Chapter Twenty-Eight: Good Little Bunny-Deities Descend to the Mortal World(Ling Wusheng)

Hot springs, revolving restaurants, inns, and balladeers—these four things were what made the Brann Manor famous, and minor nobles like Andoru particularly enjoyed this seamless suite of pleasures: soaking for half an hour in the hot springs, then heading to dinner; after the meal, proceeding to the grand theater inside to listen to balladeers recount the sweeping sagas of the Ramhorn Continent—the rise and fall of dynasties, peerless emperors, flourishing eras of culture, glorious feats of arms, the emergence of the underdeep, the descent of the Divine Race, the grueling wars of the Nine Kings… These grand histories, delivered by the balladeers’ silver tongues, never failed to set one’s heart racing.

If not for Andoru’s connections, Ye Ran suspected he would never set foot in such a place in his lifetime; the crystalline opulence within left both him and Freya glancing around in awe.

After escorting Freya back to her room, Ye Ran changed into a pair of swimming trunks and went with Andoru to soak in the hot springs. The baths here were not mixed-gender, yet the rabbitfolk maidens would glide in and out with trays of various drinks, attending to the city’s notables.

Their towels were handed to them by a particularly striking rabbitfolk girl—graceful and curvaceous, her long rabbit ears perked atop her head, dressed in a thin, white, short skirt. Andoru’s beady eyes stole frequent glances her way.

Unlike the other rabbitfolk attendants, this one’s face was devoid of any smile—if anything, it bore a tinge of chill. A distinctive red mark on her forehead drew the eye, and even Ye Ran found himself stealing a few more glances at her.

“To be honest,” Andoru confided, reclining in the fragrant rose-petal bath, “our Rapidflow City might look prosperous on the surface, but underneath, it’s rotten to the core. It’s almost impossible now to start from scratch and ascend to the nobility.”

“Take the blacksmiths, farms, ranches, hotels—more than half these industries are in the hands of the Chosen. And the most promising youths all yearn for the great temples, looking down their noses at the local academies and guilds.”

Ye Ran seemed unconcerned. “People seek to rise, as water seeks to flow downhill. It’s human nature to yearn for better things—there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Andoru glanced at him, as if wanting to say something, but swallowed his words.

“Still, at this rate, there’s trouble ahead. Our Wolf Guild can’t recruit anyone decent; those we do get are mostly useless…”

“Talent is cultivated, not merely recruited. Of those who come for money, how many are truly reliable? Look at the temples and academies—they all train their own elites. They know their people’s backgrounds, loyalty is assured, and there’s a sense of belonging. It’s like a swordsman wielding his own blade—natural and sure,” Ye Ran replied.

Andoru burst out laughing. “Well said! Old Ye, with your insight, living in Bricklayer’s Alley is a waste.”

Ye Ran shook his head. “It’s not as bad as you make it sound. A dragon stranded in the shallows will one day return to the sea; a tiger cast down to the flatlands can still roar through the mountains again.”

“That’s the spirit! Come on, let’s eat—Freya’s probably starving by now.”

As Ye Ran rose from the bath, the rabbitfolk attendant dipped her head and sniffed at him, her cold and sullen face unexpectedly melting into a look of intoxication. When she raised her head, her eyes met Ye Ran’s for a fleeting moment before she quickly looked away.

Could I have run into a female wolf in disguise? Ye Ran frowned, hastily adjusting his clothes.

The two of them dried off and headed to the restaurant. Freya, waiting in the room, was already famished, her stomach grumbling. When she saw Ye Ran, her face fell in mock displeasure. She scribbled furiously on her sketchpad: “A-Ran, did you forget about me after seeing the pretty rabbitfolk girls?”

“Not at all,” Ye Ran replied. “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have remembered the rabbitfolk attendants at all. It was Fatty who couldn’t take his eyes off them. I didn’t see the appeal. Come on, let’s eat.”

He took Freya’s small hand.

Just as they were about to leave, the light outside the door suddenly vanished.

It was a subtle change, but ever-cautious Ye Ran noticed it at once.

Soft footsteps echoed in the corridor, followed by a suffocatingly oppressive aura that seeped into the room. Ye Ran managed, but Freya’s face turned pale; her small hand clutched his arm tightly.

“Freya…” Ye Ran looked at her in surprise.

Her petite frame was trembling. Even as she looked at him, fear lingered in her eyes, unable to be dispelled—a look not unlike a beast confronted by its natural predator.

Ye Ran was about to comfort her when a strange lullaby drifted through the corridor.

“Little bunny, be good, open the door, open it quickly, Mama wants to come in…”

The woman’s voice was not unpleasant, but the tune was eerie and low, rife with an undercurrent of resentment. At the first note, Ye Ran felt a chill run down his spine, his scalp prickling.

Freya, even more frightened, let crystalline tears slip from her eyes. Her pitiful figure made Ye Ran’s heart ache.

“Don’t be afraid, Freya…”

Pop.

He was about to say more to dispel the unease when the hallway light outside gave a sharp, nerve-wracking crack, followed by another pop as the lamp above his head shattered. The entire room was plunged into darkness.

Ye Ran could feel Freya’s grip tightening on his hand, her tears dripping onto his skin. His heart leapt with alarm as the footsteps drew inexorably closer to the door.

In the corridor, the rabbitfolk maiden in the white skirt emerged step by step from the darkness, a cruel smile on her sorrowful face. The corridor was deathly silent—her faint footsteps seemed to fall directly on Ye Ran’s and Freya’s hearts.

Blood dripped from her hands. In her left hand, she carried a short blade and a rabbit’s head; in her right, a headless rabbit’s body.

Room 301—Ye Ran’s room.

At the threshold, she stopped. Instantly, all sound vanished, leaving only that freezing aura seeping through the walls and sinking into the marrow, the thick scent of blood almost impossible to bear.

In the dim light, Ye Ran saw a pair of delicate feet beneath the door’s gap. His whole body tensed. He glanced back at Freya, signaling her to hide under the covers.

Though terrified, Freya understood that clinging to him now would only be a hindrance. She let go and curled herself up beneath the blankets.

Ye Ran exhaled, letting a short blade and a broken sword slip into his palm from his sleeve. He moved silently toward the door, holding his breath as he approached.

Just as he was a bow’s length away—

“Little bunny, be good—”

Bang!

A shrill, piercing woman’s voice slammed into his eardrums. It was no lullaby but the scream of a vengeful spirit, chilling to the bone. Ye Ran’s heart lurched, and at that instant, the door seemed to be torn open by a violent gust. A gleaming short blade shot for his throat from the darkness beyond.