Chapter 310: Us in the Passage of Time

Chapter 310: Us in the Passage of Time

In the depths of autumn, the city of Rain Alley was filled with withering plants and trees.

Leaves danced in the wind, adding a desolate touch to the already cold and quiet streets.

As the sun set, the shadows of a couple stretched long.

The two strolled leisurely, chatting and laughing, contrasting starkly with the melancholy atmosphere.

It was as if they were defying the world.

"Now, you can also advance to the Jiang Jing at any time." Lu Ran looked at his girlfriend beside him.

"Mhm." Jiang Ruyi was filled with joy, her lips curving upward.

Previously, she had been hesitant to tell Lu Ran, fearing it might disturb him.

But at this moment, she had no more worries.

Jiang Ruyi could feel that Lu Ran was genuinely happy for her.

"Crackle~"

The black lady's tall boots stepped on the withered leaves, emitting a peculiar sound.

She walked on the curb separating the road from the sidewalk.

With her hands spread out, she occasionally tiptoed, trying to walk in a straight line.

The beauty, Jiang Ruyi, was usually a quiet person.

This slightly mischievous behavior revealed her inner joy.

"Tell me about your main area of focus?" Lu Ran smiled at his girlfriend, "Which aspect are you trying to gain insight into?"

"Guess?" Jiang Ruyi suddenly took a big step forward, avoiding another leaf that would have crumbled under her feet.

Lu Ran: ???

Why guess?

"Lu Ran." Jiang Ruyi suddenly turned around and started walking backward.

A faint smile graced her face as she glanced at Lu Ran.

"What?" Lu Ran, however, looked at her tall boots.

This little game of walking in a straight line had unknowingly affected him too.

She had excellent balance, even when walking backward, not taking a single wrong step.

Lu Ran secretly felt it was a pity, and when he looked up at her face, he found that Jiang Ruyi had turned around again and resumed walking forward.

Lu Ran: "..."

What did that mean?

She called out my name without any context and then stopped?

"I think we're going the wrong way. Let's go to the school side to eat hotpot lamb. This way leads to your home." Lu Ran suddenly spoke up.

"Are you very hungry?"

"It's fine."

"Then let's take this road to school. I'm familiar with it." Jiang Ruyi jumped off the curb, crossed the road, and headed towards the desolate area.

This was the route they often took when they were in high school, leading back home and to the Wulie Riverbank.

Lu Ran suddenly stopped.

His face showed a hint of surprise as he stood in the middle of the road.

For a moment, he had an epiphany.

Just now, Jiang Ruyi wasn't calling his name; she was giving him an answer.

The answer to her insight for advancing to the Jiang Jing.

"Let's go?" Jiang Ruyi stood across the road, looking back at Lu Ran.

She felt he looked a bit silly, just like when she first brought him home to meet her parents.

"What? Don't you want to treat me to hotpot lamb anymore?"

Jiang Ruyi turned around, facing Lu Ran with her arms folded, and slightly raised her eyebrows.

She wore a dark-colored long windbreaker, jeans, black tall boots, and a dark red knitted scarf.

Her jet-black hair swayed gently in the wind.

The once shy and graceful young girl had grown into an elegant and charming woman.

Perhaps the only thing that hadn't changed was that answer.

"Oh." Lu Ran lowered his head and quickly walked towards her.

Could the insight that supports one's advancement on the path of cultivation be another person?

Jiang Ruyi immediately regretted her words.

After all, Lu Ran was in a critical period of his advancement, and she shouldn't have rushed him when he was lost in thought.

Jiang Ruyi looked at Lu Ran cautiously and said softly, "What were you thinking about just now?"

"Ah." Lu Ran smiled, making up an excuse, "I was thinking that if I stood in the middle of the road for a while, I'd surely get hit by a reckless driver.

With a bang, you wouldn't need to go to the shop to eat lamb."

Jiang Ruyi felt both amused and annoyed, patting Lu Ran's shoulder.

Not going to the shop to eat, but picking up food from the street instead?

As she thought about it, she still felt unsatisfied, so she raised one of her long legs.

I'll dodge~

"Look, you're rushing again!" Lu Ran quickly took two steps forward and whispered, "Be a little ladylike."

Jiang Ruyi looked at Lu Ran with dissatisfaction and followed him, feeling annoyed.

The road leading to the Wulie Riverbank wasn't entirely desolate.

At least near the abandoned neighborhood, there were shops, pharmacies, and small restaurants along the roadside.

In the past two months, Lu Ran had almost explored the entire HX District.

He spent his days contemplating his advancement but was frustrated, so he revisited the place where he was born and raised.

"Rain Season Flower Shop is closed," Jiang Ruyi said softly, looking at a dilapidated sign by the roadside.

Flowers weren't a necessity in life.

But they were like healing music, bedtime stories, and inspiring novels like Heavenly Pride, all of which helped people through dark and difficult times.

So, this flower shop had always been doing well.

But now,

The wooden fence in front of the shop had been dismantled, the decorative flowers on the facade were gone, leaving only a few rusty iron frames and flower pots piled in the corner.

"It's been closed for a long time," Lu Ran said softly.

He still remembered the shop owner, a gentle woman who liked wearing skirts.

However, Lu Ran didn't know her name.

"Think positively," Jiang Ruyi held Lu Ran's arm, "Maybe she moved away from this city."

Indeed, one should think positively.

If one were to envision her tragic death on the streets, her long skirt stained with blood, it would be too sorrowful.

"Old Zhang's family didn't move away." Lu Ran slightly raised his head, gesturing towards the small "Wedding Photography" sign next to the flower shop.

Jiang Ruyi fell silent.

The shop was indeed still open, but it had been taken over by his son, as Old Zhang had passed away.

During high school, various one-inch and two-inch photos were required for school, and she had mostly come here to take them.

Now, everything was different.

On this memory-filled street, some familiar faces could only reappear in her memories.

Lu Ran and Jiang Ruyi walked silently, gazing at the shops they had passed countless times on their way home.

Friends are like trees in the courtyard,

One day the wind blows, and they grow distant.

As they approached the Wulie Riverbank Neighborhood, the shops disappeared.

Lu Ran secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

During this period, he had walked this road countless times.

Through each shop, he saw and thought of many, many people.

Those who were still alive, those who had passed away, and those who would forever remain in Rain Alley.

Suddenly, Lu Ran slowed his steps.

Jiang Ruyi, holding Lu Ran's arm, immediately noticed his strangeness and slowed down as well.

Earlier, when they crossed the street, Jiang Ruyi had blamed herself once.

This time, she didn't speak up right away but quietly looked at Lu Ran's profile.

She discovered that Lu Ran was staring blankly ahead.

Following his gaze, Jiang Ruyi looked over and saw that the Wulie Riverbank Neighborhood was desolate.

The street ahead was empty.

Only the fallen leaves on the ground were blown about by the wind.

There wasn't even a single person in sight.

Was there really no one?

In Lu Ran's line of sight, he saw a pair of ethereal figures.

The shadow youth wore a blue and white school uniform, with a single shoulder bag and a wooden sword in his hand, gesturing towards the setting sun.

The shadow maiden also wore a school uniform, carrying a backpack, her face shy as she walked with her head down.

"The Jade Talisman Sect, of course," the shadow youth said with a smile, his eyes firm.

"Why?" The shadow maiden looked at the youth, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"My dad is a Jade Talisman believer. Every fifteenth night, he goes out to slay evil spirits; he's very powerful!"

The youth raised his wooden sword and held it in front of his eyes.

Using the thin blade, he blocked the sunlight.

"Oh, is your uncle a Moon Gazer?" The maiden's eyes held a hint of respect.

"No, he's a soldier." The youth's voice lowered slightly, as if his emotions were a bit downcast. "To take care of me, he applied to come to the city and cooperate with the Moon Gazer troops to carry out missions."

"What stage is your uncle's strength at?"

"He died, he sacrificed himself." The youth raised his head and looked up at the abandoned building in the distance.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know." A hint of panic flashed across the maiden's face.

"It's okay." The youth's steps didn't stop; he suddenly lowered the wooden sword that was blocking his face.

Lu Ran's heart trembled slightly!

He wasn't sure if the youth who had come before him was looking at him or the setting sun behind him.

Both pairs of figures continued walking, approaching each other.

He wore a school uniform, held a slightly worn wooden sword, and his face was both youthful and determined.

She wore a school uniform, her hair tied in a neat ponytail, and her eyes held a hint of innocent affection.

The young man and woman walked side by side, with a small distance between them.

He wore a hat and a mask, his posture even more upright, and his eyes were filled with peace and tranquility.

She wore a long windbreaker, her figure graceful, her long black hair falling over her shoulders, and her eyes were full of gentleness.

The young couple walked side by side, her arm around his, with no distance between them.

The two pairs of figures walked step by step forward.

Their silhouettes seemed to merge into each other.

"So I'll join the Jade Talisman Sect and complete the mission he left unfinished!" The youth's words came from behind them.

Lu Ran stopped and turned around.

Jiang Ruyi also stopped, seemingly realizing something, and looked back at the empty street behind them.

"I'll guard this city in his place!"

"I'll fight through every fifteenth night to avenge him."

"One day, I'll exterminate all the evil spirits in this world!"

His bold words echoed in their ears.

Carrying the unique spirit of youth and filled with ambition.

Under the setting sun, the shadows of the young man and woman walked further and further, facing the sunset.

"Hoo~"

A faint wind stirred.

In the clear sky, clouds and mist suddenly gathered.

Jiang Ruyi widened her eyes slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She let go of her hand and made a gesture to step aside.

But Lu Ran hugged her shoulders and held her in his arms.

Jiang Ruyi hesitated for a moment but eventually said nothing, gently hugging him and burying her face in his shoulder.

In Lu Ran's sight, the shadows of the young man and woman gradually moved away.

But for a brief moment, the shadow youth turned his head and looked at Lu Ran from a distance.

"Thank you," Lu Ran whispered, his energy fluctuations becoming more intense.

The shadow maiden also turned her head, as if curious about what the youth was looking at.

Or perhaps...

Her innocent eyes, piercing through time, saw the embracing couple on the street.

Saw herself in his embrace.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end