Chapter 60: Punishment
"Golden body? Power of wishes?" Ye Qing muttered under his breath.
Yang Guan must have noticed his puzzlement because he helpfully explained in a low voice, "Chu does not worship celestials or deities, which is why there are so few mountain gods or river gods or other deities in the realm. It is also why such statues are usually molded from clay or stone. Only a deity who received an official appointment from the court is allowed to forge a golden statue with true gold and absorb the power of wishes of the people to create a golden body."
"Our law clearly states that any deity who dares to forge a golden statue and steal the power of wishes without the court's approval would be condemned as a false deity. Their temples would be dismantled, their icons would be destroyed, and their three souls would be wiped out without mercy. Any and all accomplices would be imprisoned, exiled, or exterminated to the nine generations depending on the severity of their crimes."
"I see!" Ye Qing nodded in realization. Now he understood why Yan Yufei was so furious.
Suddenly, a muscle twitched in Ye Qing's forehead, and he shouted, "Move!" while pulling Yang Guan all the way to the entrance. At the same time, the General of Punishment abruptly opened his eyes and shone like a golden sun; bright and hot. If there was any doubt that the General of Punishment was a Stranger, there wasn't now.
"Who dares to disturb a god's slumber?"
An awe-inspiring, imposing voice boomed throughout the main hall.
"And who are you to call yourself a god, filthy heretic and insignificant Stranger?"
An equally potent and awe-inspiring aura gushed furiously out of Yan Yufei, billowing his sleeves and pushing back against the deity's. It felt like a pair of mini hurricanes were taking place in the main hall as the building shook ominously.
"You dare to insult me, mere mortal? You deserve death!"
The General of Punishment roared angrily as the head with a kind expression abruptly spun toward Yan Yufei and wore a vicious snarl. Then, he shot hot golden fire out of his eyes and swung all six of his weapons at Yan Yufei like a punisher intending to enact divine judgment on behalf of the heavens!
"Hmph! The winds of Man rage against the sycophant; forceful, unyielding, and all-encompassing!"
Unafraid, Yan Yufei chanted what sounded like a mantra and summoned a storm of wind out of seemingly nowhere. It was so powerful that it actually kept both the sea of flames and the General of Punishment himself from reaching him. The next moment, a furious downpour crashed down from the ceiling and extinguished the golden flames in no time!
"Ah, he's using his authority to borrow strength from the land and the people to bring forth the power of nature itself! He's probably stronger than a warrior equivalent!" Ye Qing commented with bright eyes.
Yan Yufei was undeniably powerful, and the fact that he could summon a storm powerful enough to extinguish the flames of a deity with just a simple mantra was impressive to say the least. However, it ultimately wasn't his own strength. Logically, a true General of Punishment—one who was officially acknowledged by the imperial court of Chu—would be more than a match for Yan Yufei. However, the General of Punishment in front of them wasn't a conferred deity. He was at best a Stranger who sneakily became a false deity behind Chu's back. He might look imposing and all-powerful, but his strength was only equal to that of a late-stage Qi Invoker. It was why the battle was completely one-sided in favor of Yan Yufei.
"Can Lord Yan win, Joyless?" Yang Guan asked worriedly while watching the ensuing battle.
"Of course. That General of Punishment is just a Red-class Stranger and not much better than even the likes of you. There is no way he can threaten the magistrate!" Ye Qing replied leisurely.
"I see!" Yang Guan responded but immediately rolled his eyes at Ye Qing. 'Not much better than the likes of you'? I'm plenty strong for a bailiff, okay!
"GRAH!"
The General of Punishment roared again and swung all six of his weapons at the storm keeping him away from Yan Yufei. The living statue was huge, and the weapons he wielded were just as big. As a result, the attack actually managed to cut through the furious storm billowing inside the main hall.
"The law of Chu states: no false deity shall receive the power of wishes!" Yan Yufei declared powerfully while a square seal floated above his head. It was none other than the magistrate seal of Anyang.
The seal was shaped like a square block because its owner governs all four directions of a territory. The owner was also responsible for all the people within the territory, which was why pictures of farmers and livestocks tilling the land were engraved to the horizontal sides of the seal. The seal was called the Seal of the Land or Seal of the People to signify that its owner bore the heavy responsibility of enriching the people and the land, and wielded absolute authority (within the post they were bestowed, of course) within their territory.
When Yan Yufei was finished speaking, the magistrate seal abruptly shone a brilliant golden light. It was an august, majestic light that was nothing like the superficial, impure amalgamation that the General of Punishment tried to intimidate them with earlier. It was as tall as the heavens, as thick as the earth, and as vast as the people themselves!
Like snow under a blazing hot sun, the General of Punishment started leaking black, smelly smoke when it was touched by the light. The warm, golden light that surrounded him also disappeared as if some unseen force was stripping it away bit by bit. Cracks began to appear all over its golden body as well.
"ARGH!"
The moment the General of Punishment was stripped of the power of wishes he stole, the strength of his aura began plummeting at a visible rate. His swings also became so weak that they failed to put even a dent on the golden light of the seal.
"The law of Chu states: a false deity who steals the power of wishes shall be crushed and exterminated!"
When Yan Yufei lowered his hand, the golden light morphed into countless chains and wrapped around the General of Punishment, immobilizing him. Then, a long sword abruptly appeared in the air. The sword had a blocky body and did not look like it was capable of cutting through anything at all, but the righteous power it gave off was a different story.
A gentleman was square [1], which was why the sword with a square blade was named the Gentleman's Sword. It was a sword the Son of Heavens bestowed to each and every official before they assumed a post. It was his wish that his servants would be a virtuous gentleman as square as the Gentleman's Sword!
"My lord, wait!"
Yan Yufei was about to behead the false deity when suddenly, Ye Qing shouted without warning. When he instinctively slowed down, Ye Qing seized the opportunity to leap over to the Stranger's head.
"Allow me!"
He landed a palm strike on the top of the Stranger's head and unleashed his power, shattering the General of Punishment into smithereens. Golden debris flew everywhere, and a thick dust cloud filled the main hall.
"Cough! Cough! Cough…"
For a time, everyone was covering their mouths and coughing violently. As a result, they did not notice Ye Qing swiping a dim golden heart from the floor and storing it in his Nature's Shell.
A long time later, when the golden dust cloud finally subsided, the main hall was in shambles, and everyone was covered in a sheen of literal gold. It was a golden day.
"Joyless, what were you…?"
Yan Yufei hadn't suffered as much as his subordinates thanks to his seal, but he was definitely confused by Ye Qing's final action.
Ye Qing wore an awkward smile as he scratched his head. "Sorry, sorry. This is the first time I met a General of Punishment, and I suddenly wanted to know how it feels to kill a deity—even if it's a fake. I guess I used a bit too much strength at the end though."
He wants to know how it feels to kill a deity? The fuck?
Almost everyone was wearing question marks on their faces, but Yang Guan was staring at Ye Qing with a half-smirk on his face. "You've been hiding this strength all this time, Joyless?"
Ye Qing replied humbly, "It's nothing. I'm just a lot stronger than you!"
Yang Guan: "..." Let's keep this civil, shall we?
Ye Qing ignored Yang Guan's reaction and turned to Yan Yufei. "Anyway, this isn't a simple murder case anymore, Lord Yan. Someone must be responsible for bringing the General of Punishment to life. You should investigate this thoroughly!"
Yan Yufei nodded. Honestly, Ye Qing's warning was unnecessary. There was no way a Stranger could hide within the Shing Wong statue and steal the people's power of wishes right under Anyang's nose without help. According to the law of Chu, cases like this must be investigated until every stone was turned, every culprit was apprehended or killed, and every loose end was tied. So, he ordered immediately, "Men! Round up everyone in the Shing Wong temple and other relevant people and bring them to the county hall for an interrogation immediately. Do not let anyone slip through your grasp!"
"At once!" Yan Feng and Yang Guan responded immediately.
It was at this moment a bailiff suddenly barged into the main hall and cried out in a panicked voice, "M-My lord! We have an incident!"
"What happened?" Yan Yufei asked.
"Chen Ling, Wei Gang, Yuanlang and the others! They… they're all dead!"
"What?! Lead the way!"
The bailiff quickly led the group to one part of the temple grounds. Everyone gasped in horror when they rounded a corner and saw the bodies on the ground.
No one here was unfamiliar with the dead, but dead people whose faces were perfectly blank like unfinished dolls? That was a different story entirely.
Yan Feng sucked in a deep breath before walking over to inspect the bodies and removing their identity tags. After a thorough inspection, he looked behind him and reported, "My lord, there are six victims in total. They are Bailiff Chen Ling, Wei Gang, and Ma Yuanlang; Common Bailiff Zhuang An, Yang Zhen and Tang Yang."
"I cannot find any wounds on their bodies whatsoever. The only thing they're missing… is their face. The cause of death is unknown!"
Yan Yufei accepted the identity tags from Yan Feng before staring at the other bailiffs with an ice cold expression. "What the hell happened here? Who killed them?"
No one seemed to have a clue. They were all exchanging helpless looks with each other.
"Besides the victims, was there anyone else at this part of the temple grounds?" Ye Qing asked after staring at the corpses.
"Y-Yes! The incense acolyte of Shing Wong temple was here!" A bailiff answered.
"The incense acolyte?" Yan Yufei repeated with stormy eyes. "Since the temple acolyte's body isn't here, it can only mean two things. Either he was kidnapped by the murderer… or he was the one who killed them."
Ye Qing's eyes flashed as he explained slowly, "Lord Yan, the mastermind behind the General of Punishment must be an abbot or a senior monk of the Shing Wong temple at the very least. Not only that, they must be able to take charge of the maintenance of the Shing Wong statue, or there is no way they could've hidden a statue within a statue. In this Shing Wong temple, the incense acolyte is the only one who fits the criteria, not to mention he went missing without a word and left six bodies in his wake. He has to be a prime suspect!"
"You are absolutely right!" Yan Yufei echoed in agreement. "Yan Feng, take some men with you and spread posters of the incense acolyte immediately. Let the people know that anyone who can provide a lead regarding his whereabouts will be rewarded handsomely!"
"At once!"
"Zhu Nan, you and everyone else will carry our deceased brothers back to the county hall. Be sure to give them a proper burial!"
"At once!"
Yan Yufei had just finished giving his orders and left the Shing Wong temple when a group of men approached him. They were clearly no ordinary people.
"What happened, Lord Yan?" A rugged-looking and muscular military officer in armor walked up to Yan Yufei and asked.
"Perfect timing, Vice Magistrate You. I want you to rally your men and remove this Shing Wong temple immediately!"
Yan Yufei explained seriously, "Someone in Anyang has the gall to forge a golden statue of the General of Punishment and hide it inside the Shing Wong's statue. Not only has the statue received enough power of wishes to become a false deity, it had already claimed more than a few innocent lives. It would've been a disaster if I hadn't chased a lead all the way to this place and found it!"
1. I understand a square person means old-fashioned and conventional in English, but in this case you should read it as honest and genuine
Chapter 61: Petty Schemes Galore
The vice magistrate flew into a rage when he heard this, "What!? Who was the culprit? How dare they!"
"I'm still looking into it, but I'm sure we'll find the culprit very soon. In the meantime, will you please rally the men and remove this Shing Wong temple immediately? The people must be made aware of the danger, and it'll serve as a warning to all criminals who might be harboring similar ideas!"
"As you command!" The vice magistrate saluted Yan Yufei before ordering, "Yi'an, rally the men and remove this Shing Wong temple immediately! Make haste!"
"Got it, brother-in-law!" The young man named Yi'an answered. He was none other than Tang Yi'an, the gate captain of Anyang.
"Tang Yi'an? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the gates?" Yan Yufei frowned the moment he noticed the gate captain.
"That's because I noticed an unusual disturbance in this direction earlier, my lord! I thought I should check it out just in case it was a Stranger attack!" Tang Yi'an responded in a righteous tone.
However, Yan Yufei let out a cold hmph and said, "You are the gate captain of Anyang. Your main responsibility is to guard the gates and prevent any malevolent souls from infiltrating the county. Unless we specifically called for you to come to our aid, you should leave the incidents within the county to us."
"Since you've come out of the goodness of your heart, I will not punish you for the crime of leaving your post without permission. But do not do it again, understand?"
"I'm sorry, my lord, I'm sorry. Please forgive me!" Tang Yi'an said hurriedly even as his expression darkened. He had been hoping to earn Yan Yufei's favor with this initiative, but instead it almost landed him in hot waters. His heart immediately boiled with resentment and hatred.
"Please forgive him, my lord. It is I who failed to teach him properly. When we get back, I'll be sure to brush up on his education!" The vice magistrate smiled awkwardly as he apologized on behalf of Tang Yi'an. He then turned back to the young man and chided in a stern tone, "What are you waiting for? Get back to the Shushou Gate already! I will hold you responsible if anything happened at the gates while you were gone! Now get lost!"
"Yes, my lord. I'll be returning to my post now!" Tang Yi'an replied and turned away, but right before he left he glared at Ye Qing with a hint of hatred and bloodthirst behind his eyes.
Yan Yufei's the one who raked you over the coals, and your own brother-in-law's who scolded you, so why is the idiot looking at me instead of them? Does he have a screw loose in his head? Ye Qing thought idly to himself. Tang Yi'an's action, while inconspicuous, hadn't escaped his notice thanks to his fine senses.
He paid the clown no heed though. He could beat a hundred Tang Yi'an should he ever grow the nerve to challenge him. The military officer on the other hand, now that was someone he needed to be wary of!
Yan Yufei had addressed the military officer as the vice magistrate, and Tang Yi'an his brother-in-law. He could only be the vice magistrate responsible for the military defense of Anyang, You Da!
You Da had a rugged appearance, but his vigor was thick and strong. Like a sun, he was blinding in the auric sense even from a long distance away. Ye Qing had no doubt that he was a powerful martial practitioner and a Vessel Augmentor at least. He couldn't tell if You Da was a middle-stage or late-stage Vessel Augmentor, but one thing for certain, his cultivation level was definitely stronger than his right now.
There was one more person of note besides You Da. He was another middle-aged man in his forties wearing a black, form-fitting outfit. He had long, straight eyebrows, and eyes that glittered like stars. His aura was as cold and biting as winter, and his face looked like it was carved out of stone, stiff and expressionless. Ye Qing might believe it if someone told him that the man wasn't really a human, but a heartless golem.
He's also a Vessel Augmentor, and not just any Vessel Augmentor either. He's even stronger than You Da!
At first glance, the middle-aged man's presence was weaker than You Da's. In reality, it was just withdrawn because he had full control over his power. To Ye Qing, his aura felt rounded, fully integrated, and unfathomable. This meant that he was actually much stronger than You Da.
"Lord Yan. Did you fight against the suspect earlier?" The middle-aged man asked suddenly.
"Well met, Chief Ling!" Yan Yufei turned toward him and nodded. "As to your question, the answer is both yes and no. I had fought against the General of Punishment—the golden statue that had grown some measure of sentience and transformed into a Stranger due to all the power of wishes it had received throughout the year. As for the mastermind behind this, I'm still in the middle of investigating!"
Chief Ling? He's probably the chief of the Pacification Bureau in Anyang, the "One Sword Autumn" Ling Jianqiu then. No wonder he gave me a dangerous feeling, Ye Qing thought while rubbing his chin.
The reason he came to Anyang was to massacre the Zheng Clan and take revenge for August Hill Village and himself. Naturally, he had made sure to investigate every faction, notable person, and any other variables in Anyang that might pose a concern to his mission, and Ling Jianqiu, the chief of the Pacification Bureau was one of them. To do any less was to court failure at best, or a fate-worse-than-death at worst.
Ling Jianqiu was the chief of the Pacification Bureau. Naturally, he had done some research on him.
It was at this moment the bailiffs carried their dead colleagues out of the Shing Wong temple. You Da's face darkened as he asked, "My lord?"
Yan Yufei sighed deeply. "I did not think that the mastermind would still be in the temple, and he was able to kill some of our brothers and escape while I was battling the General of Punishment!"
Ling Jianqiu interrupted, "You should've reported this case to my Pacification Bureau since it relates to Strangers, Lord Yan. We would have destroyed the false deity and captured the mastermind without suffering any casualties!"
"Because of your wilful actions, you have cost several bailiffs their lives and even alerted the mastermind. Now, it'll be far more difficult to capture the bastards!"
"Are you accusing me of incompetence, Chief Ling?" Yan Yufei asked coldly. He could stomach the first half of Ling Jianqiu's reprimand, but the second half was just a put-down through and through. The Pacification Bureau and the administration division were technically on the same level even though their functions were very different from one another. However, Ling Jianqiu had borne down on him arrogantly and accusingly like he was his superior. It was no wonder that Yan Yufei was displeased.
"You misunderstand me. I'm simply stating the facts as they are!" Ling Jianqiu replied as cool as ever.
Wow, this guy is exactly like the rumors said! Ye Qing narrowed his eyes a little. It was rumored that Ling Jianqiu was cold and heartless, cynical and insensitive, pitiless and strict and more. It would seem that the rumors were not unfounded.
"You want to talk about facts, don't you? Okay! I'll give you some facts" Yan Yufei retorted, "This was just a serial murder case at the beginning. We had no idea if a Stranger was actually behind the murders. It's only after we chased the clues to this place that we stumbled upon the Stranger, and by then we were already engaged in battle! We did not inform the Pacification Bureau in time not because we didn't want to, but because there was no time!"
"Second, could the Pacification Bureau really have done better than us? I could tell from my battle against the Stranger that it had been stealing the power of wishes for some time, and yet the Pacification Bureau had not noticed a thing until now. If I hadn't stumbled upon it by accident, a terrible tragedy would've befallen Anyang, and I don't need to tell you what would've happened to your Pacification Bureau if the emperor heard about this!"
"I haven't even begun to hold you responsible for your negligence, and you have the gall to criticize me, Chief Ling?"
Yan Yufei had mixed quite a bit of lies into his counter-accusation—for example, he was lying about not knowing that a Stranger might be behind the murder case at all—but it was so well-reasoned and intimidating that a lesser official might've caved under the pressure. Unfortunately, Ling Jianqiu was no lesser official. Expressionless as ever, he took the full brunt of the counter-accusation like it was nothing and said, "If a tragedy were to break out as a result of my negligence, then so be it. As the chief of the Pacification Bureau, I am willing to bear the sins and consequences that resulted from my mistakes. But just the same, there is no denying that you've committed a mistake today, one that you should take responsibility for."
"In any case, now that we know for certain that a Stranger is behind this, I would urge you to hand this case over to the Pacification Bureau immediately. The mastermind must be apprehended as soon as possible!"
Yan Yufei sneered. "Thanks but no thanks. Since Chief Ling insists that this matter is a mistake on my part, then allow me to make up for it by resolving this case! You do not need to interfere or worry over this, Chief Ling!"
"Men, let us depart!" Yan Yufei ordered curtly after that and left without even bothering to bid Ling Jianqiu goodbye.
"I need to go, Chief Ling. I'll see you later!" You Da also took his leave after saluting Ling Jianqiu.
When everyone was gone, a young woman behind Ling Jianqiu asked him, "Foster father, Lord Yan is the newly appointed magistrate of Anyang, and I am sure that his backing is considerable. Why did you butt heads with him instead of trying to foster a good relationship with him? Won't it make things difficult and impact the Pacification Bureau and the administrative division's future relationship?"
The young woman was about twenty years old and wearing a long, dark green dress. She had a beautiful countenance, a shapely figure, a gentle temperament, and a natural aura around her that was unique to a waterfront woman.
"I'm not targeting Yan Yufei. I just want to apprehend the Stranger as soon as possible. Strangers are cunning by nature. Every second we waste may result in the death of another person!" Ling Jianqiu replied evenly.
The young woman said gently, "Yun Yan understands that you just want to do right by the people of Anyang, but your temper is causing the opposite effect, foster father. Angering Lord Yan has only made it harder for us to take over this case!"
Ling Jianqiu asked coolly, "Has it though?"
Yun Yan thought for a second before blooming into a smile. "Oh, I get it. You had done it on purpose. You want Yan Yufei to do the investigation part for you so you don't have to!"
"It makes sense. The Pacification Bureau is busy with August Hill Village and quite undermanned right now. It is better to leave the investigation to Lord Yan and lend a hand only after he has found something!"
"I should've known better than to question your judgment, foster father!"
"You know me well, Yun Yan. It's a shame you cannot practice martial arts, or else…" A hint of rare sorrow appeared on Ling Jian's features but disappeared immediately after.
"You don't need to be sad, foster father. Yun Yan might be too frail to practice martial arts, but I am well read in a wide range of subjects. The pen can be mightier than the sword, am I right?" Yun Yan said kindly.
Ling Jianqiu let out a quiet sigh and patted her on the head affectionately. "I know. I just wish you could have a better life!"
Yun Yan shook her head with a bright smile on her face. "Yun Yan is happy with her life. Being able to keep you company and solve your troubles is good enough for me."
"You are a smart and sensible girl, Yun Yan. I am most happy to have you as well!" Ling Jianqiu smiled one last time before returning to his cold self. "How goes the investigation of August Hill Village?"
Yun Yan shook her head. "Nothing yet. Whatever happened to August Hill Village, it is stranger than anything we could imagine. Not only did the village vanish into thin air, the place where it used to be had transformed into a lake of blood. It has become a forbidden area that pollutes and dissolves anyone that gets close to it. As a result, we're unable to find any clues as of now."
"Was there any survivors or witnesses?"
"Unfortunately, no. Since the village itself had vanished into nothing, it's probably safe to say that none of the villagers had survived. It's the main reason we're still unable to determine what had happened."
Ling Jianqiu frowned deeply. "Regardless of the difficulties, we must find out what happened to August Hill Village as soon as possible. Is it a natural disaster, or is it a Stranger's doing? Is it a one-time thing, or will it spread to Anyang? We must know."
"I know!" Yun Yan nodded with a smile before bidding her foster father goodbye and taking her leave.
Chapter 62: Conspiracy
"The General of Punishment's Martial Courage, huh. It was worth the trip!"
After bidding Yan Yufei and the others goodbye, Ye Qing returned to Endless Horizons and sat on his chair. He then took out what looked like a golden rock from his Nature's Shell and examined it curiously.
The golden rock was none other than the golden heart he had swiped from the General of Punishment's shattered body. It was called the Martial Courage, and it was the coalescence of the people's worship and wishes.
Strangers who absorbed the people's worship and wishes to grow sentience and strength could usually be split into two types. A Stranger who had received permission and an official title from the imperial court was recognized as a deity, and one who hadn't was known as a false deity or a heretic deity. In any case, both types of Strangers needed the people's belief to forge a heart, their wishes to forge a gut, their worship to forge a body, and the Human Way to forge a soul. Only then would the golden body be complete, and the Stranger would become a true deity.
The Martial Courage was one small part of the General of Punishment's golden body. Since the Stranger hadn't been worshiped for long, it only managed to forge its heart—the Martial Courage—before it was destroyed.
"Wah wah wah! Something smells very nice…"
Ye Qing had only brought out the Martial Courage for a few seconds or so when suddenly, a childish voice entered his ears. The next moment, a young girl flew out of a book on the table and stared at the Martial Courage with saliva dripping down her mouth.
"What is this thing, friend? It smells incredible! Can I sniff it?"
"Sure, but you'll have to read an extra book for me tonight!" Ye Qing replied smilingly. Similar to delicious food, stuff like this was very enticing to Strangers.
It was at this moment Kung Fu Frog leaped out from somewhere and landed on the chair next to his and watched over Wawa with a doting look. Unlike Wawa, it didn't care for the Martial Courage at all. The scorn on its face was as clear as day.
"It's a deal, friend!" Wawa nodded happily and moved closer to the Martial Courage. She then stood on her tiptoes and took a long, intoxicating sniff.
A while later, Wawa asked dazedly, "Can I lick it, friend?"
"You can, but what happens next isn't my fault, okay?" Ye Qing agreed as the hint of a cunning smile crossed his lips.
Wawa was just a kid, so she let out a loud whoop, "You're a good friend, friend!" before giving the Martial Courage a lick. The second she finished, she immediately spat on the ground and grimaced like a bun. "Ugh… it's so bitter! It's so bitter Wawa can die! You lied to me, friend! You lied to me! Waaaaaaaah!"
The Book Sprite immediately started bawling. Ye Qing replied in an innocent tone, "Hey, you're the one who wanted to lick it. It's not my fault!"
"I don't care! It's your fault, you baddie, you liar, you bad, bad friend! Wawa doesn't care about you anymore!" She threw a fit before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Ye Qing shrugged. The bitterness Wawa tasted was of course, the taint that made up part of the Martial Courage. Because the General of Punishment was a fake deity, the Martial Courage it formed was nowhere as pure as the real thing.
Next, Ye Qing turned to Kung Fu Frog—the frog Stranger was drinking a jar of wine as usual—and grinned wickedly. "What about you, Brother Frog? Care to give it a lick?"
Kung Fu Frog merely croaked and rolled its large eyes. Do-you-think-I'm-stupid was the expression on its face.
"Never mind then!" Ye Qing shrugged again before putting the Martial Courage away. The reason he interrupted Yan Yufei and stole the heart earlier was because it was a key ingredient in creating the Incense of Worship, the Incense of Ghost Summoning and more. And of course, he had done it to earn some dragon-serpent runes as well.
The result was impressive. A single General of Punishment had netted him three silver dragon-serpent runes in total. That was incredible to say the least. He could finally begin cultivating his "Blood Shadow Divine Art" again!
"Without further ado, it's cultivation time…"
...
Creak… creak…
Bright, cold moonlight, peered through a window frame and illuminated a mostly empty room. It was simple, decrepit, and devoid of any furniture besides one long wooden table and five wooden stools.
The room was completely empty, but the furniture were surprisingly clean. So clean, in fact, it was as if someone was cleaning them everyday. However, this was a room in an ancient, abandoned house, so that couldn't be right…
Right?
Bang! Bang, bang! Bang, bang!
Suddenly, a stool in the house swayed back and forth without warning, its feet hitting the floor and making a crisp, banging noise each time. It was as if someone was sitting on the stool and shaking it on purpose.
"I heard you failed your mission, Faceless!"
A playful, childish voice resounded throughout the room, and the silhouette of a person abruptly appeared on the stool. It was almost as if they were there this whole time.
The person was a young girl with a pair of twintails. She looked to be eight or nine years old. However, her head was utterly rotten, and rotting meat and pus continuously dripped off her face and hit the floor, sizzling. They were most likely corrosive.
"Keep your rotting nose out of my business, Rotten Crown!"
A rickety, spindly man appeared on the stool opposite of the young girl. His face was a smooth marble devoid of any facial features whatsoever. He was none other than the incense acolyte who had murdered six bailiffs at the Shing Wong temple.
"Hehe, now you want us to stay out of your business? Who the hell do you think you are, Faceless?"
A sarcastic voice spoke next as a young man appeared on the stool at the farther end of the table. His posture was sloppy, and he was fanning himself without a care in the world. Countless terrifying, dark green eyeballs could be seen squeezing in and out of his face.
"Are you done living, Dark Eye?" Faceless asked in a cold, murderous tone.
"Enough. You can argue after Evergreen Ivy [1] has arrived!" A slow, raspy voice interrupted as an old man slowly sat down on the stool.
At first glance, the old man looked no different from an ordinary old man. However, a closer look would reveal that only half of his face was flesh and blood. The other half of his face was made of weeds, and his hair were really clumps of green grass!
"You're late, Old Grass!" Rotten Crown teased him while shaking her legs back and forth.
"I'm old. My legs aren't what they used to be!" The old man named Old Grass rasped.
"What happened, Faceless? How did the humans find out about the General of Punishment?"
A woman suddenly spoke from the main seat. Her voice was kind and gentle, but darkness surrounded her like a cloak of invisibility and masked her face completely. She was, of course, Evergreen Ivy.
Faceless, Dark Eye and Rotten Crown instinctively straightened their backs when they heard the voice. Faceless then answered in a dark tone, "I don't know what happened either. Earlier this noon, Yan Yufei suddenly showed up at the Shing Wong temple with a small force and searched the whole place. It was how he discovered that the General of Punishment was hiding inside the Shing Wong statue. He might even have found me if I hadn't acted quickly and escaped!"
"The General of Punishment probably killed one too many people as of late and drew suspicion. One thing led to another, and Yan Yufei realized that a Stranger was behind the murders!" Evergreen Ivy deduced gently. Despite Faceless' failure, she didn't sound angry at all.
Faceless abruptly slapped the wooden table and uttered in a cold, bloodthirsty voice, "Dammit! We were one step away from succeeding, and now we have to start all over from the beginning! The smartass bailiff who found out the truth better be ready for me. I'm going to make him wish he was dead as soon as I find out who he is!"
"Hehe, it's your fault for being careless!" Dark Eye taunted him from the other end of the table.
Face abruptly shot to his feet and uttered, "Do you want to die, Dark Eye?"
The other Stranger snarked back fearlessly. "What, are we not allowed to point out your mistakes?"
"I will—"
"Enough!"
Evergreen Ivy interrupted the duo before a full-blown brawl could break out, "Faceless, I will report your mistake to the Dark Lord as it is. Instead of regretting what could have been, we should come up with another plan to make up for it."
"Do you have a plan, Evergreen Ivy?" Old Grass asked.
"Something has happened to August Hill Village recently. The entire place suddenly up and disappeared into thin air, and the Pacification Bureau had to dispatch most of their personnel to investigate the incident. Suffice to say, they are severely undermanned right now. We can work on this, can't we?"
Old Grass nodded in agreement. "This is an excellent opportunity. Assuming that we come up with a good plan, the result may even surpass our initial expectations!"
"I'm glad that you agree. Now, let us discuss how best to utilize this opportunity to destroy Anyang!"
...
Some time later, Evergreen Ivy clapped her hands together and declared, "Now that the plan is set, let us fulfill our roles to the best of our abilities! Please remember to be careful, or you may face the wrath of the Dark Lord."
"She's talking about you, Faceless! You better not slip up another time, old man!" Dark Eye taunted and vanished into thin air.
"Be careful, Faceless…" Rotten Crown also ridiculed him.
When everyone was gone, Faceless was positively boiling with murderous rage as he slammed the table. "Who's the bastard who ruined my business? I swear I will rip them to a million pieces!"
"As for the rest of you… I swear I'll devour you all when the plan is complete!"
...
"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"
Inside his room, Ye Qing suddenly opened his eyes and sneezed a couple of times. When he recovered, he rubbed his nose and complained, "The bloody hell just happened? Did someone curse me or think of me or something?"
"Nah, I'm such a good boy. I'm sure it's just a beautiful woman or ten missing my handsome looks!"
Ye Qing rose to his feet and stretched a little. It was at this moment a naughty idea entered his mind. He unleashed his Blood Shadows and carefully sent them over to Wawa and Kung Fu Frog. Wawa was playing when suddenly, she sensed danger and let out a frightened scream. She immediately flew into a book and vanished. Kung Fu Frog abruptly opened its eyes and watched its surroundings warily. It stared at the invisible wisps of Blood Shadows and croaked a few times in warning.
"Hehe…"
Feeling much better after playing a joke on Wawa and Kung Fu Frog, Ye Qing withdrew his Blood Shadows and took a moment to perceive his newfound strength. He was very pleased when all was said and done.
Yesterday, he had used three silver dragon-serpent runes and improved the "Blood Shadow Divine Art" to a new level. His internal energy had grown tremendously, and the amount of Blood Shadows under his command had doubled to seventy-two.
In essence, his Blood Shadows were the coalescence of the Blood Shadow true qi and his vigor. Theoretically speaking, Blood Shadow Magic possessed limitless potential so long as the practitioner's true qi was strong, and their vigor was sufficient. That was the ideal the creator of the "Blood Shadow Divine Art" had in mind when he authored the cultivation art.
Unfortunately, a person only had so much time and energy. There were few warriors who could grow both elements at the same time, not to mention that the art of honing one's body was easy to grasp, but difficult to master. To put it simply, it consumed an insane amount of time and precious natural resources to hone one's body to the absolute pinnacle, and the end result, as far as most warriors were concerned, wasn't as good as the pinnacle of qi or spirit.
This was why most warriors focused on cultivating their true qi and spirit instead of their body, and why there were very few people in Blood Shadow Castle's history that converted all of their Blood Shadow True Qi into Blood Shadows.
According to the manual, a practitioner who successfully created thirty six Blood Shadows was considered to have reached the journeymen level, seventy two to reach the adept level, and one hundred and eight to achieve complete mastery. Add to the fact that the "Blood Shadow Divine Art" was just a Vessel Augmentation stage cultivation art, and Blood Shadow Magic was just a method to apply it offensively, there were very few practitioners who truly mastered Blood Shadow Magic.
According to the manual, Ye Qing had already reached the journeyman level of the magic art. He could stop creating more Blood Shadows now and just focus on augmenting his vessels.
Of course, Ye Qing disagreed with this opinion. It was because of the dragon-serpent runes. The gray dragon-serpent runes would increase his vigor, and the silver dragon-serpent runes his true qi. Knowing this, he knew there was every chance he could convert all of his Blood Shadow true qi into Blood Shadows and attain complete mastery of Blood Shadow Magic.
Not only that, his blood was capable of devouring energy. He was going to carry the "Blood Shadow Divine Art" to unprecedented heights.
His goal had always been to convert all of his Blood Shadow true qi into Blood Shadows. Seventy-two was just the beginning, and the end was, as the creator of the cultivation art had envisioned, theoretically endless.
"My internal energy is stronger than ever before, and I still have some leftover dragon-serpent energy in my body. Let's see if it's enough to get me all the way to the middle-stage of the Vessel Augmentation stage!" Ye Qing mumbled to himself before turning to Kung Fu Frog. "Please protect me while I cultivate, Brother Frog!"
He immediately dove back into his cultivation after that.
The passage of time was fickle when one was cultivating. What was a beautiful dawn quickly turned into an orange sunset.
Knock knock!
It was at this moment someone knocked on the doors of Endless Horizons.
1. reference to Devil's Ivy. I'm avoiding the term "devil" because if we're really going with that naming convention, then it should be Stranger's Ivy because Strangers are the greatest threat in this world
Chapter 63: Faceless
"Who is it?" Ye Qing opened his eyes and called out in response. He sounded a little puzzled.
"It's me, Boss Ye! It's Zhou Gui!" Zhou Gui's voice rang from outside the door.
"Zhou Gui? Why is he here at this time?" Ye Qing mumbled but rose to his feet. After heading downstairs and opening the door, he saw the owner of Coming Clouds beaming at him at his doorsteps.
"Good evening, Boss Zhou! Do you need anything?" Ye Qing asked smilingly while leaning against the door frame.
Zhou Gui lifted the package of food he was holding and said, "On the contrary, I'm the one who's come to help a man in need! You haven't left the bookstore the entire day, so I reckon that you must've been too busy with your cultivation to eat anything. That is why I brought you a jar of high quality Pear Blossom wine and squirrel fish for dinner!"
"That's very thoughtful of you! Now that you mentioned it, I am feeling hungry!" Ye Qing's eyes lit up as he waved Zhou Gui in. "Come in, Boss Zhou! Since you're already here, you might as well join me for a drink!"
"Sure!" The restaurant owner replied smilingly and followed Ye Qing into Endless Horizons. It wasn't long before the food and wine were placed on the table, and a delicious scent spread throughout the bookstore.
"Damn, that smells good!" Ye Qing sniffed the air and praised, "Your cooking skills are getting better and better, Boss Zhou!"
"Haha! I'm honored that my food is to your liking!" Zhou Gui chuckled and poured Ye Qing a cup of wine. "A toast to you, Boss Ye."
"Thank you!" Ye Qing accepted the cup before asking, "Oh right, how is Hui'er doing now, Boss Zhou? Has he recovered from his cold already?"
"He's much better. Thanks for your concern!" Boss Zhou replied smilingly.
"I'm glad to hear that," Ye Qing said with a smile before twisting his wrist. The next second, the cup flew straight toward Zhou Gui's head like an arrow!
A bewildered look flitted across Zhou Gui's face, but he caught the wine cup with two fingers right before it would hit his forehead. He then set down the cup and asked curiously, "Interesting. How did you know that I'm not Zhou Gui?"
Ye Qing replied casually, "Since the moment you started talking, really. It's true that Zhou Gui and I aren't close, but I've never told him that I'm a martial arts practitioner. In fact, I told everyone that I'm a wandering scholar looking to broaden my horizons in Anyang, and I haven't given them any reason to believe otherwise. If you really were Zhou Gui, why would you guess that I was cultivating?"
"But of course, it's just a guess. Zhou Gui is a restaurant owner, so he might've heard something from a loose mouth or two. That's why I decided to test you by asking how Zhou Gui's son is doing. You don't know this, but I visited Zhou Gui's place just yesterday. Hui'er was sick, but not because he caught a cold, but because he was infected by an Everhungry Worm. In fact, I'm the one who saved his life."
"In conclusion, you cannot be Zhou Gui. Who are you?"
"Haha! You're smarter than I thought. I suppose I should've known better to pay you a visit before conducting a proper investigation." The fake Zhou Gui's smile slowly morphed into a sneer. "Since this is our first meeting, allow me to introduce myself: I am Faceless, and I have come to kill you!"
Faceless was telling the truth. He was faceless, but he could take on anyone's face almost perfectly as long as he had seen it at least once. Earlier, he had taken on the face of a common bailiff and infiltrated the county hall. It was there he discovered that the person who discovered the General of Punishment and ruined their grand plan was a young man named Ye Qing and the current owner of Endless Horizons.
Enthralled by unspeakable hatred and anger, Faceless immediately traveled to Endless Horizons to kill Ye Qing. Unfortunately, Ye Qing spent the whole day in the bookstore doing god-knows-what and gave him no opportunities to knife him in a secluded back alley or something. He did not want to barge into Endless Horizons either because it would only escalate the situation unnecessarily and draw attention to himself.
Later, he was drinking his woes away at Coming Clouds when he accidentally overheard that the owner of the restaurant, Zhou Gui happened to be acquaintances with Ye Qing. After briefly interrogating the gossiper about their relationship—the gossiper himself had no idea that he was being interrogated, of course—he took on Zhou Gui's face and visited Ye Qing on the pretext of delivering him dinner. The rest was history.
Faceless had been stewing in hatred and anger since yesterday. The only way he could rid himself of these loathsome emotions was to kill Ye Qing. However, the young man was far more alert than he expected and saw through him before he could do anything.
He only had himself to blame, to be honest. He had acted recklessly and visited Ye Qing before he found out exactly how the young man and Zhou Gui were related. Otherwise, this could've gone a lot better.
"Faceless?" Ye Qing repeated the name with a frown. "I'm positive I have never met you until now, so why do you want to kill me, stranger?"
"Hehe! It's because you ruined our grand plan, of course!" Faceless let out a dark and violent laugh.
"Grand plan?" Ye Qing thought for a second before clapping his hands. "Oh, you're talking about the General of Punishment? That's right! I'm the one who dunnit!"
"Not even going to try to deny it, huh? Do you know that we were one step away from completing our plan? Do you know how many years of hard work were wasted because of your actions? You deserve to die, boy!" Faceless uttered through gritted teeth as his eyes turned bloodshot.
His group had infiltrated Anyang and secretly forged the General of Punishment within the Shing Wong statue. Once the false deity's golden body was complete, he would take control of the people of Anyang through the power of wishes he stole and drive them into a frenzy, throwing the entire county into turmoil. When that happened, Anyang would fall completely under the Strangers' control.
Their plan had progressed smoothly until the final step. The General of Punishment needed to kill forty-nine humans to complete his golden body, and he must not be discovered until he was ready to enact the plan. That was why they had gone through great lengths to ensure that the General of Punishment only killed ordinary people. They also made sure to select targets who were completely unrelated to one another so that the administration division or the Pacification Bureau could not make the connection.
The group had believed that their cover-up was perfect, and that the final step of their plan would go just as smoothly as the rest. Instead, a nobody had led the magistrate straight to the Shing Wong temple and ruined everything. How could Faceless stay calm knowing this? He was so angry his face was contorted. He was so angry he wanted to rip a certain piece of shit into shreds!
"Wow! It's that serious?" Ye Qing scratched his head and broke into a wide grin. "I'm so glad to hear that!"
"DIE!" Faceless roared as his facial features abruptly vanished one by one. When they were all gone, a cold, evil energy permeated the room and attempted to invade Ye Qing's body. The young man could clearly sense some sort of evil power infiltrating his body and attempting to erase both his facial features and his mind completely.
"You're that incense acolyte who killed the six bailiffs? A Malice-class Stranger?" Ye Qing immediately put two and two together.
"You're really quick-witted. It's too bad you figured out the truth too late!" Faceless laughed darkly. He thought he would savor the young man's final expression before he died, but his laughter was abruptly cut short when a few seconds passed, and he realized that the young man wasn't losing his facial features or his life. In fact, he was smirking at him like he was looking down on an idiot!
"You're a Vessel Augmentor?!" Faceless exclaimed in shock and realization. His ability corrupted any warrior or Stranger who was below his power level, a.k.a the Malice class or the Vessel Augmentation stage. Their facial features would be erased, and their soul would disintegrate into nothing. Since Ye Qing was fine, it could only mean he was on the same level as him or higher, or he possessed some sort of Strange Artifact that shielded him from his ability!
"Why don't you guess?" Ye Qing said smilingly and moved his fingers like he was playing a string instrument. The next moment, a few throwing knives shot toward Faceless like thunder.
"This is nothing!" Faceless sneered and grabbed the air. An invisible force twisted the air until it exploded and knocked all of the throwing knives away.
Suddenly, Faceless disappeared and reappeared next to Ye Qing. He then swung his boneless arms at the young man's head like a whip.
Crack!
The air cracked, and Ye Qing shattered into smithereens. However, Faceless wasn't happy in the slightest. It was because the person he just "killed" was just an illusion.
The Stranger proceeded to show off an inhuman level of flexibility by twisting his upper body and only his upper one hundred and eighty degrees around and facing Ye Qing, who had somehow gotten behind his back without him noticing. He launched a palm strike at the young man's torso, but the young man suddenly floated like a feather that was being pushed by the wind. He was able to dodge the deadly attack with just milimeters to spare.
"Argh! Die, die, die, die, die!"
Faceless tried to attack Ye Qing a couple more times but missed all of his attacks. Losing his cool, he let out a dark, twisted growl that sounded like a hundred ghosts screeching at the same time and unleashed a deadly claw technique. The growl possessed a mind-bending quality, and the claw-shaped hands moved so fast it seemed impossible that Ye Qing, standing right in front of Faceless, would not be cut into a million pieces.
And yet he wasn't. No matter how rapid the attacks came, they could not harm even the fabric of his shirt. It was like Ye Qing was a gust of air that could make minute adjustments and avoid the storm of claws blowing his way by a hair's breadth. He wasn't a celestial, but he certainly looked like one right now.
"You've made me angry, human! You won't like it when I'm angry!"
Faceless let out a full-throated roar as his smooth, marble face abruptly split open from the forehead all the way to his chin. Then, pitch black light shone out of the gap and enveloped everything within the bookstore.
It was as black as tar and as thick as ink. Whatever it touched immediately transformed into strange monsters as if they were corrupted by its power. The tables and chairs grew giant mouths with rows and rows of sharp teeth. They kept grinding their teeth together to make this screeching noise that was both shrill and uncomfortable. The wine glasses grew long, oddly-shaped arms that were covered in thorns, the books grew eyeballs that were overflowing with malice, madness and rage, and the pests grew impossibly huge noses that dripped smelly, poisonous liquid and more.
The next moment, everything that was corrupted by the black light charged toward Ye Qing at the same time.
"How unsightly!" Ye Qing shook his head in disgust and started charging the Toad Force. Five loud croaks later, when his strength, qi and spirit had joined into one, and his aura grew so powerful that it was almost tangible, he unleashed a punch that shattered every creature charging toward him and scattered the pitch black light in an instant.
"Argh!"
Faceless let out a painful howl the second the unnatural light was dispersed. Blood started leaking through the gap on his face.
The Stranger did not hesitate. He immediately made a run for the exit.
"You think you can escape?"
Ye Qing squinted a little and made a grabbing motion in Faceless' direction. The Blood Shadows that had been lurking throughout the bookstore all this time immediately slipped into Faceless' body.
"ARGH!"
Faceless let out a louder scream as countless lines abruptly cut into his body. Each line ran so deep that his bones were exposed, and blood poured profusely on the ground. The lines had even cut off half of his face.
That wasn't what stunned him the most, however. He could feel something devouring his blood at a terrifying pace. At this rate, he was going to turn into a withered husk in two or three breaths at most!
"Ye Qing… I won't forget this!"
Faceless did not dare to treat the life-threatening danger lightly. He roared one last time before transforming into a beam of light, crashing out of a window, and vanishing from view.
Chapter 64: Old Grass
"Is that it? I was expecting a bigger challenge!"
Ye Qing raised an eyebrow as he stared at the broken window where Faceless had escaped from.
One of the main reasons he had bested Faceless so easily was because he had entered the middle-stage of the Vessel Augmentation stage, augmenting another four Standard Meridians, two Extraordinary Meridians, and one hundred and eight points all in one day. A middle-stage Vessel Augmentor's internal energy was much stronger than an early-stage's, not to mention that he had reached the adept level in the "Blood Shadow Divine Art".
Admittedly, it would've taken him much more effort to defeat Faceless if he hadn't made these breakthroughs. He still would've won, but he certainly could not have gotten away without any injuries either. The fact that his enemy still managed to escape despite his overwhelming dominance was proof that Faceless was a formidable foe. In general, a Stranger's resilience, abilities, talent, magic and more were just far, far greater than a human's.
Of course, just because he failed to kill Faceless now didn't mean he wasn't going to kill him later. From the start, Ye Qing had never intended to let the Stranger live. A Malice-class Stranger who wanted him dead and possessed the ability to look like anyone he wanted was just too great a threat to let go. If he did not kill him as soon as possible, it was only a matter of time before he or the people he cared about fell in danger!
"I already told him this, but did he really think he could escape me?" Ye Qing sneered while sucking in a deep breath to quell his blood. As usual, it had grown a tad restless after consuming Faceless' fresh blood. Once he was ready, he dashed out to the streets, pinpointed the direction Faceless was heading, and leaped onto the roof. Then, he chased after the Stranger as fast as the wind.
He had left a wisp of Blood Shadow in Faceless' body earlier. That was how he knew that he was able to identify Faceless' current location. Of course, the Blood Shadow could only last so long away from him, so he had to catch up to his quarry as soon as possible.
It didn't take long before Ye Qing found him. However, the Stranger had taken on a new face and even changed his clothes. Wearing an ordinary-looking face and ordinary clothes, he looked no different from an ordinary pedestrian right now. He calmly walked along the street while hiding himself amidst a throng of people.
Ye Qing was impressed. If he couldn't sense the Blood Shadow in Faceless' body or erratic fluctuations of his aura, he would never suspect that the ordinary pedestrian was the Stranger he was looking for.
Faceless' acting was sublime. Occasionally, he would pause in front of a stall and pretend to be interested in a certain item when he was scanning his surroundings and checking if Ye Qing had caught up to him. Once he was sure Ye Qing wasn't around, he would leave the stall and continue to creep along the street toward somewhere. His caution was commendable, but it was pointless because he never discovered the shadow hiding in the rooftops and following closely like a ghost. Like a clown, all he achieved was to create more comedic material for Ye Qing to laugh at.
Many twists, turns, and streets later, Faceless arrived at an ordinary peasant household and leaped over the wall. This was Ye Qing's cue to give chase, but instead he remained where he was with a smirk on his face. Ye Qing was going to lose track of the Stranger at this rate, but for some reason he didn't seem worried in the slightest.
Five or six breaths later, Faceless leaped back onto the streets and sighed, "Good. It looks like I've really shaken him off!"
Then, he leaped into the tofu shop directly opposite of the peasant household.
"I knew he was trying to trick me!" Ye Qing said with a cold chuckle. No amount of precaution was too much against a foe like him, and he had to admit that Faceless would've gotten him if he was less smart than he was.
There was also another reason he hadn't killed Faceless yet. For one, he looked like he was heading somewhere. The Stranger had also used the word "we" and "us" time and again during their conversation earlier, meaning that he had a group behind his back. Chances were, he was going to his companions to get help. Knowing this, why would he kill Faceless now when he could annihilate the whole group in one fell swoop? Even if the enemy turned out to be too numerous or powerful for him to destroy singlehandedly, he would still learn exactly who he was dealing with.
Ye Qing pushed off the roof and landed on a tree beside the courtyard of the tofu shop. He didn't make the slightest noise.
As if on cue, he heard an old voice calling out from inside the house, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Old Grass!" Faceless replied.
"Faceless? Cough cough! Come in!" Old Grass coughed once and opened the door. Faceless immediately slipped inside the house.
"Why have you come at this time, Faceless? Did you need something from me?"
It was at this moment Old Grass noticed Faceless' injuries and exclaimed in astonishment, "You're hurt! What happened?"
Faceless coughed a little and accidentally ripped a wound on his neck. The wound looked shallow from the outside, but in reality it had nearly beheaded him. His neck was barely kept together by a thin stretch of flesh.
A human being would've died a long time ago if they sustained such an injury. But for Faceless, it was just a serious injury he could recover from.
"That is no minor injury, Faceless. What on earth happened to you?" Old Grass blanched when he noticed the neck wound.
"It's a mess is what. I almost didn't make it back alive!" Faceless sighed. "You know I've been looking into the culprit who ruined our plans, right?"
"Did you find them?" Old Grass asked.
"I did. He's the owner of a bookstore called Endless Horizons. His name is Ye Qing, and he's a youngster around eighteen or nineteen years old."
"Eighteen? He should be a breeze to deal with then! But how did you sustain such severe injuries?"
"The guy's the one who did it!" Faceless uttered through gritted teeth. "He looks young, but his power is something else. Not only is he a middle-stage Vessel Augmentor, he practices a strange art that allows him to control invisible forces and absorb someone's blood. He somehow beat my innate magic, Light of the Black Fiends, sucked my blood dry and almost beheaded me!"
"No wonder you look so weak!" Old Grass said slowly, "That youngster must be the pretigious disciple of a major clan or a sect who's out to broaden his horizons!"
"Hmph! I don't care who he is, I swear I will pay back everything he's done to me ten times over and swallow him alive!" Faceless uttered with a vicious, bloodthirsty snarl. However, Old Grass disagreed.
"If the young man is as strong as you say, then it's best if you avoid him completely. The missions Evergreen Ivy has given us should be our first priority above all else. Once Anyang is destroyed, you can toy with him however you like!"
"Unacceptable! I must rip him to shreds first before I can focus on anything else!"
Old Grass's expression turned cold. "Do not forget why we're here, Faceless. I will take action if you fail your mission again, understand?"
"... Fine. That lucky bastard. I suppose he can live a while longer!"
Faceless looked disgruntled, but his fear of Old Grass seemed to win out over his anger at Ye Qing. He nodded and put a lit on his emotions, but a new thought almost shattered his composure the next moment. "Shit! I'll never hear the end of it if Dark Eye and Rotten Crown learn that I allowed the bastard who nearly killed me to go scot free, if only for a moment!"
"So? Would you rather fight that young man now and die for certain, especially since he's aware of most of your abilities?" Old Grass shook his head. "Just treat this as a valuable lesson and learn from your mistakes. In the future, don't let your recklessness lead you by the nose again!"
"Now then, let us see to your wounds, shall we?"
"Yeah. Sorry for the trouble, Old Grass!" Faceless apologized in a grim tone.
Old Grass plucked two strands of hair from his head. They immediately transformed into a pair of grass that he placed on Faceless' neck. As soon as they had taken root, the grasses immediately withered at an accelerated rate while Faceless' neck wound healed slowly. The Stranger was fully healed by the time the two grasses had decayed into dust.
"It's done!" Old Grass declared in a slightly weary tone. "Just rest for a few days, and you should be back to full health. Do try to be more careful in the future, okay?"
"I know!" Faceless replied uncaring while twisting his neck tentatively.
Suddenly, the two Strangers grew quiet, and a gentle breeze stirred the air. The next moment, yellow grass sprouted in the courtyard, the walls, and even the tree just outside the tofu shop. They painted a cold, bleak picture in the evening as they swayed lightly in the wind.
A few seconds later, the yellow grass gradually withered and disappeared. Faceless could be heard saying,
"You're way too cautious, Old Grass. There's no one who can elude both of our senses."
"Better to be safe than sorry. We cannot afford to screw up again, Faceless."
"I get it. I promise you that everything will be smooth-sailing from here!"
...
"That was too close!" Ye Qing wiped some sweat off his forehead while hiding on the peasant household's rooftop. A second before Old Grass had suddenly covered the courtyard with grass, he had sensed something amiss and ran away. If he was even half a second slower, the Stranger named Old Grass might have discovered him. Some Strangers' ability and magic were just incredibly difficult to guard against!
"They said they were going to destroy Anyang. What on earth are they planning?"
Ye Qing flipped over to the other side of the roof and lay down on his back. Staring at the pitch black sky above his head, he muttered, "The group is bigger than I expected as well. Evergreen Ivy, Rotten Crown and Dark Eye? That's at least five Strangers plotting to destroy Anyang, and who knows if there are more Strangersbehind this conspiracy?"
"Should I try and thin their numbers now?" Ye Qing thought for a moment but let out a sigh in the end. "Nah, it's too risky!"
Old Grass was obviously a Malice-class Stranger, and he was clearly much stronger than Faceless. Even with his new power, he wasn't absolutely certain that he could defeat him for sure. Besides that, there were a lot more members in this group than he expected. If he failed to kill Old Grass and Faceless in one hit, they would almost certainly escape and know that he was onto them. That could only end poorly for him.
Thirdly, it sounded like the group of Strangers was plotting something big enough to destroy the entire county. It was one thing if he hadn't heard about the conspiracy, but since he had, he couldn't just do nothing and live his life as usual. Until he learned the specifics of this plan and confirmed the number of Strangers who were hiding in Anyang, it would be wise to avoid alerting the enemy prematurely.
"Should I tell Yan Yufei or the Pacification Bureau about this?" Ye Qing toyed with the idea for a bit before shaking his head. Again, he didn't want to alert the enemy. The Pacification Bureau currently lacked the manpower to carry out any sort of operation, whereas the administrative division lacked the ability. If he informed any one of them, they would be forced to take action no matter how unprepared they were. That would lead to the Strangers being more careful with their plan and make it harder to stop them.
That was why Ye Qing thought it would be better to lie low while the advantage of surprise was still in his court. Only after he had discovered the specifics of their plan and identified every Stranger who was involved in this conspiracy could he eliminate them in one fell swoop.
"Alright then. Let's do this!" Ye Qing declared with a smile before leaping into the air and vanishing into the night.
Chapter 65: A Good Day To Kill
"Captain, the guy you told us to monitor just left the county!"
It was very early in the morning. Dawn had just broken, and the sky was still dark like a woman who was just opening her eyes to greet her first ray of sunlight. In a luxurious house, Tang Yi'an had just risen from bed when a soldier entered his bedroom and gave his report.
"Is it Ye Qing?!" Whatever sleepiness still clinging to Tang Yi'an's consciousness was blown away immediately.
"That's right!" The soldier answered.
"Good, good!" Tang Yi'an's eyes shone brightly as he waved the soldiers away. His expression was riddled with anger and hatred as he uttered, "I may not be able to do anything to you inside the county, but outside? You only have yourself to blame, Ye Qing!"
Tang Yi'an summoned an aide to his side and handed him a letter. He said, "Take this to Yan Tieyi. He'll know what to do!"
"At once!" His aide nodded and left the room.
Tang Yi'an turned to look at the increasingly blue sky outside the window as a sinister smile flitted across his features. "Looks like it's going to be a sunny day today. It's the perfect time to take a life, hahaha…"
…
"Looks like it's going to be a sunny day today. It's the perfect time to farm some free experience, hahaha!"
Ye Qing was currently riding his donkey down a marked road in the outskirts of Anyang. He was sipping some wine and looking very pleased with today's activities.
While the Stranger conspiracy was still sitting in his chest like a mountain, a man needed to know when to stop brooding over things they couldn't change and focus on living the present. And if the matter proved to be more disturbing than expected, there was always alcohol to drink away one's worries!
Plus, harvesting dragon-serpent runes and improving his strength would make his inevitable battle against Faceless and the other Strangers a lot easier. Should the worst happen, and he failed to stop the Strangers from destroying Anyang, he would be strong enough to keep himself alive at least.
In this world, the only way to live was to become strong, and the only way to become strong was to farm experience!
On a related note, Ye Qing had visited Qiao Six before leaving the county. He wanted to know if there were Bloodsucking Mosquitoes near Anyang. Unfortunately, the answer was no. There used to be a lot of Bloodsucking Mosquitoes around Anyang, but the Pacification Bureau had cleared them out due to how harmful they were. Therefore, Ye Qing had no choice but to set his sights on the Soundless Bugs of Soundless Gorge. They might not be his first choice, but lean meat was still meat. It wouldn't satisfy him, but it would at least sate his urges!
Over two hours later, Ye Qing finally arrived at the Soundless Gorge. Just like the first time he was here, the narrow gap that looked like a line reaching toward the heavens was completely silent. He did not hesitate. He leaped off the donkey's back and landed right in the middle of the gorge.
Thud!
He could've landed without a sound, but the point was to draw the Soundless Bugs toward him. It worked wonderfully. Not a second too soon, countless bugs crawled out from the rocks, the soil, the cracks and more and swarmed him from every direction.
"Come to daddy, my experience!"
Ye Qing grinned widely and charged toward them. Most warriors would've fled at the sight of the sea of Soundless Bugs, but Ye Qing cheerfully greeted them by stomping his right foot.
Rumble!
A white shockwave spread out from Ye Qing and washed over an entire area. Every Soundless Bug that was hit by the shockwave immediately exploded into a shower of blood and gore.
The shockwave took out over half of the tide just like that, but the noise and the blood only angered the Soundless Bugs even more. More Soundless Bugs crawled out from the sides and met up with their fellow Strangers before charging Ye Qing again.
"There were so many of you? Fantastic!" exclaimed Ye Qing in pleasant surprise. It would seem that his initial assumption was wrong. He thought that there were only a couple thousand Soundless Bugs in Soundless Gorge, but now, he realized that the main bulk was simply hiding somewhere out of view.
Pop!
He closed his right fist lightly and caused a small pop in the air, conjuring wisps of dark red Blood Shadows from his hand. The bug tide closest to him immediately exploded into blood and gore. The blood did not seep into the ground, however. Instead, they floated into the air and formed a literal river of blood.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to Ye Qing. Since my Blood Shadow Magic inherited my blood's power to consume, absorb, and attract blood, it makes sense that I should be able to control these blood as well, right?
He decided to put his theory to the test immediately. He closed his fist again and caused the river of blood to writhe unnaturally. A few seconds later, it abruptly transformed into a giant blood hand that smashed down on the Soundless Bugs below and flattened them like pancakes. That wasn't all. Ye Qing proceeded to extract some blood from the giant blood hand and conjured other things such as blood animals, blood weapons, blood mists and more. Regardless of the shape, the outcome was always the same: a massive amount of Soundless Bugs was crushed into bits, and their blood was subsumed by the blood he was controlling.
"It does work!"
Of course, he was really just controlling the blood using Blood Shadow Magic. In essence, it was Blood Shadow Magic. It looked intimidating, but it wasn't all that useful in combat.
"What if I do it like this?"
He concentrated his mind, and countless Soundless Bugs suddenly exploded without warning, but this time it wasn't because the Blood Shadows had infiltrated their bodies. He had simply infected the Soundless Bugs with his true qi, took control of their blood and exploded their bodies from within!
"Good, good!" Ye Qing said with deep satisfaction. The idea had occurred to him after combining his Blood Shadow Magic and his blood's ability to devour. Now, he had a new way to handle his enemies.
A warrior's body and vigor was the foundation of their martial arts. If either one of the two elements were affected, their ability to fight would be greatly impacted. Ideally, they wouldn't be able to output even one-tenth of their usual strength.
This was why his newfound method of applying his Blood Shadow was fantastic. If he was fighting against a formidable foe, he could infect them with Blood Shadow Magic and disrupt their body and vigor, destabilizing their internal balance or even forcing a deadly rebound. It might only last a few seconds at best—a powerful warrior or Stranger could probably contain, expel or crush the Blood Shadows inside them very quickly—but that lull between their movements was something he could use to deal a severe blow to his enemy or kill them outright.
As for those who were weaker than him, he could cause a rebound with a single thought. He might even be able to destroy their blood vessels, points and even their bodies from within.
"This is wonderful!" Ye Qing declared with bright eyes before dispersing the Blood Shadows in the air. Without the invisible entities to hold them in place, the river of blood fell from the sky and splashed loudly on the ground. The reason he hadn't just absorbed the Soundless Bugs' blood was because he wasn't sure if it was poisonous. Yesterday, it had taken him the whole night to subsume Faceless' blood fully. While the benefits were considerable—both his vigor and his cultivation level had advanced tremendously after he was done—he wasn't so conceited as to attempt this in the middle of a fight.
Ultimately, Stranger blood was very different from human blood. It would be folly to absorb them willy-nilly!
"It's time to practice!"
Ye Qing immediately commanded Blood Shadows to infect the Soundless Bugs. Then, he closed his eyes a little. At that moment, he could clearly feel the blood flowing inside the Soundless Bugs' bodies like his own. He could even manipulate them however he pleased with a single thought.
"Boom!" He said with a grin. An entire swathe of Soundless Bugs froze in their tracks and exploded just like that. It was like a firework of blood and gore!
...
"Phew…"
Half an incense stick later, Ye Qing stood alone in the middle of the meat grinder that was Soundless Gorge. Not one drop of blood had managed to stain his clothes despite the gruesome battle—no, massacre he just wrought. He let out a refreshing sigh while taking out the Annon Sutra to check his rewards.
"So, I've gotten six silver dragon-serpent runes and ten gray dragon-serpent runes from these bugs. Not bad at all!" He would save one or two silver dragon-serpent runes for emergencies, but the remainder was still enough to improve his strength considerably.
By now, he had figured out that one silver rune was worth a little over one thousand plus gray runes. Moreover, the stronger the Stranger he killed, the greater the quality and quantity of the runes he received.
Generally speaking, Mundane and Red-class Strangers only gave him gray dragon-serpent runes. However, Malice-class Strangers or higher might give him silver dragon-serpent runes. If the Stranger he killed was both rare and powerful, then he would receive even more dragon-serpent runes. The General of Punishment was one such example. The Annon Sutra had generously paid him three silver dragon-serpent runes for his efforts.
That said, he needed to kill more powerful Strangers to verify if his theory was true. After all, the General of Punishment was the only Malice-class Stranger he had ever killed. It was possible he was wrong even though he personally believed it to be very unlikely.
"It's time to head back to the bookstore."
He was done farming experience, but he still needed to convert those experience to actual power. There would be no point otherwise. And so Ye Qing left the Soundless Gorge and whistled. It wasn't long before a gray donkey galloped over from a distance.
Something was off, however. His donkey was hee-hawing loudly and frantically as if it was in danger. It also carried some deep wounds on its torso.
"I told you we would find the boy as long as we follow the donkey!" An arrogant voice resounded.
"Good job, Scholar. You really are a clever man!"
Three men slowly emerged from the distance. The first person of the group carried a folding fan and looked to be in his thirties. However, his complexion was haggard, his body was thin and bones, and he looked so ill a gentle breeze might be enough to topple him over.
The second person of the group was tall, huge and muscular. His hands were as big as a dustpan, his face was as black as coal, and a thick, fiendish aura could be seen circling around his person. He also wore a vicious grin on his face.
The third and last person of the group was a short but muscular monk. He had three dots on his head, and he wore a monastic robe that covered only half of his body. His bronze skin looked healthy and extremely tough to penetrate. His vigor was strong, and the earth shook every time he took a step. He felt more like a brutish beast than a man.
Once the trio had reached Ye Qing, the one with a coal-like complexion barked harshly, "Are you Ye Qing?"
"It is I. What business do you have with me?" Ye Qing asked with a small frown. It was obvious that these men weren't here for a friendly chat, but he was certain that he didn't know them, much less antagonized them in the past. So why had they come all the way to kill him?
"It's him alright!" The coal-faced man let out a sinister laugh. "My name is Shi Jiang, and people call me the Blackfaced God. His name is Tao Xian, and people call him the Sick Scholar. The monk's Dharma name is Jie Chen [1], but he is known as the Rash Vajrapani in the jianghu!"
"As for why we're here, we've come to kill you, of course!"
"You guys sure know how to choose a moniker. Anyone can tell that you are bad, bad people!" Ye Qing shrugged before voicing his doubts, "I don't doubt that you've come to kill me, but why? I'm pretty sure I don't know you people."
"He's got a silver tongue, doesn't he? There's nothing more I love than breaking mouthy idiots like you!" Shi Jiang cracked his knuckles and sneered.
"Why are you wasting words with a dead man? Let's kill him and be done with it already. I have a jar of wine waiting for me back home!" Jie Chen said impatiently before throwing a punch straight at Ye Qing's head!
Ye Qing narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. Tilting his body so the punch would miss him by mere millimeters, he brought his shoulder forward and slammed into the monk's chest like a hammer.
Thunk!
There was a loud thunk that sounded like clashing metals. Right before Ye Qing's shoulder would make contact with Jie Chen's chest, a sheen of golden light abruptly appeared and blocked the attack. It was shaped like a golden bell!
1. meaning refrain from anger