190 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

After putting away the ropes, Ran Fan Yin left first. This place was eerie and full of ghostly energy. With Ran Fan Yin gone, Ning Song Wu didn't want to stay either. She quickly stepped forward to catch up with her. As she was deep in thought, a sudden cold sensation gripped her palm. Ning Song Wu looked in surprise at the hand holding hers, and then heard Ran Fan Yin's voice, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." It sounded like she was comforting a child, though Ning Song Wu was nearly the same height as Ran Fan Yin, just a bit shorter. Holding hands like this felt a bit out of place. But Ning Song Wu had no intention of letting go. She noticed that Ran Fan Yin's ears, hidden under her dark hair, had turned red. Ning Song Wu found it amusing and decided not to reject the contact, instead enjoying the situation as if watching an entertaining scene. "After experiencing this, what insights have you gained?" With an innocent and harmless expression, Ning Song Wu replied, "Master is amazing. Staying by Master's side is the safest." Ran Fan Yin: …... She suddenly felt the frustration of caring deeply for someone who didn't understand. Unwilling to give up, she asked again, "Nothing else?" "No, nothing else." After saying this, Ning Song Wu felt Ran Fan Yin's grip tighten for a moment, likely out of anger. She quickly tried to remedy the situation by blowing warm breaths on Ran Fan Yin's hand, turning her face even redder. Ning Song Wu said with a tinge of pity, "Master's hand is too cold." Ran Fan Yin was distracted and confused. She wanted to pull her hand away but feared hurting her disciple's feelings. She could only try to ignore the situation and calmly said, "Let's go find your two senior sisters." Cheng Yun Huan let out a long breath to steady himself before speaking earnestly, "She's always been weak, and after losing so much blood and true energy, her body is nearly depleted. Do you know what happened?" "She...she sacrificed her sword to forge a blade for Ning Song Wu..." Jiang Yue said hesitantly. "Fool! How could you let her go through with such madness? You've been forging swords for years; how could you allow her to do such a thing?" "It was my fault, senior brother," Jiang Yue said softly. "We must transfer true energy to her immediately to preserve her cultivation, or her lifespan will be greatly reduced." Cheng Yun Huan fed Ran Fan Yin some pills and, together with Jiang Yue, began transferring energy to her. Ran Fan Yin remained unconscious. Cheng Yun Huan personally went to prepare more medicine for her. Jiang Yue headed to Hongfei Pavilion to inform Cen Ran, who was temporarily staying there. Cen Ran, He Lan Mian Mian, and Ning Song Wu were practicing swordsmanship in the bamboo grove behind the disciple quarters when they suddenly saw Jiang Yue arrive, covered in blood. They were all startled. Cen Ran sheathed her sword and hurriedly asked, "Uncle, what happened?" "Go to the elixir room immediately. Your master...she's gravely injured," Jiang Yue managed to say with difficulty. "What?!" Cen Ran was shocked, "How could Master be..." Ning Song Wu trembled all over, and her sword fell to the ground. She stepped forward, "What did you say? Master...she..." Jiang Yue glanced at Ning Song Wu with a complex expression and said, "Stop asking! Wait until your master wakes up and ask her yourself." "She...she hasn't woken up..." Tears filled Ning Song Wu's eyes. Her heart felt as though it had plunged into an ice cellar. Master, how could this have happened... Cen Ran watched Ning Song Wu run off in a blink and called out, "Ning Song Wu!" She then used her light-foot technique to follow. When Ning Song Wu opened the door of the elixir room, she saw Qing Mu Zi fiddling with some herbs by the cabinets. Her eyes quickly scanned the room and found the white-clad woman on the bed in the corner. Ran Fan Yin lay with her eyes tightly closed, her left wrist hanging limply over the edge of the bed, wrapped in thick bandages. Her face was pale, devoid of color, and her lips had lost their usual natural redness. Even her breathing was so faint that it seemed she was already dead. The sight pierced Ning Song Wu's heart like a steel needle. Ning Song Wu quickly rushed to the bedside, her eyes brimming with sorrowful tears, yet she dared not touch Ran Fan Yin. "Master...Master..." Ning Song Wu choked out in a trembling whisper. Seeing this, Qing Mu Zi approached with scattered herbs in hand and gently patted Ning Song Wu's shoulder, "Don't worry. Your master is just excessively weak. She will recover with proper rest. She won't die." "Why is Master so severely injured? What's wrong with her wrist?" Ning Song Wu asked, her voice raised as if demanding answers. "This...you'll have to wait until she wakes up and ask her yourself," Qing Mu Zi said reluctantly, avoiding involvement. "Why do you all tell me to ask her myself? Is Master's injury related to me?!" "Ugh..." The previously still Ran Fan Yin suddenly coughed lightly. Both Qing Mu Zi and Ning Song Wu immediately focused their attention on her. They saw Ran Fan Yin's body tremble slightly with each cough. Slowly, her tightly shut eyes opened a bit, revealing her tea-colored pupils. "Master..." Ning Song Wu called out urgently. "Cough...my injury...has nothing to do with you..." Ran Fan Yin said weakly. "Respected Ran Fan Yin..." Qing Mu Zi started to say. Ran Fan Yin interrupted, "Qing Mu Zi, please leave and stand guard outside. Don't let anyone in... I need to speak with Ning Song Wu alone..." Qing Mu Zi sighed but had no choice except to comply and left the room. "Master, what do you need to say?" Ning Song Wu stifled her tears, not wanting to cry in front of her master. "Why...are you here?" "When Uncle Jiang went to Hongfei Pavilion to inform Sister Cen Ran, I overheard it," Ning Song Wu said, noticing the blood-stained white robe on Ran Fan Yin, "Master, your...your injury..." "It's nothing serious; you don’t need to worry." "..." Watching Ran Fan Yin’s feigned strength despite her weakness, Ning Song Wu’s tears flowed silently down her cheeks.