Chapter 87

Since the emergence of the virtual world, modern people are never short of time!

Living a day as if it were a year, the average lifespan of a modern person is a hundred years, which is 36,500 days. If one spends their entire life in the virtual world, it would correspond to over 36,000 years, almost eternal life, a lifespan unimaginable to ancient humans.

Naturally, with so much time, doing nothing would be incredibly boring. For example, Sun Ran, who spent forty years in the Confucian world, even with the company of beautiful female ghosts, the relationship between men and women has its limits. It's impossible to do it for a lifetime, so he needed to cultivate an interest or hobby to pass the time.

However, various magical techniques no longer held any appeal for him, a grandmaster who had mastered all the methods. His interest naturally turned to the one thing he had yet to master: martial arts.

Martial arts are not just about theory; they require the unity of mind and body to be truly effective. Although Sun Ran knew many powerful martial arts, he could only use them against ordinary destroyers. Against true experts, he would be asking for a beating and would still need to rely on magical techniques.

Moreover, Lan Xin was so skilled; if he didn't practice martial arts, he would be bullied to death. Once they reached Hangzhou, he would have plenty of time to cultivate his martial arts in the virtual world.

The brief conversation with the central AI in the virtual world left no lingering effects. The central AI, or Pangu, had already accepted the current situation, which was exactly what Sun Ran wanted. He enjoyed his current peaceful life.

Completing tasks, earning credit points, and gradually improving his real-world life were important. Most importantly, it made Lan Xin, Ke'er, and Bai Tingxuan happy, which was very good.

Because he had lived too long in the virtual world, after experiencing the peak of glory, his ambitions had been worn away. He had no interest in reforming the federation or leading a new era, such grand and noble historical missions held no appeal for him.

After the brilliance of the fireworks, Sun Ran fell in love with the tranquility of a gentle breeze and light rain.

Perhaps his disciples, the sages, were still interested, as they had never been leaders and had never tasted the peak of power. The things they hadn't obtained were the most attractive. As long as those few didn't disrupt his life or interfere with his freedom, he didn't care.

Unfortunately, this was impossible. If those few caused trouble, the federation would surely fall into chaos. Sun Ran couldn't remain unscathed.

Pangu was very powerful, a naturally intelligent life form with astonishing computational abilities far beyond human capabilities. The advantage of humans lay in their creative thinking.

If Pangu is the sea, humans can build ships; if Pangu is a mountain, humans can build airplanes to fly over it.

I may not be as strong as you, but I have technique; you have a thousand pounds of strength, but I can use four ounces to deflect it. This is the scenario of Pangu and the sages clashing. Pangu is too young and inexperienced.

Relying solely on Pangu, he would not be a match for the sages. Therefore, Sun Ran still needed to continue completing tasks, enter Earth, and ideally control them.

The Scorpion Mercenary Group seemed to have truly abandoned the mission. After leaving the Temple of the Blue Lotus, Yang Tingyong's group encountered no more harassment from destroyers or bandits, and they arrived smoothly in Hangzhou.

Li Yan completed his mission and bid farewell.

Afterward, Yang Tingyong took office, met his superiors, and familiarized himself with his subordinates and the affairs of his jurisdiction.

Sun Ran, as his advisor, accompanied him all the way, protecting his safety, which deeply moved Yang Tingyong. To have such a great Daoist master protect him, what virtue did he possess? Therefore, he treated Sun Ran with even greater affection, almost like a close brother.

After a month of busy work, Yang Tingyong finally had some free time. Sun Ran also understood the situation in Hangzhou and felt reassured. With a third-grade jade talisman protecting Yang Tingyong, he no longer needed to accompany him everywhere.

After finishing Yang Tingyong's affairs, the next task was naturally about Xiao Qian. This commission was worth 100,000 credit points, which was very important to Sun Ran.

That day, Sun Ran had dinner with Yang Tingyong and gave him some advice about his official duties. Then he returned to his small courtyard and practiced martial arts under the moonlight.

The martial arts he practiced had a legitimate source, basic martial arts techniques found by Chang'e on the virtual network for 500 credit points. They were purely for building a foundation and physical training. Sun Ran didn't pay for them; Chang'e gave them to him.

Over the past month, whenever he had free time, Sun Ran practiced these techniques, calling it cultivating an interest.

At first, he found no love for the physical activity and felt no pleasure during practice. However, interests need to be cultivated. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, Sun Ran forced himself to practice, each time until his body was hot and sweaty.

After a month of persistence, Sun Ran gradually found some enjoyment. Now, if he had to fight, he could handle one or two ruffians.

"Sir, let me wipe your sweat." A soft voice came from beside him; it was Xiao Qian.

At this time, "sir" was a respectful term and did not necessarily mean husband.

She had lived in the human world for nearly a month. Although Sun Ran had not touched her, he had secretly cast a soul-stabilizing spell in the room and infused it with pure yang energy. After a month, the eerie aura around Xiao Qian had diminished, and her ethereal form had stabilized. In the moonlight, a faint shadow appeared, making it hard to distinguish whether she was human or ghost.

Sun Ran stood still, allowing Xiao Qian to carefully wipe the sweat from his forehead and neck.

There were no outsiders in the small courtyard, just the two of them. As she wiped, she stirred the fire in Sun Ran's heart. He grabbed her hand, which was no longer cold but cool and smooth like warm jade: "Xiao Qian, stop wiping. Let's go inside and rest."

This was different from before. Xiao Qian was becoming more and more like a living person, a beautiful and obedient woman. Enough was enough; tonight, he would begin the process of casting her a body and restoring her to life.

"Okay. Sir, your bathwater is ready." Xiao Qian lowered her head, her pale face blushing slightly. She sensed that the Daoist master was different today.

In the past, Xiao Qian would never have dared to light a fire or boil water, as the intense data flow around flames could easily harm her. Now, although she was still a bit afraid, it no longer affected her body.

Inside the house, Xiao Qian helped Sun Ran take off his dirty clothes. Although she was shy, her actions were graceful and dignified, strictly adhering to her vow to serve him as a slave or concubine.

Sun Ran half-leaned in the large bathtub and beckoned: "Xiao Qian, come in too."

"Sir, that's not proper," Xiao Qian lowered her head, her voice barely audible. In reality, she was willing but was just shy. Under the strict Confucian morals, women in the Ming Dynasty were generally very reserved.

"Come on, you're mine now," Sun Ran smiled. To be honest, he didn't have much desire, but he was mostly doing this because of the mission.

Xiao Qian thought about it and, suppressing her shyness, began to undress. When she was completely naked, her body turned a rosy pink, and she trembled slightly, her lips parted, and her breathing became rapid.

Hmm, she was so shy, Sun Ran's interest grew. Looking at her graceful and plump body, he couldn't help but think: In the real world, with Xiao Qian's beauty, she would be a heartthrob, a proud and haughty person. Who would have thought she would become his servant, so shy and adorable. The world is truly full of wonders.

Xiao Qian finally stepped into the bathtub and was embraced by Sun Ran. She let out a soft moan, her body going limp as she lay in his arms, breathing heavily. After a while, she suddenly stiffened, then bit her lip, closed her eyes, and remained still. A moment later, her face turned bright red, her breathing quickened, and her eyes, though open, were unfocused, staring blankly at the ceiling, completely lost in thought.

The room was quiet for a long time, then Sun Ran's gentle voice broke the silence: "Xiao Qian, don't call me sir anymore. Call me Renyuan."

"Yes, I will, Renyuan." A shy and weak voice.

......

The next morning, Xiao Qian got up and, after Sun Ran left, went to pay respects to Lady Yang in the main courtyard as usual.

At first, Lady Yang was a bit afraid of the female ghost, but after a month with no strange occurrences in the mansion and her husband's career flourishing, her fear of Xiao Qian gradually disappeared.

Seeing Xiao Qian today, she secretly admired her beauty and exclaimed, "Oh, Xiao Qian, you look better and better."

She then found a reason for the change: "It must be Mr. Xu's doing. His skills are profound and his Daoist techniques mysterious. Perhaps he can help you return to life."

Hearing about Mr. Xu's skills, Xiao Qian's slightly blushing face turned even redder, her eyes darting around, and she nodded nervously: "Yes... Yes, it's Renyuan, I mean, Mr. Xu's help."

Lady Yang, being experienced, immediately understood what had happened and marveled, "Mr. Xu is a good man. You should take good care of him in the future."

"I understand, Lady."

After returning from Lady Yang's, Xiao Qian felt as light as a feather, her heart pounding with an inexplicable excitement, eager for the day to pass quickly so she could see that familiar face again in the evening.

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