Chapter 180: Swift Peak
Chapter 180: Swift Peak
"Brother," Qiao Yuansi called out as she ran out of the central building.
Lu Ran turned around, "What's up?"
Qiao Yuansi pouted and shook her phone, "Mom said that the two of us should go home first.
She's very busy and probably won't be back until the New Year's Day."
Although Lu Ran had expected this, he couldn't help but sigh, "She's so busy."
Guan Yiren suddenly spoke up, "Senior Qiao must be busy with the matters of Swift Peak."
Lu Ran furrowed his brows, "Swift Peak?"
He wasn't sure if he had heard the name correctly.
Guan Yiren turned around, faced the divine being Sword One, and bowed respectfully before explaining, "My Sword One Sect is going to enlighten a mountain in the northern part of the capital."
Lu Ran nodded thoughtfully.
The phrase 'enlightening a mountain' sounded a bit odd, but he understood what she meant.
As the saying goes, a mountain is not high if it has a celestial being.
Once the disciples of Sword One finish organizing and building majestic palaces on an ordinary mountain, Sword One will create an avatar to reside there.
The mountain that has the fortune of welcoming Sword One will then transform into a 'Sacred Mountain'.
From then on, divine energy will permeate the area, making it a place of pilgrimage for all living beings.
Lu Ran understood what she meant because there were already eight such Sacred Mountains inside and outside the capital.
Clearly, Sword One was not only expanding outward but also tightening her control over her base.
From the perspective of the survival of the people, the establishment of Sacred Mountains had immense benefits.
Due to the dense divine energy on the mountains, every fifteen days, a large number of demons would naturally be attracted to attack the area.
This would help alleviate the pressure on the city.
For the Sword One Sect, the divine being expanded her influence, and the disciples gained another place for secluded cultivation.
As for the perspective of Daxia, Lu Ran didn't have the insight or wisdom to understand the higher-level interactions and strategies between Daxia and the divine beings.
Xiao Yusong spoke up, "Then I'll send you two siblings home."
"Mhm, mhm," Qiao Yuansi nodded repeatedly and hugged Lu Ran's arm, "Let's go eat at Burger King?"
Lu Ran smiled and looked at the food-loving Qiao Yuansi, "Since we're free, let's take the initiative to visit Mom."
"Oh?" Qiao Yuansi looked at Lu Ran curiously, "I remember you sleep all day, but now you have so much energy?
Don't you want to go home and rest?"
Lu Ran shrugged, "I haven't done anything these past few days, just giving orders. How could I be tired?"
Guan Yiren: "..."
"Haha," Qiao Yuansi couldn't help but laugh.
"Let's go, get in the car, I'll drive you there," Xiao Yusong called out to the group as he headed towards the parking lot.
"Thanks, Brother Xiao!" Qiao Yuansi smiled sweetly.
The vast capital was not a small Rain Alley.
If you were in Rain Alley and wanted to go to the northern suburbs, a twenty-minute drive would get you there.
But in the capital, if you want to go to the so-called northern suburbs, well, you'd better start driving.
Driving towards the outskirts of the city,
Towards Wuli River Province,
Although Xiao Yusong had the teleportation technique, he needed to set coordinates before teleporting.
Fortunately, the Night Charm Abyss was located in the northwest region of the capital, saving them a considerable distance.
It wasn't until 9:30 am that Xiao Yusong dropped off the siblings at a village entrance.
There was no road leading to Swift Peak, so the siblings had to venture into the mountains on their own.
"Sister Yi Ren, do you want to come along?" Qiao Yuansi asked as she got out of the car.
Guan Yiren shook her head, "The Sacred Mountain hasn't been established yet, so I won't disturb it."
"Okay, then we'll see you later!" Qiao Yuansi waved goodbye to the group.
"See you," Lu Ran nodded in response.
Guan Yiren looked at Lu Ran and said softly, "Thank you."
"Hehe," Lu Ran laughed but didn't say anything.
From Guan Yiren's perspective, Lu Ran had indeed spent a lot of time and effort, and gained a lot in return.
The problem was that Lu Ran had also profited greatly from the situation.
So, not acting overly grateful was Lu Ran's final stance.
The siblings watched the car drive away and then turned to look at the road leading to the small village.
A large stone stood by the road with three characters written on it - Emperor Gazing Village.
"Wow," Lu Ran opened his mouth, "Emperor Gazing, that's a fitting name."
It was foreseeable that once Swift Peak was established, the villages and towns within a certain radius at the foot of the Sacred Mountain would be greatly protected from the invasions of the demon clans.
Qiao Yuansi looked at the blade in Lu Ran's hand, and her eyes lit up, "Do we need to climb the mountain?"
Lu Ran slightly raised his eyebrows, "What do you think?"
"Can the Radiance Blade carry us and fly?" Qiao Yuansi pouted, "Brother, carry me!"
Lu Ran: "..."
Qiao Yuansi patted Lu Ran's shoulder, "Quick, quick, quick, crouch down."
Lu Ran crouched down, mumbling, "Why don't you just fly on the lantern yourself?"
"My brother loves me the most!" Qiao Yuansi giggled and wrapped her arms around Lu Ran's neck, jumping lightly.
Instantly, Lu Ran pretended to stumble forward.
Qiao Yuansi: "???"
Was he calling her fat?
"You drama queen!" Qiao Yuansi bumped Lu Ran's head with her forehead and complained, "You were flying and teleporting in the abyss!
Now you can't even carry me without stumbling?
"Hehe." Lu Ran chuckled, "Hold tight, or the sword might fly away."
"I'm not like you, I'm scared!" Qiao Yuansi tightly hugged Lu Ran's neck, feeling the howling wind by her ears.
Lu Ran gripped the sword hilt and darted into the mountains.
Swift Peak was not hard to find.
As Lu Ran ventured deeper into the mountains, he encountered Sword One disciples flying with their swords.
Soon, a figure flew over.
The female disciple wore an ancient-style white dress, her countenance cold, fitting the stereotypical image of a Sword One Follower.
"Stop, both of you!"
The female disciple flew with her sword, blocking Lu Ran's path.
Since Lu Ran was flying with a sword hilt, it was clear to all that it was a Divine Armament, so the Sword One Follower's attitude was relatively amicable.
Lu Ran's heart stirred, and the Radiance Blade immediately hovered in the air.
The young female disciple asked, "Where are you two headed?"
Lu Ran replied, "Swift Peak."
The female disciple scrutinized them, "You're not from our sect, why are you here?"
Qiao Yuansi tilted her head, looking at the Sword One Follower, "Our mother is Qiao Wanjun.
I just called her, and she said she'd be home on New Year's Eve, so we wanted to visit her."
"Senior Qiao?" The female disciple was somewhat surprised and examined the siblings' appearances again.
Qiao Yuansi said, "I'll call her again, you can confirm."
The female disciple nodded slightly, "That's best."
"Just a moment, coming!" Qiao Yuansi reached for her phone.
After further confirmation, the female disciple finally nodded, "Follow me."
"Huff~"
The female disciple flew with her sword, and Lu Ran closely followed.
As they flew, Lu Ran's expression became peculiar.
He saw the massive sect hidden deep in the mountains and the stone steps leading to the peak.
To Lu Ran's surprise, there were Sword One disciples carrying stones and climbing towards the summit.
Without exception, they were all female, and regardless of height, most had slender builds.
So, they were all here to be porters?
Moreover, the Sword One disciples could fly, so why were they carrying building materials and climbing on foot?
Lu Ran was puzzled but didn't ask.
He didn't know what rules the Sword One leader had set.
Led by the young female disciple, the siblings flew all the way to the peak, marveling at the sight.
The peak had been relatively leveled, with unfinished stone and wooden structures scattered across it.
Lu Ran's arrival made him an oddity.
Because the Sword One Sect didn't accept male disciples!
Even with the young female disciple leading them, Lu Ran still faced numerous interrogations.
However, when Lu Ran revealed himself as Qiao Wanjun's son, the Sword One disciples' attitudes softened, and they let him pass without hesitation.
Clearly, Qiao Wanjun held a certain status within the Sword One Sect.
But Lu Ran wasn't clear about his mother's specific position.
She rarely spoke about sect matters to the siblings.
"Sister, where's Mom?" Qiao Yuansi curiously looked around.
"Senior Qiao is at the rear mountain, over here."
The siblings followed the female disciple to the rear mountain, where no other figures were in sight, only a serene atmosphere.
On a snowy peak, at the edge of a cliff, Lu Ran finally saw the figure he had longed to see.
She stood motionless, quietly gazing into the distance.
"Please, you two," the Sword One disciple said softly, not daring to approach and disturb, and quietly retreated.
Lu Ran landed steadily on the peak, observing the tall and graceful figure.
She wore a white and platinum-colored long dress, exuding ancient elegance, with black long hair gently swaying in the wind.
Sensing the newcomers, the woman finally turned around.
Lu Ran then noticed she wore a white veil, covering the lower half of her face.
Because of this, her prominent eyebrows and cold eyes became even more striking.
"Mom," Lu Ran called out.
Mother was already thirty-six or thirty-seven, but she still looked young.
In this unique era, people married and had children early.
Moreover, Qiao Wanjun's cultivation realm was high, making her seem like a celestial being descended to the mortal realm, exuding divine charm.
Lu Ran wanted to describe her as "peerless beauty," but it might seem self-aggrandizing.
As her son, Lu Ran naturally viewed his mother through rose-tinted glasses.
In his heart, Mother was no less than the divine being Sword One.
However, most people would likely disagree with this notion.
Well, no harm done.
One day in the future, when the divine statue of Sword One is modeled after Mother,
everyone will agree, right?
Thinking of this, Lu Ran quickly composed himself.
This "blasphemous" thought must be kept hidden.
"Ran Ran's here," Qiao Wanjun's voice was gentle.
With just those words, Lu Ran felt the entire cold snowy mountain melt.
As a Sword One disciple, Qiao Wanjun's temperament was undoubtedly cold and distant.
But as a mother, seeing Lu Ran, a smile appeared on her face, and her eyes softened with warmth.
Lu Ran pursed his lips.
Good,
She's more like the Sword One I imagine.
(End of Chapter)
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