Chapter 361: A Pleasant Surprise

Chapter 361: A Pleasant Surprise

A large family gathered, celebrating the Lunar New Year's Eve together.

The joyful atmosphere of family reunion made Lu Ran and the others feel particularly content.

After midnight, Qiao Yuansi and Ci Xianxian chose to stay at Jiang Fu's residence.

Lu Ran, on the other hand, took Jiang Ruyi back to Luoxian Residence.

The mountain path was serene, and the warm breeze was soothing.

Under the starry sky, a pair of silhouettes walked hand in hand.

Lu Ran joined Jiang Zheng in drinking half a cup of white liquor, feeling slightly tipsy, and murmured:

"They want me to join the national propaganda department, and there are also old leaders trying to pull me in or recommend me for enlistment."

I've been using the Immortal Sheep Sect as an excuse to turn them down. I have to say, my identity as the master of Luoxian Mountain has been quite useful."

Jiang Ruyi listened quietly without saying a word.

Suddenly, Lu Ran paused, looking at the girl beside him.

Jiang Ruyi noticed his gaze and turned to meet his eyes.

"Ruyi."

"Hmm?"

"I've been talking non-stop all day, and you've been so quiet."

Jiang Ruyi smiled and bowed her head, walking forward.

But someone stopped her.

Lu Ran embraced his fiancee's slender waist, pulling her back into his arms with one hand.

On the deserted mountain path, he was being quite bold.

Jiang Ruyi slightly raising her eyes to look at the person standing right in front of her.

At this moment, Lu Ran seemed to see the night sky filled with stars, hidden in the depths of her gentle eyes.

He admired her beautiful eyes and said softly, "Are you going to Galaxy Bay?"

Jiang Ruyi nodded slightly, "Grandpa Cheng took me there. I need to practice sword fighting in real combat situations."

Lu Ran felt a twinge of guilt, "I should have accompanied you."

Jiang Ruyi smiled, "You don't even know how to use a sword."

The path was one she had chosen herself.

The person she chose was also her own decision.

So, there was nothing more to say.

More than half a month ago, Lu Ran had come and left in a hurry.

Jiang Ruyi realized that she felt a bit wronged.

She woke up with a start, and after the pain subsided, she reflected and corrected herself during her subsequent dedicated cultivation days.

She had made up her mind early on:

She was determined to focus solely on improving her strength.

Any intense emotional fluctuations would only hinder him and herself.

"What are you thinking about?" Lu Ran gently pressed his forehead against hers.

Jiang Ruyi felt the warmth of his breath, with a hint of alcohol.

Lu Ran, on the other hand, smelled the faint scent of jasmine, which was refreshing.

"I'm not thinking about anything." Jiang Ruyi gently pushed Lu Ran, slightly tilting her head back.

Lu Ran said, "I feel like you're different from before."

"How so?"

"You've never pushed me away before." Lu Ran pouted.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Ran was stunned!

What the hell?

How did I end up speaking like that?

Oh no!

Spending too much time with Qiao Yuansi had rubbed off on him!

"Hehe~" Jiang Ruyi couldn't help but laugh, teasing, "Are you, the leader of the Great Summer's Tianjiao, being coquettish with me?"

Lu Ran: "."

Under the starry night sky.

Jiang Ruyi's eyes were captivating, stirring one's heart and soul, with a hint of playfulness: "Hmm?"

Lu Ran had thick skin, pretending nothing had happened: "So, why did you push me away?"

Someone was only attacking and not defending.

Someone remained calm and collected, not engaging in the game.

Jiang Ruyi was still being embraced by him, leaning back slightly, silent.

Lu Ran paused for a moment, then said, "Don't be like that. Are you really going to become a pure and chaste immortal?"

Jiang Ruyi smiled at Lu Ran.

Was it possible that she had grown a year older, and her understanding of love had deepened? Restraint was necessary to avoid holding back one's progress.

Lu Ran panicked, "No, you have to treat people as people.

It doesn't matter to others, but you should at least treat me as a person, right?"

Jiang Ruyi suddenly leaned in, giving Lu Ran a light kiss on the lips.

Once again, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she said softly, "Are you reassured?"

Lu Ran was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "No, but I still have to thank Jiang Xianzi for her grace."

Jiang Ruyi gave Lu Ran a reproachful look, then freed herself from his embrace and walked forward.

The mountain path became narrower, only allowing one person to pass at a time.

The two of them were walking one in front of the other, but Lu Ran stubbornly held her fair hand, playing with her slender fingers.

Jiang Ruyi didn't explain much, which led to Lu Ran's misunderstanding.

For him,

At this moment, Jiang Ruyi was like a flower blooming at the peak of a cloud.

She couldn't drift any further!

Thankfully, he had discovered it early, and it was time to pull her back to the mortal realm.

"By the way, will you accompany me to Northwind City on the first day of the new year?" Lu Ran invited.

"Northwind City?" Jiang Ruyi was a bit surprised.

Lu Ran immediately explained Deng Yuxiang's pursuit of the Divine Armament Field.

As they spoke, they approached the vicinity of Luoxian Residence, and the road became wider, allowing them to walk side by side.

Lu Ran secretly admired Jiang Xianzi's profile, but he was shocked to find that she had refused by shaking her head.

"Don't you want to go?" Lu Ran was genuinely dumbfounded.

How many years had it been?

When had Jiang Meiren ever refused him?

Jiang Ruyi: "I have to attend sword training every day, and I can't afford to interrupt it.

Moreover, I also need to cultivate.

I feel like I'm about to reach the threshold of the Second Stage of Jiang Realm."

Lu Ran: "."

Oh no!

Had he been so busy with his career that he had lost his fiancee?

However, Lu Ran believed the reason Jiang Ruyi gave.

While Lu Ran was busy fighting and participating in various Tianjiao activities, Jiang Ruyi had been diligently cultivating.

More importantly, she was cultivating under the direct guidance of the deity's true form! This was far more terrifying than other believers' "pilgrimages." After all, believers went on pilgrimages, but they might not even be able to enter the inner city beneath the deity's feet.

Jiang Ruyi, on the other hand, had been rooted in Luoxian Residence! She enjoyed the best cultivation resources in the world under the blessings of the Immortal Sheep deity's sculpture.

It was no wonder her growth was so rapid.

Lu Ran: "Then I'll go by myself?"

Jiang Ruyi turned to look at Lu Ran and said softly, "Do you really want me to accompany you?"

Lu Ran opened his mouth, but after a long pause, he shook his head and said, "Never mind, it's okay."

Jiang Ruyi was about to reach the threshold of advancement, so how could he hold her back? Lu Ran swallowed all his subsequent invitations.

He had originally planned to take his fiancee back to the capital for the Lantern Festival.

That day, his mother would be returning home for a rare visit.

Moreover, that day was also the combined birthday of Lu Ran and Qiao Yuansi.

In the end, it seemed better to leave her undisturbed.

The two returned to the mountain residence, and Jiang Ruyi went to bathe.

Lu Ran sat by the eight-immortal table in the master bedroom, drinking cup after cup of tea.

After a while, the sound of a hairdryer came from the bathroom.

Lu Ran thought for a moment, got up, and left the master bedroom. He walked through the hall and arrived at the bathroom door, "Shall I help you blow-dry your hair?"

Inside the room, the sound of the hairdryer stopped.

Leaning against the doorframe, Lu Ran said, "Little Yuanxi always asks me to help her, and I'm only realizing it now. I've never done this for you before."

"Click~"

The bathroom door opened, and a thin mist filled the room.

Jiang Ruyi, draped in a white bathrobe, had just bathed, and her cool-toned face now carried a hint of alluring redness.

It exuded a unique charm.

"Sure," Jiang Ruyi smiled at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran's Adam's apple bobbed.

Jiang Ruyi held the hairdryer, "Let's go to the bedroom."

Lu Ran suppressed the anger in his heart and followed her. When his fiancee sat down at the dressing table in the master bedroom, he suddenly said, "Am I a particularly incompetent boyfriend?

We lived at home for so long, and I never thought of this."

Jiang Ruyi smiled at her reflection in the mirror, her voice gentle, "Your hands are meant to hold a sword."

Lu Ran silently played with her long hair, holding the hairdryer in one hand and getting to work.

Jiang Ruyi kept her eyes on the dressing mirror, observing the serious look in her reflection.

After just a few seconds, she closed her eyes.

That damn guy.

He's messing with my focus again!

Why be so gentle? If this continues, I won't be able to hold on much longer.

After a while, the annoying sound of the hairdryer finally stopped.

Lu Ran lifted her jet-black hair with one hand, as if holding a smooth silk fabric, letting the strands slide through his fingertips.

Jiang Ruyi suddenly spoke, "On the third day of the New Year, I'll accompany you."

This time, Lu Ran's response was quick and decisive, "No need, cultivation is the most important!

With more strength, we'll have more capital to survive."

Lu Ran bowed his head and gently kissed her hair before leaving with the hairdryer.

Jiang Ruyi's gaze shifted, and she silently watched her reflection leave, whispering to herself,

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

The night passed without further conversation, and the next day, at dawn...

When Lu Ran opened his sleepy eyes and reached out to his side, the beauty had already left.

He pushed aside the bed curtains with one hand and listened carefully, but he didn't hear any movement within the residence.

The only sound was the ticking of the second hand on the clock on the distant wall.

Five-thirty?

You see, the two of them had stayed up until midnight last night to celebrate the New Year.

Did Jiang Ruyi get up so early? Lu Ran rubbed his head, got dressed, and went straight to Luoxian Pavilion.

Sure enough!

In the south of Luoxian Pavilion, in a clearing surrounded by trees, Lu Ran found two figures, one old and one young.

"Young Lu, Happy New Year," Cheng Li said, bowing and smiling.

"Grandpa Cheng, I should be the one wishing you a happy New Year," Lu Ran hurriedly returned the greeting.

"Haha," Cheng Li laughed heartily, habitually stroking his long beard.

"Don't you take a break on the first day of the New Year?" Lu Ran asked with a smile.

Cheng Li turned to look at his beloved disciple, his eyes filled with admiration, "Mrs. Luoxian is very diligent."

Lu Ran glanced over and saw Jiang Ruyi holding a wooden branch, practicing with a serious expression.

He asked in a low voice, "How's your progress?"

Cheng Li smiled and said, "Mrs. Jiang has exceptional talent and is humble and hardworking.

In the past half month, she has been completely focused, so her progress is naturally rapid."

Lu Ran: "..."

Is he talking about me?

Should I leave? Lu Ran was very considerate and immediately bowed, "After breakfast, we'll come to visit you and wish you a happy New Year again."

But Cheng Li said, "Young Lu, may I have a word with you?"

Lu Ran was quite surprised and nodded immediately, following Cheng Li into the depths of the forest.

When the two of them stopped, Cheng Li said, "Young Lu, I heard that after some time, the Immortal Sheep Elder will open a Divine Ruin for you?"

Lu Ran confirmed, "Yes."

Cheng Li remained silent for a moment and then said, "The Mountain Lord is blessed with good fortune, and he will surely return safely."

Lu Ran smiled, "Thank you for your kind words, Grandpa Cheng."

Cheng Li said, "I have an unwelcome request."

Lu Ran spoke directly, "Grandpa Cheng, you're too kind. Please go ahead and ask."

Cheng Li organized his thoughts and said slowly, "Young Lu, do you know that there are five brothers in the Cheng family?"

Lu Ran replied, "I've heard of it."

The five brothers of the Cheng family had different fates.

The eldest, Cheng Ren, had died in battle.

The second brother, Cheng Yi, and the third brother, Cheng Li, still resided in Luoxian Mountain.

The fourth brother, Cheng Zhi, had left the Immortal Sheep Sect early on and joined another deity.

The fifth brother, Cheng Xin, had gone missing many years ago, and there had been no news of him since.

Cheng Li continued, "Young Lu, you may not know that my fifth brother disappeared without a trace after challenging the Divine Ruin."

Lu Ran's heart stirred, "Oh?"

Cheng Li said, "With your abilities, you will surely succeed in challenging the Divine Ruin. When you enter the world behind the Divine Ruin, I hope you can help me look for my fifth brother."

Cheng Li sighed, "Whether he's alive or dead, please give me some news."

Lu Ran frowned slightly, "Didn't you ask the Immortal Sheep Elder about this?"

Cheng Li smiled but didn't speak.

In this world, who else besides the Mountain Lord of Luoxian Mountain has the qualification to ask a deity?

Cheng Li wasn't even sure if his private request to Lu Ran would displease the deity.

Lu Ran understood Cheng Li's expression and tentatively asked, "Should I ask on your behalf, Grandpa Cheng?"

Cheng Li shook his head, "It's been so many years, and the Immortal Sheep Elder hasn't revealed anything. There must be a reason, so it's best not to ask recklessly."

If the deity gets angry at me, it's a small matter, but if it involves the fifth brother who is still alive, that would be terrible.

Lu Ran pondered for a moment, organizing his thoughts.

He was a favored one, but other believers, even powerful ones like Cheng Li, had to be cautious.

I never expected that there would be a believer of the Immortal Sheep Sect behind the Divine Ruin as well? If Cheng Xin is still alive

How strong must he be?

Our Ran Sect will gain another powerful member!

What a pleasant surprise.

Thanks to the generous rewards from Zuixiangxiang, TOTorz, Book Friend 20220604085904165, and Jiang Zhuyou! Your support is greatly appreciated!

(`) Heart~

(End of Chapter)

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