254 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

"How can these be compared? I'm going to find Yunniang right now. I have money. I’ll pay your ransom and get you out of here. We’ll leave this godforsaken place tonight," Ning Songwu said, disregarding the pain in her shoulder as she grabbed Ran Fanyin, intending to leave. "No one forced me. I did this voluntarily," Ran Fanyin said flatly, shaking off Ning Songwu's hand. To her, Yunniang’s pressure hardly counted as coercion. Ning Songwu looked incredulous. She had no idea how much Ran Fanyin had suffered and blamed herself for not protecting her, giving Gu Er the opportunity to take advantage. All she could think about now was paying to free her, then hunting down Gu Er and torturing him in the most vicious ways she could imagine—skinning, dismembering, and tossing him to the beasts in the wilderness. Law, ethics, and morality were the last things on her mind. Ran Fanyin stared at Ning Songwu for a long time before swallowing back her words. There was no point in arguing. The wound had to be dealt with before things got worse. “At a time like this, you still want to play tough? I’ve known you’re actually a woman for a long time. Keeping up this act with you is exhausting enough,” Ran Fanyin said, tired of the charade. Under the sweltering heat and with her untreated injury, she feared it might fester. Ning Songwu was startled, her eyes widening like a cow's. Nervously, she asked, “When did you find out?” “What do you think?” Ran Fanyin rolled her eyes at her. Ning Songwu thought back carefully and recalled that night she had come home drunk. When Ran Fanyin questioned her, she had brushed it off by claiming impotence. It seemed Ran Fanyin hadn’t believed her excuse all along and hadn’t called her out on it. “Well, will you report me?” Ning Songwu asked tentatively, feeling a bit panicked. “Yes,” Ran Fanyin replied firmly. Ning Songwu’s eyes filled with a sudden panic. It was both unexpected yet understandable. Nervously, she replied, “I see. It’s my fault for having hurt you.” She looked dejected, her spirit utterly defeated. “Is there room for negotiation?” Reporting her would mean the entire Sima household would face imprisonment, with her direct relatives either exiled to the frontier or executed. She couldn’t handle this outcome and wanted to negotiate with Ran Fanyin. “If you don’t cooperate with me to change the dressing, once we return to the capital, I’ll go to the magistrate and beat the complaint drum, informing the emperor that he’s assigned me a fake husband!” Ran Fanyin said angrily. She was exasperated that Ning Songwu had the nerve to ask such questions at a time like this. “I never meant to deceive you. I really had no choice. I…” Ning Songwu stood up in a rush, frantically trying to explain but stopping short. Intentional or not, the harm was done. “You fool. We’ve been married for quite some time now. If you think about it, keeping this secret makes me an accomplice, which adds to my crimes. You think I’d risk my life and sanity just to accuse the emperor? Keeping your secret is a much smarter move. What idiocy has led you to think I’d cut off my own nose to spite my face?” She wondered how Ning Songwu ever passed the imperial exams. Ning Songwu said, “Rest assured, I’ll sign the divorce papers as soon as possible. But right now, there’s no suitable reason. You’ll have to begrudge enduring this for a while. If you don’t believe me, I can swear an oath.” “Keep your mouth shut,” interrupted Ran Fanyin, pressing down Ning Songwu’s raised right hand. The mention of a divorce was distasteful. Ning Songwu murmured, “Okay.” “Can we change the dressing now, Miss Ning?” Ran Fanyin jested. Ning Songwu replied, “Sorry to trouble you.” Ran Fanyin leaned close, holding her breath as she slowly removed the bandages. The wound stuck to the gauze, and in peeling it off, Ning Songwu gasped in pain, her brow furrowing as she gripped her thigh tightly. “Bear with it. You delayed too long in changing the dressing, and on top of that, you insisted on playing the hero earlier. Now the old wound has flared up. It won’t heal for at least ten days to half a month,” Ran Fanyin chided, lightly patting Ning Songwu’s immobile upper body. Now she felt the pain. “But don’t worry. Your wife here has exceptional medical skills. I won’t let your delicate arm get scarred,” Ran Fanyin tried to reassure her. She knew this knife wound was sustained that night. She couldn’t imagine how Ning Songwu escaped from danger, dragging her injured body to Pingyang County. To see her safe now was a relief. Remembering how she had been giving her attitude, she felt a pang of guilt. Wife? Even knowing my identity, she still calls herself my wife? What does she mean by this? Ning Songwu realized, despite her scholarly accomplishments, she couldn’t fathom the thoughts of the person before her. Moments ago, Ran Fanyin had threatened to report her, yet now she was nonchalantly assuming the role of her wife. “If you can’t bear it, grab my thigh. I won’t feel any pain,” Ran Fanyin offered, noticing Ning Songwu’s grip on her leg, using considerable force. Just after saying this, Ran Fanyin realized her words might be misunderstood and added, “We’re both women. There's no need to worry about propriety.” It was as if she was reassuring Ning Songwu and herself. Clenching her teeth, Ning Songwu forced out, “It’s fine. I can endure.” They were so close that Ning Songwu’s breath warmed Ran Fanyin’s face, causing a tingling sensation. Her hand moved to brush back a loose strand of Ran Fanyin’s hair, and as her fingertips grazed her cheek, Ran Fanyin felt a shiver and her face warmed. “Don’t move,” Ran Fanyin scolded, but in the silent room, she could hear her own racing heartbeat, echoing louder with each beat, reminiscent of the moment her veil was lifted on their wedding day. Ning Songwu’s beauty had taken her by surprise then; now, her heart pounded even harder, shaking her very core. Ran Fanyin’s discomfort grew, and she cursed inwardly, “Damn it.” Her body trembled slightly in fear as she felt she was losing control, the course of events shifting unpredictably. Ning Songwu, startled by Ran Fanyin’s rebuke, suddenly realized how inappropriate her gesture of tucking her hair had been. Not knowing where to look, she turned red from head to toe in embarrassment.