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

A few days ago, Ran Fanyin replaced the wooden sword she used for practice with a long, silver-iron sword. As she drew the blade, it glowed faintly in the sunlight. Although it was an ordinary sword, it stood out as a treasure among ordinary swords. She had now mastered a set of basic sword moves and her cultivation had significantly improved. She had reached the late stage of Qi training and was generally progressing well. One day, just as she was sheathing her sword, dark clouds began to gather, and the autumn rain started to fall, bringing a chill to the air. Ran Fanyin had anticipated this and was already seated in a small pavilion with her cloak draped over her. "Come here," she called softly, followed by a few light coughs. [It seems that Master's physical condition is indeed not consistent with what's described in the book. In the book, she is depicted as strong and rarely sick.] Monks typically have strong bodies and spiritual power to protect themselves. If they frequently fall ill, it often indicates a congenital defect or an old ailment. But the Ran Fanyin in the book had neither, which made this observation different from what was now apparent. Why is it different? Ning Songwu pondered this and walked over slowly. Her rain-drenched hair and clothes were enveloped in a chill. Before she could get closer, two clusters of flames approached and swathed her, causing the water mist to evaporate. The woman then allowed her to sit down. "Give me your hand." He extended his hand obediently, his eyes lingering around before finally settling on Ran Fanyin's slightly furrowed brows. Ran Fanyin was already fair-skinned, but now her complexion turned even paler in the cold wind. Her silver hair framed her face, making her look as white as snow. Her slender fingers were placed on Ning Songwu's wrist, which was as cold as ice. Her health must not be generally poor. The warmth that was not apparent on ordinary days became obvious when it was cold and rainy. "You can choose a time to establish your foundation in the next couple of days. Not only has your cultivation speed not been hindered by the Tianpin spiritual roots, but it has also become much faster with the appropriate exercises," Elder Ran said softly. He then withdrew his fingers and lazily leaned back in the chair, his thin body enveloped in his cloak. "Let's take a trip to Qingye Peak. You can go by yourself." "Also, help me fetch this month's medicine." * Having been informed in advance, Qin Siyue recognized where the person was from when she saw the familiar platinum attire. She handed over the prepared medicine, saying, "In the box are the pills you need to take to build your foundation. The ones tied together on the side are for Ran Fanyin. The other is for someone else." The girl pursed her lips and mustered the courage to ask, "How is my master's health?" "There is nothing wrong with her body; it's just a heart and lung problem," Qin Siyue paused her movements, considered for a moment, and said, "She was born with deficiencies. Her heart was weaker and more prone to sickness than others. She was very fragile and could not withstand wind, rain, and cold. Therefore, when the cold wind blew, she was more likely to get sick than ordinary people." The girl's eyes widened, "What do you mean? Is there a cure?" "It's a congenital defect, after all. It can only be nursed back to health; there is no cure," the woman responded calmly. Ning Songwu sat on Suzaku's back with a heavy heart and flew back, feeling something was amiss for no particular reason. Logically, when traveling through a book, not to mention that events should unfold according to the plot, at least the character settings wouldn't change, right? Ever since she easily replaced Lin Yuxue and joined Ran Fanyin's family, she had sensed something was wrong. Now Ran Fanyin's character had changed so much... The subtitles flashed and a line appeared, "The development of the plot is for reference only. You can try to get out of the plot." Ning Songwu: What? Is the plot development just a reference?? Isn't it too sloppy for you to cheat on your own book? [Come on! Now all the plots I know are just references? This new account, don’t mess it up.] "The ending of the characters is confirmed and will not violate the ending setting." The subtitles flashed again, as if imbued with some sense of intelligence. This was the most useful cue from this golden finger in the past four months. [Can the character’s ending be changed?] "Okay, please try to live." [Why didn't you remind me before?] "The opportunity had not yet arisen." [Then can I go back?] "..." The subtitles flashed and then disappeared. Ning Songwu was so confused that she cursed in a low voice, "What a broken system, what a broken book, what a broken life." * Ran Fanyin leaned on the recliner and was almost asleep. The voice of her little disciple rang in her mind, and she knew that Ning Songwu had returned. She sat up, roughly calculated the distance, and drew an approximate effective range for her voice. Not very big. She thought about it, changed direction, and sank back into the chair again, calculating that it would take a while before Ning Songwu returned. Leaning back, she felt drowsy and was about to fall asleep again. The footsteps, originally making some noise, became lighter as Ning Songwu noticed her master's drowsiness. The medicine bag was gently placed on the stone table, and her cold hand was placed on Ran Fanyin's forehead, leaving it there for a moment. In her ear, the young disciple's clear and anxious voice rang out, "Master, you have a fever." Ran Fanyin weakly hummed, turning her head to remove the palm from her forehead, "Did you get all the medicine?" Her voice was a bit hoarse. "We got it. Which ones are used to lower the temperature and fever?" "Don't worry, it's time to practice." "Master!" Her hand was suddenly grabbed by someone, and she opened her eyes slightly to see a girl in white wearing high heels, with a ponytail and eyes full of worry. [How could someone be so strong?] [Don't let her be exposed to cold breezes again.] [This body is too weak.] [It won’t turn into pneumonia, right? Gosh, is there even a concept of pneumonia now?] [...] In her mind, the girl's voice floated emptily, and along with the ethereal figure in front of her, it etched into the woman's eyes, melting into her heart bit by bit. It could only be expressed in two words: sincere concern. The woman closed her eyes again and said hoarsely, "Take me back to the room, someone will come to prepare it later." Ning Songwu leaned over to support her and steadily picked up the limp person, using her spiritual strength to hold on. A cover was raised to isolate the water vapor, enveloping the two of them and separating them from the chill of the lingering mist after the rain. She was so focused on her footing that she didn't notice as the person in her arms silently turned inward, seeking deeper shelter.