Chapter 12: Chapter Twelve: Fine Rain Dripping Pearls

"Shi Ran! You've harmed a fellow disciple; as your master, I can no longer spare you!" Shi Ran hadn't reacted yet, the icy blade of the Dragon Chant Sword was already pressed against her throat.

"What's happening! What's happening!" Shi Ran broke out in a cold sweat. She wanted to say she knew where the Mysterious Pearl Herb was, and also wanted to say she could accompany her master to the underworld, but she couldn't get a word out.

It was as if she were trapped in a transparent shell; she could see the outside world, but the outside world couldn't see her.

She saw Ling Xiao's gaze gradually turn icy, trembling as she reached out to clutch the corner of his robe, trying to say, "Master… spare my life!" She really hadn't given Senior Sister any poison.

But what she heard was herself saying, "Kill if you want to kill, scrape if you want to scrape! I have no regrets! Should Mei Ruoxue not die?! She deserves the eighteenth level of hell—no, she deserves to be used by everyone!"

"Enough, enough! You don't want to live, but I do!" Shi Ran waved her hands in fright, yet she saw a poison needle hidden in her sleeve, and she raised her hand to stab her master.

"Obstinately ignorant!" Ling Xiao finally lost his patience; the Dragon Chant Sword flashed, and Shi Ran felt a chill at her neck. She tried to staunch the wound, but couldn't stop the gushing blood. The last thing she saw before collapsing was Ling Xiao's icy, frost-like gaze, and Luo Changfeng, uninvolved.

"No!" Shi Ran sat up abruptly, looked at her hands—no blood soaked them—and felt her neck; thank goodness, her head was still attached.

It seems everything just now was a dream! Shi Ran let out a long breath.

"What are you doing?"

Shi Ran jumped, sucked back that half-breath, choked herself, turned her head, and saw Luo Changfeng staring at her. In an instant, the scene overlapped with her dream, and Shi Ran angrily pointed at Luo Changfeng, "You, cough cough cough, come cough cough, look at me cough cough, what are you doing?"

"You think I want to!" After not seeing each other for days, Luo Changfeng was still sharp-tongued, yet he also handed her a cup of tea: "Enough, enough, stop coughing yourself to death—have a drink first!"

The tea aroma filled the air, the temperature just right. After Shi Ran gulped it down, she couldn't resist asking, "Did you put poison in the tea? Look how happily I'm drinking it!"

"Yes, yes!" Luo Changfeng snatched the tea cup, rolled his eyes, and said, "I'd love to poison you, poison you, just to keep you from causing chaos among us!"

Chaos?

Shi Ran looked at Luo Changfeng, her memories slowly returning. She remembered her master flying on his sword, and she had sat behind him, claiming she was too tired… then they returned to the sect, and her master eagerly demanded the jade bottle from her…

And then… what happened to her… she couldn't remember!

"You open your collar for the master…"

"Ah! Shut up!" Shi Ran pointed at Luo Changfeng, indignant, "I really don't remember anything—you're making things up!!"

"Huh? Couldn't it be that you drank too much?" Luo Changfeng snorted, "It's just that little pear blossom wine; the master said you only had two cups!"

"Two cups… still alcohol!" Shi Ran shifted uneasily, "I didn't know the wine was that strong!"

It turned out that, after coming down from Ninefold Mountain that day, it was already late, really unsuitable for flying on swords, so they had no choice but to stay at a small town.

The town was called Fine Rain Town, and it was a coincidence that as soon as they entered, a drizzle began.

The wet blue-stone lanes shimmered, beads of water on the eaves shattered the evening chill. Umbrella shadows floated in the smoky hues, a stream of light rain swelled the autumn river.

Rain strands fell like spiderwebs, enveloping the town in a gray mist. Water pooled on the blue-stone streets; occasional raindrops fell, sending out ripples that quickly faded. Droplets under the eaves dripped intermittently, yet their sound seemed swallowed, producing no echo at all.

All the town's doors and windows were tightly shut; behind the paper-lattice windows no light could be seen. The signs that usually creaked were now silent, motionless. In a deep alley, a black cat darted past; its shadow twisted for a moment on the damp wall, then vanished.

Even the air was filled with a strange odor, like aged mildew mixed with some medicinal herb. The smell clung to clothing, refusing to dissipate. Occasionally a breeze would pass, but it didn't disperse the odor; instead, it made the hanging cloth banners sway slightly, as if an invisible hand were plucking them.

Occasionally passersby went through the town, all hurried, their faces under umbrellas blank and lifeless; even looking at them, they showed no expression, as if their souls had been drained.

Suddenly, a baby's cry rang out in the distance, brief as an illusion. Then everything fell silent again. Only the rain kept falling, seeping silently into every brick crack and tile gap.

"This is really off!" Shi Ran and Ling Xiao exchanged a glance.

The rain still fell, and after much effort the two found an inn at the town's edge—the only lit inn on that quiet rainy night.

Upon entering, the shop attendant enthusiastically greeted them, "Sirs, would you like a meal or a room?"

"A room!" Ling Xiao said, producing a silver ingot and handing it over. Shi Ran stared, eyes wide.

"Holy cow, that's rich!" Shi Ran thought, lunging to grab it, but she couldn't beat the attendant.

The attendant became even more enthusiastic, his eyes crinkling shut as he smiled, "We still have two rooms of the 'heavenly character' layout; let me take you upstairs."

Ling Xiao nodded, and as he turned he glanced at Shi Ran.

Strange! Although the attendant tried to act greedy, his unconscious mention of two rooms seemed to know Shi Ran and Ling Xiao's relationship.

The master was also strange—what exactly did that final glance mean?

Shi Ran sat alone by the bed, puzzling over it; when she looked up, Mei Ruoxue was lowering her gaze to observe her.

"Senior Sister! What's going on?" Only then did Shi Ran understand what Ling Xiao's glance meant—he was signaling her to release Mei Ruoxue.

"Nothing!" It just felt like Shi Ran had become a completely different person; she used to be nothing like this.

"Thump thump thump!"

Shi Ran quickly gestured for Mei Ruoxue to stop speaking, then raised her voice, "What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing much—just that this shop is connected to Snow Orchid Lake in the mountains; to be precise, we've drawn the lake's water here. I wonder if you'd like to bathe in our establishment?"

"Bathe? No way—this is a remote wilderness; if I got killed, no one would know… 'Fine! Have the attendant bring some food; we'll eat and then leave!'"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The attendant was delighted, his steps to leave filled with joy.

Shi Ran was about to speak, but saw Mei Ruoxue still grave; she opened her lips, then pressed them tightly shut.

Wind and rain battered the windows; aside from that, the inn was utterly silent, as quiet as a massive tomb.

Shi Ran and Mei Ruoxue waited a moment, then heard the attendant's footsteps receding—unlike his earlier gleeful haste, now slow and heavy, each step thudding against Shi Ran's heart, making her jump with every footfall.