"Fairy Ranran has truly arrived!"
On the altar, Yan Shanyi stood in solemn black robes, hair tied neatly, his expression all warmth as he walked toward Yao Ranran and her companions.
Yan Shanyi had already been the focus of the crowd, and now every eye followed him as he moved.
Yao Ranran glanced at the smiling, overly friendly Yan family members and suddenly felt that the unpredictable faces of the loose cultivators were somehow easier to deal with.
She nodded lightly. "Fortress Master Yan, I have come."
"Since Fairy Ranran is here, the grand sacrificial rite can now begin…" Yan Shanyi's gaze burned with heat, as though he were staring at some priceless treasure.
A tangle of doubt rose in Yao Ranran's heart. She asked, puzzled, "Fortress Master Yan, is there something you need from us?"
Perhaps there was some task only an outsider could accomplish—that would explain why Yan Shanyi had been so eager to have her attend this rite since her arrival.
Fortress Master Yan was known to be generous. And Yao Ranran had always been ready to lend a hand. If there was some matter where Yan Shanyi truly needed her help, she would never hesitate.
Yan Shanyi's eyes lit up. "I haven't even spoken, and Fairy Ranran has already guessed! I truly did not misjudge you!"
You've said that line how many times already?
Yu Zhenyan, relegated to background scenery, sneered inwardly.
Mu Jialing, on the other hand, frowned. Hearing that all-too-familiar phrase made him study Yan Shanyi more carefully.
"What exactly does Fortress Master Yan wish me to help with?" Yao Ranran asked.
Her voice had barely fallen when Yan Shanyi suddenly lunged for her hand.
The defensive barrier woven into her Water Lily Silken Skirt flared on its own. Yan Shanyi's grip slid against its slippery surface, catching nothing. In just a few breaths, he had already stripped away several layers of the protective wards.
Yu Zhenyan flinched at his sudden attack. Seeing the faint flashes of spiritual light again and again, her eyelids twitched several times before she finally went numb.
"Damn it, how many layers of shields does she have???"
Yan Shanyi and Yu Zhenyan shared the same exasperated thought.
Mu Jialing's raised hands paused in the air before he pressed them together awkwardly.
"Amitabha…"
Seems his intervention wasn't needed here after all.
Yao Ranran blinked calmly. "Fortress Master Yan, do you mean to have me walk up the altar with you?"
Yan Shanyi's trembling hands withdrew from her slippery defenses.
Droplets of blood spattered onto the blue brick floor, staining them red. His palms were riddled with pinprick wounds that looked alarming.
"Fairy Ranran… what is this?" His voice quavered with fear, his smile twisting into bitterness.
Yao Ranran apologized gently. "That's a counter-spike array built into the garment. I forgot to warn you about it…"
Yu Zhenyan's eye twitched.
Good thing he hadn't tried making a move against Yao Ranran when they first entered Yan Fortress! This woman was too scheming. Who even thought to add rebound damage on top of layers of shields?
And how did she have the spiritual reserves to maintain it all?
Yu Zhenyan quietly widened the distance between them.
Just then, Pei Xianqiao, who had followed from behind, froze briefly before stepping forward. She placed herself in front of Yan Shanyi.
"Fortress Master Yan, I am willing to help you!"
She wrapped his bleeding hands in a strip of cloth, staunching the blood.
Yan Shanyi stared in surprise at the young woman before him. From her, he felt a gentle warmth.
"Honored Guest Pei, you are truly a good child."
Yao Ranran frowned slightly at his words but held her tongue.
If Pei Xianqiao tended his wounds, perhaps Fortress Master Yan would stop demanding restitution from her.
For now, she tried to make herself as unnoticeable as possible.
But Yan Shanyi merely offered that one line of praise to Pei Xianqiao before turning his burning gaze back to Yao Ranran. "Fairy Ranran, will you walk the altar with me?"
"Ah?" Yao Ranran answered blankly, caught off guard.
"Why her?" Pei Xianqiao's lively eyes carried a hint of challenge.
Yao Ranran, more worried about the heroine's reaction than Yan Shanyi's request, panicked inwardly.
This was exactly like a scene from the later part of the novel, when the original Yao Ranran and Pei Xianqiao tore off their masks of courtesy, battling openly and in secret. This was the look Pei Xianqiao would wear right before dragging her onto the life-and-death arena!
Yao Ranran quickly waved her hands. "Fortress Master Yan, let Pei Daoyou go instead! I'm not suited. Only Pei Daoyou is the chosen one, the destined heroine. I'm just a little piece of trash stuck at the first layer of Qi Refinement!"
For survival, self-deprecation was nothing!
A true hero knew when to bend and when to stand tall.
Yao Ranran felt proud of her own clever retreat.
Mu Jialing, baffled, watched as she insulted herself yet simultaneously lifted her chin with quiet pride, lips curving in smug satisfaction.
Had Fairy Ranran gone mad at the Eastern Wilderness?
If Demon Sovereign Li Luoqi could hear his thoughts right now, he would probably set aside the battle between righteous and demonic paths to wholeheartedly agree.
Yao Ranran had truly lost her mind.
"No," Yan Shanyi said firmly. "This matter requires Fairy Ranran's help and no one else's!"
Pei Xianqiao protested. "Why? Fortress Master Yan, can you give me a reason?"
Yu Zhenyan also looked on curiously. Why did Yan Shanyi favor her so much?
"A reason?" Yan Shanyi chuckled.
"Yes," Pei Xianqiao pressed, her brows knitting. "I want to know what reason made you choose her."
Yan Shanyi only laughed, shaking his head. He spread his arms wide and turned to the crowd. "Honored Guest Pei, look into their eyes. Do you really think a reason is needed?"
Pei Xianqiao swept her gaze across the people.
Whether it was the Yan family members or the visiting loose cultivators, every look cast toward Yao Ranran brimmed with trust and fondness. Almost no one revealed dislike.
But when their eyes landed on her, there was doubt, impatience, and even disgust.
Pei Xianqiao knew it all stemmed from the misunderstanding created by that furnace explosion. She had no words with which to refute.
The decision was already made. She understood why Yan Shanyi had chosen her. This time, she had lost—but there would not be a next time.
She swore it in her heart.
Yao Ranran, however, felt a rush as she met the gazes of the crowd.
When had she gained so many supporters?
Even with the heroine standing right here, they had chosen to believe in her. How had that happened?
Maybe this world really could be changed.
For the first time, she felt her own strength. And facing Yan Shanyi's request, Yao Ranran did not hesitate. She nodded in agreement.
With so many behind her, she had no reason to back down.
Even a tiny butterfly could change the world.
With her head held high, Yao Ranran walked with Yan Shanyi onto the altar.
Pei Xianqiao did not argue further. The crowd collectively sighed with relief.
"Fairy Ranran has finally stepped up! If someone as weak as her, with such low cultivation, can survive on that altar, then surely we have nothing to fear."
The loose cultivators below eyed one another, each measuring her strength in their hearts.
So many had died along the way. Only by following the path Fairy Ranran had walked could one truly survive.
She was, without a doubt, the weakest among them—yet also the luckiest.