Chapter 72: Younger Sister?

The next day, at dawn.

Burdened with worries, Lu Ran, escorted by the Moon-Watchers, arrived before his home.

Regarding the matter of the Divine and Demonic Sculpture Garden, the more he thought about it, the more sorrowful he became.

As long as he participated in enough battles, it was inevitable that some comrades would meet with accidents.

Even if there was a world of difference between the gods and demons in terms of cultivation levels.

Even if the gods constantly drew upon human faith, making "Qi" a renewable resource so that this amount of energy origin was insignificant.

But if things continued like this, wouldn't the divine sculptures within his garden eventually be "activated"?

Activation itself didn't matter, after all, all the divine sculptures were hidden within his spiritual world.

But what about afterward?

The ultimate purpose of this Divine and Demonic Sculpture Garden's existence was to control and manipulate the divine and demonic statues!

If so, wouldn't two identical gods appear in this world?

At that time, whom should the believers trust?

If the myriad gods learned of this situation, wouldn't they tear him apart alive?

The answer was obvious.

In the future, he truly had to keep a low profile!

Before possessing the strength to crush the myriad gods, he absolutely could not let the divine sculptures within the garden manifest.

Having said that, regardless of how things would be handled in the future, that day was inevitably still very far away.

Moreover, if one day he truly could control the divine sculptures...

Then his own strength should already be capable of piercing the heavens, right?

"Sigh." Lu Ran let out a deep breath and took out his key to open the door.

Hide it well, it must be hidden well.

The Divine and Demonic Sculpture Garden was no different from an ultimate weapon, the kind capable of destroying heaven and earth!

It gave Lu Ran the potential to overturn the entire world.

But before it was fully formed, he had to be extremely cautious.

"Click."

With his mind in turmoil, Lu Ran opened the room door.

This time, however, he did not hear the sound of cat claws scratching at the door.

"Little Li Hua?" Not seeing the cat, Lu Ran couldn't help but feel worried.

He searched the entire house, and ultimately, surprisingly found Little Li Hua curled up inside the small shrine.

"You certainly know how to pick a spot."

Lu Ran reached out to pick up the cat.

"Meow!" Little Li Hua let out a sharp cry, its fur standing on end.

There were no bloodstains on Lu Ran's body, but his aura of solemn killing intent matched this cool autumn perfectly.

"Alright then."

Lu Ran turned and went to the bathroom, taking a thorough shower.

Only when his whole body emitted the fresh scent of body wash did he return to the front of the shrine.

"Baa~"

Under the effect of Zhi Yin De Gong, Little Li Hua poked out its fluffy little head.

Silently declaring his guilt in his heart, Lu Ran reached into the shrine, holding the Bai Yang jade carving with one hand while carefully lifting the cat with the other.

Then, holding the bewildered Little Li Hua in both hands, he bowed together with it toward the Bai Yang jade carving.

Bai Yang Jade Carving: "..."

With such a believer, there was truly no one else like him.

Lu Ran then held Little Li Hua while cleaning up, scooping the litter, picking up various items dropped on the floor, and listing every single one of Little Li Hua's offenses.

Little Li Hua meowed, trying desperately to escape, but how could it be a match for a two-legged beast?

In the end, it could only helplessly accept the scolding.

Little Li Hua was suffering, constantly being reprimanded.

During this process, Lu Ran shed his inner Grimness, and his mood gradually calmed down.

That was, until a phone call saved the little cat.

"Hello?" Lu Ran answered the phone, and the little creature seized the chance to flee.

"Brother!" A sweet and urgent voice came from the other end of the line, "I heard Rain Alley City encountered a night parade of myriad ghosts?"

"Yes."

"Are you alright?" Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi asked with concern.

"I'm fine, didn't we exchange messages yesterday morning?"

"You! You didn't even tell me about such a serious matter!" Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi said angrily.

"I was afraid you'd worry." Lu Ran walked back to the small room and plopped down onto the small bed.

"Brother, when are you coming to see me?"

Lu Ran fell silent, unsure how to respond.

This month's trial was crucial for him, because he needed to activate the Lie Hun Mo's Yemo Yemo Xiesu.

Not only did he need to activate it, but he also had to cultivate it to above Stream Realm, Stage Three!

Only then could Lu Ran equip himself with four types of Xie Fa at once.

The Lie Hun Mo Cave is, after all, in Jinmen; unlike Evil Dog Village, Lu Ran couldn't have his squad constantly visiting that place.

Therefore, this training journey carried a rather heavy burden of tasks!

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi muttered, "It's too terrifying, truly too horrifying."

"We should meet up sooner rather than later; who knows when you might be gone!"

Lu Ran:???

You really are a good little sister of mine!

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi suggested, "Where is your squad heading for training this month? How about coming to Jingcheng?"

"Or should I bring my squad to find you?"

Lu Ran thought for a moment and said, "We plan to go to the Lie Hun Mo Cave in Jinmen."

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi whispered, "Why are you stuttering?"

Lu Ran: "."

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi: "Besides, that herd of Great Black Bulls is formidable; why are you bent on seeking death?"

Lu Ran explained, "The Lie Hun Mo is a common fiend during the Fifteenth Night; confronting it early allows us to summarize experience sooner."

"Mm, alright!" Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi seemed to have made a great decision. "I'll tell my teammates and see if we can go together."

"Good!" This time, Lu Ran responded very crisply.

"Wait for my call." The moment Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi finished speaking, she hung up the phone.

Lu Ran smiled and shook his head.

This call from his own little sister soothed his mind even more effectively than Little Li Hua.

He rose and went before the shrine, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

Just as he was about to cultivate, Lu Ran suddenly recalled what Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang had said yesterday.

Over such a long period, had he truly never offered any sacrifices to Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang?

But there was no fruit at home!

There were, however, many cans of instant food.

Logically speaking, sheep should be omnivores; otherwise, should he take out some of Little Li Hua's cat food?

That stuff was even more expensive than canned food for humans.

"Buzz~ Buzz~"

The mobile phone kept vibrating.

Lu Ran curiously picked up the phone, only to discover it was Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi calling.

"Alright, Brother! Let's set the meeting for the nineteenth day of the eighth lunar month at Jinmen North Station; how does that sound?"

Lu Ran asked in surprise, "Decided so quickly?"

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi: "I am the commander in my squad; my words carry a lot of weight, you know!"

Lu Ran was even more astonished: "You? Commander?"

"Who are you looking down on?" Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi grumbled discontentedly. "I'm an incredibly slick commander~"

"This time, you bring your squad over and hand command authority to me!"

"Then, you just stand aside and shout '6'!"

"Heh heh." Lu Ran laughed aloud. "You're really something now; even better at bragging than me?"

"Oh, my foolish brother, just wait and see!" Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi offered no further explanation. "By the way, remember to bring me a hamburger."

Lu Ran: "Can't you buy one yourself?"

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi: "Wouldn't that cost me money!"

Lu Ran's eyes widened slightly.

Was this even human speech?

"Brother is the best!" Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi giggled, then hung up the phone again.

"Good heavens~" Lu Ran scratched his head.

Truly worthy of being my biological sister!

The student has surpassed the master, it seems.

Lu Ran pondered again and again, then opened the team's small group chat, his fingers clattering against the screen.

Ran: "@Everyone, I have a younger sister studying in Jingcheng."

"This month, she wants to train alongside us."

Deng Yutang: "Younger sister?"

Jiang: "Going together to the Lie Hun Mo Cave?"

Ran: "@Jiang, my biological sister, with blood relations; not the kind where 'purple has a lot of charm'."

Tian Tian: "Pfft"

Interestingly, Jiangjiang Ruyi on the phone was very aloof.

Tian Tian on the phone, conversely, was much more lively.

Jiang: "What believer is your sister? Is she a squad member?"

Ran: "I don't know."

Jiang: "You truly are a good brother."

Ran: "No need for politeness; just call me that from now on, okay."

Tian Tian: (゜-゜)

Ran: "This little sister of mine is a bit mischievous; she colluded with the rest of the family to keep me in the dark."

"She's quirky and unpredictable; you'd better be mentally prepared. By the way, can we train together as a group?"

Deng Yutang said, "No problem at all; having an extra squad makes things safer."

Tian Tian said, "Great!"

Jiang said, "Mm."

Looking at the character "Mm" on his phone, Lu Ran wished he could rush out right now and go straight to knock on Jiangjiang Ruyi's security door!

Really!

Perhaps only meeting in person could summon the gentle and wonderful Goddess Jiang.

Lu Ran chatted with his teammates for a while longer, and after they all finalized their high-speed rail tickets, he finally put away his phone.

Casting aside his chaotic thoughts, Lu Ran closed his eyes and swiftly entered cultivation mode.

(End of Chapter)