213: Chapter 213 Jade Token, Guardian

Chen Ran did not stay for long. After a brief moment of intimacy, he headed home.

After all, every moment he spent in the Lin family estate, Chen Ran felt as if countless eyes were watching him.

Before he left, Lin Wan pulled a jade token from her sleeve.

"This is the jade token of my Lin family. Showing it will prove your identity, and you can also display it if you encounter danger in the future."

"Alright."

Chen Ran did not refuse; he took the jade token and tied it to his waist.

After seeing Chen Ran out of the Lin estate, Lin Wan took a deep breath and turned to walk back into the house.

As soon as she entered, she saw Xiao Qian standing there with a beaming smile.

"Young Miss, congratulations."

Lin Wan's Face flushed red.

"You... you saw everything?"

"Hehe, just a little bit," Xiao Qian said with a smile.

"But don't worry, Young Miss, I won't tell anyone."

"You'd better not."

Lin Wan glared at her.

"If I find out you've been gossiping, see how I deal with you."

"I wouldn't, I wouldn't," Xiao Qian waved her hands hurriedly.

"My lips are sealed."

Lin Wan huffed and walked over to the vanity to sit down.

Xiao Qian walked over to help remove the hairpin from her head.

"Young Miss, Young Master Chen seems like a good man."

"Mm."

Lin Wan nodded.

"He is indeed... quite good."

Xiao Qian said with a smile.

"Then Young Miss must hold onto him tightly in the future."

"Otherwise, it will be too late if he gets snatched away by another woman."

Lin Wan frowned.

"What nonsense are you spouting? How could he be snatched away so easily?"

"That's hard to say," Xiao Qian said with a giggle.

"Young Master Chen is so outstanding; surely many people are eyeing him."

"Young Miss needs to keep a close watch."

Lin Wan fell silent for a moment.

To be honest, she was genuinely worried about this.

"Forget it, let's not think about this."

Lin Wan shook her head.

"Anyway, he has already promised me now."

"We can talk about other things later."

"Young Miss is right," Xiao Qian said with a smile.

"Anyway, Young Master Chen is now Young Miss's person."

"No one can take him away."

Lin Wan smiled without speaking.

She looked at herself in the mirror, a surge of sweetness rising in her heart.

Today really is a good day.

...

When he left the Lin estate, it was still early in the day.

Chen Ran toyed with the jade token at his waist, walking forward at a leisurely pace.

The jade token given by the Lin family was of good quality, feeling cool to the touch.

As he walked, he marveled that the Four Great Families were truly no joke; even the items they gave away casually exuded an aura of immense wealth.

Just after turning a corner, Chen Ran suddenly stopped.

Not far ahead, a large man was leaning against the base of a wall, arms crossed over his chest. His build was burly, looking just like an iron tower.

Chen Ran glanced over, his brows slightly raised.

Seeing Chen Ran stop, the large man moved away from the wall, walked to a spot three steps in front of Chen Ran, stood still, and lowered his head.

"Subordinate Cang Lang, by order of the Family Head, is here to guard Young Master Chen's safety."

The voice was low and deep, like rolling thunder suppressed beneath the earth.

Chen Ran looked him up and down.

He was in his thirties, with a square Face and short stubble on his chin. He wore plain clothes with a simple straight blade tucked at his waist. Standing in a crowd, aside from that burly frame, there was really nothing special about him.

Chen Ran toyed with the jade token and spoke unhurriedly:

"Sent by the Lin family?"

"Yes."

"Just you alone?"

"Yes."

Chen Ran waited, only to find that this man really intended to say only these two words. He was truly a man of few words and ruthless actions.

Chen Ran looked at the large man before him, who was half a head taller than himself, and slightly used his Divine Thought to scan him.

Upon sweeping over that incredibly vigorous Qi and blood, Chen Ran was somewhat surprised.

Peak Return to Truth Realm; in other words, he was just half a step away from stepping into the Innate Realm.

The Lin family had casually dispatched a guard to escort him, their "prospective son-in-law," and the Realm of this guard, if placed in the capital, was already that of an expert capable of handling things on his own.

Someone like him, who hadn't even married in yet, was already enjoying such treatment.

This Lin family... truly was wealthy and imposing.

Chen Ran rubbed his nose, feeling somewhat conflicted inside.

To be honest, he himself was in the Third Grade Return to Truth Realm, and with a pile of Cultivation Techniques and talents, in terms of combat power, he was long past being an ordinary person in the same Realm.

But having a guard tagging along still felt somewhat subtle.

It was like an expert who had practiced martial arts for twenty years being forcibly assigned a bodyguard when going out; it didn't look good for his Face, but he couldn't outright refuse either.

He thought for a moment and said to Cang Lang:

"Fine, I acknowledge your status, but you don't need to follow me every single moment."

Cang Lang did not move, only slightly lifting his eyes to look at him.

The meaning was roughly: This is against the rules.

Chen Ran continued:

"My whereabouts are uncertain on a daily basis, and it's inconvenient to bring people to many places. It will be enough for you to watch from the shadows; you don't need to stick to me."

Cang Lang was silent for a moment.

"...Yes."

Chen Ran nodded and tugged at his sleeve.

"I'm going to the Celestial Prison now. If you want to follow, wait outside. That place doesn't really welcome outsiders."

Cang Lang didn't speak, slightly lowering his head to acknowledge.

Chen Ran said no more and turned to continue walking forward.

The silent presence behind him gradually faded, sinking into the crowd and disappearing from sight.

Chen Ran walked toward the Celestial Prison, casually memorizing the presence of "Cang Lang" in his mind.

...

The gate of the Celestial Prison stood imposingly.

Two heavy iron doors completely isolated the noise outside. Once through this door, the faint sense of oppression in the air rushed toward him.

Chen Ran walked inside.

The Jailer on duty looked up. Upon seeing who it was, he was stunned for a moment, then immediately straightened his posture, looking much more composed than usual.

"Prison Supervisor Chen."

Chen Ran glanced at him, didn't say much, and strolled inside.

After walking a few steps inside, he encountered two Jailers changing shifts. Seeing Chen Ran from afar, they exchanged a look, their footsteps involuntarily pausing, and their gestures of greeting were much more upright than usual.

Chen Ran took in all these details without showing any reaction.

As for all those rumors in the capital, Chen Ran was indifferent and rarely took them to heart.

He followed the corridor all the way down, passing through Section C, bypassing Yi Ward, and continuing deeper.

The further down he went, the lower the temperature and the thicker the Evil Qi.

When he was about to reach the bottom floor, Chen Ran suddenly stopped.

From far away, some sound was drifting up from below.

The sound was low and coarse, filled with suppressed restlessness, like something trapped in a cage, rumbling with anger in its throat.

Chen Ran stepped forward to continue walking down, turning into the passage on the bottom floor.

At the end of the corridor, a sliver of dim yellow light shone from a cell.

Warden Wen Ruoxu was squatting outside the railing, his hands supporting his knees, looking inside with boredom.

Hearing footsteps, he turned his head.

"Yo, Brother Chen, you're here."

Chen Ran walked to his side and looked inside, following his line of sight.

In the two adjacent cells, a Yao Beast was locked in each.

One looked like some kind of mutated wolf, larger than an ordinary horse, with charred black fur. Faint red patterns were flowing faintly along its ribs, and its eyes held a murky, blood-red hue.

The other was curled up in a corner; its full appearance could not be seen, but occasionally, some part of it would flash with a phosphorescent white light in the darkness.

The low growling sound came from there.

Chen Ran took a look and turned to ask Warden Wen Ruoxu:

"When did they come in?"

Warden Wen Ruoxu stood up and brushed the dust off his pants.

"They were delivered in the middle of last night; I only found out when I came on duty this morning."

As he spoke, he stepped back half a step, moving further away from the railing, his voice lowering a bit:

"Didn't that batch of prisoners on the fourth floor all die... The Demon-Slaying Squad said to make do with the empty cells for now and put the newly captured Yao Beasts here."

Chen Ran grunted in acknowledgment, his gaze sweeping over the two Yao Beasts.

He was not too surprised.

Some time ago in the capital, the Demon-Slaying Squad escorted a batch of Yao Beasts into the city; that commotion had caused quite a stir.

Now that he thought about it, this was likely that very batch.