226 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

The woman smiled and responded, "They won’t run far. When the bell rings, we’ll know where they are." "But what if the cows can’t find their home?" Ning Mother held her daughter's hand. Ning Songwu kept looking back in the direction of the bells, her worry apparent. Seeing her daughter so concerned, Ning Mother smiled and said, "The cows won’t get lost. Your father and I will follow the sound of the bells to find them." "If the bells help you and Dad bring them home, then I want one too." "You silly child, fine, I’ll talk to your dad." But Ning Songwu never got the bell. Disaster struck Dongshan; Ning Songwu’s entire family couldn’t escape and fell prey to a wolf monster. When the wolf monster came, Ning Mother forcefully pushed Ning Songwu away, blood streaming from her head as she shouted, "Run! Quickly, run!" Ning Songwu was paralyzed with fear, collapsing to the ground, her legs trembling. The wolf monster bit through Ning Mother's neck, silencing her screams abruptly, her head rolling to a stop at Ning Songwu's feet. Ning Songwu looked down at her mother’s unwilling expression, extending her trembling hand to close her mother’s eyes. The wolf monster seemed disinterested in Ning Mother and moved past her body toward Ning Songwu. As it moved, it transformed into the shape of a delicate young man, wiping the blood from the corner of its mouth, its eyes red. It then squatted down and grabbed Ning Songwu's hand with such force that her right hand bled, claw marks appearing. The wolf monster sniffed and laughed: "Interesting, a spirit-eating body. The hunter turned into prey." Ning Songwu's hand was clenched, and she glared fiercely at the wolf monster in front of her, "Monster! Go to hell!" But her flailing fist was restrained by the wolf monster. It seemed to take great pleasure in her struggling, "This feeling is quite nice. Today will be a fine feast." With that, the wolf monster's head returned to its original ferocious form, its mouth wide open as it lunged at Ning Songwu. Overwhelmed by fear, anger, and hatred, Ning Songwu's mind was overtaken by a torrent of emotions, causing her to pass out. "The villagers said it was a passing cultivator who drove away the wolf monster and saved me." Ning Songwu spoke quietly, closing the chapter of her past with this single sentence. Ran Fanyin was momentarily speechless. "Do you hate the demon clan?" Ning Songwu shook her head, "No, not at all. Not all demons eat people. Sometimes humans are even more terrifying than demons. This world was hell to me, but Mother wished for me to live...so I survived, enduring the contempt and rejection of others, harming those around me. Yet, some still wished for my death. I really don't know what to do." "Master, the people who are good to me never meet a good end. Are you afraid?" Ran Fanyin looked at her smiling face but felt as if her eyes were crying. Remembering what was written in the books, that a master should treat a disciple gently when they are sad, he pulled Ning Songwu into his embrace, "I am very strong. There are very few things in this world that can trouble me, so don’t worry." He then conjured a small bell with his spiritual power and hung it around Ning Songwu's neck, "No matter where you are, as long as this bell rings, I will find you. From now on, this is your home." Ning Songwu looked at the small, transparent bell around her neck, deeply moved. She smiled through her tears, "So this means I’ll be working like a cow or horse for Master?" "...No." Ning Songwu let out a chuckle, gently emerging from her master's embrace, and wiped away her tears with her sleeve, ruining most of Lin Yuxue’s painstaking makeup. "Master, please take care of me from now on." Mother, I have found a home again. Yuan'er, I’m sorry, but I still want to live happily. Please forgive me. Lin Yuxue’s hearing was quite good, but she ignored the irrelevant chatter of the crowd, scanning the teahouse with her eyes before speaking, "Has anyone seen Wen Jinglei?" Her voice carried a pure and overwhelming internal force, with an aura that tolerated no defiance. The little teahouse erupted instantly, many people even stood up, nervously gripping their weapons, ready to fight at any moment. The atmosphere became tense, everyone on edge. Wen Jinglei was the leader of the most notorious cult in the martial world, the Burning Heaven Sect, a name that struck fear into everyone’s hearts. According to Lin Yuxue, Wen Jinglei might be in this very teahouse! A man in a black bamboo hat continued to leisurely sip his tea, lifting a corner of the black veil with casual grace. The man beside him had already grasped the handle of his blade, glaring warily at Lin Yuxue. "Young Valley Master, there are too many people here. It’s best not to act rashly," the green-robed guard whispered to Lin Yuxue. "If any hero is fortunate enough to encounter Master Wen later, please convey a message from Random Flower Valley," a glint of uncharacteristic venom for a fifteen-year-old girl flashed in Lin Yuxue’s eyes. "From this moment on, Random Flower Valley and Burning Heaven Sect are irreconcilable enemies! Anyone aiding a disciple of the Burning Heaven Sect is an enemy of our entire valley!" Several disciples from Mount Hua exchanged knowing looks. The major forces of the Central Plains' Random Flower Valley and the Eastern Sea’s Burning Heaven Sect were now openly hostile. Who knew what had happened, but it was going to be interesting. No one noticed the two Northern Punishment Sect disciples dressed in plain clothes leaning against the railings on the teahouse's second floor. "Master, I see Wen Jinglei. He’s sitting in that corner," Jinghu whispered through ventriloquism to Cheng Yunhuan sitting beside him. Cheng Yunhuan glanced at the man in the black bamboo hat, her gaze quickly shifting to the cyan gemstone ring on his right hand, her eyes glinting with sharp caution. "Do not speak. Pretend you didn’t see anything," Cheng Yunhuan replied using ventriloquism as well. "Master, why don’t we seize this opportunity to kill him? I see many righteous disciples here." "No," Cheng Yunhuan firmly rejected. "Seven years ago, even with the combined efforts of our three top masters, we couldn't kill Wen Jinglei. His strength far surpasses your imagination." As if by fate or sheer coincidence, the major factions of the martial world—Mingxiu Palace, the Burning Heaven Sect, Random Flower Valley, and the Northern Punishment Sect—found themselves converging in this tiny teahouse. The atmosphere was charged with tension, on the brink of conflict, yet they managed to maintain a fragile façade of calm.