As the sky phenomenon vanished, the Evil Demon Clan ceased their mad rush toward the eastern suburbs.

Deng and Lu fought fiercely, wiping out the Evil Demons completely,

and the nearly 3-hour Night of Ghosts did not leave the city engulfed in flames.

After the Big Nightmare flew away, Lu Ran did not return to the Fifth Elementary School; he continued to patrol the nearby three street blocks.

He looked for any lingering remnants of the Evil Demons and, along the way, nodded his greetings to the Moon Gazers as he passed by.

There was a sense of joy among the survivors, visible on their faces to varying degrees.

Especially when Lu Ran walked past residential areas, he frequently saw citizens watching from behind windows,

their faces filled with a deeper sense of relief.

Some smiled at Lu Ran; others waved from afar.

In the East Water Bay community, an elderly lady on the third floor even opened her window to repeatedly thank Lu Ran.

When Lu Ran left the community, he had acquired two more sugar cakes...

Hmm... given by the old lady.

The cakes were thrown down directly from the third floor, making Lu Ran look like he was begging.

But hey, they were pretty tasty~

Until the sun began to rise, Lu Ran finally witnessed a glorious dawn.

It was indeed beautiful,

but Lu Ran had seen even more beautiful scenes in the dark hours around two or three in the morning.

Indeed, he had even held that swash of rosy clouds in his hand.

...

In front of the main door of the building at Fifth Elementary School,

Deng Yutang held the Heavenly Star Spear, leaning casually against a front column.

Suddenly, he heard Chang Ying exclaim lightly, "Ah, Ran is back!"

"Oh?" Deng Yutang lifted his head and looked toward the gate.

"Master!" Tian Tian's face was full of delight as she saw the familiar figure return safely.

Then, everyone's expressions changed to astonishment.

They saw the young man holding a black Silent Night Blade, and behind him, another blade was hanging upside down, floating.

Following? Floating?

What's this...?

"It really is him, it really is that blade!" Zhang Feng praised with admiration in his eyes.

When the Dawn Blade was being upgraded, the sky phenomenon appeared over the eastern suburbs, and everyone stationed at the school was aware of it.

"Morning," Lu Ran approached with steady steps.

However, only Tian Tian called him "Master," joyfully welcoming Lu Ran.

Team leader Zhang Feng, Chang Ying, and Deng Yutang were all staring in awe at the Dawn Blade.

"Be careful, it's very sharp," Lu Ran looked at Deng Yutang, "It would be bad if you got hurt, I wouldn't know how to explain to your sister."

"Ah." Deng Yutang was a bit embarrassed, quickly withdrawing his hand before it touched the blade's edge.

The more beautiful things are, indeed, the more deadly.

Currently, the Dawn Blade was not in battle mode and was not radiating rosy clouds.

But it was, after all, a Divine Weapon!

With its unique divinity, and under the illumination of the red sun, it shimmered with a strange luster, shining brilliantly.

"It really did!" Chang Ying closely examined the Dawn Blade, then looked back at Lu Ran.

Like Tian Tian, admiration filled the depths of her eyes.

In the past, Lu Ran might have felt uncomfortable or thrown in a joke to shift everyone's attention.

But now, Lu Ran was clear about what he wanted.

Loyal companions, devout believers!

Thus, Lu Ran did not disrupt the emotions spreading among his teammates.

"Right!" Deng Yutang suddenly spoke, "Brother Lu, the sky phenomenon you caused must have attracted quite a few Evil Demons?

You weren't hurt, right?"

Lu Ran shook his head, "Sister Yuxiang came to help me, truly a Jiang Realm Great Power, so fierce!

She flung sixteen wind blades, tearing out streams of blood, weaving layer upon layer of nets.

So strong it's almost shameless..."

While he said he wouldn't throw in jokes, a person's character is indeed hard to change.

Deng Yutang blurted out, "I'll pass on these exact words to her."

Lu Ran: "..."

Chang Ying pursed her lips, "You're supposed to be a devout Believer, why are you snitching~"

Deng Yutang: ???

"Lu Ran, you might want to seriously consider the Divine Weapon Domain," Zhang Feng spoke opportunistically.

"Hmm." Lu Ran regained his composure, reaching towards his right.

The Dawn Blade moved with his will, its handle gently falling into his palm.

"Divine Weapon Domain." Lu Ran muttered to himself in his heart.

He didn't know what the Dawn Blade's Divine Weapon Domain would be.

If it was a completely new Divine Weapon Domain, that was one thing.

But if it overlapped with the domain of some deity/Evil Demon's weapon...

That would require a fight.

A thought crossed Lu Ran's mind, and he looked up distantly at the sky:

"Perhaps, your Divine Weapon Domain is also related to the rosy clouds?"

"Perhaps." The Dawn Blade responded softly.

Lu Ran lifted the blade, peering through its ice-clear body at the distant rosy clouds, "What form will it take, I wonder?"

The group watched Lu Ran silently, not daring to disturb his train of thought.

It must be mentioned that with the Divine Weapon in hand, Lu Ran was tinged with a bit of "divinity."

Much like Deng Yuxiang who had stood at the Wu Lie Bridge Head in days past.

At this moment, merely standing there, Lu Ran was enough to cause inner trembling secretly.

No one knew how long it had been before Lu Ran broke the silence, "Tonight, were you all guarding the school gate?"

"Yep," Tian Tian responded, "Team Leader Zhang led us in defeating many Evil Demons."

"Ha, our share can't be low this time," Lu Ran said with a laugh.

Normally, when Night of Ghosts occurs, students should take refuge in shelters.

However, this situation was special, as the Straw Demon Clan was comparatively weak, and Squad 98 was fortunate enough to participate throughout.

Tian Tian looked at Zhang Feng hopefully, "Can Lu Ran get full marks?"

Zhang Feng just smiled.

He didn't dare to declare how many points Lu Ran would ultimately receive.

Although Zhang Feng didn't see how Lu Ran patrolled, he was certain that this night Lu Ran had made significant contributions to Rain Alley City.

So for this semester's final exam...

Full marks would probably be hard for Lu Ran to escape?

Lu Ran was also quite anticipatory, turning his gaze toward Zhang Feng.

"I can't decide that." Zhang Feng chuckled, "But your performance tonight will be reported in detail and truthfully."

Lu Ran nodded silently, that was enough.

Speaking of which, this night he had seen quite a lot of Moon Gazers, and he had helped quite a few people.

When they reported the situation, they ought to put in a good word for him, right?

Everyone stayed guarding the gate until about eight o'clock, and then under the organization of the Moon Gazers, they switched shifts collectively and went to rest on the fourth floor.

Due to the special events of the last night, the students were instructed to stay in the shelters for an additional day.

Naturally, everyone had no objections.

Lu Ran, tired both physically and mentally, sent a text message to his family to report his safety, then fell into a deep sleep.

This sleep lasted until dusk.

Lu Ran was awakened by hunger.

The old lady's sugar cakes could only suffice for one meal, clearly not for an entire day...

As he groggily woke up, he picked up his phone to check the time but saw several missed calls and many messages.

Little Yuanxi?

His sister's series of text messages seemed to carry her tone, making Lu Ran smile.

"Did you get safely through the fifteenth? Congratulations~"

"When do you plan to come home for the New Year?"

"My cold-hearted brother, speak up!"

"You didn't fall asleep again, did you?"

"Really, what seventeen or eighteen-year-old guy needs to catch up on sleep after staying up all night... Can you handle it?"

"Hey! I just saw that Rain Alley City experienced another Night of Ghosts?"

"Why won't you answer the phone?"

"Jerk, I'm ignoring you."

"Hmph(｀⌒´メ)"

Lu Ran looked at the string of messages on his phone; he hesitated for a moment but still made a call back.

After a while, from the other end of the phone, a groggy voice came: "Huh?"

Lu Ran asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"Sleeping…" Qiao Yuansi's voice was soft and sweet, sounding quite amusing.

Lu Ran: "..."

And you were this worried about me?

He paused for a moment, still shaking his head with a smile: "Alright, then I'll call you tomorrow."

Qiao Yuansi: "Hmm, okay... Wait, who are you?"

Lu Ran couldn't help but say, "I'm your brother!"

"Oh, my brother... Eh? My brother!" Qiao Yuansi suddenly sounded much more animated.

Lu Ran hummed: "Sleep then, we'll talk tomorrow."

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" Qiao Yuansi hurriedly said, "Are you hurt?"

Hearing his sister's concerned voice, warmth filled Lu Ran's heart, and his voice softened quite a bit:

"The night the Barbaric Woman invaded, I fought them off, not to mention the Straw Demon Clan?"

"Cut~ Showing off," Qiao Yuansi muttered under her breath, "You never tell me anything, always making me find out on my own."

Lu Ran: "Isn't that because I didn't want you to worry?"

Qiao Yuansi suddenly became displeased: "When you went to Qiantang River Province, went to Bamboo Sea Demon Cave for a vacation without telling me, was that also because you didn't want me to worry?"

Lu Ran was momentarily stunned, then immediately said, "Don't wrong me! Didn't I look for you?"

"Huh?" Qiao Yuansi also sounded unsure, "When did you look for me?

Wasn't it after you came back that we got in touch?"

Lu Ran paused.

Oh, right!

Before going to Bamboo Sea, didn't I call Si Xianxian?

Hmm… Not important!

Qiao Yuansi pouted, "You didn't look for me."

Lu Ran got up and walked toward the outside, speaking softly, "Do you want a burger?"

"Want... um." Qiao Yuansi blurted out, then held her tongue, seemingly not ready to calm down so quickly.

Lu Ran continued, "Two?"

In the end, Qiao Yuansi couldn't resist, "Yes, yes~"

"Hehe." Lu Ran chuckled lightly, stepping down the stairs, his mind filled with the charming and lovely image of his sister.

"So when are you coming back?"

"What's the rush, it's still half a month till New Year's Eve."

"But I want to eat now!"

Hearing this, Lu Ran was quite helpless: "Fine, wait at home, I'll order it right away... no, wait, the city is under lockdown now."

Qiao Yuansi discontentedly said: "Is this how you charm girls?

My foolish brother, how will you ever catch up to Sister Ruyi like this?"

Lu Ran pushed open the school building door, a cold wind hitting him, just like his sister's current words.

He stepped onto the playground, humming, "Sister Ruyi? Your dear sister ran off with our family's Cold Night Sword!

After the New Year, I plan to report it to the police."

"Haha~" Qiao Yuansi laughed tenderly, "You want the Divine People Bureau to help you bring her back to Rain Alley?"

Lu Ran: "..."

Qiao Yuansi muttered softly, "Such a scheming man."

Lu Ran: ?

As they talked, Lu Ran crossed the playground and stopped in front of the swing set.

The setting sun, a single shadow, an empty swing.

The swing with only chains and no wooden seat was where Lu Ran used to sit.

The one with the old wooden seat was where she had sat.

Qiao Yuansi's eyes flickered: "You can come to Beijing a few days late, provided that you go to Yumen Pass."

Yumen Pass?

The place where Third-class God·Jade Token resides and where Jiang Ruyi underwent her ordeal.

"Screech~"

The swing's chains shook, rubbing together with an ear-piercing noise.

Lu Ran looked at the two swings but still chose to sit in his usual spot.

"Bro?"

"Never mind." Lu Ran looked at the empty wooden seat beside him.

"You really! It's just a few hours flight, isn't it?"

"Don't bother her," Lu Ran murmured lowly.

Qiao Yuansi was also quite helpless: "It's almost New Year, meeting during the holidays, what's there to bother about?"

"Screech~"

A cold wind blew, carrying frost and snow.

The wooden seat beside him gently swayed back and forth.

As if an old friend had arrived.

Lu Ran watched the wooden seat, his gaze slightly raised, sketching out a faint silhouette in his mind:

"I'm afraid if I go there, she won't be able to calm her heart, and she'll want to come back."

Qiao Yuansi, holding the phone, opened her small mouth slightly.

After a long while, her face broke into a sweet smile: "Wow, how sweet!

Say more, say more, I want to keep listening~"

"Beep... beep... beep..."

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