Chapter 58: Li Hua's Moonlit Night
Chapter 58: Li Hua's Moonlit Night
On the 9th day of the 8th lunar month, the full moon hung high in the night sky.
From the military camp, four young people emerged, led by Wu Ya.
Having learned from their previous experience, Lu Ran and the others decided to leave the village a day earlier to avoid the morning rush.
After all, each time they left the village, they had to climb a hundred-meter-high stone pillar staircase, and when there were many people, the journey would be slow and crowded, making it both tedious and dangerous.
"It's almost full," Jiang Ruyi said softly.
"Sister Ruyi?" Tian Tian was a bit confused.
Jiang Ruyi slightly lifted her head, gesturing towards the bright moon in the night sky.
"Oh, it's almost Mid-Autumn Festival," Tian Tian whispered.
Due to the demonic invasions on every 15th day of the lunar month, traditional festivals like Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival had lost their original charm.
Tian Tian and the others didn't have much sentiment about this.
After all, they were born in an era where gods and demons coexisted, and this had been the reality since they could remember.
The warmth and beauty of the Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, the lively celebrations of Lantern Watching and Moon Worship, were now just stories in history books.
They existed only in the memories of their parents and the tales told by their grandparents.
"Class Leader, we've handed in all the magic crystals," Deng Yutang approached them, "We obtained a total of 362 Stream Grade Magic Crystals and 498 Mist Grade Magic Crystals."
Deng Yutang held the military's inventory list and continued, "We stayed in the village for 17 days and paid for 16 days of accommodation."
Jiang Ruyi said, "Get to the point."
Deng Yutang replied, "The total cost for food and accommodation was 160 Mist Grade Magic Crystals.
Additionally, the military collected 300 Mist Grade Magic Crystals on behalf of the school for completing the assigned tasks.
Each of us kept 10 Stream Grade Magic Crystals for ourselves."
Jiang Ruyi smiled and emphasized, "Just tell us the result directly."
Deng Yutang said, "We earned a total of 16,290 yuan, and each of us can get over 4,000 yuan."
Lu Ran, standing nearby, gave a slight pout.
Jiang Ruyi turned to look at Lu Ran and signaled him to keep his voice down.
Lu Ran sneaked a glance at the soldiers on duty not far away.
The soldiers stood motionless, their expressions unreadable, as if they hadn't heard a thing.
Some conversations were indeed not suitable for the military camp.
But Lu Ran truly felt that the buyback price for magic crystals was too low.
The buyback price for a Mist Grade Magic Crystal was only 5 yuan! It was as if there were no rules at all! Even the starting fare for a taxi was 7 yuan! And a Stream Grade Magic Crystal was bought back for only 50 yuan.
Moreover, the official buyback price was one thing, but if you wanted to purchase them from the official source, the price would be entirely different!
However, with the possession of the Divine Energy Orb, the utility of magic crystals had been significantly reduced.
Generally, only high-level believers would consume a massive amount of magic crystals when breaking through their cultivation stages.
The authorities also did not recommend individuals to hoard a large number of magic crystals.
Unlike the Divine Energy Orb, the energy fluctuations from magic crystals were more overt, which might attract the covetousness of demons.
Of course, this was just a suggestion.
If you had a Minor Deity Statue guarding your home, even if you filled your house with magic crystals, there probably wouldn't be much of a problem.
The Demon Clan, no matter how greedy, still had the basic instinct of seeking benefits and avoiding harm.
Whether your household deity scolded you for it was another matter~
"This time, the city defense on the 15th will likely be organized by class," Jiang Ruyi took the opportunity to bring up another topic.
According to past practices, as students progressed into their senior year, the squad-based system would gradually transition towards a class-based collective.
The role of a believer was about survival, seeking the best from everyone, and working together with unity.
It was not about individual heroism and solo battles!
Among the countless believers in the world, perhaps only Lu Ran could transcend these rules and concepts.
After all, he possessed a Demon Sculpture Garden!
In the future, Lu Ran would not only become a "Technique Kaleidoscope," but he would also be able to summon countless demons to do his bidding.
As long as Lu Ran didn't meet an untimely end, becoming a one-man army was just a matter of time!
"Our classmates are indeed fortunate," Deng Yutang exclaimed.
Lu Ran asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Deng Yutang shrugged, "You're in the same class as us, how can our class ranking be low?"
Lu Ran nodded in agreement, "Indeed, our Deng Xiao always speaks a little truth."
Jiang Ruyi also showed a faint smile.
Her eyes fixed on Lu Ran, and in their depths, there was a hint of pride and joy.
Her choice had been the right one.
When Lu Ran displayed his exceptional talent and was recruited by the Ninth Rank Deity, the Divine Sheep, the students in the school were divided into two groups.
One group was filled with doubts about Lu Ran, refusing to team up with him, fearing he would bring harm to his teammates.
The other group believed that Lu Ran's talent was exceptional, and his achievements would surely be remarkable!
Jiang Ruyi could be considered part of the latter group.
Or perhaps she belonged to a third group.
Jiang Ruyi's choice of Lu Ran was not a gamble at all, as she had already prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Under the guidance of the Divine Sheep, Lu Ran might indeed avoid battles and flee in the face of danger.
He might do anything that would make others despise him but was still within reason.
If Lu Ran were to join another team and falter even once, his survival would become incredibly challenging!
Everyone would shun him, and no team would want to accept such a coward.
After two years as deskmates, Jiang Ruyi knew Lu Ran's character well—he was strong and determined.
She truly didn't want to see Lu Ran in such a humiliating situation, let alone see him so devastated that he couldn't pick himself up again.
So, Jiang Ruyi chose to take him along, at least to help him graduate smoothly.
Much to her surprise, Lu Ran's performance far exceeded everyone's expectations! He had never let her down.
On the contrary, this little lamb was the true leader!
But it was too early to draw this conclusion.
After all, Lu Ran was only a Stream Realm Believer, and as his cultivation level increased, the influence of the deity would naturally deepen.
In other words, Jiang Ruyi was still preparing for the worst-case scenario, ready to face the consequences.
"Why are you staring at me?" Lu Ran scratched his head, feigning shyness. "It's a bit embarrassing."
"Hmph." Jiang Ruyi smiled, turning her head to look at the person beside her.
He had performed exceptionally well, at least up until now.
Lu Ran spoke softly, "If you like it, just say it out loud."
Deng Yutang's face contorted strangely.
I was thinking, your voice isn't that loud, is it?
Lu Ran: "I'll come every 15th of the lunar month, more regularly than relatives.
Who knows which 15th will be my last? You need to be brave, you need to seize the opportunity."
As Lu Ran paused, Jiang Ruyi took a step forward and walked straight towards him.
The sudden turn of events left Lu Ran a bit bewildered.
Tian Tian slightly opened her small mouth, unsure of what Sister Ruyi was about to do, but she felt that she was very brave.
Jiang Ruyi approached Lu Ran, lifted her eyes, and looked into his.
Just as Lu Ran was at a loss, he felt a sharp pain in his toes! Jiang Ruyi suddenly took another step forward and stomped hard on the tip of Lu Ran's shoe.
"Ouch!" Lu Ran gasped, sucking in a breath of cold air.
Wow, she's treating me like an Axe Gang member.
"The car's here," Deng Yutang said, suppressing a laugh as he reminded Lu Ran.
"Don't say such depressing things," Jiang Ruyi said, turning and walking away.
But once she turned her back to the crowd, her face flushed, and her steps quickened.
Such an unladylike action was indeed out of character for her.
Deng Yutang put his arm around Lu Ran's shoulder, gazing at Jiang Ruyi's graceful figure, and advised, "Lu Ran, Class Monitor Jiang is right! From now on, don't say such ominous words."
The truth is: Lies don't hurt, the truth is a swift blade!
Why is everyone a bit apprehensive?
Because what Lu Ran said could very well come true!
Even as early as the 15th of June, Lu Ran had nearly lost his life in the arms of a Paper Doll.
"Alright, alright, I won't say it again," Lu Ran agreed, following Deng Yutang towards the minivan.
At 10 PM, Lu Ran stood at his own doorstep.
As he inserted the key into the lock, he heard continuous scratching sounds from inside.
"Click."
Lu Ran opened the door, "Good evening?"
The lynx cat's face suddenly changed, and it dashed backwards.
"Meow!!!"
The cat's cry was piercingly shrill! Little Lynx was completely startled, arching its body and backing away.
Lu Ran stood frozen in place.
Was it because his killing intent was too strong, and the scent of blood too thick?
Lu Ran remained silent for a moment, then stepped into the house.
Under the watchful eyes of the vigilant lynx cat, Lu Ran avoided it and headed towards the bathroom.
Half an hour later, Lu Ran emerged, his body exuding the fragrance of bath liquid, holding a handful of cleaned magic crystals.
"Baa~"
A faint bleat sounded.
In a moment, a fluffy little head poked out from the doorway.
A single voice of compassion could change a creature's mindset and will.
Poor lynx cat,
Thus, it was played with by someone.
In a sense, believers were no longer human.
As long as Lu Ran wanted to, ordinary people were no different from this little cat in front of him.
"Here." Lu Ran sat by the bed, placing several shiny magic crystals on the floor.
"Meow~" Little Lynx walked over and rubbed against Lu Ran's ankles.
Its fluffy paws curiously pawed at the crystal-clear magic crystals.
Lu Ran's gaze gradually softened.
The bath could only wash away the scent of blood from his body.
The scene before him could better purge the violence in his heart.
Lu Ran had been a believer for just over two months, but the number of creatures that had died by his hand was already in the thousands.
Corpses littered the fields, and blood flowed like rivers.
"Sorry, I scared you," Lu Ran said, bending down to gently rub the lynx cat's fluffy ears.
His face was rarely so gentle, and he sighed inwardly.
In the days to come, Little Lynx would likely be scared often.
After all, on his path, the number of corpses would only increase, piling up into a sea of blood and mountains of bones.
(End of Chapter)
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