Chapter Eighteen: The Divine One

On the small bed, Freya had sunk into a deep sleep. Sunlight from outside the window spilled gently across her little face, warm and soft. Ye Ran sat quietly on a chair by the bed, watching her with tender eyes.

Her long eyelashes quivered slightly in the breeze coming through the window, and her round little face was serene and peaceful. Ye Ran reached out to wipe away the tear at the corner of her eye, tucked the edge of her blanket around her, and then stood up to return to his own room.

He drew back the curtains and sat by the window. For some reason, though he hadn’t slept all night, he didn’t feel the slightest bit tired. His body, repaired by that violet-haired woman, seemed to have undergone significant changes, both visible and hidden.

At first, his strength had barely surpassed Atreus, but after the repairs, both his power and speed had greatly increased. Even if Atreus wielded the golden spear, Ye Ran could now defeat him with overwhelming force.

Come to think of it… he could be considered reborn. At that time, this body had almost lost all signs of life.

It was a pity that he still didn’t know the woman’s name, the meaning of her words, or the reason behind the strange visions that followed…

There were too many things he couldn’t understand, so he chose not to dwell on them. Instead, he focused on reading through the two books from Yunmeng and the class notes she had made.

Before long, he came to the chapter about the stages of inner force.

The twelve stages of inner force corresponded to twelve levels of wind, rising step by step from the faintest trace to surging seas of energy. As for the legendary thirteenth stage, that existed only in theory.

Ye Ran possessed only the faintest breath of inner force, and he was completely ignorant of the techniques for channeling energy. He barely understood the explanations in “Veins and Qi Mechanisms,” and could only make some sense of it by comparing it to Yunmeng’s class notes.

The method of channeling energy was fundamentally different from physical techniques. Simply put, the relationship between channeling energy and physical technique was much like that between source power and inner force: channeling energy was the foundation, physical technique the supplement.

All physical arts, spells, and supernatural abilities depended upon channeling energy.

When someone’s inner force reached its peak, even without knowing any physical techniques, they could still become a peerless master. But if someone knew only physical techniques without possessing any inner force, no one would consider them a true expert.

Xu Nan’s initial disdain for him stemmed precisely from this.

In the early stages, when the differences in inner force weren’t so great, physical techniques might make up for a lack of energy. But in the later stages, they were of no use at all.

As for the method of channeling energy, practicing it was by no means easier than mastering physical technique. Ye Ran examined it closely: the process was so intricate that without Yunmeng’s guidance, it would be nearly impossible to succeed.

Though he disliked troubling her, now was not the time for misplaced pride.

When Freya woke from her nap, she hobbled into the kitchen with her little crutch, intent on cooking. Ye Ran hurried to stop her.

Given her height, she could manage making porridge on the low stove, but the tall countertop was out of the question.

Ye Ran simply made her a small bowl of egg-fried rice.

Freya sat on her little stool and wrote on her drawing board: “Not enough to eat, I’ll be hungry.”

Ye Ran laughed. “I’ll take you out for something delicious tonight. If you eat too much now, you’ll regret it later.”

He had already decided to bring Freya along to the “Come Again” restaurant that evening; he simply couldn’t rest easy leaving her home alone. Besides, Freya hadn’t been out in a long time. At her age, it would do her good to see the outside world and spend time with other children her age.

Hearing this, Freya’s jet-black eyes sparkled.

“What delicious food?” she wrote on her board, her face full of excitement.

Ye Ran smiled. “You’ll know when we get there.”

At six-thirty in the evening, Ye Ran left the house right on time with Freya. Because of her difficulty walking, he carried her on his back.

It had been ages since she’d been out, and Freya’s eyes darted everywhere. Everything along the street caught her attention: the sweet and tangy candied hawthorn, soft and fragrant cotton candy, aromatic roasted chestnuts… She couldn’t help but lick her lips with her little tongue.

Ye Ran smiled and bought her two sticks of candied hawthorn and a bag of small cakes to satisfy her cravings. In this way, they made their way to the food street and the Come Again restaurant.

By this time, the restaurant was closed to the public, the door half-ajar. The Yunmeng siblings were both there.

Yunmeng had stayed specifically to wait for Ye Ran, while Yun Fang simply didn’t want to go home. With both Grandfather Yun and Mother Yun at home, he’d be subject to their discipline. Yunmeng, well aware of his thoughts, let him be, since he was still young.

At this moment, Yun Fang was engrossed in a comic called “Legend of Heroes.” Aunt Lin had made him golden sponge cake, fried peanuts, tiramisu, and added a fruit salad. Yun Fang ate and read at the same time.

When he heard his sister greet Ye Ran, he glanced up before turning away—then looked again, staring fixedly at Freya on Ye Ran’s back, his greasy little hand paused near his mouth, as if an electric current had run through his heart.

Freya, dressed in a skirt and wearing a butterfly bow in her hair, was rosy and delicate, adorable and lively—more spirited than even the little angels painted on chapel murals.

There were plenty of girls in Yun Fang’s class, but those aristocratic girls all seemed to have been cast from the same mold. There was no one quite like Freya: quiet, yet with a bright spark of cleverness in her eyes.

He quietly wiped his greasy hands with a handkerchief. Then he heard Yunmeng say a few words to Freya before turning to him with a gentle smile: “Yun Fang, keep Freya company for a while, and don’t you dare bully her.”

It was Yunmeng’s first time meeting Freya, though she’d often heard Ye Ran mention her.

“Yes, Sister!” Yun Fang replied, instantly delighted.

Ye Ran set Freya down on the seat across from Yun Fang, gave the pair a few words of advice, then went into the back room with Yunmeng. The spacious dining area was now left to Yun Fang and Freya alone.

Usually mischievous and fond of teasing the girls in his class, Yun Fang now found himself tongue-tied.

Freya’s large, bright eyes were fixed on the food in front of Yun Fang—each dish was something she’d never seen before.

Clearly, this was the “delicious food” Ye Ran had promised her. Just by their colors, she could tell they were tastier than egg-fried rice. She swallowed quietly.

“Would you like to try some?” Yun Fang finally found his voice.

Freya nodded, unafraid in the slightest.

“Here, it’s all yours,” said Yun Fang, pushing all the dishes in front of her. Freya wrote “Thank you” on her drawing board, then picked up her chopsticks and meticulously divided the food into two portions. With her little crutch, she hobbled over to the back room to deliver half to Ye Ran.

No matter what delicious food she had, she never forgot to share it with Ye Ran.

Yun Fang watched her small figure with longing, racking his brains for something to say next.

When Aunt Lin came to bring him some milk, she happened to witness this scene. Her annoyance flared—how outrageous! That wild boy comes to eat for free, and now he’s brought a little cripple to compete with the young master for food…

Tonight the restaurant is getting a makeover, and though we returned late, let this make up for it now.