Chapter 213: The Grand Drama Begins

On the fifteenth day of the lunar month, a continuous cold rain fell.

On the empty streets, a man and a woman walked side by side.

The girl wore a black raincoat, a black ice longsword at her waist, holding half a bar of chocolate which she ate in small bites.

From time to time, those beautiful eyes would glance toward the person beside her.

Seeing someone gobbling food like a wolf, a slight smile appeared on her face: "Eat slower, no one is snatching it from you."

"Delicious," Lu Ran mumbled indistinctly; the half bar of chocolate that should have been in his hand now had only a tiny bit left.

This chocolate was truly excellent; it even contained hazelnuts and raisins.

Quite delicious~

Lu Ran popped the remaining tiny bit into his mouth.

"Told you to eat slower," Jiangjiang Ruyi said with a feigned scold, reaching out to Lu Ran's mouth.

The young girl extended a slender jade finger and gently wiped the corner of Lu Ran's mouth.

Lu Ran's heart stirred slightly as he looked at the girl.

Jiangjiang Ruyi averted her gaze, withdrew her hand, and rinsed it in the rain.

Lu Ran: "."

As if I were very dirty.

"Here." Jiangjiang Ruyi handed her own half bar of chocolate to Lu Ran, "I already ate breakfast at home."

"I ate too; you eat more," Lu Ran shook his head in refusal, "You are at the age where your body is still growing."

"Can't grow any taller," Jiangjiang Ruyi whispered, "If I grow more, I won't be able to wear shoes with heels anymore."

Lu Ran:???

"Hehe~" Jiangjiang Ruyi gave a light laugh, picked up the half bar of chocolate, and directly stuffed it into Lu Ran's mouth.

Lu Ran suddenly felt that neither the hazelnuts nor the raisins tasted fragrant anymore.

The smile on Jiangjiang Ruyi's face grew deeper as she reached out and gently linked her arm with Lu Ran's.

Such an act of great mercy; one wondered if she was comforting someone.

Amidst the cold, fine rain, the man and woman step by step arrived at Hexi Park.

After several months, when Lu Ran came again to the artificial lake, he failed to see the awning boat drifting on the lake or the tall figure standing upon it.

Nowadays, Great Da Da Mengyan was already a Jiang Jing expert; wanting to meet again was truly difficult.

Thinking carefully, Lu Ran had only exchanged one New Year's greeting message with Great Da Da Mengyan during the Lunar New Year period; afterward, there had been no contact whatsoever.

"You're here, Lu Xiao Lu Lu!"

From the small hut at the lakeside dock, two figures emerged; the middle-aged man leading them waved at Lu Ran.

"Coming, coming," Lu Ran brought Jiangjiang Ruyi forward quickly and introduced, "This is Captain Sun Sun Zhengfang, a believer of Two Two Biwu."

Jiangjiang Ruyi, poised and generous, said softly, "Hello, Captain Sun."

Sun Sun Zhengfang smiled and nodded, sizing up the two young people while clicking his tongue in admiration: "Truly a well-matched pair."

Lu Ran chuckled: "Uncle Sun has excellent taste!"

"Haha, you kid!" Sun Sun Zhengfang laughed heartily.

Jiangjiang Ruyi, who just a moment ago had appeared elegant and quiet, lowered her head slightly upon hearing their conversation, her cheeks flushing faintly red.

"This is Wei Long," Lu Ran continued introducing, "Just call him Brother Wei."

Following Lu Ran's lead, Jiangjiang Ruyi greeted softly, "Hello, Brother Wei."

"No need to be reserved," Sun Sun Zhengfang beckoned the two into the hut, "From today on, we are comrades-in-arms who will face life and death together. Come inside and put on the equipment first."

Lu Ran immediately followed, walking into the hut.

On the table lay several straps, each fixed with a miniature camera.

It seemed the "Prodigy" program team was quite willing to listen to suggestions; previously, the cameras had all been clipped onto collars.

Sun Sun Zhengfang took out a red strap and handed it to Lu Ran: "After the few of us turn on our cameras, the 'Prodigy' side will activate your livestream room."

"Lu Xiao Lu Lu, you must pay attention to your personal image, words, and conduct..."

"Mm-hmm," Lu Ran nodded repeatedly.

He had studied the various rules of "Prodigy" many times over.

Before ten o'clock in the morning, all fifty trainees must activate their cameras; earlier is fine, but being late is absolutely forbidden!

Otherwise, qualification would be revoked.

Once Lu Ran's main camera feed activated, the footage filmed by his teammates would also be projected into the livestream room in small windows, allowing people to switch freely and watch from multiple angles.

Preparations before a great battle were, of course, also part of "Prodigy."

All participating trainees must broadcast everything; they could not only film nighttime combat scenes.

This was also the demand of the masses.

The world had gone mad, wanting to understand every participating trainee as much as possible.

After all, in this vast Great Xia, only one hundred trainees had been selected for "Prodigy."

Among this group, every single one of them, without exception, possessed a legendary story.

Therefore, whether it was footage of training and cultivation preparations, or scenes of eating and chatting in daily life, people were very willing to watch and dig into them.

"I'll turn it on in a little while," Lu Ran said as he fastened the strap, fixing the camera to the side of his head.

"Don't be shy about it; sooner or later it has to be turned on," Sun Sun Zhengfang reminded with a smile, "Just be careful when using the toilet."

"Don't be so coy; it has to come out sooner or later," Sun Sun Zhengfang reminded with a smile. "Just be careful when you go to the toilet."

Lu Ran went online!

Lu Ran is online!

This piece of news spread rapidly across the internet.

On the Prodigy official website, a small camera icon lit up on the channel of participating trainee Lu Ran.

Instantly, a massive number of netizens clicked in, and many television channels began rebroadcasting the live signal.

"Here it comes, here it comes!"

"I heard someone is trying to snatch the top comment spot."

"May I ask, is this the livestream room for the believers of Paper Doll?"

"So beautiful! Light rain, lake water, a covered boat."

"Begging you not to cry, begging you not to run! Begging you not to bring shame to the Wu Lie River, please, please!"

"You still have the mood to gaze at the lake? I'm truly speechless!"

"Film your teammates more; show less of yourself, stay hidden."

"Why is your hostility so great? How could Prodigy promote a piece of trash?"

"Friend, if you've ever teamed up with believers of Xiang Xiang Xianyang, you would curse even more fiercely than I do, believe me?"

"Catch a little lamb and bleat along with me!"

"Baa baa baa~"

Lu Ran, of course, could not see those viewer comments; he was only responsible for filming.

Just then, the phone in his pocket suddenly began to buzz.

Seeing it was a call from Without Si Si Xianxian, Lu Ran immediately answered: "Hello?"

Si Si Xianxian said excitedly: "I can see your footage. Haha! I can hear my own voice!"

Lu Ran said helplessly: "I thought you had something important. If not, I'm hanging up."

Si Si Xianxian hurriedly said: "Go for it, Lu Ran! Slap those people's faces hard for me!"

Lu Ran was startled and quickly hung up the phone.

"Let me scold her." Jiangjiang Ruyi frowned slightly, her expression showing some dissatisfaction.

"Don't," Lu Ran whispered, pointing to the camera on the side of his head.

As Jiangjiang Ruyi's figure appeared in the frame, the viewer comments in the livestream room instantly made a complete one-eighty-degree turn.

"Oh my god, this young lady is so beautiful!"

"Bright eyes and white teeth, a delicate nose and soft lips, truly a beauty capable of toppling cities—you damn well turn that camera back!!"

"Film more! We love watching this, we really love it~"

"Good heavens~ An unexpected bonus?"

"Little lamb, don't move around! I want to see the pretty girl, ahhh!"

The audience got their wish.

As Lu Ran and the others began their patrol, the cameras of Sun Sun Zhengfang and Wei Long naturally captured Jiangjiang Ruyi.

From this point on, people's focus shifted considerably.

The benefit was that people's remarks became much more harmonious and friendly, and the atmosphere of discussion improved significantly.

The two of them, of course, knew nothing of this turmoil.

Lu Ran and Jiang, along with their two teammates, carried out their patrol according to routine, visiting roadside shops and residential households to further familiarize themselves with the jurisdiction's environment.

Time passed, and the rain fell incessantly.

Night gradually descended, and once again, Lu Ran and the others arrived outside Hexi Park, stepping onto that old overpass.

"Did something happen here?" Jiangjiang Ruyi suddenly spoke, her voice soft and gentle.

"Hmm?" Lu Ran looked somewhat surprised, glancing at the young girl beside him.

He did not know that every time he made this gesture, the livestream room was full of people praising him.

"Every time we pass this place, you are very silent," Jiangjiang Ruyi looked at Lu Ran. "It seems as if you are thinking of someone?"

Lu Ran was shocked.

Is this a girl's intuition?

To the point of specifying that I am thinking of a particular person?

"Hmm?" Jiangjiang Ruyi raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Do you remember Sister Deng Yuxiang?"

"Of course, Elder Sister Deng Yutang's older sister," Jiangjiang Ruyi nodded gently.

Lu Ran smiled: "Her great horse-slaying blade was a full two point eight meters long.

Every time she crossed this small and narrow overpass, it would clatter and clang nonstop."

"What's wrong, Lu Xiao Lu Lu?" From behind came the voice of Sun Sun Zhengfang. "Missing Sister Deng?"

"No, no." Lu Ran waved his hands hurriedly. "It's just that our squad has walked this road too many times..."

Sun Sun Zhengfang: "Perhaps she is watching you right now."

Lu Ran turned around: "Oh?"

Sun Sun Zhengfang raised his hand, pointing toward the distant sky: "That tallest building, the very top floor."

Lu Ran turned his head to look, gazing at the towering skyscraper piercing the clouds under the night sky: "She is there?"

The very top floor of the skyscraper shone with brilliant light; under the embellishment of the night rain, it looked exactly like a lighthouse.

That building was located east of the Wu Lie River, in the central business district of Deng Yuxiang City, and was also the tallest structure in this city.

So...

After reaching the Jiang Jing realm, one can tread the entire city of Deng Yuxiang underfoot?

Lu Ran exerted his vision to the limit, looking up and observing.

The view from there must be excellent, allowing one to overlook the entire Rain Alley City.

Sun Sun Zhengfang sighed with emotion: "You'd better pray you don't meet her.

If she makes a move, things will get really big."

Lu Ran suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Consequently, the trio came to a halt all at once.

They knew Lu Ran well enough that no one spoke to disturb him; only their bodies tensed up.

"Whoosh!"

Lu Ran violently flung the Xia Guang Dao!

At the same time, five meters away, a tall and thin figure rapidly materialized.

"Hiss!"

The blade edge pierced flesh.

The timing was so perfect, the attack so fierce, it left one dumbfounded!

The Fiend · You Tong Gui didn't even have a chance to cry out.

The moment it appeared, the Xia Guang Dao had already pierced through its skull!

"Good lad," Sun Sun Zhengfang murmured softly.

This was the first time the two sides had teamed up since Lu Ran acquired a divine weapon; Sun Sun Zhengfang indeed needed to get to know Lu Ran anew.

Similarly, Wei Long, who was bringing up the rear of the formation, felt the same.

He stared blankly at the scene, his heart pounding with hidden fear.

Although in the hearts of the two Moon-Gazers, Lu Ran's strength was already very powerful—excessively so.

But now... Lu Ran had advanced another step; his growth speed was astonishing!

The teammates would have to adapt to Lu Ran's rhythm once again.

"Whoosh~"

The Xia Guang Dao flew back, landing steadily in Lu Ran's palm.

Lu Ran raised the Xia Guang Dao, using the cold rainwater to wash away the filth on the blade.

Following the tip of the blade, he also gazed toward the towering buildings in the far distance.

Great Da Da Mengyan.

Once, I accompanied you.

Now it is your turn to watch me.

"Hiss!!"

"Boom-rumble!" Roars and explosions erupted simultaneously from various places within the city.

Lu Ran spun the blade in a flourish, murmuring in his heart:

"The grand play begins."

(End of Chapter)