Chapter Twenty-Nine: The God-Hunting Clan

Thud.

Something dark and heavy fell at Freya's bedside. She turned her head, only to see a bloodied rabbit's head thrown beside her pillow, its twisted expression eerily smiling. Her mouth opened, but no sound escaped; panic drove her to fling aside the covers and attempt to flee, forgetting her crippled legs. She collapsed to the floor with a dull thump.

"Freya..."

Ahead, Ye Ran had already sliced open the throat of the rabbitfolk attendant. Her dagger was swift and sharp, but Ye Ran was prepared; his jade-hued blade struck with fatal precision. He turned, intending to go to Freya, then suddenly paused.

Freya's trembling finger pointed behind him, her mouth opening and closing as tears streamed down her face.

A stabbing pain surged through Ye Ran's body. Though the rabbitfolk attendant's throat had been slit, her life seemed undiminished. She closed in and stabbed Ye Ran, a chilling aura transforming into sharp energy that pierced forward.

Ye Ran swung his elbow, smashing it into her forehead with a cracking sound. Tiny fractures appeared, but she only sneered darkly and stabbed again, the blade plunging almost to the hilt in Ye Ran's back.

"Bitch!"

Ye Ran was furious, letting the icy energy carve scars into his flesh. He spun and gripped her throat, twisting her head a full one hundred eighty degrees with a snap. But what followed was a slashing of his wrist. Even with her neck broken, the rabbitfolk attendant moved unhindered, slicing off Ye Ran's wrist in one smooth motion. Blood gushed forth, and his dagger clattered to the floor. He staggered back, gritting his teeth as he stared at the "monster" before him.

Now he saw her face clearly—she was the very attendant who had handed him a bath towel not long ago.

Her throat was slit, neck broken, forehead cracked, yet a cruel smile lingered on her lips. Ye Ran knew this was a fight to the death, not a mere contest, so from the outset, he struck to kill. Yet the woman before him seemed utterly unkillable.

Moreover, each wound she suffered made her stronger, faster.

The rabbitfolk attendant let out a harsh, shrill laugh from her ruined throat. Pressing her hands to her face, she twisted her head back into place with a sharp crack.

Her features were cold and pale, her figure graceful and delicate, but the laughter was chilling, her movements those of a vengeful ghost.

She gripped her blade again, and as her sleeve slipped, Ye Ran saw clearly the blue hexagram engraved on her forearm.

"Hunter Clan!"

Ye Ran’s brows knit tightly. He growled, closing in and driving his knee hard into her abdomen, showing no mercy. Her stomach caved inward under the blow, but her cruel smile deepened, as if she felt no pain. She wrapped her arms around Ye Ran’s neck and retaliated, driving her knee into him.

A dull, heavy thud echoed.

Blood gushed from Ye Ran’s mouth, staining the rabbitfolk attendant’s cold, beautiful face. She didn’t bother to wipe it away, instead slashing her blade toward Ye Ran’s throat. Ye Ran responded with a cold snort, headbutting her forehead with all his strength.

Bang!

Their skulls collided with a sickening sound. Both staggered back, Ye Ran feeling as if his head might split open. Blood poured down his face.

Suddenly, his vision blurred, panic rising in his heart.

Damn, he thought. He was losing too much blood, his sight already failing. He coughed violently, bracing himself against the small bed behind him.

The brief, desperate struggle with the rabbitfolk had left him too weak to stand.

But the rabbitfolk attendant’s blurred silhouette paused only for a moment before advancing, her footsteps soft as a death sentence.

She laughed quietly, barely glancing at Ye Ran before walking past him toward Freya, who was cowering in the corner, her eyes filled with longing.

Freya curled up against the wall, watching as the attendant drew nearer step by step. Terror overflowed in her eyes, her small body trembling uncontrollably.

"Beast, stop right there!"

Seeing Freya shivering in the corner, Ye Ran’s rage flared, every inch of his body seeming to ignite.

He was truly furious now.

The rabbitfolk attendant spun around, arching a brow, a hint of wariness flickering in her cold eyes.

Somehow, a pair of eyes had appeared behind Ye Ran.

They seemed to be a woman’s eyes, colder and more imposing than the attendant’s, as if belonging to a being far superior.

Streams of violet energy drifted from Ye Ran’s wounds, and those eyes narrowed slightly. The rabbitfolk attendant quietly stepped back.

"Stand down," a deep female voice issued from within Ye Ran.

The attendant’s body visibly trembled. She cast a long, searching look at Ye Ran, then exited his room.

The chilling aura dissipated rapidly.

The eyes behind Ye Ran slowly faded away. He glanced at Freya, still trembling in the corner, and felt as if his heart had been torn open.

"Freya, don’t be afraid. I can...protect you..."

His eyes reddened, the bitterness in his heart clinging relentlessly. His fists clenched tight. He had tasted despair more times than he could count; its acrid flavor had never truly left him.

As long as he could not grow stronger, this bitterness would never fade.

Freya opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end, tears fell like rain.

Half an hour later, Andoru burst in, bringing a doctor and several attendants, panic written all over his face. Upon entering, he found Ye Ran grim-faced, tending to his own wounds, and Freya with tear-stained eyes.

"Old Ye..."

Seeing the dense scars carved by energy across Ye Ran’s upper body, Andoru was stunned—there were no fewer than twenty bloody marks. Yet Ye Ran was merely dabbing them with salt water and wrapping them up himself.

The doctor and attendants who followed were white-faced with fright. No guest of the Bran Mansion had ever been hurt before, and the culprit was said to be a Hunter Clan member. If word got out...

Ye Ran looked up and said, "I’m fine, Andoru. But we can’t stay here any longer. Freya and I are leaving now."

Andoru swallowed nervously. "Old Ye, your wounds are serious. Let me take you to the hospital. If you’re worried about Freya, I can have her stay at my manor..."

"No," Ye Ran shook his head before Andoru could finish. "The martial exam is the day after tomorrow. If I go to the hospital, it’ll never end."

"Old Ye, is now really the time to worry about the martial exam?"

Ye Ran said, "I must take the exam."

He paused, voice resolute yet tinged with sorrow. "This is my only chance. If I miss it... I’ll be stuck like this for the rest of my life."