213 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

Ran Fanyin grasped Ning Songwu’s hand firmly. As Ning Songwu struggled to pull away, Ran Fanyin tightened her grip, clutching Ning Songwu's small hand securely. A hint of displeasure crossed Ran Fanyin’s face, and the warmth in her eyes cooled considerably. “Enough!” Ning Songwu stared blankly at Ran Fanyin’s cold gaze, a surge of grievance welling up in her heart. Her eyes reddened immediately, and tears began to fall relentlessly, as she sobbed and shivered pitifully. Upon seeing this, Ran Fanyin's irritation evaporated. She sighed, picked up Ning Songwu, and placed her on the bed. “I don't understand why you're being so difficult…” Amidst her blurry vision from the tears, Ning Songwu saw Ran Fanyin draw out a white handkerchief to wipe her tears. Pouting her lips, she spun around and leaped up to hug Ran Fanyin's neck, wiping her snot and tears on Ran Fanyin’s pristine clothes in retaliation. Ran Fanyin couldn't help but smile wryly, feeling a soft warmth flow through her heart. She relished the child's closeness. Ran Fanyin hugged Ning Songwu’s back, patting her gently to comfort her. “Master...Master...” Ning Songwu called out to Ran Fanyin with effort. “Yes, I'm here. I'm here.” Ran Fanyin held Ning Songwu, and soon they both lay down on the bed. It wasn’t the first time she had slept with the child in her embrace, so she decided to stay the night here. Chapter 81: New Year In the dormitory room of Hongfei Pavilion, Ning Songwu lay lifelessly on the bed, her small frame dwarfed by the large bedboard. Her long eyelashes remained still, not even fluttering, and her skin was terrifyingly pale, resembling a delicate doll, eerily still and quiet. Dr. Qingmuzi from the Pill House carefully took Ning Songwu’s pulse, examined her eyelids and the severe whip wounds on her body, his expression becoming increasingly grave. Cen Ran, beside herself with worry, grabbed Dr. Qingmuzi’s beard in desperation. “How is she? How is she?!” “She has internal injuries and blood stagnation in her chest. Her external wounds are severe, with eleven whip wounds on her body, each potentially fatal. It’s a critical situation, and it’s hard to say anything for certain now. If not for the precious jade containing someone’s blood essence she wore on her chest, she wouldn’t have survived. Her breath still hangs on that jade.” Cen Ran exclaimed, “I don't care how, she must live! She must live!... If anything happens to Ning Songwu, when our master learns of this…” Luo Sheng stood with her arms crossed, her face exceptionally gloomy. “What more can be said? We need to take Ning Songwu back to Rongku Pavilion immediately. Is this how Hongfei Pavilion takes care of my junior sister?” Dr. Qingmuzi shook his head. “She can’t be moved about arbitrarily right now. Besides, the lord has not returned yet; she cannot leave Hongfei Pavilion without permission.” “Is she conscious?” Cen Ran asked. “Perhaps, but it’s uncertain. We can only wait for her to wake up. When she does, everything will be much easier,” Dr. Qingmuzi slowly stroked his beard. He blinked, looking closely at Ning Songwu as if remembering something. “This child... I once treated her hand tendons three years ago… yes, it’s her, the one with the red mole on her forehead.” Lost in thought, he took Ning Songwu’s right wrist and carefully examined it again. “Hmm, this is strange. Normally, even after treating hand tendons, recovery isn’t this smooth. Over the years, Ran Fanyin’s lord has taken many precious herbs from the Pill House to treat this child’s hand, but the results remained minimal. I couldn't figure out why before, but now it seems her wrist has recovered almost entirely.” All those years of drawing and it finally pays off. Helan Mianmian stood quietly in a corner, letting out a soft sigh. ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊ Within Yushui Pass, in Luocheng. Ran Fanyin sat alone in her bedroom, holding the wooden bird given to her by Lin Yuxue, her mind wandering. Ever since that day, Lin Yuxue had been traveling with them to Luocheng, and after multiple encounters, they had grown familiar with each other. They had now arrived at Luocheng for about five or six days. The situation in Luocheng was extremely peculiar. Before the arrival of Beifa and Luanhua Valley, Fentian Sect had already made an incursion into the city but hadn’t occupied all critical points yet. Reinforcements sent by the court had been waiting for quite some time. Cheng Yunhuan and Lin Yuxue led the Five Rivers reinforcements along with Beifa and Luanhua disciples, seizing the opportunity to enter the city, but still hadn’t entirely expelled Fentian Sect’s blazing flags. A broad street, hundreds of feet wide, named Yin Yang Avenue, sharply divided Luocheng into two halves. Fentian Sect’s blaze flags were pushed to the eastern half of the city, relying on the city’s fortifications, causing Cheng Yunhuan to hesitate in crossing their boundary. Meanwhile, Beifa and Luanhua were stationed in the western half, facing off against Fentian Sect’s blaze flags in the east, both sides itching for a conflict. The room door suddenly creaked open, and Ran Fanyin turned to see Lin Yuxue entering. “Aren’t you eating? It’s almost dark, and you didn’t seem to have lunch, right?” Lin Yuxue naturally sat at the table and poured herself a cup of tea. “Thank you for your concern,” Ran Fanyin replied flatly. Lin Yuxue noticed the wooden bird in Ran Fanyin's hand and smiled, “I gave that to you several days ago. Did you figure out how to use this mechanical bird?” Looking at the wooden bird in her hand, Ran Fanyin shook her head. “In simple terms, it's just a communication tool. There’s a slot in its chest to place a message strip. Unlike live birds, it’s immune to external interferences and can’t be shot down.” “Hmm.” “Can you guess what else is special about it?” Lin Yuxue looked at Ran Fanyin with a smile, marveling at the cool contour of her side profile. “Any item you use must be extraordinary. How could I guess its capabilities?” “Heh, you're right. My bird is different from the wooden birds used by others from Luanhua Valley. It holds a sound storage stone. Do you know what it’s used for? It can record the messenger’s voice. Instead of a written message, it transmits spoken words accurately.” Lin Yuxue took the wooden bird from Ran Fanyin’s hand, pressed its head, then glanced up with a smile and said to it, “Lord Ran Fanyin, it’s time for dinner.” Ran Fanyin watched Lin Yuxue’s tinkering in silence.