204 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

"What?" Ning Songwu was taken aback. "That's enough! Lan Ze, words can create trouble. You should be more careful with what you say!" Helan Mianmian interrupted Lan Ze's hurtful words. Her usually innocent eyes were now imbued with the innate authority of royalty. She shot Lan Ze a glare and looked at Ning Songwu with concern. Ning Songwu, unlike her usual self, did not immediately jump up to bicker with Lan Ze. Instead, she stared ahead blankly. "Ning Songwu, are you okay?" Helan Mianmian asked with concern. Ning Songwu furrowed her brow and shook her head. "No... she's right..." "Ning Songwu..." Helan Mianmian started. Ning Songwu's throat tightened, her voice carrying a hint of sobbing, "I'm fine... I'm just scared that Shifu... I'm scared that Shifu won’t want me anymore..." Upon arriving at Hongfei Pavilion, she realized that she was no different from the others, and in some aspects, she was even inferior. If she used to rely on being the disciple of the Sect Leader of Rongku Pavilion, what did she have now? It had been more than ten days, and her master had not visited her once. Why? Why hadn't Shifu come to see her? Was Shifu really, truly planning to leave her at Hongfei Pavilion forever?! Helan Mianmian took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from the corners of Ning Songwu's eyes, sighing softly. At the foot of the southwest peak, in the Sword-Casting Pool. "Ran Fanyin, you should take a break now," Jiang Yue pleaded with Ran Fanyin for what seemed like the umpteenth time, her brows etched with worry. The stone door of the Sword-Casting Pool was tightly shut, the interior filled with scorching heat that was unbearable. Over time, it made one feel nauseous. Despite the icy cold outside, Jiang Yue wore only a thin layer of clothing, her sleeves rolled up high. Even so, the back of her garment was soaked in sweat. Ran Fanyin's condition was even worse. While Jiang Yue could barely adapt after staying in this place for over a century, Ran Fanyin, being female, had never suffered such hardship. Her temples and hair were drenched in sweat, droplets continuously rolling down her cheeks, her hands trembling as she held the carving knife. "Just a bit more and it'll be done. Tonight it can go into the furnace for drying," Ran Fanyin rasped. Jiang Yue handed her a cup of water and said helplessly, "How many days have you gone without sleep? It's just a sword mold, do you really need to be this meticulous, as if embroidering one stitch at a time?" On the nearly completed clay model, a detailed sword shape around three feet three inches had already emerged, engraved with an intricate and perfect phoenix totem, singing and soaring, incredibly magnificent and captivating. "The last time I made a sword mold was when I was young, practicing sword-casting in Hongfei Pavilion. With so many years of not touching it, it’s inevitable I need to put in extra effort. If I handed it to Senior Brother, he’d finish such a mold in two days." Ran Fanyin said, unusually speaking a long sentence with a gentle and serious expression, though her eyes, normally as moist as spring tea, were now frighteningly red-rimmed, shot with veins of blood. "Finish this, then go back and rest. Come back in a few days. The ore for the blade, do you need some from my store or..." Jiang Yue asked. "No, I'll use mine," Ran Fanyin replied. Jiang Yue raised an eyebrow. "Yours? You're still hoarding mining stones for sword casting?" Without waiting for a reply, she smacked her forehead. "Wait! Could it be... that one... the piece Shizu gifted you back then...!" Ran Fanyin nodded, and with the motion, two more crystal beads of sweat rolled down. "That was a gift from Shizu when you became their disciple. Such a precious sword casting stone, are you sure you want to use it on this sword?" "Items only have value when used. If that casting stone isn’t turned into a sword, it will forever remain just a useless rock." Ran Fanyin spoke calmly, as if the precious casting stone wasn't hers. The casting stone Hongsheng Ceng gifted Ran Fanyin was akin to the sword Ran Fanyin gifted to Zisheng Ceng and Ning Songwu’s Liuyu. They were significant tokens from the sect. Not to mention the item's meaning, the stone's worth was unparalleled, with no other material in the world comparable to it. Anything Hongsheng Ceng gave was never ordinary. Jiang Yue was astonished; if this sword were to be cast, it would certainly surpass any famed sword existing in the world. Was Ran Fanyin really planning to give such a sword to a child? Had her brains been fried after spending over ten days in the Sword-Casting Pool? "Ah..." Suddenly, Ran Fanyin felt a sharp pain in her head, pressing her fingers to her temples, eyes tightly shut. Jiang Yue, seeing this, could only pat Ran Fanyin's shoulder, passing some qi over. If Ran Fanyin kept exhausting herself like this, even an iron body would collapse. She had suffered multiple headaches in recent days, even vomiting one night, which Jiang Yue had witnessed, filling her with unease. "Your disciple had better not disappoint your expectations. Otherwise, how could one justify what you’re going through?" Jiang Yue turned towards the Sword-Casting Pool, watching the molten liquid she was refining, and shook her head. That night, Ran Fanyin finally watched as the sword mold was placed into the furnace. Only then did she relax, the exhaustion she had suppressed crashing over her like a tide. Were it not for her profound inner strength, unusual for an ordinary person, she wouldn’t have withstood these sleepless nights. Jiang Yue escorted her out of the Sword-Casting Pool, gave a few more instructions, and then returned inside, closing the stone door. Everyone saw Jiang Yue's radiant, elegant exterior, like a forest breeze, but who knew she had endured sleepless days and nights in the Sword-Casting Pool to forge the world’s famed swords. Ran Fanyin had intended to return to Rongku Pavilion for a proper bath, but her mind couldn't help recalling Ning Songwu's face. The last time she saw her, Ning Songwu had been sitting despondently in the plum orchard. After such a long absence, Ran Fanyin wondered how her disciple had fared in Hongfei Pavilion. Just like three years ago, Ran Fanyin simply wanted to see Ning Songwu, even if it was just through a window to check if she slept well. She had neglected Ning Songwu's emotions these days; was the shift from Rongku Pavilion to Hongfei Pavilion leaving Ning Songwu disoriented? Her white robes fluttered, long hair flowing, and her steady, even pace remained unhurried. Step after step, her footprints trailed from the Sword-Casting Pool, winding towards Hongfei Pavilion on the southeastern peak... Ran Fanyin wasn't even sure which room Ning Songwu lived in among the many disciples' quarters. But upon arriving, only one window was lit, standing out conspicuously. She had a feeling Ning Songwu was inside that room. Guided by intuition, Ran Fanyin approached to check.