Chapter 95: Orchid Finger (Bonus Chapter 33 for Silver Grand Meng 'Left Eye Invites Disaster')

The Wangyue person who came to provide support was a believer of the Qiumoyi Sect.

He raised his hand toward the window, casting a spell through the air, and summoned a blood-red chain inside the room.

"Click~"

As the blood-red chain coiled around the window handle and turned it slowly, the window opened from the inside.

Seeing this scene, Lu Ran nodded inwardly.

The Zhi Shen Fa of the Qiumoyi Sect is truly impressive!

It can both imprison evil demons and pick locks or open windows.

Can you handle that~

Hmm... logically, it should also be usable for some bondage play, right?

"Thank you." Lu Ran cast aside his chaotic thoughts and nodded in gratitude to the man.

"No need for politeness; hurry back inside."

"Alright." Lu Ran approached the window and made a move to climb through it into the house.

Chen Jing suddenly spoke up: "You still haven't told me how you knew our exact location within the black smoke."

Lu Ran turned his head to look at the naked burly man: "That question is precisely the answer to the previous one."

Chen Jing did not understand: "What?"

Lu Ran grinned: "Now you know why the patrol team insisted on coming over to ask for my help."

"Huh?" Chen Jing stared blankly at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran suddenly reached his hand toward the window.

It was as if he could foresee the future, or as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

Although he was facing Chen Jing, the hand reaching toward the corner of the window precisely grasped a furry cat head.

This little creature really slips through any gap, doesn't it?

Last time, when Lu Ran opened the door to see Jiangjiang Ruyi out, Little Li Hua had also meowed and rushed outward.

Life has been too good lately, making it forget how dangerous the outside world is.

"Mmph."

With its head held and face covered by Lu Ran's hand, Little Li Hua emitted a muffled sound.

Lu Ran climbed through the window: "Take care, both of you!"

"Fine, kid." Chen Jing turned and walked away, "Just wait for your points to be deducted!"

Lu Ran hurriedly turned his head and looked out the window: "Uh, my hearing is just exceptionally good.

I've undergone enhanced training and have quite a talent in this area!"

Chen Jing turned his head back, grinning similarly: "Haha, so you can speak human language after all?"

Lu Ran: "."

He directly closed the window and tightened the handle.

Lu Ran casually released the cat's head; Little Li Hua protested with "meow meow" cries, randomly wiping its wet face with its little paws.

Meanwhile, Lu Ran, soaked to the bone but wearing a yellow raincoat, walked straight out of the room.

However, upon passing the wardrobe, Lu Ran paused his steps.

He opened the wardrobe, and sure enough, besides his own clothes, a yellow raincoat was hanging inside.

"Good heavens." Only then did Lu Ran stride toward the bathroom.

Every time he executes a mission with the Great Nightmare, he ends up bringing back one of her raincoats.

His wardrobe was already small to begin with.

If this continues, it will become her wardrobe instead.

Lu Ran rinsed the raincoat on his body with water, wrung it out, hung it up, and then comfortably took a hot shower.

A full twenty minutes later, Lu Ran finally emerged from the bathroom.

Holding a towel, he wiped his wet hair and plopped down onto the small bed.

He casually picked up his phone and scrolled through it, only to discover that the small group chat was extremely lively.

A few days ago, ever since Chang Ying added several people as friends, she had separately dragged them into a small group.

It seemed she did not want the homeroom teacher to peek at their conversations.

Scrolling through message after message, Lu Ran discovered that Chang Ying was practically a chatterbox!

She was as active as an automatic talking robot.

This left Tian Tian suffering, as she did not know how to reject others.

For so long, Tian Tian had been responding to Chang Ying intermittently, saying a sentence here and there.

Ran: "Instead of praying before the shrine, what are you all chatting about here?"

Lu Ran's appearance finally liberated Tian Tian.

And upon seeing Lu Ran, Chang Ying immediately sent several messages:

"Lu Ran is here!"

"It's clattering outside; listening to it makes my heart panic."

"How is it on your end? Are there many evil demons?"

"I think I heard the cow-like roar of a Lie Hun Mo again; I'm scared to death!"

Looking at the screen, Lu Ran pondered for a moment but still decided not to tell everyone about his experience with the patrol team.

Ran: "On my end, I encountered a Fanged Face Person, a Straw Demon, and a Black Lantern."

Chang Ying: "Ah, luckily it rains every day in our area; a Black Lantern paired with a Straw Demon is absolutely disastrous!"

Tian Tian: "@Lu Ran, don't stay by the window watching; it's dangerous!"

Seeing this message, a faint smile appeared on Lu Ran's face.

Lu Ran: "Okay."

"Lu Ran" patted "Tian Tian."

Tian Tian: (*￣︶￣)

Chang Ying: "@Lu Ran, I recall you specifically ordered me not to stay by the window."

"Only the magistrate may light the lamp, but the common folk are forbidden to set fires," is that it?

Lu Ran was stunned; he somehow felt this proverb wasn't quite right?

Hmm. Never mind, it's not important.

Lu Ran: "Everyone go pray before the shrine; hurry up and cultivate. Have you all reached Stream Realm, Stage Three? Is this the time to chat?"

This sentence seemed to trigger someone's switch.

Deng Yutang, who had remained hidden until now, suddenly typed out a line:

"Almost, almost!"

Lu Ran: "."

He put down his phone, went before the shrine, and sat cross-legged.

A faint mist surged over; however, Lu Ran's cultivation felt very unsteady.

After all, on this fifteenth night, battle groups erupted throughout Rain Alley City; booming sounds and roars were everywhere.

"Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang," Lu Ran suddenly spoke, looking up at the small shrine, "what do you think if I activate the Black Lantern sculpture?"

Lu Ran thought for a moment longer, then continued: "The Black Lantern clan possesses healing Xie Fa."

"They can also release black smoke to disturb enemies, cause explosions, and so on."

"These are all early-stage techniques; can I equip them right now?"

"It is possible," a low voice suddenly transmitted into his mind.

From this simple four-character response, Lu Ran detected another four characters: lacking interest.

Lu Ran gazed at the Bai Yang jade carving within the shrine and tentatively asked: "Does Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang dislike the Black Lantern clan?"

The Bai Yang jade carving replied: "All are merely stone; where does liking or disliking come from?"

Lu Ran: "Hmm."

The Bai Yang jade carving said: "If you desire healing techniques, it would be better to walk a circuit through the city."

"Attract more souls of the Two Two Biwu believers."

Lu Ran fell silent.

He only then realized that Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang did not detest the Black Lantern clan, but rather disliked Lu Ran staying at home tonight.

The Bai Yang jade carving stated: "For you, every fifteenth day is a day for scavenging resources."

These words were undoubtedly correct.

The fifteenth night, which the world utterly hates and fears, is instead a "sumptuous banquet" for Lu Ran!

Moreover, Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang's words carried an even deeper meaning.

Its so-called "scavenging resources" should not refer to the souls of demons, but specifically to the souls of deity believers!

After all, if Lu Ran wished to activate a demon sculpture, he could go to a designated demon lair and kill indiscriminately.

But how does one activate a deity sculpture?

Lu Ran could not go hunt human believers!

Thus, the only way to collect the deity's "Qi" was on the fifteenth night.

Of course, Lu Ran did not wish to see his human compatriots depart, but this cold and cruel world does not shift according to his personal will.

The Bai Yang jade carving said: "You may cultivate at any time, toiling day and night at home."

"Only on the fifteenth night should you not remain here."

"This disciple understands," Lu Ran said in a low voice.

Perhaps satisfied with Lu Ran's answer, or perhaps feeling the tone had been too harsh, Xiang Xiang Xianyang transmitted another message, his tone slightly softened:

"I know your nature and will not force you to raise the butcher's knife against humanity."

"But strengthening yourself is your duty!"

"I asked you to grow steadily, not to halt your progress."

Lu Ran still offered a sentence of defense: "On this month's fifteenth, the school ordered us to stay at home."

"Next month, I will definitely go out to guard the shelter—no!"

"Guarding the shelter won't allow me to participate in many battles; I will contact the Divine Population Bureau to see if I can join the patrol team."

This time, Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang did not respond again.

But strands of mist drifted out from within the shrine, surging toward Lu Ran's body.

Divine blessing?

It was clear that Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang was satisfied.

For other believers in this world, who knows how long they would have to beg bitterly or what achievements they would need to make before possibly enjoying a single blessing.

Yet for Lu Ran, ever since he invited the shrine's divine sculpture home, he had already experienced this several times.

Lu Ran calmed his mind and, with the Divine Lord's assistance, circulated the divine power within his body.

Streams of divine power flowed within him, moving far faster than when Lu Ran cultivated on his own!

The streams continuously expanded Lu Ran's meridians, nourishing his flesh and blood.

Time passed second by second.

Roars and booms continued incessantly, growing ever more fierce, filling listeners with dread.

Not knowing how much time had passed

"Wu! Wu! Wu!"

The alarm blared abruptly, slicing through the rainy night.

Lu Ran's heart jolted; he snapped his eyes open and lifted his head to gaze out the window.

Such an alarm sound was highly distinctive, extremely brief!

As everyone knew, on the night of the fifteenth, when evil spirits invaded the human world, special incidents occasionally occurred.

If the alarm sounded in alternating long and short bursts, it signaled "The Ghosts' Night Parade."

If the alarm sounded short and forceful, it signaled "The Demon Lord's Descent!"

This meant that a Jiang Jing-level evil spirit, or even one above Jiang Jing, had appeared in Rain Alley City!

Instantly, Lu Ran's phone buzzed violently; every chat group exploded into chaos.

Lu Ran rose quickly, gripping the windowsill with one hand as he peered outward.

His bedroom window faced south, and not far away stood a residential building blocking the view, so his visibility wasn't great.

After searching in vain for a while, Lu Ran immediately headed for the door, grabbing his phone as he went.

At this moment, messages in the grade-level group were skyrocketing at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"Yin Hua Dan!"

"Fuck my mother, Yin Hua Dan?!"

"Wait, how could such an evil spirit appear in our small city? And one above Jiang Jing at that?"

"Where? Where is Yin Hua Dan?"

"Over by the Chengxi Gymnasium, so huge! Holy shit, what a massive figure!"

"This isn't some Jiang Jing; with that afterimage, it's clearly Hai Jing!"

"I'm fucking done! Forcing myself to be optimistic and cheerful every day—what a dog-fucking world! How the hell am I supposed to stay optimistic??"

"Calm down, classmate, don't do anything stupid!"

"Yeah, the Moon-Gazers are here; the city will be fine, none of us will be harmed."

Lu Ran dashed to the north balcony, gripped the window, and gazed toward the north-northwest.

"Ah," Lu Ran stood dumbfounded.

What an enormous phantom!

Just how huge was it exactly?

It matched the scale of the divine phantoms students summoned upon the God-Revering Platform!

Clearly, this phantom was not Yin Hua Dan's true form.

Rather, it was the "Ancestral Demon Afterimage" that evil spirits could summon upon reaching the Hai Jing realm!

The illusory afterimage of Yin Hua Dan stood towering high in the night sky.

She wore opera robes, her face painted with heavy makeup, and she held a colorful folding fan in her hand.

That slender, graceful figure, which should have been beautiful and moving, instead exuded an utterly terrifying aura in this pitch-black night.

"Wu! Wu! Wu!"

The low, urgent alarm continued echoing through the small city, like heavy hammers striking people's hearts.

Panic completely engulfed the entire city.

The massive afterimage of Yin Hua Dan looked down upon the city below, her gaze sweeping over terrified, despairing, tiny humans.

Slowly, she raised one hand, forming an orchid finger gesture.

Midnight, the third watch,

The Yin Opera begins.

Another update at 22:00.

Asking for some votes.

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(End of Chapter)