19.2 - Crazy! Criticizing the Prime Minister for Being a Servant

## Chapter 10: Taking Care With great care, Ning Songwu finally settled the soft woman on the chaise lounge. She only then realized that, in such a short distance, a thin layer of sweat had already appeared on her forehead. It wasn't from fatigue, but from nervousness. A tension that arose the moment she sensed the woman silently nestling into her embrace. **"Master, although my body has not yet matured physiologically, my mind is already mature. Seeing you like this makes me want to take care of you even more."** Even in her mind, she choked back the words "like" and replaced them with something she could more easily convince herself of. **"Master, you should cover up well. My mom always says sweating it out can cure a cold."** **"Master, why are your hands so cold? I'll fetch another heavier blanket."** **"Why is the medicine not here yet? Why is it taking so long?"** **"..."** Ran Fanyin, already in a dazed state, had her reverie further disrupted by her disciple’s incessant chatter. Reaching out with her delicate hand from beneath the quilt, she covered her disciple’s chattering mouth, murmuring, "So noisy, little chatterbox." Ning Songwu was startled for a moment, then leaned in closer, "Master, what did you say?" She hadn't heard clearly. Did her Master want water or something else to eat? As a cool breeze blew past her ears, Ran Fanyin's foggy mind suddenly cleared a bit. She had nearly spoken aloud about her ability to hear her disciple's inner thoughts. Judging by the look of things, the young one hadn’t heard her clearly. That was a relief. More than wanting to find out what her disciple might say in her heart, she worried that her little disciple would lock her thoughts away if she found out someone could hear them. That, indeed, would be terribly sad. Ran Fanyin shook her head and propped herself up. “Nothing, just talking in my sleep. Go check on the medicine?” "You lie down. Just lie down. I'll go check on the medicine." Ning Songwu’s anxious demeanor, surprisingly, eased the unwell woman’s spirits a bit. Raising her hand, she tapped the young one lightly on the forehead, "Your Master is just letting her hair down a bit. Look at how nervous you are." With a pull of her graceful hand, the hairpin came loose, and her loosely held bun fell away, silver strands cascading down to cover half her body. Suddenly, the tips of Ning Songwu’s ears grew warm. She raised her hand to cover her ears, her breath becoming a bit erratic, stammering, "I’ll go check on the medicine. Master, please rest well." With that, she fled in a state of panic, almost tripping over herself at the doorway. The little disciple's origins and exact age were unknown, but seeing her like this, it was clear she still had a child's temperament. Ran Fanyin tried to block out the relentless excitement and compliments in her ears, employing several spells, all to no avail. After experimenting over the days, she found that other than the absolute barrier of the purification room that couldn’t be undone once set, no spells could keep out her disciple's inner voice. Today, knowing it would be useless— She struggled one more time. Sighing, Ran Fanyin lay down, still clothed. As she let her guard down a bit, the burning sensation that started from her weak heart and lungs returned, forcing a few coughs from her. She closed her eyes to rest, but her disciple’s voice came from outside the door. Ning Songwu: “Could you take this medicine to Elder Ran for me?” “Immortal, we spirit creatures may not approach our masters. This puts us in a difficult spot,” came the weak voice of a little soul Ning Songwu had stopped. “You don’t need to get too close. Just place it on the table.” “Immortal Ning…” The little soul was almost crying. Ran Fanyin couldn’t stand it anymore. Clearing her throat, she called out, “Songwu, don’t trouble her anymore. Come in.” With a creak, Ning Songwu stepped in lightly. Putting the tray down, Ran Fanyin, lying on the chaise, lazily lifted her eyelids. “Why were you reluctant to come in?” Ning Songwu gathered her thoughts and replied softly, “It’s time for cultivation. I was afraid it would impede my practice.” **Because I’m afraid to look at you.** Despite the overcast weather, a dim light filtered through the window, casting a shimmer on her silver hair, accentuating her bloodless visage with a touch of fragility. And yet, Ran Fanyin always wore a gentle smile, her lips curving in a subtle arc. As a former player with numerous paper figure wives, Ning Songwu had a mixed heart of infidelity and infatuation; she might change wives every three months, but there was always one character she couldn't forget—one who encompassed all her fantasies— White hair, red eyes, cunning, fragile, highly intelligent, both gentle and cold... Most importantly, she was an elder sister. She had created countless unspeakable content for this character, using all the female characters in the game to role-play as this elder sister; she was well-known as a lover of this character. In this book's world now, facing this woman, though lacking red eyes... Ning Songwu bit her lip hard, unsure of what to say. Seeing this gentle, fragile figure weakened by illness, with reddened eyes from coughing, so soft in her embrace... She sternly suppressed her excitement, speaking gently, “Master, please drink your medicine.” Ran Fanyin chuckled inwardly, her tone turning cold, “Disciple, are you eager for me to drink the medicine so you can start cultivating? Why haven’t I seen such dedication before? If so, go cultivate. I'm not so weak that I can’t shoulder or handle things.” “No, I…” Ning Songwu decided to place the blame on Qin Siyue: “Auntie Qin said the medicine has to be drunk warm to be effective.” “Master, it’s cold today, the medicine cools quickly. You should drink it while it’s warm.” She knew Ran Fanyin was upset from her earlier hesitation, but she couldn’t express the complexity of her feelings, so she had to coax her into drinking the medicine. **If the illness drags on, who knows what complications might arise. According to Auntie Qin, her heart and lung function were already poor. Wouldn’t want it to turn into myocarditis.** **How can I tell her I’m not avoiding her, nor am I rushing to practice, but just… she’s so delicate, I want to kiss her…**