214 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

Lin Yuxue handed the wooden bird back to Ran Fanyin and said, "Feel its belly, there's a small protrusion there." Ran Fanyin touched the button and gently flicked it. All of a sudden, Lin Yuxue's voice emanated from the wooden bird, "Lord Ran Fanyin, it’s time for dinner." The tone was exactly the same. Ran Fanyin looked at the wooden bird in astonishment, "This..." "For us in Chaos Flower Valley, this sort of mech isn't anything special. However, the storage stone is indeed rare. Keep it well; it takes me a long time to carve something so delicate again." "Thank you for your generosity, young valley master," Ran Fanyin nodded slightly. Lin Yuxue stared at Ran Fanyin for a long while. Since Ran Fanyin didn't speak, she stared unabashedly. "Are you this distant with everyone? I noticed that even with Lord Cheng Yunhuan, you speak the same way." "That's my nature; I hope the young valley master can understand." "I thought we were friends at least, but you're still so indifferent. It's really boring." Ran Fanyin remained expressionless, calmly looking at Lin Yuxue, waiting for her to continue. A slight smile appeared at the corners of Lin Yuxue’s mouth, "Look, I say such things, and you don't even get mad. You're too cold; how will those around you not freeze?" The door creaked open again. This time it was Cheng Yunhuan, carrying a tray of food. He set it on the table and said to Lin Yuxue, "You took so long to call her for dinner that the food got cold." Ran Fanyin bowed her head slightly, "Senior brother, I'm troubling you. No need to..." "If he didn’t bring it in, when would you actually eat? We spent so long inviting you out at noon but couldn't get you to budge. Hurry up and eat," Lin Yuxue teased Ran Fanyin. Ignoring Lin Yuxue, Ran Fanyin picked up her utensils. After a while, Lin Yuxue asked Cheng Yunhuan, "These past few days, there's been a question on my mind." "Please, young valley master, speak." "Why did this mission require two lords from Beifa? Normally, Beifa should have left it alone. Why are you more concerned than even us in Chaos Flower Valley?" Cheng Yunhuan pondered for a moment, "No harm in telling you, your father knows as well. Beifa has historical ties with the royal family. Anything that threatens the throne, Beifa will intervene." “I see...” Lin Yuxue thought deeply before continuing, “There’s something else I don’t understand. Why does the royal family always target the Burning Heaven Sect? No, why does the emperor always target both the Skydart Sect and the Burning Heaven Sect?” Cheng Yunhuan froze for a moment, then said, "Nothing of the sort. It’s just that the Skydart Sect and the Burning Heaven Sect pose a threat to the throne." "Really, that doesn't convince me. There are many powerful sects in the martial world. Besides the Sky Dart Sect in the Central Plains back then, there’s the Tang Family Fortress in Sichuan, and the Late-Blooming Princess' Palace in South Ridge. If power alone was the reason, the first target of the emperor should be your Beifa Palace." "So?" "I think the emperor holds a personal grudge against the Skydart Sect and the Burning Heaven Sect. Delving deeper, the common core figure between them is Wen Jinglei. The emperor's target is Wen Jinglei." Lin Yuxue spoke slowly, watching Cheng Yunhuan’s expression carefully. Cheng Yunhuan remained silent, then let out a cold laugh, "The young valley master's thoughts are interesting. But many aspects still can't be explained. It's best not to mention the royal family business." Ran Fanyin’s gaze remained on her bowl, saying nothing. Suddenly, a wooden bird appeared at the window, fluttering in and landing steadily on Lin Yuxue's shoulder like a live bird. Lin Yuxue removed the wooden bird and took a note from a groove in its chest, her expression becoming serious upon reading it. “There’s movement in the southwestern corner. The situation is urgent. Let's go check it out." Cheng Yunhuan and Ran Fanyin said not another word, immediately following Lin Yuxue out the window toward the southwestern corner. As they ran, Lin Yuxue couldn’t help but tease Ran Fanyin again, “See, I told you to eat faster. Now you’ve only had a few grains of rice and have to rush off again.” Ran Fanyin finally furrowed her brows, "You really do talk too much." Lin Yuxue was neither angry nor did she retort. Instead, she simply smiled lightly. When they arrived, they saw a group of reinforcements and a few scattered Beifa disciples surrounding something. Inside were about twenty people from the Burning Heaven Sect’s Fiery Banner division, and their deputy hall master Mo Shi, who seemed to have sustained some injuries. Several corpses lay scattered on the ground—those of Fiery Banner members, reinforcements, and even a couple of Chaos Flower disciples. A Beifa disciple, his face marked with cuts, sighed in relief upon seeing Cheng Yunhuan and the others, "Lords! You finally arrived. We were just thinking if that blasted wooden bird didn’t reach you, we’d all die here together." Mo Shi sneered as he saw Cheng Yunhuan, Ran Fanyin, and Lin Yuxue, “Ha, you’ve arrived quickly. But so what, hehehehe...” “The Fiery Banner resorting to ambushes, couldn’t have imagined it would backfire. Now looks like you’ll perish here too!” The Beifa disciple spat vehemently. Lin Yuxue tilted her head, whispering to Cheng Yunhuan, “Eighteen Fiery Banner members, twenty-two reinforcements, three Beifa disciples, and then there’s both of us and Ran Fanyin.” “More than enough. No need for formations, let’s just attack directly. You and Ran Fanyin handle Mo Shi.” Lin Yuxue nodded, her gaze sharpening as she looked at Mo Shi. A man of around thirty or forty, burly with a beard, and slightly chubby, his arm was injured. Someone like him should be easy to handle alone. Ran Fanyin drew her sword Luoshuang, its icy blue blade thin as a cicada’s wing, one of the renowned swords of the martial world, rarely unsheathed. With a graceful stroke of the sword, Ran Fanyin’s white clothes fluttered, his movements elegant like a crane. Chapter 82: War Lin Yuxue hesitated for a moment, then immediately followed Ran Fanyin out the window. What could be so urgent that they didn’t even bother to pack and just jumped out of the window? Ran Fanyin’s lightness skill was exceptional, shrinking to a white dot in the blink of an eye. Lin Yuxue mustered inner strength to keep up but could only manage to keep Ran Fanyin within sight, unable to catch up.