Chapter 241: The Snake Named Jade Face

The days passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, fifteen had arrived.

On this early morning, Lu Ran, draped in a yellow raincoat and carrying twin blades on his back, walked through the hazy, rainy weather.

An old saying goes: Spring rain is as precious as oil.

Rain Alley City retorts: You're full of shit!

Listening to the rolling peals of spring thunder, Lu Ran stepped into a small puddle by the roadside, splashing up a spray of water.

"It's raining again," Lu Ran murmured to himself.

Although this scene felt oppressive, whenever rain fell on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, it was truly considered a good thing.

After all, buildings are not easily flammable.

Throughout history, creatures possessing Fire-attribute Xie Fa have posed an immense threat to human cities.

Lu Ran turned a corner and gazed from afar at the Shui Zai Yi Fang residential compound.

There, standing right at the entrance of the compound, was a tall figure.

She wore an oversized black raincoat, and beneath the hood lay a fair complexion.

At this moment, she was tilting her head slightly upward, as if observing the churning dark clouds.

"What are you looking at?" a voice called out, approaching from afar.

As a gust of wind swept over, Jiangjiang Ruyi instinctively closed her eyes, her long raincoat fluttering in waves.

Lu Ran indeed possessed the ability of "Shrinking Earth to an Inch"; in an instant, he arrived beside the young girl, leaving behind a thin trail of immortal mist along the way, dreamlike and ethereal.

"Hmm?" Lu Ran stood beside the girl and, following her line of sight, gazed into the distance.

Far away, the landmark building of Rain Alley City—the Wu Lie Tower—was shrouded in misty drizzle, appearing vague and indistinct.

Additionally, a flock of crows circled beneath the hazy sky.

Due to the excessive distance, Lu Ran could not hear the crows' cries, but he could imagine them.

Thus, this already gray and hazy world appeared even more desolate and bleak.

Realizing the girl's worry, Lu Ran spoke up: "This morning, I consulted our classmates."

"Hmm?" Jiangjiang Ruyi turned her head to look at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran shrugged: "Chang the Diviner drew a favorable lot, and the Bai Zhou master isn't too panicked either."

"Oh." Jiangjiang Ruyi raised her hand, revealing a piece of chocolate from within the wide sleeve of her raincoat.

Lu Ran, however, froze as if fixed in place, motionless, staring at the unopened chocolate.

"Don't want to eat it?" Jiangjiang Ruyi asked, somewhat puzzled; Lu Ran should have liked it very much.

As she spoke, she extended the chocolate forward a bit more.

Lu Ran remained unmoved, merely staring at it with eager, longing eyes.

Jiangjiang Ruyi suddenly realized what was happening and couldn't help but burst into a silent laugh.

Wasn't Lu Ran's current expression exactly the same as when he went to her home and stared at the slippers on the shoe rack?

"You rascal," Jiangjiang Ruyi said with feigned reproach, peeling open the chocolate wrapper for Lu Ran.

Sure enough, Lu Ran immediately lowered his head and took a big bite.

"Hey, my hand!" Jiangjiang Ruyi jerked back the fingers holding the chocolate.

Lu Ran instantly lifted his head: "Can hands be eaten too?"

Jiangjiang Ruyi:???

She glared at Lu Ran in annoyance and kicked out immediately.

I dodge~

Chatting and laughing, the two walked along the empty street, heading straight for their usual spot—Hexi Park.

At the lakeside dock, Lu Ran saw two familiar figures once again.

"Uncle Sun, good morning!" Having just eaten chocolate, Lu Ran's little mouth was extra sweet.

"Lu Xiao Lu Lu has arrived." Sun Sun Zhengfang held the door wide open, warmly inviting the two inside, "After you left, I watched that episode of 'Young Geniuses' quite a few times!"

"Your first-person perspective nearly made me throw up from the shaking!"

Wei Long nodded in strong agreement; it seemed he had also rewatched it after returning home.

Sun Sun Zhengfang continued with a smile: "After you went back, did you watch your own replay?"

Lu Ran shook his head: "No, I didn't."

Sun Sun Zhengfang: "Cultivation and training are so busy? Didn't do a review?"

Who would have expected Lu Ran to blurt out: "I was too fast, and it was too shaky; even I get dizzy watching it."

Sun Sun Zhengfang immediately widened his eyes.

Wei Long likewise wore a face full of question marks.

"Hehe~" Jiangjiang Ruyi couldn't help but cover her mouth with one hand and chuckle softly.

He's showing off!

"You rascal!" Sun Sun Zhengfang scolded with a laugh, "Do you know what flooded the bullet comments during the segment where you solo-killed Ye Mei?"

Lu Ran immediately became interested: "What?"

Sun Sun Zhengfang laughed heartily: "It was all colorful text saying 'Dazzling, dazzling, dazzling' and 'Getting shaky' and the like!"

"There were also heaps of little emojis of women in red dresses dancing; the atmosphere was just like entering a dance hall."

"Your uncle here truly doesn't understand it, but I was deeply shocked!"

Lu Ran: "."

This was clearly not Sun Sun Zhengfang's usual way of speaking; presumably, he had learned quite a bit from the bullet comment teachers.

Come to think of it, was his livestream room really this cheerful?

Lu Ran indeed hadn't looked, but he could imagine that explosive atmosphere.

He believed these bullet comments must have been added later.

When he was livestreaming, during that segment where he dueled Night Charm, shouldn't the bullet comments have been nothing but question marks?

Sun Sun Zhengfang turned his head to look at Jiangjiang Ruyi, his eyes equally full of appreciation: "Little Jiang performed very well too.

You have earned the unanimous approval of everyone in our Divine People Bureau.

We have already sent a letter to your school; to commend your outstanding contribution, we are counting the fifteenth of last month as an additional exam and rewarding you with thirty Believer Points."

"Thank you, Captain Sun." Jiangjiang Ruyi smiled and nodded her thanks.

That gentle, quiet, and dignified demeanor made Sun Sun Zhengfang sigh again and again.

Jiangjiang Ruyi could be considered half a prodigy, yet she possessed not a shred of arrogance, making people feel as though bathed in a spring breeze.

In these past few years, this small Rain Alley City has indeed produced several remarkable figures.

"What about me? What about me?" Lu Ran asked urgently.

Sun Sun Zhengfang looked at Lu Ran and laughed: "You kid, do you want to eat two meals?

What you participated in wasn't an additional exam for the Divine People Bureau, but the 'Prodigy' competition hosted by Great Xia!"

Lu Ran spoke with righteous indignation, his words carrying weight: "Then I too have rendered merit to the Patrol Team, I have shed blood for the Divine People Bureau!"

"Go, go, go, get aside, don't wave in front of my eyes; just seeing you makes me dizzy!"

Lu Ran:?

"Let's go, let's familiarize ourselves with the jurisdiction." Sun Sun Zhengfang paid Lu Ran no more mind, opened the door, and walked out.

"Eh? Uncle Sun! Don't go, Uncle Sun!"

Time slipped away bit by bit, and the rain gradually became a soft pattering.

In the small city of Rain Alley, lights began to glow, and warm illumination flickered in household after household.

When the group passed by the Shui Zai Yi Fang residential complex, both Lu Ran and Jiangjiang Ruyi looked up to observe.

Lights were on in Jiangjiang Ruyi's home, but just as before, there were no figures of the Jiang couple visible at the window.

Regarding this, Jiangjiang Ruyi had specifically explained to Lu Ran:

Mom and Dad were worried she would be distracted while carrying out her mission, so the two of them had clearly stated they would absolutely not appear at the window.

Even so, every time the two of them, Lu and Jiang, passed by here, they could not help but look up.

"It's almost time, isn't it?" Jiangjiang Ruyi turned her head to gaze eastward.

At the top floor of the distant Wu Lie Building, a bright light flashed, piercing through layers of rain and mist.

"Mm." Lu Ran listened to the pattering sound of the rain.

Suddenly, Lu Ran stopped in his tracks, faintly hearing a strange "hiss-hiss" sound.

Was this the hissing cry of a snake?

Had the invasion of evil spirits begun?

Sure enough, a huge roar suddenly came from the distance.

On the night of the fifteenth, the grand curtain was fully drawn!

Lu Ran paid no heed to the distance, instead turning his head to look toward the Shui Zai Yi Fang residential complex.

"Lu Xiao Lu Lu?" Sun Sun Zhengfang naturally noticed Lu Ran's abnormality and immediately asked loudly.

Consequently, a team of Moon Gazers stationed at the entrance of the complex all tensed their bodies.

They knew all too well who Lu Ran was!

"Lu Ran?"

"Are there evil spirits nearby?"

"Shh!" Amidst a chorus of inquiries, Sun Sun Zhengfang hurriedly signaled for everyone to fall silent.

Lu Ran's face was grim as he raised his eyes to gaze at an apartment building, fixing his stare on a fourth-floor window.

Jiangjiang Ruyi's heart instantly tightened!

This residential building near the street was precisely the unit where her family lived.

Clang! The precious blade left its sheath.

"High School Year 1, Unit 1, fourth-floor stairwell!" Lu Ran gripped the Rosy Glow Blade and shot straight into the air.

Jiangjiang Ruyi, surrounded by white jade tablets, followed closely behind.

"Lu Xiao Lu Lu, Little Jiang, you two enter through the third-floor window!" Sun Sun Zhengfang immediately issued the order, "Da Long and I will enter through the fifth-floor window to block it!"

"Yes!" Jiangjiang Ruyi suddenly accelerated her speed to go open the window.

As they approached the building, Lu Ran spoke with extraordinary speed: "Captain Sun, I think I heard the hissing of a snake."

Sun Sun Zhengfang's heart instantly leaped in alarm!

A snake?!

The Moon Gazers stationed at the complex entrance also heard Lu Ran's words and all became mentally tense.

There were many types of evil spirits in the world; those resembling snakes existed in small numbers, but most were weak in strength and low in intelligence.

Only one type of snake-like evil spirit took human form, making it extremely troublesome!

"Crack~"

Jiangjiang Ruyi stepped onto the windowsill; the Divine Law · Master Yu Fu Formation, deactivated and then reactivated, caused fully two white jade tablets to appear directly inside the stairwell.

One of the jade tablets, sparking with sparks, pressed down gently, and the window opened from the inside.

Lu Ran dared not be overconfident; he activated his Water Flow Armor and drilled inside the window.

"Damn!" From the stairwell above, Sun Sun Zhengfang's curse suddenly rang out, "It's exactly what we feared coming true!

Jade-Faced Snake!

"Lu Xiao Lu Lu, don't come in; just lure her out directly."

Before the words had even faded, Lu Ran's eyes narrowed.

He saw a woman dart out from the stairwell above.

Well... half a woman.

For her lower body was a serpent's tail covered in white scales!

The snake scales were lustrous white like jade, shimmering with a strange glow under the building's lights.

As for her upper body—

This woman possessed a beautiful countenance and a dignified aura.

Her jet-black long hair was coiled high, while a white veil streamed backward.

Clad in white robes and draped in white gauze, she appeared noble and coldly stunning, holding an exquisite white jade Jiang Ruyi in her hand.

How could this be some evil demon?

If you told him she was a deity, Lu Ran would believe it!

Evil Demon·Jade-Faced Snake!

One of the First-Rank Deities most hated by the Wu Seng!

"Hiss—"

Upon spotting Lu Ran crouching on the windowsill, the Jade-Faced Snake emitted a faint hissing sound from her mouth.

Her expression was blank, her actions utterly at odds with her demeanor.

From her mouth, a bright red snake tongue flicked out, licking her red lips.

"Gulp." Lu Ran's Adam's apple bobbed violently.

Seeing her raise the jade Jiang Ruyi, Lu Ran said nothing; he abruptly spun around and darted away.

"Hiss——"

Mist churned beneath Lu Ran's feet as he snatched Jiangjiang Ruyi from beside the window, plunging rapidly downward.

"Boom-rumble!"

The instant Lu Ran flew out the window and shot toward the ground, the window behind him shattered with a thunderous crash!

"Hiss!!" A phantom, lustrous-white giant python smashed through the window and its frame, roaring as it charged out.

"J-Jade-Faced Snake?!"

"This giant python is at least third stage of the River Realm or higher!"

"Be extremely careful!" At the community gate, the Moon Gazing people faced a grave threat and swiftly formed battle arrays.

"Move the battlefield first! Quickly!" Sun Sun Zhengfang shouted sternly, filled with extreme anxiety.

At that same moment, Lu Ran just touched down; mist churned beneath his feet once more as he shot diagonally into the night sky.

He leaped over the community fence, sending Jiangjiang Ruyi toward the street, then abruptly spun around to gaze up at the fourth-floor stairwell.

In that instant, Lu Ran's frosty eyes met a pair of cold, indifferent pupils.

Flying backward through the curtain of rain, Lu Ran kept his gaze fixed on the Jade-Faced Snake within the stairwell.

"Lu Xiao Lu Lu, lure her out first! The entire building will be destroyed by her—"

A bleating sound cut off Sun Sun Zhengfang's urgent words, utterly piercing the rainy night:

"Baa!!!"

Begging for some monthly votes.

(End of Chapter)