25

All the participants were gathered at the school stadium after the hunt as it was going to be the prize giving ceremony soon. They all chatted with each other in a lively manner as they scrolled through the list of people.

"I thought Ming Yue would get first, but first place went to Ruo Chen and second place went to Ye Ran. Who even are they?" A curly haired booth dressed in dark blue robes questioned his friends who were dressed similar clothing.

"Who knows, they both took everyone by surprise. Ming Yue is a well known prodigy here yet he got his place stolen by two unknown people?" A kid with bunny teeth replied helplessly as he waited to see how the top ranker looked like.

Ye Ran overheard their conversation as he walked past them and quickly checked the blue screen himself. He saw that Ruo Chen had gotten 3098 points which was a hundred more than his. Shock appeared on his face but it immediately turned into worry.

He was not able to find Ruo Chen anywhere and there was a place he avoided checking at all cost, the school hospital. Ye Ran did want to think that Ruo Chen had gotten himself injured so he purposefully didn't check it and went straight to the stadium in hopes of seeing that familiar brown hair in the stands.

But now that he knew Ruo Chen got first, his worst fear came. Ruo Chen must have definitely got himself injured in some crazy manner and he felt an indescribable urge to give him a scolding.

Ruo Chen was the one who said he would keep himself lowkey, so why was he first? 

Ye Ran got more worried by the second as most people's injuries were treated in a flash by Aleksandr, yet Ruo Chen was nowhere to be seen. He sped off from the stand but he made sure to put a silencing spell on the group of kids who made the comments earlier before he left.

He would have chopped off their heads in his previous life but Ye Ran could only settle with a spell, for now.

"Hospital, hospital..." Ye Ran mumbled as he made his way there. His hands were sweating and his heart was beating faster and faster. He had the urge to destroy something as he wanted to blame someone, anything, for making Ruo Chen injured.

Ye Ran furiously barged into the hospital and almost threw the door off of its hinges while doing so. He got a few glares from the staff but when they saw his panicked expression, they figured someone he knew must be gravely injured and kept silent.

"Ruo Chen..." Ye Ran gritted out through clenched teeth as he alternated between being incensed and worried.

He saw the number 243 on one of the doors and swiftly made his way in. This time, he unknowingly controlled his strength and opened the door gently, as if afraid of startling Ruo Chen.

Ye Ran first met the back of Aleksandr in his inner robes with his blood soaked outer robed draped over a chair. He was busy pulling and tugging at a brown rope which was actually Xiao Pang as the ancient wood snake. Sweat flowed down his pale white skin as he transferred his energy into Ruo Chen.

Ye Ran was unable to see Ruo Chen due to the cloth around the bed and he felt himself becoming even more anxious and agitated. He wanted to demand answers from Aleksandr but he remembered Ruo Chen lecturing him on manners on the ride to the school and could only bite his lip in annoyance.

"Instructor, may I know of my friends conditions?" Ye Ran asked in a docile manner with his back slightly bent. He was used to putting on a front and this was child's play to him.

Being docile here might be the key to getting an answer straight away and Ye Ran gladly went with it if it meant getting what he wanted.

Aleksandr turned his head slightly and gave a sideward glance at Ye Ran as he recognised him as the friend who left without a word at the start of the hunt. He wanted to give Ye Ran a trashy remark but when he saw the genuine look of worry on his face, he sighed despite himself.

"This unlucky idiot got trapped in a forbidden area and had to do an all out blast. Unlucky as he is, his core is still intact so think however you want. Mu Yang suspects that there is a participant that want to do harm to your friend as the cave collapsed unnaturally with traces of human intervention at the site." Aleksandr summarised what Mu Yang had reported to him and pulled Xiao Pang away before placing him on the ground.

The snake was harmless and did more good than bad so Aleksandr willingly let it roam around.

Ye Ran felt that whatever was said was beyond his comprehension. Who dares to target him?! He felt enraged by this as he momentarily forgot that he had been reborn and that he has not made a name for himself yet.

Aleksandr expected this reaction and turned his head back to treat Ruo Chen.

"Can I help?" Ye Ran tried to say as calmly as possible but ultimately failed as it came out terribly forced.

"Calm down first, you might do something wrong." Aleksandr warned as he shot Ye Ran a glare.

Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?! Who are you to even order me!

Ye Ran furiously complained in his mind but he kept silent as he looked at Aleksandr with flames of fury in his eyes, the usual clear blue eyes now had the colour of dirty blood in it, making Ye Ran seem like he had gone mad. But he was able to calm down enough to realize that he was acting too rash and that he was not a lord yet so he swiftly left the room to cool down.

"This kid..." Aleksandr muttered as he stared at the leaving silhouette. He knew that something was off about the way Ye Ran was acting, sure it was right for him to be mad but he was emitting a killing intent so strong that it made him shiver. Also the change in the eyes made Aleksandr raise his brow.

He had no time to think about it as he returned his focus to bandaging Ruo Chen up. Aleksandr felt his hands shake as he thought of what Ruo Chen must have felt. If Ruo Chen did not do the attack, he would have died. If he used the attack and got his core shattered, he would be bound to live a terrible and poor life. For anyone and not just a child to make a decision like that, even Aleksandr felt that he would falter.

Aleksandr applauded Ruo Chen in his heart as he sent he finished the last of the bandages. 

Thankfully, Ruo Chen's face was not ruined by the attack and his hair was messy but still on his head. Aleksandr gave it a ruffle before turning to leave.

Ye Ran sat outside the room. He thought about why he got so angry, to the point where he almost lost his composure. He was always able to maintain his front before, so why now?

Is it because he is worth more to me than I am aware of? Ye Ran bit his lip as he realized that it might be the case. Although he sometimes found Ruo Chen to be annoying and stupid, it was also with him that he had many of his firsts. He had his first laugh, his first friend, his first shared meal, and just about everything you would do with another person.

Ye Ran found it hard to accept as it all felt so new to him. But was it really new? A few years have gone by since they were together and Ye Ran never lacked for warmth around Ruo Chen.

Footsteps came from behind and Ye Ran abruptly snapped out of his thoughts to see Aleksandr heading towards him with a face that revealed nothing.

"Your friend should heal in a day's time, trust in my skills." Aleksandr assured as he left without another word.

Ye Ran wanted to say thank you but found it stuck in his throat so he bowed instead. He then sped into the room and stood before the cloth covering his view of the person inside.

A few moments went by and Ye Ran continued staring at the cloth, unmoving. Slowly, he lifted his hand and parted the cloth...

***

"Students! The award ceremony shall begin!" The principal announced with a smile as the huge and energetic crowd erupted in cheers.