Chapter 100: Night Talk by the Stream

The stream babbled, firelight flickering over four young faces. Méi Ruòxuě skillfully turned the fish skewered over the fire; fat dripped onto the coals, making a sizzling sound, and the aroma spread with the night breeze.

Actually, Luò Chángfēng and the other two don't need to eat; they're already at Golden Core, so it's obvious who this fish is for.

Shī Rǎn sat aside, hugging her knees, eyes fixed on the fish slowly turning golden; her stomach growled intermittently, impossible to silence, adding a bit of amusement to the quiet night, causing Luò Chángfēng and the others to exchange smiles.

"Little glutton, just wait a bit more, it'll be ready soon!" Luò Chángfēng said with a smile.

"Let me help you!" But Shī Rǎn suddenly stood up, brushed grass from her skirt, and resolutely walked toward Gù Yùshēng and Méi Ruòxuě; she actually had no other motive—she was just so hungry she could barely stand it.

Méi Ruòxuě visibly startled, almost dropping the fish into the fire; she frowned slightly, unwilling to get too close to Shī Rǎn: "You…"

Shī Rǎn was also a little nervous; she had completely forgotten any grudge against Méi Ruòxuě, leaving only pure sincerity—no misunderstanding, just sincerity for the fish: "I, I should be able to!" Shī Rǎn gathered courage and reached for the branch in Méi Ruòxuě's hand.

"Careful!" Luò Chángfēng's warning wasn't finished when Shī Rǎn cried out and pulled her hand back; her scallion‑like fingertips turned bright red from the burn.

"Oh no!" The first thought that popped into Luò Chángfēng's mind; he sprang forward. With a flick of his finger he sent a splash of spring water at Shī Rǎn, accurately soaking her shoes. "You clumsy girl, you dare grab the fish skewer with your bare hand? If our master found out, he'd skin me alive!"

The cold water eased the burn, but Shī Rǎn then grew dazed again: "Why would the master want to peel the senior brother's skin? Is his skin tasty?"

Luò Chángfēng rolled his eyes, pinching his own philtrum in annoyance; oh well, he couldn't explain things clearly to the present Shī Rǎn.

Méi Ruòxuě suddenly handed over a handkerchief: "Wipe your hands!" Everyone stared at her in surprise, but she showed no reaction, her expression still calm: "If you really want to help, then sprinkle the seasoning for me!" After all, you'll be eating it yourself! Méi Ruòxuě thought to herself.

Shī Rǎn's eyes lit up; she quickly took the handkerchief, wiped hastily, then carefully accepted the small sachet Méi Ruòxuě handed her, imitating Méi Ruòxuě's method and evenly scattering the mixed spices over the fish—but, being too nervous, she dumped about half the bag at once.

"Oh no, oh no!" Shī Rǎn flailed, looking at the fish coated in spices: "This… this… this fish, just give it to me to eat!"

But strangely, Méi Ruòxuě didn't criticize her for that; instead, she calmly scraped off the excess seasoning with a branch: "No problem, this one will be even more flavorful—just eat it and drink some wild vegetable soup."

Gù Yùshēng and Luò Chángfēng both froze; Luò Chángfēng was clearly more pleased: "What the—! It's fine, little junior sister, this fish is mine—just listen to your senior sister, I love it this flavorful, hand it over!" Luò Chángfēng snatched the fish and squatted aside, pondering how to dig in.

Shī Rǎn smiled, suddenly feeling that her usually icy‑cold senior sister and the big senior brother who loved to boast now, in the firelight, seemed extraordinarily gentle.

"Mm, thank you, senior sister, thank you, senior brother!" she said loudly, and with an eager look stared at Gù Yùshēng— the fish in his hand.

Gù Yùshēng let out a long sigh, "Here, use this to practice!" He silently handed over a already‑prepared fish.

The four sat around the fire; although Shī Rǎn's specially made spicy fish really brought tears to the eyes, Luò Chángfēng still downed the whole fish while gulping wild vegetable soup, giving it a thumbs‑up and saying it was good. Méi Ruòxuě complained but ate most of it. Gù Yùshēng, the most straightforward, kept his composure, finished his portion, and simply drank four more bowls of wild vegetable soup in silence.

Night deepened; Luò Chángfēng and Gù Yùshēng took turns keeping watch. Shī Rǎn curled up on the dry grass Méi Ruòxuě had laid out, but she couldn't sleep; the lotus mark on her forehead began to warm faintly, and her mind kept flashing the terrifying scene the mist demon had shown of three days hence.

Unable to sleep, she quietly rose, tiptoed to the stream bank; under the moonlight the water glowed faintly. Shī Rǎn squatted, gazing at her reflection; the lotus on her forehead appeared and faded with the moonlight, seeming to pulse faintly as if alive.

What is this? Shī Rǎn lightly touched the lotus with her fingertip. Suddenly! A burning pain like fire shot from her forehead, and her vision went black.

Fragmented images surged like a tide: a long‑haired girl wearing glasses sat before a block, frantically tapping something with her hands; then a huge black dragon conversing with the girl; a yellow trumpet flower stuck firmly in the girl's head, swaying with a joy‑patch; finally a blinding white flash and a long sigh.

"Ah!" Shī Rǎn clutched her forehead and fell to sit by the stream.

"What's wrong with you!" Méi Ruòxuě's voice came suddenly from behind; Shī Rǎn turned, seeing Méi Ruòxuě standing with sword in hand, her fingertips outlined in silver by the moonlight.

Shī Rǎn didn't know how to explain what she'd just seen; she fell silent. Méi Ruòxuě thought a moment, then walked over and sat beside her: "Go on, what exactly happened?"

"I saw some images. Something happened to a person who looks just like me, but I don't know who that person is!" Shī Rǎn wondered.

Méi Ruòxuě fell silent for a moment, then reached out and gently brushed the lotus mark on Shī Rǎn's forehead: "Actually, you don't need to take to heart what the mist demon said; this lotus is actually something you drew yourself!"

"I drew it myself? It wasn't innate?" Shī Rǎn exclaimed, even more surprised.

Méi Ruòxuě nodded, her gaze drifting: "One year, at the sect's grand tournament, you lost to me! Angry, you went three days without food, then somehow found a special ingredient and painted this lotus on your forehead, saying, 'Someday I'll make it real!'"

"Really?" Shī Rǎn touched her forehead in disbelief, "Is that really how it was? Why does it feel wrong…?"

Méi Ruòxuě fell silent a while, then said: "So you shouldn't worry too much about the mist demon's talk of the seven‑colored fire lotus; the real seven‑colored fire lotus vanished after the Immortal‑Demon War, so how could it appear on your forehead?"

The night breeze blew, the stream tinkled, and Shī Rǎn suddenly felt her heart pounding: "But senior sister, that mist demon said it was your future…"

"The worst thing about illusions is that they always mix lies into truth!" Méi Ruòxuě stood, her face icy cold: "Don't overthink it; we have to travel tomorrow."

But Shī Rǎn suddenly grabbed Méi Ruòxuě's sash: "One last question, senior sister—what kind of person was I before? Kind? Brave?"

"You!" Méi Ruòxuě stopped, not turning back: "Your kindness extends only to certain people, and your courage shows up only where others can see it!"

"What does that mean?" Shī Rǎn let go, watching Méi Ruòxuě's retreating back, and suddenly felt utterly alone.

In the water's reflection, the girl's eyes were hazy, yet the lotus mark on her forehead flickered with a faint light.