Chapter 319: Bestowal

The green mountains stood like a screen, Erhai Lake like a mirror.

Inside Lady Luoshan Pavilion, Jiangjiang Ruyi stood beside a pillar, gazing at this beautiful scroll painting beneath the blue sky and white clouds.

Lu Ran sat on a long bench nearby, having no heart for the scenic beauty.

He merely tilted his head, quietly observing the graceful back of his fiancée.

Fiancée.

Lu Ran liked this title.

He had already discussed wedding matters with Mr. and Mrs. Jiang, gaining their approval and blessings, so changing how he addressed them was perfectly appropriate.

Yet as Lu Ran watched, a trace of worry rose in his heart.

In three months, the Divine Ruins would open.

He had tried asking Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang when he might return, only to be forcefully rebuffed by the deity.

As for a return date,

it was likely indefinitely far away.

If he told her, she would be sad.

Lu Ran silently turned his head to look westward.

The sun had not yet set; the evening glow would have to wait a while longer.

"Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang," Lu Ran whispered, "I have a presumptuous idea I wish to share with you."

The mountains were utterly silent.

Lu Ran organized his words and slowly spoke: "I noticed that your pillar of light bestowing blessings is quite thick and large."

A scoff echoed in his mind: "Heh, wanting to do someone a favor?"

Lu Ran's expression turned solemn, and he immediately nodded: "Several elders of the Cheng family followed you to conquer the world.

They are unwaveringly loyal to you, and such powerhouses will naturally become my assets in the future.

I was thinking, if when I receive the blessing, the two old gentlemen could also share in some of that light."

"Rustle~"

The breeze swept through the mountain forest, carrying the pleasant sound of leaves rubbing together.

A low voice echoed in his mind:

"Walk your own path."

"Thank you, Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang, for granting this!" Lu Ran said softly, filled with gratitude.

The moment the words left his lips, he faintly heard something.

Lu Ran turned to look, seeing Jiangjiang Ruyi turning to gaze at him, her long hair gently fluttering in the slight breeze, breathtakingly beautiful.

"Did I disturb you?" Jiangjiang Ruyi asked with an apologetic expression.

"No." Lu Ran smiled, feeling quite cheerful.

"Communicating with the deity?"

"Mm." Lu Ran nodded lightly, then extended his hand toward his fiancée.

Jiangjiang Ruyi hesitated noticeably; she was unsure whether she should engage in intimate gestures with Lu Ran.

After all, the divine statue of Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang stood in the distance.

Pillaring the sky and treading the earth, its momentum was magnificent.

The entire Lady Luoshan Mountain resembled a fairyland, very sacred.

"What is it?" Lu Ran asked with an inquiring look.

Jiangjiang Ruyi glanced vaguely toward the distance.

Lu Ran merely smiled and beckoned: "Come."

After a moment, Jiangjiang Ruyi still walked over and sat beside Lu Ran.

The smile on Lu Ran's face grew even brighter.

Regardless of what considerations were at play,

the beauty, Jiang Ruyi, had leaned toward "Lu Ran's request" rather than "the mindset of respecting the deity."

"The scenery here is quite beautiful, isn't it?"

Lu Ran did not wish to put her in a difficult position; he simply sat properly, gazing toward the west.

The sun was setting so slowly...

"Mm." Jiangjiang Ruyi responded softly, and upon noticing Lu Ran behaving so properly, she felt a sense of relief in her heart.

Yet there was also a tiny hint of disappointment.

After that simple exchange, the pavilion fell into silence.

After a long while, Jiangjiang Ruyi seemed to realize something and turned her head to look at Lu Ran.

The sun, sinking gradually toward the west, reflected in his pitch-black pupils, shimmering with points of strange luster.

Jiangjiang Ruyi's heart gradually sank to the bottom.

She realized that Lu Ran seemed to have something difficult to speak of, which was why he was so silent.

"Let me tell you something." After a long pause, Lu Ran suddenly spoke.

Jiangjiang Ruyi elegantly crossed her legs and folded her hands in front of her.

Her body language subtly conveyed a sense of resistance.

"Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang said that in three months, he will open a Divine Ruin for me." Lu Ran leaned back, resting against the pavilion pillar.

Jiangjiang Ruyi's expression changed slightly.

As a top-tier scholar, she naturally understood something about Divine Ruins.

Divine Ruins are indeed rare, yet over the past forty years, every sect and faction has witnessed their appearance to some degree.

It is just that every time a Divine Ruin appears, the ultimate victor always departs from this world.

To this day, no one knows where those people have gone.

Few victors ever return to Great Xia.

Few means there are some!

But those who return clamp their mouths shut, unwilling to reveal any information to the outside world.

The only thing certain is that most of them have undergone a complete transformation, returning with terrifying power.

In common understanding, when a god opens a Divine Ruin, it is a trial and reward for their devoted believers.

The kind where danger and gain coexist.

Lu Ran tilted his head, watching the sunset continuously descend: "You once told me to inform you in advance of any major decisions."

Jiangjiang Ruyi lowered her head slightly, saying nothing.

During these recent days, she had felt immensely joyful over her breakthrough to the Jiang Jing realm.

She had originally thought she had caught up to Lu Ran's footsteps and could face this chaotic world together with him.

Yet she never expected he would be departing again.

"If I pass the trial, I may have to leave for a while," Lu Ran said softly.

Jiangjiang Ruyi lowered the arms she had wrapped before her chest, bowing her head to gently toy with her slender jade-like fingers.

Resistance was already useless.

Regarding the god's decree, Lu Ran neither had the ability nor the qualification to refuse.

Everyone could only accept it and silently digest the reality.

Lu Ran reached out, grasped her soft jade hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze: "I will return."

He very much wanted to say "I will return soon," but that would be self-deception.

After all, even he himself was unclear about when his return date would be.

"Mm." Jiangjiang Ruyi nodded lightly, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions within.

Mere seconds later, a gentle smile appeared on her face, her voice tender yet firm:

"I will wait for you."

Lu Ran felt terrible in his heart.

Jiangjiang Ruyi was clearly not the type to make a scene or throw a tantrum, but at this moment, Lu Ran would have preferred she vented her emotions.

Yet instead,

a smile appeared on her face, and her voice remained just as gentle.

Jiangjiang Ruyi held Lu Ran's fingers, gently toying with them: "You will definitely pass the trial; I believe in you."

Lu Ran turned his head to look at the sunset and gently exhaled a breath.

After a long while, he too put on a smiling face and said:

"There are still three months left; are you already trying to send me away now?"

This time, Jiangjiang Ruyi made no sound.

The sun set in the west,

and the lingering glow filled the horizon.

【96】 and the lingering glow filled the horizon.

The faint evening clouds that arrived as scheduled resembled soft silk dancing gently at the edge of the sky.

Briefly presenting a consoling dance for this world filled with parting and death.

Lu and Jiang silently gazed at their wish.

【99】 Lu and Jiang silently gazed at their wish.

Silence.

Silence was the Lady Luo Sister Xian Pavilion at dusk.

"Do you remember the first time we participated in 'Prodigy'?" Jiangjiang Ruyi suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

Lu Ran nodded: "I remember. That night we encountered the Thread-Puppet Shadow Clan · Night of a Thousand Ghosts."

Jiangjiang Ruyi: "Every time we walked across the footbridge outside Hexi Park, you acted somewhat strangely. I asked you what was wrong.

You said that whenever your former teammates walked across the footbridge, their great blades would clang and rattle.

Now that there was no sound, you felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Uncle Sun said that after people become Jiang Jing experts, they go to guard the Wu Lie Building.

Later, you looked toward the top floor of the Wu Lie Building."

Memories floated up in his mind.

Lu Ran, not understanding the intent, turned his eyes to look at Jiangjiang Ruyi.

Jiangjiang Ruyi smiled relaxedly: "When you looked at that tallest building, I was always looking at you."

Lu Ran: "."

Jiangjiang Ruyi turned her gaze to the evening clouds at the sky's edge: "After that episode of 'Prodigy' aired, I returned home, and Mother told me many things."

Lu Ran: "Oh?"

Jiangjiang Ruyi murmured: "I remember one sentence in particular.

Mother told me: Love is not gazing at each other, but gazing together in the same direction."

Lu Ran opened his mouth slightly, looking at Jiangjiang Ruyi as she spoke with a smile.

Was this a smile of relief?

Her state of mind had truly adjusted very well.

Lu Ran felt slightly reassured in his heart.

Jiangjiang Ruyi still gazed at the horizon, her eyes hazy: "So, go with peace of mind.

Strive hard, accomplish your goals, and do not let attachments hold you back.

I will also work hard at cultivation here.

You once said you wanted to change this world; I have a part in that too."

"Mm!" Lu Ran nodded heavily, once again looking toward the sunset glow on the horizon.

After pondering for a long time, he could not help but shake his head and smile, sighing softly, "Auntie makes such a good point."

Jiangjiang Ruyi smiled and nodded, agreeing with Lu Ran's words.

Dusk was brief; the sun set and the stars rose.

The two people admiring the view in the pavilion finally stood up to leave, but the mountain path was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time.

Lu Ran walked ahead, holding Jiangjiang Ruyi's hand, heading toward Lady Luo Sister Xian's Residence.

Under the dim night sky, Jiangjiang Ruyi silently lowered her head, hiding her low spirits within her eyes.

Does it make sense?

But I do not think so.

Nothing more was said that night; the next morning arrived.

Lu and Jiang had washed up early and were sitting in the mountain courtyard when Deng Deng Shijie Cheng Rou arrived.

Having advanced to the Jiang Jing realm, Lu Ran no longer needed to eat.

But stir-fried mushrooms with meat were truly super delicious!

Lu Ran used the dish as an excuse to eat two flower-shaped steamed buns.

Rose filling—hm, rounding it up, he was essentially eating flowers~

"Eat slowly, Junior Brother," Cheng Rou said with a constant smile, glancing now at Lu Ran, now at Jiangjiang Ruyi.

She spent even more time looking at Jiangjiang Ruyi.

Compared to Lu Ran, who was gobbling his food, Jiangjiang Ruyi was truly elegant.

That ethereal, immortal-like aura matched the style of Xianshan very well.

Perhaps the true master of Lady Luo Sister Xian's Residence should be her?

"Sister Rou," Jiangjiang Ruyi looked at the nanny, her eyes carrying a hint of playful reproach.

"Hehe~" Cheng Rou smiled apologetically, knowing that staring at someone was impolite.

But she really could not help herself.

Cheng Rou averted her gaze: "By the way, last night, Grandfather and Third Grandfather discussed it.

Third Grandfather also very much hopes to meet Junior Brother; he will be staying in Jingxiandian today.

If Junior Brother has time, you can go see him anytime."

Lu Ran immediately said, "I'll go right after eating; coincidentally, I also have matters to discuss with the two Grandfather Chengs."

"Oh?" Cheng Rou asked, quite curious, "What matters?"

The words had barely left her mouth when Cheng Rou realized she had been rash, and she hurriedly said, "Just eat first; I'll take you there in a while."

"It is no harm to say," Lu Ran smiled, looking at his senior sister, "I begged my lord the deity for a blessing."

"A blessing?" Cheng Rou froze on the spot.

Could such a thing actually be begged for?

Of course, if believers were not afraid of angering the deity, they could certainly shamelessly beg for it.

The problem was,

Junior Brother went to beg, and my lord the deity actually agreed?

Impossible!

We believers of Sister Xian Xiang Xianyang never hear my lord the deity speak a single word in our entire lives.

Yet here you are...

Lu Ran said, "The two old gentlemen have toiled meritoriously and established great achievements for our sect.

My lord Sister Xian Xiang Xianyang, in his grace, is willing to bestow a little fortune upon them."

Cheng Rou stared blankly at Lu Ran, her whole being thrown into disarray.

Indeed, the two old gentlemen had dedicated their entire lives to the Xianyangyi Sect.

If the deity had been willing to bestow grace, the two would have received their reward long ago; why wait until now?

Therefore,

was this a gift from my lord the deity to the two grandfathers?

This... this was completely a gift from Junior Brother!

Many thanks to bosses blank_light and Happy Little Deer Bambi for their generous donations!

The bosses are magnificent! Thank you for your support!

Wishing the bosses smooth sailing, smooth waters, and the God of Wealth by their side, with someone to care for them morning and night!

(`) Heart fingers



(End of Chapter)