An Agreement

Lu Ran had truly slept like the sky had gone dark and the earth had turned black.

By the time he opened his bleary eyes, it was already deep into the night.

"Mm."

Supporting himself on the bed with one hand, Lu Ran sat up, only to feel aches all over his body.

He instinctively looked toward the clock on the wall, but the room was pitch-black.

Although moonlight poured in through the windowsill, it still did little to help Lu Ran.

A thought stirred in Lu Ran's heart, and memories from the dream gradually flooded into his mind.

For a moment, his entire spirit brightened considerably!

Clearly, the past twenty-one days of dog slaughter had brought Lu Ran a measure of success!

In the dream, that Demon Race Vicious Hound sculpture had finally been activated.

"So..."

Lu Ran could not help licking his lips.

The next moment, a surge of Divine Power churned through his body.

Evil Technique: Evil Awareness!

Lu Ran's eyes widened!

It was not enough to achieve Night Vision, but he could already vaguely make out the clock face on the wall!

Exactly midnight.

Heh.

Waking up early was no match for waking up at the right time.

The moment he opened his eyes, it was just time to be emo!

"The evening breeze lifted the white hair at your temples, smoothing the scars left by memories. In your eyes, light and shadow intertwined..."

Lu Ran's voice was soft and quiet.

A faint glow flickered in his eyes as, with the aid of Evil Technique: Evil Awareness, he surveyed the furnishings in the room.

After a long while, Lu Ran rose and walked to the window. His fingertips lightly brushed across the moonlit windowsill, feeling its wondrous texture.

A bright moon hung at the edge of the sky, while summer insects chirped through the night.

Slowly, Lu Ran closed his eyes.

He listened intently to the world blanketed by the night sky.

Evil Technique: Evil Awareness was still too low-grade, merely Mist Grade.

It could not grant true Night Vision, nor could it capture sounds too distant or too varied.

"You may slaughter more Vicious Hounds." Suddenly, a deep voice imprinted itself in his mind.

Lu Ran jumped in fright!

He had been intently listening to the night when this sudden Voice Transmission came out of nowhere, no different from a horror movie jump scare leaping straight into his face.

Lu Ran took a step diagonally backward, arriving before the shrine. He pressed his palms together. "Immortal Sheep?"

The White Goat Jade Carving said, "Capture more Evil Dog Souls and nourish the Demon sculpture.

"The stronger the Evil Dog Stone Sculpture becomes, the higher the grade of the Evil Technique will naturally be, and the more types of Evil Techniques there will be."

"This disciple understands." Lu Ran nodded heavily.

The White Goat Jade Carving said, "Do not neglect your own cultivation, either.

"The weak find it difficult to wield profound techniques. One cannot force what cannot be forced."

"Yes!" Lu Ran nodded again.

The dark small bedroom fell silent once more.

After waiting for a long time without receiving any further instruction from the gods, Lu Ran turned and walked to the desk, picking up his phone, which had been charging all day.

As expected, during the twenty-one days he had vanished, his phone had filled up with messages.

Aside from Mother's concern, the most messages had come from his Younger Sister, Qiao Yuanxi.

Starting on the third day of the seventh lunar month, she had begun urging him:

"Are you done yet?"

After that, there had been almost one WeChat message every day:

"It's already been more than ten days. Haven't you finished the mission yet?"

"Why aren't you out yet? Guess your strength isn't all that great?"

"Stinky Big Bro, you're seriously too weak! If you don't reply, I'm calling you Stinky Little Bro!"

"Today I had a burger and secretly threw away the lettuce. Hehe~"

"T^T, Mom found out and scolded me."

"It's already the eighth day of July, my cold-blooded and weak Big Bro."

"Stinky Little Bro."

Lu Ran stopped scrolling, and the screen froze on that final message.

Looking at those three words, Lu Ran's expression turned rather strange.

Mm. In this regard, my Younger Sister really was like me.

This was utterly outrageous!

Lu Ran checked the time, then tossed his phone back onto the desk.

Forget it. He would call tomorrow and let them know he was safe.

He returned before the shrine, sat cross-legged, and entered cultivation mode.

A wisp of mist quietly drifted out from the shrine, winding around the Human Race Believer and nourishing his Flesh and Blood Body.

It was rather interesting. Sleeping had left Lu Ran's whole body aching.

Yet cultivating Divine Power greatly eased the exhaustion in his body.

The rest of the night passed without incident.

At dawn the next day.

"Ughh~~~"

Lu Ran stretched viciously, hearing several crisp cracks from his bones.

"Good morning, Immortal Sheep." After greeting it, Lu Ran rose and headed straight for his phone.

Mother had always risen early, so he did not need to worry about disturbing her rest.

Sure enough, after Lu Ran waited only a few seconds, the call connected.

"Ranran?"

"Mom, sorry for making you worry." Lu Ran walked to the window and watched the sky brighten. "The mission was really rather demanding. I barely finished it on the final day."

"You slept the whole day yesterday, didn't you?"

"Mm." Lu Ran smiled sheepishly.

Qiao Wanjun's voice remained gentle. "Next time, after you get home, send me a message before you rest."

"Got it." Lu Ran hurriedly replied.

Qiao Wanjun did not press the matter and instead asked, "Your Divine Power Bead and weapon can both be upgraded now?"

"Yes. I slaughtered until the sky went dark and the earth turned black in Evil Dog Village." Lu Ran grinned. "I could set up a stall as a butcher now!"

Qiao Wanjun chuckled. "At first, you had to muster your courage and pick up the butcher's knife.

"Now, you must constantly remind yourself to hold life in awe and reverence.

"Remember to distinguish the Demon Race from other living beings."

"I will." Lu Ran answered solemnly.

Beneath the feet of a powerful believer, corpses were bound to be piled high, and blood was bound to stain their hands.

The Demon Race was truly cunning.

Even if it could not kill you, over the course of killing again and again, your heart might still be tainted.

Over the past two years of first and second year of high school, the homeroom teacher had patiently and earnestly taught the students countless times:

To scorn life and grow numb and indifferent were both simple things.

What believers truly had to pursue was preserving their original hearts throughout a long career of battle.

"Good." Qiao Wanjun was not overly worried. After all, the gods were watching over him. She continued, "When I went home yesterday, Yuanxi mentioned you too."

Lu Ran was a little embarrassed. "I'll book a ticket in a moment.

"By the way, is that Big Castle King near our home still open?"

"Don't buy her any. I've forbidden her from eating it this week." Qiao Wanjun continued, "Just come over.

"You two can stay home and spend the Night of the Fifteenth together. That would put my mind more at ease too."

"No, Mom." Lu Ran immediately said, "I have to come back the day after tomorrow. I have a mission on the fifteenth."

"A mission?" Qiao Wanjun was quite surprised.

"It's like this." Lu Ran explained everything in detail.

On the other end of the call, Qiao Wanjun's brows furrowed ever more deeply as she listened.

Believers could, of course, take part in the Fifteen City Defense Mission.

The problem was that what commoners were about to face was the most perilous July Fifteenth!

"Additional test." Qiao Wanjun murmured. Her child had received such an honor, and she ought to have felt proud.

But in reality, worry filled more of her heart.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll be with the Moon Watcher. I'll definitely be safe." Lu Ran reassured her.

"Why didn't you tell me something this important earlier?"

Hearing Mother's words, Lu Ran fell silent, unsure how to respond.

But Qiao Wanjun misunderstood, believing that her tone had been too harsh.

Toward this son who was so competitive, strong, and independent, Qiao Wanjun rarely scolded him. She was even reluctant to speak too severely to him.

"I've been too busy lately and paid too little attention to you." Qiao Wanjun's tone softened. "You should not come over. Rest and adjust yourself properly at home.

"Remember, on the Night of the Fifteenth, stay close to the Moon Watcher. Don't make Mom worry."

"I will!"

"I'll speak to Yuanxi." Qiao Wanjun sighed softly. "Ranran."

"Mm?"

"Your father would be proud of you."

Lu Ran smiled. "What about you?"

At those words, Qiao Wanjun smiled as well. "Call me at five in the morning on July Sixteenth, and I'll tell you."

"It's a deal."

Lu Ran hung up and set down his phone.

"July Fifteenth," he murmured, bracing both hands against the windowsill as he gazed up at the clear sky.

Last month on the fifteenth, he had not been fortunate enough to see the full moon.

Hopefully, he would see it this time.

"Bzz~ Bzz~"

His phone suddenly vibrated.

Lu Ran looked at the unfamiliar number and answered curiously. "Hello?"

A familiar female voice came from the other end. "Little Lu Ran?"

Lu Ran froze for a moment before three words slipped from his mouth. "Great Nightmare?"

Deng Yuxiang's expression became quite spectacular. "Hm?"

Lu Ran said, "..."

"Fine, fine, fine!" Deng Yuxiang caught on and was directly angered into laughter. "You dared give me a nickname behind my back?"

Lu Ran hurriedly said, "You misheard me. I said Great Dream Mengyan!

"With Sister's heavenly beauty, you're simply something that could only exist in a dream! You're even prettier than the paper figurine!"

Deng Yuxiang said, "???"

For a moment, Deng Yuxiang could not tell whether Lu Ran was praising her or insulting her.

"What did you call me for?" Lu Ran seized the chance to change the subject.

Deng Yuxiang gave a cold snort. "I heard from Yutang that you completed the mission and came back."

"That's right." Lu Ran's heart stirred. "Did you call about joining the Patrol Team?"

But Deng Yuxiang said, "I had nothing to do, so I wanted to loosen up my muscles and bones."

"Hello? Say something. This lousy phone, why's the signal so bad? Dudu dudu dudu."