Toy Doll

The welcome ceremony was brief.

After all, the night was still dangerous, and still long.

At Jiang Ruyi's quiet reminder, Deng Yutang put away his celebratory mood, while Lu Ran stepped up before the team leader, Zhang Feng.

"You're back." Zhang Feng looked Lu Ran up and down.

From that tattered raincoat, he could tell what a brutal battle Lu Ran had been through.

"Brother Zhang." Lu Ran nodded.

Zhang Feng reached out and pressed a hand onto Lu Ran's shoulder. "I failed to protect you."

"It was an accident." Lu Ran immediately said, "Brother Zhang, there's no need to blame yourself."

Ever since he had set foot on the path of a believer, danger had followed him like a shadow.

Logically speaking, with a Moon Watcher at River Realm: Second Stage guarding the team, they should have been able to protect everyone properly.

Besides, many other Moon Watcher teams were stationed nearby.

Yet no one had expected that, within such a short span of time, no fewer than three River Realm demons would appear before Gate 4 of the gymnasium.

The odds of that were utterly abnormal!

Zhang Feng gave a dumbfounded laugh and shook his head. "You're quite open-minded."

Lu Ran lowered his voice. "I'm pretending."

Zhang Feng: "."

Zhang Feng was rather speechless, while Deng Yutang wore a strange expression.

Why did this scene feel familiar?

"Return to the team." Zhang Feng spoke softly, gesturing toward Gate 4.

"Brother Lu." Deng Yutang slung an arm around Lu Ran's shoulders and stepped up the stairs. "Tell us about what just happened?"

Tian Tian stayed tightly behind Jiang Ruyi, her wide eyes brimming with curiosity as she watched Lu Ran's back.

"I got carried off by a Yanzhiren, then the Moon Watcher came to save me." Lu Ran turned toward Deng Yutang. "Oh, right. Your sister is my lifesaver!"

"Huh?" Deng Yutang was somewhat surprised. "My sister?"

Lu Ran nodded heavily. "Your sister was seriously fierce—fiercer than the Yanzhiren!

With one slash, she directly cut down the Yanzhiren. Talk about crushing flowers with ruthless hands."

Zhang Feng, who had been eavesdropping nearby, had a huge question mark appear over his head.

What kind of description was that?

From the sound of it, Lu Ran even seemed to pity the Yanzhiren?

"Really?" Deng Yutang's eyes shone brightly, feeling honored by association.

Lu Ran grinned. "The last time I sparred with your sister, she casually summoned a wind blade. Only tonight did I learn that her weapon is a huge Horse-Severing Saber?

Good stuff, it was two and a half meters long!

One slash and even a horse would be split in half. How could a Yanzhiren possibly withstand it?"

Lu Ran shared all his gratitude and admiration for the Great Nightmare with his teammates.

Then, with great vividness, he recounted the experience of being abducted.

When they heard that the Yanzhiren had summoned a Small Paper Effigy, Zhang Feng could not help asking, "Evil Technique: Paper Effigy?"

"Yes." Lu Ran confirmed it again.

Zhang Feng's expression turned grave.

This evil technique was a skill the Yanzhiren Clan possessed at River Realm: Third Stage.

In other words, that Yanzhiren which had suddenly appeared was even stronger than Zhang Feng in terms of Strength Realm!

Strength Realm did not merely determine what kind of spells one could learn.

Every increase in Small Rank also raised a creature's various attributes to a certain extent.

If that Yanzhiren had appeared behind Zhang Feng back then and abducted him instead...

Zhang Feng truly doubted that he could have done better than Lu Ran.

After all, the result was right there:

Lu Ran had survived and returned safely to his post!

"After the Yanzhiren kneaded the Thousand Bone Believer into a lump of flesh, it smashed through the Bone Wall." Lu Ran continued his tale, making the others shudder with fear.

Deng Yutang, meanwhile, listened as though intoxicated.

When Lu Ran finally reached the last scene, Zhang Feng could not help sighing. "This time, you truly won't have to worry about scores anymore."

Lu Ran immediately said, "Our team's scores can go up too, right?"

Zhang Feng nodded. "After you left, the team performed exceptionally well. Their adjustments in mentality and tactical changes were both worthy of praise."

As he spoke, Zhang Feng's expression became somewhat strange as he looked at Lu Ran.

Ever since Lu Ran had left, the frequency at which demons appeared here seemed to have returned to normal.

No more River Realm demons had shown up either.

That was truly bizarre!

Could it be that everything really had something to do with this youngster?

"Brother Zhang, you misunderstood." Lu Ran explained, "I meant the part where I assisted the Moon Watcher in killing that Yanzhiren."

Lu Ran spoke with utter brazen confidence. "You shouldn't only give me extra points. I'm the team's jungle position!

I should be out there on my own, helping the entire team rack up scores. That's our team's tactic!"

Zhang Feng: "."

With that small mouth of yours, you're making me want to be your teammate too!

I can rack up scores while lying down, huh?

So being carried off by the Yanzhiren was also part of your team's plan?

The three teammates watched Lu Ran fight so hard for it, and for a moment, none of them knew what to say.

I need to work harder.

Deng Yutang clenched his fists.

He was sincerely happy that Lu Ran had performed so outstandingly.

At the same time, Deng Yutang realized that his contributions to the team were still far from enough!

He had never wanted to be dead weight, but after two assessments, a cold reality lay before him:

Jiang Ruyi was the Stabilizing Needle of the team.

Lu Ran, on the other hand, was the Big Lamb Leg carrying the team soaring sky-high!

He really needed to work harder—harder still...

Whoosh!!

Just as Deng Yutang silently encouraged himself, Zhang Feng's body suddenly tensed beside him, and he sharply turned to look toward the west side.

As energy surged, a demon pieced itself together.

To everyone's surprise, it was their old opponent—the Vicious Hound!

"Preliminary judgment: a Mist Realm: Fourth Stage demon." Zhang Feng quickly reached his conclusion and barked, "Go."

Though he said that aloud, he was roaring in his heart: Yes, this was the normal situation!

Mist Realm and Stream Realm demons were supposed to be the main forces invading Rain Alley City on the Night of the Fifteenth.

Not three River Realm demons appearing in a cluster and stomping right onto everyone's faces to strut and show off!

"Woof!"

The pitch-black Vicious Hound spotted them immediately and opened its bloody mouth.

A surge of energy suddenly churned before Jiang Ruyi.

Four sharp dog teeth rapidly took shape, seemingly intending to bite the Human Race girl to pieces.

Evil Technique: Evil Teeth!

The evil technique they had not seen back in Evil Dog Village finally appeared that night!

"Sister Ruyi!"

Tian Tian spread her small hands and raised a Petal Shield, charging straight forward.

Jiang Ruyi was frighteningly calm. She merely stepped back half a pace as electric light flickered and crackled at her fingertips.

Her thin lips parted slightly as she commanded someone who had finally returned to the team. "Lu Ran."

"Hiss—"

Without another word, Lu Ran darted out, choosing to circle around from the side.

Amid the heavy rain, a faint bleat sounded out, like an infant's cry, hair-raising to hear:

"Baa~~~"

"Rrr?" The Vicious Hound abruptly whipped its head around, its dog eyes following the direction in which Lu Ran sped away.

The four Vicious Hound teeth that had appeared from thin air forcibly shattered Tian Tian's Petal Shield, but did nothing further.

Because the big black dog's attention had been drawn away by a Little Fatty Sheep.

At the same time, Jiang Ruyi flung out an Electric Shackles Talisman!

An illusory White Jade Stone Slab appeared out of nowhere, carrying tiny lightning serpents. It brushed past the similarly charging Deng Yutang and shot straight for the Vicious Hound.

Crack!!

Electric light flashed as currents spilled everywhere.

The Mist Realm: Fourth Stage Vicious Hound was nailed in place by Jiang Ruyi just like that.

Jade Talisman Believers were indeed late-stage powerhouses, but that did not mean they were weak in the early stages!

Creatures of the Same Realm, whether Human Race Believers or demonic monsters, would never want Jiang Ruyi as an enemy.

Because she truly could control you until you died!

This was no empty boast. Beauty Jiang's record was clear for all to see:

Not long ago, they had already fought a Mist Realm: Fourth Stage Blood Disaster Hound.

Under her powerful control, that Blood Disaster Hound had only been able to tremble as it opened its dog mouth.

Its four limbs could not move at all!

The Vicious Hound before them was even more helpless than that earlier Blood Disaster Hound. It could not even open or close its mouth.

"Vile beast!" Deng Yutang followed closely behind, thrusting his spear.

Killing a demon of flesh and blood was far easier than killing a Mist Shadow Person.

The spear tip pierced through the dog's head, yet Deng Yutang did not stop. He stabbed rapidly, delivering blow after blow to make sure it was dead.

Ever since someone had returned, everything had gone back onto the right track.

Although the team members were at relatively low realms, they had disposed of the Mist Realm: Fourth Stage Vicious Hound in a single exchange.

Zhang Feng watched their performance and silently gave them extra points in his heart.

"You, come back."

Jiang Ruyi suddenly spoke, her gentle voice drifting through layer upon layer of rain curtain.

"Huh?" Deng Yutang turned his head.

Yet Jiang Ruyi was not looking at Deng Yutang at all.

Awkward!

Lu Ran, who was circling alone out in the rain, also felt a little awkward.

Under the gaze of those beautiful eyes, he lowered his head and walked toward Gate 4.

Who would have thought that Beauty Jiang's voice would come again? "Use Immortal Hooves."

Lu Ran: "."

He could not even walk back?

He had to use a divine technique to travel?

"Lu Ran?"

"Oh."

Mist swirled around Lu Ran's calves, forming a pair of sheep legs as he shot directly back before Gate 4.

"Tut~" Lu Ran looked at the girl before him and teased, "You can't stay away from me for even a moment?"

"Who can't stay away from you?"

Jiang Ruyi turned her head to the side, her face faintly flushed. "I was only telling you to be careful, so you don't get carried off again."

Lu Ran: "."

In your eyes,

what am I, some kind of toy doll?

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Thanks to Happy Little Pomegranate, Shan You Fusu, Kwin, and reader 20230119015824020 for the tips! Thanks for the support, bosses—you're generous! (`) Sending hearts!