277: Chapter 277 Turmoil, Beauty

Chen Ran only held a fifty-percent belief in the information recorded on the dossier,

after all, the personnel who recorded it were from Six Doors, and furthermore, it was a case from ten years ago, so much of the information was not necessarily accurate.

He put the dossier back in its original place, and his curiosity about Master Xuandu's past grew even stronger, as if a shroud of fog was enveloping his heart, refusing to dissipate.

By the time the two walked out of the archives, the sky was approaching midday.

Chen Ran and Lin Wan walked side by side through the bustling streets.

Above the long street,

the originally bustling marketplace was now permeated with a depressive atmosphere.

Inside the teahouses and taverns, the storyteller's clapper also lost its usual crispness, replaced by the lowered-voice whispers of the diners.

Many pedestrians gathered in twos and threes, whispering to each other, their expressions filled with panic and unease, as if a catastrophe was imminent.

"Have you heard? The grand army sent by the court to suppress the rebellion has been defeated!"

"What? How is that possible! That is the elite army of the court after all, how could they be defeated by a mob of rabble?"

"It is absolutely true! The official gazettes have already been issued, the grand army encountered an ambush by the Red Lotus Demonic Cult outside the city of Shenghai, suffering heavy casualties and utter collapse!"

Hearing this, Chen Ran and Lin Wan both paused slightly, their expressions changing slightly.

The two looked at each other, both seeing a trace of shock in each other's eyes.

Just at that moment, a boy holding official gazettes shuttled through the crowd hawking them, his voice crisp yet revealing a bit of anxiety.

"Selling official gazettes! Selling official gazettes! The court's grand army is defeated at Shenghai, the Red Lotus Demonic Cult is advancing with unstoppable momentum!"

Chen Ran casually tossed a piece of broken silver, buying an official gazette from the boy's hands.

He unfolded the official gazette, scanning its contents at a glance.

Lin Wan leaned in to take a look, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and a hint of solemnity flashed in her cold eyes.

"When the court's grand army set out on the expedition, they once made bold claims to retake Shenghai and wipe out the demonic cult within three days."

"Now, not only have they failed to achieve merits, but they have also lost the majority of their troops. Has the strength of this Red Lotus Demonic Cult actually expanded to such an extent?"

Chen Ran put away the official gazette, his gaze profound.

"The Red Lotus Demonic Cult has lain dormant for many years, and this time daring to openly raise a rebellion means they must have made full preparations, by no means a whim of the moment."

"The court underestimated the enemy and rushed forward blindly, thinking they could easily crush them with an elite army. Suffering such a big loss is only logical."

The commoners on the street were discussing animatedly, their words filled with worry and fear for the future.

Although Shenghai was very far from the capital, there had simply been too many battles involving the Red Lotus Demonic Cult in recent months; even the commoners far away in the capital were watching.

"It is said that the Red Lotus Demonic Cult has demonic figures assisting them, and they are all impervious to swords and spears, spitting raging flames from their mouths.

When the court's iron cavalry charged over, it was like mud oxen entering the sea, not even kicking up a splash."

A middle-aged man looking like a merchant gestured with a face full of terror.

"This Red Lotus Demonic Cult can even defeat the court's grand army; if they are allowed to continue expanding, how are we supposed to live our lives!"

"Indeed, I heard those demonic cult fiends kill without blinking, leaving not a blade of grass wherever they pass. It is simply a living hell!"

The emotion of panic spread rapidly among the crowd, like a plague, making people feel despair in their hearts.

Listening to these market rumors, Chen Ran knew that much of it was exaggerated, but the rout of the court's grand army was an indisputable fact.

The Red Lotus Demonic Cult had been silent for many years, and this comeback meant its deep foundations obviously far exceeded the court's expectations.

This world was afraid it was about to stir up a bloody storm once again.

"Could it be related to the treasures Jiang Mengli obtained from the previous dynasty's legacy?"

Chen Ran could not help thinking back to a few months ago when Jiang Mengli appeared in the capital and plotted for a long time, just to obtain the secret legacy of the previous dynasty.

It seemed that the assistance from that secret legacy was extremely useful, actually capable of suppressing even the army sent by the court.

Chen Ran pondered in his heart,

although powerful Martial Artists in this world could match a hundred with one, they were not entirely invincible.

As long as the brave men in the army used special positions to gather their Aura and blood Qi to condense a battle formation,

they could also achieve a massive surge in strength, reaching a level comparable to high-tier Martial Artists.

In this vast world, no single school or path was completely useless.

The army had been able to exist for so long and occupy such a massive position because it had a specialized purpose.

Once upon a time, there were also martial Grandmasters who relied on their high martial prowess, thinking they were invincible under heaven, and wanted to forcibly conquer the country.

As a result, before they could even become invincible, they were surrounded and suppressed by a hundred thousand troops of the court, coordinated with a trapping formation set up by the Directorate of Astronomy, and directly crushed into dust.

A Grandmaster was the peak existence of martial arts above ten thousand people, but they were not the absolute limit of the world's martial dao.

"Customer, would you like to buy some food?"

The sound ringing from afar interrupted Chen Ran's thoughts.

Chen Ran looked up and saw a plump shopkeeper shouting in the distance, looking like a seller of sesame cakes.

Observing the shopkeeper's eager gaze, Chen Ran smiled and shook his head, feeling that he had been making too much of a fuss over nothing during this period.

His strength had not yet reached the Grandmaster realm, yet he was already contemplating the path beyond the Grandmaster.

Anyway, even if the sky fell, there were tall people holding it up; it certainly wouldn't be his turn.

Chen Ran dispelled the thoughts in his mind and walked up to the stall.

"Shopkeeper, give me a portion."

"Alrighty, please wait a moment, customer."

...

In the subsequent time,

Chen Ran accompanied Lin Wan strolling around the capital for a while longer, mostly just looking at the scenery of the capital.

Although Great Wei was already crumbling on the surface with continuous warfare,

the commoners residing in the inner city of the capital still lived in peace, jointly propping up the last windbreak cloth of Great Wei.

Until dusk fell and the setting sun made the sky gradually grow dim and yellowish.

Chen Ran escorted Lin Wan all the way to the vermilion-lacquered grand gates of the Lin Residence.

"Thank you for accompanying me on this trip today." Chen Ran stopped his steps and said softly.

Lin Wan turned around, the night breeze brushing past, lifting a few strands of dark hair at her temples and sweeping across her fair cheeks.

She gazed fixedly at Chen Ran, which finally turned into an extremely faint smile, like an epiphyllum blooming momentarily, breathtakingly stunning through the years.

"Between you and me, what is the need for thanks."

Before her voice faded, Lin Wan suddenly stepped forward, narrowing the distance between the two.

She slightly tiptoed, and her warm, soft lips imprinted gently on Chen Ran's cheek like a dragonfly skimming the water.

It touched and parted instantly, yet it carried a trace of heart-palpitating warmth.

Chen Ran was slightly stunned, a flash of astonishment crossing his profound eyes, and his figure stiffened slightly.

A faint blush flew across Lin Wan's cheeks, as brilliant as the sunset glow, yet she did not back down, merely giving Chen Ran a deep look.

"The night is deep, go back early and rest."

Having said that, she turned and stepped onto the steps, her robes fluttering, walking into the gates of the Lin Residence like a Fairy in the moon.

Chen Ran stood in place, feeling the lingering warmth and faint fragrance left on his cheek, the corners of his lips inevitably curving up slightly, sketching a faint arc.

Although the internal structure of Great Wei was rotten beyond compare, in this capital he had come into contact with quite a few friends and also befriended the person he loved, which could be considered leaving behind wonderful memories.

He stood quietly for a moment, until the gates of the Lin Residence slowly closed, blocking his vision, before turning and leaving.

The night grew deeper, a solitary moon hung high in the sky, casting down cold radiance and enveloping the entire capital in a sheet of silver-white.

Chen Ran returned to his own courtyard, pushed open the room door, and sat cross-legged on the bed.

No candle was lit inside the room; only moonlight spilled in through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

Chen Ran's breathing was long and deep, resembling an old turtle exhaling.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, the heavenly book of prison suppression bloomed with brilliant golden light.

[Guarding the Celestial Prison for one day, you have gained one year of cultivation]

[Cumulative cultivation: 389 years]

As the heavenly book of prison suppression turned, strands of supremely pure Origin power poured down like a breached river.

With a thought from Chen Ran, he manipulated these Origin powers to flow toward a certain place.

"heavenly book of prison suppression, add points for me."

(The fourth season of the novel comic-drama has been simultaneously launched, and after looking at it, it's quite interesting. Everyone can go check it out)

(PS: Quietly telling you all, Lin Wan's latest 3D model was a proposal I gave to the comic-drama author. The new model looks better than the old model~)