159: Chapter 159 Admitted, Unexpected

Chen Ran's body stiffened abruptly.

"What the hell?"

He turned his head, looking at Lin Wan in disbelief.

He had not expected Divine Constable Lin to be so bold, admitting their relationship in front of so many people.

One had to know that when the blind date accident happened, it was only handled internally between the Lin Family and the Wen Family.

Outsiders did not yet know that this Young Miss of the Lin Family already had someone she liked.

Admitting it face-to-face like this, it probably would not take a day before it spread throughout the capital.

"The person you like?"

Lu Yuzhou's smile froze on his face instantly.

Following Lin Wan's hand, his gaze fell upon Chen Ran like a venomous snake.

Dressed in a plain Six Doors uniform.

With a tall, upright stature and handsome features, his appearance was decent enough.

But...

After sensing that Chen Ran's aura was only at the Seventh Realm, Lu Yuzhou shook his head with a smile:

"Young Miss Lin, you'd better stop joking."

Seeing this attitude from the other side, Chen Ran felt a bit of anger rising in his heart.

If he hadn't been dragged into this, it would be fine, but since he was already exposed, it was normal to act a bit more intimate, right?

Chen Ran looked at the stunning woman holding onto him, his gaze shifting.

"Young Master Lu, this is not... Mmph!"

Lin Wan started to speak, but felt a tingling sensation on her waist.

She widened her beautiful eyes, looking back in disbelief.

She saw that Chen Ran, who was standing beside her, had somehow wrapped his right arm around her waist, pulling her entire body closer.

Chen Ran held Lin Wan with one hand, feeling the soft sensation coming from his fingertips.

Lin Wan was not the kind of frail woman; the strength of her Physical Body far exceeded that of ordinary people by several times.

Yet, in stark contrast, Lin Wan's waist was slender and well-proportioned, her skin soft and tender, with an excellent touch.

"I didn't expect her figure to be this good..."

Chen Ran whispered in his heart and could not help but pinch it again.

The next moment, the beauty in his arms trembled, her waist muscles tensing up.

Chen Ran looked up at the man with the folding fan who was already stunned.

"Young Master Lu, this is no joke. We have been together for a month, spending our days and nights together..."

"If there is nothing else, please leave."

Chen Ran's voice came out calmly, and Lu Yuzhou barely managed to squeeze out a smile:

"This brother, you look unfamiliar."

"To be favored by Young Miss Lin, you must be a hidden expert."

Lu Yuzhou pointed to the stage below: "I wonder if you have signed up for this tournament?"

"Let me also broaden my horizons and see exactly what Young Miss Lin's beloved is capable of."

Chen Ran looked at Lu Yuzhou, his tone calm:

"I am on official duty, responsible for perimeter security, so I will not be participating in the tournament."

"If Young Master Lu wants to watch a show, there are plenty on stage; feel free to watch at your leisure."

Lu Yuzhou gave Chen Ran a deep look.

He snorted coldly and turned around abruptly.

"Let's go."

The crowd consciously cleared a path; no one dared to provoke this person.

Watching Lu Yuzhou disappear into the crowded throng with his guards, Chen Ran sighed helplessly.

"Lord Lin, you've really drawn a huge amount of hatred for me."

However, he received no answer.

"Hmm?"

Chen Ran looked at the woman in his arms in confusion, feeling somewhat surprised.

Lin Wan's earlobes had turned crimson at some point, and her breathing was slightly rapid.

After a few breaths, she seemed to snap back to reality.

She abruptly pulled her hand away, instantly moving several meters away.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

The female Constable who usually wielded a blade to capture criminals and acted with such dash had completely lost her usual sharpness.

Her cheeks were flushed with layers of red, her eyes swirling with hidden shyness, yet her brows were knitted with a faint trace of anger,

It was as if she had been teased and did not know whether to be angry or annoyed, her hands and feet slightly awkward.

Seeing this scene, it attracted the attention of the people around them.

Lin Wan could only whisper a sentence into his ear at the end.

"If there is a next time, I will definitely make you suffer."

After saying this, Lin Wan did not look back and fled the scene as if escaping.

Chen Ran was stunned for a moment, feeling the lingering warmth that had not faded from his fingertips,

He whispered to himself: "What was that all about..."

...

Seeing there was no more fun to watch, the onlookers quickly shifted their gazes away.

They turned to look at the fighting rings below.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted in the crowd.

"Look! People from the major Sects are making their move!"

Chen Ran followed the crowd's line of sight.

He saw a young monk wearing a moon-white cassock, hands pressed together, walking slowly onto one of the stages.

There was a cinnabar mark on his forehead, his face compassionate, his steps steady and powerful.

With every step, the bluestone slab beneath his feet trembled slightly, as if he carried a weight of a thousand jin.

"It's a martial monk from the Bodhi Zen Monastery!"

Opposite him was a man with a sturdy build and a broad back.

That man held blades in both hands, looking warily at the bald monk in front of him, and shouted:

"Falling Leaf Dual Blade Style, Liu Ji."

"Bodhi Zen Monastery, Jingxin."

The two announced their names, and the ring defense match officially began.

The man named Liu Ji attacked first, his arms crossed, waving them to create a sky full of afterimages.

He could be considered a popular contestant this time; his incredibly fast dual-blade style had already defeated many opponents.

Yet, facing the opponent's storm-like attacks, the monk did not dodge or evade.

One only heard a "clang" sound of metal clashing.

The opponent's steel blade struck his body, as if it had hit a wall of bronze and iron; sparks flew, but the monk remained unharmed.

Subsequently, the monk lightly slapped out a palm, directly blasting the opponent off the stage.

"Amitabha, I accept your concession."

Immediately after, another burst of exclamation erupted from another stage.

Several men in uniform short-sleeved fighting attire leaped onto the stage.

Their muscles were knotted, their skin was bronze, and their entire bodies exuded a fierce and domineering aura.

These were all people from the Tiangang School.

The lead man shouted, and his fists blasted out like heavy artillery.

There was even the sound of an air explosion as the airflow burst in the air.

The opponent did not even take one move before vomiting blood and collapsing to the ground.

Compared to the ferocity of these two major Sects, the other stage appeared much more pleasing to the eye.

A group of women dressed in elegant, plain cyan long dresses walked over gracefully.

Their temperament was otherworldly, like Fairies descending to earth.

"It's the Fairies from the Ciyin Medical Valley!"

"They focus primarily on saving the world with medicine and also study self-defense martial arts; they never compete or fight with others, so why have they come to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament?"

The first contestant to compete was Bai Nianci, who was highly anticipated by everyone.

She had a sweet appearance, a gentle and graceful temperament, and a smile that made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze hung at the corners of her mouth.

Facing the opponent's attack, her figure was as light as a swallow, her fingertips tapped lightly, and several silver needles pierced through the air.

The opponent felt their entire body go numb and could not move, so they had to concede helplessly.

The people from the Zhengyang Sword Sect were also quite straightforward.

He Linfeng casually stepped onto a stage, facing the opponent who looked as if they were facing a great enemy.

He did not even draw his sword, just held his fingers together like a sword and waved them casually.

An invisible Sword Qi pierced through the air, directly severing the opponent's weapon and forcing the person back to the edge of the stage.

The stands erupted with shouts of the Zhengyang Sword Sect's name.

These famous righteous Sects had quite a high reputation in the eyes of passersby, and they had many supporters.

...

The sun set behind the western mountains, and the sky gradually darkened.

The first day of the preliminary rounds finally ended amidst the noise.

The preliminary rounds were the first stage of the Martial Arts Tournament, serving to filter out the lowest-level Martial Artists who could not qualify.

Since it was not the day of the main competition yet, the fighting was naturally quite uninteresting.

Most of it was just low-Realm Martial Artists fighting each other.

The only things worth watching were the disciples from the large Families and major Schools.

These people generally had strength far exceeding that of the Loose Cultivators, and they cleared the rounds very quickly.

Most of the ring defense battles ended in instant kills.

Chen Ran stretched, loosened his somewhat stiff muscles and bones, and prepared to return to his lodging.

He had stood for the whole day; although he was not tired, it was boring enough.

Especially since Lin Wan had not appeared for almost the entire afternoon, making him realize something was wrong.

"Perhaps I went too far this morning?"

After all, judging by Lin Wan's expression this morning, her reaction had been quite large.

Chen Ran thought to himself as he followed the flow of people toward the Inner City.

Just after walking not far from the square, he turned a street corner.

A black shadow suddenly flashed out from a dark alley nearby, blocking his path like a ghost.

The person was wearing grey hemp clothes and a wide bamboo hat, completely obscuring their face in the shadows.

Their aura was cold, and their eyes were icy.

"Deputy Captain Chen."

The grey-clothed person's voice was hoarse, exuding a chilling coldness.

"My master has an invitation; please come with me."

Chen Ran stopped, his expression calm, without the slightest panic, and asked in return:

"Who is your master?"

The grey-clothed person did not answer, only turned slightly to the side, making a "please" gesture.

"Once you go, you will naturally know."