Chapter 91: The Path of the Dao is Nameless p1
“I like you.”
Thousand-Layer Snow, a flower that only grows at the bottom of glaciers.
Its petals overlap like snow satin, and it has a clear fragrance.
Because the Thousand-Layer Snow was extremely rare and only bloomed at midnight, it was priceless, and even Yin Buran had never seen it.
Thinking of the chicken soup that Yin Buran had brewed for her and the “steamed buns” she had made herself, Ning Ruoque had wandered around the Northern Territory for more than half a month.
Hunting demons during the day and searching for flowers at night, finally, her efforts paid off, and she found a Thousand-Layer Snow.
She picked it when the flower was at its best, preserved it in a special storage box, and then returned on her sword without a moment’s delay.
With the identity token that Yin Buran had given her, Ning Ruoque could enter and leave Suwen Peak of Azurefall Creek without any hindrance.
It was just that she had wandered around Suwen Peak for several rounds and had not found Yin Buran. It was a good thing that she had happened to run into Qin Jiangli when she was going down the mountain.
The latter stroked the small snake wrapped around her hand, sized her up and down openly for a long while, and only then did she speak slowly.
“Are you looking for Ranran? She’s at the front mountain square.”
Ning Ruoque thanked her politely, “Thank you, Young Yu Lord.”
She turned to leave, and suddenly remembered that Qin Jiangli was Yin Buran’s senior sister. After a pause, she came back and stuffed a box into Qin Jiangli’s hand.
She explained in a low voice, “The snake gall I got from hunting demons is of no use to me.”
Qin Jiangli squinted her eyes and said with a profound meaning, “You’re too polite. I’ll have to trouble you to take care of Ranran on the ancient battlefield.”
Her gaze was extremely penetrating, giving Ning Ruoque an indescribable sense of guilt.
“Mm-hmm, I know.” Ning Ruoque quickly agreed, nodded to Qin Jiangli in farewell, and quickly left.
She flew to the front mountain at the fastest speed, afraid that if she couldn’t help but turn her head, she would find that Qin Jiangli was still looking at her.
So scary!
Is there something wrong with her behavior?
Why is Qin Jiangli looking at her with such a strange look?
Or does she think that she hasn’t taken good care of Yin Buran?
The environment on the ancient battlefield was harsh. Yin Buran would always go out clean and come back dirty, and she would probably even have a few injuries.
The more Ning Ruoque thought about it, the more guilty she felt. This feeling was like throwing her beloved steamed bun into the mud.
Only when a familiar voice came from the front did she stop and come back to her senses.
A rare warm sun in autumn, the osmanthus flowers were full of branches, and the sweet fragrance was assailing the nostrils.
A lot of people had gathered in the square. The medical cultivators of Azurefall Creek had set up tents and small stalls to see patients.
Among the countless similarly dressed medical cultivators, Ning Ruoque saw Yin Buran at a glance.
The woman’s dark hair was half-tied up, and a flowing cloud hairpin was slanted in it.
She was gently reminding the person in front of her, “You need to rest for a month. Remember not to get angry again.”
Then a girl suddenly squeezed in beside her, holding up a bloody hand, and said, “Senior Sister, can you take a look at this injury for me?”
Yin Buran frowned and said with a reproachful tone, “How can you be so careless?”
But her movements were as patient and meticulous as ever.
She dipped a cotton cloth in medicinal wine and carefully wiped the woman’s wound with her eyes lowered.
The overlapping flower shadows of the afternoon fell on her, both real and unreal, like a mottled and faded dream.
Ning Ruoque held the box, wanting to wait for Yin Buran to finish before she went to find her.
Yin Buran was also very gentle when she treated other patients.
Then Yin Buran should also brew soup for her junior sisters.
And to extend it a little further, Yin Buran would also treat others as she treated herself…
Seeing this scene of sisterly affection, Ning Ruoque suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
Just like when her master had snatched her food, she was anxious.
Noticing the fluctuation in her state of mind, Ning Ruoque quickly lowered her head and tried to suppress her emotions.
She had clearly passed the age of being jealous, but why did her possessiveness still expand like hunger?
She stood in the shadows, her hand unconsciously resting on the cold hilt of her sword.
Her eyes also had no focus, and she looked full of killing intent, which attracted the frequent attention of others.
As if she had sensed something, Yin Buran turned her head and looked at Ning Ruoque.
She whispered a few words to her junior sister, then tidied her long hair, and only then did she stand up and walk gracefully towards Ning Ruoque.
Seeing the person who came, Ning Ruoque immediately handed over the thing in her hand.
She didn’t speak, just looked at Yin Buran eagerly, as if she were urging her to open this gift herself.
In the end, as she had expected, Yin Buran opened the box, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
The flowers in the box were delicate and beautiful, as if they had just been picked, and there were even a few snowflakes on the soft petals.
Yin Buran carefully touched the flower. “You’ve been gone for so long this time, just for this?”
Seeing that she liked it, Ning Ruoque’s anxious mood instantly calmed down.
“Mm, thank you for the soup you brewed for me and the pastries you made—”
Before her voice could fall, Yin Buran hurriedly interrupted, “It’s a steamed bun.”
Her gaze shifted, and her hand holding the box tightened slightly, looking a little embarrassed.
Her lips moved slightly, and she said in a very small voice, “Those are already the best-looking ones. They should be edible…”
Ning Ruoque heard it.
She unconsciously curled up the corners of her mouth, nodded, and agreed, “Mm, a steamed bun.”
“In three days, I’m setting off for Fulong Ridge in Liangzhou. I heard there’s a tiger jiao there. Is there anything you want? I’ll bring it back for you.”
Yin Buran said without any hesitation, “You’re going alone? Then take me with you.”
Ning Ruoque was stunned for a moment, then shook her head. “No.”
The tiger jiao’s territory was full of swamps, with mud and fishy soil everywhere. How could she let Yin Buran roll around in it?
Besides, this tiger jiao was rumored to have a high cultivation, comparable to Ning Ruoque’s strength, so she was even more unwilling to let Yin Buran suffer with her.
This answer was clearly not to Yin Buran’s liking. She frowned and pressed on, “Are Chu Xuan and Si Mingyue going?”
Ning Ruoque still shook her head. “Just me.”
In fact, compared to cooperating, she was actually more accustomed to fighting alone.
During the time of resisting the demonic beast tide, it had also taken a lot of effort for her to learn to cooperate with others.
Now that there was nothing to do at the border, she had naturally returned to her previous rhythm of life.
Most of the time, she was alone, and occasionally she would send food and the materials of the demonic beasts she had hunted to her relatives and friends.
Yin Buran’s eyes seemed to dim, but she did not persuade her further. “Alright, then you must be careful.”
She suddenly seemed to have remembered something, took out something, and directly stuffed it into Ning Ruoque’s hand.
Ning Ruoque looked down and found that it was a very familiar sachet.
It was embroidered with green bamboo and a bright moon, as well as the two characters for “peace.” Inside were stuffed some medicinal herbs and a special formation.
Yin Buran was still frowning and said seriously, “The previous one was too old. I’ve sewn a new one. You’re not allowed to return it to me this time.”
The workmanship of the sachet was exquisite, and it was warm to the touch, still carrying a certain person’s body temperature.
Ning Ruoque held it in her hand and always felt that her palm was burning.
It was so hot that her face was also hot, and the roots of her ears were also hot, so hot that she couldn’t speak.
The sparrow on her head chirped a few times, and only then did she manage to squeeze out a “mm.”
“Senior Sister!”
Someone in the square was calling for Yin Buran. It seemed that some junior sister had encountered a difficult and complicated illness again.
Ning Ruoque quickly said, “Go and get busy.”
The latter glanced at her, and halfway through, she turned her head to look at her again, and mouthed to Ning Ruoque:
Take care of yourself.
Only then did she walk into the crowd and was surrounded by a large group of fellow sect members.
Ning Ruoque thought for a moment, but still couldn’t bear to carry the sachet with her directly.
She walked to a place where there was no one, held the sachet and looked at it again and again, and finally carefully put it into her storage bag.
*
Three days later, Ning Ruoque set off for Fulong Ridge as originally planned.
However, only when she arrived did she discover that the information was wrong. The one that was entrenched here and harming the area was not a tiger jiao.
But a green jiao that had already grown dragon horns and was about to transform into a dragon.
The tiger jiao had the body of a fish and the tail of a snake. Although it had the word “jiao” in it, it was not the same kind as the green jiao at all.
A single word’s difference, a world of difference.
The strength of a monster was not only judged by its realm, but also by its roots.
And anything that had a hint of a “dragon” form was a demon king-level existence in the demon race.
Rushing into the green jiao’s territory rashly naturally attracted the other’s attention.
Even Ning Ruoque, who was at the Zhaoche realm, found it a bit difficult to deal with.
She nimbly dodged the green jiao’s flames, and taking advantage of its large size and inconvenient movements, she slipped into a narrow crevice in the valley.
After swallowing a hemostatic pill and lowering her head to bandage the wound on her abdomen, Ning Ruoque had already guessed.
The person who had given her the information was most likely doing it on purpose.
She was a rogue cultivator without a sect, and few people had contact with her on ordinary days.
Even if she suffered this loss, it would be difficult to find the other to demand an explanation.
Ning Ruoque could escape, but since she had already come, she was naturally going to kill this green jiao and then go back to settle the score.
The green jiao was swimming and circling in the valley, its eyes, which were larger than a small building, were pressed against the crevices of the rocks, carefully searching for the human who dared to offend it.
Wherever its scorching breath passed, the plants and trees were all reduced to ashes.
Seeing that the green-gold scales were about to brush past her hem, Ning Ruoque’s mind moved, and she took out her Dao is Hidden sword and fiercely gouged it.
Sparks flew from the blade, and a scale fell off. The green jiao let out a long cry of pain, and its thick tail slammed into the mountain rock with force.
Ning Ruoque quickly picked up the scale and took the opportunity to leave the crevice.
However, it was a little too late. A rough rock fiercely scraped past her waist, and it was instantly a bloody mess, with a burning pain.
Ning Ruoque frowned, but she saw the green jiao as if it had been attracted by something, and it suddenly raised its head and looked around.
The green jiao’s vital point was at the seventh inch of its abdomen. Now was a good chance!
The Dao is Hidden sword was held tightly in her hand. She stepped on the mountain rock and leaped into the air, and a thunderous might flickered from the tip of her sword.
Just as she was about to swing this sword, the green jiao suddenly spat out flames, and then a white-robed figure floated down gracefully.
Wasn’t it Yin Buran!
This scene really frightened Ning Ruoque. Her hand paused, and just like that, she had missed the best opportunity.
The green jiao reacted and lowered its head to spit fire at Ning Ruoque.
At the same time, Ning Ruoque brushed past the flames, and her hem was even stained with sparks.
She didn’t care about the green jiao at all and quickly carried that white figure.
Then she dodged countless falling rubble and once again slipped into a mountain cave.
Outside, the earth and mountains shook, the water was cut off, and mud fell like rain.
Ning Ruoque concealed the auras of the two of them, and only then did she have time to check on Yin Buran’s condition.
She nervously turned Yin Buran over and checked her up and down.
She was fine, just that her hair was messy, and she was choked by the dust and coughed a few times, her small face flushed red.
“Yin Buran, what are you doing here?”
Yin Buran slowly tidied her clothes and raised her chin to look at her. “Master said you were tricked. I’m here to save you.”
She said it with perfect justification, and after a moment of speechlessness, Ning Ruoque wanted to laugh but also felt helpless.
“I can handle it.”
Who would have thought that Yin Buran would lower her eyes and directly press her hand on Ning Ruoque’s injured waist, her tone unfriendly. “This is called being able to handle it?”
Ning Ruoque pressed her lips together. Although these were all minor injuries, she did not dare to refute a single word.
She had clearly promised Yin Buran that she would take good care of herself, but for her to see her in such a state was indeed not right.
Her clothes were tattered, and she was covered in blood and dust.
Such a large person was shrinking in a corner, covered in dust, looking extremely pitiful.
Yin Buran’s fingertips moved, and in Ning Ruoque’s dazed gaze, she patted her head with a blank expression and then treated her injuries.
The green jiao could not find anyone, so it turned up the mud in the swamp and then spat fire everywhere as if to vent its anger.
In a situation where it was a mess outside, this small cave where Ning Ruoque and the others were staying was instead dry and safe.
The only problem was that it was too narrow and could only barely accommodate two people.
Afraid that Yin Buran would be burned by the flames outside, Ning Ruoque squeezed in and in, and in the end, she reached out and held Yin Buran in her arms reservedly.
The person in her arms struggled a little, as if she wanted to continue the treatment.
Ning Ruoque quickly said, “Shh, don’t move. It’s coming.”
The sound of the green jiao swimming came from the valley. The jiao’s body brushed past the entrance of the cave, blocking all the light.
Yin Buran really did not move and just lay obediently in her arms.
Her long hair fell like water, brushing past the back of Ning Ruoque’s hand, creating a tingling itch.
Perhaps taking advantage of the dim light, Ning Ruoque’s mind went blank, and she used her fingers as a comb to smooth Yin Buran’s messy hair once.
But she quickly pulled her hand back. Being stared at by Yin Buran without blinking, she was quite uncomfortable.
But it was not good to move, so she could only say drily, “I’ve thought about it carefully. There doesn’t seem to be a sword cultivator around who meets your requirements.”
She was still thinking about what Yin Buran had said when they were climbing the mountain.
Yin Buran liked a sword cultivator who could cook.
But most cultivators abstained from food, and sword cultivators preferred to practice their sword. Who would be like her, making a steamed bun to eat when they had nothing to do?
Hearing this, Yin Buran stared at her, and after a long while, she punched her on the shoulder out of the blue.
A muffled pain, and Ning Ruoque was instantly flustered, not knowing why she had made her angry.
She could only call out at a loss, “Yin… Yin Buran.”
Yin Buran took out her own handkerchief, lowered her head to clean her wound, and at the same time, she scolded fiercely, “So stupid!”
Ning Ruoque did not dare to make a sound.
That’s right. Yin Buran had said that she had someone she liked.
Since she already had someone, of course, she didn’t need to look for another. It was that she had had a misunderstanding when she was drunk last time.
However, once she had opened a crack, Ning Ruoque couldn’t help but start to think, who was Yin Buran so special to?
Yin Buran had always been gentle and self-possessed, and she treated everyone around her equally. Her attitude when she was treating people would not have any deviation.
Ning Ruoque really couldn’t figure it out, and her chest became more and more tight. So she simply took out the green jiao scale she had just gouged out and gave it to Yin Buran.
“Is it beautiful? You can use it to make a hairpin.”
The scale was as translucent as glass, and it reflected the complicated look in Yin Buran’s eyes.
She grabbed Ning Ruoque’s collar and questioned through gritted teeth.
“I was wondering why you didn’t run. You got yourself into this state, was it just for this?”
“Do you understand or not? Whether it’s flowers or gifts, these are not important. I just want you to be well…”
In the end, her voice almost couldn’t be suppressed. Yin Buran punched Ning Ruoque again and was about to leave with her skirt in her hands.
