217: Chapter 217 Departure, Sheng Hai

"Why are you here?"

Chen Ran walked to the table and sat down, looking at Jiang Mengli with a calm gaze.

The light in the room was somewhat dim, and the flickering flame of the oil lamp stretched their shadows long.

Jiang Mengli pulled out a chair and sat down without invitation, her red dress swaying. She crossed her legs, her fair calves swaying in the lamplight, dazzling to the eye.

She wasn't wearing a veil today; her stunningly beautiful face was completely exposed to the air, with a natural allure between her brows and eyes.

"What, not welcoming me?" She raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying a hint of teasing, her voice crisp and pleasant, like pearls falling onto a jade plate.

"It's the middle of the night, a man and a woman alone, and you come into my room dressed like this. If someone saw us, would my reputation be ruined?" Chen Ran rolled his eyes and poured himself a cup of tea.

He wasn't pretending; if his colleagues at the Zhenyu Division found out that he was hiding the Saintess of the Red Lotus Demonic Cult in his room, it would likely have spread throughout Great Wei by morning.

Jiang Mengli scoffed and retorted unceremoniously:

"You? Reputation? Stop trying to make yourself sound so noble.

Your room doesn't even see a ghost normally, who would come to peep at you in the middle of the night?"

Although the location Chen Ran chose wasn't in a particularly obscure residential area, there weren't many neighbors, and since he was usually the only one in the house, it felt even more desolate.

After bickering for a few sentences, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Chen Ran took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and went straight to the point:

"Speak, you never visit without a reason. Coming to find me in the middle of the night, it can't just be to chat, right? You're a busy person, usually elusive like a dragon."

Jiang Mengli restrained the smile on her face, her expression becoming slightly more serious.

She reached out to toy with an empty teacup on the table, her slender fingers sliding gently along the rim.

"I'm leaving."

"Leaving? Where to?" Chen Ran paused, asking subconsciously.

"Back to Shenghai." Jiang Mengli tapped her fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic clicking sound, her tone very calm.

Chen Ran frowned slightly, his mind quickly reviewing the recent intelligence.

Shenghai?

That place was a massive fire pit now; several months ago, many news houses had reported on it.

Chen Ran roughly knew the situation there; Shenghai had now been completely invaded by the Red Lotus Demonic Cult and served as their temporary base camp.

"If I remember correctly, the Great Wei Court previously made fierce threats to send a large army there to suppress the rebellion."

Chen Ran stared into Jiang Mengli's eyes, his tone becoming more serious.

"Moreover, the Great Tournament of the World just ended, and the court has scoured the populace for many promising talents. The army now has many more Martial Artists, and their strength has greatly increased.

Aren't you just walking into the line of fire by going back now?"

After all, the Great Tournament of the World was a grand martial arts competition organized by the Great Wei Court to replenish its military forces, which had flushed out many martial arts experts.

Those who stood out in the competition were all recruited by the court and stuffed into the army.

The current pacification army was not the old, weak, sick, and disabled who were just waiting to die as before; it definitely contained many tough nuts to crack.

After hearing this, Jiang Mengli was not at all worried; instead, she sneered disdainfully.

"A large army to suppress? With those stinking fish and rotten shrimp that Great Wei has now?"

She stood up and walked to the window, looking at the night outside. The night wind blew her red dress, making it look like a burning flame.

"Just let them bring it on; no matter how many come, it's useless."

Her tone carried a sense of arrogance, a sign of absolute confidence in her own strength.

Chen Ran looked at her back and couldn't help but retort:

"Your tone is getting bigger and bigger. Just a mere Third-Rank Martial Artist, do you really think the Great Wei army is made of mud? They are a regular army, well-equipped, with various Formations supporting them. How many can you fight alone?"

Jiang Mengli turned her head and gave him a mysterious smile, her expression carrying a hint of cunning.

"Just stay in the capital and behave yourself. It won't be long before you hear big news."

"Big news?" Chen Ran pressed.

"You'll know when the time comes." Jiang Mengli didn't specify, only giving him a meaningful look, "When we meet next time, it might just be in the capital."

The implication in these words was too strong.

Chen Ran's heart skipped a beat.

This woman, surely she didn't intend to lead troops to attack the capital, right? Rebelling right under the emperor's nose?

Before he could ask in detail, Jiang Mengli's figure suddenly became blurry.

Jiang Mengli seemed afraid of the previous incident happening again, and her tone quickened a bit.

"Alright, the message has been delivered. I'm leaving, take care of yourself."

As soon as the words fell, her figure dissipated into the air like foam, not leaving behind even a trace of her aura.

The room returned to tranquility once more.

Chen Ran stood up slightly, looking at the night outside the window, and remained silent for a long time.

In his perception, when Jiang Mengli left, that strange aura on her body had grown a bit stronger.

"Dragon Qi..."

Dragon Qi was not something just anyone could possess.

It was exclusive to the Great Wei royal family and a symbol of the nation's fortune.

Only the Dragon veins of Great Wei could nurture Dragon Qi.

Since the last earthquake in the capital, this Dragon Qi had leaked from some Dragon vein. The Great Wei royal family must have experienced some change he was unaware of.

Moreover, this change would very likely affect the entire situation of Great Wei.

"Forget it, if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Why should I worry about this?"

Chen Ran shook his head, throwing these chaotic thoughts out of his mind.

He was just a small Prison Officer in the Zhenyu Division now, and his rank was only mid-level in Great Wei.

National affairs were not his concern.

Even if Great Wei were really finished, he could just dust himself off and leave, finding another place to continue lying low.

"I also don't know what the suppression of the heavenly book of prison suppression is actually based on..."

"After the situation stabilizes, I should test the limits of this Golden Finger."

Chen Ran pondered; he was still not very clear about the judgment range of this Golden Finger.

Was it because the location of the Celestial Prison was special, or because he himself was special?

Would going to other regions, different territories, or even different countries make a difference?

If the bound Celestial Prison could be transferred, then even if Great Wei were destroyed one day, he could just fly far away and transition in a foreign country.

Waiting until he had achieved success in his strength one day, then returning again.

Chen Ran walked to the bed, took off his outer coat, sat cross-legged, and prepared to begin tonight's Cultivation.

No matter how the situation changed, only his own strength was the most reliable.

The night grew deeper.

The capital fell completely into deep sleep, with only the occasional sound of the night watchman breaking the silence of the night.

Chen Ran closed his eyes, and the True Qi in his body slowly circulated according to the route of his Cultivation Technique.

Time passed minute by minute.

Just when Chen Ran was about to enter a state of deep meditation,

Suddenly.

A strange fluctuation suddenly came from his mind.

Hum.

This fluctuation was extremely familiar, acting directly on the depths of his Soul.

Chen Ran opened his eyes abruptly, a flash of brilliance passing through them.

"The heavenly book of prison suppression?"

With a thought, his consciousness instantly sank into his mind.

The ancient and heavy heavenly book of prison suppression was quietly floating in the center of his Sea of Consciousness.

At this moment, the surface of the heavenly book was emitting a faint golden light.

The pages turned without wind, flipping open with a rustle.

Chen Ran looked closely.

He saw that on the opened page, the originally vivid portrait of a Yao Beast was rapidly becoming dim.