Cherreads

Chapter 25 - 126-131

Chapter 126: The Simple Way

Ye Qing shook his wrists and smiled evilly. "All it takes is one punch. If she dies, she's Yun Yan. If she doesn't, she's Evergreen Ivy!"

"..."

The idea was simple, direct, and effective. Human or Stranger, anyone would reveal their truest self in a life-or-death crisis. It was a matter of survival, not morality or character.

There was just one problem. If Ye Qing was right, then everything was well. But if he was wrong, then Yun Yan would be dead!

The Pacification Bureau was ruthless, but not heartless, not to mention that Yun Yan was no ordinary person. How could Ye Qing even think to risk her life like this? Was he a demon?

As it turned out, he was. Before anyone could react, he threw a punch straight at Yun Yan!

"Joyless, no!"

"Stop!"

Shocked but not stunned, the group tried to stop Ye Qing. However, a strange heat suddenly rose from their chest, boiled their vigor, and robbed them of their strength. They had no idea how the young man had done it, but their pores started leaking dark red flames and steam. At the same time, their minds started burning up with unimaginable pain.

In just an instant, Ye Qing had incapacitated almost everyone in the room. They were all clutching their heads and staring blankly into the air. Ling Jianqiu was the only one who somehow withstood the pain, wrestled his vigor back under control, and attacked Ye Qing. Like cold autumn, ice cold light and sword qi filled the room in an instant.

"One Sword Autumn—Fall Silent to the Skies and Waters of Autumn"

Ling Jianqiu used his strongest move from the get go. He knew there was no chance he could stop Ye Qing otherwise. Despite this, his icy sword energy and even his sword slowly turned dark red in color. The cold temperature dominating the room also melted into a terrible heat in just a matter of seconds.

The attack could not maintain itself because its intent had been overridden. It vanished in the wave of heat.

Ling Jianqiu turned as red as a lobster and spat out a mouthful of boiling hot blood. To say that this outcome was shocking would be an understatement. Ye Qing wasn't even attacking him, but the residual force alone was enough to destroy his strongest move. He knew that the young man was now an Astral Refiner, but the gap between their strength was even greater than he had imagined. If Ye Qing really wanted him dead, he most likely could've killed him in a single punch.

More importantly, if even he could not endure a single punch from Ye Qing, then how could the sick, frail Yun Yan possibly survive this?

It was clear Ye Qing really wanted to kill her!

"Joyless, stop!" Ling Jianqiu shouted, but that was all he could do. He could only watch in helplessness as Ye Qing's fist moved closer and closer to Yun Yan. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see Yun Yan turning into ash and scattering into the wind.

"Hahaha! To think you would actually try to kill your Sister Yun, Joyless!"

But right before Ye Qing's fist would land on Yun Yan, a pair of green vines suddenly burst out of the floor and pulled her to safety. The woman was giggling, but her voice no longer sounded kind or gentle. Instead, it was seductive, slothful, and evil.

Ye Qing shrugged as if he knew this would happen. His smile grew as he replied, "I would never do this against Sister Yun, but Evergreen Ivy? Now, that's a different story!"

"What are you talking about? I am both Yun Yan and Evergreen Ivy!" She continued to giggle as more vines grew out of the floor, the walls, the roof and other places. Pure white evergreen ivy flowers were growing out of the vines as well. The entire Pacification Bureau headquarters was transformed into a kingdom of ivies in just the blink of an eye!

"Yun Yan is Yun Yan, and Evergreen Ivy is Evergreen Ivy. But Evergreen Ivy can never be Yun Yan because Yun Yan is lost from the moment she transforms into Evergreen Ivy!" Ye Qing declared while taking two steps to the side. It was only two steps, but it felt like the rush of a heavenly river. He threw a punch.

Whoosh!

The Burning Wind howled and surged toward Evergreen Ivy from multiple directions. The space simmered like it was cooked, and the air was positively scorching and unlivable. The punch felt hot enough to boil an entire marsh.

"Cloud Vaporization Style"

Everyone in the headquarters felt the unbearable heat and backed further away from Ye Qing. They felt like their bodies had caught on fire. Evergreen Ivy's vines and flowers were not so lucky. Not only were they burning, the fire had begun from the inside. It spread unhindered to every vine and flower in the headquarters and burned it all to dust in just the blink of an eye.

Ye Qing could personally attest to the potency of Evergreen Ivy's vines and flowers. To this day, the fear was still fresh in his mind. But of course, it was a past tense kind of fear. Even if he hadn't grasped the Burning Wind, which was the antithesis of Evergreen Ivy's plants and pollen, his body had become so tough that he doubted that the stranger could put even a single scratch on his person. Thick skin for the win!

The members of the Pacification Bureau and the civilians close by could not say the same thing, however. Everyone would have died if he allowed the vines and the flowers to grow unhindered. That was why he had used the "Cloud Vaporization Style" to destroy it all in one go.

Of course, part of the reason he did it was to test out the power of the fist style in real combat. The result was satisfying to say the least.

"The Burning Wind? You actually subsumed the Burning Wind into your true qi? No wonder you managed to come out alive from Firewind Valley!" Evergreen Ivy exclaimed in surprise, realization, and even a bit of worry. If she wasn't sure before, she now knew that Ye Qing definitely had the power to kill her.

"Yun Yan! You're really Evergreen Ivy?!" someone shouted. It was only now the realization hit everyone, and none of them looked like they could believe it.

"That is correct. So sorry to disappoint you all!" said the Stranger, though it was clear from her smile and her tone that she wasn't apologetic in the slightest.

"Why?" Ling Jianqiu broke his silence. His tone was calm, but everyone could tell that he was anything but. Hidden behind the mask of calmness was pain, incomprehension, and anger.

Evergreen Ivy looked at him with the same smile as before. "Why? Isn't this what you wanted, foster father? Since I was young, you've always wanted me to practice martial arts and grow stronger. You've always wanted me to make a name for myself like a man, haven't you?"

"And I did, foster father! Not only that, I've surpassed your expectations! You should be happy for me!"

Ling Jianqiu's eyes were full of sorrow. "What I wanted? Yes, I did want you to practice martial arts and grow strong. I did want you to become famous throughout the realm. But that is because I want you to become someone who would protect the weak and defenseless and raise justice for those who could not. I want you to become someone who could protect tens of thousands with your sword!"

"When I found out that your body is too frail to practice martial arts, I had immediately withdrawn those expectations. I searched high and low to find a cure for you, but I have never heaped my personal expectations on you. All I ask is that you be good to yourself and others, stay safe, and be happy!"

"But what did you do? Who did you become? You became a Stranger who wanted to destroy Anyang! You tried to kill tens of thousands of innocent people!"

"I, Ling Jianqiu, am not the best father, but I dare say that I have taught my daughter right at the very least. Ask yourself this. Did you really do this for me? Or did you do it for yourself?"

"Aw. You found out?" Evergreen Ivy cupped her cheeks in mock embarrassment. "I still remember the day you found me in the snow, foster father. It was eighteen years ago. My parents were killed by a group of Stranger hunters who were passing through the area, and the only reason I didn't die with them was because they didn't see me."

"I remember hiding behind my mother's corpse for a whole day and night. I didn't dare to cry, scream, call for help, move or anything because I was afraid of making noise. I felt like a cattle that might be slaughtered for meat if I so much as twitched the wrong way. The only things that kept me company were the snow, the wind, and my dead parents' bodies."

"At the time, I couldn't help but ask myself the same question over and over again: How could human beings be so cruel to their own kind? How are they worse than even the Strangers who haunt the lands? Since then, I swore that I would become so strong that no one could ever prey on me again. I would rather be a monster of chaos than a woman among pigs and dogs."

"Unfortunately, I had stayed in the snow for so long that my body was permanently damaged. I had become so weak that I couldn't even practice the mildest martial art to begin my dream. You have no idea how disappointed I was."

"Thankfully, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I happened to stumble upon a book that taught me how to summon the Nether Lord and fulfill any wish. I didn't actually think it would work of course, but despair can be a powerful motivator. And what do you know? It actually worked!"

"The Nether Lord turned me into a Strangerkin and taught me how to cultivate. Thanks to it, I became stronger than I could possibly imagine. It's a great feeling, an intoxicating feeling, a feeling I can never, never, let go."

"I know you don't agree, but humans and Strangers are the same to me. Sometimes, humans can be worse than Strangers. I would know. There is only the strong and the weak, high and low, life and death!"

"Is that so?" Ling Jianqiu eyed his daughter coldly as he raised his sword and took one step toward her. As he gathered a devastating torrent of sword qi, he uttered, "In that case, you won't mind if I abuse my strength and end your tyranny once and for all, right?!"

Unfortunately, he failed to bring his sword down before Evergreen smiled and did a little wave. A pair of vines suddenly burst out of the ground, slammed into his sword qi, and shattered it with ease. Not done yet, they whipped Ling Jianqiu and sent him flying through the air like a rag doll.

Right before he would crash into a wall, Ye Qing took one step and appeared behind Ling Jianqiu in the blink of an eye. He caught the Chief of Bureau, rotated him to exhaust his momentum, and gently laid him on the floor.

"You're too good a man to abuse others, Chief Ling. Leave this kind of work to me!" Ye Qing rose to his feet and slowly turned toward Evergreen Ivy. "If nothing else, I have a score to settle with her!"

"I couldn't agree more." Evergreen Ivy crossed her legs and caressed her bangs lazily. "Now, please get out of the way, my dear seniors. I would be very sad if you were accidentally hurt during our fight!"

"Eat this!"

Ye Qing had talked a lot just now, and he didn't feel like wasting his breath on Evergreen Ivy any longer. His spine curved like a dragon, he unleashed a devastating punch using the "Cloud Vaporization Style" once more. The Burning Wind howled, and dark red flames spread toward the Stranger like a fog!

"Is that an Astral Refinement stage fist art? You truly are full of surprises!" Evergreen Ivy giggled as she sensed the incoming heat wave. After commanding a vine to pull her out of the way, a wall of vines burst out of the ground and blocked in front of the punch like a wall.

Unfortunately, fire was highly effective against plants, and Ye Qing's Burning Wind was the bane of Evergreen Ivy's vines. The Burning Wind easily burned the wall of vines into dust before continuing toward the Stranger like a fiery dragon.

"How does it feel to be the hunted, Evergreen Ivy?" Ye Qing taunted. So long as he was still alive, the punch would not fade on its own. In fact, it grew stronger the longer it traveled. It wasn't named the "Cloud Vaporization Style" for nothing.

Chapter 127: The Worst Good Wishes

"Not very good, to be honest!" Evergreen Ivy replied smilingly even though she was at a severe disadvantage right now. She looked like she had a trump card up her sleeves. "It's why I enjoy being a hunter more!"

An unusually large finger appeared in her hand. It was as big as a baby's arm and pitch black in color. Covered in twisted and mystifying runes, it gave off a dark and oppressive feeling.

"This is a finger bone the Nether Lord had graciously bestowed me, and it possesses a sliver of His Majesty's strength. I hope you'll enjoy it!"

She tossed the finger bone at Ye Qing, and it floated in the air as if suspended by a mysterious power. A black, unspeakable silhouette suddenly manifested into existence, and the finger bone slowly melded into its palm.

A terrifying power erupted from the figure as soon as the fusion was complete. Then, it pointed a finger at Ye Qing.

Rumble!

Space itself began collapsing as a cold, deathly aura spread to the surroundings. Everything—the rocks, the ground, the plants, the buildings and more—was immediately encased in ice.

Some Pacification Sentinels failed to get out of the way in time and turned into ice statues as well. They were dead in just the blink of an eye.

The ice was pitch black like the aura it permeated. It wasn't just the humans, everything that was alive died the moment it came into contact with it. Even powerful warriors such as Zhao Yunlong and Shi Chong felt like their blood had turned into ice. The Burning Wind was the one thing that was keeping the ice at bay and neutralizing its murderous power.

As if angered by Ye Qing's resistance, the silhouette let out an audible grunt and thrust its finger an inch forward. The stalemate was immediately broken as the black ice pushed back the Burning Wind at a rapid pace.

"Goodbye, Joyless!" Evergreen Ivy waved Ye Qing goodbye smilingly. Although the finger only contained a sliver of the Nether Lord's strength, it was still beyond the ability of an Astral Refiner to withstand. She was absolutely certain that Ye Qing would not survive this.

The Stranger had even sighed in dejection, "It's going to be difficult to replace such a fun toy. I'm going to miss you!"

In the sky, the silhouette leaned forward to tap Ye Qing in the forehead. In response, Ye Qing sucked in a deep breath and channeled the Burning Wind until his body became as hot as a furnace. Evergreen Ivy seemed to think it was over, but in reality the deathly cold could not affect him one bit. His Burning Wind had dispelled it as soon as it seeped into his body. Even the approaching finger only made him feel a sliver of pressure. He could do this.

He assumed his stance and tensed up his muscles. Normally, he would unleash his astral qi like he was throwing a fireball, but this time he locked his energy firmly within his flesh and blood. His legs were the base, his backbone the support, his arm the cannon that would unleash hell upon his enemies, and his body the reactor that gave him the power to do so. He gathered all of his essence, qi and spirit into his fist.

When he drew back his fist, the sky changed, and the earth trembled as if bending to Ye Qing's will. When he threw his punch, the world turned white, and all sound ceased to exist for an instant. It looked like a punch that could annihilate all evil and cement peace for untold ages.

Buzz…

The world grew silent when Ye Qing's fist finally clashed against the Nether Lord's finger. The next second, every building within thirty meters of the site was smashed into smithereens before they even hit the ground. It was because an unbelievable amount of force and wind that was simultaneously hot and cold was gushing from the point of impact and destroyed everything in its path. There was no sound, but the ground zero looked like a painting that was in the middle of being ripped piece by piece by an invisible hand.

Rumble rumble rumble…

The earthquake was fairly mild at the beginning, so much so that it almost felt like a delayed reaction. The stones were jumping slightly as if an underground Stranger was about to jump out into the open. Then, it grew louder and louder until it sounded like a continuous barrage of thunder that would never end, or a drumbeat by a god who was using the earth itself as the drum. When the unholy sound had risen a certain pitch, the earth abruptly warped, churned, and tore itself apart. The ground around Ye Qing's feet were literally rippling like the sea surface during a thunderstorm.

But Ye Qing remained as firm as a mountain. No matter how hard the finger tried to push past his fist and drill into his skull, his resistance was ceaseless and unyielding.

Eventually, the rumblings came to a stop. Most of the ground around Ye Qing besides the one he was standing on had fallen away into a bottomless chasm. Then—

Crack!

There was a sound like breaking glass when cracks suddenly appeared on the Nether Lord's finger bone. It quickly spread throughout its body until it started wavering like an exquisite vase that was on the verge of falling apart.

"No… This is impossible!" Evergreen Ivy exclaimed in utter shock and disbelief. She just could not believe that an Astral Refiner—one who had just entered the Astral Refinement stage no less—could break the Nether Lord's finger.

"It's a little too early to be surprised, girl!"

Ye Qing shot Evergreen ivy a wide grin and pushed his fist an inch forward. The ground directly underneath him immediately sank a meter below as if it couldn't withstand the pressure, and the cracked finger pulled back as if it was trying to escape. The dark silhouette it was imbuing had disappeared in a flash of distortion as well.

Unfortunately, it was too late. It only flew a short distance when it froze suddenly as if it had crossed a certain threshold. Then, it exploded into smithereens.

"And game! It's your turn to become the hunted again, Evergreen Ivy!"

Ye Qing withdrew his fist and shook his wrist casually. His bones immediately let out a disturbingly long series of pops and cracks as if he was undergoing a metamorphosis or something. When it finally ceased, the foreign force attacking his body—the one the finger had injected into him during the clash—had been completely dispelled.

Despite the stunning failure, Evergreen Ivy did not seem worried about her own safety in the slightest. "How impressive! I'm starting to like you more and more, dear!"

"Hehe! Me too, sister!" Ye Qing raised his right foot half an inch before stomping the ground. He shot into the sky like an arrow and straight at Evergreen Ivy. "I like you so much I can't wait to kill you with my own two hands!"

"Here's a free lesson to you from one scholar to another. The reason a human is a human isn't because they are capable of benevolence. It's also because they know right from wrong, good from evil, and justice from injustice. A human who only obeys the law of the jungle is just an animal!"

While saying this, Ye Qing pulled back until his spine resembled a drawn bow. Then, he punched forward and unleashed a massive column of Burning Wind.

"Haha, I will remember your lesson, Joyless. I shall put it to the test the next time we meet!" Evergreen Ivy gave him a little wave. At the same time, she started turning transparent at a rapid pace. She looked like she might disappear at any moment.

"Shit!" Ye Qing cursed. Just like last time, Evergreen Ivy was teleporting herself away to safety through an unknown method. He quickened his fist in hopes that it would hit her before she disappeared.

Evergreen Ivy slapped her head as if she just remembered something. "Oh right, I almost forgot. When you came back, I sent word to Sunset Hill informing the Hill Lord, Wang Luori, that you are the one who killed his direct disciple, Xiao Yang. Wang Luori is a petty, vengeful man who would do anything to take revenge for those he cared about, so you better watch out!"

"..."

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, indeed.

He protested, "Screw you! I didn't kill Xiao Yang! The idiot's the one who chased me into Firewind Valley and got himself killed! It has nothing to do with me!"

"Hahaha. You should save those words for Wang Luori. Who knows, maybe he'll believe you?"

Evergreen Ivy disappeared into thin air after saying that. She left behind only one final message, "Take care, Joyless. You better stay alive until our next meeting!"

If one of the best good wishes in the world was, "I hope to see you soon!" then the worst one was easily, "You better stay alive until our next meeting!"

Ye Qing's fist scattered the clouds and returned the sky to blue, but Evergreen Ivy was long gone by then. Not only that, she had left behind the vilest curse. It's bad enough I failed to kill her, but she made me a powerful enemy as well! What the fuck!

Ye Qing landed back on the ground looking sad and dejected. When he noticed that Ling Jianqiu, Zhao Yunlong, Shi Chong and everyone else was shooting him strange looks, he thought they were suspecting him and clarified in a hurry, "Why are you looking at me like that? I swear I didn't kill Xiao Yang!"

When the group exchanged strange glances with each other, he thought they didn't believe him and panicked even more, "Seriously, it's not me! Evergreen Ivy is lying through her teeth! You gotta believe me!"

"Ahem. I believe you, Joyless. We all believe you!" Ling Jianqiu replied with a cough. He suppressed his disappointment and sorrow as best he could and added, "Thank you for everything, Joyless!"

Ling Jianqiu was wracked with grief to put it mildly, but he was still the Chief of Bureau with many duties to attend to. His grieving must wait until later.

"Ah… you're welcome. I'm doing it for myself as well!" Ye Qing hurriedly waved his hands and glanced at the ruin that was once the Pacification Bureau headquarters. He let out a sigh as he rubbed his nose, "I can't believe she managed to get away a second time though. This was our best chance to get her, but she still managed to escape in the end. It'll be so much harder to capture her in the future!"

Ling Jianqiu replied, "That may be so, but the fact that she can no longer work against the Pacification Bureau from the inside is a good thing."

"I'm sure the Pacification Bureau is happy, but what about me? Dammit!" Ye Qing felt another wave of headache when he recalled what Evergreen Ivy said about Sunset Hill and Wang Luori. "What can you tell me about Wang Luori, Chief Ling?"

Ling Jianqiu furrowed his brow. "Sunset Hill, Blood Shadow Palace and White Horse Academy are the three most influential sects in Luo Shui. Sunset Hill in particular has one thousand Qi Invokers, three hundred Vessel Augmentors, and one hundred Astral Refiners, and I'm only talking about its disciples."

"The Hill Lord, Wang Luori, is a half-step Spirit Master. An expert in fist arts, his fighting style is as violent and fiery as his temper. He is also irritable, arrogant, and vengeful. He perceives any slight toward Sunset Hill as a slight to himself. He is not a man you want to trifle with."

"A half-step Soul Master?" Ye Qing frowned deeply. A warrior's cultivation was a step-by-step process. If the Body Tempering stage and the Qi Invocation stage focused on honing the body, and the Vessel Augmentation stage and Astral Augmentation stage focused on refining the qi, then the Spirit Purification stage and the Spirit Master stage focused on cultivating the spirit.

The Spirit Purification stage was the stage where a warrior unlocked the primordial points located at the center of their head and honed their spirit. The goal was to build a Mind Altar in their head to strengthen their mind. Given a powerful enough spirit, a Spirit Purifier could cultivate all kinds of mental arts, perceive enemies before they even came into view, and even attack them via mental attacks. More often than not, they could kill without leaving a trace in the physical world. Barring anomalies like Ye Qing, a Spirit Purifier could extinguish the mind of any warrior below the Spirit Purification stage like a candle.

The Spirit Master stage was also known as the Yin God stage. It was the stage where a warrior created a spiritual entity called the Yin God. Despite being the embodiment of the warrior's spirit, the Yin God usually looked different from their physical self. It could also leave its physical body behind and roam the world without being fettered by its physical laws.

More importantly, the warrior could not be killed unless their Yin God was destroyed. The Spirit Master stage was the stage where a warrior truly broke free from the confines of their mortal shell and returned to their truest, most natural self.

In other words, Wang Luori was someone Ye Qing wanted to avoid at all costs.

Ling Jianqiu glanced at Ye Qing and said slowly, "If what Evergreen Ivy said is true, then you are in deep trouble, Joyless."

"..."

Stating the obvious much? Ye Qing rolled his eyes at Ling Jianqiu. Sigh. It's so hard to be a good guy these days!

Chapter 128: Humanity Is Worth It

"Do you have a plan, Chief Ling?" Ye Qing asked.

It was true he killed Xiao Yang, but he wouldn't be in this situation if Ling Jianqiu hadn't sent him on a mission. Therefore, the man must take some responsibility!

Ling Jianqiu chuckled. "I do, but I'm not sure you would like it."

"Tell me. I'll decide if I like it after I hear it," Ye Qing said quickly. To be honest, he wasn't expecting the Chief of Bureau to say yes when he asked him for a solution. Of course he wasn't going to pass it over until he had heard about it.

"You can join the Pacification Bureau!" Ling Jianqiu declared.

"You… want me to join the Pacification Bureau?" Ye Qing stared at Ling Jianqiu incredulously. You couldn't even handle one Evergreen Ivy, and you're asking me to join you? Do I look stupid to you?

"Ahem…" Ling Jianqiu coughed in embarrassment. He couldn't hear Ye Qing's thoughts, but the doubt in his eyes was as plain as day. "I'm not asking you to join my Pacification Bureau. We obviously do not have the strength to protect you from the likes of Sunset Hill. But Luo Shui's Pacification Bureau is a different story."

"Luo Shui?" Ye Qing's confusion only increased. Sunset Hill was located in Luo Shui, so to go there was like entering the tiger's den of his own volition. He's not trying to kill me, is he?

Ling Jianqiu explained, "You probably don't know this, but Luo Shui's Pacification Bureau is stronger than Sunset Hill, Blood Shadow Castle and White Horse Academy combined."

"As the overseer of eighty-one villages, Pacification Bureau of Luo Shui commands fifteen thousand Qi Invokers, eight thousand Vessel Augmentors, one thousand Astral Refiners, three hundred Spirit Purifiers, ten half-step Spirit Masters, and two Spirit Masters in total. This does not include partial members such as guest warriors, hanger-ons, or covert agents."

"If they wanted to, the Pacification Bureau of Luo Shui absolutely possesses the power to topple the three sects and make themselves king of the hill that is Luo Shui. They didn't because our responsibility is to slay Strangers, preserve the peace, and protect the territory we're assigned to from all dangers, not getting involved in petty affairs so to speak."

"Are you for real?" Ye Qing blurted in shock. He had no idea that Luo Shui's Pacification Bureau was so powerful, though in hindsight he probably should've realized this sooner. In Anyang, the Pacification Bureau was also stronger than all the other factions such as the three clans, the Iron Shirt Gang and Qiao Six.

Ling Jianqiu continued, "Besides that, Luo Shui is defended by ten thousand Black Feather Guards, and they answer to the Pacification Bureau and the commandery administration. Sunset Hill would be crazy to go up against them."

Ling Jianqiu sounded quite proud of his brethren's strength. "Finally, the Pacification Bureau is the central pillar of Chu itself. If Sunset Hill is stupid enough to challenge and bring shame to the empire, the ten thousand Black Feathers would step in and flatten them overnight."

"In conclusion, your safety should be guaranteed if you join Luo Shui's Pacification Bureau."

"That sounds awesome!" Ye Qing did not try to hide his admiration. "But how can I join them?"

His question sounded simple, but it wasn't. It was notoriously difficult to join the Pacification Bureau, not to mention that this one was the overseer of an entire commandery. Sure, he could join them as a Pacification Sentinel—it would be simply since he was an Astral Refiner—but neither the Pacification Bureau nor Wang Luori were idiots. The Pacification Bureau would not go to war against Wang Luori over a small fry, and Wang Luori knew this as well. This meant that he must join the Pacification Bureau of Luo Shui as a person of power. Only then would their protection matter.

Ling Jianqiu assured him, "Don't worry. Every year, I am allowed to recommend one person to join the Pacification Bureau of Luo Shui. If the person succeeds, they would be promoted to Guardian or Lieutenant immediately. I will give you the slot."

"Are you sure? That's not very proper, is it?" Ye Qing said hesitantly, but he was just being polite. On one hand, he was robbing the actual members of the Pacification Bureau a shot at promotion. On the other hand, this was his life they were talking about.

Ling Jianqiu smiled. "Considering what you've done for Anyang, giving you the slot is the least we could do. In fact, you deserve it more than anyone in this entire county. I can only imagine your future considering how strong you already are."

"In that case, I shall gladly accept your offer!" Ye Qing saluted the Chief of Bureau respectfully.

It was a sound plan. With Ling Jianqiu's recommendation, he could skip most of the hassle and be promoted to a Lieutenant right away. That was high enough on the totem pole that Wang Luori would have to think twice before attacking him.

The idea of shooting for Guardian never crossed his mind. At his level, it would be a mark of shame to become a Guardian.

Ling Jianqiu nodded when Ye Qing agreed to the plan. "One more thing. My teacher is the Deputy Chief of Bureau. I will write him a letter and ask him to look after you!"

"Thank you, Chief Ling!" Now this is what I call proper nepotism!

"I'll get started on the procedures then. No reason to drag this out longer than it needs to be, right?" Ling Jianqiu said. When he turned around, his lips curled into a triumphant smirk.

From the day he learned about Ye Qing and his deeds, he had wanted to recruit Ye Qing into the Pacification Bureau. Although the young man proved to be too big for Anyang, where he was going would give him the opportunity to benefit far more people and uplift Chu to greater heights. It was a dream come true so to speak.

Behind Ling Jianqiu, Ye Qing saluted the man again and declared, "Thanks for everything, Chief Ling. I will never forget what you've done for me today!"

He didn't know that Ling Jianqiu had been plotting to recruit him into the Pacification Bureau since ages ago, but he could see that the arrangement was purely to his benefit. Offering the Chief of Bureau his wholehearted thanks was the least he could do.

Sure, Ye Qing didn't really want to be affiliated with the Pacification Bureau, but you couldn't always get what you wanted in life. He would just have to improvise as the situation demanded.

"With your permission, I'll be taking my leave, Chief Ling. There are a few things I need to attend to."

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow."

Ye Qing turned around and left after that. His smile was warm and bright.

Humans were humans not just because they knew right from wrong, good from evil, and justice from injustice. It was also because they knew gratitude, reciprocation, self-sacrifice, altruism, love and more.

This, was why humanity was worth it.

...

As usual, the morning gongs awoke the sleeping men and women. The sky took a shade of white, the streets became filled with hustle and bustle, and merry voices and laughter filled the world with joy once more.

Everyone seemed to be gossiping about three major incidents today. The first incident was the demise of the two remaining clans of Anyang, the Shen Clan and the Li Clan. Their people were slaughtered, their assets were robbed, and their bases were reduced to ruins in just a single night. Who would've thought that they would follow in the footsteps of the Zheng Clan, and in such a short time no less? In any case, this marked the moment the three major clans became the laughingstock of the entire county and a mere footnote in Anyang's history.

The second incident was the destruction of the headquarters of the most mysterious department in Anyang, the Pacification Bureau. Despite suffering heavy casualties and damage, the members of the Pacification Bureau were unusually cheerful for some reason. It was almost as if they were celebrating the New Year.

The third major incident was some of the most prominent figures of Anyang standing on gates when the first morning gong was sounded. There were Ling Jianqiu, Chief of the Pacification Bureau; Yan Yufei, the county magistrate of Anyang; Yan Feng the bailiff and the omniscient Master Qiao Six. For some reason, they were all gazing to the horizon as if welcoming the first ray of dawn or bidding goodbye to someone!

As usual, no one knew exactly what had led up to the incidents. For a time, it was all they could talk about for an entire month and more.

No one noticed that Endless Horizons had gotten a new owner, however. The young man who always wore a warm smile on his face; who enjoyed drinking and basking in the sun in front of his bookstore, who always joked with the children and put a smile on their faces, was gone.

Like a grain of sand he had flown into the hub of humanity with the wind, and like a grain of sand he had flown away without anyone noticing.

...

"Life comes and goes like the wind and the rain, but a jar of rice wine? Man! Who said that there is no medicine to cure my sorrows, right Brother Frog?"

"Croak croak!"

"Brother Frog, I don't mind you staring at me with your large, innocent eyes all day, but just in case you're harboring any misguided hope, I must tell you that I am not sharing this jar of wine with you. This is mine!"

Ye Qing gave his wine a shake and took a long sniff that left him feeling heady in a very, very good way. "We agreed that we'd enjoy a jar each everyday. It's not my fault you finished it as quickly as you did. As a frog, a kungfu frog no less, your word is your bond!"

Even Wawa appeared on Ye Qing's shoulder and chided Kung Fu Frog seriously, "He's right. You should always keep your promises!"

"Croak croak…" Kung Fu Frog croaked glumly. Who was the one who told it that it would never run out of good food and fine wine? Lies, all of it!

"Do we really need to leave so soon, young master?" Faceless asked. The Stranger was currently holding the donkey and leading the way.

Ye Qing sipped his wine before answering in a helpless tone, "What can I do? Wang Luori could show up a month later, or he could show up this very evening. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get to Luo Shui and safety!"

Their departure was, admittedly, a little hasty, but at least he had wrapped all of his important business in Anyang. First, he had paid the Shen Clan and the Li Clan a visit and plundered them for all their worth. Everyone who resisted was killed, and no one still living was stupid enough to plot revenge against him. Second, he had made Tao Xian the new boss of the Iron Shirt Gang and a subordinate of Yan Yufei. With the Pacification Bureau to back them up, Wang Luori should be less tempted to take it out on them.

Last but not least, he visited all of his friends and acquaintances and bade them goodbye. Yan Yufei, Yan Feng, Yang Guan, Ling Jianqiu, Qiao Six, even the Zhou Family whose son he saved a while ago and more, he made sure that his departure was one that would not leave any regrets behind.

The next day, before the sun was even up he visited the Pacification Bureau, received the recommendation letter and stamp from Ling Jianqiu, and left on the first morning gongs toward the light. If Ye Qin were to be honest with himself, he did not want to leave Anyang either. But life was everchanging, and reality was its harsh mistress. All he could do was to walk the path without losing himself!

There were two ways to travel to Luo Shui, the land route or the river route. The land route—also the official route—was longer, but it was safe because it was populated by villages and counties. The river route would take them to Luo Shui in three days at most, but the chances they might run into Strangers or other danger was almost one hundred percent.

After weighing the pros and cons, Ye Qing decided to stick with the river route. The sooner he reached the Pacification Bureau, the lesser the chance that something might go wrong.

The closest ferry point to Anyang was Maple Leaf Point. Ideally, it would take them about one day to make it there. Realistically, it was impossible to say.

A party of one man and three Strangers was unusual even in this world, but it certainly wasn't boring. They passed the time by making conversation with one another and teasing Wawa. It was a pretty lively experience overall.

Ye Qing was teasing Wawa again when suddenly, they heard a childish voice singing,

"Dig a little hole,

Plant a little seed,

One two three four five…"

Ye Qing followed the voice. He quickly saw a small, childlike figure digging a hole on the ground with a little spade.

Chapter 129: Infant Rabbit

"Careful, young master!" Faceless warned while staring at the childlike figure in the woods warily. It was because he sensed a hint of danger from them, whoever they were.

"You worry too much. Come on! Perhaps it's a kid from a neighborhood nearby?" Ye Qing said with a smile. Besides the childlike figure, he had also picked up the vital signs of multiple people in the forest. Specifically, they were humans.

Let's see. One, two, three, four, five, six! There are six people in the forest! Ye Qing calculated in his head.

As they got closer, Ye Qing finally saw the childlike figure for what it was. It was a Stranger with a rabbit's head but a human's body. It was only as big as an infant, but it was standing on two legs and digging a hole using a spade that was shaped like a carrot. While digging, it sang what sounded like a nursery rhyme,

"Dig a little hole,

Plant a little seed,

One two three four five…"

There were six humans in the ground next to it. Literally, they were buried in the ground all the way up to their necks. They looked listless as if they had just received a good thrashing.

Their eyes lit up when they saw Ye Qing. Like a drowning man who had found a straw, they cried out, "Help! Please help us!"

"Please help us, warrior! This Stranger is planning to kill us!"

The rabbit Stranger paid neither Ye Qing nor them any attention, however. It was fully focused on the hole in front of it.

"It's like it's planting carrots," Ye Qing watched the rabbit with a strange, indecipherable expression.

"Croak croak!"

Kung Fu Frog was a righteous Stranger who was always eager to enact justice and save lives. When it saw that the humans were trapped, it immediately leaped over to save them. But right before it was about to land, a hole appeared right beneath its feet. At the same time, the rabbit sang again,

"Dig a little hole,

Plant a little seed,

One two three four five…"

The next moment, Kung Fu Frog was pulled straight into the hole and buried, leaving only its head out in the open. It couldn't break free no matter how hard it struggled.

"Young master!" Faceless cried. Unlike Kung Fu Frog, Faceless' plan was to take out the rabbit Stranger first. Everyone would be free if it died, right? Unfortunately, the rabbit suddenly let out a shriek in Faceless' direction and opened a hole beneath his feet as well. Before he could jump out of the way, the strange rhyme rang again and froze him in his tracks. He immediately followed in Kung Fu Frog's footsteps.

Wow! It overwhelmed two Malice-class Strangers in an instant! Not bad! Ye Qing thought as he observed the rabbit Stranger. As he tilted his head as if remembering something, the rabbit sang again,

"Dig a little hole,

Plant a little seed,

One two three four five…"

A hole appeared beneath Ye Qing's feet, and he felt an unnatural power shackling him and pulling him toward the hole.

"Interesting!"

Ye Qing channeled his vigor and pushed back against it. The invisible power vanished, and the spade the rabbit was holding abruptly snapped into two.

"Dig a little—" The rabbit's face morphed into human-like shock when the spade broke. Shivering, it slowly turned its ruby-like eyes on Ye Qing and stared.

"Chirrup!"

The rabbit apparently didn't like what it saw because it let out a frightened whimper, hugged its head, and dug a pit in the ground in just the blink of an eye with its bare hands. After leaping into the pit and burying itself completely, the swollen mound sank into the hole as if it was going somewhere.

"Haha! You think you can run from me?" Ye Qing chuckled. He could tell that the rabbit was underground and escaping to somewhere at incredible speed. In response, he raised his right foot half an inch and stomped the ground.

The ground undulated up and down like a ripple in a piece of fabric, but for some reason it made no noise whatsoever. However, the rabbit, the six humans, Kung Fu Frog and Faceless were all expelled from the earth in an instant. They flailed for a bit before hitting the ground in a series of thuds.

The rabbit Stranger was the fastest to recover. It tried to escape, but it couldn't even manage a step before it collapsed back to the ground. For some reason, it just could not gather any strength. It was the same for Kung Fu Frog and the others as well.

"Sorry. I can't quite control my strength yet!" Ye Qing rubbed his nose apologetically. After his experience in Firewind Canyon, he was stronger than ever before. However, his precision and control had also become a lot worse as a result. For now, he was like a cannon who couldn't help but shoot a cannonball even if the target was a mosquito.

Ye Qing took one step and appeared in front of the rabbit. He grabbed it by its nape and returned just as quickly. It took his companions and the six humans at least a dozen breaths before they finally recovered enough to move.

The six humans were a surprise. They had looked completely spent when he saw them, but after regaining their freedom and popping a fiery red pill, they were almost back to normal in just a dozen breaths or so.

It was worth noting that they were a group of three middle-stage Vessel Augmentors and three early-stage Vessel Augmentors. It was a fairly strong party all things considered.

"My name is Tian Hang. Thank you for saving our lives, warrior!" thanked a middle-aged man in his forties after he regained his strength. He had a loyal, honest appearance that made it difficult to think that he was capable of deception or trickery.

Ye Qing waved it off. "You're welcome, but I was just passing by."

A cold, vicious-looking man standing behind Tian Hang uttered hatefully, "Damned rabbit! I'm gonna skin it alive, eat its flesh and drink its blood!" He then rushed over and brought his saber down in one smooth motion. However, Ye Qing raised his hand and caught the blade between two fingers. No matter how hard the man tried to pull or push, he was unable to move his blade even an inch.

The vicious man glared at Ye Qing. "What are you doing, warrior?"

Ye Qing shrugged. "It's just a rabbit, a cute one no less. Why don't you let it go?"

"..."

To say that the group was flabbergasted would be an understatement. Was he joking? How was a rabbit capable of "planting" a human being into the ground like an actual carrot "cute"?

The vicious man was still trying to pull his saber free as he uttered, "Let it go? This Stranger nearly killed us all! There's no way we can pretend like nothing had ever happened! Now let go!"

Ye Qing's smile grew kinder. Fingers twisting, he easily snapped the saber—a thick blade that was forged from cold steel—in half and sent the man stumbling. He looked like he couldn't believe what just happened.

"I tried giving you a hint, but you just wouldn't listen, would you? This rabbit is called the Infant Rabbit. It's a Hatred-class Stranger who loves digging holes and nothing else. Gentle, timid and harmless, it would only attack if it felt threatened."

"Moreover, its retaliation is incredibly mild. The worst it would do to its attackers was digging a hole and keeping them in the ground for a bit. It would never try to kill its attackers."

"If it encounters a powerful foe it couldn't possibly defeat, it would immediately escape or cower in fear. It's probably one of the most cowardly Strangers you could encounter."

Ye Qing gave the shivering Infant Rabbit beside his feet a reassuring pat before continuing as if he hadn't noticed the group's rapidly changing expressions, "As the Infant Rabbit is harmless and mild-natured, they are well-received by nobles, wealthy people, and especially wealthy women. There are a lot of people who would pay a lot of money to buy an Infant Rabbit. Besides that, an Infant Rabbit's body is a veritable treasure trove. Its brain and flesh are delicious to eat, its fur is excellent for making clothes, and even its bones are a rare medicinal ingredient."

"In other words, there are few prey a Stranger Hunter loves more than a Infant Rabbit!"

Ye Qing shot the humans a smile that didn't quite reach the eye. "Am I right, my dear hunters?"

As the name might suggest, a Stranger Hunter was a hunter of Strangers. They usually killed Strangers to sell their body parts for a living.

The group's faces turned dark and grim. Ye Qing's subtext was clear: he was saying they deserved what they got, and if they were to be honest with themselves, they did.

When they stumbled upon the Infant Rabbit a while ago, they immediately got greedy and tried to capture it. However, the Infant Rabbit turned out to be warier and stronger than they had anticipated. It saw them coming and buried them in retaliation.

Later, Ye Qing saved them and caught the Infant Rabbit, but they thought Ye Qing was too young to recognize the Infant Rabbit and tried to kill it in the name of revenge. It was so that they would have the excuse to claim its body parts. Although a dead Infant Rabbit wasn't worth as much as a live one, it was still a lot of money.

Unfortunately, they were dead wrong. Not only did the youngster recognize the Infant Rabbit, he even exposed their little scheme straight to their faces.

Embarrassment, resentment, anger and more sprouted in the hearts of the six men in an instant. The vicious man even looked like he wanted to murder Ye Qing there and then. But before anyone could make a move, Tian Hang stepped forward with an obsequious smile and said, "Sorry, sorry. My brother didn't mean to offend you, he was just too eager to take revenge against the Stranger. I hope you won't mind!"

"Since you were the one who captured the Infant Rabbit, it's only right that you get to decide what to do with it. We shall take our leave immediately!"

With that said, Tian Hang saluted Ye Qing one last time, gave the vicious man's sleeve a strong pull, and left.

The vicious man was clearly displeased, but he obeyed his leader and turned around. He glared resentfully at Ye Qing before he left though.

"Heh. He's lucky not everyone in his group is an idiot!" Ye Qing muttered. The vicious man's gesture and thoughts didn't escape him, of course. If Tian Hang hadn't been smart enough to recognize the threat, well, let's just say that today next year would be the anniversary of their deaths.

There was no helping these people though. Maybe it was because they interacted with Strangers for too long, but most Stranger Hunters were cruel, bloodthirsty, and greedy bullies who would not hesitate to commit atrocities to further their self-interests. Sometimes, they would even commit a murder, rob a caravan, raid a village and more if they thought they could get away with it.

If Tian Hang and his group had chosen to attack him, he absolutely wouldn't have minded sending them to kingdom come. It would be good karma as far as he was concerned. It was too bad Tian Hang had more sense than courage.

"Shame, shame!" Ye Qing shook his head in the group's direction before looking down on the Infant Rabbit. The poor thing was still trembling like a leaf. He let out a sigh and gave it a little kick, "You are definitely the most cowardly Stranger I've ever met yet. You bring shame to your race, you know that?"

He then flicked the Stranger into his hand and tossed it far, far away. "You can go now. Try not to get caught again, alright? Not everyone is as kind-hearted as I am!"

The Infant Rabbit hit the ground surprisingly soft and rolled twice. When it caught itself and looked around, it discovered that it was both safe and completely unhurt. After pressing its fat paws together and giving Ye Qing a bow, it dug the ground and buried itself in another pit. It was gone just like that.

Chapter 130: A Ghost Story

"Come. Let us continue on our way!" Ye Qing beckoned the others after the Infant Rabbit was gone.

From the start, he had never planned to kill the Infant Rabbit. The reason he bothered catching it at all was to obtain a small clump of fur; a key ingredient to make the Incense of Fortune.

After Ye Qing was gone, Tian Hang and his group emerged back out of the forest and glared at the departing Ye Qing. The vicious man asked resentfully, "Why didn't you order us to take out that boy, Brother Tian? Without his interference, we would've caught the Infant Rabbit a second time and killed two birds with one stone!"

"He's right, Brother Tian! We missed a golden opportunity there!" The rest of the group echoed in agreement.

"Shut up, you fools. Do you only think about women and wine? How could you be so dim that you can't even see what is obvious?"

Tian Hang rebuked them harshly, his honest-looking face warped into a visage of viciousness and cruelty. "The boy had captured the Infant Rabbit without even breaking a sweat, so he must be a late-stage Vessel Augmentor at least, if not higher. Forget you, he could've killed all of us if he wanted to!"

"Besides, his servant and his Stranger are obviously extraordinary as well. Why on earth would I commit suicide?"

"Oh… er…" The group turned red with embarrassment.

"Is that it? Are we going to pretend like nothing happened?" The vicious man clenched his fists indignantly.

Tian Hang gave his shoulder a slap and let out a cold chuckle. "I never said that!"

"I'm pretty sure that the boy is heading toward Maple Leaf Point, and to get to Maple Leaf Point one must pass through the gravesite. That will be our chance!"

"You mean that place!?" Fear flashed across the vicious man's face before it was replaced by excitement. "I knew you had everything planned from the start, Brother Tian!"

Tian Hang said seriously, "Mu, there are two qualities all Stranger Hunters must learn in this trade, and they are called caution and patience. Caution is what keeps us alive and prevents us from making mistakes that we cannot recover from, and patience is how you come by opportunities to thrive!"

...

"I spot candlelights ahead of us, young master. I think it belongs to a small village!"

The world felt a lot quieter and lonelier after the sun set, and the shade of black in the sky deepened. It was why the glimmers of light looked especially welcoming. Ye Qing and Faceless had spotted them long before they had gotten close.

"A village? I don't remember there being a village between Anyang and Maple Point," Ye Qing scratched his forehead in confusion. Was it a new village?

"Well, let's check it out. I would prefer not to sleep out in the wilderness."

Despite his doubts, the allure of the candlelight ultimately won over his caution. Of course, his decision was founded on the fact that he could kill any Stranger below Hatred-class in one punch. And if one punch wasn't enough, then two would do it!

"Young master, something doesn't feel right about this village."

As it turned out, something was wrong with this village. Everything had looked normal from afar, but as soon as they entered the village, the air had suddenly become unbearably cold.

"Croak croak…" Kung Fu Frog echoed in agreement while observing its surroundings warily.

Even Wawa had crawled out of Ye Qing's hair and cautioned, "Friend, this place is very dangerous. We should leave!"

"I would agree, but it's already too late!" Ye Qing shook his head and motioned at the exit. The entrance they passed through earlier had disappeared without them noticing. Instead, there was only a thick, impenetrable fog. Not only that, everything beyond the village was pitch black, and something seemed to be wriggling behind the curtain of darkness. He would not be surprised if there actually was a horde of Strangers waiting behind it.

The village was very small. Ye Qing counted only a dozen houses or so, and the architecture was your classic red bricks and black tiles. He would almost feel at home if it wasn't for the obvious strangeness around him.

At the center of the village was a gigantic locust tree. It was so big that it would take multiple people to hug its trunk completely. Its massive canopy also stretched over half of the village. When the wind blew past the leaves, they made this ominous rustling noise that sounded like wailing.

Faceless asked with a deep frown, "What should we do, young master?"

Ye Qing smiled. "Don't know. We'll see when we cross that bridge."

Faceless immediately seized the opportunity to lick his boots, "Well, young master is as lucky as he is powerful. I'm sure that everything will turn out fine!"

"I think so too." Because I'm totally going to use you to sweep the mines later.

"Hey look, there are three people over there. Let's see if they can illuminate us on the situation, shall we?"

Ye Qing took the lead and walked toward the strangers. They were three men sitting around a campfire and seemingly chatting about something.

The campfire was pretty big, but Ye Qing could not feel the slightest bit of warmth from it even after he had gotten close. The three men seemed to be engrossed in some sort of argument to notice or care about his arrival either. What were they talking about?

Ye Qing listened patiently until he finally understood what was going on. Long story short, the trio were arguing whose ghost story was scarier. However, their argument was heading nowhere because no one could convince the other person to concede defeat.

"Good evening, brothers!" Ye Qing clasped his hand and greeted the trio. Immediately, all three men turned their heads to stare at Ye Qing with blank, lifeless eyes. It was incredibly eerie to say the least. Not only that, red blood started trickling down their cheeks just a few seconds later. It was terrifying to put it mildly.

Ye Qing continued as if he didn't notice the ghastly sight, however. "Why are you tearing up, brothers? I'll listen to your stories if you want to. The night's pretty dreary, and I could use a laugh!"

Faceless: "..."

Kung Fu Frog: "..."

"Well? What are you waiting for? Seriously, there's nothing to be ashamed of!" Ye Qing encouraged when he saw that they weren't saying anything.

The three men: "..."

A few breaths later, one of them finally said in a shrill, ghastly voice, "Tell us! Whose ghost story do you think is the scariest?"

"Excuse me?" Ye Qing blinked once before asking sincerely, "Can you please repeat your stories? I haven't heard them yet."

But another man repeated, "Tell us! Whose ghost story do you think is the scariest?"

Ye Qing: "..." I would tell you, if you would actually tell me your heavens damned story! How the hell am I supposed to decide if I haven't even heard them? And what if it's actually a love story? Why else would all three of you cry literal tears of blood?

"Tell us…"

"Tell us…"

"Tell us…"

The trio's eyes started bleeding much faster when they saw that Ye Qing was silent. Their complexion turned deathly white, and black smoke started rising from their bodies.

"Holy shit! I've seen cartoon characters smoking out of their ears because they're angry, but frustration?" Ye Qing rolled his eyes and raised his hands in a placating manner. "Calm down, my bros! Violence is not the answer! If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been arguing about this?"

One man thought for a moment before answering, "A thousand years!"

"A thousand years?" Ye Qing exclaimed in realization, "No wonder you're frustrated. I would be frustrated too if I were you."

He knew they might burst into flames if he dilly-dallied any longer, so he let out a cough and said seriously, "Alright, I'll tell you my answer. My answer is…"

"Tell us!"

"Tell us!"

"Tell us!"

"... My answer is, none of your ghost stories are as scary as mine!"

Boom!

The black smoke rising from the men's bodies weren't really smoke, but yin energy. And right now, the trio were leaking so much yin energy it was like a forest fire. Besides that, their eyeballs had fallen off their eye sockets, and their faces were beginning to rot as well.

Ye Qing looked behind him and shot Faceless a wink. "You see this? I haven't even begun to tell them my ghost story yet, and they're already so scared that their eyeballs literally popped out of their eye sockets!"

Faceless could only smile helplessly at his young master. The three men, or rather, the three Strangers were clearly dangerous judging from the concentration of their yin energy, and yet Ye Qing was teasing them like the children back at Anyang. Just how confident was he?

"If you don't believe me, brothers, then listen to my ghost story!" Ye Qing looked back at the men and turned serious. "Once upon a time, there were three Strangers who wanted to listen to a ghost story. Then, they died!"

Faceless: "..."

The trio: "..."

The three Strangers finally couldn't stand the insult any longer and unleashed their full power. Their yin energy was like a tidal wave as they rose to their feet and got ready to jump Ye Qing. But when a scorching wind suddenly blew through the area, they discovered in horror that dark red flames had suddenly ignited inside their bodies. They howled in rage as they tried to fight against it, but it was futile. It wasn't long before they dissolved into a pile of ashes.

"What did I tell you? There is no greater fear in this world than death!"

Ye Qing patted away the dust on his pants and climbed to his feet. Smiling, he said, "This village is more interesting than I thought. Let's walk around some more and see what else this village has in store for us. We're stuck until whatever abnormality is keeping us here is gone anyway."

Faceless could only shoot Ye Qing an awkward and obsequious smile. I have a feeling that someone is showing off, but I dare not say anything about it!

The good news was that the trio's deaths did not make any waves in the village. It seemed as empty as ever. The group would continue deeper into the village until they entered a clearing and saw six people gathered under a locust tree for some reason.

Ye Qing beelined over to the group. He immediately saw a huge cooking pot at the center of the crowd and a huge fire underneath. The boiling oil looked hot enough to burn the flesh off a person's bones in a matter of seconds.

A middle-aged man with withered hair, unusually thin body, and beady eyes poured out a bunch of coins from his pouch and tossed them into the pot. Then, he stuck his bare hand into the cooking pot, fished out a single coin, and showed it off proudly to the crowd while asking, "Is there anyone here who would dare to copy me? You'll get a reward if you succeed!"

"I'll do it!" A young man declared and stepped forward. He rolled up his sleeves, stuck his arm into the cooking pot, and tried to search for a coin as quickly as possible. However, he cried out in pain in just a matter of seconds and tried to withdraw his arm. The boiling oil seemed to possess some sort of mysterious power, however. No matter how hard he struggled, he was unable to pull away from the pot.

Eventually, the young man ran out of strength and tried to catch a breather. It was at this moment the oil suddenly pulled him into the pot in one fell swoop! He screamed in pain and tried to escape, but what chance did he have when he couldn't even pull his arm free at the beginning? Inevitably, he burned to death and turned as black as charcoal.

"Man, that is surely one of the worst ways to die!" Ye Qing shook his head sympathetically. Not even Xiao Yang had it this bad when he boiled to death on the Mountain of Riddles.

The gambler swept his gaze across the crowd and let out a daring chuckle. Then, he dug out an eyeball and tossed it into the pot. Blood streamed down his face profusely, but it was like he couldn't feel the pain at all. Ten breaths later, he stuck his hand back into the cooking pot and fished out his eyeball. After showing it to the crowd to prove that it was real, he plugged it right back into his eye socket. Ye Qing could tell that he was perfectly fine.

Chapter 131: True Love

"Is there anyone who'd dare to emulate me?" The gambler yelled.

"I'll do it!" An old man with white hair and beard stepped out of the crowd.

"..." Are these people stupid or suicidal? Wait, can a ghost even die? Hmm…

By now, Ye Qing had figured out that every single one of these villagers was a yin soul of sorts. The old man walked up to the cooking pot, dug out his eyeballs, and tossed it into the pot. The eyeball turned golden brown and even let out a fragrant scent almost immediately. Knowing he didn't have much time, the old man tried to fish out his eyeball before it could sink to the bottom.

Something worse happened, however: his eyeballs had charred and melted into the oil in just the blink of an eye, never to be found again.

"My eyeball! My eyeball!" The old man wailed. He saw what had happened, but he refused to believe that his eyeball was gone. He kept fishing inside the pot until his arm had crumbled away as well. Still unwilling to give up, he stuck his left arm into the oil, then his upper torso, then his lower torso. Just like that, the old man was completely gone.

After that, Ye Qing was treated to a horror show that one could never find in a human society. The man would proceed to challenge his fellow ghosts to scoop their ear, their nose, their tongue, their head and so on from the cooking pot, and they all just went with it. It was an eye-opening experience to put it mildly.

Despite the variety, there was one thing that never changed. The gambler never lost a single game, and the losers were all cooking inside the cooking pot!

Inevitably, the gambler walked up to Ye Qing and challenged, "Would you like to bet with me, youngster?"

Ye Qing rubbed his nose and asked a reasonable question, "Can I say no?"

The second he said this, a terrifying amount of yin qi rolled out of the gambler's body. The faces of the deceased yin souls also pressed out of the boiling oil to glare hatefully at Ye Qing. It looked like they would attack him all at once if he refused, and frankly it was a little scary.

"Fine, fine, since you invited me so passionately, it would be ungracious of me to say no." Ye Qing shrugged. "However, you're only betting your coins, your eyeballs, your head and whatever. Frankly, the stakes aren't nearly high enough to pique my interest. Do you want to raise the stakes?"

"Raise the stakes?" The gambler was caught off guard. "I don't understand."

Ye Qing smiled. "What I mean is that you're only betting one part of your body such as your hands, your ears, your eyeballs and so on. Instead, why don't we bet our whole body? Let's bet who can stay under the oil the longest!"

Faceless: "..." That's one way to raise the stakes alright.

"Why not?" The gambler let out a confident chuckle. "If that's what you want, then let's go for it!"

"Good!" Ye Qing rubbed his hands excitedly. "Since you're such a good sport, it's only right that I reciprocate. You may make the first move!"

The gambler: "..." I don't think you get how reciprocation works.

Ye Qing grinned confidently. "This is for your own good, brother. You'll never win if I go first!"

Faceless hurriedly echoed in agreement, "Yeah! My young master is the greatest gambler of them all!"

The gambler had to resist the urge to facepalm. Just how shameless could this pair of master and servant be?

In the end, the gambler agreed. He had been "taking the first turn" the entire time anyway, so what was one more? He leaped into the air and dove into the pot like a professional diver.

"Magnifico!" Ye Qing yelled the only Italian word he knew, grabbed a massive stone slab from nearby, and slammed it over the pot in the blink of an eye.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The gambler struggled with all his might as a matter of course. In fact, Ye Qing could tell through his spirit that the cooking pot itself was attempting to push the slab away or break it in half. Unfortunately for them, Ye Qing's strength was at the level of a dragon elephant", so their struggle was about as useful as a breeze.

When they thumpings became weak and useless, Ye Qing pushed both the slab and the cooking pot beneath it all the way into the ground. Once done, he clapped his hands in satisfaction and said, "What did I tell you? You should've made that first move count, brother! Also, gambling is bad for yourself and others!"

"Hahaha…" Faceless laughed dryly. Hell hath no fury like a shameless, brutal bastard!

They stepped around the big locust tree and continued down the road. This time, Ye Qing saw an old woman with a wrinkled face and gray hair sharpening an iron stick at a three-way junction. To be more specific, she was sharpening an unusually huge iron stick that was as thick as a bowl and over three meters long.

The iron stick was pitch black, dense, and shiny even in the darkness. It had to weigh twenty-five to thirty kilograms at least, a weight that even a young, fit lad would be hardpressed to carry. The old woman seemed to have no problem with it, however. She was grinding it against a whetstone the size of a millstone and sending sparks everywhere. She almost looked… cool, assuming that she was an allusion to that famous folklore [1].

There was a strange song mixed within the screeches of metal as well. It sang in a shrill, mocking voice,

"A granny lost her needle,

So she took an iron stick to make a new needle.

Eeeee screeched the iron,

Aaaaa squealed the whetstone,

Day after day,

Year after year!

But the stick never shrank,

Nor did it grow thin.

Day after day,

Year after year!

The granny's shoes are torn,

Her hat is ripped,

And her clothes are covered in holes,

But the stick never shrank,

Nor did it grow thin.

Foolish old granny!

Foolish old granny!

Hehehehahahahaha…"

"Huh…" Ye Qing rubbed his nose curiously, "It sounds better than I expected!"

When Ye Qing got closer, he realized that the song was coming from the iron stick itself. As if on cue, the old woman looked up at Ye Qing and asked, "Tell me, young man. Do you think I can grind this iron stick into a needle?"

Ye Qing smiled and nodded firmly. "As long as your kung fu is up to par, who says you cannot grind an iron stick into a needle? You can do it, granny!"

"Kakaka… you have a sweet mouth, young man!" The old woman let out a strange cackle that literally sounded like a million crows cawing at the same time. It was extremely noisy and unpleasant to hear.

Faceless and Kung Fu Frog immediately covered their ears and staggered away from the old woman, proving that the cackle wasn't as harmless as it seemed. However, Ye Qing continued to smile as if he couldn't feel the sound attack at all.

Speaking of smiles, the old woman's mouth kept widening until her cheeks split apart and revealed rows and rows of sharp teeth. It was incredibly unsettling to look at.

"But young man, I've been grinding this stick for one thousand and two hundred years, and I still wasn't able to make a needle. Would you happen to know a solution?"

"Do you?"

"Do you?"

The extraordinarily unkind and malicious-sounding "do you"s didn't come from the old woman. It came from inside the iron stick.

Ye Qing pretended not to hear the voice and thought for a couple of seconds. Then, he clapped his hands and declared, "I got it!"

"How? Please, tell us!" Both the old woman and the entity inside the iron stick asked in unison.

Ye Qing smiled. "It's simple. You just need to beg me."

"Excuse me?" The old woman could not understand what he meant.

"If you beg me properly, then I'll grind that stick into a needle for you!" Ye Qing clarified.

Finally realizing that Ye Qing was toying with her, the old woman flew into a rage, "How dare you make fun of me!"

The old woman's upper and lower jaw smashed together and sent sparks flying all over the place. The iron stick in her hands was vibrating ominously as well.

"I'm not though." Ye Qing shrugged. "I'm serious! Or are you so jaded that you don't believe I can do it? I can't help you if you don't want to be helped, man."

The moment the enraged old woman opened her mouth to say something, Ye Qing immediately punched her in the mouth. She bit down on his arm expecting to taste his juicy flesh and blood, but instead her sharp teeth broke into smithereens. The next second, she let out a bloodcurdling scream and disappeared as the Burning Wind consumed her from the inside out.

The battle wasn't over yet though. The three meter long iron stick let out a loud "Aaaaaaaaaahh!" and attempted to bash Ye Qing's brain in. However, he easily caught it with both hands before shifting his grip to the center of the stick. It couldn't break free no matter how hard it struggled. Ye Qing then squeezed it as hard as he could without snapping it in half before he started pulling toward both ends of the stick and rubbing it in a circular motion.

Sparks flew everywhere as entire chunks of metal were rubbed off the stick's body. The entity possessing the iron stick let out a howl so terrible that it would've chilled even the most hardened man to the core. Ye Qing paid no attention to it, however. He just kept rubbing the stick until it had finally been reduced to a sewing needle.

"See? I told you I could do it. It's really not that difficult!" Ye Qing admired his creation for a bit before shaking his head with a sigh. "It's too bad you're too impulsive, granny! You would have loved to see it!"

Ye Qing then looked at Faceless and advised, "Remember this, Faceless. Impulse is the devil, and you must never succumb to it."

Faceless let out a dry laugh. I wonder. I'm pretty sure the real devil is standing in front of me!

With that done, Ye Qing stored the sewing needle in his Nature's Shell. The Stranger inside the sewing needle wasn't dead yet, so it was technically a Strange Artifact. He could probably sell it for money if he wanted to.

Thump thump!

This time, the village did not wait for him to stumble upon its next horror. The cheerful, celebratory sounds of drums and suonas quickly filled the air.

Ye Qing listened for a moment before muttering, "It sounds like a wedding parade."

Before he could finish, another musical parade broke out from the other end of the village. However, this one sounded sad and mournful.

"And that's… a funeral procession."

Ye Qing didn't know what expression to make to say the least. It wasn't everyday that a wedding parade and a funeral procession happened at the exact same time!

Both music grew louder and clearer over time. It would seem that both processions were headed toward the village center.

"Are they going to clash?" Ye Qing couldn't help but smirk at the idea. "It would be fun if they did!"

His prediction was spot on. Not long later, both processions encountered one another under the massive locust tree. The music ceased abruptly as they came to a standstill, leaving only eerie silence.

On one side, the people conducting the wedding procession were wearing auspicious colors such as red and green. Everyone looked happy and cheerful. The man leading in front of the wedding procession was dressed in wedding garments and riding a white horse. He was obviously the groom. However, his face looked blurry from Ye Qing's perspective probably because the angle was bad, and the moonlight was somewhat blinding.

On the other side, everyone in the funeral procession was dressed in white and wearing white bands around their hands. Their expressions were dark and gloomy. At the center of the procession were eight people carrying a black coffin. What was strange was that a big red flower was tied to the center of the coffin, and the 囍 [2] word was taped to both sides of the coffin.

Finally, the person leading the procession was carrying a memorial tablet. The upper edges of the memorial tablet was covered in red cloth and the word 囍 as well. The center of the tablet read: "In Memory of Guo Yuniang".

"A ghost marriage?" Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise. The deceased was clearly a woman judging from the name on the memorial tablet, and a real funeral procession would not have red flowers and 囍 words on the coffin and the memorial tablet. Therefore, this was most likely a ghost marriage, one between a living groom and a dead bride. Now he understood why the two processions had met each other at the center of the village.

For obvious reasons, ghost marriages were incredibly rare.

Guo Yuniang's corpse isn't actually in that coffin… right? Ye Qing thought, but there was no other explanation. This groom was so infatuated with the woman that he would go so far as to bring her corpse with him. It's gotta be true love!

1. It's a story about a granny trying to grind an iron stick into a needle, and Li Bai taking it as a moral lesson to never falter if a task seems impossible ☜

2. meaning double happiness/luck/fortune etc.

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