Chapter 96: The Path of the Dao is Nameless
“So this sword-wielding hand of yours, will it also tremble from touching me…”
Ning Ruoque was squatting in a corner, and Chu Xuan and Si Mingyue were arguing about something.
It was probably about Chu Xuan wanting to bypass the Immortal Alliance and directly replace the ancient battlefield’s current tattered formation with the Nine Heavens Xuan Yao Formation, but Si Mingyue did not agree.
She stood up and walked out.
At that time, Chu Xuan was pacing back and forth on the deck, her expression very impatient. “Do we still need to discuss? Isn’t it better to just pay for it and get it done?”
“All they do is discuss all day. I haven’t seen them come up with any countermeasures.”
As she was speaking, she suddenly slammed her fist on the wooden railing beside her. With a “crack,” the railing broke, and wood chips flew.
Si Mingyue was clearly startled and took half a step back.
But she still persuaded in a gentle voice, “Don’t be anxious. If you take the lead, they will definitely target you.”
After all, although this was a great thing, if one looked into it, it would require regular maintenance of the formation and the allocation of responsibilities.
It was time-consuming and laborious, and some people would not be willing.
Chu Xuan saw that Si Mingyue’s cloak was also stained with wood chips, and she took a deep breath as if she had given up.
She reached out to pat the cloak clean for Si Mingyue and also took a handful of her white hair.
Her expression was still obviously impatient, but her tone was much gentler.
“Of course I know, but the grand formation should have been changed long ago. The longer we drag it out, the greater the risk.”
Seeing this, Ning Ruoque deliberately made her footsteps heavier, and the two of them turned their heads to look at her at the same time.
So Chu Xuan poked Si Mingyue with her elbow. “Why don’t you ask for Ning Ruoque’s opinion?”
The latter shook her head helplessly. “She must be thinking the same as you.”
Although the two of them had different personalities, they were very similar in some aspects. Not to mention asking, Si Mingyue was already prepared to persuade them together.
She pulled on Chu Xuan’s hem and swayed it gently. “I’m not saying this is not important. It’s just that people always have their priorities. I can’t bear to see you suffer a loss.”
Si Mingyue’s stature was originally shorter than Chu Xuan’s, and with her pair of warm and moist purple eyes, she looked so pitiful that one couldn’t bear to bully her.
No matter how angry Chu Xuan was in her heart, she was also swayed and lost her temper.
She glanced at Ning Ruoque and asked for her opinion. “What about you?”
Ning Ruoque’s gaze shifted.
Normally, she would definitely support Chu Xuan. If anyone objected, she would just grab them and beat them up. But now she also felt that what Si Mingyue had said made sense.
Just as she was hesitating, the window not far away was suddenly pushed open, and a slender and well-proportioned hand reached out.
It rested on the edge of the window, and her fingertips tapped nonchalantly, as if it were some kind of warning or hint.
Ning Ruoque was startled and immediately said firmly, “I’ll listen to Ranran.”
Chu Xuan almost rolled her eyes in anger. “Yin Buran clearly didn’t say anything! What are you listening to?”
Yin Buran was leaning on the windowsill, her expression lazy and innocent.
That was just a little action of hers when she was “eavesdropping” openly. Who knew what Ning Ruoque had misunderstood?
But Ning Ruoque was still looking at her, stealing a glance for a breath, and then quickly averting her eyes.
Si Mingyue was just standing on the side, laughing heartily, and it was unknown if she was “watching the fire from the other side of the river” or “adding fuel to the fire.”
Chu Xuan spun around in place twice and finally couldn’t stand these few people anymore.
She waved her hand and compromised as if she were shooing away a fly. “Alright, alright, alright. I’ll also listen to Yin Buran then.”
“Ning Ruoque, after you’ve repaired your life-bound sword, you should go to the Immortal Alliance with us.”
After hiding for so long, it was time to announce the news of Ning Ruoque’s rebirth.
Ning Ruoque said directly, “Alright.”
She was not interested in fame and fortune, but at certain times, it was still more convenient to have a title.
The sky was vast, and the night was boundless.
The flying boat slowly traveled in mid-air. Chu Xuan took out a fruit platter and pastries, and the four of them chatted while eating.
It was nothing more than the news from the various immortal sects after the demonic beast tide.
The guards were on alert, supplies were being transported, and losses were being counted. The human race was very experienced in this. Everything was running in an orderly manner, and there had been no mistakes yet.
After chatting like this for most of the night, they finally dispersed.
Then Ning Ruoque guarded the sleeping Yin Buran and cultivated for a whole day. The flying boat, which had been flying smoothly in the air, suddenly made a turn.
Seeing that they were getting farther and farther from the town, just as Ning Ruoque was about to ask, she heard Si Mingyue shout at them.
“Ranran, the place you’re looking for has arrived.”
Yin Buran yawned and began to slowly put on her cloak.
Ning Ruoque took the opportunity to look down and was stunned for a moment. “This is…”
The mountains were continuous, and the snow was white. It was clearly a desolate place, but a dilapidated house stood on the mountaintop.
This was the place where she had been reborn.
Si Mingyue answered with a smile, “When you went to find Chu Xuan earlier, Ranran asked me to divine it.”
The flying boat stopped, and Yin Buran had also tidied up.
She walked past Ning Ruoque gracefully and tilted her head slightly. “The ancient books on the art of life and death do not record your situation.”
“After your spiritual soul entered your body, you should have appeared directly in front of me, not in some dilapidated temple or desolate mountain.”
“So I still have my doubts. It just so happens that we’re on the way this time, so we’ll come back and take a look.”
Ning Ruoque said without any hesitation, “I’ll go with you.”
Chu Xuan’s foot was on a chair, and she was cracking melon seeds without any image. “It’s cold outside. Come back early.”
A gentle breeze passed, and the two people who had been standing there were gone.
*
Yin Buran walked slowly on the snow, and a few birds were startled in the forest.
The building in front of them was dilapidated. More than half of the green tiles were gone, and there was a hole in the mud wall, a dark hole that let in the wind.
Perhaps a few hundred years ago, there was a town here.
It was just that with the passage of time and the changes in the court, the people who had once gathered here had all dispersed, leaving only a few ruined walls.
Yin Buran had originally wanted to go straight into the house, but she was stopped by Ning Ruoque.
Only after confirming that there was nothing dirty inside did Ning Ruoque let go.
The house was dim, and there was a clump of messy withered grass in the corner.
Only a crack in the roof let in an inch of daylight, which just happened to illuminate the offering table and a part of the broken statue.
It had not been taken care of for a long time. The offering table was covered with a thin layer of fine snow, the candlestick had fallen over, and the meditation mat was nowhere to be found. It was a desolate scene.
Only the expression of the statue was always compassionate.
She sat primly on the platform, holding a flower in her hand, watching over all living beings, as if she were always ready to give protection.
Even though the years had blurred the face of the statue, it was not difficult to see her picturesque features, and the fine snowflakes flying in front of her added a touch of clarity.
Being in such a temple, not only was there not the slightest fear, but it was very calming.
For some reason, Ning Ruoque always felt that this statue looked familiar.
She sized it up for a moment, then turned to look at Yin Buran.
Winter had not yet passed. After leaving the flying boat, Yin Buran was dressed very warmly.
A fox-fur cloak, and sleeve warmers. Only her face was exposed, and it was as white as snow.
She looked warm.
Ning Ruoque just stood on the side, watching Yin Buran investigate back and forth.
She was frowning slightly, her expression serious and solemn.
However, her whole person was a fluffy ball, which reduced her pride and coldness by a few points, making her look even more cute.
The corners of Ning Ruoque’s mouth unconsciously turned up, and she couldn’t suppress it, but she still refused to look away.
She even blurted out, “Yin Buran.”
Yin Buran tilted her head, as if asking what was wrong.
Ning Ruoque quickly covered her face and said in a fluster, “It’s… it’s nothing.”
Yin Buran couldn’t help but squint her eyes, just feeling that this person was inexplicable.
She turned around and continued to observe the memorial tablet she had dug out from the pile of rubble.
She had checked it carefully. There were no traces of any spells here, and even the spiritual energy was relatively mixed. The information she could find was pitifully little.
She could only guess the former identity of the dilapidated temple through this memorial tablet.
Yin Buran cast a spell, and the dust on the memorial tablet was blown away, revealing the mottled gold-powdered characters—
“Xuantian Blesses the People, Clear Sound Goddess”
Yin Buran said in a low voice, “It’s a goddess temple.”
A thousand years ago, when the goddess had not yet fallen silent, the goddess temple had been very prosperous.
Because of her merits in suppressing the demon race and blessing all living beings, from the ruler of a country to the common people, they would all worship the goddess. Even the immortal sects would organize sacrificial ceremonies.
To this day, there are still many people in the mortal world who worship the goddess.
Ning Ruoque also came over.
The sculptors were different, so the statues were also different.
When she was picked up by her master, the goddess had already disappeared for many years, so she had never seen the goddess’s appearance.
And the one before her was particularly beautiful.
Ning Ruoque thought for a moment, and suddenly took out three incense sticks, lit them, and respectfully inserted them into the incense burner, which was full of fine snow.
Her master had once told her that if she encountered a goddess’s temple, she should remember to go in and burn an incense stick for her master’s wife.
She always felt that this was her master’s unrealistic fantasy from drinking too much, but this did not stop her from showing her respect for the goddess.
“It seems there are no other clues. Let’s go back.” Yin Buran sighed softly.
Could it really be just an accident?
She walked out of the temple with a heavy heart. The cold wind rushed to her face, and a chill ran up her body.
Yin Buran suddenly turned her head, and Ning Ruoque was caught off guard and almost bumped into her.
“What’s wrong?”
Yin Buran did not have time to respond to Ning Ruoque and quickly walked back to the front of the statue, looking up.
The wind and snow had at some point become much heavier.
The goddess’s smiling face was as compassionate as ever, no different from before.
But Yin Buran still frowned.
Just now… was the statue’s line of sight so low? It actually gave her the illusion of being watched.
However, when she looked again carefully, she did not find anything wrong.
Meeting Ning Ruoque’s worried gaze, Yin Buran shook her head. “It’s nothing. I might have been seeing things.”
After speaking, she covered her mouth with her sleeve and sneezed uncontrollably.
Ning Ruoque, without a word, went to feel her hand.
Although it was stuffed in her sleeve warmer, it was still as cold as a piece of cold jade that could not be warmed.
If this continued, she might catch a cold and get a fever.
Concerned about Yin Buran’s fragile constitution, Ning Ruoque did not dare to delay and directly carried her back to the room on the flying boat.
The flying boat began to travel towards the Forging Fire Sect again, and Ning Ruoque was busy warming Yin Buran’s body.
She first brought a cup of warm tea, then lit a stove, planning to roast some sweet potatoes to feed Yin Buran.
Yin Buran had taken off her heavy cloak and was leaning against the couch as if she had no bones.
She saw Ning Ruoque staring at the sweet potatoes in the charcoal fire without blinking and asked lazily, “You said your memory has a problem. Is it about me?”
When she mentioned this again, Ning Ruoque answered in a muffled voice, “Mm.”
“Be more specific.”
Ning Ruoque shook her head. “It’s not good. I don’t want to recall it.”
Her perception was completely different from the newly stuffed memories. This was like her stomach was stuffed with clumps of earth, which made her very uncomfortable.
Yin Buran was about to ask, how bad was it, and was she talking bad about her?
She saw the person before her’s shoulders droop, and her spirit was visibly low, and even her “tail” was not wagging anymore.
She fumbled for a few sweet potatoes, found the ripe ones from inside, and carefully peeled them.
The steaming hot sweet potatoes were roasted until they were oozing with honey. When they were broken open, they were stringy, and the sweet fragrance went straight to the stomach.
Ning Ruoque carefully peeled the sweet potatoes, wrapped them in oil paper, and handed them to Yin Buran.
Then she picked up the remaining one, and without fear of it being hot, she directly broke it open and ate it.
After eating the sweet sweet potato, she finally felt a little more comfortable.
And Yin Buran casually took a small bite and suddenly spoke, “It’s too sweet. I want to eat yours.”
Immediately after, she forcefully stuffed her own sweet potato into Ning Ruoque’s arms, and then grabbed Ning Ruoque’s wrist, making a gesture to bite.
The latter was startled and quickly stopped her. “Wait a minute. I’ve already eaten this one.”
Ning Ruoque took out a small knife, cut off the part she had eaten, and then handed the rest to Yin Buran.
As for the one that the other did not want, she had no qualms and ate it all in a few bites.
Yin Buran looked at Ning Ruoque squatting in front of the charcoal fire, her cheeks puffed up from eating, and then looked down at the sweet potato in her hand.
The honey was less than before, so it was probably not as sweet.
While eating, she asked slowly, “In your eyes, what kind of person am I?”
Ning Ruoque suddenly choked and coughed non-stop.
She took the hot tea that was handed to her, drank it all in one gulp, and finally let out a long sigh of relief.
When she looked down, she found that this was Yin Buran’s cup, and a wave of heat rushed to her head.
Yin Buran propped up her head and stared at her with a blank expression.
This gaze was extremely penetrating. Ning Ruoque couldn’t dodge it at all and could only let Yin Buran size her up.
She pressed her lips together and said haltingly, “You… you’re very good.”
Yin Buran’s fingertips tapped the tabletop, her tone lazy. “Very good? So that’s why you’re so polite to me?”
“…”
Ning Ruoque saw her very deliberate surprise and did not want to answer.
She lowered her head and fiddled with the stove fire, only answering, “I’m not being polite.”
However, the more she was sparing with her words, the more Yin Buran wanted to tease her.
She knocked on the tabletop. “Then come and help me undress. I’m going to rest.”
Ning Ruoque’s whole body was stiff. After a moment’s pause, she finally moved to Yin Buran’s front without a word.
This was not the first time she had undressed someone, not to mention that it was just an outer robe.
But she always couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Yin Buran’s outer robe was of excellent material, light, soft, and smooth. Even the embroidered part was integrated and would not scratch the hand.
Ning Ruoque buried her head and untied the tie, feeling that this thing was slippery and difficult to grasp.
This was much more difficult than practicing the sword.
From the gauze outer robe to the silk dress, one layer after another, it was like peeling a half-open lotus flower.
The familiar sweet fragrance became stronger. Ning Ruoque only felt that her fingers were about to get tied in a knot, and the room was stuffy, and she almost broke out in a sweat.
After finally finishing, Yin Buran was about to get off the couch and walk to the bedside.
Seeing her walking unsteadily and absent-mindedly, Ning Ruoque’s hand hovered by her waist, ready to catch her at any time.
But just as she was afraid of something, a certain person just happened to twist her ankle and fall towards the stove without any warning.
Ning Ruoque was so scared that her soul almost flew away.
She couldn’t care about that much anymore and pulled on Yin Buran’s clothes to bring her to her side.
The inner clothes, which had been deliberately loosened by Yin Buran, came undone with a tug, and the silk slipped from her shoulders, revealing a large patch of snow-white skin.
Forced to, Ning Ruoque had no choice but to change her plan and instead held Yin Buran by the waist until she was firmly held in her arms.
The crisis was resolved in an instant, but she did not dare to move.
Her palm was filled with the delicate touch of suet jade. She tried her best to restrain her movements, standing there like a block of wood, her eyes full of helplessness.
She could see it. Yin Buran was doing it on purpose.
But she didn’t dare to risk Yin Buran’s safety.
A certain person even hugged her back, her head buried in her neck, and giggled in her arms.
She was extremely arrogant.
Yin Buran stood on her tiptoes and whispered in Ning Ruoque’s already completely red ear, half-teasingly, “Sword Venerable.”
“So this sword-wielding hand of yours, will it also tremble from touching me?”
