Chapter 157: The Scent of Blood

The mist hung heavy and gray, pierced by a sliver of crimson light.

The blood-moon mark on Ye Ran’s forehead gradually grew dim. As he cradled the emaciated corpse of the rabbit-kin, the deeper he ventured, the stronger grew the sensation of a profound, blood-tied resonance.

Along the way, he spotted several more rabbit-kin corpses, scattered sparsely all the way to the outer perimeter of the resting place.

Ahead, a hemispherical barrier stood amidst the mist. Through the pale blue barrier, the two could make out rows of neatly constructed mausoleums.

Outside the barrier lay two small gardens that had been trampled into utter ruin, and beside them stood a few tattered sheds.

Beyond the sheds were scattered rabbit-kin corpses, mixed with burning ghost money and various ritual implements used for delivering souls to the afterlife.

For countless years, the rabbit-kin had sent people to silently guard the mausoleums here, tending gardens for the departed souls of the moon-kin, setting up barrier incantations, hiring priests to chant and perform rites of deliverance, generation after generation of guardians.

Yet, in the end, they could not withstand the demons, ghouls, malevolent spirits, and the ruthlessness of passing time.

Outside the sheds, several rabbit-kin still had their eyes wide open in death, their heads turned toward the mausoleum, the ground bearing traces of their final struggle.

Tears fell, and Ye Ran hurriedly reached out to wipe them away. He stepped forward, gently laid down the rabbit-kin corpse he had been carrying, and began to dig a grave.

Sharly joined him in the task.

Inside the mausoleum, row upon row of tombstones stood silently, as if watching the two busy figures outside.

"You all have done more than enough over the years. The debt of gratitude the moon-kin owed you has long since been repaid. You need not sacrifice yourselves any longer; I do not wish to see your descendants suffer anymore,"

"May you rest in peace."

Ye Ran knelt and kowtowed three times in solemn respect, then bit his finger and inscribed upon the tombstone: "Tomb of the Rabbit-Kin Valiant Souls."

He stood up and glanced at the tombstones within the mausoleum. The crimson light of the blood-moon on his forehead flared brightly, as though summoning something. Deep within his heart, Ye Ran also yearned for the valiant souls behind the barrier to respond to him.

He did not know what had awakened the blood-moon within his body.

He did not know what manner of existence the blood-moon lineage truly was.

He still did not know his own origins.

He still did not know if he had any other living relatives in this world.

Nor did he know where his path should lead from here on.

Though he had been alone for so long, this was the first time he truly felt the vastness of heaven and earth, yet nowhere to call home.

Yet the mausoleum remained utterly silent, and no one answered his call.

"Sharly, let us go."

After lingering for a long while, they had no choice but to depart.

The mist gradually grew thin, and gentle sunlight filtered down from the gray sky. Ye Ran raised his head, and the blood-moon mark on his forehead quietly faded away.

The internal energy within him had condensed a fraction more, but his mind remained a hazy blank.

The more he tried to recall, the more bewildered his mind became.

"Sharly, return this ring to you."

Sharly shook her head. "This Ring of Holy Light was left behind by the Primordial God-Envoy of old. It can purify souls and awaken things lingering deep within the body. You need it more than I do. Keep it."

Ye Ran turned his head to look at her and said, "Sharly, there is something I am not sure I should ask."

Sharly smiled. "Ask away. We are friends; there is nothing that cannot be asked."

"Why are you treating me so well?"

"Ah... What... did you say?"

A sudden blush crept onto Sharly's face.

"Back outside Torrent City, we were mere strangers who chanced to meet. Later, at the Sillar Dead-Vein, you risked your life to save me. Perhaps God-Envoys possess such boundless love that they can sacrifice themselves for strangers, but... what about afterward?"

"You saved me once, and I saved you once. Once we left the Barrens Wall, we should have parted ways. Why were you so insistent on accompanying me to the Yipo Badlands?"

Sharly stammered, "Didn't I say before? I originally intended to go to the Yipo Badlands to redeem the evildoers there."

"Where you were supposed to go was the Sixth Divine Temple, to guide the Chosen Ones of the Silver Fighter Palace."

Ye Ran looked at her slightly startled face and said, "Nixie told me."

Only then did Sharly realize that this young man was actually remarkably observant.

"Sharly, a God-Envoy bears many heavy responsibilities. The former Primordial God-Envoy held a status even higher than the blazing sun, bright moon, and starlight envoys. As the successor to the last Primordial God-Envoy, naturally you have your own path to walk in order to inherit the title of 'Primordial'. For my sake, you even set all of that aside. There must be a reason for this, isn't there?"

Sharly stared blankly into his eyes, then nodded dejectedly. "Ye Ran, I admit there is a reason, but..."

"Now is not the time to tell you. When the day comes that I am ready, I will tell you, alright?"

"I promise, I will not keep that matter from you for long."

Ye Ran nodded. "Sharly, even if you are unwilling to speak of it, it does not matter. We have been together for so long, and I am willing to trust you."

Unwittingly, they reached the end of the mountain trail where they had first entered. Within the mountain valley, a peculiar scent seemed to linger in the air.

That injured ghoul lay dead in a corpse pit.

"Someone was here just now."

Ye Ran sniffed the air, catching the faint scent drifting on the breeze—a trace of fresh blood...

The morning town had no crowing roosters, nor the cries of peddlers hawking their wares.

Instead, venomous curses and abuses echoed from the stone-paved streets of the town.

"Little bastard, go back to your Ever-Night Dark Keep! This place does not welcome you."

"That's right, get the hell out of here! It's you bringers of bad luck who curse us with misfortune. Don't even think about setting foot here ever again!"

"You little mongrel, this is not your home! Stop trying to freeload here!"

A crowd of people surrounded a small boy. Some kicked and punched him, while others stood on the sidelines pointing and cursing.

The boy wore a snug brocade robe, crouching on the ground with his head in his arms, uttering not a single word as blows fell upon him like rain.

Suddenly, a little girl carrying a drawing board rushed into the crowd and shoved a burly man aside. However, her strength was so minuscule that not only did she fail to push the man, but she stumbled and fell to the ground herself.

The boy glanced sideways at her.

The little girl picked herself up and pushed against the burly man once more.

"Where did this stinking brat come from? Get lost!" The man crudely shoved her down to the ground again.

Tears instantly welled up, and the little girl looked around at the crowd, utterly helpless.

"Freya..."

Magrian the carriage driver, who had brought Freya out to buy breakfast, was startled and hurriedly rushed into the crowd. But given what had just happened, several burly men quickly stepped out from the dense throng, shoving and pushing him so that no matter how hard he tried, he could not squeeze through.

"Hmph, some stinking girl from god knows where. Let me tell you, no outsiders are allowed to meddle in our town's affairs. Get out of here!"

The burly man roughly grabbed Freya, intending to toss her away. But at that exact moment, the crowd was forcibly parted by a burst of immense strength. Amidst the escalating clamor of curses, a stern-faced youth frowned, brushed aside the men blocking his path, and strode forward.

The moment she saw him, Freya’s tears finally overflowed, dropping pathetically one by one.