Twenty minutes later, the two returned to the house.

Standing by the living room sofa, Lu Ran and Si Xianxian immediately stood up.

"I'm leaving now," Qiao Wanjun said, glancing over the two without breaking her stride.

Clearly, this wasn't the way to treat guests, but the young people didn't dare say much.

On the contrary, Jiang Ruyi was grateful that Qiao Wanjun had taken time out of her busy schedule to meet her for a bit of guidance.

"Mom," Lu Ran quickly followed her to the door, crouched down, and began changing his mother's shoes.

Qiao Wanjun's face bore a gentle smile; she truly enjoyed this tender care from her child and softly said, "I've prepared a gift for you, it's in your room."

"A gift?" Lu Ran looked up at his mother.

Qiao Wanjun gently patted Lu Ran's head, "You'll like it."

"Okay," Lu Ran lowered his head and continued, "Oh, and mom, after I participated in Heavenly Pride, lots of university admissions officers have been calling me."

"Do you want to come to Beijing?" Qiao Wanjun asked.

Lu Ran opened his mouth but didn't say anything in the end.

Qiao Wanjun noticed her son's silence and didn't press further.

After a moment, Lu Ran stood up, "I have another thing."

"Oh?" Qiao Wanjun was quite surprised.

Lu Ran gave an embarrassed smile, "Before, I went to train in the Night Charm Demon Cave. I just happened to use that experience on the fifteenth night a few days ago when I faced Night Charm, and I felt really confident. So I'm thinking..."

Qiao Wanjun nodded thoughtfully, clearly understanding her son's intentions.

"Do you have any connections in that area, mom?" Lu Ran probed.

"You want to go to Night Charm Demon Cave again?" Qiao Wanjun asked.

"It doesn't have to be Night Charm Demon Cave," Lu Ran thought for a second then listed off a bunch of names, "Prison Sky Demon, Barbaric Woman, Tangled Silk Shadow, Shadow Dancer..."

Qiao Wanjun couldn't help but chuckle, looking at her enthusiastic child.

She didn't reprimand him; instead, she quite approved of her son's decision.

In Rain Alley City, anything could happen, and any Evil Demon might appear.

It was good to be well-prepared.

"How about the Yan Zhi Demon Cave?" The little lamb finally showed his fox's tail as he looked at his mother, "I was once weak and got brutalized by the Yan Zhi people.

Now that I am at the second realm of River Realm, I really want to meet the Yan Zhi Clan again."

Qiao Wanjun pondered for a moment, then said, "Someone will contact you in a bit."

Lu Ran's face lit up with joy, "Thank you, mom!"

Qiao Wanjun also smiled, "You rarely ask for anything.

I'd be too happy to say no."

Lu Ran awkwardly scratched his head.

He wasn't sure if his mother was praising him or chiding him.

Indeed, over the years, Lu Ran had very rarely made any requests from his mother.

Qiao Wanjun raised her hand and tenderly stroked Lu Ran's cheek: "Take care of yourself."

"I will!" Lu Ran nodded emphatically.

Qiao Wanjun left without another word.

Truth to be told, watching her walk into the elevator wearing that ancient, elegant, long dress felt a bit anachronistic.

"Goodbye, auntie!"

"Goodbye, auntie!" behind him, Jiang Ruyi and Si Xianxian spoke up in turn.

Once Qiao Wanjun was gone, Si Xianxian let out a big sigh of relief.

Lu Ran looked at the girl with a weird expression, "My mom is pretty gentle, isn't she? You didn't have to be that scared."

Si Xianxian didn't bite, changing the subject instead, "Is your family's discipline always this strict, even changing shoes for your mother?"

"Don't even mention it," Lu Ran snorted, "It's all Little Yuanxi's fault."

"Your sister?" Si Xianxian was very curious.

Lu Ran sighed, "My mom is very busy and spends very little time with my sister and me.

Every time she comes home, Little Yuanxi runs to greet her, scrambling to change her slippers, almost dragging her into the house by her legs.

Every time she leaves, Little Yuanxi would change her demeanor and would neither greet nor send her off willingly."

"That real?" Si Xianxian asked.

Lu Ran just shrugged, "One time, mom was headed to Sword One, and we didn't know when she'd return.

Little Yuanxi threw a tantrum, begging didn't work, and she finally stormed back to her room, pouting and stomping her feet.

I could tell mom was a bit angry, so I quickly changed her shoes and saw her out..."

Jiang Ruyi couldn't help but chuckle, understanding in her heart, "Did you save Little Yuanxi from a scolding?"

A scolding?

Lu Ran inwardly shook his head; there were no scoldings, only kneelings, without discussion!

I had to sneak out at midnight to secretly buy Little Yuanxi a hamburger, all anxiously...

Lu Ran thought to himself, "I did avoid punishment, but the habit stayed.

After that, whenever she goes out, she just stands at the door waiting for me... Hey? Wait a minute, don't tell me..."

Suddenly, Lu Ran turned to look at Jiang Ruyi, "Remember when you visited my place the last time?

I forgot to get you slippers and you just stood there, staring at the shoe rack."

Jiang Ruyi, "..."

"It's not a house where family doesn't enter," Lu Ran nodded repeatedly, "It's true, it's destiny!"

Jiang Ruyi gave Lu Ran a look and walked away.

"Oh, right. Mom said she prepared a gift for us." Lu Ran returned to his room, watching Jiang Ruyi's retreating figure, "It's in my room."

Si Xianxian leaned in, whispering expectantly, "You don't have one for me, right?"

"Uh," Lu Ran considered, then said solemnly, "Probably not.

If there is, then we're in trouble."

Si Xianxian, "..."

Right... that makes sense!

The trio arrived at Lu Ran's bedroom, where they saw three boxes about a meter long each on the computer desk.

"Uh oh!" Lu Ran internally sensed trouble.

Are there really three?

Did mom misunderstand something?

But that can't be...

Lu Ran quickly stepped forward and opened one, the first thing he saw was an excellently crafted knife sheath.

It was wooden and exuded a faint aromatic scent.

It was all black with golden decorations, quite exquisite.

Seeing this gift, Lu Ran breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Thankfully, there was nothing for Si Xianxian.

After all, Lu Ran had two knives, and there are three boxes on the desk, matching perfectly.

Sure enough, as Lu Ran opened the other two boxes, he found another knife sheath and a sword sheath, with a similar exterior.

"Here's some text," Si Xianxian pointed at the lower end of the sheath.

Below the golden patterns, Lu Ran saw the gold-stamped character – Solitude.

He immediately looked towards the other two sheaths and found the characters for "Cool" and "Dawn."

"Hu~"

Lu Ran casually summoned, and the Dawn Blade flew in from the living room with a swoosh of wind.

Si Xianxian stepped aside, her eyes filled with envy as she watched the handle fall perfectly into Lu Ran's palm.

A Divine Weapon...

When can I own one of my own?

Does that Black Luminous Stone Hammer have the makings of a god?

"Ziiing!"

The blade slid into the sheath, fitting perfectly.

The more Lu Ran looked at it, the more he liked it, and he casually strapped it to his back, trying out different positions.

Should I cross them on my back?

Or tilt both sheaths to the same side, parallel?

"Hum~ Hum..." Lu Ran's phone in his pocket suddenly buzzed.

He took out the phone, saw an unfamiliar number, and answered right away, "Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Lu Ran?" a young woman's voice came from the other end.

"Yes, I am!" Lu Ran stepped back and walked to the bed.

"I just received an order from Peak Master Qiao, saying that you wish to train in a special Demon Cave?"

Lu Ran was taken aback, "Qiao... Peak Master?"

He had heard of Qiao Feng, who could slap forth a golden dragon with his palm.

Cool for sure, but not as cool as the Martial Monk Believers.

After all, Qiao Feng is fictional, but a Martial Monk Disciple kicking out a real golden dragon is reality!

So, what is Peak Master Qiao... Wait a minute!

Peak Master?

Jinghong Peak?

My goodness!

Lu Ran was completely taken aback, plopping down onto the bed.

Thinking back, he should've caught a glimpse of it during his visit to Jinghong Peak.

Why else would other disciples of Sword One be laborers there, while his mother stood alone on the back mountain, with no one daring to disturb her?

Wasn't it obvious that her identity was different?!

Peak Master, oh boy!

Including Jinghong Peak, there are a total of nine Spirit Mountains blessed by Divine·Sword One around Beijing.

Each mountain is managed by a Sword One Disciple, also known as a Peak Master.

Qiao Wanjun was one of the nine?

For all this time, Qiao Wanjun had never talked about anything work-related to her children, including her own abilities, which were never mentioned and were a well-kept secret.

Now, Lu Ran unexpectedly heard this title and realized belatedly that he was a child of such stature.

On the other side of the phone, the woman's voice held a hint of confusion, "Are you the son of Ms. Qiao Wanjun, Mr. Lu Ran?"

"Yes, it's me," Lu Ran promptly replied.

The woman said, "Ms. Qiao has given her orders. May I know which Demon Cave you would like to go to?"

Lu Ran collected himself and asked, "Your surname, please?"

"No need for formality, it's Chen."

"Sister Chen, you can call me Little Lu," Lu Ran replied courteously, "I want to go to the Yan Zhi people's Demon Cave, is that possible?"

"There is no Yan Zhi Clan Demon Cave near Beijing; I will need some time."

"Alright, thank you, Sister Chen," Lu Ran responded.

"Mm," the woman named Chen answered softly, "Also, congratulations on your excellent results in Heavenly Pride.

Your mother hasn't been in a good mood recently, and it's been a long time since I've seen her so happy."

Lu Ran raised his eyebrows slightly; it was clear this woman had a close relationship with his mother.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have said such things.

Especially since Sword One's disciples were each incredibly aloof, how could they bother with such matters?

Lu Ran urged, "Sister Chen, just calling me Little Lu is fine. Don't be so formal."

Pausing, he added, "I will need to train in other Demon Caves in the future, so I'll be counting on you."

"Hehe." Sister Chen gave a light laugh, "Alright, Little Lu.

I'll let you know in advance; Peak Master Qiao has ordered that I accompany you throughout your training in the Demon Cave.

Wait at home for now; I'll come to pick you up from Immortal Scenic Garden once we have concrete details."

"Okay." Lu Ran responded dazedly and ended the call.

"What's the matter?" Si Xianxian eyed Lu Ran's strange expression and couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Ruyi was also quite curious, holding the sword sheath and silently watching Lu Ran.

Lu Ran scratched his head and after a long while managed to say, "I guess I've been too proud."

"What do you mean 'too proud'?" Si Xianxian was puzzled.

Lu Ran was filled with wonderment, not expecting his mother to be such an esteemed figure.

Just now, Qiao Wanjun had said it right: You rarely ask for anything.

If Lu Ran hadn't been so proud, insisting on making his way in Rain Alley City, if only he had asked his mom for this and that earlier...

Wouldn't he have realized something was amiss much sooner?

...

Vote for monthly tickets, please.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.