Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 210 Full Stop

Tan Polang pulled out a chair and sat beside Bai Mo, “Brother mo, why do I have a bad feeling about this?” he asked in a low voice.

Bai Mo glanced at him and sighed. He the spoke with a voice that only both of them could hear, “It’s impossible for this to not be strange.”

“They...” Tan Polang eyed the family who was sitting on the sofa, and met the gaze of Dong Yin. The gentleness and beauty that used to be on her face was replaced with a cold glare, and she was staring straight at Tan Polang. He shivered involuntarily, and inched closer to Bai Mo, “What are they doing here?”

Bai Mo was already very annoyed. In a hot summer day, a person’s mood could easily be ruined by the hot weather. When somebody’s mood was ruined, the person would have a bad temper. A frown appeared on Bai Mo’s face when he noticed that Tan Polang had moved closer to him, “Do you think that it’s the winter, you lil’ brat? Why are you sitting so close to me? Don’t you feel hot?”

Tan Polang grimaced at Bai Mo, “Bro, it’s not like I want to,” he could still feel Dong Yin’s icy and cold glare stabbing into his back, “But... But...” Tan Polang stared at Bai mo with a helpless expression, hoping that he could understand his difficulties.

Bai Mo saw Tan Polang’s expression, and finally noticed Dong Yin’s terrifying glare as he followed the boy’s sight. His frown deepened. He turned around and continued staring at the television, “Miss high and mighty really thinks that she’s a Princess eh? What’s with that look? Did we owe her family something in our past life?”

“What exactly is going on?” Tan Polang’s was very curious.

Bai Mo did not know where to start. He sighed after a long silence, “I’ll tell you later. I’m sure you’ll be able to tell soon anyways.”

Despite their reluctance to have anything to do with Dong Yin’s family, Ye Ci and Zuo Xiaolan could agree that they could not just leave them in their living room just like that. Besides, they were almost certain that this family would not budge unless their request were fulfilled. It was just like that night all over again. Ye Ci had rejected their request so many times that she actually felt bad for them again and again. They were still trying their best to persuade Ye Ci to help. Ye Ci was impressed by the family’s perseverance.

Of course, Ye Ci would definitely look up to them even more if they did not use it on her.

Ye Ci believed that she was not shameless enough, or rather, she was not the most shameless person around. That was why she could not possibly hide in her room forever. Even if she wanted to do so, Zuo Xiaolan would never allow such an action.

As she was laying on her bed, flipping through the pages of a manga, Zuo Xiaolan was already leaning at her doorway, “Say, how long do you plan to stay here, dear?”

“Until they leave.” Ye Ci cast a glance at her mother and once again focused her attention on the manga, “Aren’t you serving some green bean soup? What are you doing in my room?”

“Well, I can’t hide away in the kitchen forever now, can I?” Zuo Xiaolan sighed, “I’ve already served the soup, but you’re still not back yet, so I went to have a look.”

“Why? They’re here for you and dad. It has nothing to do with me.” Ye Ci turned her back towards her mom and started mumbling, “My green bean soup! The green bean soup that I’ve woke up early to prepare! They’ve defiled it...”

“What do you mean? You know that they’re only using that as an excuse. You’re the one they’re truly looking for. Your father and I are just Life Players who have just entered the game. Besides, they might not even know that we have started playing the game.”

“So what? Since they did not say that they’re looking for me, I’ll just feign ignorance then. I hate it when people beat around the bush! Can’t you just say what you actually want to say?” Ye Ci snorted coldly.

“It’s not like we don’t know them. We’ve known them for several years now. You know how they are! Let’s go and get things over with.” noticing that Ye Ci refused to budge, Zuo Xiaolan sat down beside her daughter and patted her on the back.

“Mom, what exactly are you doing here?” Ye Ci set the manga down, and turned around to face Zuo Xiaolan.

“Looking for a scapegoat of course.” Zuo Xiaolan smiled sweetly as she gave Ye Ci her answer, as if it was something that was natural.

Ye Ci was baffled. She knew that her mother would not walk into her room because she was worried about her. As expected, Zuo Xiaolan was just looking for a sacrificial victim.

“Do you think I’ll be able to send them off so easily?” Ye Ci raised her eyebrows, “We live here! What if they refuse to leave? We can’t just move somewhere else, can we?”

“We’re all counting on your now.” Zuo Xiaolan knew that Ye Ci spoke the truth. The problem that they’re facing could not be solved just by worrying. After a moment of thought, Zuo Xiaolan decided to test out the waters, “Little Ci, why don’t you just help them out? Even if we don’t like them, we don’t have to keep up this battle of attrition. Besides, the investment plan that Dong Yin’s dad mentioned sounds like a good plan. We shouldn’t say no to money right?”

“Yes, I agree with you, mom. We really shouldn’t say no to money. But, are you sure that it’s really a good investment? You know how they were. Since when have they thought about us when they found ventures that could earn them money? Even if this is a good investment, I will never, ever help them out.” Ye Ci shook her head.

“Why is that?” Zuo Xiaolan was curious. She had no knowledge about her daughter’s feud with Dong Yin, as well as her dispute with Thousand Sunsets. She wanted to know why her daughter was acting so cruel towards Dong Yin’s family. To her, even if Dong Yin’s parents were absolute scum of society she was still willing to help them out due to their many years of friendship.

“Mom, not all favors can be done.”

“Little Ci, since we’re talking about helping them out, we shouldn’t ask for something in return. If you keep asking for payment for doing a favor, you’ll not be very happy.” Zuo Xiaolan thought that Ye Ci refused to help because she was afraid that Dong Yin’s family would take her help for granted.

Ye Ci shook her head, “Mom, helping someone just because you expect their reciprocation, is not helping at all. You know that I am not someone to fuss over minor matters. But...” Ye Ci continued after a slight pause, “You might end up in deep trouble after fulfilling certain favors even if you could gain something out of it.”

“Deep trouble?” Zuo Xiaolan was alarmed. Despite being confused by Ye Ci’s words, there was still a bad feeling in her heart, “Don’t talk nonsense! What do you mean by getting into deep trouble? Don’t scare me like that!”

Ye Ci sat up and faced her mother, “Mom, you’ve just started playing Fate. You’d of course think that it is just a game. However, there are many out there who do not see Fate as just another online game. To them, it is a means to create profits. As long as benefit is involved, things will get complicated. You must not think of as just a game. You’re very different from Dong Yin’s parents. You played the game for fun and to pass time. For Dong Yin and her family, Fate is a business.”

“Little Ci, I-I don’t get what you’re trying to say! Are you telling me that this is all a business for Dong Yin’s parents?” Zuo Xiaolan had always led a simple life. Despite being confused, she knew that Ye Ci’s words meant nothing good.

“Yes, you could say that.” Ye Ci mumbled before suddenly raising her head and stared at Zuo Xiaolan, “Mom, do you know how they came to our house today?”

“Huh? How would I know? I guess the drove here. They’re the first among our four families to own a car. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a very expensive car...” Zuo Xiaolan had the tendency to stray off topic, which was something that Ye Ci wanted to avoid.

That was why she cut Zuo Xiaolan off, “They walked into our residential area. They must’ve came here by bus.”

“No way!” Zuo Xiaolan’s eyes buldged, “Dong Yin’s mother was very pampered, there’s no way she would walk if an area is accessible by car.”

“Do you know what happened to their car?”

“H-how would I know?”

“If I’m not mistaken, they’ve sold it, along with most of their family’s asset.” Ye Ci lower her head. She has contacted Green Hill’s Moon to learn about the conditions of Dong Yin’s and Yi Cang’s family. They suffered a heavy blow when Thousand Sunsets lost in his power struggle against Unbridled Willow. Of course, Ye Ci would never mention the details of their downfall to her parents.

“How did you know?”

“You see, their investment failed. They lost everything they invested in Steel-Blooded Battle Spear.” Ye Ci stated out the truth.

“Ahhh...”

“Why do you think they’re here?” Ye Ci narrowed her eyes, “You know how Dong Yin is. We already had a fall out that night, but they still came to us today. This means that they’re grasping at straws now. They’re in a very desperate situation.”

“So...” Zuo Xiaolan finally caught on to Ye CI’s meaning, “We can’t help them at all?”

“I don’t mind if you want to help.” Ye Ci smiled at Zuo Xiaolan.

“You silly girl! Do you think my money fell from the sky? I’m not going to burn away our money like that.” Zuo Xiaolan slapped Ye Ci on the back, and stood up, “I’ll go down and give your dad some supervision. Gotta make sure that he does not carelessly agree to their request. You get down there as well okay?”

Despite her reluctance, Ye Ci lazily nodded.

As Ye Ci was still laying on his bed, she heard heavy footsteps leading to her room, followed by somebody abruptly pushing her bedroom door open. It was Dong Yin. She was glaring at Ye Ci with her face flushed red, huffing and puffing loudly, as if she had just been humiliated.

“Yinyin, Yinyin, don’t be like this, this is not our home, you can’t just run around like that!” Dong Yin’s mother was close behind, followed by Zuo Xiaolan.

Zuo Xiaolan stood at the tip of her toes and craned her neck into Ye Ci’s room, giving her daughter an apologetic room, “Little Ci...”

Ye Ci shook her head, an indication for Zuo Xiaolan to remain silent, and shifted her gaze towards Dong Yin, who turned around and shouted at her mother, “Mom! I must clear things with her today! Can you just leave me alone?”

Dong Yin’s mother was stunned into silence by her daughter’s sudden outburst.

Ye Ci remained on her bed. She made no attempt to rise, and stared at Dong Yin calmly.“Close the door.” said Ye Ci in a soft voice.

Dong Yin’s anger was like a fist, while Ye Ci’s indifference was like a cotton blanket. When the fist connected with the soft blanket, its force was dispersed. Dong Yin stood glaring at Ye Ci at the doorway before slamming her bedroom door shut.

The loud bang reverberated around the room. Ye Ci could even feel the wall shaking as a result. Fortunately, the old house held out. Aside from dust falling from the ceiling, nothing happened. The house did not collapse.

Dong Yin leaned on the door silently, with her glare still fixated on Ye Ci. After casting a glance at Dong Yin, Ye Ci spoke up softly, “Say it, what do you want?”

Dong Yin bit her lips, but remained silent. Ye Ci could feel resentment coming from her gaze. Ye Ci sighed inwardly. She hated such passive-aggressive behavior. Why can’t Dong Yin be straightforward? Do you want me to guess your intention just by how you are staring at me? Unfortunately, people like Dong Yin expected others around them to be able to guess their thoughts, and failing to do so would be a crime in their eyes.

Of course, Ye Ci couldn’t care less about it.. She would not lose anything even if Dong Yin was glaring at her. Since Dong Yin enjoyed looking at her so much, she might as well strike a pose for that girl.

With that thought in mind, Ye Ci leaned against the headboard and began flipping the pages of her manga again.

Dong Yin had never been treated so coldly in her life before. Even Thousand Sunsets would take her feelings into consideration. However, her sense of pride was nothing in the face of Ye Ci, who was indifferent to such things, and would never compromise for her sake. To be fair, Ye Ci treated everybody with the same way, and Dong Yin had at some point of her life, even thought of Ye Ci’s personality to be quite unique. But on this day, it seemed so annoying to her.

“Oi, are you not paying attention to what I say?” Dong Yin’s anger rose with every thought that flashed through her mind. She slammed her hand against the door in an attempt to convey her dissatisfaction to the other person in the room. She was unable to provoke any action out of Ye Ci, who was still absorbed in reading her manga. Dong Yin’s action achieved nothing but to inflict pain to her own palm, and shocking the people standing at the other side of the door.

“Did you say anything?” Ye Ci was unfazed. She had always disdained people with the princess syndrome. It was a disease that must be cured.

“You...” Dong Yin bit her lips and stared at Ye Ci. Her vision was clouded by tears forming in her eyes, “How could you bully me?”

Ye Ci looked at Dong Yin and sighed, “I don’t have those expensive lip balms you use. If you bit through your lips, they might think that I’ve hit you.” and she exhaled once again, “As for bullying... Dong Yin, you must’ve been mistaken. Since when have I bullied you?”

“Yes, you did! You’ve always been bullying me! You refused to help me, and did not even care about me! You did not even help me when I was in trouble! That’s bullying!” Dong Yin started sobbing.

Ye Ci was vexed when somebody cried in front of her. The case was especially true when the person who was crying was a pampered young lady. “Isn’t that Thousand Sunsets’ responsibility? He’s your boyfriend. It has nothing to do with me!”

“Can’t you care about just like he did? Aren’t we best friends? How could you be so cruel? How could you not care about me?”

The situation gave Ye Ci a headache. Just what the hell is this? “Best friends?” Ye Ci stared at Dong Yin coldly, “Then can I ask you to show me some concern as well?”

“Have I not cared about you enough? I spoke out for you when you were cursed at on the forums! I’ve even stopped Thousand Sunsets from going after you! Wasn’t that enough?” Dong Yin’s beautiful face was stained by her tears, “But what have you ever done for me? You refused to give me the guide to defeat the Armored Giant Tortoise! You refused to remain in Steel-Blooded Battle Spear when I begged you to stay! You did not even tell me that you were leaving! You ignored me when I tried looking for you to help me out with clearing the Castle Ruins, and even humiliated my family that night! I even came to your house personally to ask for your help in getting Bloody Steel on its foot, but what did you do? You hid away from me!”

Ye Ci listened to Dong Yin’s accusations silently. It was as if there was blood and tears behind each and every one of her sentences. Ye Ci was very irritated. When Dong Yin finally stopped, Ye Ci seized the chance to immediately speak up, “Be it the Armored Giant Tortoise, or getting First Blood for Steel-Blooded Battle Spear, and the dungeon clearing guide for Castle Ruins as well as the investments in Bloody Steel, they have nothing to do with you! You’re just a normal member in the guild!”

Dong Yin did not expect to be scolded by Ye Ci after her accusation. She was expecting apology. “Yes! I’m just a member of the guild! B-but I’m Thousand Sunsets’ girlfriend! I’m the lady boss of Steel-Blooded Battle Spear! As long as it benefits the guild, as long as it benefits Thousand Sunsets, then it has something to do with me!” roared Dong Yin, who felt that she was wronged by Ye Ci.

“Girlfriend? Lady boss?” Ye Ci raised her eyebrows. The smile on her face was full of sarcasm. There was something that she has kept to herself: The so-called girlfriend, or being the lady boss was just a fantasy of Dong Yin. Thousand Sunsets had never promised her anything. Besides, even if he did, does Dong Yin have any say in the marriage of someone of such a high background?

Of course, there was no need for Ye Ci to voice out those words. It would be too cruel to pop Dong Yin’s bubble just like that.

“Am I wrong?” Dong Yin noticed Ye Ci’s expression, and knew that she was mocking her. It was like a thorn in her side. Dong Yin’s blood boiled, “Ye Ci! You’ve never been in love before! You don’t know how beautiful and important love is! You’ve always been selfish! If you keep this on, you’ll never be able to taste true love! You’re pathetic!”

Ye Ci did not know just what Dong Yin’s brain was made of. She had been rambling nonsense she entered Ye Ci’s room. “So what does it have to do with you?” Ye Ci sighed, “That’s enough, stop beating around the bush. Just tell me what you want! I have no mood for your bullshit!”

“You were not like this before!” Dong Yin’s tone changed all of a sudden. She appeared so delicate, and so pitiful, “You have never talked to me like this before! You used to be nice to me! You would never say something that will hurt me!”

“I’m not a fortune teller, I’m not going to say what you like to hear.” Ye Ci snorted coldly. Used to? What is she talking about? Was it the me in my past life? I would’ve done something worse to her.

“You used to be so kind to me! You’re always the first one to help me when I was in trouble! You used to help me with all my problems! That’s how you used to treat me! But why are you treating me like this now?” Dong Yin’s sobbing intensified, fully utilising her white lotus appearance.

Ye Ci was extremely irritated. A man and a woman would definitely show different reactions in a situation like this. If she was a man, she would definitely take pity on Dong Yin, However, as a woman, Ye Ci could feel the urge to throw Dong Yin out of the window.

“You’ve remembered wrongly. I’ve never done anything that your boyfriend should’ve done. Besides, I’m not omnipotent, I can’t do what you just said.” Ye Ci climbed down from her bed. She realised that Dong Yin had a domineering position over her if she continued lying on the bed. She wanted to end the fiasco quickly, and force Dong Yin to give up.

Ye Ci has always been taller than Dong Yin. Without her high heels, Dong Yin was instantly dwarfed by Ye Ci, who towered over her. Ye Ci walked up to Dong Yin and placed her hands on her shoulders, exerting pressure on the girl, “Dong Yin, I’ll say it just one more time. Tell me what you want, and stop beating around the bush. Don’t challenge my patience.” said Ye Ci in a domineering voice.

Dong Yin raised her head, and stopped sobbing. The Ye Ci in front of her was so overbearing that she could not breath. She knew that the person standing in front of her was Ye Ci, but at the same time, she felt that the person was not Ye Ci at all. The person standing in front of her was so familiar, yet so distant. She was probably familiar because of her looks. But why does she feel so distant? Dong Yin had no answer to that question.

Dong Yin started shivering. Her body shivered uncontrollably despite the hot weather, as if she was facing a harsh winter.

“Ye Ci, please, help my family! We’ve invested in Steel-Blooded Battle Spear, and lost all our investments.”

“But how? Didn’t Steel-Blooded Battle Spear secure a spot in the First Five?” Ye Ci’s eyes were as dark as a deep pond, and her voice was like a terrifying spell that could reach deep into Dong Yin’s heart and dig up all of her unspoken words.

“It’s not like that, Ye Ci.” Dong Yin did not even think twice about Ye Ci’s question. After all, the conflict between Unbridled Willow and Thousand Sunsets is a secret known only to insiders. It was impossible for Ye Ci to know about such a thing, “You don’t know to know the details. You just have to know that Thousand was not the one who secured the First Five.”

“Oh?” it was not a good answer for Ye Ci.

“And this is all because of you.”

“Because of me?” Ye Ci narrowed her eyes.

“If you agreed to help Yi Cang and me out the first time, Thousand would’ve secured the First Five! He might even get First Clear because of that! We wouldn’t have suffered the losses we did, and Thousand would definitely reward you for your help! Are you still denying that it’s all your fault?”

Just what sort of logic is this?

Ye Ci almost laughed out of anger, “So?”

“So you must help me this time.” Dong Yin’s gaze grew intense, “Listen carefully, I’m not asking for your opinion. I’m telling you what you should do...”

Before Dong Yin could finish her sentence, she could feel someone pinching on her face, and the back of her head was slammed against the door. Dong Yin almost cried out in pain, but when she saw the person in front of her, her voice died out.

“Dong Yin, I’ll only say this once, so I want you to listen carefully,” Ye Ci’s gaze was icy cold, “I’ve never owed you anything. Stop imposing your crooked logic on me. I don’t approve of it. And if I don’t approve of it, there’s no such things as a ‘must’. Thousand Sunsets’ incompetence has nothing to do with me. Your family’s failed investment has nothing to do with me as well,” she narrowed her eyes, “Didn’t you know that our friendship was long over? Do you still have the rights to ask for my help as if nothing has happened between us? No, you don’t.”

Ye Ci release her grip on Dong Yin after finishing her sentence and continued staring at her coldly, “Now, I want you to get the f*ck out of my sight with your parents! Don’t you dare appear in front me again, or else...”

Dong Yin was completely stunned by Ye Ci’s words, “What? Did you not hear me?” Ye Ci spoke up again in a cold tone.

Dong Yin finally snapped out of her daze. However, she was not as timid as Ye Ci expected her to be. “Are you saying that you’re breaking all ties with me?” asked Dong Yin in a menacing tone.

“Haven’t our friendship ended a long time ago?” Ye Ci lifted Dong Yin’s chin. She was so close to Dong Yin that the girl could feel her breath on her face, “Let me tell you something. I’m a rebellious person, and I’m not afraid of threats.”

“You!” Dong Yin glared at Ye Ci, huffing heavily.. She slapped Ye Ci’s hand away and pushed her aside. As she opened the door, Bai Mo, Tan Polang, Ye Nantian, Zuo Xiaolan, and Dong Yin’s Parents were staring at the two.

Dong Yin grabbed hold of her parents’ hands and headed for the door, “Dad, mom, let’s go.”

“Yin Yin, Yin Yin, what happened?” Dong Yin’s parents were confused by their daughters action, they smiled apologetically at Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan, but was met with a roar by Dong Yin, “Stop humiliating yourselves! Let’s go! We’re not going to beg for their help ever again!”

Ye Ci stared unsympathetically at Dong Yin, who was dragging her parents down the hallway. Dong Yin came to a sudden halt and faced Ye Ci with an unprecedented malicious glare, “Ye Ci, remember what you did today! I’ll repay this humiliation a thousand times fold!”

Ye Ci paid no heed to her threat. She even waved at Dong Yin, “See you! And I hope we’ll never meet again.”

The reply she received was a thunderous noise of someone slamming the door shut.

Tan Polang covered his ears and stared at the painting on the door that was swinging like a pendulum, “Can we get them to pay the damage to our door?”

Ye Ci smiled and him and walked towards the balcony. She could see Dong Yin leading her parents away from the residential area. She went back inside when they were out of view and sighed, “I’m afraid we can’t. We may never see them ever again.”

“Why is that?” Zuo Xiaolan was momentarily stunned, “What did you say to her?”

“Not much. I’ve shattered her hopes. She hates my guts now. If she could, she might even kill me.” Ye Ci walked into the living room and took a seat. The bowls of red bean soup on the small table were all untouched. Ye Ci picked up one of the bowls and began slurping at the dessert.

After a long moment of eerie silence, Ye Ci turned around and apologized to her parents, “I’m sorry, dad and mom. Because of me, you might lose your friends forever.”

Ye Nantian sighed and sat down beside Ye Ci. He patted his daughter on her shoulder and said, “Don’t think too much about it. We’re just too different from them. Our 20 years of relationship is something of the past. They look down on people like us, and we should not cling on to people like them. We’ve walked down different paths. It doesn’t matter if we’re no longer friends. But you...” he continued after a slight pause, “You and Dong Yin...”

“Persons who walk different paths must go separate ways.” Ye Ci put a full stop to her friendship with Dong Yin.

“Sister Ye Ci, I want to join your guild!” said Tan Polang joyfully in an attempt to break the tense atmosphere.

“You?” Ye Ci was shocked, “You don’t even know our names!”

“Hehehe... I want to join your guild~ I want to join your guild~” ignoring Ye Ci’s reply, Tan Polang headed straight to his bedroom, “Hurry, get online and add me as a friend.”

Ye Nantian and Zuo Xiaolan smiled at Ye Ci and Bai Mo, “You guys go ahead.”

Ye Ci headed to her room with Bai Mo following close behind. He grabbed hold of Ye Ci’s shoulders, and she turned around to face him, “What is it?”

Bai Mo’s face was calm as he spoke out the following words, “What are you going to do?”

“Will you believe me if I tell you that I’m going to destroy them completely?” Ye Ci’s words were a direct contrast to her gentle expression.

“I believe you.”

“Oh?” Ye Ci was slightly surprised.

“Because you’re Ye Ci.”