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

### Chapter 10 - Care Having carefully placed the soft woman on the couch, Ning Songwu realized that, in this short journey, a thin layer of sweat had already formed on her forehead. Not from exertion, but from nervousness. Nervousness born from the sensation of the woman silently snuggling into her embrace. [Master, although my body is not yet mature, my mind is mature... If you continue this, I'll genuinely want to take more care of you.] Even in her heart, she swallowed the words “I like you” and replaced them with a phrase that she found more convincing to herself. [Master, make sure to cover yourself well with the blanket. My mom always says sweating it out can prevent a cold.] [Master, your hand feels so cold. Let me get you another thick blanket.] [Why is the medicine not here yet? Why is it taking so long?] [...] Ran Fanyin was already in a daze, her disciple’s incessant inner murmurs swirling around her. She reached her delicate hand out from under the covers and placed it over her disciple's muttering mouth, murmuring, “So noisy, little chatterbox.” Ning Songwu froze for a moment and bent down, asking, “Master, what did you say?” She hadn’t heard clearly. Was she asking for water or something to eat? A cool breeze blew by, and Ran Fanyin's foggy mind suddenly cleared a bit. She had almost let slip that she could hear her disciple's thoughts. It seemed the little one hadn't heard it clearly. ⑤ Good that she hadn’t heard clearly. More than wanting to hear her disciple's thoughts, she was more worried that if the little one found out her inner musings were being overheard, she might shut them away and never dare to think out loud again. That would be truly sad. Ran Fanyin shook her head and propped herself up slightly, saying, “It's nothing, just some sleep talk. Go check on the medicine.” “You should lie down. Rest properly, and I’ll check on the medicine,” Ning Songwu insisted with a worried expression, which oddly enough made Ran Fanyin feel a bit more at ease. She tapped the little one’s forehead lightly and said, “I just need to loosen my hair. Look how worried you are.” Pulling out the hairpin with her nimble fingers, the already casually tied bun fell loose, and her silver hair cascaded down, covering half of her body. Suddenly, her ears felt a bit warm. Ning Songwu covered her ears with her hands, her breath slightly disordered. She stammered, “I’ll go check on the medicine. You rest well, Master.” With her thoughts in a mess, she hurried out, nearly slipping at the doorway. The little disciple, of unknown origin and age, still had an innocent heart. Ran Fanyin tried to block out the endless loud cheers and praises for her beauty that echoed in her ears, using various spells to no avail. Through these recent experiments, she found that only a special barrier set in the meditation room could block out her disciple’s thoughts. Today, she was just struggling in vain— One last struggle. Ran Fanyin sighed, lay down with her clothes on, and as she relaxed a little, the burning sensation from her weak heart and lungs came back, causing her to cough heavily. She closed her eyes, trying to rest, but her disciple’s voice came from outside the door. Ning Songwu: “Can you take this medicine to Elder Ran for me?” “小魂”, the little spirit Ning Songwu had stopped, replied weakly, “Immortal, we spirits are not supposed to approach our masters. This is hard for me.” “You don’t need to approach her. Just place it on the table.” “Immortal Ning…” The little spirit was nearly in tears. Ran Fanyin couldn’t bear it anymore. Clearing her throat, she raised her voice, “Songwu, stop troubling her. Come in.” With a creak, Ning Songwu walked in softly. After placing the tray down, the person on the bed lightly opened her eyes, “Why were you reluctant to come in?” Ning Songwu composed herself and said softly, “It’s time for cultivation. I'm afraid of delaying my lessons.” [Because I dare not look at you.] Though it was a gloomy day, a faint light filtered in through the window, causing her silver hair to sparkle. Her face, devoid of much color, looked even more delicate. Paradoxically, Ran Fanyin always wore a faint smile, her lips slightly curved in a subtle arc. As someone who had flitted through many fictional crushes before entering this book, Ning Songwu’s fickle heart had a streak of infatuation. Although she changed crushes every three months, there was always one character she couldn't let go of—a character that embodied everything she desired— White hair, red eyes, scheming, frail, high intelligence, both gentle and cold... Most importantly, an older sister. She had created countless content focused on this character and had drawn every female character from that game to play the older sister’s role. This character was the true star. Now, upon entering this book world, the person before her was just like that character, except for the red eyes... Ning Songwu bit her lip, not knowing what to say. Today’s illness had made this person so weak, with the corners of her eyes even reddened from coughing. She was so soft when held in her arms. Suppressing her thoughts, she spoke gently, “Master, time to take your medicine.” Ran Fanyin laughed inwardly and coldly said, “Is my disciple so eager for me to take my medicine because she’s in a hurry to cultivate? I haven’t seen you so diligent before. If that’s the case, go and cultivate, I’m not so weak that I can’t carry or lift it myself.” "No, I..." Ning Songwu decided to shift the blame onto Qin Siyue: "Master Qin said the medicine must be drunk warm to be fully effective." “Master, it’s cold today, the medicine will cool quickly. You should drink it soon.” Knowing Ran Fanyin was annoyed due to her hesitation earlier, Ning Songwu was at a loss for words and could only try to coax her master into taking the medicine. [If the illness gets worse, it might cause complications. According to Master Qin, her heart and lung function are already poor. I hope it doesn’t turn into myocarditis.] [How can I tell her I'm not avoiding her or rushing to cultivate, but... she's so delicate, I just want to kiss her...] Ran Fanyin’s hand, which was combing through her silver hair, stiffened for a moment. She pulled her collar up casually, clearing her throat, "Alright, bring the medicine here. You're right, it should be warm." [Isn’t that something I absolutely shouldn’t say? How... oh? She agreed to drink it?] [Oh my dear master, please get better soon. I’m relying on you to survive here.] Elder Ran watched her little disciple with her myriad lively thoughts, maintaining a wooden expression and said very coldly, "Okay." How does this little girl manage to appear so pure and cute? Not that her inner thoughts weren’t pure and cute... alright, they definitely weren't pure and cute. Who thinks "I want to kiss you" to a sick person? Elder Ran’s hand trembled while holding the bowl. The obedient disciple standing beside her, upon seeing her fragile master seemingly unable to hold the bowl steadily, kindly held it for her. Successfully making her master choke. Several heavy coughs accompanied by wheezing, red spreading from her eyes, silver hair trembling weakly, making her look even more delicate. Amidst her coughing, the woman coldly said, "Get out." Ning Songwu’s hand, holding the candied fruit, froze mid-air. She replied, “Yes.” Setting the tray down and turning to leave. [Why am I so clumsy, making my master choke, and now she’s unhappy.] [Master is already ill. I hope this doesn’t impede her recovery.] [Beautiful elder sister, please get well soon.] [Master is a gift from heaven. Why did she take in a clumsy disciple like me? It would have been better if she had taken Lin Yu Xue...] Ran Fanyin’s grip on the corner of the blanket tightened and loosened, her heart mixed with emotions, her mind still hazy from the fever. Seeing the little one’s thin back, she finally sighed softly. “Forget it, it’s still raining. You might as well cultivate here, so I can watch over you.” “Master, please rest. I’ll return to…” Elder Ran’s voice turned cold, “Stay.” “Yes.” [Will I disturb master’s rest by staying here?] [Well, as long as I’m quiet, it should be fine. I can also keep an eye on her, preventing her fever from worsening.] [I...] “Focus and clear your mind,” the woman’s slightly hoarse voice came through. Ning Songwu pursed her lips and lightly agreed, before sitting cross-legged and quieted down, refraining from overthinking. Ran Fanyin opened one eye, looking at the girl sitting cross-legged. Little chatterbox. Without these inner thoughts, where would I ever know your abundance of genuine feelings? Little clumsy chatterbox. * Ran Fanyin’s illness lasted nearly ten days. She had a low fever for three days, followed by constant coughing. Even yesterday, she was still coughing intermittently. Ning Songwu gained a whole new understanding of her master’s physical condition. She was truly delicate, knocked down for ten days by a gust of cold wind. How did she manage to cultivate in her youth? Would sweating and drying also lead to illness? Truly pitiful. [I’m beginning to wonder if I brought over some sort of influenza virus... sigh...] Ning Songwu squatted in the back hall, sorting herbs and counting the remaining food supplies, seeing how many more days they would last. Meanwhile, her master was moved to the main hall, basking in the sunlight through the window. Leaned back in a lounge chair, Ran Fanyin suddenly felt a bit guilty for enjoying the sun while her disciple bustled about. But this was also one of the joys of taking in a disciple. Otherwise, who would want to distract themselves with raising such a little thing? Suddenly, the protective barrier fluctuated. Without opening her eyes, Ran Fanyin called out for her disciple. "What's the matter, Master?" The little one came running out, wearing a dust-proof apron. "Someone's here. Handle it for me." "Then I'll change my clothes." The woman lazily lifted her eyelids and glanced over, "No need. Just like that will do. It's not anyone important." "Just give this book to her for me." * Lin Yu Xue, the supposedly 'not important' person, felt her eyelids twitch when she saw Ning Songwu run out still wearing her apron. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. Ning Songwu froze in place after recognizing the person, forcing a smile. “You, hello?” [What’s the protagonist doing here? I’ve been hiding up on the mountain, not stepping out. Why is she looking for trouble with me?] [Help, Master, help…] Ran Fanyin silently directed a bit of her mind towards her. “I’m here for the cultivation manual, Senior Sister. Please give it to me.” The little one carefully handed the book to her, quickly retracting her hand and stepping back a pace. Lin Yu Xue: Am I that ugly or what? Why are you backing off like I’ll eat you? [Why isn't she leaving...] Ning Songwu tightly gripped the hem of her clothes. “Senior Sister…” “Yes!” The half-formed words in Lin Yu Xue's mind were interrupted by Ning Songwu's vigorous response. She blinked, unable to recall what she was about to say. [The protagonist is really pretty, those long eyelashes flickering... No wonder the Demon Lord likes her.] [Why isn't she leaving... Sister, what are you trying to do now...] [You, you, you, you've messed with the wrong person! Daring to mess with me, you've picked the softest persimmon.] Suddenly, there was a light chuckle beside her ear. A delicate hand landed on her shoulder, and her master's not-so-friendly but smiling voice floated over, “Niece, what are you doing here?”