The pain in her neck persisted, but the sharper agony she had imagined never arrived. The sleeve that had trapped her paused, then suddenly began to tremble.

Ethan Clark's vision brightened, and she could once again see the sky above, sliced into countless pieces by blood-red threads. The blood threads binding her suddenly slackened and fell away, while the monster standing before her abruptly bent over—

"Ugh..."

Ethan Clark sat on the ground, staring blankly as the monster slowly crouched down and vomited a mouthful of blood onto the floor. Its arched back looked like protruding bone spurs, as if they might pierce through that thin layer of white clothing at any moment.

After the retching subsided, he was hoisted up by the blood threads, his long sleeves hanging at his sides. Ethan Clark felt as if he glanced at her, then, like a kite, quickly retreated into the shrine glowing with red light.

The blood threads still lingered around her, but the silent courtyard was now devoid of any sound—she was the only one left.

Shivering violently, Ethan Clark scrambled to her feet and staggered toward the only exit in the courtyard. The door was locked, and outside she could hear the calm voices of the two old women.

"It's quiet inside now. The clan god must have finished absorbing this round of 'evil.' Tomorrow, it will cocoon again."

"Yes, everything needed for the ritual is ready. Don't worry."

Ethan Clark's hand, just about to touch the door, trembled and withdrew. She finally snapped out of the shock of death and monsters, realizing that if she knocked on the door now, the two outside would ignore her—or even kill her.

She didn't know where this place was, but from everything she had seen and heard on the way here, she could tell this was a secretive and ancient place, a special existence with privileges. Killing her would be as easy for them as crushing an ant.

There was no way to escape, and this four-sided courtyard... Ethan Clark turned in panic to look at the marks on the ground and the gaping black rooms. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide in the rooms. If she waited until tomorrow, she would likely be found. They would either kill her or send her back to Yulin District Prison to await her original sentence.

At that moment, Ethan Clark suddenly thought of her younger sister. Her weak gaze and faltering steps grew firm once more.

"No, I can't die yet."

Dawn broke.

Ghost Month, the fifteenth day.

The full moon still hanging in the sky was tinged with red. Two white-haired clan women carried red lanterns and opened the courtyard gate, preparing, as always, for the clan god's rebirth ritual. But what greeted their eyes was not an empty courtyard, but the blood threads that had remained unchanged since last night.

"Bang—"

The red lantern tumbled to the ground and quickly caught fire. In the burning light, the two old women's faces turned stiff and pale. "How could this be!"

"Why hasn't the clan god begun to slumber yet?"

The three patches of blood in the courtyard were obvious; a single glance revealed them. But no matter what, they couldn't find the last trace.

"This is bad, something's wrong with the sacrifice this time!"

"How could such a mistake happen!"

"Hurry and have them send another sacrifice! We can't waste any more time!"

In their panic, the courtyard gate was closed again. No one knew how much time passed before it opened once more. Hiding in the dark gap beneath the corridor, Ethan Clark heard the sound of chaotic footsteps above her.

It seemed someone was tied up and placed in the corridor. The footsteps of those who delivered the person faded away, followed by a long silence.

Ethan Clark hugged herself tightly, curling up, eyes wide open, watching sunlight stream through the cracks in the corridor—and red liquid drip down through those same cracks.

"Drip, drip..."

Ethan Clark lay there until her whole body was stiff, finally moving her fingers in the long silence, trying to shift herself out of there. She carefully poked her head out from the gap beneath the corridor and saw the entire courtyard was empty. The blood threads had vanished, and the sunlight of what must have been three or four in the afternoon illuminated most of the courtyard. The ornate shrine at the center gleamed brilliantly in the sun.

If not for the patch of bloodstains nearby, she might have thought last night's nightmare was just a dream.

Suddenly, there was a noise at the gate. Ethan Clark quickly hid herself again, hearing several people enter the courtyard. Each one was silent, moving as quietly as possible. The two old women spoke in hushed voices:

"We must find that person!"

"She's already affected the clan god's cocooning. We can't let her disturb the clan god's rest any longer!"

"Move quickly. Even if the clan god has started to 'sleep,' we can't disturb it for too long."

"Clan women, what do we do if we find her?"

"Kill her."

These cold conversations took place right above her. Ethan Clark shuddered. The fear of being discovered and killed at any moment made her curl up even tighter in the gap. But she knew very well that the courtyard was only so big—she would be found soon.

Casting a desperate glance at the shrine, Ethan Clark had a wild thought—what if she hid inside there?

Chapter 4 03 Hiding