Chapter 38: Eight-Panel Palanquin?

Outside the West Gate, Jiang Tian, Deng, and the trio were facing off against a Mist Shadow.

It was a demonic entity of the Mist Realm, specifically at Mist Realm · Fourth Stage.

It was higher in cultivation than the squad members, but since it fought alone, Team Leader Zhang Feng was willing to give the squad a chance at training and bonus points.

However, since Lu Ran left, the squad’s combat system had fallen into chaos.

At this moment, Tian Tian had taken the front line!

That small figure held a large petal shield, resisting the mist balls flung by the Mist Shadow.

She was the only one in the team with a defensive technique; her positioning was flawless.

The real problem was that the tall, upright Deng Yutang had been crouching low, hiding behind Tian Tian.

Occasionally, he would thrust his spear out from the edge of the petal shield, stabbing the Mist Shadow hard.

Undeniably, their coordination was excellent, inflicting repeated wounds on the Mist Shadow.

But the scene… well, it was a bit hard on the eyes.

There was no help for it—Deng Yutang currently had no defensive technique.

And the Mist Shadow flung mist clusters wildly, like throwing bombs!

Without Lu Ran, Jiang Ruyi had taken the jungle role, drifting outside, desperately distracting the Mist Shadow’s attention.

“Ziz~ ziz~”

The electric sparks flickering at her fingertips traced her movement path.

Again and again, the Electric Shackles Talisman struck the Mist Shadow with precision.

Yet the Mist Shadow’s body structure was extremely unique—its entire form composed of gray mist—greatly diminishing the effect of the Electric Shackles Talisman.

“Snap!”

Once more, the Electric Shackles Talisman struck the Mist Shadow dead-on.

Fine electric currents, like writhing little snakes, crawled wildly through its mist-filled body.

“Heh…”

Jiang Ruyi halted her steps, breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling.

Deng Yutang, quick as lightning, thrust his spear forward with all his might.

The spear tip pierced the mist, punching a hole through the gray mist head.

The Mist Shadow’s head, like a punctured balloon, continuously leaked wisps of mist.

“Sss!”

As the electric current inside the Mist Shadow dissipated, it let out a furious roar.

Its two gray mist claws suddenly solidified into tangible form, gripping the spear tip tightly.

“Demon! How dare you!” Deng Yutang clenched his weapon desperately, roaring back.

On the battlefield,

the Red Scarf devotees never lacked the aura of dominance!

But purely in terms of physical strength, human beings at the same level were no match for demonic kind.

Not to mention the Mist Shadow was two full sub-stages higher than Deng Yutang!

“Hold firm!” Beneath Jiang Ruyi’s slender fingers, electric sparks flared again.

Honestly, without Jiang Ruyi, this squad would have been crushed long ago.

Deng Yutang’s spear would have been snatched away, and Tian Tian’s petal shield would have been torn apart countless times.

Just as the Goddess Jiang was casting her spell, attempting to suppress the demon once more…

“Whoosh!!”

A sudden gale arose!

A figure flashed past Jiang Ruyi’s side, making her raincoat flutter and her long hair whip wildly.

Jiang Ruyi’s body stiffened, her beautiful eyes widening in shock!

Her stunned expression gradually turned to delight: “Lu Ran…”

“Meh~”

A sheep’s bleat sounded softly, hidden within the wind and rain, undetected by human ears, and leaving the Mist Shadow completely unresponsive.

Of course, it didn’t work.

Lu Ran sighed inwardly.

The Mist Shadow’s face had only contours, no features—no ears to speak of.

He had no idea how it perceived the world or how it produced its howls.

Regardless, Lu Ran’s Divine Art—Sound of Grief and Dread—had no effect on this uniquely structured Mist Shadow.

“Huh?” The Mist Shadow suddenly turned its head, “looking” behind.

Though Lu Ran’s Divine Art had no effect, the Mist Shadow had genuinely sensed the intruder.

“Sss!”

A slender ray of rosy light severed a curtain of rain.

A ghostly figure darted swiftly, passing by the Mist Shadow.

In an instant,

the Mist Shadow was cut cleanly in half by the rosy light blade!

But it did not die—only the waist region, where it had been sliced, continuously leaked gray mist.

“Ha! Brother Lu’s back!” Deng Yutang’s tiger-like eyes gleamed brightly as he shouted excitedly, “I knew you’d be fine!”

Tian Tian pressed her lips together, secretly delighted, her small hands trembling with excitement.

When Lu Ran had been abducted by the Rouge Paper Demon and vanished into the endless night, Tian Tian had felt as if struck by lightning.

After all these years, she had finally found a few teammates who respected her, a warm little group.

Yet this cherished story had barely begun…

All of it had been stolen by that seductive Rouge Paper Demon.

Tian Tian’s heart wept, yet as always, even her sorrow was silent.

Similar to her was Jiang Ruyi, equally hollowed out.

She had watched helplessly as Lu Ran was carried off by the Rouge Paper Demon, vanishing into the rainy night.

That scene played like slow motion.

Again and again, it cycled in her mind, leaving her dazed and distracted.

Everyone alive knew how dangerous the night of the fifteenth lunar day was.

Each time after the fifteenth, death reports released worldwide reminded the world of this cold, brutal reality.

Yet when a living person vanished right beside her, Jiang Ruyi still hadn’t prepared herself mentally.

Especially when that person was Lu Ran.

The Lu Ran who had sat beside her for two years, laughing and teasing.

The Lu Ran who trained day and night on the old rooftop, determined to join the Yu Fu Sect and slaughter every demon in the world.

Every tiny memory made that vanished figure unbearably clear in her mind.

Jiang Ruyi dared not think further, nor did she wish to contemplate his fate.

Only Deng Yutang kept boosting morale, encouraging the squad, repeating comforting words like “He’ll come back,” “Don’t worry,” “Brother Lu is fine.”

Ironically,

it was the demonic kind—the Mist Shadow—that ultimately brought this squad back to life.

The sudden crisis temporarily awakened their hollowed-out shells.

Jiang Ruyi forced down her churning emotions, rallied her spirit to fight—and yet, in the midst of this brutal battle,

that figure, whose life or death was unknown, reappeared—returned here!

It felt like an unreal dream.

“Whoosh!”

The tattered black raincoat flapped wildly in the heavy rain.

The dark, ghostly figure flashed past the Mist Shadow’s side once more.

“Roar!”

The Mist Shadow, enraged, trembled violently, its mist body shaking.

It had already released its grip on the spearhead, now gathering mist balls in both mist claws, hurling them wildly at Lu Ran.

“Die!” How could Deng Yutang miss such an opportunity?

He gripped his spear and thrust repeatedly.

In moments, the Mist Shadow’s upper arms, shoulders, and side of the head were riddled with holes like a honeycomb, leaking massive amounts of mist.

“Roar!” The Mist Shadow turned to fight Deng Yutang again—its sharp claws barely extended before Tian Tian’s petal shield blocked them firmly.

The Mist Shadow gripped the petal shield tightly, trying to swing her and the shield away together!

At the same moment, the familiar scene played out once more.

The Electric Shackles Talisman arrived in time, jolting the Mist Shadow into violent spasms.

Deng Yutang immediately stabbed at the Mist Shadow’s claws, rescuing Tian Tian.

And this very scene had played out countless times already.

The battlefield shifted in an instant—Deng Yutang was still striving to cover Tian Tian when the dark phantom reappeared again!

“Psst!”

The immortal mist swirling beneath his feet traced Lu Ran’s movements.

Drawing immense divine power from the divine power bead hanging at his neck, he instantly appeared behind the Mist Shadow, launching a flurry of killing strikes.

Decapitation!

The frost blade’s icy gleam sliced across the Mist Shadow’s throat.

Diagonal slash!

The blade turned, carving from the Mist Shadow’s right shoulder down to its left waist.

Horizontal cut!

Wrist flipped, blade swung right—shoulder drove arm, arm drove hand.

Lu Ran used his blade as a brush, carving a perfect “Z” shape onto the canvas of gray mist.

In an instant, mist erupted violently.

“Sssss…”

The Mist Shadow roared in fury, desperate and disoriented, spinning to tear backward.

But its solid, razor-sharp mist claws grasped only air.

Behind it, the little painter shot mist from his feet and flew backward.

The tattered black raincoat’s hem fluttered forward, flapping with a whooshing sound.

As if mocking the Mist Shadow’s impotent rage.

“Psst!”

Once again, Deng Yu thrust his spear through the back of the Mist Shadow’s skull.

Even the gleaming spear tip protruded from its forehead!

At last, the wildly leaking Mist Shadow fell utterly still.

For the Mist Shadow clan, piercing the skull did not mean a fatal wound.

It was because the mist within its body had dispersed to a critical threshold.

This bizarre creature finally lost its life.

“Puff!!!”

In the torrential rain, the Mist Shadow’s body exploded violently.

Big boom!

The scene was spectacular.

“Hah.” Lu Ran spun his blade, two fingers tracing the slender, icy blade from hilt to tip.

All the gray mist clinging to it was wiped clean.

Don’t ask,

Ask and I’m just emptying a plastic bag.

But before Lu Ran could finish, he remembered something and sprinted toward the mist.

He immediately forced the divine power bead at his neck to activate.

The crystal bead glowed softly; the scattered mist finally found cohesion, no longer fading away.

Threads of mist curled like strange lines through the air, winding toward Lu Ran’s neck, surging into the divine power bead.

This sight—

Magical and eerie!

Mmm, that’s better~

Lu Ran placed one hand at his neck, feeling the faint mist slip through his fingers and flow into the bead.

Didn’t this just refill the divine power he’d spent in battle?

Suddenly, a hand landed on his back.

“Hm?” Lu Ran turned, catching the girl’s rain-drenched face under the gym’s lights.

Rain was perfect cover—soaked every fighter in the downpour.

Yet her eyes were red, clearly unrelated to the rain.

“You… you’re okay.” Jiang Ruyi’s voice was soft, barely audible.

All the words she wanted to say shrank to just a few.

“Mm.” Lu Ran nodded with a smile, sensing her unease.

Jiang Meiren’s eyes were filled with complex emotion.

Too many feelings in her gaze—he couldn’t tell if she was worried or relieved.

Lu Ran smiled and spoke, as if truly unharmed, comforting his teammate in his own way: “I told the Paper Bride—marriage isn’t a joke. You can’t just treat it casually.”

We don’t care about the bride price, but at least give me a proper title, right?”

We’ve watched period dramas—must be eight bearers, formal wedding procession, the whole thing!”

Lu Ran instinctively raised his hands as the girl suddenly stepped forward and hugged him tightly.

Huh?

Lu Ran froze, his usual chatter silenced.

Jiang Ruyi squeezed him hard, as if confirming he was truly back.

Slowly, she released him, stepped back, and lowered her head, whispering:

“You’re back. That’s all that matters.”

Lu Ran opened his mouth slightly, then finally blurted: “Actually, I didn’t have to go with her.”

That Paper Bride felt icy cold. You’re warmer.”

By the way, do you have an eight-bearer sedan chair? Wow!”

Deng Yu appeared behind Lu Ran, suddenly hoisting him up and hurling him into the sky: “Yoo-hoo~~~”

“Hah! I knew it! I knew you’d make it back! Hahaha!”

His booming laughter, thick with joy, was utterly infectious.

Even Lu Ran laughed: “Hah!”

No matter what his teammates had felt, Lu Ran was the true witness.

He had truly walked through the gates of death.

Surviving was pure luck.

The torrential rain still poured,

Falling on Lu Ran like sweet dew, letting him savor the precious, irreplaceable feeling of being alive.

Jiang Ruyi gazed up at Lu Ran, tossed high in the air, laughing freely.

Finally,

A smile appeared on her face.

Thank you to the patrons Nancheng Youhun, He Di, DaCapa, and Ye Luo Wei Feng for your generous donations—thank you for your support, patrons, you’re magnificent! (`) ❤️

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(End of Chapter)