Don't Judge by Appearances
1332 Words
Throughout his previous life and this current one, Chu Ran had never truly lived with ease or contentment.
His past life was too distant, the memories too blurred to dwell on.
As for this life… he was born weak. Confined to a sickbed, wracked by constant pain.
Have you ever been truly ill?
That kind of weakness where you can't even move a finger, where every breath is agony, every gasp a struggle.
Day and night, unable to eat, unable to rest.
So miserable you feel you might die at any moment. Perhaps death would be a mercy.
After all, the world after death must be peaceful.
Since life brought no joy, better to close one's eyes and depart.
Yet—
He couldn't even beg for a clean release. He couldn't die.
Cultivators seek the Dao, pursue immortality and eternal life.
He hadn't attained the Dao, hadn't become an immortal, yet he had achieved a form of longevity in another sense.
Unable to die… that counts as longevity, doesn't it?
Unable to live, unable to die—that was Chu Ran.
Day after day, tormented by illness, he lay powerless on his bed, watching the peach blossoms outside his window bloom and wither, wither and bloom.
Nights passed, years turned over.
His temperament grew more reclusive, more aloof, less inclined to speak.
In the end—
Amid the long, endless wait of despair, he became a gloomy, pale youth of unpredictable moods, vicious and morbid.
↑ In simple terms, the young Chu Ran had become warped.
He might have been a good person once, but now he was a yandere, a ticking time bomb perpetually ready to take his grievances out on the world.
*There's a ferocious beast within my heart, one even I fear. It roars at me day and night, destroying my spirit, my conscience, the last fragments of light within me.*
Once, bored and bedridden, Chu Ran had taken a brush and on a sheet of xuan paper outlined one hundred detailed plans to destroy the Chu Family, kill everyone, and drag this world down with him into eternal damnation.
The plans were logical, well-structured, with a high probability of success.
Later, he chanced upon the legacy of an ancient cultivator, and his constitution improved enough for him to leave his sickbed…
Only then did he temporarily shelve those world-destruction blueprints.
After entering the Shangqing Sect and becoming Qi Xiu'ning's disciple, surrounded by the sect's supposedly respectful, united, friendly, and harmonious atmosphere, he was slightly—just slightly—moved. He began to think humanity might not be entirely beyond saving, that there might still be hope.
So, he decided to observe humanity a little longer before deciding whether to proceed with destroying this**** world.
Then, by a twist of fate, he barged into the territory of the Deep Sea Dragon Clan.
He stole a drop of their True Dragon's Blood and their painstakingly cultivated Dragon Blood Flower, consuming them himself. The dragon blood boiled within him, merging with his body, cleansing his marrow and bones, renewing his blood.
He was reborn in blood and flame; his body transformed.
Now, though his body appeared pale, frail, and perpetually ill, its physical capabilities surpassed any ordinary human form, containing immense latent power.
It was a physique no less formidable than a dragon's!
It's just… it constantly labored under a powerful DEBUFF, with his health, mana, and stamina bars permanently halved…
↑ All of the above can be summarized in a few sentences.
Chu Ran is a yandere.
Chu Ran is a yandere constantly prepared to vent his grievances on the world and destroy it.
Chu Ran is a yandere who looks utterly useless.
Chu Ran is a yandere who looks utterly useless but actually has a cataclysmic power sealed within him, genuinely capable of destroying the world.
The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" is exemplified perfectly in Chu Ran.
The burly man's punch wasn't just easily blocked by Chu Ran; even if it had landed, it would have been no more than a mosquito bite—utterly insignificant.
No—
It wouldn't even compare to a mosquito bite.
As mentioned, Chu Ran is a yandere of volatile moods.
He detests people who cause him displeasure. Those who do are basically dead; those who aren't, are not far from it.
His enemies are merely living on borrowed time, their days numbered.
Once he returns—
He won't spare a single one!
As for…
When he can return, that depends on when Heaven deigns to be merciful.
So, how utterly misguided must this burly man be to provoke a petty, vindictive yandere like Chu Ran!
Let us light a candle for him.
*************************************************************************************************
Chu Ran's icy, sneering expression and his scornful, mocking words further enraged the burly man.
"You're asking for death!" he roared, trying to yank his fist back.
However—
Chu Ran's open palm suddenly clenched shut.
It captured the burly man's fist.
It was a pale, frail-looking hand with long, elegant fingers.
It looked like a perfect work of art—exquisite and fragile.
Yet it was this very same beautiful, seemingly harmless hand that had effortlessly stopped the burly man's furious punch.
If Chu Ran blocking the punch had merely shocked the onlookers, making them gasp in disbelief, what followed was truly horrifying.
They saw—
Chu Ran gripping the burly man's fist with one hand. The burly man struggled fiercely, trying to pull free.
It was utterly futile. No matter how hard he strained, his face flushing red…
He planted his feet wide, sinking his stance low.
Putting all his strength into his legs, focusing his qi in his dantian, he let out a forceful shout, "Ha!"
The white stone floor beneath his feet cracked, fissures snaking forward.
Yet—
The fist held in Chu Ran's grasp didn't budge an inch. The burly man's face was now beet red, sweat pouring from his forehead like rain.
In contrast, Chu Ran's handsome, delicate face remained composed, his gaze clear and cold.
A wind rose, lifting his long sleeves, making his robes flutter.
The dark quju robe, the wooden clogs.
An aura of noble elegance, radiant and dazzling.
What an outstanding young scion of a noble house!
The onlookers were filled with admiration, yet inwardly clicked their tongues. *What kind of monster is this? Let loose without warning.*
*He looks so fragile, yet his strength surpasses even that of a fortress-like body cultivator.*
*Just who the hell is the real body cultivator here?!*
*A spellcaster with greater brute strength than a body cultivator—is this even fair?*
*Referee, he's cheating!*
"You…" the burly man stammered, his face crimson, sweat streaming down. His eyes were wide as bronze bells, glaring furiously at Chu Ran. "If you have any guts, let me go!"
"Let's have a fair fight!"
Hearing this, Chu Ran smiled.
He looked at him mockingly. "Let you go? A fair fight?"
"Fair to whom?"
"Heh…"
The surrounding crowd couldn't help but chuckle at this too.
This burly man was shameless.
Earlier, seeing the youth looked slender and weak, he had immediately resorted to violence, relying on his brawn to bully.
Now that he couldn't win, he wanted to trick the youth into releasing him.
*Despicable!*
They thought scornfully. *Never seen someone so shameless. The nerve!*
The tall, thin man nearby watched, the muscles in his pale, gaunt cheeks twitching slightly. He understood now—this youth was concealing his true power.
*Wang Mang is no match for him,* the tall man thought, his eyes darkening.
His mind raced through several calculations. Wang Mang had been instrumental in his escape from the western shaman lands all the way to Central Continent. Though stupid, he was obedient.
Wang Mang was still useful. He couldn't be allowed to fall here. Having reached a decision, the tall man lifted his gaze, his deep, dark eyes fixed on Chu Ran, and took a step forward.
- Writer
