Chapter 653: Flower of the Other Shore

Stars and moon wheel, night and day alternate.

Beautiful morning clouds appear on the horizon; a red sun gradually pokes its head above the eastern sea.

A profound silence fills the Cloud Sea Residence.

In the courtyard, a young man wrapped in a wide white robe sleeps soundly on a rocking chair.

"Huff~"

The sea breeze blows, gently swaying the rocking chair.

"Mm." Lu Ran opens his sleepy eyes; his arms are empty, the beauty gone.

He reacts for a moment, then asks softly, "Where is she?"

【The Lady is in the back courtyard, practicing sword with two guards.】 A voice echoes in his mind.

"Oh." Lu Ran sniffs; indeed, a faint scent of plum blossoms drifts through the hall from the back courtyard to the front.

Little Jiang Ruyi is truly diligent!

Getting up so early to practice sword, I wonder who she's preparing to show off for?

Oh. So it's me!

Then it's fine~

Lu Ran smiles contentedly, looking lazy, and tightens the wide robe covering him.

He lets the rocking chair sway him gently.

He slowly closes his eyes, as if to take a nap.

Just as he is dozing, another voice echoes in his mind: 【Master, Elder Lu requests an audience.】

"Hmm, Elder Lu requests an audience?" Lu Ran suddenly opens his eyes, instantly awake, "Where?"

【Outside the courtyard in the woods, Shadow Two stopped him.】

"Invite him in quickly!" Lu Ran rises immediately, looking over the bamboo fence wall; amidst the lush forest, he indeed sees a white-haired old man in gray robes.

Lu Ran is overjoyed!

Is that an old man?

No, that is a flower!

A flower of the other shore sent to return him to the human world!

"Tell the Lady." Lu Ran straightens his clothes, goes out to welcome him, "Elder Lu, good morning!"

Nowadays, Lu Yuan holds an official post.

Senior Lu's request is simple; he is used to leisure and does not wish to be disturbed too much.

Lu Ran gave him the post of Elder of the Ran Gate; his status within the sect is lofty, he need not manage any affairs, and can simply live in leisure.

"This old one hopes not to disturb the Sect Master's rest?" Lu Yuan says with a smile.

"No, no! I just woke up early; we martial artists value rising at the crow of the rooster!" Lu Ran speaks shamelessly, leading Lu Yuan into the bamboo courtyard.

Lu Yuan continues smiling, not exposing the lie.

The two arrive at a corner of the courtyard and sit before a stone table.

"Elder Lu has arrived." A clear, cold voice sounds; the white-robed Jiangjiang Xianzi floats over.

"Lady." Lu Yuan responds immediately; seeing the woman's state, he realizes who exactly Lu Ran meant by the one "rising at the crow of the rooster."

"Liu Huo, serve tea." Jiangjiang Ruyi instructs softly, sitting before the table.

Lu Ran has also grown somewhat, able to keep his composure a bit better, and asks with concern, "Elder Lu has lived in the Cloud Sea Cliff for some time now; is it comfortable?"

"Comfortable, comfortable." Lu Yuan nods with a smile, "This old one has roamed the Mountain Realm for over thirty years; the Sect Master is the first to dare to settle by the sea."

Lu Ran smiles, "We have the Ink Carp Clan and the Sea Mermaid Clan firmly controlling this sea area; Elder, rest assured and stay."

"At most, an angry Nu Hai Yan Jiao flies over occasionally; Luo Shen will shoot it down with a few arrows."

Lu Yuan does not take the bait, but sighs, speaking in a literary manner: "Eight hundred meters of sea cliff stand towering, like a screen dividing sea and land; below the cliff, terrifying waves and surging tides roar like thunder.

Such a magnificent and grand place is indeed something only a person like the Sect Master can master."

Lu Ran: "..."

The world in the eyes of a Dust Shadow disciple is indeed different from others.

"Senior, praise him less; he will become arrogant." Jiangjiang Ruyi says with a smile.

Though she says so, in Lu Yuan's eyes, the woman's words do not match her heart.

Hearing Lu Ran praised, she seems sweet inside, even more proud than Lu Ran?

"I dare not accept such praise." Lu Ran quickly humbles himself.

"The Sect Master deserves it!" Lu Yuan shows emotion, "Before coming to the Cloud Sea Cliff, this old one never imagined the Sect Master could achieve such a degree."

Within the Mountain Realm, all kinds of ugly faces are seen everywhere.

But those with compassionate hearts who care for all living beings are pitifully few.

Lu Yuan still remembers at Cloud Bamboo Ravine, when Lu Ran said the Ran Gate's atmosphere was very upright, he asked, "Like Wuji Peak or the Forbidden City?"

At that time, Lu Ran laughed inexplicably.

Now, Lu Yuan completely understands why Lu Ran laughed.

Because that Forbidden City belongs to Lu Ran!

That famous Lord of the Forbidden City should belong to the Ran Gate.

The huge stone statue of He Qi stands in the Flying Immortal Hall, receiving worship from Ran Gate disciples day and night.

"Really, stop praising." Lu Ran, whose face is usually very thick, is rarely humble, "I'm really going to float away."

"Good, good." Lu Yuan's expression becomes somewhat solemn, "Today is July 13th. Sect Master, what do you think of returning to the human world on the night of July 15th?"

"July 15th?" Lu Ran raises his eyebrows slightly.

"Night." Lu Yuan emphasized the single word.

On the fifteenth night of every month, evil spirits attend the banquet, feasting to their hearts' content in the human world.

And among all the months, the night of the fifteenth of the seventh month is the most special, the night when evil spirits invade most fiercely.

"I am fine with anything, but why did Elder Lu specifically choose this night?" Lu Ran asked in confusion.

Lu Yuan explained: "The disturbance caused by the Supreme Grade·Lycoris Radiata is immense, and the divine power fluctuations are extremely violent. If I were to teleport the Sect Master back while the human world is calm, it might attract Dust Shadow's attention."

Lu Ran nodded: "Understood."

Muddy waters are best for fishing!

Lu Yuan added: "I will teleport the Sect Master to the south of Tianmen Mountain in Xiangnan Province, Great Xia. How does that sound?"

"Good!" Lu Ran nodded again.

As long as he returns to the human world, for Lu Ran, going anywhere is but a single step.

"Lady." Liu Huo approached carrying a bamboo tea tray, calling out softly.

Since Lu Ran activated the map of Yunzhu Liangye Jian, many items in the house had been replaced with bamboo products.

Jiangjiang Ruyi dismissed the guards, personally poured a cup of tea for Lu Yuan, and handed it to him: "I heard Elder Lu was forced to enter the mountain, and that a wife and daughter remain in the human world.

Should we ask Lu Ran to go and look after them?"

"I am deeply grateful!" When the Sect Master's Lady brought up the matter herself, Lu Yuan immediately stood up, clasped his fists, and bowed.

"Please sit quickly, Elder Lu, no need for that." Lu Ran hurriedly pressed his hand down, and only after the old man sat did he ask about the information regarding his wife and daughter.

"My wife's name is Wen Lanxin, Lanxin as in orchid heart and virtuous nature." When Lu Yuan mentioned his wife, his expression softened somewhat.

Gentle as jade, with an orchid heart and virtuous nature.

Truly a beautiful name.

Lu Ran thought silently, recalling the exquisite bamboo carving inside the bamboo house at Yunzhu Liangye Jian in his mind.

The woman's gentle smiling face was still vivid before his eyes.

"She was the same age as me; if she were still alive, she would be seventy-four years old." Lu Yuan's tone clearly grew a bit lower.

Lu Ran and Jiangjiang Ruyi remained silently speechless.

Before the Old Man of Time, all comforting words appear pale and powerless.

Even in peaceful times, no one dares to guarantee that a seventy-four-year-old elder is still alive.

Let alone in the human world where there are battles every month.

Afterwards, Lu Yuan described his wife's appearance in detail, but his impressions only stopped at more than thirty years ago.

After more than thirty years of wind and frost, what would Ms. Wen Lanxin look like now?

No one knows.

The atmosphere in the courtyard grew much heavier.

After Lu Yuan finished speaking, he fell silent.

After a long while, Jiangjiang Ruyi personally refilled the old man's tea, her voice slightly softer: "What about Elder Lu's daughter?"

Lu Yuan's expression darkened: "I do not know my daughter's name."

Jiangjiang Ruyi silently refilled the tea and said no more.

Lu Yuan looked at the lush forest outside the fence courtyard and spoke slowly: "When I entered the mountain, my daughter had just been born; my wife and I had not yet decided on her formal name."

Lu Ran caught a word and asked: "Does she have a childhood name?"

"Her childhood name is Huang'er, Huang as in the phoenix."

Lu Huang'er?

Lu Ran nodded silently; just looking at this childhood name, one could feel the parents' full expectations for their child.

Lu Yuan recalled the warm times of that era: "The character Huang is too grand; my wife and I always debated whether or not to use this name.

So, we simply treated it as a childhood name for the time being."

Lu Ran agreed with this.

The character Huang is indeed grand, and its meaning is also very good.

The king of all birds, and also a symbol of auspiciousness.

"If Huang'er were still alive, she would be thirty-seven years old." Lu Yuan looked at the leaves swaying in the wind. "I wonder if she is married.

If she has her own family, her own children."

Lu Ran asked: "Where does Elder Lu live? Also, do you have any relatives, friends, or comrades-in-arms from back then? The more detailed the information, the better, so I can find them."

Lu Yuan remained silent for a long time, then spoke: "The last time I returned to the human world, I was teleported directly to my doorstep, but the place had changed completely.

When I tried to search again, the gods had already found me."

Lu Ran's heart sank.

Yes, more than thirty years have passed; the city's buildings, streets, and so on have all changed appearance.

Jiangjiang Ruyi said: "Elder Lu, please speak in detail."

Lu Yuan recalled everything from more than thirty years ago; too much had already become blurred: "My wife and I are both from Xiangnan; we once lived in Yueyang City."

Until the sun hung high, Lu Yuan and Lu Ran agreed to meet again on the night of the fifteenth, and then Lu Yuan departed.

Watching the old man's lonely back, Lu Ran also felt somewhat uneasy in his heart.

Jiangjiang Ruyi said softly: "On this return to the human world, should we bring two Shadow Guards? It would be convenient for us to find people."

Hearing this, the Zhong sisters, who were guarding secretly, could not help but have their hearts pound wildly.

If they could, who would not want to return to the human world to take a look?

"Hmm." Lu Ran pondered for a moment.

Shadow Three and Shadow Four cannot be brought.

He did not doubt the loyalty of either, but the younger Zhong sister was rather lively, and Shadow Four had only just joined.

Shadow One and Shadow Two, however, were completely without issue.

The elder and second Zhong sisters were both calm and composed individuals.

Jiangjiang Ruyi added, "The Shadow Guard are merely at the Jiang Jing realm; their cultivation level is relatively low, making them easier to communicate with ordinary people."

Lu Ran could not help but shake his head and smile.

Merely Jiang Jing?

Merely?

Although it sounded slightly off, it indeed made perfect sense.

"Very well." Lu Ran finally nodded.

He would also bring the Nightmare and Evil Shadow Dual Guardians, just in case.

All set!

【Master! Master, do you have time?】 Suddenly, a mental message arrived, its voice identical to Lu Ran's own.

【Xia Guang Dao?】 Lu Ran's heart stirred; had the challenge over at the Pear Garden Sect yielded results?

【Master, come quickly!】

Lu Ran's heart immediately panicked, and he hurriedly asked, 【What's happening?】

Xia Guang Dao's blade spirit replied: 【Emperor Wu of Martial Arts has won! He beheaded the He He Tangzhu of the Heavenly Stars Hall! Mr. Cong Long wants you to come over immediately to devour the departed souls.】

Lu Ran: "."

You're trying to scare me to death!

(End of Chapter)