Help, I’m Being Forced to Marry a Frail and Sickly Immortal Doctor! 76

Chapter 76: Plucking a Plum Blossom for Whom

“Then… can you teach me?”

It was a kiss as light as a petal brushing past.

Ning Ruoque even held her breath.

She didn’t want to be like this, kissing so many times, making her seem very frivolous, but she just… couldn’t help it.

The recovered memories seemed to have cast a warm-toned veil over the real Yin Buran.

When Yin Buran grabbed her sleeve, her heart would soften into a mess, and she would be so happy that she wanted to lift Yin Buran up.

She carefully observed Yin Buran’s expression. Seeing that the other was still holding her head high, her eyes slightly squinted, like a cat sunbathing.

Ning Ruoque smiled faintly and said, “Alright, it’s all up to you.”

Yin Buran lazily instructed, “Come and help me change.”

In fact, her legs and hands were still weak. If it weren’t for the fact that she wanted to go for a walk with Ning Ruoque, she wouldn’t have moved at all.

Practice makes perfect. Ning Ruoque lowered her head and put on Yin Buran’s outer robe, and at the same time, she asked in a small voice, “Are you feeling better?”

Yin Buran snorted coldly. “No. I’m so angry at you that I can’t drink my medicine.”

A trace of panic flashed in Ning Ruoque’s eyes, and her hand trembled, almost breaking the tie.

Seeing someone so guilty that they were about to bury themselves in the ground, Yin Buran flicked her finger and flicked Ning Ruoque’s forehead.

“Stupid. If I hadn’t gotten better, how would Master’s wife have allowed me to go out for a walk?”

After she finished grumbling, she stuffed a small token into Ning Ruoque’s arms and then tied the snow-white short sword to her own waist.

This short sword was beautifully forged, and Chu Xuan had also put some thought into the scabbard.

Apart from carving the lotus and cloud patterns as Ning Ruoque had requested, she had also inlaid a few sapphires.

Therefore, even when it was hanging on Yin Buran’s waist, there was not the slightest hint of a killing aura. Instead, it added a few points of nobility, as if she were a young lady from a family that was skilled in both literature and martial arts.

Ning Ruoque was stunned for a while, and finally, she forcefully averted her gaze and stared at the token in her hand.

It was a green jade token with a lotus pattern carved on it. This was equivalent to the “key” to enter Azurefall Creek.

Yin Buran kicked Ning Ruoque, then extended her hand, signaling for Ning Ruoque to help her up.

“I gave you one before too. I don’t know where you put it.”

Ning Ruoque simply carried Yin Buran up and promised seriously, “I’ll remember as soon as possible.”

Yin Buran did not answer.

She yawned and rested her head on Ning Ruoque’s neck.

*

In the dead of winter, the ground was frozen, and the people of Azurefall Creek were too lazy to move. The plants and trees were also listless.

However, with the Medicine King’s “bounty,” the martial arts stage was now extremely lively.

When Ning Ruoque and Yin Buran arrived, they saw a dense crowd of people with swords on their backs. There were also many medical cultivators from Azurefall Creek dressed in green.

And on the martial arts stage, the fight was in full swing, and the sound of blades clashing was endless. The crowd below was also chattering, discussing the wins and losses.

Qingtong and Qieyu were also there, and they had set up a small stall that provided free health tea.

At this moment, there was no one in front of the stall, and the little girl held her head in pain. “Ahhhh, my nightmare has come true. There are sword cultivators everywhere!”

The cold and aloof image of a sword cultivator had long since vanished in her heart.

If there was only one sword cultivator, it was still worth watching; two sword cultivators, barely watchable; three sword cultivators were enough to make her unbearable.

A group of sword cultivators was a pile of noisy, dull-witted geese!

Qieyu was fanning the stove on the side and comforted with a smile, “But it’s lively. Azurefall Creek hasn’t been this lively for a long time.”

While they were talking, the winner had already been decided on the martial arts stage.

The woman in red sheathed her sword and cupped her fists with a grin. “Fellow Daoist, you let me win.”

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

Yin Buran grabbed Ning Ruoque’s sleeve and explained to her, “Master ordered a competition here to select the top ten sword cultivators and reward them. First, to vent my anger, and second…”

Her gaze fell on the waist token of the woman in red, and she said faintly, “The Sword Pavilion’s influence is great. It’s beneficial for Azurefall Creek to occasionally curry favor with them.”

Especially at a time like this, when the demon race was frequently making moves and the situation was unpredictable, Azurefall Creek needed a strong ally even more.

After speaking, Yin Buran walked behind Qingtong and slapped her on the shoulder.

Ning Ruoque could see that she was deliberately being mischievous, and even her steps were very light.

As expected, Qingtong was so scared that she jumped up and almost hit her head.

After seeing the person clearly, she patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief. “You scared me. I thought Senior Sister had found out that I was talking bad about people behind her back.”

Yin Buran suppressed the corners of her mouth that were turning up, her tone gentle. “Go and rest. I’ll help you watch here.”

Qingtong had originally wanted to refuse, but when she saw that someone had come to the martial arts stage again, she immediately smiled sweetly.

“Thank you, Little Senior Sister! I’ll just watch this one. I’ll be back soon.”

Then she pulled Qieyu and squeezed into the crowd.

Looking at the stage again, the person standing in front of the woman in red had already become Qin Jiangli.

Watching others compete, and feeling the itch to practice herself, was very normal.

Yin Buran sat down directly, leaning against the soft cushion as if she had no bones, and listened to the gossip of the people nearby.

“Isn’t that woman in red the leader of the seven sons of the Sword Pavilion this year? Is she also short of money?”

Her companion clicked his tongue a few times. “I heard that he spent a lot of money to reforge his life-bound sword a while ago and is in a lot of debt. Now he’s so poor that he can’t even afford a transmission talisman.”

Ning Ruoque expressed her lack of understanding. Is it so pitiful to not be able to afford a transmission talisman?

There was a time when she couldn’t afford it either, but it didn’t affect her much. Anyway, no one contacted her.

A bell rang, and the competition on the martial arts stage began.

The woman in red was the first to attack, her sword qi as fine as rain, while Qin Jiangli defended with a folding fan.

The blade of the sword and the folding fan collided, and sparks even flew.

Her sword attacked Qin Jiangli’s wrist at a tricky angle, trying to disrupt the other’s rhythm.

However, a green snake shadow suddenly shot out and went straight for the former’s throat. Instead, it forced the woman to change her move.

One was desperately attacking, and the other was only defending. It was a close fight, and the situation was in a stalemate.

Yin Buran played with the short sword out of boredom and asked casually, “Who do you think will win this match?”

Ning Ruoque blurted out, “Qin Jiangli.”

“That woman seems to have the upper hand, but in reality, she lacks stamina. The poison has disturbed the circulation of her spiritual energy, and she knows it. But the more anxious she is to end the battle, the less of a chance she has.”

Ning Ruoque lowered her eyes. “If it were me…”

She frowned. If it were before her rebirth, she would have had several ways to break Qin Jiangli’s defense.

But now her cultivation was low, so even if she had the best sword moves, it was out of the question.

Otherwise, she would have already snuck Yin Buran out. Why would she be playing hide-and-seek with Qin Jiangli?

Thinking of this, Ning Ruoque began to worry about her cultivation again.

Her thoughts spun, until several cheers brought her back to reality.

At this time, only one person was left on the martial arts stage, her figure graceful. She bowed unhurriedly. “You let me win.”

As expected, it was Qin Jiangli who had won!

The people of Azurefall Creek shouted in unison, “Young Yu Lord! Senior Sister!”

The one who shouted the loudest was Qingtong, who had squeezed to the front of the crowd.

Ning Ruoque also clapped along with the atmosphere, but her peripheral vision slipped and unconsciously landed on Yin Buran.

Back then, Yin Buran was also a master of poison, just as good as Qin Jiangli. Both petty villains and demonic beasts feared her.

Ning Ruoque couldn’t help but feel sad and sorry for her.

She hesitated for a long while, and finally, she half-knelt down. “Yin Buran, if it weren’t for me—”

Before she could finish, Yin Buran cleanly stuffed a piece of plum blossom cake into her mouth, successfully shutting her up.

Ning Ruoque’s cheeks were puffed up, and she could only “ah-woo, ah-woo,” struggling to swallow the cake.

And Yin Buran propped up her head, her expression blank. “I told you before that I actually don’t like to practice poison and gu-sorcery, and I want to focus on studying medical skills more.”

“You were hesitant at that time and didn’t speak for a long time. You just gave a cold ‘mm’ and left.”

“When we met again, you gave me a jade bracelet and said that it contained your sword qi, and that you would protect me.”

She lowered her head and stroked the short sword, and almost gritted her teeth as she said two words.

“Liar.”

A chill ran down Ning Ruoque’s back, and she didn’t dare to make a sound.

So Yin Buran took the opportunity to pinch Ning Ruoque’s face and looked down at her.

“What’s lost is lost. I’m now walking on the path I’ve chosen. What’s there to be sorry about?”

She said it as if it were a matter of course, as if giving up the medical cultivator’s means of self-protection and attack was so insignificant in her eyes.

Then she patted Ning Ruoque’s head like she was patting a puppy.

“By the way, I heard that you spent all your savings to give me the bracelet. At that time, you were also so poor that you couldn’t even afford a transmission talisman.”

Ning Ruoque: “…”

“Ranran,” Ning Ruoque grabbed Yin Buran’s hand and, without a teacher, learned to intertwine their fingers.

But it was clear that this posture made her very uncomfortable.

So after holding it for a few breaths, Ning Ruoque was startled and took the initiative to let go.

Then she shrank her shoulders like a sensitive plant, turned her head away, the roots of her ears faintly red.

“I… don’t remember how I got along with you before. And I’m not very good at matters of love.”

“So if I make you uncomfortable, you can just say it. Or… you can teach me.”

The more she spoke, the softer her voice became, and she didn’t dare to look at anyone. The last few words were almost squeezed out from her throat.

These words also sounded strange, but she really didn’t know how to like, or even love someone.

The things that the former Ning Ruoque would do did not mean that she would also do them.

No one had taught her. The only elder she was close to was her master, who would only drink and beat people all day, and then laugh at her for no reason.

And no one had ever loved her. The only person who liked her was Yin Buran.

Yin Buran’s eyes widened a little, and she hummed a few times, covering the lower half of her face with a warm teacup.

She cleared her throat as if nothing had happened and then asked, “Going to the ancient battlefield is very dangerous. What are your plans before that?”

Ning Ruoque said without any hesitation, “I want to cultivate for a few days.”

With cultivation, everything would be much easier. So she didn’t want to waste even a single breath of time and would cultivate for as long as she could.

Yin Buran tapped the tabletop with her fingertip.

Qin Jiangli was in the limelight on the martial arts stage and had already won seven consecutive victories.

Almost everyone’s attention was on her.

The cheers and the discussions of the crowd were enough to cover up everything that was happening at this small tea stall.

But Yin Buran still silently set up a barrier to prevent eavesdropping.

She took a sip of tea and said lightly, “I think dual cultivation is quite good. It can both repair the spiritual soul and cultivate, so neither is delayed.”

Without waiting for Ning Ruoque to react, she pressed on, “Where’s the book I asked you to read last time? Which one did you read?”

Ning Ruoque was stunned for a few breaths and dazedly took out that book to show Yin Buran.

Who would have thought that Yin Buran would snatch it away and confiscate it.

Her eyes and brows were filled with dissatisfaction, and she raised her chin proudly. “This one is the worst written. You should find one with pictures to read.”

Ning Ruoque was still in a daze, as if she were a wooden puppet, her whole body extremely stiff, and only her eyes were staring at Yin Buran without blinking.

Yin Buran frowned. “What are you looking at me for? Turn around. You’re not allowed to look at me anymore.”

She also held Ning Ruoque’s shoulders and forcefully made her turn around before she pressed her lips together.

She touched her face, then pinched her earlobe, her gaze flowing like spring water.

The latter obediently did as she was told, and with her back to Yin Buran, she said hesitantly, “Ranran, are you very knowledgeable about these things?”

Yin Buran almost choked on the water.

She wiped her face with her sleeve and quickly regained her composure. “Of course. What was our relationship before? We’ve done everything that should be done.”

She heard Ning Ruoque let out a soft breath and asked, “Then… can you teach me?”