Chapter 131: The Master is Myself

Chapter 131: The Master is Myself

Qiantang River, Anji City.

This small city is lush and vibrant, and one need not venture into the Bamboo Sea to feel refreshed. As Lu Ran stepped onto this land, he already felt his spirits lift.

The distant mountains, the sea of clouds, and the morning sun's rays—all of this contrasted sharply with the perpetually dark and gloomy Rain Alley City, which seemed like a "Demon Cave."

Hmm, a place that produced a great demon like Lu Ran.

"The school wants us to escape Rain Alley too?"

On the bus, Lu Ran sat by the window and heard Chang Ying's muttering from the back seat.

At this moment, the students were being led by their teachers to a camp on the western outskirts of the city, the Demon Cave of the Bamboo Sea.

It turned out that this wild woman indeed did not snore.

However, she was a restless sleeper. The previous night, she had even fallen to the ground. Although Lu Ran had deactivated his Evil Art of Evil Perception and was wearing earplugs, his senses had always been heightened due to the stimulation and cultivation of his perception.

The sound of her falling to the ground startled Lu Ran awake.

On the other hand, Chang Ying, who had fallen to the ground, continued to sleep soundly.

The scene left Lu Ran momentarily stunned.

After much hesitation, he still did not wake her up or carry her back to the bed.

After all, Chang Ying had just given him a healing spell, and Lu Ran believed that sleeping on the ground was her personal choice, and he should not go against it.

Lu Ran never expected that as Chang Ying slept, she would suddenly raise her leg and kick him!

This made Lu Ran laugh.

She must have been dreaming of killing him, imagining herself as Cao Cao.

"I saw Lantern Lady!" Chang Ying exclaimed excitedly, gazing out the window.

After a good night's sleep, she was full of energy and looked radiant.

In comparison, Lu Ran was not as energetic.

After all, he had been 'killed' by her all night, and the fact that he was still alive was a testament to his resilience.

"When you're out, pay attention to your behavior and don't bring shame to the school!"

The teacher at the front of the bus continued, "When we meet the deity later, everyone must worship solemnly and not make a ruckus!"

"It doesn't seem like there are any followers of Lantern Lady in our school, right?" Chang Ying turned to Tian Tian beside her.

"Lu Ran's sister is a follower of Lantern Lady." Tian Tian spoke softly, adding, "She's so pretty."

"Huh?" Chang Ying leaned forward, "You have a sister?"

"Yeah," Lu Ran said with a sigh, "If I sleep with you for two more days, only my sister will be left at home."

"Oh," Chang Ying felt a little embarrassed.

When she woke up that morning, she was surprised to find herself under Lu Ran's bed, not knowing when or how she had rolled there.

Chang Ying knew herself well.

She could imagine that the previous night, she must have caused him a lot of trouble.

"Next time, you sleep on the top bunk, okay?" Chang Ying whispered.

Deng Yutang suddenly spoke up, "You're embarrassed to cause trouble for your Treasure Ran, but not for me?"

Chang Ying confidently replied, "My Treasure Ran is so sensitive, every part of his body is like a switch, and he wakes up at the slightest touch.

You're different, you sleep like a dead pig~"

Lu Ran: ?

Deng Yutang: ?

He turned to look through the gap in the seat: "No way, I have to challenge you!"

Tian Tian weakly spoke up, "Please don't fight."

"Everyone, please disembark in an orderly manner." The teacher raised his voice, "First, pay respects to the deity, then go to the side luggage compartment to collect your weapons!"

As he spoke, the bus entered a bamboo forest.

Indeed, this camp was located in a vast bamboo forest, and the environment was almost too good to be true.

As Chang Ying had said, the school seemed to be encouraging students to escape Rain Alley City.

At least every moment Lu Ran spent outside, the scenes he witnessed were far better than the gloomy and cold Rain Alley City.

And this activity organized by the school, whether it was instigated by multiple parties or not, at the very least, had to be reported to various parties.

With this in mind, was there truly such a deep intention behind this move? As the invasion of demons became more aggressive, would Great Xia evacuate some small cities and gather people in larger ones?

"Disembark!" The teacher ordered as the bus came to a stop.

The students filed out and stood in the elegant military camp, gazing up at the divine statue of Lantern Lady high above.

She was like a graceful woman from ancient times.

The so-called willow leaf eyebrows and cherry lips were probably just like this.

She wore exquisite clothing, with intricate hair ornaments, and had an elegant demeanor.

Although it was a stone sculpture, the eight-sided lantern she held in her hands still displayed exquisite craftsmanship in its frame.

Lantern Lady, a Third Rank Deity!

Lu Ran looked up, admiring the magnificence of Lantern Lady.

This was just a divine sculpture of her, while the main divine sculpture of Lantern Lady stood in Hangzhou, the capital of Qiantang Province.

The current distribution of deities in Great Xia had evolved over time.

In the past four decades, a significant portion of powerful deities had taken the territories of weaker ones in various ways, both openly and secretly.

The deities seemed to be colleagues and allies, but there was also a competitive relationship among them.

The more people in a particular region, and the more prosperous the development in various aspects, the more likely it was to attract powerful deities to station there.

According to rumors, in the 1980s, when Lantern Lady first descended to the world, she was located on an island on the eastern side of Qiantang Province.

At that time, the deity in Hangzhou was not her.

But now, Lantern Lady's divine sculptures could be found all over Qiantang Province.

The only issue was that a powerful deity like Lantern Lady guarding the Demon Cave of the Bamboo Sea seemed like a waste of her talents.

"Alright, line up to receive your weapons." The male teacher stood by the side of the bus, calling out to the students who had finished their worship.

He distributed the weapons while saying, "The Bamboo Demon Clan does not produce demon crystals. Your task for this training is to cut down a thousand Evil Bamboo."

Lu Ran took his dual blades and turned to look at Chang Ying.

Chang Ying blinked, "What's up?"

Lu Ran glanced at the large axe in Chang Ying's hand.

Chang Ying: ". "

It seems like a perfect fit for her profession.

The male teacher continued, "Before chopping the Evil Bamboo, pay attention to the specifications! Only those with a diameter of 10 centimeters or more and a height of 10 meters or more are considered qualified. If the Evil Bamboo you bring back is not up to standard, you will be punished instead."

"Annoying," Chang Ying glared at Lu Ran unhappily.

Ever since she joined this squad, her large axe had rarely been used in close-range combat.

Now, he was asking her to cut bamboo?

The male teacher shouted, "Teams with weapons, line up! A soldier will lead you in."

"Let's go!" Deng Yutang took the lead, eager to fight the Bamboo Demons.

The group of four rushed forward, led by a male soldier, and entered the central building, descending the stone pillar staircase.

Lu Ran tilted his head and looked down, noticing that the "entrance" to this Demon Cave was different from others.

Below, there was no starry sky curtain, but a clear water curtain.

It was like a clear lake, with faint white mist swirling on the surface.

The place was filled with a celestial aura.

The male soldier led the way, "For Stream Realm Third Stage and above students, we do not provide free escort soldiers. If you feel unsafe, you can choose to pay for my services."

Tian Tian reached out and tugged at Lu Ran's sleeve, "Do we need one?"

"No need," Lu Ran turned to Tian Tian and smiled, "I think I'm quite strong."

"Mhm!" Tian Tian also smiled, nodding in agreement.

Chang Ying suddenly spoke up, "Soldier, if we hire you, can you help us cut and carry the bamboo?"

Male Soldier: ". "

Lu Ran: "Others are here as instructors, not as your manual laborers."

Chang Ying pouted, "Just asking. What if the soldier is willing to help?"

The soldier ignored Chang Ying and continued, "After collecting the Evil Bamboo, send them to the nearest Bamboo Village. Someone will record it for you. Also, we've been notified that you don't need to participate in the next Fifteenth Night Defense. On the next night of the fifteenth, if you want to stay in the Bamboo Sea, you can register at the Bamboo Village."

Deng Yutang asked, "Do they not evict people on the tenth day of the lunar month, and we can stay inside?"

"Yes, the Bamboo Sea has a resort area. Just inform the school."

The soldier kept walking down the steps and stepped into the "lake," adding, "At your own expense."

One by one, the group entered the clear water curtain, feeling no suffocation, and reappeared in the sky.

"Wow!"

Chang Ying's big eyes sparkled as she looked down at the Demon Cave.

Is this a Demon Cave? It's clearly a fairyland!

Although there was no sun, the sky was bright, and the view was excellent.

The Bamboo Village below was not small, and it was more like a quaint countryside than a defensive structure.

Looking into the distance, bamboo forests were scattered, and further away, the Bamboo Sea was shrouded in celestial mist, with no end in sight.

"So beautiful," Tian Tian rubbed her eyes and looked carefully, confirming it wasn't just her imagination.

Not only was the environment pleasant, but as a Demon Cave, the energy was relatively abundant.

It was indeed a great place for a vacation and very nourishing.

"You can go down now," the soldier advised, "Remember, no matter which direction you go, you are not allowed to go beyond the tenth Bamboo Village."

Lu Ran's heart stirred, "Beyond the tenth village is the selection area?"

The soldier walked up, "Not exactly. We just don't want you to go too far. Our control over this Demon Cave is relatively high, and the selection area is deep inside. You can rest assured."

"Oh," Lu Ran responded softly.

Everything he had encountered here was a revelation to him.

"Also," the soldier added as a final reminder, "Deep within the bamboo forest, there might be a Bamboo Wood Courtyard. It's not a supply point but a place for quiet cultivation. Without permission, do not enter! Many powerful human cultivators are in seclusion here, so don't cause trouble for yourselves."

"Powerful human cultivators?" Chang Ying's eyes lit up, "I have a feeling."

Deng Yutang asked, "What kind of feeling?"

Chang Ying confidently patted her chest, "As the saying goes, there's always a cave at the bottom of a cliff, and within the cave, there's always a secret manual! Deep in this Bamboo Sea, there must be a reclusive master! One who is nearing the end of their life and will pass on a hundred years of cultivation power to me."

"Hmm," Tian Tian imitated Ru Yi Sister's mannerisms, placing a hand on her forehead.

This Chang Ying was indeed a bit eccentric.

Perhaps the immersive atmosphere of the Bamboo Sea had triggered memories of TV drama plots she had seen.

Lu Ran looked up at Chang Ying and teased, "I didn't realize you were the protagonist."

Chang Ying waved her hand, "Aye~ I was born to be the protagonist, but I just haven't found the right place. Let's go, it's time to seize the opportunity meant for me!"

But Lu Ran smiled.

Could it be that you've already found the right place because you were born in the right place?

Could it be that I, standing before you, am the opportunity you've been waiting for?

At this thought, Lu Ran's expression turned peculiar.

Wow, the master is me?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end