Demon Sculptures?

A few minutes later, the black sports sedan drove into Rain Alley Home Community and stopped in front of an Apartment Building.

Lu Ran thanked them repeatedly, opened the door, and got out.

Deng Yutang got out as well, took the Xiaguang Saber from the trunk, and handed it to Lu Ran.

"Little Lu Ran."

The passenger-side window slowly rolled down. Deng Yuxiang leaned over the steering wheel, tilted her head, and waved outside.

"Goodbye, Sister." Lu Ran misunderstood her meaning and immediately waved farewell.

Deng Yuxiang smiled. The bright lipstick on her lips always reminded Lu Ran of one of President Zhou's songs.

She said, "Train hard with Little Tang from now on. Work well together and get better Results.

"If I'm satisfied, maybe I'll teach you a trick or two."

Lu Ran immediately perked up. "Sister uses a saber too?"

Deng Yutang had just gotten into the car. Hearing that, he shouted outside, "My sister is—ah!"

Deng Yuxiang floored the accelerator, and the black sports sedan roared away.

Lu Ran watched the vehicle roar off through the Rain Curtain and could not help baring his teeth in a grin.

That Big Girl—

she was truly beautiful and dashing. Well, except her name did not quite fit.

Such a radiant Woman did not suit Rain Alley's gloomy, rainy weather and its sorrowful, melancholic air.

Come to think of it, didn't my own name seem equally out of place with my Hometown's atmosphere?

"The bright lipstick on her lips carries a pride of confidence, I can see it~"

Lu Ran softly hummed as he walked home step by step.

The first thing he did was go to the Small Bedroom and respectfully bow before the shrine:

"Immortal Sheep, your disciple has returned."

Lu Ran paused, then continued, "Thank you for your Teachings, Immortal Sheep. The special application of Compassionate Sound is truly overbearing.

"Your disciple did not fail your expectations. I should be able to take First Place in this assessment."

Lu Ran pressed his palms together and reported before the shrine for a long while, but the White Goat Jade Carving within the shrine showed no response.

Seeing this, Lu Ran bowed once more before carrying the Xiaguang Saber into the bathroom.

After tossing his clothes into a basin to soak, he repeatedly washed both himself and the saber several times.

Only after he was scrubbed clean and refreshed did he leave the bathroom, casually set the Blade Edge on the table, and collapse headfirst onto the Small Bed.

Utterly exhausted, he quickly fell asleep.

Yet this sleep was far from peaceful.

In his dream, Lu Ran seemed to arrive in a mysterious place.

"Where is this?" Lu Ran looked around in astonishment.

The light here was dim, and mist shrouded the surroundings, leaving visibility extremely low.

That itself was nothing. The real problem was that when ordinary people dreamed, they usually sank into it without knowing they were dreaming.

No matter how absurd the dream was, they would not doubt it before waking.

Yet Lu Ran was exceptionally clear-headed at this moment!

He even believed he was awake. As for how he had arrived here—

"Woo~"

"Woooo~" Mournful whimpers drifted out from layers upon layers of mist.

Lu Ran's body tensed as he abruptly turned to look behind him.

Gusts of cold wind blew past, but they could not disperse the thick fog. They only sent a chill crawling down Lu Ran's spine.

"Immortal Sheep?" Lu Ran called softly as he tiptoed forward.

As he advanced, a massive sculpture gradually emerged.

Lu Ran's Eyes widened slightly!

The sculpture stood more than ten meters tall. It was shaped like a dog, entirely black, with a lean, elongated body.

A sculpture of the Demon Race's Vicious Hound?

"What?" Lu Ran was dumbstruck as he looked up at the giant Vicious Hound's sharp fangs and Tusks.

"Woooo~"

"Woof! Woof!" The whimpering and barking sounded again.

Upon the enormous Vicious Hound sculpture, Lu Ran actually saw the figures of one Vicious Hound after another.

They were normal in size, but formed from illusory lines, like souls circling the giant sculpture.

"Woof!!"

The Vicious Hounds sensed Lu Ran's presence and opened their Bloody Mouths one after another.

But before the Vicious Hound souls could pounce, they were forcibly dragged back.

It was as though invisible Shackles surrounded the sculpture, tightly imprisoning the wailing, howling evil spirits.

"Gulp." Lu Ran swallowed and backed away step by step.

Counting carefully, there were at least thirty or forty Vicious Hound souls.

Wait!

A thought struck Lu Ran. Could these be the thirty or forty Vicious Hounds his team had slaughtered during this trip to the Demon Lair?

What did this mean? Had the dead come to demand his life?

The Demon Race had many varieties. There truly were demons capable of invading human dreams to steal souls and claim lives.

But Lu Ran was certain that the Vicious Dog Clan did not possess such an ability!

"Immortal Sheep?" Lu Ran's temples throbbed. He had no idea what was happening, much less where he was.

His only reliance was his family's deity—the Immortal Sheep.

Yet apart from the wails of evil spirits, there was no other sound here.

Suddenly, a faint ghostly glimmer flashed through the giant Vicious Hound sculpture's pupils.

To hell with you, Uncle!

Lu Ran turned and charged into the thick mist.

His instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm kept him from wanting to stay here any longer. Yet after running only dozens of meters, Lu Ran saw another enormous sculpture.

Lu Ran's expression froze!

Ghost Wall?

No, that was not right!

Lu Ran frowned deeply and slowly walked forward.

This sculpture had its back to Lu Ran. He could tell it was a dog, but it was not as lean as a Vicious Hound.

"What is this?" The more Lu Ran looked, the more familiar it seemed.

He cautiously circled around to the side of the sculpture and finally recognized what kind of dog it was!

It resembled a Wolf Dog, entirely black, with Blood-colored Veins running across its body, making it look alluring and bizarre.

Demon Race—Blood Calamity!

Common folk also called it a "Blood Disaster Hound." It was far more infamous and far more vicious than the Vicious Dog Clan.

That was because Blood Disaster Hounds could spew raging flames, turning human cities into seas of fire in a short time.

On every Lunar Fifteenth Night, these cruel demons were the last thing people wished to encounter!

Leaving aside the economic losses, the casualties and psychological trauma inflicted upon human society by the Blood Disaster Clan alone were incalculable.

"Blood Calamity." Lu Ran stared blankly upward.

No souls drifted around this sculpture.

"Where exactly is this?" Lu Ran was at a loss.

Why were there Demon Race sculptures everywhere?

What the hell—

what kind of place had I entered?

The Next Day at dawn, the rain continued without end.

Lu Ran slowly woke on the Small Bed and discovered wisps of mist lingering in the little room.

There was no need to say it: while he slept, the Immortal Sheep had blessed him again!

Lu Ran was overjoyed. Feeling himself carefully, he found that his weakness had vanished without a trace.

"Thank you, Immortal Sheep!" Lu Ran hurried to the shrine and bowed again and again with utmost reverence.

After speaking several times and waiting patiently, the Xianyang Jade Sculpture gave no instructions. Only then did Lu Ran stretch viciously.

"Ahhh~~~"

That felt good!

Lu Ran looked at the clock on the wall. It was already eight-thirty in the morning.

Yesterday's brief three-hour trip to the Demon Lair had truly been powerful, with an aftereffect that lingered. He had actually slept through an entire afternoon and night.

Today was the sixth day of the lunar month. School was closed for the day, so Lu Ran was not worried about being late.

He went to the bathroom, tossed the bloodstained clothes that had soaked overnight into the washing machine, then began brushing his teeth and washing up.

But as he brushed, his movements suddenly stopped.

"Something feels off?"

Lu Ran brushed his teeth while secretly pondering.

Why did he keep feeling as though he had forgotten something important?

Yesterday, I went to the Demon Lair, then took the bus back to school, and the Deng Siblings brought me home. I bathed, slept, and woke up just now.

Nothing was wrong!

Everything was crystal clear. There was nothing else.

"Hmm." Lu Ran frowned slightly, not knowing what was wrong with him.

Why was he being so inexplicably strange first thing in the morning?

After washing up, Lu Ran carried the Xiaguang Saber to the Master Bedroom.

He carefully hung the Black Ice Saber back on the wall, his Fingertips brushing across its icy-cold blade.

Scenes of slaughtering dogs yesterday surged into his mind again.

A divine weapon like this had undoubtedly sent Lu Ran's killing power soaring!

Lu Ran softly said, "In a few days, on the Lunar Fifteenth, I'll ask you to come out of retirement again!"

With that, his Fingertips flicked together, lightly tapping the thin, razor-sharp Blade Edge.

Ding~

The Xiaguang Saber gave a crisp, pleasant ring.

"Good, then it's settled!" Lu Ran smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Living alone, he had plenty of little tricks for daily life.

"Guard the house well. I'm heading out to grab a bite first."

Ding~

"Mm, don't worry. I'll definitely remember to bring an umbrella."

Ding~

Satisfied, Lu Ran turned and left.

But before going out, he looked again at the Wedding Photo hanging on the wall directly above the head of the bed.

Although his Parents had long since divorced, his Father had never taken the photo down.

Lu Ran backed out of the room step by step, looking at the man in the old photograph as he murmured:

"I'll go see you in a while."