"My mother is also dead..."
"It's all because of you! Because you killed my father!"
Li Hu stomped his foot, his sword in hand, and rushed straight at Bai Ran, his eyes filled with immense hatred.
Bai Ran sidestepped to avoid him, her expression grave. "How did you find me?"
But Li Hu, as if possessed, continued to swing his sword, slashing at Bai Ran.
"Little brat, he's already out of his mind!"
Bai Ran frowned, gripping her Feng Yin sword and cutting off his arm.
Yet, Li Hu, with his arm severed, seemed to feel no pain and lunged at Bai Ran.
He opened his mouth wide, as if wanting to tear a piece of flesh from her.
No matter how Bai Ran questioned him, Li Hu only attacked her relentlessly, acting like a madman.
Helpless, Bai Ran had no choice but to decapitate him.
Wiping the blood from her sword, Bai Ran's face grew heavy. "How did it come to this?"
Had he been tracking her all along, or was he being manipulated...
In the distance, a figure quickly departed, a deep laugh echoing in the air.
...
After Li Hu, Bai Ran's journey back was smooth, and she safely arrived at Black Crow City.
"Little Pig!" Jiang Ye pounced forward, intending to give Zhu Que a big hug.
Zhu Que frowned, trying to dodge, but was bumped by Xiao Zi beside her, causing her to stumble and fall into Jiang Ye's arms.
The happiness came so suddenly; Jiang Ye hadn't expected to actually hug Zhu Que.
"Vixen! What are you doing!" Zhu Que steadied herself, gritting her teeth in anger.
Xiao Zi's tail wagged behind him, emitting a faint purple glow. "My foot slipped accidentally."
Bai Ran placed a hand on her forehead and looked at Jing Feng. "During my absence, did anything happen?"
Jing Feng pondered for a moment and shook his head. "Nothing happened."
Black Crow City was also developing rapidly, with many shops now open on the streets.
"By the way, Miss Bai, do you know what day tomorrow is?" Jing Feng winked at her, his tone somewhat mysterious.
Bai Ran looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face. "What day is tomorrow?"
"Qiqiao Festival!"
"The day the Cowherd and Weaver Girl meet, a once-a-year festival of love! How could you forget, Miss Bai?"
Bai Ran's lips twitched. "I don't celebrate Qiqiao Festival, what does it have to do with me?"
Jing Feng covered his mouth and chuckled. "You don't, but Your Exalted One does."
Long Jin Han? Bai Ran was a little surprised. "He'll be here tomorrow?"
Jing Feng grinned mischievously. "Yes."
There's a saying that goes well: if I knew I'd see you tomorrow, I'd be filled with excitement and anticipation all night.
That night, Bai Ran couldn't help but recall Long Jin Han's figure, his well-defined hands, his sharp features.
And the feeling of safety and immersion when she leaned into his embrace.
"Little brat, you're always distracted. Are you thinking about a man?" Xiao Zi tilted her head, looking at Bai Ran with amusement.
Bai Ran glared at Xiao Zi beside her, then swallowed a calming pill.
"If I keep thinking about him, I won't be able to cultivate properly tonight."
Her strength had been stagnant for quite some time, and she hadn't consolidated it with real combat recently.
It seemed she needed to find a place to spar properly, Bai Ran's fists slowly clenched.
"I heard that in Liangye City, at the westernmost end, there used to be a famous martial arts arena, not only could one earn money but also train."
"Little brat, you can try it there."
Bai Ran nodded and immersed herself in cultivation, her strength advancing as expected to the first stage of Tribulation Crossing.
The next day, the weather was bright, and the soft sunlight warmed through the gauze window, projecting into the room.
A pleasant, faint fragrance wafted to her nose as Bai Ran slowly opened her sleepy eyes.
Her vision cleared, and a handsome face appeared enlarged before her. Her eyes widened instantly.
"Long! Long Jin Han! How did you..."
Before Bai Ran could finish her words, Long Jin Han reached out with his large hand, cupped her head, and kissed her.
He reluctantly pulled away only when Bai Ran's body gradually softened.
"Stay with me today, will you?"
Bai Ran lay on the bed, her eyes misty, her delicate lips bitten red.
She raised an arm to cover her mouth, a hint of shyness and anger in her eyes.
"Then you didn't have to come so early."
"Aren't you afraid I haven't washed and will stink you unconscious..."
Long Jin Han chuckled deeply, then lay down beside Bai Ran. "I didn't come early."
Xiao Zi, from within the space, rolled her eyes. "Indeed. Sneaking into a lady's boudoir in the middle of the night like a pervert, watching her sleep."
"If he weren't the Demon Lord, I'd definitely smash his head open."
Bai Ran pursed her lips and turned to look at Long Jin Han, who was lying beside her. His eyes were closed.
His long eyelashes, high nose bridge, and thin, sensual lips possessed a fatal attraction.
Bai Ran's gaze drifted over his face, once again marveling at this man's bewitching appearance.
"If you like it, you can touch it."
At some point, Long Jin Han's dark eyes had opened, and he was staring directly at Bai Ran, as if filled with infinite amusement.
The two faces were extremely close, so close they could feel each other's breath.
Bai Ran guiltily averted her gaze, her heartbeat deafening.
A hint of joy appeared in Long Jin Han's dark eyes. He took Bai Ran's small hand and pressed it to his cheek.
A light breath was exhaled into Bai Ran's palm, ticklish and exhilarating. Her hand trembled, and the tips of her ears turned red.
"Miss Bai, the water is here." The door was knocked, and Jing Feng's voice came through.
"Coming." Bai Ran sat up, intending to get out of bed to open the door, but her wrist was yanked forcefully by Long Jin Han.
"Thud—"
"Miss Bai? Miss Bai, are you alright!" Could it be that Miss Bai fell?
Jing Feng anxiously pushed the door open, and the next moment, he was utterly stunned by the scene before him.
The exalted figure he imagined to be tall and mighty was now lying flat on the messy bed.
And Miss Bai was propped up on her arms, pressing down on him, her face a dark shade of anger.
The Exalted One was on the bottom? This realization shattered Jing Feng's worldview...
"Put it on the table and get out."
Long Jin Han's tone was indifferent, but Jing Feng felt an inexplicable, joyful undertone in his voice.
"Yes!" Jing Feng came to his senses, frantically placed the basin of water on the table, and then retreated.
After closing the door, Jing Feng's heart was in turmoil.
Miss Bai was on top of the Exalted One, and the Exalted One was the passive one...
Was Miss Bai that fierce?
Word spread from one to another. First Jing Feng, then Jiang Ye, Dong Ling, Zhong Zi, and several others learned of it.
Miss Bai was incredibly fierce, completely suppressing the dignified Demon Lord of the Demon Realm.
"You did that on purpose?" she asked, smiling, looking at Long Jin Han below her.
Long Jin Han's expression was one of utter innocence. "Hmm? What are you referring to?"