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

Chapter 81: New Spring In the sleeping quarters of Hong Fei Pavilion disciples. Ning Song Wu lay lifeless on the bed, the broad wooden planks only emphasizing her fragile and petite body. Her long eyelashes rested over tightly closed eyes, as if she had stopped blinking entirely. Her skin was a frightening pale, resembling a delicate doll in a silence that bordered on eerie. The physician from the Alchemy House, Qing Muzi, carefully checked Ning Song Wu's pulse, examined her eyelids, and inspected her severe injuries, his expression grave. Cen Ran was on the verge of breaking down, wanting nothing more than to tug at Qing Muzi's beard: "How is she? Please, tell me how she is!" "She has internal injuries, blood has accumulated in her chest. The external injuries are even more severe, with eleven cane marks on her body, each of them potentially fatal. It's a complicated situation, and the prognosis is uncertain. If not for the jade pendant on her chest infused with someone's essence blood, she couldn't have held on. Her life is hanging by a thread." Cen Ran insisted, "It doesn't matter what it takes, she must live! She has to survive!... If something happens to Ning Song Wu, and Master finds out..." Luo Sheng stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression dark and brooding: "What's there to wait for? We must take Ning Song Wu back to Rongku Pavilion immediately. Is this how Hong Fei Pavilion takes care of my junior sister?" Qing Muzi shook his head: "She can't be moved at will right now. Besides, without the Venerable Master's approval, she cannot leave Hong Fei Pavilion." "Does she have any consciousness now?" Cen Ran asked. "Perhaps, but it's uncertain. We can only wait for her to wake up. Once she's awake, everything will be easier," Qing Muzi said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Qing Muzi blinked, taking a closer look at Ning Song Wu, as if recalling something. "Isn't this child... three years ago, I even reattached her wrist's tendons. Yes, it's her, the girl with the red mole on her brow." Qing Muzi pondered, then carefully examined Ning Song Wu's right wrist. "How strange... even with the procedure, the hand should have recovered slowly. Over the years, Ran Fan Yin has often collected rare medicinal herbs from the Alchemy House to treat her hand, but the results have been minimal until now. Yet, her wrist seems almost entirely healed." Considering how long she's been drawing with her hand, it had to get better eventually. He Lan Mian Mian stood quietly nearby and sighed gently. ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊ Yu Shui Pass, Luo City. Ran Fan Yin sat alone in her quarters, holding a wooden bird given by Lin Yu Xue, momentarily lost in thought. Since that day, Lin Yu Xue had been traveling with them to Luo City, constantly interacting with them. Overtime, they had become familiar with each other. They'd been in Luo City for five to six days. Luo City was in a peculiar state. Before Bei Fa and Luan Hua Valley arrived, Fen Tian Men had already entered Luo City but hadn't conquered all strategic locations. The imperial court had dispatched reinforcements long waiting in advance. Cheng Yun Huan and Lin Yu Xue led the Wujiang reinforcements alongside Bei Fa and Luan Hua disciples to seize the opportunity and attack Luo City, yet they hadn't completely driven out Fen Tian Men's blazing flags. Luo City was bisected by a wide street hundreds of feet across, called Yin Yang Road, dividing Luo City into two halves. The Fen Tian Men's blazing flags were pushed back to the eastern sector, guarding the cannons of the city wall, keeping Cheng Yun Huan cautious of crossing boundaries. Meanwhile, Bei Fa and Luan Hua settled in the western half, eagerly eyeing the eastern Fen Tian faction, both sides poised and tense. The door creaked open, and Ran Fan Yin turned to see Lin Yu Xue enter. "Aren't you eating anything? It's getting dark. You seemed to have skipped lunch," Lin Yu Xue noted casually as she sat at the table, pouring herself a cup of tea. "Thank you for your concern," Ran Fan Yin replied simply. Lin Yu Xue noticed the wooden bird in Ran Fan Yin's hand and smiled. "It's been days since I gave that to you. Have you figured out how to work this mechanical bird yet?" Ran Fan Yin glanced at the wooden bird in her hand and shook her head. "It's basically for sending messages. There's a slot in its chest for holding notes. Unlike a real bird, it isn't easily affected by outside interference, and it won't be shot down." "Uh-huh." "Care to guess what other special feature it might have?" Lin Yu Xue observed Ran Fan Yin with amusement, remarking, "You have such a cool, composed look." "Anything you use is bound to be exceptional. I couldn't possibly guess." "Ha, you got that right. Mine is different from the ones Luan Hua Valley folks use. Inside, there's a voice recording stone. Care to guess its purpose?... It can record the message the sender's voice. It's not just notes; it ensures your words are received exactly as spoken." Lin Yu Xue took the wooden bird from Ran Fan Yin's hand and pressed a button on top, then smiled up at her, saying to the bird, "Ran Fan Yin Master, it's time for dinner." Ran Fan Yin watched Lin Yu Xue fiddle with the bird. Lin Yu Xue handed back the wooden bird to Ran Fan Yin, saying, "Feel its belly. There's a small protrusion." Ran Fan Yin found the button and gently pressed it-------- Suddenly, Lin Yu Xue's voice emanated from the bird: "Ran Fan Yin Master, it's time for dinner." The tone was exactly the same. Surprised, Ran Fan Yin looked at the wooden bird. "This..." "This kind of mechanism isn't a big deal for us in Luan Hua Valley. However, the voice recording stone is indeed rare. Keep it safe; a bird this intricate takes quite some time for me to craft again." "Thank you, Young Mistress," Ran Fan Yin nodded slightly. Lin Yu Xue watched Ran Fan Yin for a while, letting her eyes settle, as Ran Fan Yin remained silent, allowing the scrutiny unperturbed. "Are you this distant with everyone? I noticed that even with Cheng Yun Huan Master, you speak the same way." "It's just my nature, I hope you can forgive me, Young Mistress." "I thought we could at least be friends, but you remain aloof, it's truly uneventful." Ran Fan Yin still showed no expression, quietly waiting for Lin Yu Xue to continue. A slight smile crept up Lin Yu Xue's lips, "Even when I say such things, you aren't angry. You're rather cold; what about others around you?" The door creaked open again. This time, it was Cheng Yun Huan, carrying a tray of food. He placed the tray on the table and glanced at Lin Yu Xue, "It took you so long to get her to eat; the food's gone cold." Ran Fan Yin lowered her eyes slightly. "Senior brother, you didn't need to... go through all this trouble." "If he hadn't brought it, when would you have eaten? Even at lunch, inviting you took forever," Lin Yu Xue teased Ran Fan Yin. Ran Fan Yin ignored her and picked up the bowl and chopsticks. After a few moments, Lin Yu Xue asked Cheng Yun Huan, “I’ve been wondering about something for days.” “Please, Young Mistress, go ahead.” "Why did the Bei Fa send two Masters this campaign? Normally, Bei Fa wouldn't get involved. Why are they more interested than even Luan Hua Valley?" Cheng Yun Huan pondered for a moment: "It wouldn't hurt to tell you, even your father knows. Historically, Bei Fa has connections with the royal family, and whenever monarchy is threatened, Bei Fa intervenes." "I see..." Lin Yu Xue mused, then continued, "But another thing puzzles me. Why does the royal always target Fen Tian Men?... Or rather, why does the Emperor target both Tian Sun Sect and Fen Tian Men?" Cheng Yun Huan paused and then laughed emotionlessly: "Those don't hold water. Both sects pose a threat to the throne." “Really? That doesn't convince me. The martial world has many powerful factions. Besides Tian Sun Sect in Central Plains, there's Ba Shu Tang Fortress and South Ridges' Ming Xiu Palace. If sheer power were the reason, wouldn’t the Emperor first eliminate your Bei Fa Palace?” Cheng Yun Huan responded blandly, “And so?” "It seems to me the Emperor has a vendetta against Tian Sun Sect and Fen Tian Men. Looking closely, the common link is Wen Jing Lei. The Emperor is targeting him." Lin Yu Xue slowly explained, keenly observing Cheng Yun Huan’s reaction. Cheng Yun Huan remained silent, then humorlessly remarked, "Your idea is quite entertaining. But let's not delve into royal affairs." Ran Fan Yin kept her eyes on the bowl, silent. Suddenly, a wooden bird flew in through the window, flapping like a real bird, and landed firmly on Lin Yu Xue's shoulder. Lin Yu Xue retrieved the bird, took out a note from its chest slot, and her expression turned solemn. "There's movement in the southwest, the situation is urgent. Let's go investigate." Without another word, Cheng Yun Huan and Ran Fan Yin followed Lin Yu Xue, leaping out the window and rushing towards the southwest corner. While running, Lin Yu Xue teasingly said to Ran Fan Yin, "See, I told you to hurry with your meal. You barely had time for a few bites before being called away." Ran Fan Yin finally frowned, "You do talk quite a lot." Lin Yu Xue did not respond with anger or a retort, but merely smiled lightly. When they arrived, they found a mixed array of reinforcements and a few Bei Fa disciples encircling something. Inside the circle were about twenty Fen Tian Men blazing flag members and the Vice Hall Master Mo Shi, who seemed to have suffered some injuries. Lying on the ground were several scattered bodies—some from the blazing flag, others from the reinforcements, along with two Luan Hua disciples. A Bei Fa disciple sporting multiple bruises on his face heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing Cheng Yun Huan, Ran Fan Yin, and Lin Yu Xue: “Masters! It’s good you came. If that darn mechanical bird hadn't made it, we were prepared to die with them here.” Mo Shi caught sight of Cheng Yun Huan, Ran Fan Yin, and Lin Yu Xue, and sneered darkly, “Ha, you got here fast. But what’s the use? Hahaha…” “Even the Blazing Flag resorts to petty sneak attacks, yet you couldn’t even pull that off. Looks like you’ll be stuck here yourself!” The Bei Fa disciple spat harshly. Lin Yu Xue turned her head and whispered in Cheng Yun Huan’s ear, “Eighteen from the Blazing Flag, twenty-two reinforcements, three Bei Fa disciples, plus you, me, and Ran Fan Yin.” “That’s more than enough. No need for any fancy formations, let’s just attack. You and Ran Fan Yin go handle Mo Shi.” Lin Yu Xue nodded, her gaze sharpening as she eyed Mo Shi. A man in his late thirties or early forties with a bushy beard, slightly overweight, and with injuries on his arm; she figured she could handle him on her own. Ran Fan Yin drew her sword—Luo Shuang. The light blue blade was as thin as a cicada’s wings, renowned among the martial world’s elite weapons, and rarely unsheathed. Ran Fan Yin advanced, her sword slicing through the air, her movements as graceful as a crane’s flight, draped in flowing white garments.