Chapter 58: Foes and Old Friends

"Kid, if you want to get in, you need to pay this much," the one-eyed man stretched out his arm to block Ye Ran.

In the brief moment of hesitation, the man and two women had already entered the underground lair. Ye Ran glanced back at Tiger Ben.

Tiger Ben shrugged helplessly and said, "One-Eye, put it on my tab."

Only then did One-Eye give the order to let him through, and Ye Ran hurried into the underground lair.

The space ahead opened up, but the light grew dimmer. Flickering candles mounted on the stone walls cast long, wavering shadows of the three figures.

Ye Ran moved swiftly, so the trio hadn’t managed to get far. The girl in the middle, her figure incomparably graceful, glanced back and pulled the brim of her hat even lower.

A rustling sound echoed around them; several giant lizards scrambled along the walls and ceiling.

Yet Ye Ran’s gaze did not follow her, but rather fixed on the cold, aloof girl by her side. He said, "Miss, could you remove your hat?"

The cave fell silent. The cold girl seemed not to hear.

The girl in the middle tittered, "Little guy, is this your idea of etiquette—asking a girl to take off her hat right away?"

Ye Ran replied, "For the Godslayer Clan, isn’t that polite enough?"

A silvery laugh escaped her lips as soon as the words "Godslayer Clan" were spoken. With a flick of her hand, a black wind swirled up—her whip, wreathed in fierce black flames, swept toward him.

Demonic energy. Ye Ran tensed. The instant she moved, the aura she’d been restraining burst forth, and Ye Ran felt it keenly.

Her aura was identical to the one he’d encountered in Dragontrap Ridge when facing the demons. He leapt backward at once, but the whip still grazed him as it lashed past.

A searing pain tore through him. Looking down, he saw a bloody welt across his chest, black flames burning rapidly into his flesh. He hastily forced the demonic energy from his body with what little strength he had left, retreating quickly.

Even in that brief exchange, he sensed the vast gulf between his own power and hers—something that brute determination alone could not bridge.

The witch let out another silvery laugh and raised her arm, ready to strike again. But just then, a faint tremor quivered through the ground, like an eerie wave of sound.

In the corners of the stone ceiling, two spiderwebs trembled.

"Oh~? So that’s how it is. Interesting," the witch said with a soft laugh. She withdrew her whip, removed her hat, and turned around. For an instant, her face—capable of bewitching all who saw it—was revealed.

"Little rabbits, keep him company for a while," she said arrogantly, waving her hand and striding deeper into the lair.

Behind her, the man and woman also removed their wide-brimmed hats, revealing soft, furry rabbit ears.

"As I thought, it’s you," Ye Ran’s eyes narrowed.

Rabbitfolk servers—dangerous members of the Godslayer Clan. This was already the third time he’d encountered her.

The rabbitfolk waitress, now dressed in a black robe, ran her fingers through her long hair and flashed a chilling smile.

Beside her, the male rabbitfolk toyed with a short dagger, grinning slyly. "So it’s you. Last time, on the Wraithwalk Path, your friend ran over me with a bicycle, and you kneed my sister. We never settled that score—perfect, let’s do it now."

He crossed his arms, and dozens of short blades shot from his sleeves like a storm. Ye Ran gripped sword and blade in both hands, their clash ringing out as the rabbit’s daggers thudded harmlessly into the earth.

He was wary of the witch, but he felt no fear toward these rabbit siblings. Back at the Bran Mansion, he’d struggled only because space was tight and he had to protect Freya. Here, in the underground lair, he could unleash his full martial skills.

Still, he remained cautious—he remembered all too well the rabbitfolk waitress’s undying nature.

"Doesn’t the Godslayer Clan fear being hunted by our strongest for daring to enter Torrent City?" Ye Ran pressed, his blade glinting coldly.

"Aren’t you afraid your rabbitfolk will be implicated for siding with the demons?"

His words had no effect on the siblings. The black-robed waitress darted forward in a blur. Ye Ran saw only a shadow as she appeared before him; he reversed his grip and slashed upward.

With a metallic clang, the blades collided, sparks flashing briefly in the darkness as their figures passed each other.

The rabbitfolk waitress spun her dagger and slipped it into her sleeve, her killing intent gone as she turned aside.

Ye Ran’s body remained taut.

The rabbit youth, holding a dagger aimed at Ye Ran’s throat, grinned, "Kid, if I’d struck just now, do you think you’d have survived?"

"Doubtful," Ye Ran replied with a single word.

He had to admit he’d underestimated the siblings. If they’d fought separately, he wouldn’t have feared either one, but together, their power was far more than the sum of their parts.

In that earlier clash, the rabbit youth could easily have killed him—or at least left him gravely wounded.

The rabbit youth chuckled and pocketed his dagger, and the rabbit girl approached slowly.

"Don’t you realize? We share many things in common," he said, pointing at his own face. "The hardships a person endures are etched into their features, leaving indelible marks. Whether you’re laughing or crying, you can never truly hide them. In this, you’re just like us. And besides that..."

"Our eyes," the girl said coldly as she passed by Ye Ran, her chill lingering in the air, stirring something deep within him.

Watching her lonely figure fade into the darkness, he suddenly saw his own helpless self from the past.

Desperate struggle.

A fate beyond control.

Her destiny mirrored that of all rabbitfolk—a weak race, like all weak lives, forced to either submit to the strong or die.

"Kid, your eyes have changed. On the Wraithwalk Path, your gaze was far more defiant," the rabbit youth said.

"You can change too..."

He laughed. "Easy for those under a roof to mock those caught in the rain. Kid, the storms of life don’t end just because you say so."

"We can’t kill you yet, but next time we meet, it may be a different story."

"Sis, let’s go."

With a wave, the siblings vanished into the darkness ahead. All around, the giant lizards seemed to receive a silent command and ignored the trio completely.

Ye Ran received the same treatment—a few lizards glanced at him, flicked their tongues, and slithered away.

He wandered deeper into the lair, but the witch and the rabbit siblings had already gone further in.

Only then did Ye Ran realize the lair was nothing like before—its monstrous denizens were far more aggressive now. After about a quarter hour, hissing sounds echoed everywhere, and the giant lizards’ gazes grew bloodthirsty, eyes filled with a ravenous hunger.

"Has something changed again?" Ye Ran muttered. Without further delay, he turned and left the underground lair.