Chapter 63 Cherished

"YOYO is incredible—she's fought all the way without a scratch. She’s been hunting vampires since she was a child, her combat experience far surpasses mine, and she knows how to handle foes stronger than herself. As for me…" Ye Tang wrapped her arms around her knees, burying her face. "And my strength is down to less than forty percent. In just a few days, I haven’t even managed to recover half of it."

Du Bin understood how much she cared about her position. After all, the elders had chosen and groomed her since childhood. "Is the heir’s seat so important to you? Are you truly willing to give it up?"

"Even if I’m not, I can’t beat her. If she becomes the head of the Hunter Clan and leads our people to eliminate vampires, I would willingly follow her command. What I fear is..."

"That she’ll use the clan’s power for her own ends. You don’t trust her because her master is Wu Qiwei."

Ye Tang nodded, looking at him in the darkness, suddenly overwhelmed by an inexplicable feeling—her heart raced wildly.

"Don’t overthink it. Let fate decide." Caught in his gaze, Ye Tang grew flustered. Suddenly, scenes of Hu Guozheng and Shasha’s tangled emotions flashed through her mind. Slowly, she leaned her head on Du Bin’s shoulder, startling him.

They sat in silence for a long while. Eventually, exhaustion overtook Ye Tang, and she drifted into sleep. Du Bin watched her, smiling softly as she slumbered, a sweet warmth blooming in his chest until, unknowingly, he too succumbed to drowsiness.

The next morning, they woke a little embarrassed, but Du Bin excused it, blaming his injuries. On their way back to the hospital, Hu Guozheng called, inviting them to watch the Dragon Team’s match.

They took their seats in the audience, eyes fixed on the ring below where three members of the Dragon Team stood: Captain YOYO, and her teammates Bear and Shadow. Their opponents, the Four Saints Team, were Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.

This time, YOYO showed no intention of fighting. She glanced at Ye Tang seated in the stands, her lips curving into a smile before she turned and left.

The burly Bear stepped into the ring, clad in Western armor, every step shaking the ground. The Four Saints sent out the petite but lightning-fast Vermilion Bird—a stark contrast.

Vermilion Bird held back, intending to test his heavily built opponent with his speed. Bear strode to the center, quietly observing.

"This Bear is a power type. If I had to go against him, I’d be at a disadvantage," Hu Guozheng muttered. He, too, was a power type; it seemed they’d met their match.

"He looks formidable."

Seeing that Bear didn’t intend to attack, Vermilion Bird lost patience and launched an assault, his fist striking the armor. He expected to deal at least some damage, but Bear roared, and a surge of force sent him flying.

"You’re no match for me. Don’t waste time—why don’t the other three join in?"

"What an arrogant bastard!" Hu Guozheng grumbled.

Unable to bear the insult, the other three jumped into the ring. Together, they unleashed their powers at Bear, but he remained unscathed. At last, the four closed in.

This was what Bear had been waiting for. He raised both fists and slammed them into the ground with all his might. With every blow, a wave of force erupted, binding the four in place.

Each strike landed like a blow to their hearts. After a dozen or so, the four collapsed, utterly spent. Xiaoxue hurried forward to check on them, her face turning ashen.

"With all members of the Four Saints Team dead, the Dragon Team is victorious. Bear, the power-type ability user, overwhelmed his opponents, leaving them with no chance to retaliate."

After the match, the group left in silence. Du Bin knew the Dragon Team’s strength was far beyond their ability to handle. As Ye Tang had said the night before, even she couldn’t defeat YOYO. Even if Aunt Lan could win a round, either he or Hu Guozheng would lose—unless Ye Tang could secure a win herself, a two-to-one loss was inevitable.

That night, the results came out: the four finalist teams were their own, the Elite Alliance, the Heavenly Kings, and, to everyone’s surprise, their opponent five days hence was none other than the Dragon Team—the deadliest force in the death match arena.

"This has to be a joke!" Hu Guozheng stared in disbelief. After confirming it, he slumped over the table, defeated.

Du Bin glanced at Ye Tang, whose expression was complicated. "Tang, our purpose here is to face off with the Dragon Team. Nothing else matters. Meeting them in the semifinals is actually good for us. Even if we lose, we should do so with dignity."

"I’ve thought it through," Ye Tang replied. "I’m no longer fixated on becoming the heir. It’s become irrelevant to me. What I truly want is already beside me." She smiled, her words carrying a hidden meaning that left Du Bin utterly baffled.

Hu Guozheng, mid-sip of his mineral water, suddenly choked. With his tabloid instincts, he immediately caught Ye Tang’s implication. He shot a glance at the clueless Du Bin—damn, the guy looked utterly lost—and couldn’t help but sigh.

Zheng Shasha, her curiosity piqued, pressed, "Hey, what were you thinking just now?"

"I’ll tell you later, Shasha—promise you’ll be surprised." Hu Guozheng suddenly turned into a docile little pup, while the other two could only sweat in embarrassment.

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Wu Qiwei, wearing sunglasses and carrying a bouquet of orchids, entered Ye Lan’s room. "In a few days when the Hunter Team faces the Dragon Team, aside from you, none of them stand a chance."

"So what? If we lose, we lose. It’s not the end of the world." Ye Lan sat up, stretching lazily.

"As long as you lift that curse, I can arrange for those two to settle everything in a single match." Wu Qiwei crossed his legs, sitting across from her.

"No need. Even if I give up the heir’s seat, I won’t remove the curse. Aren’t you supposed to be a once-in-a-century genius? If you’re so capable, break it yourself."

"Heh. Breaking the curse isn’t the problem. The problem is I don’t know the key phrase you used—otherwise, I’d have undone it long ago."

Ye Lan smiled smugly, pushing aside her bangs. "Senior brother, thank you for remembering my love for orchids. Now, I need to rest. See you at the semifinals."

Wu Qiwei laughed as he left the hospital. Over the next five days, everyone seemed cheerful, as if they’d forgotten all about the looming match against the Dragon Team in the semifinals.