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

**Chapter 68: Former Times "1"** Ran Fanyin nodded slightly, silently concentrating on the dishes on the table. She quietly ate a plate of sweet lotus roots, the dull crunching sound reminiscent of a mouse sneaking food in the night. Ning Songwu couldn't help but laugh at the thought of this imagery. But she shook her head, thinking how absurd it was to compare her master to a mouse; what a strange notion. Cang Min noticed Ning Songwu's barely-concealed smile and curiously asked, "What are you thinking, little beauty?" Ning Songwu gave a quick glance at Ran Fanyin, who was expressionless as she ate the lotus roots, and quickly shook her head. "Nothing, nothing." "Oh," Cang Min replied, and after a moment, asked again, "How long are you planning to stay here?" "How long would you like us to stay, senior?" Ning Songwu responded with a question of her own. "You can stay as long as you like. I'm alone here and wouldn't mind the company," Cang Min said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "Ah, don't worry, you'll be well-compensated. As the dignified master of Kunlun, I have plenty to teach you." Ran Fanyin glanced up at Ning Songwu's delighted expression, still chewing on the lotus roots without speaking. “Master…” Ning Songwu turned and met Ran Fanyin's eyes. "Ah Yin, you're eating like a mouse," Cang Min said disdainfully while watching Ran Fanyin gnaw on the lotus roots. This time, Ning Songwu couldn't hold back and let out a laugh. It seemed she wasn't the only one who thought this way. Ran Fanyin swallowed her food and Ning Songwu, noticing, quickly pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. Ran Fanyin paused, looked into Ning Songwu's eyes for a moment, took the handkerchief to wipe her mouth and then looked at Cang Min, "We can stay as long as you want. Normally, we stay for two to three months before heading back; this time should be about the same." "That's great, we can reminisce, and these two youngsters can spar with each other. Two or three months should be enough time for this little beauty to recover before you head back to cause trouble in Bei Fa," Cang Min said cheerfully, picking up more food into his bowl. After dinner, Ran Fanyin grabbed Ning Songwu's hand, intending to have a private conversation indoors, but was intercepted by Cang Min. "Ah Yin, I have something to discuss with you. Let's go inside. Little beauty, go find my rebellious disciple and play with her. And by the way, I'm counting on you for dinner," Cang Min said, patting Ran Fanyin's shoulder and smiling at Ning Songwu. Ning Songwu let go of Ran Fanyin's hand, "Alright, take your time." With that, she glanced at Ran Fanyin one more time before turning and leaving. Cang Min and Ran Fanyin entered the Flower Realm and sat down in Ran Fanyin's room. Cang Min shivered slightly, "Ah Yin, I'm not stopping you from seeing her. Do you have to look so cold that it could freeze someone?" Ran Fanyin rubbed her forehead and sat down in silence. "Now let's talk seriously," Cang Min said, his playful expression turning serious as he looked at the still unmade bed. "Are you two... together?" "Hmm?" Ran Fanyin looked at Cang Min, puzzled. "What role does she play in your life now?" Cang Min rephrased. Ran Fanyin lowered her head, and after a moment, softly said, "She is my disciple." "That's all?" Cang Min scoffed, "You better not let her hear you say that." "No..." Ran Fanyin looked away from Cang Min, "I love Wu." "Then what? She risked her life to see you, almost lost her life, and in the end, in your eyes, she’s just a ‘disciple’?" "In the future, I will marry her," Ran Fanyin said seriously. “Mhm.” Ran Fanyin nodded, looking at the scar on the inside of her left wrist. "It's not easy to find someone like that. Perhaps in your entire life, she'll be the only one. Ah Yin, I had someone dear to my heart, but I lost her. We were together for just three months, such a short time, but it felt longer than my hundreds of years." Cang Min paused, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, and continued, "So, I've chosen never to forget, even though my lifetime is far too long. Ah Yin, cherish every day; you have nearly four hundred years ahead of you, but if she can't cultivate properly, she'll leave you in a few short decades. I’ve been through loss, so I understand." "If she can't cultivate properly..." Ran Fanyin felt a dull pain in her heart, and her fingers slowly clenched. "Ning Songwu," Ran Fanyin felt an unusual peace as Ning Songwu hugged her tightly, closed her eyes, and wanted to entrust her whole self to her, "My Songyu is given to you, never leave me." "Master, I'll never leave you," Ning Songwu rested her face on Ran Fanyin's shoulder, gently nuzzling. "Before, I kept running away, causing you a lot of pain. It was my mistake, please forgive me," Ran Fanyin's calm voice echoed softly in Ning Songwu's ear, as if talking about something indifferent, yet the feelings inside were unprecedented. "Silly child..." Ran Fanyin mumbled into Ning Songwu's shoulder; her voice muffled. Finally, there was someone who wanted to rely on her. Ning Songwu's voice was choked with emotion but very earnest, "No matter how many years I live, wherever you are, that's where I'll be. If you're on the edge of a cliff, I'll chase you to the edge; if you're in hell, I'll follow you into hell. If you don't want me anymore, I'll wait for you in one place until you come back." "...What if I never come back?" Ning Songwu paused for a moment, then firmly said, word by word: "Then I'll wait until death." Ran Fanyin only thought how fortunate she was, thankful that at the tail end of these five hundred years, she had met this person. Ning Songwu smiled softly, then suddenly released Ran Fanyin, held her hand, lifted her sleeve slightly, and looked into her eyes: "This scar… are you still hiding it from me?" Ran Fanyin sighed, her right hand gently touching her left wrist, "It's nothing, it doesn't matter." “You’ve given me so many things, the Liuyu, the Fengyu sword, and..." Ning Songwu touched her waist and smiled knowingly. Ran Fanyin knew there was a silk pouch there, and her ears turned red. "But I have never given you anything. If one day we are separated, you wouldn’t have anything to remember me by," Ning Songwu frowned, her tone a bit vexed. Ran Fanyin patted Ning Songwu's head, "There's no need to cling to material things. Look, this scar is etched onto my hand... And besides... I believe we'll never be separated; you'll always be by my side, won't you?” "I'll always be by your side, in life or death." Ning Songwu held Ran Fanyin's hand like a prayer, and gently kissed it. “What nonsense, if you die, how can you be by my side?” Ran Fanyin laughed, pinching Ning Songwu’s earlobe. "If I die, burn my body to ashes and keep the urn with you," Ning Songwu replied with a smile. “Stop being ridiculous, shut up.” Ran Fanyin pushed Ning Songwu's forehead and turned to walk out of the Flower Realm cave. Ning Songwu followed closely, whispering into Ran Fanyin's ear, "Master, last night... I was confused and heavy-handed. I know it hurt. Are you still in pain?” Ran Fanyin's face flushed red, staying silent for a long while before nodding ever so slightly. "I'll go get some medicine; I’ll apply it for you tonight... Ahem... Don't run around lest I have to search for you everywhere when I return," Ning Songwu softly advised, holding Ran Fanyin's hand. "I won't run around, I’ll be outside playing chess with Cang Min," Ran Fanyin squeezed Ning Songwu’s hand, earnestly replying. "Good, then, I’ll be off." Ning Songwu smiled and quickly walked away, soon leaving only her back view. Ran Fanyin watched Ning Songwu disappear from sight and stood there in a daze for a long time before slowly walking back. After turning a corner and getting out of Ran Fanyin's sight, Ning Songwu hastily covered her nose and stopped suppressing her breath. Nosebleed flowed through her fingers, staining her hands red. Choked by her nosebleed, Ning Songwu coughed a few times and took out a handkerchief to tightly cover her nose. Her body still hadn't adjusted properly, with her breath colliding within and causing her blood to surge. It wasn't a big deal; her nose had always been prone to bleeding, but if Ran Fanyin saw it, she would definitely worry. She couldn't afford to shorten her life by a dozen years, especially when she already couldn’t live longer than Ran Fanyin. Ning Songwu took out a bottle of calming medicine that Bo Xue had given her before and swallowed a few pills. The nosebleed soon stopped. She first went to Kunlun's washroom to clean off the bloodstains, then to Kunlun's medicinal pavilion to fetch some medicine. Having studied medicine at Hongfei Pavilion, she knew a bit about pharmacology, so she took some internal tonic and topical anti-inflammatory medicine based on her own judgment. After carefully brewing the internal medicine in the pavilion’s pharmaceutical room, she carried a small black jar of it back to the Flower Realm. “You can surely see it too, her eyes are brimming with emotion, and to practice Dao, one needs to be devoid of emotions and desires. She already has desires, towards you, towards the joy that love brings. If you reject her thoroughly this time, she might be able to let go, living as an ordinary person while you remain a venerable lord. But now that you’re together, she will never be able to let go, unable to take the world lightly. Therefore, you are doomed to just these few decades of life together.” “So, in the end, I’ll have to watch her die.” Ran Fanyin bit her lip, staring at Cang Min. “Yes... But would you give up right away? While Song is still not fully entangled, would you leave her to spare long-term pain through short-term agony?” Ran Fanyin’s gaze was resolute, "I won’t give up. Even if we only have these few decades, I want her by my side." "...Exactly, Ah Yin, that's it. This is love; even when you know the consequences, you won't give up. It looks like you truly love Wu, so cherish her and these moments. They will be the most beautiful memories of your life." Cang Min smiled bittersweetly, "This is the fate of immortality: it’s either eternal loneliness or everlasting romance." Ran Fanyin's lips curved into a slight smile as she turned her gaze away. After a long while, she quietly said, "You're wrong. If, in the end, she truly holds an important place in my heart, when she dies, I am certain that I too will die. There’s no such thing as eternity." "You...," Cang Min laughed helplessly, "For over a hundred years, you have never been attached to anything. But once you have something to hold on to, it’s hard to let go. You two have already spent ten years together. She’s held an important place in your heart for a long time, but she was the first to express it while you realized it later." "Cang Min, thank you." Ran Fanyin looked at Cang Min sincerely, her lips holding a faint smile. "Love her well," Cang Min responded. "I will," Ran Fanyin nodded, her voice gentle. Cang Min smiled, "Let's go; find your little beauty. I'll go find my rebellious disciple... Ah, people always think it's easy for disciples to become attached to their masters, but only those who have been masters know how easy it is for them to grow fond of their disciples. It's like raising a child, wanting to give them the best of everything. Over the years, if not for Bo Xue, my days would be much more boring." Ran Fanyin chuckled modestly and walked outside. As Cang Min followed her out, his eyes inadvertently caught sight of the bed’s edge, and his face suddenly darkened: “Ran Fanyin!!!” Ran Fanyin turned around, bewildered, and looked at Cang Min. Cang Min was visibly shaking with rage, pointing at the massive dent in the solid red sandalwood bed: "What did you do last night?! What did you do?! My red sandalwood bed! I just got this customized a few years ago! You’ve only used it a short while, and you’ve already left a huge dent?!" Ran Fanyin suddenly recalled the previous night's passion, where, lost in the moment, she lost control, and her energy accidentally leaked out when her hand fell... Her ears instantly turned red as she stammered, "Don't... don't worry, I'll compensate you..." "Compensate me?!" Cang Min nearly shouted, looking heartbrokenly at the bed, "This was transported all the way from the Central Plains with great effort! How will you compensate me? This is... outrageous..." Hearing Cang Min's almost hysterical voice, Bo Xue and Ning Songwu hurriedly rushed in. Seeing her master’s agitated state, Bo Xue quickly stepped forward to restrain him: "Master! Calm down..." Ning Songwu stood protectively in front of Ran Fanyin, appearing terrified by Cang Min's expression. Standing behind Ning Songwu, Ran Fanyin felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Only then did she notice that Ning Songwu, who had been shorter than her last New Year's Eve, was now the same height, if not slightly taller. "Bo Xue! Let go of me. I’ve had enough of this insufferable person. I'm going to fight her today!" Cang Min exaggeratedly displayed his anger, struggling against Bo Xue's hold. Sighing, Bo Xue reluctantly loosened her grip a bit. Noticing this, Cang Min paused, then whispered with a fierce look, "Hold on tighter! If you let me embarrass myself, watch out!" Bo Xue, terrified, tightened her grip around Cang Min's waist, making a face that said she wouldn’t let go even if beaten to death, and quickly signaled to Ning Songwu, "Hurry, take the Sovereign outside." Baffled, Ning Songwu had no choice but to pull Ran Fanyin away efficiently. Once in the corridor inside the cave, Ran Fanyin held tight on to Ning Songwu's hand, pulling her to a stop. "Master, what's wrong..." Ning Songwu asked. Ran Fanyin shook her head silently, leaning against the cave wall. She looked up at Ning Songwu and softly said: "Kiss me." Ning Songwu was slightly taken aback, looking at Ran Fanyin, who had her head slightly lowered. The dim light inside the cave made the contour of Ran Fanyin's face appear particularly soft, with a smooth forehead, delicate nose, and shallow brown eyes looking at the ground. Her beautiful auricles were slightly red. "Master..." Ning Songwu bit her lip and smiled, “We'll kiss when we’re back in the room at night, alright?” Ran Fanyin lightly glanced at Ning Songwu without responding, only staring at her for a long while, making Ning Songwu feel unsettled. Then, Ran Fanyin suddenly stepped forward, her cold fingers resting on Ning Songwu's neck as she leaned in and quickly, lightly kissed her lips, like a snowflake landing gently on her lips, cool and tender. Ning Songwu, holding Ran Fanyin’s waist, smiled softly and said nothing. She gently bit and licked Ran Fanyin's lips in return, hugging her tenderly and tightly. No pop-up ads; permanent domain.