Chapter 618: A Sword Dance

Five days later, at dusk.

Outside the gate of the small courtyard at Cloud Sea Dwelling, a floor-to-ceiling mirror silently opened, and a crowd of people filed out one by one.

"Everyone has worked hard." Lu Ran propped up his buzzing head, his complexion not looking very good. "Go back and rest well."

Everyone knew the Sect Master's mental state was not good, so they did not dawdle and took their leave one after another.

Lu Ran turned and pushed open the courtyard gate, just in time to see Jiangjiang Ruyi coming out to greet him.

"You're back. Oh." Jiangjiang Ruyi hurriedly reached out her hand.

A coolness rushed into her embrace.

She saw Lu Ran leaning forward, nestling in Jiangjiang Xianzi's arms, his face buried in her neck.

Jiangjiang Ruyi instinctively glanced at the distance, seeing the Divine Generals walking faster and faster, one after another.

None of them looked back.

Only then did Jiangjiang Ruyi turn her head slightly and ask in a low voice:

"Are you injured?"

"No." Lu Ran's voice was muffled, and his words were also somewhat indistinct. "It's just that my head hurts."

Jiangjiang Ruyi looked at the person in her arms who was "acting spoiled," feeling both heartache and amusement.

In this vast sea, who is not a formidable figure on all sides?

But the Sect Master, my lord, is truly without any proper form.

Hmm. Thinking about it, it makes sense.

These past few days, he must have been particularly difficult.

To allow Leng Xuan Shuang to fuse better with Yemo Yemo Xiesu, Lu Ran had activated Yemo Yemo Xiesu early on, enduring the headache and forcing himself to fight.

Especially after Yemo Yemo Xiesu advanced to Jiang Jing, every small rank advancement took several hours.

"Relax, you don't need to stay awake anymore." Jiangjiang Xianzi's voice was gentle as she brushed the frost and snow from his head.

"Mm." Whether the person was taking advantage or acting unconsciously, no one knew.

He buried his head in her neck and rubbed his face left and right.

As if seeking a more comfortable posture?

Just then, Yan Yan Shuangzi appeared, intending to return the magical artifact, the Ice Heart Bracelet, to the Sect Master's Lady, and she saw this scene clearly.

"Be good." Jiangjiang Xianzi's face flushed slightly, and she scolded in a low voice.

"Lady, your bracelet." Yan Yan Shuangzi lowered her head, the corners of her lips curling slightly upward, and handed over the exquisite bracelet.

"You have also been tired for several days; go back and rest."

Jiangjiang Xianzi pretended to be as if nothing had happened and led Lu Ran back to their residence.

The Ice Heart Bracelet hurriedly chased after them, flew down to the mistress's side, and obediently put itself on her wrist.

Back in the bedroom, Jiangjiang Xianzi helped Lu Ran take off the black robe on his body and brushed off the frost and snow from it.

Lu Ran simply collapsed onto the bed, like a puddle of rotten mud.

Jiangjiang Xianzi hung the Imperial Robe on the clothes rack, walked back to the bedside, and bent down to look at Lu Ran's profile: "Shall I massage your head for you?"

However, the person had already entered a "moronic" state.

There was not the slightest reaction.

Jiangjiang Xianzi hesitated for a moment, then sat leaning against the head of the bed, gently lifting Lu Ran up and letting him lean against her chest.

She massaged him gently, the embarrassment on her face gradually fading, replaced by a hint of a smile.

This bad guy.

If only he could always be this quiet and well-behaved, that would be good.

Come to think of it, since he performed so well this time and worked so hard, perhaps he could have his wish granted?

To dance the sword for him once?

Jiangjiang Xianzi thought silently.

The sun gradually sank, and the stars and moon moved.

When the sky began to lighten, Lu Ran was finally liberated!

The Yemo Yemo Xiesu of the Ice Plum Demon Queen stopped trembling and ceased expanding in scale, but Lu Ran did not truly wake up.

Days of continuous battle and a continuously buzzing head left him exhausted in body and mind.

After completely relaxing, Lu Ran fell into a deep sleep.

Listening to his long and rhythmic breathing, Jiangjiang Xianzi quietly got up and left.

Dusk returned.

"Mm." Lu Ran turned over, emitting a muffled nasal sound.

He rubbed his head groggily, looked around, and found himself on the large bed in the bedroom.

He reached out to the side with one hand; no one was there.

Nor was there any residual warmth.

Lu Ran pouted, sat up leaning against the head of the bed, and hummed softly:

"If I had known sadness was always inevitable, at every moment of waking from a dream..."

Suddenly, a soft "pfft" of laughter came faintly.

"Eh?" Lu Ran stopped singing.

Moments later, he lazily tidied his messy short hair: "Shadow Guardian, your Sect Master, my lord, also has face."

【Mm.】 In his mind, a faint nasal sound was imprinted.

"Where is she?"

"The Lady left at dawn; we do not know where she went, and she has not returned."

Lu Ran pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is there a situation inside the cliff?"

"The interior of the cliff is very peaceful; all is well."

Lu Ran: "."

Fine.

He raised his head slightly; the next moment, specks of plum blossoms drifted down within the bedroom.

The temperature inside the room dropped, and a faint fragrance spread everywhere.

Lu Ran raised his hand and caught a pink-white plum blossom petal.

A simple movement, yet it left several afterimages of his arm; as time passed, the afterimages vanished one by one.

Dreamlike and illusory.

Although it was of little use, and might even expose his movement trajectory, but

It was cool!

Xie Fa: Plum Blossoms Falling Startling the Goose!

Upon activating this Yi Ji Fa, Lu Ran felt his entire body become light and floating~

The list of Zu Xie Fa from the Ice Plum Demon Queen Clan was actually quite good.

There was Xie Fa: Ice Plum Sword to summon a weapon; there was Xie Fa: Ice Sword Qi to fling out sharp sword energy.

There was Xie Fa: Plum Blossoms Falling Startling the Goose, making one light as a startled goose and one's shadow like flying flowers; there was Xie Fa: Soul-Stealing Cold Fragrance to confuse the mind.

There was also Xie Fa: Ice Plum Nine Heavens, summoning plum blossom petals filling the sky to roam freely and slaughter enemy troops.

And a special Xie Fa—Proud Snow Ice Plum!

This method allowed Lu Ran to completely ignore harsh cold environments, and even gain comprehensive attribute bonuses within ice and snow environments!

From now on, even if Lu Ran lay naked in the ice and snow, he would not suffer frostbite or freeze to death.

"You are awake." Suddenly, a voice came.

Lu Ran turned his gaze and saw a white-robed Jiangjiang Xianzi standing beside an elegant screen.

She matched the shower of falling petals inside the room quite well.

"Decided to come back?" Lu Ran muttered.

Jiangjiang Ruyi raised her eyebrows slightly, as if she heard someone's hidden resentment.

"It's been a day; where did you go running wild?" Lu Ran cancelled the Xie Fa.

The environment inside the room returned to normal.

But it was still somewhat cold, and the faint fragrance remained.

Jiangjiang Ruyi looked at Lu Ran with a half-smile, responding indirectly: "Xuan Shuang has already adapted to the Zu De Xie Fa of the Ice Plum Clan and has completely transformed."

Lu Ran nodded silently.

The God Faction's Cold Plum Sect is a support-type sect.

It possesses perception, can calm the mind and soothe the heart, and can even strengthen a companion's will with a sword dance.

After switching to the Evil Faction's Ice Plum Clan, Leng Xuan Shuang's entire set of support skills scattered.

She became a "Demon Queen" with high movement speed, the ability to captivate hearts, and capabilities for both single-target assassination and area attacks.

The only thing unchanged was the faint plum fragrance.

Lu Ran fell silent for a moment, then couldn't help but mutter, "Xuan Shuang truly has turned from bad to good; one sect master and one sect master's wife have been so very concerned about her."

"Have you recovered?" Jiangjiang Ruyi did not take the bait; smiling, she stepped forward, came to the bedside, and reached out to tidy Lu Ran's hair.

This intimate little gesture made Lu Ran feel somewhat comforted in his heart.

The Lu siblings shared the same survival principle, focusing on just two words:

Easy to coax~

He shrugged his shoulders: "The Sea Realm body is very tough."

Jiangjiang Ruyi nodded slightly and suggested, "Accompany me to Thousand Flower Ridge?"

"Thousand Flower Ridge?" Lu Ran was somewhat puzzled. "What are we going there for?"

"Vroom~"

Unexpectedly, the Liang Ye Sword at Jiangjiang Xianzi's waist trembled slightly.

Lu Ran reached out to grasp the sword hilt, intending to communicate a bit with the Liang Ye Sword, but was blocked by a slender hand.

He raised his eyes again, looking at the woman, his face showing an expression of inquiry.

Jiangjiang Ruyi pressed her lips together, then asked again, "Do you want to go?"

Seeing her unusual behavior, Lu Ran processed it, then his eyes grew even brighter as he nodded repeatedly: "Mm-hmm, let's go!"

Jiangjiang Ruyi gave him a reproachful glare, went to the wardrobe, casually took out a loose white robe, and threw it at Lu Ran: "Let's go."

"Swish~"

Without a word, Lu Ran directly activated the Teleportation Mirror.

He casually draped the robe over his body and walked in quickly.

After many days, Lu Ran returned once again to the quiet river valley land.

A gentle breeze blew, and waves of flowers rose and fell.

The sunset glow sprinkled over the endless sea of flowers, coating the blossoms with a faint halo of light.

The beauty Jiang Ruyi floated among the flower clusters, one hand gripping the hilt of the Liang Ye Sword, turning her head to look at Lu Ran.

She saw him fully focused, with little stars seemingly about to burst from his eyes.

"The decadent ruler..."

Jiangjiang Ruyi's cheeks flushed slightly as she lowered her eyelids.

She had thought that performing just as she usually practiced would be enough.

Today, she had rehearsed again and again in the small courtyard of the Mad Immortal Residence, captivating Sister Sister Xian'er and earning constant nods of approval from Leng Xuan Shuang.

Jiangjiang Ruyi possessed a formidable foundation in swordsmanship, exceptional strength and flexibility, complemented by an exquisitely graceful figure.

This gave Leng Xuan Shuang a sense of "the student surpassing the master."

With this level of skill, she could indeed perform for someone.

Jiangjiang Ruyi thought so too.

Yet, at this very moment, feeling Lu Ran's heart brimming with anticipation, she suddenly wanted to go back and practice for another year or half a year.

"Jiang Ruyi?" Lu Ran called out.

"Mm." Jiangjiang Ruyi made up her mind and drew her sword from its sheath.

Petals danced with the sword wind, forming a brilliant floral wreath around her.

Her cold, ethereal figure appeared and disappeared amidst the falling shower of flowers.

The glow of the setting sun seemed drawn to her, gilding the graceful lines of her body with a pale golden outline.

She was incomparably beautiful.

Lu Ran's gaze grew even more tender.

The filthy Holy Spirit Mountain was forever cold and cruel.

Yet a woman in a white skirt, draped in the brilliant sunset, wielded her sword to carve graceful arcs, bringing a gentle shower of flowers to the harsh world.

No,

this realm was merely a backdrop.

This sword dance was offered to only one person.

Yet this dance fell into the eyes of a second person.

High atop the mountain ridge, a young man in black robes stood silently.

He gazed from afar at the graceful figure with fluttering sleeves amidst the sea of flowers by the stream.

His expression shifted from shock to appreciation, and finally to awe.

Suddenly, the white-skirted immortal stopped.

Her slightly shy eyes changed abruptly, turning bone-chillingly cold as she looked toward the mountain ridge.

Simultaneously, the young man standing by the riverside turned his head to look back.

"Huff~"

Lu Ran's expression froze!

He saw a pitch-black spider lily blooming atop the mountain ridge.

Enchanting yet mysterious.

After blooming, it withered.

The young man in black bowed apologetically, and his figure vanished without a trace.

(End of this chapter)