In the early hours before dawn, the sky began to show its first light.

Inside the master bedroom of Lu Ran's house, on the large bed, Jiang Ruyi quietly opened her eyes.

She looked at the ceiling, slightly dazed.

Where is this...

Oh, this is Lu Ran's home.

A flush of red colored Jiang Ruyi's fair cheeks.

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

In her eyes was a face deep in slumber.

By her ear, his long and rhythmic breathing sound gave her a sense of great comfort.

Jiang Ruyi's eyes held a touch of shyness and a sliver of joy as she quietly watched the annoying fellow.

As she watched him, memories began to surface in her eyes, recalling the journey they had taken together.

The first meeting between the boy and the girl at the start of high school, the names written down on paper.

Under the setting sun, the two of them walked home together, their shadows elongated by the evening glow.

By the banks of the Wu Lie River, she secretly followed him and discovered his secret training ground for the first time.

On the rooftop, they prepared for the martial arts exam, blades and swords clashing;

Panting, they leaned against the railings, watching the rushing waters of the Wu Lie River, speaking laughable yet ambitious words of changing the world.

"Meow~"

A sudden cat's meow snapped Jiang Ruyi out of her reverie.

She pursed her lips, unable to resist any longer, and tentatively leaned forward to plant a light kiss on Lu Ran's lips.

Finally.

"Mmm..." Lu Ran was sleeping soundly and uttered a vague noise.

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

A few seconds later, realizing he hadn't awakened, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Ruyi quietly got up, lazily running her fingers through her long hair.

The slightly messy master bedroom, the clothes scattered on the floor, all signified something.

Jiang Ruyi's lazy demeanor vanished without a trace, her cheeks reddening even more.

She extended her long legs to the edge of the bed, her fair feet tiptoeing on the floor, in search of her slippers.

"Meow~" Through the door, the little tabby cat looked up at the doorknob, seemingly recalling its unique skills.

Just as it was about to execute its plan, the room door suddenly opened.

"Click."

The woman of the house emerged from the bedroom, not quite fitting into the oversized white short-sleeved shirt, and looked down at the little creature.

"Hush." Jiang Ruyi carefully closed the door, lifting a slender finger to her lips.

"Meow?" The little tabby tilted its head, round eyes full of confusion.

Jiang Ruyi bent over to pick up the tabby and hugged it to her chest, rubbing its little head as she walked towards the bathroom.

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

"Uh..."

It took Lu Ran a while to come to his senses and realize where he was.

He reached out to the side, only to find emptiness, with just a faint scent of jasmine lingering in his nose.

Memories gradually surfaced.

The battle had started yesterday afternoon.

First this, then that.

And then this and that...

Both of them being strong cultivators with youthful vigor, naturally, they had a long tussle before calling a truce.

What Lu Ran didn't expect was that he had actually slept until daylight?

"Good fellow~" Lu Ran sat up, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

Where's Ruyi?

Had she woken up?

She actually woke up before me?

Lu Ran scratched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Ah... blame it on the Yan Zhi!

During their recent trial, the two had been slaughtering their way through Yan Zhi Village.

Jiang Ruyi only needed to swing the White Jade Token.

Whereas Lu Ran had to shuttle back and forth, cleaving with his swords – after a battle, the physical toll was clearly greater on him!

After a half-month of rigorous trials, Lu Ran was both physically and mentally exhausted, which was why he had slept until now.

That's it,

Blame it on the Yan Zhi.

Content with his excuse, Lu Ran got out of bed and found only his shorts; no sign of his shirt.

He put on his shorts and exited the master bedroom, following sounds to the kitchen.

"Meow~" The little tabby cat was at the dining table, eagerly nibbling on a small plate of luncheon meat.

Jiang Ruyi stood at the counter, apparently chopping meat.

On her, Lu Ran spotted his shirt; her black hair still damp, implying a recent shower.

The oversized shirt hid her denim hot pants, creating an illusion.

Below the hem of the shirt, her fair, long legs were truly a sight that dumbfounded Lu Ran.

No!

Is it okay for me to look at this?

Oh... right, she's my girlfriend, so no problem there.

"Finally awake?" Jiang Ruyi turned and saw Lu Ran's dumbfounded expression.

Lu Ran: "..."

What kind of remark was that!

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

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

"I saw it, and the new toothbrush too," Jiang Ruyi looked slightly bemused, "When did you prepare all this?"

So, this annoying guy had been planning all along?

Lu Ran shrugged his shoulders: "At midnight, I woke up hungry, and while I was at it, I prepared them for you."

Jiang Ruyi gave Lu Ran a teasing glance and laughed: "I'll make a dish, just a moment."

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

"You should go put on your clothes... mmm." Jiang Ruyi closed her eyes as Lu Ran wrapped his arms around her and began to play.

She couldn't remember how many times he had interrupted her mid-sentence.

He seemed to like doing this.

After a while, Jiang Ruyi gently pushed Lu Ran away, panting softly, and whispered, "Go on."

"Hmm." Lu Ran pursed his lips, satisfied, and left the kitchen.

Jiang Ruyi turned around, placed her hands on the kitchen counter, took a deep breath, and calmed her rapidly beating heart.

Such a scene seemed too perfect.

That was the problem.

The essence of this world was not so.

The misery of beings was far from beautiful.

Once Jiang Ruyi assured herself that all this had indeed happened, she began to worry about the future.

As the saying goes: extremes meet, and fortune breeds disaster.

This world never concealed its cruel face.

Could it possibly tolerate us?

"Ruyi?" Lu Ran's voice came from behind her.

"Hmm?" Jiang Ruyi suddenly returned to reality, turning to look.

She saw Lu Ran, fresh from the shower, wearing a clean and breezy white T-shirt, his smile sunny, standing behind her.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ran's smile faded as he sensed something amiss.

His expression showed concern as he looked at the untouched beef on the chopping board: "Lost in thought for so long?"

"I..."

"Hmm?"

"I'm fine." Jiang Ruyi looked down slightly, not wanting to spoil the mood with any concerns.

Yet the worries in her heart were hard to hide.

Just the thought of Lu Ran leaving soon to make a pilgrimage to the distant southwest filled Jiang Ruyi with sadness.

Jiang Ruyi realized she had changed.

Once calm and composed, she now fretted and felt unsettled.

"What about my knife skills?"

Lu Ran took the knife from her hand, trying to lighten the atmosphere, approaching the matter from a different angle.

What he didn't expect was for Jiang Ruyi to suddenly embrace him.

"What's really the matter?" Lu Ran asked gently, his hand softly stroking her back.

Even more unexpectedly, Jiang Ruyi blurted out two words:

"Bad person."

Lu Ran: "..."

After repeated prodding by Lu Ran, Jiang Ruyi deftly played down the matter, saying she was just feeling sad about their impending separation.

No sooner had she finished speaking than she regretted it.

She realized that she shouldn't be hindering Lu Ran's progression.

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

It was only through Little Yuanxi that Jiang Ruyi came to know Lu Ran was afraid of disturbing her, afraid that saying too much would make her lose concentration in her cultivation or want to return home early.

With that in mind, Jiang Ruyi felt a sense of self-reproach.

As Lu Ran comforted her, Jiang Ruyi quickly adjusted her state of mind and dismissed all her jumbled thoughts.

Some ten minutes later, the dishes were served.

Stir-fried beef, tomato and eggs, and a fragrant pot of white rice.

Lu Ran was truly hungry, polishing off two bowls of rice.

Jiang Ruyi also had a good appetite, which relieved Lu Ran a great deal.

After the meal, Lu Ran washed the dishes, then escorted Jiang Ruyi home.

Since she lived in Yan Zhi Village and had the conditions to Worship God, the daily offerings were essential.

Lu Ran escorted her to her doorstep, whispered concerns until she closed the door, and then he left.

When he got home, the little tabby cat immediately rushed up to him.

Seeing that only Lu Ran had returned without the mistress, it meowed dispiritedly and ran away.

"You little ingrate!"

Lu Ran closed the door with a "bang" and clenched his right hand in mid-air.

Along with a surge of energy, a tiny Paper Mache Man appeared in his hand.

Vermilion Paper Evil Technique·Paper Mache!

Lu Ran stared intently at the little tabby cat and, with a mere thought,

the Paper Mache Man in his hand became tightly linked to the little tabby cat.

Just as the tabby cat was running into the house, its body suddenly stopped.

Because of the inertia, the stiff-limbed tabby cat slid more than a meter forward on the floor...

Lu Ran slightly raised his eyebrows, continuously impressed in his mind.

Ordinary beings, whether human or animal, really don't stand a chance against this.

"Little tabby, fortune comes your way~"

Lu Ran murmured softly, raising his right hand and carefully examining the palm-sized Paper Mache Man.

It seemed to be made of white paper, complete with head, torso, and limbs, but faceless.

Lu Ran gently touched the Paper Mache Man's left hand, with a light touch and careful movement.

Not far away, the stiff-limbed little tabby's left foreleg twitched and swayed slightly.

"Hmm..." Lu Ran nodded to himself.

As expected, there was no significant "delay" when dealing with ordinary beings.

Against an Evil Demon, however, this trick wouldn't work.

The Evil Technique·Paper Mache was extraordinary yet flawed.

If you crushed the Paper Mache Man swiftly, the strong foe would break free from control and remain unscathed.

You needed to crumple the Paper Mache Man bit by bit, inch by inch, so that the misfortune befalling it could be perfectly replicated on the strong enemy.

The underlying reason was the issue of mental strength!

Indeed, executing this technique required not only energy.

The reason why the Paper Mache Man could so strongly bind to the enemy's physical body was due to the caster's spiritual power!

The higher your level of strength and mental intensity, the tighter the Paper Mache Man would bind to the target.

Likewise, the higher the enemy's mental strength, the harder they are to manipulate.

"Go then." Lu Ran thought, and the Paper Mache Man in his hand was no longer tightly connected to the little tabby cat.

Now able to move, the tabby immediately turned its head towards Lu Ran, clearly knowing who was up to mischief.

"Meow! Meow meow~ Meow! Meow!!"

Lu Ran: "..."

...

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