Chapter 73: Little Lantern Festival

The days of cultivation passed in a flash; in the blink of an eye, it was already the nineteenth day of the lunar month.

At dawn, Lu Ran, dressed in a black training uniform and carrying twin blades, stepped out of his home under the curious gaze of Little Li Hua.

Ever since Lu Ran entered his Gao San year, the school held only one class per month.

Last month's session, Lu Ran arrived late, slipping into the classroom just minutes before the dismissal bell rang.

And this month,

Lu Ran simply chose to skip class entirely.

People, after all, must grow up.

The next stage after being late and leaving early is naturally skipping class and playing truant.

Seventeen-year-old Lu Ran was clearly growing at a ferocious pace!

That said, while you might be late for class, you absolutely cannot be late for a high-speed train.

That thing truly waits for no one!

Having left home early, Lu Ran arrived early at Deng Yuxiang City Station; seeing there was still plenty of time, he headed to the Dabao King nearby.

Although he voiced complaints, when it came to his own little sister, Lu Ran was still willing to indulge her.

The only question was: could a burger still taste good after it had gone cold?

At 8:10 AM, the four members of the team gathered and boarded the high-speed train bound for Jinmen North.

Since Lu Ran and the others were carrying weapons, their ID cards and student IDs underwent rigorous inspection and registration.

"What is our mission for this month?" Lu Ran asked, sharing his Dabao King combo meal with the group as he looked across the table at Jiangjiang Ruyi.

Jiangjiang Ruyi replied, "Teacher Li said we need to acquire fifty Stream Artifacts and three hundred Mist-grade demon crystals."

"The difficulty has increased slightly," Deng Yutang remarked, eating french fries one after another.

One couldn't help but wonder what delicacies this wealthy young master ate at home every day; he acted as if he'd never seen french fries before.

In just a minute or two, more than half the box had disappeared into his stomach.

Jiangjiang Ruyi said, "After all, everyone has advanced to the Stream Realm."

Tian Tian, sitting beside Jiangjiang Ruyi, lifted her small face and whispered softly, "Has Sister Jiang Ruyi advanced to the second stage of the Stream Realm?"

Lu Ran had heard similar words from Tian Tian's mouth several times before.

It was evident that Tian Tian paid particular attention to Jiangjiang Ruyi, and the look in her eyes had never changed.

Since joining the team, Tian Tian had always looked up to Jiangjiang Ruyi, as if gazing upon a divine statue.

"Mm." Jiangjiang Ruyi nodded gently.

Tian Tian broke into a sweet smile, seeming very happy.

Eating a chicken wrap, Lu Ran asked indistinctly, "Did the teacher say anything else?"

Naturally, it was Jiangjiang Ruyi who had communicated with the teachers regarding the team's leave to go to Jinmen.

"The teacher said we must be extremely careful; her tone was very serious."

Gazing at the scenery outside the train window, Jiangjiang Ruyi continued, "Also, next month on the fifteenth we have a holiday and won't need to guard the city."

"If the school assigns any homework, they will notify us in the group chat."

Lu Ran nodded silently.

He had long anticipated this decision from the school.

This was a standard convention, universal throughout Great Xia.

After a city experiences a sudden incident, whether it be the Divine People Bureau's Moon-Watcher Team or various military units, casualties may exceed normal proportions.

Not sending students to guard shelters simply meant not causing additional trouble for the authorities.

Even though at this point the students had all reached the Stream Realm and possessed the strength to fight against the main force of evil spirits invading the city,

ultimately, students remained the category of people who needed protection.

In fact, this was not the only convention.

Barring any unexpected developments, there should be no leaderboard at the main entrance of the teaching building today.

All students who experienced the sudden incident and survived would receive an increase of twenty Believer Points.

In other words, whether for team performance or individual results, surviving meant achieving full marks.

Deng Yutang suddenly said, "I heard that two students from Class 9 have 'left'?"

"'Left'?" Lu Ran looked at Deng Yutang.

Did he mean what I think he means?

Deng Yutang understood the look in Lu Ran's eyes and nodded gently. "It's just a rumor."

After this statement, everyone fell silent.

There was no need to elaborate on the level of danger in this world.

Every minute and second spent living in this world brought various sounds or messages reminding Lu Ran

to become stronger.

To become even stronger.

Late September in Jinmen offered crisp air and clear skies.

Outside North Station, Lu Ran followed the crowd out of the exit, admiring the blue sky and white clouds.

Coming here from the perpetually rainy and gloomy Deng Yuxiang City felt like traveling to another world entirely.

"Brother!"

From afar came a sweet voice.

Not only did Lu Ran hear it clearly, but many others also turned to look.

They saw a tall figure walking briskly toward them, a playful smile on her face.

"Oh!" Tian Tian's little mouth hung slightly open.

As the young girl stepped closer, Tian Tian's gaze gradually shifted upward.

This is my younger sister?

Thanks to their parents' excellent genes, sixteen-year-old Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi had already blossomed into a graceful and poised beauty.

She stood 1.68m tall, her hair tied in a ponytail, bare-faced and radiant with youth.

Those tight blue jeans accentuated her slender, willowy figure even more.

Since Lu Ran had kept calling her "younger sister," Tian Tian had formed a slight misconception.

Now seeing the real person,

Isn't this an older sister?

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi's expression suddenly changed, and she said discontentedly, "It's really hard to get a glimpse of you, isn't it?"

A smile spread across Lu Ran's face: "You've gained weight again."

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi immediately rolled her eyes.

To one side, Deng Yutang nodded secretly, confirming they were indeed biological siblings.

They start trading barbs the moment they meet!

"This is my team leader, Jiangjiang Ruyi," Lu Ran introduced. "This is Tian Tian, and he is Deng Yutang."

"Hello to you both," Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi said openly and freely, waving to the two girls.

But when Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi looked at Deng Yutang, she curiously blinked her eyes.

Deng Yutang was baffled; suddenly being stared at by such a beautiful young girl left him at a loss.

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi gazed at Deng Yutang for a full two or three seconds before her little mouth suddenly blurted out:

"Thief Saint!"

Deng Yutang:???

"Hehe." Lu Ran immediately burst out laughing. "The Thief Saint is Bai Yu Tang; this brother's surname is Deng."

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi pouted her little lips: "Of course the Thief Saint would use an alias."

Deng Yutang: "."

Love it or hate it, that carefree demeanor of Bai Zhan Tang does indeed resemble yours truly quite a bit.

To one side, Jiangjiang Ruyi also revealed a faint smile.

Lu Ran had not exaggerated; with just a brief interaction, everyone could sense the younger sister's mischievous nature.

"Call him Brother Deng from now on!" Lu Ran casually handed the burger box to Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi. "Where are your teammates?"

Seeing the burger, Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi's eyes lit up, and she smiled sweetly: "Thanks, Brother!"

Lu Ran: "It's a bit cold."

"No problem, no problem; my teammates are renting a car over there. Let's go."

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi led the way ahead, casually opening the burger box, and immediately spotted the green lettuce leaves tucked inside.

She immediately moved to Lu Ran's side, pinched the lettuce with two fingers, and pulled it out.

Holding the lettuce to Lu Ran's mouth, Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi gestured for him to open wide: "Ah."

Lu Ran: "."

Deng Yutang asked curiously: "Does Brother Lu like eating lettuce?"

Whether he likes it or not is debatable.

In any case, Lu Ran's mouth was very stubborn: "Otherwise, how could I become a believer of Xiang Xiang Xianyang!"

"Pfft~" Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi immediately let out a delicate laugh.

She casually took out a tissue and wiped the cheese smeared around Lu Ran's mouth.

Deng Yutang's eyes were full of envy!

Look at this pair of biological siblings, then look at mine!

Mine is even an older sister, yet she's never taken care of me like this?

Lu Ran added: "Not only do I like eating lettuce, I also love eating the crispy crumbs of the fried meat patty inside the burger!

Just you wait; she'll be feeding me again in a moment."

Hearing this, Deng Yutang finally realized what was happening.

"Hehe~" Jiang and Tian, standing to one side, also burst into laughter.

Only Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi's face flushed red; she discontentedly punched Lu Ran's arm and murmured softly, "Waste is shameful!"

"By the way, what believer are you exactly?" Lu Ran seized the opportunity to ask. "Can you tell me now?"

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi replied: "The divine adult I revere matches my name very well."

In the small group chat, Lu Ran had previously mentioned to his teammates that his younger sister's name was Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi.

Jiangjiang Ruyi pondered for a moment and speculated: "Lord Lantern Festival?"

"Older Sister is so smart," Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi said, taking a bite of the burger and speaking with her mouth full. "Much smarter than my brother."

Third-Rank Deity · Lantern Festival.

Its divine statue depicts a rather gorgeous woman in ancient attire, holding an antique eight-sided lantern in her hand.

Her clothing was exceedingly magnificent, clearly carefully dressed up, as if she were truly going to the night market streets to celebrate the Lantern Festival and admire the flower lanterns.

The Zhi Shen Fa of the Lantern Festival faction excels in support and control aspects.

Healing techniques are considered standard equipment; the main standout features are the control-type techniques!

A powerful believer of the Lantern Festival can even transform an evil spirit into a painting, sealing it upon a lantern!

Afterwards, they can admire it while refining it with the lantern fire.

If all eight lanterns were filled and then spun around,

one could even watch a revolving lantern show!

That scene, merely imagining it, was terrifying!

After all, if the Lantern Festival devotees could seal away evil spirits, naturally they could also seal away humans.

"So amazing," Tian Tian whispered, secretly glancing at Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi.

"Hmm?" Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi noticed the girl's gaze, immediately looked over, her eyes curving into smiles, "Does Big Sister want some?"

"No, no need," Tian Tian hurriedly replied, lowering her head again.

In this scene, it was truly hard to tell who was the younger sister.

A hint of mischief danced in Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi's eyes as she sized up Tian Tian: "So shy?"

"Stop teasing her," Lu Ran gestured toward the distance. "Isn't that tall guy waving beside the van your teammate?"

"Yes." Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi followed his gaze and called out loudly, "Did you settle on a price?"

The other person raised their hand high and stuck up a thumb.

"I'll do it!" Deng Yutang immediately quickened his pace, pulling a phone from his pocket, obviously intending to scan the code and pay.

Jiang Qiao Jiang Qiao Yuanxi arched an eyebrow and called after Deng Yutang's retreating back: "Exposed, huh? You still say you're not the Saint of Thieves!"

Deng Yutang was utterly numb!

Having Lu Ran in the team was already enough to bear; now here came another quirky little sister.

(End of Chapter)