The farce ended with Wen Xun being supported by his group of disciples just as he was about to fall to the ground.
The third elder later sent several people to deliver elixirs and medicines to Wen Ran and Shen Wu, and another set was sent to Wen Xun as well.
Over the few days, Wen Xun had been so anxious that he had a sore in his mouth and felt uncomfortable all over. He had insomnia rather frequently every night, and he went to the ancestral hall in the middle of the night several times to pay respects to the grandmasters and ancestors. In that short span of time, he suddenly seemed to have aged by ten years.
It was Wen Xun received a letter from Hidden Abyss Valley informing him that their blacksmiths could try to reforge Flawseeker and Sunset that he had a good night's sleep.
Wen Ran had taken the medicine that the third elder had sent to replenish her energy and spirit, and her body felt much better after that. In order to avoid seeing Shen Wu, she used her injuries as an excuse to shut herself in her room. Yan Qing and Luo Huai had sent her a lot of small toys for her to relieve her boredom.
Nevertheless, she felt that she would be happier if they did not mention Eldest Senior Brother words when they came to see her
As she was reading in the courtyard, Qin Wanwan somehow decided to come over and poke around.
"I made this chicken soup, Ranran. Go ahead and try it." Qin Wanwan placed the fresh and hot chicken soup on the table. She smiled kindly and said, "I heard that you went through numerous perils in the forbidden area. You need to nourish yourself."
Wen Xun did not sleep well and had been tossing and turning the past few nights. Qin Wanwan had difficulty sleeping as a result, so she applied some thicker makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes.
Would she have any good intentions for visiting Wen Ran though? One might well describe that visit as a weasel paying the chicken coop a visit.
Wen Ran smiled. "Third Master said that I have to avoid eating meat and fish during this period, but I appreciate your good intentions, Concubine Qin"
Qin Wanwan did not express her dissatisfaction and instead seemed to show some guilt. "It was my fault for not being considerate enough. I didn't know that you couldn't eat meat and fish. Shen Wu probably can't eat these either, right?"
"I don't know." Wen Ran lowered her head and gave a nonchalant reply as she flipped through the script that Luo Huai had given her.
Qin Wanwan sighed. "Your father is stubborn, Ranran, and I'm more meticulous than him because I'm a woman. I can judge a person and a situation more clearly."
"Does that mean you approached Old Wen all those years ago because you knew he was a married man?"
"Now why are you bringing up all these things from the past?"
Wen Ran flipped another page of the book and ignored her.
A smile appeared once more on Qin Wanwan's face. "Ranran, your father doesn't agree to break off your engagement with Shen Wu, but I have to give you a piece of advice from a woman's point of view. If you get married, you must marry someone you like. That's how you can get happiness after marriage."
Wen Ran looked up and smiled. "Are you happy in your current marriage, Concubine Qin?"
Qin Wanwan felt a fire burning in her everyday because Wen Xun was becoming more and more impatient with her. It would be ludicrous of her to claim that she was happy!
However, Qin Wanwan smiled and affirmed, "Of course I am."
"But your new wrinkles show otherwise."
Qin Wanwan covered her face in a panic. 'Do I have wrinkles?' she wondered. She originally planned to sow discord with Wen Ran but that remark threw her off guard and made her unable to care about anything else. She left with a smile and said, "I'll come and chat with you another day, Ranran."
She left in a hurry soon after. It looked as though she was planning to go back and take a good look in the mirror before seeking the third elder to ask if there was any elixir that could beautify her face.
It was peace and quiet at last for Wen Ran.
Wen Ran placed one hand on the table and rested her chin on it. Out of boredom, she flipped through the book about the dominating sword immortal falling in love with the little monster. A branch fell on her head, which she brushed away, and in the next moment, something else fell on her head.
It was a small red fruit that fell on the table.
Wen Ran raised her head. She cocked her eyebrow when she saw the figure sitting on the tree on the other side of the courtyard wall.
A young man was sitting lazily on the tree branch. The sun shone through the leaves and illuminated his body, seemingly decorating his white clothes with patches of light.
When he lowered his eyes to look at her, his slightly fluttering long eyelashes seemed to be sprinkled with a layer of gold dust. The small red fruits in his hand made his skin look even fairer.
Wen Ran stood up. "What are you doing here?"
The young man tilted his head slightly, and the ends of his hair became a blur amongst the mottled shadow. He flashed her an easygoing, warm smile, "I came to see you because I was afraid that you'd miss me."
He popped a red berry into his mouth as soon as he finished speaking. It seemed to dye his pale lips red, adding an abundant touch of gorgeousness to it.
Wen Ran, however, was reminded of the color of blood. The bloody scenes that she remembered seemed to be bright red too.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him and picked up the book on the stone table before turning around to return to her room. All of a sudden, a white-robed figure appeared in front of her.
Shen Wu was all smiles as he stood in her way. "You don't seem very happy to see me."
Wen Ran's tone was far from good. "I must be sick in the head if I'm happy to see someone who threw me down from the air just to create the impression of having deep feelings for me."
Shen Wu slowly ate another fruit and looked at her, "Why must you fuss over every single little thing, Ranran? Do you remember what's written in the Immortal Ascension Mansion's sect rules? If I remember correctly, it's 'Be strict on yourself and be kind to others'... Can't you be kinder to me after I've saved you all those times?"
He still had the cheek to say that!
Wen Ran's temper flared up at the mention of that. She slammed the book on the stone table and began to argue with him, "You have the cheek to say that you saved me? I wouldn't have gone to the forbidden area in the first place if it weren't for you, and I wouldn't have encountered the resulting danger. Why would I want to go through so many life-threatening situations and eat all this medication to recuperate every day?"
Shen Wu seemed to be frightened by her fierce appearance and took a step back. He completely forgot about his fresh fruit and blinked. "But I went to the forbidden area to find a devil pet for you. I wanted to make you happy."
"What do you mean by 'make me happy'?" Wen Ran advanced forward in anger. "I never said anything about wanting to raise a devil pet. You were clearly lying about this!"
Shen Wu clutched his little heart and took another step back. Her face was reflected in his dark eyes, as if to reveal a small ounce of fear. By then, she was advancing step by step while he retreated like a weak, pitiful, and helpless child.
Wen Ran took one final step forwar\d, forcing him to lean against the tree and preventing him from retreating any further
She raised her head and narrowed her eyes at him while sneering. "You think I can't guess what your plan was? You're just using me as an excuse! Your entire purpose was to go to the forbidden area, wasn't it?"
Shen Wu was clearly much taller than her, but at that moment, he felt like a delicate flower that was powerless to prevent itself from being destroyed in the face of a storm. He then lowered his eyes and looked at Wen Ren with the most innocent look ever.