As If It Were Yesterday

"Lu Ran."

"Mm?" Lu Ran set down the red turban and turned to look at Beauty Jiang.

She wore a white raincoat, which suited her fair, lovely face perfectly, making her look pure and quietly beautiful.

The girl asked, "Did you advance?"

Lu Ran smiled. "What do you think?"

Hadn't this very scene played out a few days ago?

Jiang Ruyi shot Lu Ran an amused, exasperated glare. "Who cares?"

With that proud, confident look of his, anyone could have guessed the answer.

"Hehe." Lu Ran grinned.

You dared use chopsticks at my banquet? I'll pull out the plastic bag again!

Sorry, everyone.

I'm showing off again!

"Good!" Deng Yutang let out a loud shout, startling Lu Ran. "You learned Immortal Hoof too, right?"

Lu Ran nodded as if it were only natural. "Don't worry."

Deng Yutang's heart settled. Brother Lu had truly lived up to expectations.

He was immensely envious that his companion had taken the lead and advanced once again, and he felt a faint trace of pressure as well.

But there was even more joy in his heart. After all, the stronger Lu Ran became, the higher the team's odds of survival!

Especially now that Lu Ran had Divine Technique: Immortal Hoof. He could move around even faster, connect the entire team more effectively, and lend support wherever it was needed!

"So amazing." Tian Tian looked up at Lu Ran, her small mouth slightly open.

Seeing Tian Tian's cute little expression, Lu Ran could not help reaching out and patting her head.

Though they were the same age, obedient and adorable Tian Tian always gave people the feeling of being a little younger sister.

"Mm." Tian Tian lowered her head, her cheeks burning red, not daring to dodge.

Fortunately, Goddess Jiang showed mercy and rescued one of her people. She drew Tian Tian behind her, blocking that petite figure from view.

"All personnel, assemble according to your team numbers and form ranks!" On the podium, a male teacher held a microphone and barked out the order.

The Sports Field was in chaos, but the teacher continued, "Today, you will participate in the city defense operation and protect this city!"

Amid the male teacher's lengthy speech, the students finished lining up.

The Sports Field fell solemn, and the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.

Compared with the previous Evil Dog Village assessment, this fifteenth-day city defense was undoubtedly a hundred times more dangerous!

Just as homeroom teacher Li Yanzhu had said before, there would be no soldiers selecting the weakest fiends for the trainees to practice against today.

Tonight,

one careless mistake could truly get someone killed!

"Attention!" the male teacher shouted. "The teams whose numbers I call, come to the front of the podium in order."

Deng Yutang suddenly spoke. "I think I saw my sister."

"Oh?" Lu Ran looked into the distance, searching for the Great Nightmare's figure.

Sure enough, amid the sea of dark raincoats, he spotted a bright yellow figure.

"Your sister's rank isn't low, is it?" Lu Ran moved behind Deng Yutang and asked softly.

Before the podium, a group of Moon Watchers stood in neat formation. The Great Nightmare, meanwhile, stood off to the side with five others.

Deng Yutang shook his head. "She's only been on the job for a few months. What rank could she possibly have?"

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly. Then that position... was it because she was from the City Bureau?

Very likely.

Even if Deng Yuxiang was merely a small fry in the Cloud City Gods Bureau, here in Rain Alley City, she was still someone sent down from a higher authority.

"...Team 33!"

"Team 57!"

"Team 98!"

"Here!" Deng Yutang answered instinctively, his voice exceptionally loud.

Under the students' gazes, the four-person group quickly crossed the ranks and arrived before the podium.

"Each of your ten teams will be assigned one Moon Watcher leader, and you will carry out your mission at West District Gymnasium." The male teacher said gravely, "From this moment on, you will obey all arrangements made by the Moon Watchers!"

As he spoke, the men and women clad in Black Raincoats stepped forward to their respective teams.

The Moon Watcher leading Team 98 was a middle-aged man with a rather kindly appearance.

"Let's go." The man spoke first, beckoning to the four of them.

Deng Yutang took the lead and followed.

But when he reached the side of the podium, Deng Yutang greeted, "Sister."

His voice had been loud before, but now he looked as though he did not want to greet her, yet did not dare keep quiet.

Lu Ran, on the other hand, waved openly. "Hello, Sister!"

"Mm." Deng Yuxiang ignored her own little brother and instead looked Lu Ran up and down.

She tilted her chin slightly in his direction, looking quite dashing. "Little Lu Ran, don't die."

"Like sister, like brother." Lu Ran immediately gave her a thumbs-up. "You really know how to care about people!"

"Hehe~"

"Haha." For a moment, several City Bureau colleagues burst into laughter.

"You brat." Deng Yuxiang laughed as she scolded him. "Get lost already!"

Deng Yutang: "..."

Deng Yutang, who had not even wanted to greet her in the first place, suddenly felt neglected.

What's wrong with me?

Ever since I was little, I'd avoided her whenever I could. What's going on today?

Lu Ran said nothing more. He merely raised an eyebrow, a questioning look on his face.

Deng Yuxiang reacted quickly and immediately understood what Lu Ran was asking.

The smile on her face faded slightly as she gently shook her head.

"Alright." Lu Ran sighed inwardly and left with the team.

"Is Xiao Deng your sister?" the Moon Watcher leader asked Lu Ran.

"His." Lu Ran patted Deng Yutang's back. "If she were my sister, I wouldn't have lived to this day."

The Moon Watcher's expression turned strange as he looked at Deng Yutang.

Deng Yutang could only nod.

Probably my sister. Though... she doesn't seem very familiar with me, she should be.

"Sir, how should we address you?" Lu Ran asked smoothly.

The man introduced himself. "Zhang Feng. Just call me Brother Zhang.

"I'm from the Moon Gazing Brigade of the Rain Alley City Gods Bureau. I'm a Sword Lotus Believer."

Jiang Ruyi looked at the girl beside her and whispered, "We've run into a Senior Brother."

Tian Tian curiously looked toward her fellow believer. Unfortunately, just then, Zhang Feng's expression turned stern. "From now until the mission is complete, you will obey orders!

"This guard post assignment is no child's play. You must take responsibility for your own lives."

"Yes!"

"Yes." The others answered just as solemnly.

The ten teams boarded Gods Bureau buses and traveled through the empty streets toward West District Stadium.

Rain Alley City had many shelters, and Lu Ran was extremely familiar with the gymnasium in the West District.

Just last month on the fifteenth, Lu Ran had spent the night here.

As the vehicle turned onto Stadium Road and he spotted the circular building in the distance, Lu Ran unexpectedly felt as though none of it were real.

On this day last month, he had already been inside the gymnasium, lying on a bed and mindlessly scrolling through his phone.

Back then, his mother would still call amid her busy schedule, offering him a little encouragement and comfort.

But now...

Lu Ran unconsciously touched his pocket.

Sure enough, he had forgotten his phone again.

Really, once you have the Immortal Sheep, you forget your mother.

Moreover, ever since becoming a believer, he had trained hard day and night and had not contacted his younger sister in a long time.

During the two years since leaving the capital, on every fifteenth of the month, the siblings would exchange messages and chat about how things were going.

Compared with Lu Ran, his younger sister spent the night in a far better environment. She could stay at home and safely pass the night before Jian Yi, the Divine Idol attended by their mother.

"Did any of you bring your phones?" Lu Ran asked.

Deng Yutang shook his head. Tian Tian, seated in the back, hurriedly searched through her things and handed over her phone. "Here."

Her phone case was a soft pink cartoon rabbit. It was rather cute.

Lu Ran took the phone, then handed it back to her. "Password."

"Oh, oh." Tian Tian stretched out her small hand and tapped the screen several times.

Lu Ran accidentally caught a glimpse. "0607. Your birthday?"

Tian Tian quickly pulled back her hand without saying a word.

Lu Ran said, "Why didn't you tell us earlier? We could've celebrated with you!"

"June seventh." Deng Yutang pondered. "If it's on the lunar calendar, wasn't that the day our team formed?"

At those words, Tian Tian actually turned to look out the window, not daring to face the others again.

Jiang Ruyi was sharp as ice and clever as snow, seeming to understand something.

"Maybe it's her bank password. Stop asking." Jiang Ruyi spoke at just the right moment to ease the situation, placing a hand on Tian Tian's back.

As her palm rubbed gently up and down, Tian Tian's tense body gradually relaxed.

With a smile in her eyes, Jiang Ruyi looked at the girl sitting beside her.

She was merely shy and not good at expressing herself.

There were probably many thoughts hidden away in her heart too.

A few minutes later, the vehicle entered the vast stadium and came to a stop before the gymnasium.

"Everyone, get off!"

A voice called from ahead. Lu Ran swiftly sent out his message, then got off with the main group.

The stadium beneath the Rain Curtain was utterly silent.

The green field, basketball courts, tennis courts, and all the other grounds were completely empty.

"Let's familiarize ourselves with the surroundings first." Zhang Feng called to the four of them and led them into the gymnasium.

The inside and outside of the building were worlds apart.

The gymnasium was brightly lit, and there had to be over a thousand people inside!

Single beds were arranged in neat rows and columns. Most citizens sat on their beds playing with their phones or watching tablets.

Some gathered in groups of two or three to play cards, quietly bragging and chatting.

The occasional soft laughter eased the oppressive atmosphere somewhat.

Why were the people inside consciously keeping their voices down?

Because at the intersections between the rows of beds stood many small shrines, and before each shrine, a Moon Watcher sat kneeling upon a prayer mat.

At a glance, there were likely thirty or forty Small Shrines throughout the vast space.

Within the shrines stood small Wutong Trees.

Sixth Rank God: Green Wutong!

It was a typical plant-type god. The divine techniques of the Green Wutong lineage specialized in defense and healing.

"I'm back," Lu Ran murmured, feeling as though a day had passed like a lifetime.

"Thirty beds across, thirty beds deep. Including children, there are a thousand citizens in total." Zhang Feng spoke softly as he led the team through the gymnasium.

"Memorize the layout inside and keep an eye on the gaps between the beds."

"Although your guard posts aren't inside the gymnasium, if necessary, we may enter at any time..."

As the team walked, some citizens cast them friendly looks.

Lu Ran and the others' identities were obvious. After all, they carried Weapons and had a Moon Watcher leading them.

But some citizens were not friendly toward this group of young people.

"Call landlord!"

"I'll bid~"

Not far ahead to the right, a Bald Head lay comfortably on a bed, using his phone to play Fight the Landlord.

Noticing people approaching, he looked up, his gaze sweeping over Lu Ran and the others.

Especially after seeing petite, delicate Tian Tian, the bald man with a face full of flesh directly shot the girl a glare.

His face was full of annoyance, utterly undisguised!

"Do you know him?" Jiang Ruyi frowned slightly.

Tian Tian silently shook her head.

The sudden malice seemed unprovoked, but there was some reason behind it.

In some people's eyes, young believers like Lu Ran were extremely unreliable!

If they truly encountered danger, believers like them might panic even more than ordinary people!

Yet believers possessed physical abilities beyond ordinary humans. Once they panicked, the chaos they caused would be even greater.

These Newbies might as well see themselves as ordinary people and accept the Moon Watchers' protection together with everyone else!

The problem was that every generation of young believers needed experience in order to grow. Their first guard assignment was unavoidable...

It was only because the Bald Head was living under someone else's roof, and because a Moon Watcher led the team, that he had not already opened his mouth.

"Lu Ran?" Jiang Ruyi stopped in her tracks, because Lu Ran had stopped ahead of her.

The bald man's expression turned ugly as he glared at Lu Ran, who had halted in front of him. "What are you looking at?"

So what if they were believers?

You little brats can go wherever you want, but whatever you do, don't get assigned to my area!

Lu Ran pointed at the bed. "On the fifteenth of last month, I slept in this bed."

Bald Head sat upright. "What do you mean? You've claimed this bed and won't let anyone else sleep here?"

Unexpectedly, Lu Ran suddenly raised his head and pointed straight overhead.

"Around ten that night, I watched with my own eyes as a Split Soul Devil poked its head out there. Right there!"

Bald Head: ???

Lu Ran pointed at the bald man's feet again. "If the Moon Watcher hadn't moved so fast, the Split Soul Devil would've landed at the foot of my bed!"

"Damn!" The bald man hurriedly pulled his feet back. "Little brother, don't scare your big brother like that. My heart can't take it."

"Your cards are way too good!"

"Hurry up! I've waited until the flowers have withered!"

Voices drifted from the phone.

The flesh on Bald Head's face nearly vanished from fright. "Little brother, if you like this bed, can't I just switch? When you're tired after standing watch at night, come rest here. I'll leave right now!"

"Sir, calm down!" Zhang Feng immediately returned and pressed the bald man back onto the bed. "Assigned beds can't be switched around at will.

Don't panic. The Demon Race doesn't appear in fixed locations.

There are many God Sculptures in the hall, and many Moon Watchers stationed here. We'll definitely protect you. Please rest assured."

Lu Ran nodded heavily. "That's right—safe and painless!

Back then, before I even had time to cry out, it was already over."

Bald Head: "."

After calming the bald man down, Zhang Feng turned to Lu Ran. "Some psychological trauma is unavoidable.

But you're no longer the person you once were. You need to learn to face it, instead of living in fear forever."

Lu Ran looked up at the high ceiling, his eyes blazing with spirit. "Brother Zhang, you misunderstand."

Zhang Feng: "Oh?"

Lu Ran hugged the cloth-wrapped Xiaguang Saber tightly and stared at the spot where the Split Soul Devil had once appeared. "I'm not afraid.

On the contrary, I hope I can see it again tonight.

And kill it with my own hands!"

"My mom's mom, my grandma, oh heavens!"

The bald man sprang to his feet with a flop, his face crumpling miserably. "Switch! This bed has to be switched!"

"Will you stop talking already?!" Zhang Feng hurriedly shoved Lu Ran along with one hand, quickly leading him away.