The Smoke and Mirrors of the Mortal World

The days spent at home flew by.

Time came to the morning of the nineteenth day of the sixth lunar month.

Inside Rain Alley Home Community, a tall, slender figure emerged from an apartment building.

"Finally, it's sunny."

Lu Ran tilted his head up at the blazing sun in the clear sky and could not help narrowing his eyes.

Today was the day the lockdown was lifted, which meant the disaster had passed.

Yet the impact brought by the Demon Invasion still lingered in this world. It could not possibly vanish overnight.

What was visible to the naked eye was that every survivor was working hard to drive away the gloom.

Just standing at the entrance of the apartment building, Lu Ran saw several people taking walks, walking dogs, and teasing birds.

When he left the community and arrived at the breakfast shop, he found an even livelier, bustling scene.

Rain Alley City,

this small county town with a modest population seemed to have burst forth with a special vitality after the catastrophe.

In front of this tiny bun shop,

people striving to live smiled as they greeted one another.

Children's laughter, diners chatting and joking, and the shopkeepers' cries as they served dishes

combined with the steaming hot bamboo steamers to form a uniquely heartwarming picture.

The smoke and fire of mortal life soothed the heart best.

It was as though the Night of the Fifteenth had never come.

And these people striving to live—even those trying a little too hard—were sending the same message:

The fifteenth had come,

and the fifteenth had passed.

"Boss, two baskets of soup dumplings and a cup of soy milk, to go." Lu Ran spoke as he walked over to the steamers.

"Coming right up~"

The bamboo steamers were steaming hot, white mist curling around them, nearly making Lu Ran instinctively enter cultivation mode on the spot.

He could not help it. This pervasive mist looked far too much like divine power.

"Two baskets of soup dumplings, a cup of soy milk, and I'm throwing in a tea egg. Here you go, young man." The owner was a somewhat plump middle-aged uncle, smiling as he handed over a plastic bag.

"No, no, I'll pay." Lu Ran took out his phone and scanned the code.

"It's on the house. Take it." The owner wore an honest, guileless smile. "Next month on the fifteenth, kill a few more demons."

Lu Ran hesitated briefly, then accepted the breakfast with a smile.

His identity as a believer was not hard to guess, really.

Statistically speaking, among humans over the age of seventeen, seven out of every ten were believers.

Not to mention that wisps of mist coiled around Lu Ran's body.

No one would think Lu Ran was showing off, because believers who cultivated diligently were everywhere!

That was the atmosphere of society. Everyone was fighting desperately to stay alive.

Ordinary people were like this,

and believers of the gods had to give it their all even more.

"Thanks." Lu Ran bade the owner farewell and left, taking a soup dumpling from the plastic bag and stuffing it into his mouth.

People flowed through the streets and alleys, while the little shop behind him remained lively and noisy.

Such a scene was perhaps a miniature of all Rain Alley City.

Lu Ran could find plenty of faults with his hometown.

For example, it was small and old, not prosperous enough. Or the endless rain that left people feeling gloomy.

But Lu Ran's reasons for loving this place were simple too.

It could be those unique memories of growing up.

It could be the surging waters of the Wulie River that ran through the Small City.

Or it could be a steaming hot tea egg in the early morning.

"It's a little hard to swallow, though." Lu Ran hurriedly lifted his cup of soy milk and took a huge gulp.

That felt better~

Bzz!

A vibration came from his pocket, and Lu Ran immediately pulled out his phone.

He opened the four-person small group and found a message from Beauty Jiang.

Jiang: "Report to school at eight. Don't forget."

Looking at Beauty Jiang's pretty profile picture, Lu Ran unconsciously smiled.

Beautiful things really did lift one's mood.

Tian Tian: "Sister Ruyi, I've already finished eating and am on my way to school."

"Jiang" patted "Tian Tian"

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly, then rapidly tapped out a reply.

Ran: "Oh."

Lu Ran stared at his phone screen for quite a while, but Beauty Jiang never responded.

Just as he was about to type again, his phone suddenly vibrated.

"Deng Yutang" patted "Ran"

Lu Ran: "."

This was obviously a WeChat group. Why did it suddenly feel like browsing a forum?

There were even people helping him save face!

"Tian Tian" patted "Ran"

Seeing this, Lu Ran could not help smiling.

This little loli is patting me now? Can she even reach my head?

Lu Ran patted both of their profile pictures back in succession, then put away his phone and continued eating his soup dumplings.

Today was back to school day. The school would release the rankings and also conduct another round of team adjustments based on every team's performance and the students' individual characteristics.

Team 98, which Lu Ran belonged to, should not undergo any changes.

After all, none of the four members wanted to change teammates. They worked well together and got along harmoniously.

Half an hour later, Lu Ran, who had long since finished breakfast, arrived at the gates of First High School.

As expected, both sides of the school gate were packed with people again.

By coincidence, Lu Ran spotted a familiar figure at once—Tian Tian.

She was petite and stood outside the crowd. She clearly wanted to see the rankings, but could not squeeze in.

As Lu Ran walked over, he saw Tian Tian rise onto her tiptoes, holding her phone high in her little hand as she tried to photograph the big list.

"I'll help you."

The sudden voice startled Tian Tian.

She turned her head, and just as she recognized the newcomer, Lu Ran had already taken her phone.

Lu Ran was 1.77 meters tall. He was not particularly tall, but he could still photograph the big list with his phone held up.

Kacha~

As the shutter button clicked, Lu Ran lowered the phone and looked at the photo, his eyes immediately lighting up!

"Let me see." Tian Tian spoke softly, tugging at the corner of Lu Ran's clothes with her little hand.

"Haha, we did it!"

With excitement written all over his face, Lu Ran returned the phone to the girl. He seemed so happy that he could not help rubbing Tian Tian's head.

Honestly, it was only because the teammate beside him was Tian Tian. If it had been Beauty Jiang instead,

Lu Ran would probably have seized the chance to hug her and lift her high into the air.

"Wow!" Tian Tian exclaimed, forgetting even to be shy, her face full of delight.

The team rankings for Yuxiang No. 1 High School's first city-defense mission on June 15th of the lunar calendar were as follows:

First place, Team 98!

Team members: Jiang Ruyi of Class 4, Grade 2; Lu Ran of Class 4, Grade 2; Deng Yutang of Class 4, Grade 2; Tian Tian of Class 7, Grade 2.

Overall mission score: 80.5 points.

All members: Believer Points +10!

Even amid the pair's joy, the discussions around them never stopped.

"It's them again! Team 98 again!"

"Obviously. With Beauty Jiang leading the team, how could they not be strong? Besides, they've got a Lambkin hidden in their team!"

"How are you talking about my Ran Ge? Is that a Lambkin? My Ran Ge is a big, big, big... Big lamb leg!"

"Huh? Didn't Team 98 have Squad Leader Wu too? Why was she replaced?"

"There! Squad Leader Wu is on Ma Tianchuan's team, Team 17. They ranked fourth!"

"HAHAHAHAHA! First place isn't scary—the one who's missing is the embarrassed one!"

Amid the buzzing chatter, Tian Tian clenched her little fists and looked up at Lu Ran.

She did not think her own performance had been particularly outstanding. The team had achieved such results because of the person beside her.

Lu Ran, meanwhile, wore a strange expression as he looked at the fourth-ranked team on the screen.

Wu Shanshan was prominently listed among them!

Yet Lu Ran's emotions did not fluctuate much.

After all, during city-defense missions, where demons appeared and what Strength Realm they possessed were both highly unpredictable.

For novice believers, simply surviving was already a success.

The performance in one mission did not mean much, so...

Lu Ran pressed his lips together.

So being ahead just once was nowhere near enough.

He had to do it again and again!

Hehe, it was settled, then!

Lu Ran lowered his head and walked toward the other side of the school gate. Tian Tian said nothing and quickly followed him.

Compared to the left side of the gate, the noise here was even louder.

"Damn, everyone said the rankings would be turned upside down after becoming believers, but these damn results are completely scrambled!"

"Gao Zhonglin got second place? Greedy Wolf Believers are seriously fierce—they really know how to greed for points!"

"The one in first place is still a Lambkin! What, are sheep greedier than wolves?"

"What the hell? Is the Immortal Sheep Sect really that strong? Once could have been luck, but this time too?"

"Strong my ass! When have you ever seen a Lambkin make a name for himself? It's purely because that Lu Ran kid is freakishly wicked!"

"Yeah, I rode back on the same bus as him. His shirt and pants were shredded, and he was almost tortured to death by demons!"

"Fuck! Seriously? His pants were torn, and he still didn't change into another pair?"

Behind the somewhat chaotic crowd, Lu Ran held his phone high, staring at the Red List on the screen without pressing the shutter button for a long time.

Tian Tian was so anxious that she kept standing on tiptoe, while Lu Ran stared blankly at the phone, his heart flower blooming in full.

The individual rankings for Yuxiang No. 1 High School's first city-defense mission on June 15th of the lunar calendar were as follows:

First place, Class 4, Grade 2, Lu Ran — 91.2 points, Celestial Goat Believer. Believer Points +10!

Second place, Class 11, Grade 2, Gao Zhonglin — 73.7 points, Greedy Wolf Believer. Believer Points +8!

Third Place, Class 4, Grade 2, Jiang Ruyi — 72.1 points, Jade Talisman Believer. Believer Points +8!

"Everyone, quiet down for a moment! Congratulations to Beauty Jiang for returning to the Top Three in the Grade!"

"Stop BB! Lapdogs, move back! Stand behind the Warm Men!"

"You're a girl, how do you talk like that—huh? Is that Lu Ran behind us?"

"Lu Ran? Where?"

The crowd all turned around in unison.

Still immersed in his joy, Lu Ran had yet to realize the severity of the situation.

"Ran Ge, you're awesome!"

"First place again, two consecutive championships!"

"Congratulations, congratulations!" Wave after wave of congratulations came his way, making Lu Ran grin from ear to ear.

They were calling me Little Lamb just now, but the moment they saw me, they switched to Ran Ge?

"What's with that score? How many demons did you kill?"

"I heard even your pants were torn apart by demons?"

Lu Ran: "."

"Say something already!"

"What do you know? Experts don't talk! Ran Ge, will your team be adjusted this time? Do you need anyone?"

"How did you even get that score? There's never been anyone above ninety points in past years!"

"Yeah." Lu Ran finally spoke. "It's damned strange."

Hearing that, everyone immediately perked up.

Could there be an error in the score?

"I knew it! There had to be something wrong with that score. Was it recorded incorrectly?"

"Right! This was the Night of the Fifteenth. What could a Mist Realm believer possibly do? How could he score so high?"

"Lu Ran, are you sure the score is wrong?"

Under everyone's intensely expectant gazes, Lu Ran nodded.

"Something really is off. Where did they deduct my 8.8 points?"

Blooming Twice

In an instant, the crowd fell silent.

Looking around, different faces were piled with the exact same expression.

Every damn one of them looked like a question mark!

After the brief silence, no one knew where the shout came from: "Get him!"

Lu Ran spun around and ran!

Small mouth agape, Tian Tian watched Divine Mist billow beneath Lu Ran's feet as he darted through the school gates in a flash.

Only after Lu Ran had vanished from sight did Tian Tian timidly whisper:

"My hand... my phone."