Chapter 271: Joy and Worry

Chapter 271: Joy and Worry

In the early hours of the morning, the sky gradually brightened with the dawn's light.

In the master bedroom of the Lu residence, Jiang Ruyi slowly opened her eyes, gazing at the ceiling with a hint of bewilderment.

Where am I... Oh, this is Lu Ran's home.

A faint blush graced her fair cheeks.

She turned her head slightly and saw the person beside her.

A face in deep slumber met her gaze.

By her ear, his long and rhythmic breathing filled her with a sense of reassurance.

A mix of shyness and joy reflected in Jiang Ruyi's eyes as she quietly observed the annoying guy.

As she stared, memories flooded her mind, recalling the journey they had taken together.

On the first day of high school, the young boy and girl met for the first time, writing their names on paper.

Under the setting sun, they walked home together, their shadows stretching long in the fading light.

Along the Wu Lie River, she secretly followed him, discovering his secret base for the first time.

On the rooftop, they prepared for their martial arts exam, their blades and swords flashing in the sun.

Later, they leaned against the railing, breathless, gazing at the rushing waters of the Wu Lie River, sharing their ambitious dreams of changing the world.

"Meow~"

A sudden meow startled Jiang Ruyi from her thoughts.

She pursed her lips, unable to resist, and gently pressed her lips against Lu Ran's.

Finally.

"Hmm," Lu Ran murmured in his sleep, a vague nasal sound.

Jiang Ruyi's heart tightened, and she dared not move.

After a few seconds, when she realized he was still asleep, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Ruyi quietly got up, lazily rubbing her long hair.

The slightly disheveled master bedroom, with clothes scattered on the floor, told a story.

Her lazy demeanor vanished, and her cheeks grew even rosier.

She stretched her long legs to the edge of the bed, her fair feet padding on the floor as she searched for her slippers.

"Meow~" On the other side of the door, Little Li Hua looked up at the doorknob, as if remembering her special skill.

Just as she was about to put her plan into action, the door suddenly opened.

"Click."

The female owner, wearing an oversized white t-shirt that didn't quite fit, stepped out of the bedroom, looking down at the little one.

"Shh," Jiang Ruyi whispered as she carefully closed the door, raising a slender finger to her lips.

"Meow?" Little Li Hua tilted her head, her round eyes filled with curiosity.

Jiang Ruyi bent down, picked up Little Li Hua, and held her in her arms, gently rubbing her small head as she walked slowly towards the bathroom.

It wasn't until half an hour later that Lu Ran, still in the master bedroom, groggily opened his eyes.

"Huh?"

Lu Ran also took a while to realize where he was.

He reached out to the side, but felt nothing, only the faint scent of jasmine lingering in the air.

Memories gradually surfaced.

The battle had begun in the afternoon of the previous day.

First like this, then like that.

And then like this and that.

Both were cultivators with exceptional physical strength and energetic youths, so it was natural that they had engaged in a lengthy battle before finally calling it quits.

What surprised Lu Ran was that he had slept through the night and woke up just as the sun was rising.

"Wow," Lu Ran sat up, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

Where's Ruyi?

Did she wake up?

Did she wake up earlier than me?

Lu Ran scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Hmm, this is all the paper puppet's fault!

During their recent training, the two had been killing within the Vermillion Village.

Jiang Ruyi only needed to move her hands and swing her white jade plaque.

Lu Ran, on the other hand, had to shuttle back and forth and wield his twin blades. After each battle, his physical exhaustion was evident! After a full half-month of training, Lu Ran was both physically and mentally exhausted, which was why he had slept so long.

Alright then,

Blame the paper puppet!

Lu Ran, feeling satisfied, got out of bed and put on his shorts, but couldn't find a t-shirt.

He put on his shorts and left the master bedroom, following the sound to the kitchen.

"Meow~" Little Li Hua was on the dining table, vigorously chewing on a small plate of luncheon meat.

Jiang Ruyi stood at the kitchen counter, apparently cutting meat.

Lu Ran spotted his t-shirt on her, and her long black hair was still slightly damp, as if she had just taken a shower.

The oversized t-shirt covered her denim hot pants, creating an optical illusion.

Below the hem, her long, fair legs left Lu Ran completely dazed.

No!

Can I really look at this?

Oh, right, she's my girlfriend, so it's fine.

"Finally awake?" Jiang Ruyi turned her head and saw Lu Ran's silly expression.

Lu Ran: "..."

What kind of talk is that!

"Go put on your shirt," Jiang Ruyi turned away.

"I prepared a bathrobe for you, it's hanging in the bathroom," Lu Ran said.

"I saw it, and there's a new toothbrush too," Jiang Ruyi's face showed a hint of strangeness. "When did you prepare all this?"

So, this annoying guy had planned this in advance?

Lu Ran shrugged, "I woke up hungry in the middle of the night, so I went to prepare it for you."

Jiang Ruyi smiled and gave Lu Ran a teasing glance, "I'll cook something, wait a moment."

Lu Ran stepped forward, "I'm good with a knife, let me do it."

"Go put on your clothes first," Jiang Ruyi closed her eyes, letting Lu Ran hold her as he pleased.

She couldn't remember how many times he had interrupted her like this.

He seemed to enjoy it.

After a while, Jiang Ruyi gently pushed Lu Ran away, breathing lightly, and whispered, "Go quickly."

"Hmm," Lu Ran pursed his lips, feeling satisfied as he left the kitchen.

Jiang Ruyi turned around, leaning against the kitchen counter, and exhaled a long breath, calming her rapidly beating heart.

This scene seemed too good to be true.

And that was the problem.

The true nature of this world was not so kind.

The suffering of all living beings was real, and it wasn't beautiful.

After repeatedly confirming that all this was indeed happening, Jiang Ruyi couldn't help but worry about the future.

As the saying goes: Extremes must be reversed, and blessings can bring disasters.

This world never hid its cruel face.

Would it allow us to live in peace?

"Ruyi?" Behind her, Lu Ran's voice sounded again.

"Hmm?" Jiang Ruyi snapped out of her thoughts and turned around.

There stood Lu Ran, freshly bathed, wearing a clean and crisp white t-shirt, his smile as bright as the sun, right behind her.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ran's smile faded, sensing something amiss.

His expression was a bit concerned as he looked at the uncut beef on the chopping board, "You've been spacing out for so long?"

"I..."

"Hmm?"

"I... I'm fine." Jiang Ruyi slightly lowered her head, not wanting to say anything that might spoil the mood.

But the worry in her heart was impossible to hide.

Thinking that Lu Ran would soon have to leave for a distant pilgrimage in the southwest, Jiang Ruyi felt a twinge of sadness.

Jiang Ruyi realized she had changed.

The old her was calm and composed.

But now, she was anxious and her thoughts were in disarray.

"Where's my knife work?"

Lu Ran took the knife from her hand, trying to lighten the atmosphere, and asked about the reason from another angle.

But Lu Ran hadn't expected Jiang Ruyi to suddenly hug him.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ran's voice was gentle as he lightly caressed her back.

And what Lu Ran didn't expect even more was the two words that came out of Jiang Ruyi's mouth:

"Bad person."

Lu Ran: "."

After repeatedly questioning her, Jiang Ruyi skirted the issue, saying that she was feeling sad about their upcoming separation.

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Ruyi regretted it.

She realized that she shouldn't have said that either, and she shouldn't have tried to stop Lu Ran's growth.

Thinking back, when she went on a pilgrimage to Jade Gate Pass, Lu Ran rarely sent messages.

Jiang Ruyi later learned from Xiaoyuan that Lu Ran was afraid of disturbing her and also afraid of saying too much, making her lose focus on her cultivation and wanting to return home early.

At this thought, Jiang Ruyi felt a bit guilty.

With Lu Ran's comfort, Jiang Ruyi quickly adjusted her state of mind, discarding all her messy thoughts.

In just over ten minutes, the dishes were ready.

Stir-fried beef, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and fragrant steamed rice.

Lu Ran was genuinely hungry and finished two bowls of rice.

Jiang Ruyi's appetite was also good, which relieved Lu Ran.

After the meal, Lu Ran washed the dishes and sent Jiang Ruyi home.

Since Jiang Ruyi lived in Rain Alley and had the means to worship the gods, daily offerings were a must.

Lu Ran accompanied her to her doorstep, expressing his concern quietly until she closed the door, and only then did he leave.

When he returned home, Little Li Hua immediately came over.

Seeing that only Lu Ran had returned without the female owner, it meowed and ran off.

"You ungrateful little thing!"

Lu Ran slammed the door shut, and with a wave of his right hand, a small paper puppet appeared in his grasp.

Crimson Paper Art · Paper Puppetry!

Lu Ran stared at Little Li Hua, his mind in motion.

Instantly, the paper puppet in his hand was mysteriously connected to Little Li Hua.

At this moment, the paper puppet in Lu Ran's hand remained unchanged, but in a certain sense, it had become Little Li Hua.

Little Li Hua was running into the house when her body suddenly froze.

Due to inertia, Little Li Hua's limbs stiffened, and she slid forward on the ground for more than a meter.

Lu Ran raised his eyebrows, marveling at the sight.

Ordinary creatures, whether human or animal, truly had no chance to resist.

"Little Li Hua, your karmic reward is here~"

Lu Ran whispered, raising his right hand and carefully examining the palm-sized paper puppet.

It seemed to be made of white paper, with a complete head, torso, and limbs, but no face.

Lu Ran gently moved the paper puppet's left hand, using minimal force and being very careful.

Not far away, Little Li Hua, whose body was stiff, suddenly moved her left front leg, swaying it from side to side.

"Hmm," Lu Ran nodded silently.

As expected, when dealing with ordinary creatures, this technique didn't have a significant "delay."

But if it were used against demons, it wouldn't work.

The Crimson Paper Art · Paper Puppetry was extraordinary but had some flaws.

If you quickly crumpled the paper puppet, a strong enemy might escape its grasp unharmed.

You needed to slowly crush the puppet inch by inch for the misfortune the paper puppet experienced to perfectly replay on the enemy's body.

The root cause was a matter of mental fortitude!

Not only did this technique require energy, but the paper puppet's ability to bind with the enemy's flesh relied on the caster's psychic energy!

The higher your strength and mental fortitude, the tighter the paper puppet's binding to the target.

Similarly, the higher the enemy's mental fortitude, the harder it was to manipulate them.

"Go." Lu Ran's mind moved, and the paper puppet in his hand was no longer connected to Little Li Hua.

Little Li Hua could finally move again, and she immediately turned her head towards Lu Ran, clearly aware of who was behind this.

"Meow! Meow~ Meow!! Meow!"

Lu Ran: "."

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(End of Chapter)

Chapter end