Chapter 7: Little Lamb (Second Update)

The next day, at dawn.

“Ughhh~” Lu Ran, seated cross-legged on his small bed, stretched out with full force.

He had not slept all night, continuously cultivating and absorbing divine power, trying to thicken the “mist” within his body, again and again.

The sensation of being nourished by divine power was simply too exquisite.

Lu Ran rose from bed, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply toward the altar beside the windowsill:

“Immortal Sheep, good morning!”

The jade carving of the Immortal Sheep inside the altar remained silent, ignoring the man.

Lu Ran didn’t care; he headed straight for the bathroom and took a refreshing cold shower.

Before leaving, Lu Ran greeted the deity again: “Immortal Sheep, I’m off to school!”

Bai Yu Immortal Sheep: “.”

“My Devotee Is a Chatterbox”

Yuxiang City was a small county town with only a hundred thousand residents. From Yuxiang Jiayuan Community to No. 1 High School, the distance was 2.5 kilometers—thirty minutes’ walk was more than enough.

But today, Lu Ran took much longer.

He deliberately took a detour, arriving at a desolate area where he stood for a long while before an abandoned residential building.

This was where Lu Ran’s father had passed away.

“Dad, I’ve become a devotee of a deity.”

Lu Ran smiled: “Yu Fu didn’t choose me. Too bad—I was looking forward to calling you ‘senior brother.’”

Suddenly, a breeze blew, ruffling Lu Ran’s short hair.

It felt like a broad, warm hand gently ruffling his head.

Lu Ran’s smile slowly faded. After a long silence, he whispered: “See you.”

With that, he stepped forward.

As he neared the campus, student figures grew more numerous.

Though everyone wore blue-and-white uniforms, Lu Ran’s face drew many curious glances.

Clearly, after yesterday’s deity-worship incident, Lu Ran had become a campus celebrity.

Lu Ran hurried across the playground, head down, and marched straight into the teaching building toward Class 4, Grade 11.

“Classmate, want a fortune reading?”

As Lu Ran reached the third floor, a tall girl blocked his path.

“Chang Ying?” Lu Ran recognized the girl.

She was the sports monitor of Class 1, tall and sturdy, wielding a massive axe with fierce momentum, having once ranked first in the entire year for martial arts—truly a prominent figure.

Chang Ying was also the student who kicked off the deity-worship ceremony yesterday for her class and even the whole school.

The deity she had invoked was the Fourth Row: Spirit Oracle.

“L-Lu Ran!” Chang Ying only then recognized him, stumbling over her words.

Students usually felt uneasy when they saw Lu Ran.

Perhaps they thought of the terrifyingly beautiful demon—Yanzhi Ren.

Lu Ran chuckled: “You just became a Spirit Oracle devotee yesterday—already on the job today?”

“Hehe.” Chang Ying shook her old fortune-telling cylinder. “Come on, dear Lu classmate, just one reading?”

Love, studies, luck—anything you want, guaranteed!”

Lu Ran studied the “girl warrior” before him and said: “You’re clearly built for tanking.

After becoming a Spirit Oracle devotee, are you going off-track?”

Honestly, Chang Ying was truly unique.

Every time he saw her, Lu Ran felt like he was witnessing the wild, powerful, healthy beauty of women from a primitive matriarchal society.

“Don’t I have two hands?” Chang Ying retorted. “One hand holds the oracle sticks, the other swings the axe!

Before I chop, I can even check their fate.

If their fate’s too harsh, I can just escape in time. Cough, cough.

Lu Ran: “.”

Chang Ying quickly changed the subject: “You faced the demon yesterday without flinching—you’re truly a role model for our generation!

How about this: I’ll give you a 20% discount—eighty yuan per reading. Let’s be friends.”

Hearing this, Lu Ran walked away.

Eighty yuan!

What joke is this? That’s enough for how many starch sausages?

You might as well just block the bathroom door and rob me—I’d hand over the cash more willingly.

Chang Ying hurried after him: “Don’t go, Lu Ran!

No one’s taken the bait all morning—cough, cough, I mean, I haven’t made a single sale.

Lu Ran: ???

Chang Ying, bold as ever, stretched out her long arm and slung it around Lu Ran’s shoulder: “Fine, for good luck on my first day, I’ll give you a free reading!

Just buy me a pack of spicy strips after class!”

“Wow~” Lu Ran couldn’t hold back—he burst out laughing. “Spicy strips are fine?”

“Come on then!” Chang Ying grinned broadly and immediately shook her worn-out fortune cylinder.

Strangely, though the cylinder was empty, it emitted a “shush-shush” sound.

Amid a surge of energy, several illusory spirit slips floated into view.

“By the way!” Lu Ran suddenly spoke up. “What kind of fortune are you reading for me?”

“Huh?” Chang Ying flinched, and one spirit slip tumbled out.

Lu Ran nearly laughed in anger—what the hell are you even reading, you just shook it?

“Huh~”

The illusory spirit slip slowly rose, rotating gently—the scene was strangely wondrous.

There were no poems or annotations—only a single, simple character: Down.

Lu Ran: “.”

Chang Ying: “.”

The silence became unbearable.

Lu Ran pushed Chang Ying away irritably and walked toward Class 4.

Behind him, Chang Ying’s weak voice called out: “Lu Ran, my spicy strips…”

“Go play somewhere else!” Lu Ran didn’t turn back, stepping straight into his classroom.

Chang Ying felt awkward and shook her crude fortune cylinder again.

After all, it was her first day on the job—she was still unskilled at scamming.

“Well well, the groom’s here?”

Along with a sarcastic voice, another tall figure stepped forward and slung an arm around Lu Ran’s shoulder.

“Huh?” Lu Ran turned his head.

What’s going on today? Why is everyone suddenly grabbing my shoulder?

The face before him instantly ruined Lu Ran’s mood—Kou Yingquan!

Lu Ran frowned slightly; normally, the two didn’t get along and had zero physical contact.

Kou Yingquan’s unusual behavior clearly meant he had something foul in mind.

He pretended to be slinging his arm around Lu Ran’s shoulder, but was actually choking him: “After going home yesterday, did you secretly consort with the demon?”

Lu Ran: ???

This kid was young, but he sure knew how to throw accusations.

What’ll he be like when he enters the workplace?

The noisy classroom fell silent. All eyes turned toward the front podium.

Colluding with demons was an unforgivable crime.

The classmates had studied together for nearly two years; none believed Lu Ran had turned to darkness. In fact, they all knew Kou Yingquan was just looking for trouble.

But no one could deny that Lu Ran had summoned a demon onto the deity-worship platform.

More crucially, not a single divine being among the heavens had been willing to accept Lu Ran—leaving him stranded there to fend for himself.

In the end, it was the most merciful and tolerant deity—the Immortal Sheep—who finally appeared.

The implications were deeply suggestive.

Kou Yingquan: “I’m asking you a question!”

Lu Ran shot back: “Are you jealous of Yanzhi Ren? You’re into everything, aren’t you?”

“I’m nothing like you!” Kou Yingquan sneered. “I’m deeply devout to the deities.

I won’t worship demons, nor touch even a speck of them!”

Lu Ran ignored him entirely and kept going: “You have the nerve to be jealous? Didn’t I introduce you two yesterday?

Look at your pathetic self—you plopped right on the ground. Even ghosts look down on you!”

Trading insults,

It’s all about offense—no defense at all.

“Whoa!” Qian Hao, sitting in the front row, couldn’t help exclaiming, “That mouth of his—absolutely incredible~”

“Shut the hell up!” Kou Yingquan snapped, tightening his grip on Lu Ran’s neck.

Yesterday’s incident had cost him all his dignity.

It had shattered the strong, formidable image he’d cultivated among his classmates!

This might also be one reason Kou Yingquan came looking for trouble.

“Let go.” Lu Ran grabbed Kou Yingquan’s arm and spoke in a low voice.

“Beg for mercy, aren’t you a disciple of Xiang Xianyang? Show me your best trick,” Kou Yingquan sneered. “Cry out a couple times—maybe I’ll let go.”

“Both of you!” Jiang Ruyi, the class monitor in the fourth row, frowned. “Return to your seats. Begin morning self-study.”

Seeing the two still locked in place, Jiang Ruyi rose and walked to the podium, her expression unusually stern:

“School rules forbid private fights. Do you want to be expelled?”

“Hmph.” Kou Yingquan finally loosened his grip and was shoved backward several steps by Lu Ran.

Lu Ran’s gaze turned dark as he fixed his eyes on Kou Yingquan’s retreating, smug figure.

Something’s off!

Kou Yingquan’s behavior today was highly unusual.

He lunged at once, grabbed his throat—his aggression was far beyond normal.

“Go back to your seat,” Jiang Ruyi whispered, tugging lightly on Lu Ran’s sleeve.

“Hmm.” Lu Ran murmured in reply, watching as Kou Yingquan returned to his seat—their gazes met again.

Kou Yingquan wore an arrogant expression, glancing coldly at Lu Ran.

“Go back,” Jiang Ruyi said again, finally guiding Lu Ran back to the fourth row.

No sooner had he sat down than the boy behind him patted Lu Ran’s back: “You left right after offering to the god yesterday—you don’t know what happened after.”

Kou Yingquan offered to the Third-Rank God: Prisoner Demon.

Watch yourself—he’s biding his time to take you down!”

Hearing this, Lu Ran suddenly understood.

So that’s why this brat’s acting so bold today—he’s turned from a stray chicken into a phoenix?

Hmph,

He might as well have written “superiority” across his face.

The Third-Rank God: Prisoner Demon—truly formidable!

This god’s rank even surpassed that of Yu Fu, the Third-Rank God Jiang Ruyi worshipped.

In Lu Ran’s mind surfaced a statue of a solemn man draped in a crimson robe.

The foundational divine art of the Prisoner Demon sect is called Blood Robe.

Devotees who wield this divine art can summon a phantom, flowing robe over their bodies.

This robe offers both offense and defense—its battlefield effectiveness is exceptional!

Naturally, divine arts also have ranks.

It’s said the highest-tier Blood Robe turns pure crimson, capable of withstanding all attacks in the world.

As Lu Ran pondered silently, the classroom erupted again.

After all, everyone had offered to their gods yesterday—how could they possibly keep quiet today?

But as they chatted, the topic inevitably circled back to Lu Ran—his story was simply too bizarre.

“I can’t figure it out—Lu Ran’s grades are so good, yet he ended up with Xiang Xianyang, the weakest god.”

“Onstage, it was either Xiang Xianyang or Yanzhi people—he had no choice!”

“The reputation of Xiang Xianyang’s followers isn’t good at all—they’re practically Gongrende soft targets.”

“What can you do? Xiang Xianyang is the weakest among all gods. They call it magnanimity, but it’s just weakness—too afraid to clash with other gods or compete for resources.”

“If the god himself is like this, how can his followers be any tougher?”

“Hey, do you think the gods rejected Lu Ran for a reason?”

Kou Yingquan spoke up suddenly, his voice just loud enough: “I already said it—he disrespects the gods, lacks sincerity!”

“Besides joining Xiang Xianyang’s sect and becoming a weak, easy-picked lamb, what else could he do?”

Lu Ran’s face darkened, rising as if to stand.

That mouth of yours truly deserves a beating!

You think joining the Prisoner Demon sect gives you a backer?

You really think everyone’s afraid of you?

Jiang Ruyi moved swiftly, gripping Lu Ran’s shoulder and rising to her feet, snapping:

“All of you—shut up! Don’t talk nonsense! Take out your books. Begin self-study.”

The classroom noise immediately quieted.

Jiang Ruyi’s face remained stern; after scanning the entire class, she sat down.

But her usual gentleness made her discipline enforcement less effective.

Just seconds later, whispers rose again:

“Don’t say that—Lu Ran’s father was a Yu Fu devotee, and he died heroically. Lu Ran’s an honored descendant—how could he possibly disrespect the gods?”

“Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes,” Kou Yingquan sneered. “A rat’s son knows how to dig holes.”

The school’s malice was always this naked.

Kou Yingquan never lowered his voice, scoffing: “Even now, the authorities haven’t released the full details of that night.”

“If his son could summon a demon god, who knows what his father was really like?”

Hearing this, Lu Ran’s rage flared instantly!

Kou Yingquan slandering him—he could calmly retort.

But when Kou Yingquan insulted his deceased father—

Lu Ran leapt up, grabbed his chair, and swung it violently backward!

“Huh?”

“Oh my!” Screams erupted through the classroom.

The wooden chair flew straight toward the back two rows, striking Kou Yingquan, who sat by the aisle.

A sharp crack.

The solid wooden chair shattered into pieces upon hitting Kou Yingquan.

Clearly, Lu Ran had struck with terrifying force.

“Damn!”

Kou Yingquan, instinctively raising his arm to block, was struck hard—pain burst from his body, and he cursed aloud.

Kou Yingquan never imagined—

This Lu Ran, who’d summoned a demon god and deserved universal condemnation; this lamb who’d joined the lowest-ranked god, weak and easy to bully—

Actually dared to strike back?!

The truth proved: this lamb dared!

Lu Ran didn’t just swing the chair—he charged forward with his whole body!

20 points remain. One chapter left.

(End of Chapter)