Chapter 86: A Beauty Arrives

The moment Lu Ran activated the Divine Art: Death Realm Pupil, his heart was filled with unease.

He opened a pair of eerie horizontal pupils, carefully scanning every location.

His father had passed away long ago; it was impossible for a wandering soul to exist.

Fortunately, within the scope of Lu Ran's gaze, no wandering souls appeared.

On the tenth day of the lunar month, Rain Alley City was still relatively safe.

But by the fifteenth, that would be anyone's guess.

A voice transmission quietly fell: "Once you've seen enough, you get used to it."

Lu Ran remained silent, neither affirming nor denying.

He did not wish to become a numb person.

If this was destined to be unavoidable, Lu Ran hoped that day would come even later.

"I'm leaving, Dad. I'll come see you again next time."

After standing still for a long while, Lu Ran picked up his weapon, took his food, turned around, and descended from the rooftop terrace.

It is worth mentioning that, having advanced to Stream Realm Stage Three, he could now equip two additional Xie Fa.

The Evil Dog Xie Fa: Evil Shadow allowed Lu Ran to summon an illusory shadow to lure and disturb enemies.

The Lie Hun Mo Xie Fa: Soul Prison allowed Lu Ran to summon two black mist orbs to serve as prisons for wandering souls.

Undoubtedly,

these were two more Xie Fa that could not see the light of day!

"Heh." Lu Ran shook his head helplessly.

Great Xia's protection for believer students was very strong.

Whenever Lu Ran went to any open Demon Cave for training, soldiers would accompany him.

When he participated in the Fifteenth Night City Defense Mission, teammates would inevitably be by his side, with a Moon Gazer leading and protecting them.

Ultimately, it all came down to two words: strength.

Once Lu Ran became powerful enough, he would have to spend money to enter Demon Caves and hire soldiers as bodyguards.

At that time, if he didn't spend that money, he would naturally be free from this "surveillance."

If Lu Ran were strong enough, he could naturally explore the depths of the Demon Caves alone.

Thereby maximizing his own strength and freely unleashing thousands of Xie Fa.

Therefore, strength was the panacea for solving everything.

Lu Ran let out a deep sigh.

Perhaps one day in the future, he too could go witness what the higher-level "God and Demon Battlefield" actually looked like.

After returning home, Lu Ran took a hot bath, then sat on his small bed, closing his eyes to rest.

In just a few short minutes, he had learned two Xie Fa suitable for Stream Realm Stage Three from the Evil Dog Yemo Yemo Xiesu and the Lie Hun Mo Yemo Yemo Xiesu.

"Soul Prison, Soul Prison."

Lu Ran murmured, flipping his palm over.

"Whoosh~"

Accompanied by a surge of energy, threads of black mist continuously gathered in his palm.

"Good heavens!"

Lu Ran couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly.

He could sense that inside the black mist orb, all was pitch black, just like a world of another dimension.

Souls imprisoned here must suffer terribly and utterly collapse.

It should be known that only when Lu Ran reached River Realm Stage One could he equip the Lie Hun Mo clan's Xie Fa: Soul Fire.

Only then could the eerie flames cruelly torture and burn the souls within.

But even without "Soul Fire," this single prison was torment enough!

For this was not an ordinary jail, but a thoroughgoing "black room"!

Pitch black, lonely, with no trace of daylight!

"Meow?" Little Li Hua appeared from who knows where, its eyes sparkling as it curiously inspected the black mist orb.

"Here." Lu Ran lowered his hand.

The black mist orb slowly drifted down, rolling across the floor.

"Meow." Little Li Hua approached, sniffing left and looking right, before finally batting the black mist orb with its cat paw.

As if playing with a ball of yarn?

Unfortunately, its cat paw passed right through the black mist orb, failing to bat the yarn ball aside.

Lu Ran flicked his fingertip.

The black mist orb likewise took flight.

Little Li Hua became extremely excited, immediately leaping high into the air to pounce on the black mist orb.

Master and pet played in the bedroom for a long time; Lu Ran's mood was somewhat complex.

The scene was indeed very heartwarming.

But thinking deeper, the black mist orb provided for Little Li Hua to play with was actually an extremely cruel prison for imprisoning souls!

If one day in the future, some enemy of Lu Ran was fortunate enough to be imprisoned within...

Their soul would suffer immense pain and devastation inside the black mist orb.

Meanwhile, Little Li Hua would be playing innocently and carefreely outside...

This was somewhat chilling.

"Pfft~"

Lu Ran dispelled the Xie Fa·Soul Prison, and the clump of black mist shattered and vanished.

"Meow?" Little Li Hua turned its head to look at its master, tilting its furry little head askew.

"Let me show you another good thing." Lu Ran chuckled, reaching one hand toward the computer desk.

Xie Fa was indeed something that could not be shown in public.

But it could be shown to a cat!

"Whoosh~"

Another surge of energy churned, and in an instant, a figure appeared before the desk.

Black hair, black eyes, a white short-sleeved shirt, and black shorts.

It was precisely Lu Ran's current home attire.

And this illusory figure was none other than Lu Ran himself!

"Meow?"

Little Li Hua was instantly dumbfounded, its little head unable to process what was happening.

Two identical people suddenly appearing in the room was indeed a bizarre sight.

Xie Fa·Evil Shadow!

Lu Ran stepped forward, scrutinizing "himself" carefully.

This was merely an illusory shadow, like an image projected by a 3D projector; Lu Ran could not control its actions.

This shadow was incredibly lifelike; just standing there quietly, it could probably fool the vast majority of people!

Pity that it couldn't be touched.

Lu Ran reached out and patted the shoulder of "Evil Shadow Lu Ran," and sure enough, his hand passed right through empty air.

"One touch and the game is up."

Lu Ran muttered to himself, watching the Evil Shadow before him vanish.

With a "whoosh," Little Li Hua darted onto the computer desk, used it as leverage, and leaped onto Lu Ran's shoulder.

Its two little paws patted repeatedly against Lu Ran's shoulder.

As if trying to pat Lu Ran until he scattered?

"You rascal, do you want to kill your master?" Lu Ran laughed, hugging Little Li Hua and holding it before his face to sniff it fiercely.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

Just as Little Li Hua was suffering through its ordeal, the room door was suddenly knocked upon.

Lu Ran paused for a moment; a guest?

That was quite rare.

In these past few years, Lu Ran had hardly received any guests.

Only in the few days following the God Worship ceremony did leaders from various city departments come to deliver warmth and care; since then, the home had returned to tranquility.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

The knocking sound continued.

Cradling Little Li Hua, Lu Ran walked curiously toward the entrance, then twitched the tip of his nose.

Jiangjiang Ruyi?

Before Lu Ran even reached the door, he smelled the familiar scent of hair.

If the hair of the Great Nightmare often carried the fragrance of camellia flowers,

then the hair of Jiangjiang Meiren carried a faint scent of jasmine.

Love it or hate it, these girls were very loyal to brands, hardly ever changing their shampoo.

"Click~"

Lu Ran opened the door, pretending to know nothing and acting quite surprised: "Oh ho? What a rare visitor!"

The tall, graceful figure standing outside the door was indeed enough to make Lu Ran's eyes light up.

Jiangjiang Ruyi wore a light-colored long trench coat, her long hair cascading over her shoulders.

In this cold autumn weather, she also wore a dark red knitted scarf around her neck, slightly covering her thin lips.

Lu Ran was used to seeing her in school uniforms or training uniforms, but seeing Jiangjiang Meiren like this now,

she was no less pure, yet also bright and charming.

A girl like this, dropped into any school, wouldn't she be the "white moonlight" in the hearts of the students?

"Mm." Jiangjiang Ruyi glanced at Lu Ran only once before lowering her eyes to look at the Little Li Hua in his arms.

She revealed a gentle smile, extended her Bai Xi fingers, and tapped the tip of Little Li Hua's nose: "Hello?"

Lu Ran: "."

I'm such a big person standing right here, and you can't see me?

"Meow~" Little Li Hua struggled, wanting only to escape its master's clutches.

Jiangjiang Ruyi closed her umbrella and handed it to Lu Ran.

Lu Ran took it smoothly, and the Little Li Hua in his arms was also taken over by the young girl.

Immediately, the kitty became much more well-behaved; it tilted its little head up, looking at the girl curiously.

While teasing Little Li Hua with one hand, Jiangjiang Ruyi finally deigned to look at Lu Ran: "Are you just going to let me stand here?"

"Ah!" Lu Ran came to his senses and immediately stepped back, "Come in, come in... wait!"

Lu Ran halted his steps, looking at Jiangjiang Meiren: "You didn't come here specifically to lecture me, did you?"

Earlier, inside the Lie Hun Mo lair, Lu Ran had indeed said something like, "There are too many people here; let's talk when we get home."

Jiangjiang Ruyi smiled gracefully, cradling the cat as she entered the room.

She pressed her heels together, slipped off one shoe, and gently wiggled her toes, which hung suspended in midair.

What a pity; she was wearing white socks, hmm.

Jiangjiang Ruyi stroked Little Li Hua, signaling that her hands were full: "I'm holding it."

"Good heavens, you've actually come for a home visit?" Lu Ran immediately grabbed a pair of slippers and tossed them onto the floor.

"Am I your homeroom teacher?" Jiangjiang Ruyi shot Lu Ran a look, changed into the slippers, and asked, "Where is Master Xiang Xiang Xianyang?"

"In my room." Lu Ran turned to lead the way.

Jiangjiang Ruyi looked around at the home's decor until they reached the door of the small bedroom, where she finally handed Little Li Hua over to Lu Ran.

The young girl stepped inside, stood before the shrine and its divine statue, pressed her palms together, and bowed deeply:

"Divine Lord, I apologize for the disturbance."

Her orderly and proper demeanor was even more respectful than that of Lu Ran, who was an official believer of Xiang Xiang Xianyang!

Since Jiangjiang Ruyi was a believer of Master Yu Fu, it would not be appropriate for her to offer excessive worship.

After paying her respects, she stepped back diagonally and began to inspect Lu Ran's small bedroom.

Lu Ran opened his mouth: "You came here, uh... have you eaten yet?"

Jiangjiang Ruyi said softly, "It's quite tidy."

Lu Ran said helplessly, "We've been desk mates for two years and have been teaming up for three months now.

In your eyes, am I such a dirty person?"

"Yes." A smile played on Jiangjiang Ruyi's lips as her beautiful eyes fixed on Lu Ran. "You're always covered in blood."

Lu Ran: "."

What was bound to happen had finally arrived!

Jiangjiang Ruyi raised an eyebrow slightly: "Aren't you?"

Lu Ran, however, sensed that today's Jiangjiang Ruyi had changed ever so slightly.

Usually, she was indeed gentle, quiet, and poised.

But in front of Lu Ran, she would always get shy and blush.

Yet today...

Is she treating me like just another ordinary person?

Don't do that!

While he was lost in thought, Jiangjiang Ruyi took the kitten back from Lu Ran's arms and walked out of the small bedroom.

Lu Ran watched the girl, unsure of what was happening.

"Where is the cat food?"

"In the kitchen, over there, the first cabinet on the top row." Lu Ran grew even more curious.

Without a word, Jiangjiang Ruyi took the cat food to a corner of the living room and poured it into the machine.

Afterwards, she added water for Little Li Hua and, in the same motion, cleaned up the feeding area.

Lu Ran indeed had little experience hosting guests; he hadn't even realized he should brew tea or pour a cup of hot water for Jiangjiang Ruyi.

Or perhaps it was better to say that today's Jiangjiang Meiren was acting too unusually.

Lu Ran's attention was so fixed on her that he had forgotten the rules of hospitality.

Soon, the girl had finished organizing everything, and Little Li Hua began to eat voraciously.

"Just going to keep staring at me like this?" Jiangjiang Ruyi squatted beside Little Li Hua, gently pinching the cat's ears.

"This is nice," Lu Ran blurted out.

"Hmm?" Jiangjiang Ruyi turned her head to look at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran chuckled: "You're just like the lady of the house~"

Jiangjiang Ruyi's face immediately flushed red, and she murmured, "Nonsense."

She's back,

she's completely back!

Lu Ran couldn't help but sigh inwardly: This is the Little Jiang Ruyi I know!

While stroking Little Li Hua with one hand, Jiangjiang Ruyi suddenly said, "I'm leaving."

"Leaving?" Lu Ran was very confused. "You came all this way just to feed the cat, and now you're going home?"

Jiangjiang Ruyi lowered her head and said softly, "I mean, I'm going to another place."

"Huh???"

Due to technical issues on Qidian, chapter comments are not displaying for the next couple of days. However, I can see every single comment everyone posts in the backend.

Yu will seriously read every suggestion and piece of feedback from the readers.

Chapter comments will be restored in two days; everyone can read them normally then.

Three updates today: 12.18.22.

(End of Chapter)