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

Chapter 100: Beyond the Realm (2) Suddenly, the surroundings became as bright as daylight, and the intense light forced Yao Huang to momentarily lose focus and cease her attack. Inside the cave, countless runes started to crawl along the walls. It appeared to be another spell formation, which sensed Ran Fan Yin was in danger and activated accordingly. Yao Huang's expression turned sour. This was the perfect opportunity for revenge, yet she was forced to abandon it. "Hmph! Lucky you!" She withdrew her spiritual energy and suppressed the killing intent within her. To avoid further distractions, she began to study the cold spring inside the cave. When the spell formation no longer detected any hostility, it automatically deactivated. As Yao Huang watched the symbols gradually fade away, she was contemplative: "It seems to be that fellow's doing. Having been dead for four hundred years, and still hindering me." Recalling the past made Yao Huang grit her teeth in anger. Yao Huang's true form was a Danzhu bird, known to many as a phoenix. Phoenixes do not eat humans, they only drink nectar. However, as a member of the demon race, she did not restrain demons from oppressing humans. Within the demon race, mutual slaughter was commonplace, and Yao Huang did not interfere. She believed it was the demons' true nature and should not be suppressed. Having lived for so long, Yao Huang naturally knew how this cold spring formed and its effects. It seemed that over these five hundred years, Ran Fan Yin hadn't fully healed her injuries, prompting the need for a closed-door retreat here. The azure spring water glowed faintly, unfathomably deep. Yao Huang calculated, then surrounded herself with spiritual power and plunged into the spring. Deep in the water, there was a palm-sized ice-blue crystal. Surrounding the crystal was an array inscribed with a spirit-locking formation, designed to suppress the spiritual energy of any object within a fixed range. However, over time, too many of the formation's lines had deteriorated, causing instability in the array. Consequently, the cold spiritual energy supposed to be confined to the spring escaped, turning the entire cave ice-blue. Yao Huang's eyes lit up. With a push of her legs, she retrieved the crystal and swam back to the surface. Emerging from the water, she gazed at the radiant crystal, her demeanor softening. She activated her technique to siphon the crystal's spiritual energy, and after an extended period, the crystal's brilliance faded away, eventually turning into a heap of dust. As the cave's temperature rose, the layers of ice started to melt, leaving the cave damp, while the spring returned to its clear state. None of these changes mattered to Yao Huang. She meticulously inspected the cultivation level of her current body, finding it in the early Golden Core stage. Though she had advanced a realm, Yao Huang remained unsatisfied. Nevertheless, Ning Song Wu's body possessed a unique devouring spiritual constitution, promising rapid future power escalation. Moreover, Yao Huang's interference would nullify any potential heavenly tribulations in the initial stages. Remembering this, Yao Huang's envy flared anew. In her previous life, her formidable strength was hard-earned, surviving untold hardships, and she nearly got singed by the lightning tribulation when breaking through to the Transcendence stage. "Water..." Ran Fan Yin's feeble voice shifted Yao Huang's envious heart towards delight. Approaching Ran Fan Yin, she mockingly looked down at her: "This miserable state truly pleases this emperor." Just as she considered kicking her arch-nemesis, a sharp pain jolted through her mind, and the blood-red hue in her eyes gradually faded back to their original black. Supporting her forehead, Ning Song Wu nearly stumbled. She felt as if she'd woken from a long dream—a dream where she sought to kill her master but was overpowered instead. Her head throbbed with pain, Ning Song Wu winced and glanced around. She could now clearly see all the features inside the cave, perplexed by the gradually melting ice on the cave walls. "Water..." A faint cry pulled Ning Song Wu back to reality. She suddenly remembered she had fainted during the process of fetching water. Moving to the spring, she noticed its changed appearance, reaching down to test the temperature, finding it normal. Bringing water to the surface, Ning Song Wu fed it to Ran Fan Yin. Fortunately, Ran Fan Yin retained enough consciousness to swallow; otherwise, she'd have to contemplate the necessity of mouth-to-mouth. After drinking, Ran Fan Yin's eyebrows slightly relaxed. Ning Song Wu scanned the cave, bewildered by what had transpired. Sensing Ran Fan Yin's condition improving, Ning Song Wu bent down to carry her, continuing the search for a path out. As soon as she picked her up, she noticed something was off—Ran Fan Yin felt exceedingly light. Had Ran Fan Yin grown so thin from hunger in such a short time? Ning Song Wu reckoned she could still easily jump with this body on her back. Maybe she'd lost too much blood, Ning Song Wu speculated. Time was running out; she pressed on, avoiding any more delays. Suddenly, she stepped on something, causing her to slip. Face-first against the ground, she quickly ignored the pain, sitting up to inspect Ran Fan Yin's injuries. Luckily, Ran Fan Yin had fallen onto her, though the wound had started to bleed again. Ning Song Wu's heart ached lightly. An indigo flute lay by her feet—it appeared she had tripped over it. This flute was Ran Fan Yin's personal belonging, seldom leaving her side. Frustrated, Ning Song Wu grabbed it, ready to toss it away, but then remembered how much her master cherished it. She hesitated. Carefully, she wiped it clean with her sleeve, then tucked it back at Ran Fan Yin's waist. "Just so we're clear, I'm only keeping it safe so you won't blame me if it gets lost, nothing more." Whether she was trying to convince Ran Fan Yin or herself was unclear, yet Ran Fan Yin wasn't in a state to hear her. Newly lifting Ran Fan Yin, Ning Song Wu cheerfully began her way out of the cave, finding her night vision significantly enhanced. Unbeknownst to her, Ran Fan Yin's flute resumed emitting a luminescent glow, gradually enveloping her injured back. The tattered wounds began to heal, the rate accelerating, and before long, Ran Fan Yin's eyelashes fluttered, showing signs of waking. Though still groggy upon awakening, Ran Fan Yin felt a cooling sensation on her back and noticed the pain from her recurring injuries had vanished. Her legs dangled, and she swayed slightly; opening her eyes, she realized her disciple was carrying her. Her first reaction was embarrassment, having never been carried before. Instantly, she leaned back to free herself from this awkward situation, struggling to get down and hastily tidying her slightly disheveled attire. Feeling constrained in her chest, she struggled for breath, yet with her disciple still beside her, disrobing wasn't an option. Ning Song Wu almost fell from Ran Fan Yin’s abrupt move, feeling a tinge of displeasure. But upon seeing Ran Fan Yin’s flustered expression, she felt reassured. She wrapped her arms around Ran Fan Yin's waist and began to cry, "Master, you're finally awake. I was so scared, wuwuwu." "I had no idea how we ended up here, and it's all my fault you got so seriously injured!" Truthfully, Ning Song Wu didn't feel entirely remorseful. She simply seized the moment while Ran Fan Yin was in a vulnerable state, hoping for forgiveness. Waiting until she calmed down would lessen the impact of her act. In her current disheveled state, Ning Song Wu looked pitiful: her dress had been transformed into a short skirt, her body and face smeared with dirt and blood, resembling a little beggar. Ran Fan Yin observed her, feeling a new wave of awkwardness. Stiffly, she raised her hand, softly stroking Ning Song Wu’s hair, offering unnatural comfort, "Stop crying, everything's alright now, be good." It seemed this hurdle had been navigated smoothly. Ning Song Wu’s lips curved subtly upwards but softly insisted, "Wuwuwu, Master, I'm so scared. It's so dark here." Ran Fan Yin resisted the urge to focus on Ning Song Wu's hand on her waist. Gently, she pushed Ning Song Wu away, wiping tears from her eyes with her sleeve, which promptly stained black. Ran Fan Yin frowned slightly, but continued cleaning her disciple. Ning Song Wu, seeing the earnestness in her master’s gesture, was dumbfounded. Aside from the usual faint fragrance, there was a hint of blood in the air. Suddenly remembering her master's serious injuries, she anxiously asked, "Master, are your wounds alright?" Ran Fan Yin quietly assured her of her well-being, then clasped Ning Song Wu’s hand, leading her out. The coolness of Ran Fan Yin's palm calmed Ning Song Wu's scattered thoughts. Staring at the delicate silhouette ahead, she was momentarily mesmerized. In no time, they exited the secluded cave, where three people awaited—the familiar Lin Yu Xue and Luo Sheng, along with an unfamiliar man. The man had plain features, a face full of worry. As soon as he spotted the two emerging from the cave entrance, he cried out loudly, "Nephew disciple!" Ning Song Wu glanced around and pointed to herself, asking, "You mean me?" Cen Ran looked on the verge of tears. The unresolved incident in Wanjia Village had already left him baffled, and now his senior sister’s disciple had pulled a disappearing act, nearly causing his hair to fall out with worry. ☆ "If I'm not calling you, who else would I be calling? And Senior Sister, really, take your disciple along and at least notify me! Mm? Why are you both in such a messy state?" Ran Fan Yin cast an indifferent glance at Cen Ran, which instantly silenced his incessant chatter. Ning Song Wu hid behind Ran Fan Yin, feeling that her current modern appearance was unfit to be seen. "It's nothing. You can all head back." Ran Fan Yin instructed softly. Cen Ran had been overly anxious, and upon sensing his senior sister's ire, dared not protest further. He complied meekly, leading his two disciples away. Ning Song Wu peeked from behind Ran Fan Yin and saw Lin Yu Xue pause momentarily, secretly giving her a thumbs-up. What kind of madness had this senior sister fallen into now? "Let's head back first." "Okay, Master." Ning Song Wu cheerfully followed behind Ran Fan Yin, wondering why she didn't feel tired after such a hectic day. Suddenly, Ran Fan Yin stopped abruptly in front of her, turned around, and firmly grasped Ning Song Wu's wrist with a serious expression. Confused, Ning Song Wu dared not resist and asked anxiously, "Master, what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Ran Fan Yin let her spiritual energy sweep through Ning Song Wu's body, discovering her current cultivation level was at the early Golden Core stage. Before the closed-door training, Ning Song Wu didn't even possess any spiritual power. "Have you been secretly cultivating?" This unexpected question left Ning Song Wu utterly bewildered. She was taken aback, "Huh?" "You're at the early Golden Core stage." "What?!" Ning Song Wu forced a smile, thinking Ran Fan Yin must be joking with her. "Master, you're joking, right?" But Ran Fan Yin's serious demeanor showed no hint of jest. Ning Song Wu felt a sudden unease deep inside. What was truly happening here?