about it, forget it." Her eyes vacant, Chen Siting repeated emotionlessly, "Don't think about it, forget it." The more Ning Songwu observed, the stranger it seemed. She couldn't help but speak again, "Senior, have you figured it out?" Chen Siting slowly rose, supporting herself against the wall. With a wave of her hand, she healed the wound on her head. She then walked step by step towards Ran Fanyin and stopped in front of her, lifting Ran's head to reveal a pale face with no sign of life. "So, you're already dead, making me worry for nothing." Chen Siting forcefully flung Ran Fanyin's head to the side. "Little one, you talk a lot. It doesn't matter if I'm a demon or a ghost. What matters is that I intend to take your life." At this point, Ning Songwu saw no reason to pretend. Sensing Chen Siting's killing intent, she realized there was no escape this time. Ning Songwu was never one to fear death. She laughed coldly, "So what if you take my life? I'm better off than you." "You sure are arrogant, little one. It's a pity your master died too early; I wanted to slowly torment her." Chen Siting was clearly dissatisfied with how Ran Fanyin had just died. Ning Songwu glared viciously at the deceased Ran Fanyin and cursed, "The strongest among humans, huh? Useless." Chen Siting covered her mouth, chuckling, "Wouldn't your master be furious to hear that? No worries, you'll see her in the afterlife soon." Ning Songwu retorted with disdain, "Who wants to see her in the afterlife?" Chen Siting didn't want to waste any more words. She formed a claw with her fingers and aimed at Ning Songwu's crown. Watching the ghostly claw nearing, Ning Songwu suddenly stopped struggling as a trace of blood-red crept into her eyes. At that critical moment, a thunderous boom came from outside the cave, causing the stone chamber to shake violently, dust falling sporadically. Chen Siting lost her balance and halted her attack. The blood-red shade in Ning Songwu's eyes vanished quietly. She seemed to wake up, looking somewhat dazed. Chen Siting panicked and shouted angrily, "Who's there? Show yourself if you have the guts!" Another loud bang accompanied the violent shaking of the stone chamber, causing Chen Siting to fall to the ground. Soon, a hole opened at the top of the chamber, sunlight streaming directly onto Chen Siting. Shielding her eyes with her hand, Chen Siting looked up and saw someone standing at the forcibly created opening. Her eyes widened in disbelief, "Aren't you dead?" Ning Songwu, still in a daze, also looked up and saw that the figure standing at the opening was none other than her "cheap" master. Ning Songwu suddenly woke up; Ran Fanyin had been captured with her and was still bound. She looked back, and the person behind her hadn't disappeared. Could it be that Ran Fanyin had a twin sister, or was this some sort of illusion technique? The answer was neither. The captured Ran Fanyin was a puppet, while the person standing at the opening was the real one. Ran Fanyin had initially thought the mission was not difficult, so she had sent the puppet to let Ning Songwu gain some experience and interest in cultivation. Since the puppet and the main body shared senses, Ran Fanyin could monitor things that way. However, she hadn't anticipated a wrong intel that the malevolent entity this time would be tricky. Still, Ning Songwu hadn't shown any unusual behavior throughout the journey. Looking down at the astonished pair, Ran Fanyin's expression remained calm. With a flick of her sleeve, she recalled the puppet into her own space and pulled Ning Songwu up as well. Ning Songwu finally realized she had been rescued, but her emotions were complicated. She wondered how much of her earlier curses had been heard and whether she could maintain her image as a dutiful disciple. "Master, I..." "No need to say more." Ning Songwu obediently shut her mouth. Chen Siting tried to activate an illusion to escape, but Ran Fanyin swatted her against the wall like a mosquito, knocking her unconscious. Ning Songwu shivered, feeling like she was the one swatted like a mosquito. Rather than kill Chen Siting, Ran Fanyin took out a white jade bottle and trapped her inside it. Carefully sensing the surrounding spiritual energy, Ran Fanyin noticed it was much thinner here compared to other places. After subduing Chen Siting, there was still pervasive resentment, indicating the issue didn't stem from her. Ran Fanyin wasn't adept at pondering such matters, so she decided to leave the problem for her junior brother. With the sudden lightening of her burden, Ran Fanyin couldn't help but curl her mouth slightly, becoming gentler in temperament. But Ning Songwu, watching, felt cold sweat run down her back, convinced that Ran Fanyin was chillingly smiling, ready to settle the score with her later. When Ran Fanyin turned around, she saw Ning Songwu looking terrified. She assumed the child was scared by Chen Siting. Reflecting, Ran Fanyin acknowledged her oversight. Her voice remained cool but carried a hint of guilt, "It was my lack of consideration this time." Ning Songwu paused before saying, "It's not Master's fault." The girl's voice was gentle, and her lowered head appeared very obedient. Ran Fanyin felt more guilty, thinking she was too scared to look at her. Not knowing how to handle the situation, she awkwardly untied the ropes from Ning Songwu and said, "Let's go back."