Chapter 158: The Ragdoll

Ye Ran strode forward. Although the blood-red moon on his forehead had faded, the lingering and terrifying murderous aura of blood still clung to him, causing the few men to instinctively step back.

With a cold snort, he pushed the burly man aside, caught Freya in one arm, and turned to sweep his gaze across the crowd.

"Kid, what do you think you're doing?" The burly man felt anger rising within him, yet he dared not throw a major fit; one look at this youth told him he was no pushover.

Ye Ran retorted, "I should be the one asking what *you* people are doing."

The burly man said angrily, "Kid, playing the hero requires picking the right place. What do you know about our town? Every time people from that castle enter this place, tragedy inevitably strikes. Up until now, no less than two hundred children have gone missing because of them. Shouldn't we care about our own children and families?"

"That's right! Three years ago, that vicious woman came here and started a massive fire, burning thirty-six people from our town to death!"

"A year ago, that damned man made dozens of children in our town disappear!"

"That castle is the source of our misfortune. We will never allow anyone from that castle to set foot here again!"

"Kid, we didn't beat him to death—we were being generous just by expelling him."

The others chimed in one after another.

Amidst the clamor of voices, he had clearly incurred the public wrath.

Ye Ran glanced back at the little boy, who was crouching there, casting a timid look at him.

Ye Ran could not help frowning. For some reason, looking into those eyes gave him an inexplicable chill, though upon closer inspection, he figured it was just his imagination.

Turning back, he said, "No matter what, you shouldn't vent your grievances on a child. I'll just send him back to that castle."

Hearing this, the crowd immediately quieted down.

Exchanging glances, the burly man finally spoke, "Pardon our bluntness, but anyone who approaches that castle becomes tainted by its curse, bringing misfortune..."

Naturally understanding the underlying meaning in his words, Ye Ran snorted, "We were planning to leave today anyway, so you needn't worry."

With him having said that, the others had nothing more to say. After whispering among themselves for a while, a large portion of the crowd dispersed, though a few burly men remained just in case.

"Charly, take Freya back first. Boss, lend me your carriage; I'll be right back."

However, the little boy shrank backward, clearly unwilling to leave.

Ye Ran could certainly understand him. He and Charly had just passed by the Eternal Night Blue Castle last night; even they didn't want to linger for a single moment in that gloomy place, let alone a child.

"Since the people here don't welcome you, you can't stay even if you want to. If you don't want to return to that castle, I can send you somewhere else."

The little boy still shook his head, his dark eyes fixed on him.

"Can't you speak?"

The little boy nodded.

Only then did Ye Ran understand why Freya had tried so desperately to protect him earlier. Perhaps she was the only one who truly understood this little boy.

"Do you want to follow me?" Ye Ran asked again.

The little boy nodded once more.

"You cannot follow me. I can barely look after myself as it is. I will take you to the village ahead, but your path is one you must walk alone."

The current Ye Ran was no longer merely an orphan of Torrent City; he was a descendant of the Moon Clan, destined to endure many more bloody storms.

Seeing the little boy still shaking his head, Ye Ran felt anger rising within him. He snorted, "Spineless kid, if you aren't willing, then suit yourself. I won't care about you anymore."

He turned to leave, but the little boy hurriedly stood up and grabbed the hem of his robe.

Only when he stood up did Ye Ran notice that he was holding a delicately crafted ragdoll, every stitch of which was sewn to perfection.

He lowered his head timidly.

Magrian soon arrived driving the carriage. This time, the little boy did not refuse; he climbed aboard, and Ye Ran sat outside to personally escort him out of the town.

The entire journey was silent. Ye Ran was lost in his own thoughts, while the little boy clutched the ragdoll, staring blankly.

He could neither speak nor write, leaving no way to ask about his background.

When Ye Ran dropped him off at the entrance of the village ahead, seeing him look at the unfamiliar village with red-rimmed eyes, his heart involuntarily softened.

Handing him the few remaining gold coins he had, Ye Ran said, "Live well. There are simply so many hardships and twists in this world. I know not everyone can bear the jests of fate, but aside from yourself, no one can help you through these bitter years. You are a man; you must learn to face it."

As he turned to leave, the little boy tugged at the hem of his robe again, hesitated for a moment, and handed him the ragdoll in his hand.

Stunned for a moment, Ye Ran accepted the ragdoll, muttered a word of thanks, and climbed back into the carriage.

The carriage quickly sped away, kicking up a trail of dust.

The little boy watched the carriage depart. The timidity, reluctance, and childlike innocence in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by curled lips and pupils of bottomless depth.

He casually tossed away Ye Ran's money pouch, emitting a sinister laugh from deep within his throat.

"You didn't make a move—was it because you weren't confident you could kill him?"

A figure in crimson appeared behind him, accompanied by a chilling female voice.

The woman approaching with light steps wore a vibrant red dress, yet her complexion was as pale as paper, making her look entirely like a wandering ghost.

The little boy laughed softly, "I was confident, and moreover, I've already made my move."

Unexpectedly, his voice was deep and hoarse, much like that of an adult man.

"Giggle, it sounds as if you're even more confident than Lord Adolf." The woman glanced at him, a flicker of skepticism in her eyes.

Putting his hands behind his back, the little boy said, "When it comes to assassination techniques, I am indeed confident I am more refined than Lord Adolf."

"Perhaps the one about to step into death is far from being just him alone."

"Then we can report back to our master."

...

By the time Ye Ran returned to the town, it was already noon. Having not slept all night and having escorted the little boy out of the city, even he felt somewhat exhausted.

He had planned to eat lunch before hitting the road, but because of his contact with the little boy from the Eternal Night Blue Castle, the townspeople avoided him as if he were a venomous snake or scorpion.

Too lazy to linger here any longer, Ye Ran hurriedly ate some of the food Lois had brought back, boarded the carriage, and fell into a heavy, drowsy sleep.

The carriage slowly rolled out of the town. Ye Ran sat on the right side of the carriage, leaning against the wall and sleeping soundly, while Freya played with the ragdoll on the other side.

It was a ragdoll shaped like a little boy, entirely sewn from plush fabric and feeling very soft to the touch. A ragdoll like this would cost at least two silver coins in Torrent City. Whenever Ye Ran took her to the street in the past, she could only look at it through the display window and then hurry away; now that she could finally hold it in her arms, she naturally found it impossible to put down.

Yet, as she held it, she suddenly felt something was amiss. A freezing sensation rapidly surged up from the depths of her heart. Lowering her head to look, she saw that all five of her fingers had turned pitch black.

Her vision also plunged into utter darkness, and with a soft thud, she collapsed.

"Freya..."

...