Chapter 453: Come With Me

"Take it." Lu Ran pushed the treasure bead forward.

He Qi's expression was complex; he still made no move, only gazing into Lu Ran's eyes: "For me?"

"What do you mean 'for me'? Isn't this just returning the item to its owner?"

"Heh." He Qi suddenly laughed.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ran asked, looking puzzled.

He Qi finally picked up the Wind Barrier Bead, examining the lost-and-found magical artifact, and sighed softly: "I didn't expect to hear such words here."

Returning the item to its owner?

Perhaps that's still possible in the mortal world.

But on Spirit Saint Mountain?

Nothing belongs to you by right!

Or rather, nothing belongs to you at all.

From divine weapons and magical artifacts down to clothes and shoes, even your life and your entire self belong not to you.

In this Harsh World, the strong hold dominion over everything.

"Hurry up and establish a connection with the artifact spirit," Lu Ran said, taking the opportunity. "I thought you had already mentally linked with the Wind Barrier Bead, which is why I used it to track you down."

"As it turns out, the Wind Barrier Bead hasn't accepted you yet?"

"Has your Little Chifeng Pattern Gourd accepted you?" The competitive He Qi indeed could not bring himself to say anything soft.

Even though Lu Ran had just returned the magical artifact to him.

Lu Ran simply raised his hand.

His wide straw raincoat writhed for a moment, and then the exquisite Little Chifeng Pattern Gourd fell into his palm.

The golden phoenix pattern flashed brightly, dazzling and brilliant.

Lu Ran looked at the Wu Seng Young Lady and once again displayed that pursed-lip smile.

He Qi: "."

She pouted, staring defiantly at the obedient Little Chifeng Pattern Gourd; after staring for a while and finding no flaw, she simply glared at Lu Ran.

Clearly an imposing and dignified Wu Seng Young Lady, yet she revealed such a frustrated little expression.

It truly amused Lu Ran.

He Qi lowered his head, toying with the crystal-clear treasure bead, remained silent for quite some time, and then whispered softly:

"Thank you."

Seeing her awkward little demeanor, Lu Ran couldn't help but feel playful.

"Huh? What did you say?" He leaned his ear over, pretending not to have heard.

He Qi chuckled, raised a hand, extended a single finger, and tapped Lu Ran's bamboo hat brim with moderate force: "You kid, you really are asking for a beating, aren't you?"

Lu Ran rolled his eyes.

From the moment they met until now, this girl hadn't gone three sentences without mentioning "asking for a beating."

As if you could actually defeat me!

He Qi reined in his emotions, his expression turning solemn as he looked seriously at Lu Ran: "You truly deserve to be the First Lu Lu Tianjiao; I acknowledge you."

"Oh?" Lu Ran was quite surprised.

Could it be that the female Wu Seng finally knew defeat?

That was quite novel.

As if overcoming a hurdle in his heart, He Qi slowly broke into a smile.

His smile grew increasingly brilliant, truly infectious: "It's wonderful that Spirit Saint Mountain failed to defile you."

The Wind Barrier Bead is a precious magical artifact, and since it has never mentally linked with anyone, it is equivalent to an ownerless object.

It was Lu Ran's spoils of war; he could have easily claimed it for himself.

So why go to such trouble to seek it out and return it to its owner?

"And what about you?" Lu Ran suddenly blurted out.

"Me?"

"Have you colluded with the people here or the factions here?" Lu Ran asked jokingly.

He Qi pretended to think for a moment, then mimicked Lu Ran by shrugging his shoulders: "It's alright~"

The young Wu Seng believer in the distance, seeing the two chatting and laughing, nearly had fire bursting from his eyes.

Lu Ran frowned slightly and turned to look over.

Sharp as he was, he had already noticed something was amiss.

Those two older Wu Seng believers looked somewhat curious, their gazes carrying scrutiny, which was quite normal.

The Zhu brothers looked excited and full of admiration, which was also very normal.

Only that young Wu Seng believer had a strange look in his eyes.

"Who is he?" Lu Ran asked.

"Yin Yin Tianlong." The smile vanished from He Qi's face as he spoke in a deep, stern voice.

"He Tangzhu!" The young Wu Seng believer immediately stood straight, his posture rigid.

He Qi showed no leniency, commanding: "Scram! Go stand guard over there."

"Yes." Yin Yin Tianlong lowered his head and slunk away into the depths of the forest.

Watching this scene, Lu Ran muttered softly: "He Tangzhu He is so strict."

He Qi looked as if frustrated by iron failing to become steel: "The name is imposing enough, Yin Yin Tianlong, yet his mind is filled with thoughts of love and romance, spending every day thinking about useless things!"

Lu Ran: "."

He Qi let out a cold snort: "Have you no idea what kind of place this is, or what predicament you're in? Still having the mind for romance and moonlit flowers? Truly hopeless."

Lu Ran finally understood what was going on and smiled: "We're young, after all; it's normal to have aspirations for love."

"Hehe~" He Qi turned her head to look at Lu Ran, a smile returning to her face. "I almost forgot, you kid are also a love-brain."

Lu Ran:???

What kind of talk is that!

He Qi's smile grew even wider: "What, did I say something wrong?"

Lu Ran's face darkened: "That's called deep affection, okay!"

"Mm-hmm, deep affection." He Qi nodded with a beaming smile. "The whole world knows how deeply affectionate you are! On the very first day of school, you flew into a rage for the sake of a beauty."

"You beat our Wu Seng believers until they were crawling all over the ground."

Lu Ran's darkened face flushed red again: "That person insisted on walking my fiancée home; relying on his superior strength, he kept pestering her. Was I supposed to just indulge him?"

"Right, right, right! Young Master Lu did the most right thing!" He Qi acted as if coaxing a child, nodding repeatedly.

It made Lu Ran so angry his teeth itched; he really wanted to draw his blade and stab her hard in the kidneys!

"Hahahahaha~" Watching Lu Ran's petty expression, He Qi couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.

Heroic and clear-spirited, radiant with vitality.

For someone called Yin Tianlong to fall in love with such a valiant woman, there was truly nothing wrong with that!

"Let's go!" He Qi, very bold and unconstrained, slung an arm around Lu Ran's shoulders. "Meeting an old friend in a foreign land—you and I should return to Martial Extremity Peak and have a good chat!"

Lu Ran, however, stood his ground: "I've seen quite a few sects, and none of them were particularly friendly."

He Qi immediately said: "Rest assured! With me here, no one will dare to touch you."

Lu Ran still didn't move, pondering how to broach the subject and extend his invitation.

Seeing this, He Qi paused thoughtfully and said: "There were some things I intended to tell you after we returned, but speaking now is fine too."

"You heard just now; I am a He He Tangzhu."

"Mm." Lu Ran nodded.

"My seniority at Martial Extremity Peak is very shallow, I'm so young, and I'm only at the fourth stage of Jiang Jing." He Qi looked at Lu Ran. "By rights, the position of He He Tangzhu shouldn't have fallen on me."

"Do you know why I was able to become the master of this Yimingtang?"

"Why?"

"Because of the title of 'Young Master'," He Qi stated directly.

"Oh?" Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly.

He Qi turned around and looked toward the Zhu brothers in the distance: "The appearance of these two served as a reminder to me."

A thought stirred in Lu Ran's heart; he had already deduced what the other party was about to say.

He Qi continued explaining on her own: "Within the Spirit Saint Mountain Realm, people are born with inherent hostility toward one another; there is not a shred of trust to be found."

"And I, as a Great Xia Young Master, possess a tremendous advantage."

"The human believers who enter the Spirit Saint Mountain Realm afterward should, more or less, have heard of my name."

Lu Ran thought silently, 'As expected.'

He Qi placed both hands on Lu Ran's shoulders, turning his body to face her squarely, her gaze locking directly onto his: "You and I are heroes established by Great Xia; we are a golden signboard!"

"This immeasurable influence can, to a certain extent, establish a foundation for relationships."

"That is the scarcest thing within the Spirit Saint Mountain Realm!"

Lu Ran said softly: "Trust."

"Correct!" He Qi nodded heavily, her eyes growing even more fervent. "Brother Lu, relying on our own influence, we can accomplish great things!"

"Perhaps, we can change the pattern that has existed in this realm for decades."

"At the very least, we can reduce the slaughter among our own people!"

Without waiting for Lu Ran to speak, He Qi continued: "Brother Lu, you arrived here earlier than I did; you must have already witnessed the cruelty of this realm!"

"You are Great Xia's number one Young Master; your influence is far greater than mine!"

"Come with me; let us accomplish great things together. What do you say?"

As He Qi spoke these words, her entire person seemed to glow!

Her words were sonorous and powerful, striking the ear with every syllable.

Her gaze was incomparably intense, filled with lofty ambitions and heroic spirit.

Lu Ran's heart thumped violently!

But he also felt numb.

He Qi, oh He Qi...

Everything you said, damn it, was supposed to be my line!

I traveled thousands of miles to get here specifically to recruit you, yet you're trying to abduct me instead?

No wonder you look down on love-brains!

So, you're actually a career-oriented powerful woman.

Seeing Lu Ran remain silent, He Qi pondered for a moment, then turned her head to address the crowd, commanding: "Spread out and stand guard; keep your distance."

"Yes!"

"Yes." The two Wu Seng believers and the two Two Two Biwu believers responded in unison, scattering in different directions.

Only Yu Fish Changsheng remained standing in his original spot.

He Qi glanced at him but said nothing.

She looked at Lu Ran again: "What I am about to say may be somewhat treasonous, but you should also be able to see clearly what the relationship truly is between the gods, demons, and us humans."

Lu Ran suddenly changed the subject: "Martial Extremity Peak supports your career, which is why they gave you the position of He He Tangzhu?"

He Qi nodded gently.

Lu Ran felt slightly surprised: "I thought Wuji Peak would be like other sects."

He Qi spoke frankly: "Originally, it was the same.

It is said that two years ago, the previous peak master of Wuji Peak ascended to the heavens, and after the new peak master took office, he made some changes to the sect's principles.

Nowadays, our Wuji Peak sect tries its best not to conflict with others and does not actively harm anyone."

Hearing this, Lu Ran recalled the two guards he had seen when visiting Wuji Peak earlier.

From start to finish, those two indeed displayed no behavior of obstruction or making things difficult.

He Qi's expression turned serious: "Ever since I revealed the matter of 'The Prodigy,' Peak Master Tu has paid considerable attention to me.

Later, I privately shared some ideas with Peak Master Tu, which led to my current position as Hall Master."

Lu Ran opened his mouth: "I—"

"Slap!"

He Qi slapped both of Lu Ran's shoulders heavily, her slender fingers gripping tightly as if worried he might slip away.

She said in a deep voice: "Originally, after that Wind Barrier Treasure Pearl was snatched away, I was especially furious.

But now it seems this was the will of heaven!"

Lu Ran: "."

In He Qi's pitch-black eyes lay thick hope: "Even the Heavens could not bear the tyranny of the gods and demons, so they used this treasure pearl to deliver you to my side.

Come with me, Lu Ran!"

Thanks to the patrons Guiwu Shi, E Huai Le De Xiao Xiong Mao, Xia Muxiaolan, and You Er Xi Pu for their tips! You patrons are generous; thank you for your support!

(⁎˃ ꇴ ˂⁎) Sending love

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(End of Chapter)