When New Year Comes, I'll Take You Home

The turmoil in the Murong Family was like a pebble thrown into the quagmire of the Blood Era. After a brief and intense upheaval limited to the upper levels, the surface quickly returned to a suffocating calm.

There was no further retaliation, no questioning from the guild, and not even a single complaint from the Murong Family was heard.

It was as if that night, the girl who seemed like a god of the underworld descending to earth, and the patriarch kneeling and spitting blood, were all just a collective nightmare of delusion.

Only the vague warnings circulating quietly within Jiangcheng's top circles, and the Murong Family's secretive contraction of their businesses and the reclusive lifestyle of their core members, silently testified to the reality and cruelty of that night.

Luo Li was happy to have some peace and quiet.

Without the Murong Family's deliberate obstruction, the guild mission system reopened for him, and because of his "Level 3 Combat Hero" and B+ rank, the quality and rewards of the missions he could accept had improved significantly.

However, he did not give up on the "treasure trove" of private bounties. Instead, he used it as the main way to hone his newly acquired strength and find "snacks" for Xiao Hong.

Life seemed to have returned to its previous rhythm. During the day, he would occasionally go on missions or cultivate at home, and at night he would go live streaming, enjoying his increasingly harmonious cohabitation with Castorice.

However, some things are different now.

For example, Luo Li noticed that Castorice would sometimes spend longer periods of time staring out the window in a daze.

For example, during one of Luo Li's routine video calls with her mother, when Ms. Zhou Wan subtly inquired for the nth time about "that pretty and polite girl," Castorice didn't stay quietly off-camera as usual. Instead, she quietly moved closer so that Ms. Zhou Wan could see her more clearly. Then, amidst Luo Li's mother's delighted greeting, Xia Die, with a slightly flushed face, earnestly answered everyday questions about "weather" and "food" in her Amphoreus with its rhythmic undertones.

After the call ended, Luo Li looked at Castorice beside her, whose fingertips were slightly curled due to nervousness, and felt as if the softest part of her heart was being gently brushed by a butterfly's wing.

He recalled his earlier, half-joking, half-promise, "I'll bring a girlfriend home this year."

At the time, it might have been partly a quick wit to deal with the pressure to get married, but now, looking into Castorice's purple eyes that reflected his image, his thoughts became incredibly clear and firm.

He leaned closer, his arm naturally encircling Castorice's slender waist, his chin gently resting on the top of her fragrant hair.

"Castorice."

"Um?"

Castorice's body stiffened slightly at first, then slowly relaxed, leaning back into his warm embrace.

"Wait until the New Year..."

Luo Li's voice carried a hint of laughter and an undeniable gentleness.

"I'll take you home."

Castorice's body visibly froze.

After several seconds, she responded very softly, "... Mmm."

The sound was faint, like the buzzing of mosquitoes and flies, yet it carried an obvious, barely suppressed joy.

Luo Li could feel her heartbeat quicken instantly, gradually synchronizing with the rhythm in his chest.

He chuckled softly and tightened his grip on his arm.

"When the time comes, I'll have my mom give you a big red envelope. She'll definitely adore you, maybe even more than her own son."

Castorice tilted her head slightly, her purple eyes filled with shyness and curiosity. "A red... envelope?"

"It's a local custom where elders give younger generations lucky money wrapped in red paper, symbolizing peace and good fortune."

Luo Li patiently explained, her fingers unconsciously twirling a stray strand of her hair.

"But don't use the power of the River of Souls to 'sense' it then; it's just ordinary paper money."

Castorice pursed her lips slightly, a faint smile appearing in her eyes, amused by his words: "I won't."

She paused, her voice lower and slightly uncertain, "Then... what do I need to prepare? To meet... your parents?"

Seeing her so nervous, as if she were about to face a major test, Luo Li's heart melted completely.

His Castorice Battlefield Saintess who can summon the River of Souls Dragon and silence the powerful and influential in Jiangcheng with a single word.

At this moment, however, she felt as uneasy as an ordinary girl, wanting to meet his ordinary parents.

No need to prepare anything.

Luo Li turned her around to face her, looked into her eyes, and said earnestly, "Just being there is the best gift you can give them."

He gently stroked her smooth cheek with his thumb and chuckled, "If they knew I'd found such a wonderful girlfriend like you, they'd probably be burning incense before their ancestors' tablets in gratitude."

Two blushes rose on Castorice's cheeks. She gave him a reproachful look but didn't argue. Instead, she gently buried her burning cheeks in the crook of his neck and muttered softly, "You're talking nonsense again..."

A tender atmosphere filled the small rented room.

However, there are always some inconsiderate "third wheels" who want to break the Tranquility.

"Buzz--Buzz--"

Luo Li's phone, which was on the computer desk, vibrated at an inopportune moment, and Yang Shan's name appeared on the screen.

Luo Li clicked her tongue, somewhat reluctant to answer.

Castorice gently nudged him. "Go answer it, just in case it's something important."

Luo Li reluctantly let go of her, picked up her phone, pressed the answer button, and said in an unfriendly tone, "Hey? Shan Zai, you'd better have something important to say, or next time we'll send you to be the bait."

Yang Shan Shan's loud, boisterous voice came from the other end of the phone, accompanied by some background noise. "Holy crap! Li Zi! Something terrible has happened!"

"What big thing could you possibly have done? Did some female fan block your door and confess her feelings again?" Luo Li retorted lazily.

"No! It's an emergency conscription order just issued by the guild!" Yang Shan's tone was unusually serious. "'Pressure on the front lines has surged, and the three surviving nations have jointly issued the ' Furnace ' plan, urgently conscripting all B-level and above ability users! It's mandatory!'"

"Furnace Project?"

Luo Li frowned and straightened up.

He had heard of the plan.

That was a rotational warfare mechanism established by the three major powers of Longxia, America, and Europa in response to the increasingly severe vampire counterattack on the most brutal "Black Tide" defense line.

Those conscripted were required to serve on the front lines for at least three months, resulting in persistently high casualty rates.

Why did the recruitment scope suddenly expand?

Luo Li asked in a deep voice.

While the "Furnace Project" has existed in the past, it has mostly involved voluntary application or the selection of a portion of elites. Such a mandatory, large-scale recruitment open to all B-level and above is extremely rare.

"I've heard that a new A+ level mutant has recently appeared on the front lines, putting immense pressure on several outposts and causing a severe shortage of manpower."

Yang Shan spoke quickly, "The conscription list has been initially drafted. I just found out... Li Zi, you and I are both on the first batch of the list!"

Luo Li's eyes narrowed.

Are he and Yang Shan both on the list?

This coincidence is a bit too much.

He had just "resolved" the Murong Family's troubles, and was immediately thrown to the front lines where the death rate was highest?

Was someone using another person to do their dirty work? Or was it simply a desperate measure taken due to the dire situation on the front lines?

"When do we depart?" Luo Li asked calmly.

"Meet at Jiangcheng Third Airport in three days for unified transportation to the ' Ironwall ' Fortress!"

Yang Shan's voice was filled with barely suppressed tension and excitement. "Li Zi, this is no joke, it's really going to involve bloodshed! You... you'd better get ready! Also, tell Castorice Die..."

Luo Li hung up the phone, turned around, and found that Castorice was already standing behind him.

She had clearly heard the conversation; his image was clearly reflected in her purple eyes, carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry, but more so a calm understanding.

"Are you going to the front lines?" she asked softly.

"Um."

Luo Li nodded, walked up to her, and took her hand. "' Furnace Project,' mandatory conscription, three months."

He looked at her, trying to find a trace of panic or reluctance in her eyes.

But Castorice simply lowered her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow under her eyelids, then raised them again, looking at him with unwavering eyes.

Luo Li felt a warmth in her heart, mixed with an indescribable bittersweet feeling.

He reached out and gently pulled her into his arms, feeling the reassuring warmth and support emanating from her slender body.

"Don't worry, your man is doing great now." He laughed casually, "The front lines are nothing to me. Maybe I'll even achieve a great feat, become a general, and then marry you in style."

Castorice nodded gently in his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist.

The two embraced quietly for a moment, savoring the last moments of Tranquility before the storm.

"These past three days..."

Luo Li released her, looked into her clear eyes, grinned mischievously, and whispered in her ear, "Shouldn't we... hurry up and say a proper 'goodbye'?"

Castorice's ears instantly turned bright red, like the finest agate.

She glared at Luo Li shyly, but didn't look away. Instead, she buried her burning cheeks back into his chest and murmured an almost inaudible "Mmm."

Luo Li was filled with boundless pride, and all Furnace Project and the front lines were forgotten.

He scooped Castorice up in his arms and, amidst her small gasp of surprise, strode towards the bedroom.

"Castorice, it seems we need to discuss in more detail the specific form and... duration of the 'parting words'."

"You... you scoundrel..."

The door was gently closed, shutting out all the disturbances from the outside world.

Only the Blood-Erosion Clouds outside the window still silently shrouded the city, foreshadowing the unavoidable journey to the Furnace of steel and blood that would begin three days later.