Chapter 38: The Promise
Chapter 38: The Promise
Lu Ran's sleep was indeed a deep slumber.
When he opened his drowsy eyes, it was already the dead of night.
"Hmm?"
Lu Ran propped himself up on his bed, feeling his entire body ache.
Unconsciously, he looked at the clock on the wall, but the room was pitch-black.
Even with the moonlight pouring in through the windowsill, it didn't help Lu Ran much.
Lu Ran's heart stirred, and memories from his dream gradually flooded his mind.
For a moment, he felt significantly more alert! Apparently, the past 21 days of his dog-slaughtering journey had brought him some success!
In his dream, the demonic sculpture of the evil dog had finally been activated.
"So..."
Lu Ran couldn't help but lick his lips.
The next moment, a surge of divine power rippled through his body.
Evil Perception Spell!
Lu Ran's eyes widened in surprise!
It wasn't quite night vision, but he could vaguely make out the clock on the wall! 12:00 a.m.
Hmm, waking up early is less beneficial than waking up at the right moment.
The moment he opened his eyes, it was the perfect time for emo!
"The night breeze ruffles the white strands in your hair, smoothing out the scars of memories. Your eyes, a mix of light and shadow..."
Lu Ran's voice was soft and low.
His eyes gleamed with a mysterious light as he examined the room's interior with the aid of the Evil Perception Spell.
After a while, Lu Ran rose and walked to the window, his fingertips gently brushing the moonlit windowsill, feeling the peculiar sensation.
The bright moon in the sky, the summer night's insects chirping.
Slowly, Lu Ran closed his eyes.
He listened intently to the world shrouded in darkness... The Evil Perception Spell was still too low-level, only at the Mist Grade.
It couldn't provide true night vision, nor could it pick up sounds that were too distant or varied.
"You can slaughter more evil dogs." Suddenly, a deep voice echoed in his mind.
Lu Ran was startled! He had been listening intently to the night, and this sudden telepathic message was no different from a jump scare in a horror movie.
Lu Ran took a step back diagonally, approaching the shrine, and clasped his hands together, "Divine Sheep, Sir?"
White Ram Statue: "Bring more evil dog souls to nurture the demonic sculpture. The stronger the evil dog statue becomes, the higher the grade of the evil art, and the more types of evil arts you'll have."
"I understand, Sir," Lu Ran nodded firmly.
White Ram Statue: "Don't neglect your personal cultivation either. Weaklings find it difficult to master profound techniques; don't force it."
"Yes, Sir!" Lu Ran nodded again.
The small, dark bedroom fell silent once more.
Lu Ran waited for a long time, but without further instructions from the deity, he turned and walked to the desk, picking up his phone, which had been charging all day.
As expected, in the 21 days he had been away, his phone was filled with messages.
Aside from his mother's concerned messages, most of the messages were from his sister, Qiao Yuanxi.
Starting from the 3rd day of the 7th lunar month, she had been urging him:
"Are you done yet?"
Then, almost every day, she sent a new message:
"It's been over ten days, and you still haven't completed the task?"
"Why haven't you come out yet? Are you not strong enough?"
"Stinky brother, you're so weak! If you don't reply soon, I'll call you 'Stinky Little Brother'!"
"Today I ate a hamburger and secretly threw away the lettuce, hehe~"
"T^T, Mom found out, and I got scolded."
"It's already the 8th day of the month, and my cold-hearted and weak brother..."
"Stinky Little Brother."
Lu Ran paused his scrolling, stopping at the last message.
Looking at these three words, Lu Ran's expression turned a bit odd.
Hmm. In this regard, my sister is quite like me.
She's the Reversed Heavenly Trigram!
Lu Ran glanced at the time and then tossed his phone back onto the desk.
He returned to the shrine, sat cross-legged, and entered his cultivation mode.
A wisp of mist quietly drifted out from the shrine, enveloping the human believer, nourishing his mortal flesh.
Interestingly, sleeping had left Lu Ran's body sore, but cultivating divine power greatly relieved his physical exhaustion.
The night passed without further incident.
The next day, at dawn:
"Ugh~~~"
Lu Ran stretched his body vigorously, and his ears picked up the crisp sound of cracking bones.
"Divine Sheep, good morning," Lu Ran greeted before rushing to his phone.
His mother usually woke up early, so he wasn't worried about disturbing her rest.
As expected, Lu Ran only had to wait a few seconds before the call connected.
girls' voices were soft and gentle:
"Ran?"
"Mom, I'm sorry for worrying you. The task was quite demanding, and I barely managed to complete it yesterday," Lu Ran said, looking at the brightening sky outside the window.
"Yesterday, you slept all day, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Lu Ran replied with an embarrassed smile.
Qiao Wanjun's voice remained gentle, "Next time, send me a text when you get home, and then rest."
"I understand." Lu Ran quickly replied.
Qiao Wanjun nodded and then asked, "So, the Divine Energy Orbs and weapons can be upgraded?"
"Yes, I slaughtered them like crazy in the Evil Dog Village," Lu Ran grinned, "I could set up a butcher's stall now!"
Qiao Wanjun gave a light laugh, "In the beginning, you had to summon the courage to pick up the butcher's knife.
Now, you must constantly remind yourself to respect life."
"Remember to distinguish the Demon Clan from other living beings."
"Absolutely," Lu Ran responded solemnly.
A powerful Follower would undoubtedly have piles of corpses under their feet and their hands stained with blood.
The Demon Clan was indeed very cunning.
Even if they couldn't kill you, during your repeated killings, your heart might still be tainted.
For the past two years in high school, the class teacher had repeatedly advised the students:
Despising life and becoming numb to it was easy.
What Followers truly pursued was to maintain their integrity throughout their long combat careers.
"Okay," Qiao Wanjun wasn't too worried, after all, the Deity was watching over them, and she continued, "Yesterday when I was on my way home, Yuanxi mentioned you."
Lu Ran felt a bit embarrassed, "I'll book my ticket soon.
By the way, is the Burger King near our house still open?"
"Don't buy it for her, I'm punishing her by not letting her eat this week," Qiao Wanjun continued, "Just come over.
It's perfect for both of you to stay at home and spend the Mid-Autumn Night together, and I'll feel more at ease."
"No, Mom," Lu Ran immediately replied, "I have to come back the day after tomorrow, and there's a task on the fifteenth."
"A task?" Qiao Wanjun was quite surprised.
"It's like this," Lu Ran explained in detail.
On the other end of the phone, Qiao Wanjun's eyebrows furrowed deeper as she listened.
Followers could, of course, participate in the Mid-Autumn Night City Defense task.
The problem was that what awaited the people next was the most dangerous July 15th!
"Extra test," Qiao Wanjun muttered to herself, feeling proud that her child had received such an honor.
But in reality, she was more worried.
"Don't worry, Mom, I'll be very safe with the Moon Gazers," Lu Ran reassured her.
"Why didn't you tell me about such a big thing in advance?"
Hearing the words of his mother, Lu Ran fell silent, unsure of how to respond.
However, Qiao Wanjun misunderstood, thinking that her tone had been too harsh.
For this extremely proud and strong-willed son, Qiao Wanjun rarely scolded him, and she didn't even want to speak harshly.
"It's because I've been too busy and haven't paid enough attention to you lately," Qiao Wanjun's tone softened, "You should just stay home and rest well.
Remember, on the night of the fifteenth, stick close to the Moon Gazers and don't worry Mom."
"Absolutely!"
"As for Yuanxi, I'll talk to her," Qiao Wanjun sighed softly, "Ranran."
"Hmm?"
"Your father will be proud of you."
Lu Ran smiled, "What about you?"
Hearing this, Qiao Wanjun also smiled, "At 5 a.m. on the morning of the 16th of July, call me, and I'll tell you."
"Agreed."
Lu Ran hung up the phone and put it down.
"July 15th," he muttered, leaning on the windowsill and gazing at the clear sky.
Last month, on the 15th, they hadn't been fortunate enough to see the full moon.
He hoped they could see it this time.
"Buzz, buzz."
The phone suddenly vibrated.
Lu Ran looked at the unfamiliar number and curiously answered, "Hello?"
On the other end of the line, a familiar female voice asked, "Little Lu Ran?"
Lu Ran was taken aback, and three words blurted out, "Great Nightmare?"
Deng Yuxiang's expression was quite interesting, "Hmm?"
Lu Ran: "..."
"Okay, okay!" Deng Yuxiang realized what was going on and was directly amused by the situation, "Dare to secretly give me a nickname behind my back?"
Lu Ran quickly explained, "You misheard, I said Great Dream Beauty!
Her divine beauty is like something out of a dream, even more beautiful than the Crimson Ink People!"
Deng Yuxiang: "???"
For a moment, Deng Yuxiang couldn't tell if Lu Ran was praising her or insulting her.
"What's the matter?" Lu Ran took the opportunity to change the subject.
Deng Yuxiang gave a cold hum, "I heard from Jade Hall that you completed the task and returned."
"Yes," Lu Ran's heart stirred, "Are you looking for me regarding the patrol team?"
However, Deng Yuxiang said, "I'm free and want to stretch my bones."
"Hello? Speak up, this broken phone has such a poor signal. Beep, beep, beep."
(End of Chapter)
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