Chapter 49: Forty-nine spiritual entities, Nostalgic and sentimental.

The relationship between Ning Li and Ran Fu was always hard to define.

During the days of making bamboo cakes, they were teammates moving forward together, fighting side by side against the Abnormal Species on the coast of the 77th District, only to later draw their weapons against each other, ruthless in their pursuit of the Divine Gift.

It was him.

During the days of making Ran Wu, she was Ran Fu’s younger sister.

She had called out his name countless times, even though the Ran Fu of that time wasn’t…

Now, they were in the relationship of Summoner and Summoned.

A subtle, novel feeling stirred in Ning Li’s heart.

This was the real, living Ran Fu.

During their journey together, she saw a violent and brash Ran Fu, always exasperated by Ran Wu’s constant need for comfort.

Yet, stripped of his hostility, he was unexpectedly proud, exuding the wild spirit of a youth, his bold eyebrows and eyes almost flying free.

Looking past her bias, viewing him as a stranger, his brilliance became all too obvious: his combat style was bold and unrestrained, wild and untamable, always pressing forward.

Historically, he was born in the No. 53 District, and finally died in the No. 53 District.

Ran Fu truly lived up to the title of the No. 53 District’s strongest.

“Come on, you grandkids! Use all your skills on Grandpa!”

Mm.

His mouth was just a bit foul.

The stronger Ning Li became, the stronger the spirits she summoned.

They became closer to their state in life, able to talk and communicate.

The undead Ran Fu was not much different from the living Ran Fu.

The biggest difference was simply their state of existence.

The Guardian Soldiers stationed at [Asura Prison] looked at each other in confusion.

“Why does he look so much like Ran Fu?”

“His spirit form is actually the Lord of Storms!”

“Heavens, who on earth is he?”

“The enemy is too strong!!!”

“Quick! Report to the officer!”

But the raging wind gave them no chance to report.

The surrounding areas were swallowed by a terrifying storm, the sky dark as midnight, the light shut out by the wind.

Wherever there was air, there was the domain of the Lord of Storms.

His elegant white robe whipped fiercely in the air.

This was Ran Fu’s spirit form—

The Lord of Storms.

Its gaze swept past Ning Li and Yin Que, arms spread wide as if embracing—an instant of reunion between old friends.

In a flash, thunder and tempest descended upon the Guardian Soldiers.

The Lord of Storms unleashed a devastating strike, giving them no chance to even struggle.

Ran Fu, wild and arrogant, never gave his enemies the chance to linger on the brink of death.

The hurricane sealed off all sight.

Apart from the dead Guardian Soldiers and Ning Li’s group, no one knew what happened here.

A group of four, plus one undead, boldly plunged the place into chaos, then calmly and safely made their escape.

Pei Yujiao’s body, once held by Ran Fu, was now in Ting Rui’s hands.

He looked dazed, unable to recover from what had just happened.

How did Ran Fu appear so suddenly?

He had just taken Yujiao from Asura Prison so easily?

Those four short minutes just now would be enough for Ting Rui to savor for the rest of his life.

In those minutes, he hardly needed to do anything; all the firepower was drawn by Ran Fu.

A formidable, flamboyant fellow indeed.

It was as if, wherever he appeared, he had to be the center of attention.

After leaving Asura Prison, they found a quiet, deserted place to rest.

Ran Fu looked up and sighed lightly, “What a shame, time’s almost up.”

Ting Rui was lost, “What’s almost up?”

The proud Sentinel crossed his arms, glanced at Ning Li and Yin Que, then finally fixed his gaze on Ning Li.

It was the look of a powerful Sentinel staring at another outstanding and powerful Guide.

“If only……”

If only, in his time, he and his sister had met Ning Li, would everything have been different?

“What a pity……”

…

What a pity, there were three hundred years between them.

He let out a mocking laugh, finally letting go of his stubbornness, lips curling as he bid Ning Li a light farewell, “Goodbye, my Summoner. Let’s hope we meet again.”

The next moment, Ran Fu vanished completely, as if he had never been there.

Ning Li felt a moment of clarity.

Perhaps those two dreams—Ran Fu and Ran Wu, the sibling pair—had known about them too.

So, throughout those endless nights in the dream, there were other onlookers besides herself and Yin Que.

Was this the power of the Divine Gift?

Ting Rui didn’t ask anything more.

He had always been a smart person.

Everyone else thought he simply had great luck to survive crisis after crisis, but his cleverness played no small part.

He knew what should be asked, and what should be forgotten right away.

Ning Li stood by and watched as Yin Que dressed Pei Yujiao, his expression composed.

She knew he was trying, but his hands were not as steady as before.

These hands had once firmly held hers, leading her through district after district, repelling pursuers again and again in close combat.

But now, they trembled.

“Can you be sure it’s him?”

Pei Yujiao had been tortured beyond recognition.

If he hadn’t been a high-ranking Sentinel, perhaps he wouldn’t even be able to maintain his current appearance.

It seemed the unknown secret, along with the stolen Divine Gift, had truly driven Qi Sigui to madness.

“Yes.”

Yin Que’s face revealed nothing, his eyes calm, but only in subtle details did his real emotions show.

He was far less calm than he appeared.

“I can confirm it’s him.”

Ting Rui exhaled, “It’s a pity we didn’t find Yujiao’s Spirit Pearl. But even so, this is already good enough.”

Ning Li squatted to rest by the side, “Where do we go next?”

“Yujiao’s hometown is in the 200th District. I plan to take him home.”

“Alright.”

Yin Que didn’t ask if Ning Li would go along; there was no need—both already knew the answer.

In both dreams, they traveled together, never apart.

Neither dream had a happy ending, which only made each moment together more precious.

Of course they’d go together.

Why separate?

The times they spent together were like pearls inside a shell, each one worth treasuring.

If the 1st District was closest to the divine, the 200th District was the most fervent among the believers.

The natives there had a distinctive faith, awaiting the day the gods would shine their light.

It’s said a Divine Gift once appeared in the 200th District.

On the day it emerged, divine light blessed the entire district.

But which Divine Gift it was, who ended up with it, and what became of it—all remained unknown.

Perhaps because Ran Fu’s appearance was so bizarre, or maybe for some other reason, their pursuers had backed off for now.

With no one chasing, their journey back to the 200th District was peaceful.

Ning Li attended the border Guide Academy in the No. 191 District, and [Asura Prison] was nearby, so their way to the 200th District wasn’t far.

Still, they bought an old car for convenience.

The car was forty years old, its body faded and peeling, long since obsolete but still able to run.

Yujiao and Ting Rui sat in the back, Yin Que drove, and Ning Li sat in the passenger seat.

They avoided war-torn areas, and the trip was mostly smooth.

Soothing music played in the car.

They were old songs from long ago—Ning Li hadn’t heard any of them before.

Yin Que introduced, “I used to hear these songs when I was little.”

His tone wasn’t nostalgic, simply stating a fact.

But Ning Li suddenly realized, Yin Que might be the sentimental type—someone who cherishes memories.

She never liked old songs, nor thought much about the past.

She had no longing for bygone days.

She preferred to look ahead, believing her future self would always live better than before.

Ning Li listened patiently for a while, but still didn’t like it.

These old songs simply didn’t suit the times.

What young person still listened to decades-old tunes?

Yin Que noticed, chuckled, and switched to a song with a stronger beat.

Still old, but not as ancient as the last.

He watched Ning Li’s face for her reaction and, unsurprisingly, found a trace of delight.

Her tastes weren’t hard to guess.

She preferred lively, bold, passionate things to gentle rhythms.

Ning Li had always thought she and her spirit form were entirely different.

She liked to keep a low profile, while Xiao Hei loved trouble and showing off.

But after two dreams, she thought differently.

She remembered something from a science book.

If she and Xiao Hei had nothing in common, she could never have that spirit form.

The most unique thing about a spirit form is that it must share some trait with its master.

This is the deepest bond between spirit form and master.

On their way to the 200th District, they kept avoiding a certain topic—a certain person.

They pretended everything was fine, chatting about easy and cheerful things.

Ning Li suddenly said, “Brother, you’re very sad, aren’t you?”

If Yin Que could savor the songs of his childhood, how could he not mourn a comrade who’d fought beside him for so long?

But he hid his sorrow deep, careful not to let it affect her.

But that’s not a good thing.

Words buried too long in the heart become too heavy, too difficult to bear.

“A little,” Yin Que replied lightly, clearly not wanting to affect anyone else.

After all, Pei Yujiao was a stranger to Ning Li; there was no need for her to be dragged into the past.

Be it Pei Yujiao or Ting Rui, both carried old troubles.

Obviously, he planned to process his emotions alone.

Maybe he needed a bit more time.

But why?

He was already struggling so much, and still he had to consider her feelings at every turn.

Ning Li would rather see him cry in her arms than put on this act.

But all she could do was imagine it; even if she truly wanted to make it real.

If he really did cry, how would she react?

She’d seen his sorrow briefly before, during their first team-up, all because of a group of ordinary people without awakened spirit forms.

He always thought of so much—yet rarely thought of himself.

“Will he show up again?”

As expected, Yin Que changed the subject.

Ning Li replied indifferently, “Who knows. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t.”

She truly didn’t care much about Ran Fu.

Yin Que suddenly realized this.

For some reason, that made him just a little happy.

***

[Asura Prison].

After the gale swept through, the ground was a wreck, devastation everywhere.

The place where Pei Yujiao had been hung was empty.

Clearly, someone had successfully taken him away.

At the temporary command post, the Guardian Soldier leader was reporting to Qi Sigui, “There were several intruders, two with unidentifiable identities and no trace left behind. Of the other two, one was Ting Rui, and the other…”

At this, the leader paused, at a loss for words.

“Who was it?”

After a long hesitation, he stammered out an answer,

“Ran…”

“Hah?”

Qi Sigui gave a baffled, mocking laugh, “Do you know what you’re saying? Ran Fu? Do you know he’s been dead nearly three hundred years?”

The leader certainly knew.

But the lingering spirit energy of the Lord of Storms was unmistakable, the intruder’s identity clear as day.

The last Sentinel to have the Lord of Storms as a spirit form was Ran Fu.

Only Ran Fu.

A new wielder hadn’t appeared yet.

“No matter if it’s the residual spiritual energy or the distinctive fighting style, everything points to one of the enemies being Ran Fu,” the leader said, bracing himself.

Every Sentinel’s curriculum included watching historic battles of powerful Sentinels.

Ran Fu was a legend.

Every new student in the Sentinel Academy had to watch his combat videos.

Anyone who graduated from the Sentinel Academy couldn’t be unfamiliar with his style.

It was a learning experience and a tribute to their predecessors.

Qi Sigui fell into thought.

He knew this world was even more extraordinary than it seemed.

So mysterious, so wondrous, so irresistible to his curiosity.

The secrets of this world were countless, yet most remained hidden.

He’d once briefly possessed a Divine Gift.

Did Ran Fu’s appearance have something to do with the Divine Gift?

Too bad that silver pearl had been snatched by Ting Rui.

The Divine Gift was more powerful than he’d imagined.

He had to get it back!