Stranger Danger

Chapter 144: Skyrocketing Up That Bureau Ladder

After Ye Qing came over, Gu Suitang pointed a finger at him and said, “Congratulations, you are now the new Patrolman of the Luo Shui Pacification Bureau.”

“Ah, okay…” Ye Qing blanked out a little. He would’ve been satisfied if he was given a Lieutenant-rank post, but a Patrolman? That was a Peacemaker-rank post, wasn’t it?

Gu Suitang ignored him and turned back to Wang Luori. “So, Ye Qing is now our Patrolman. Still think I won’t flatten your Sunset Hill if you kill him?”

“You…” Wang Luori looked like he wanted to strangle Gu Suitang alive, but everyone knew how that went.

Before this, Ye Qing was technically a nobody. The Pacification Bureau had no reason to protect him, and even someone as willful as Gu Suitang would be hardpressed to find an excuse to flatten his Sunset Hill so to speak.

But now, Ye Qing was a high-ranking officer in the Pacification Bureau. Killing Ye Qing now would be the same as going to war against the Pacification Bureau and slapping Chu in the face. The emperor’s dignity must be protected at all costs, and the imperial court might just decide that flattening Sunset Hill would be an appropriate punishment.

“Hehe. You think you’re hot shit, right Red Bush? Go get the boy then! I promise you I won’t stop you this time!” Gu Suitang removed his foot and stepped aside. Ye Qing did not hesitate to puff up his chest and make a provocative gesture as well.

I’m a man with a boss now! Come get me if you can, bitch!

Boom!

Violent energy burst out of Wang Luori’s body as he rose to his feet. He looked like he was on the verge of unleashing all of his power to destroy everything and anything. In the end though, the Hill Lord did not dare to attack Ye Qing. He said, “I won’t forget this, you bastard!” before turning around to leave.

Before he could do so though, Gu Suitang appeared next to Wang Luori and punched him in the waist. The man immediately shot out of the entrance like a cannonball.

“Who gave you the gall to threaten me, you little shit? I swear, I would’ve pummeled you into meat paste if your ancestor wasn’t an acquaintance of mine!”

As the Hill Lord staggered to his feet, he felt something wet hitting him in the face. It was Gu Suitang spitting at him while saying, “Now get lost!”

This time, Wang Luori did not say anything. He leaped into the air and vanished in the blink of an eye. Everyone could see how angry he was and how close he was to losing control though.

That was so cool! Now this is what I call a true champion, and it sure is nice to be carried [1] once in a while! Ye Qing thought to himself.

Clap!

Gu Suitang clapped once to draw his attention before saying, “You’re our Patrolman from now on, boy. Give it your all. I have high expectations for you!”

“You… weren’t joking, senior?” Ye Qing honestly thought that Gu Suitang didn’t mean what he said earlier, but now it would seem that that wasn’t the case.

Gu Suitang rolled his eyes. “I’m the heavens damned Deputy Chief of Bureau, boy! Do I look like I got the time to joke around?”

Ye Qing hesitated, “But I’m not sure I—”

Gu Suitang interrupted him before he could finish, “You are qualified. You’ve proven during my earlier test that you are as strong as Yuhuai and Nianjiu, and your achievements in Anyang marked you as a man of exceptional intellect, so you have nothing to worry about.”

He then turned to Lin Yuhuai and ordered, “When the registration is over, hand him his badge and give him a rundown on what a Patrolman is supposed to do, Yuhuai!”

Lin Yuhuai nodded affirmatively. “As you command!”

“Alright, is there anything anyone else wants to say to me? No? Then you are dismissed!” declared Gu Suitang with the wave of a hand.

The crowd was just about to comply with his order when a man suddenly barged through the entrance and roared, “Where is that boy? I can still go for another three hundred rounds! Let me at ‘em!”

It was none other than Wei Yueshan, the body-tempering warrior who Ye Qing turned into a star a while ago.

Slap!

Not a second after Wei Yueshan was done yelling, a palm slapped him in the back of his head hard enough to make him stumble.

“Who hit me?” Wei Yueshan roared again.

“I did. Whatcha gonna do about it, huh?” Gu Suitang slapped Wei Yueshan a second time as he yelled, “I’ve been tutoring you for heaven-knows-howlong, and yet you still couldn’t reach the initiate level. Not only that, you lost to a guy who’s younger than you! Just how embarrassing can you get? Just get out of my sight!”

Gu Suitang kicked Wei Yueshan in the butt as soon as he finished, and once again, the poor guy turned into a star in the sky.

“If you don’t mind me asking… what’s going on there?” Ye Qing blinked in puzzlement.

Lin Yuhuai chuckled. “That guy’s name is Wei Yueshan. He’s a Lieutenant in the Pacification Bureau and the Deputy Chief’s disciple.”

“Oh! No wonder!” Ye Qing exclaimed in realization before introducing himself, “I am Ye Qing, the one they call Joyless Ye. I’m honored to make your acquaintance, my lords.”

Lin Yuhuai smiled gently. “You flatter us, Brother Ye. You’re a Peacemaker now, meaning that you are on the same level as Nianjiu and I. Please just treat us as peers and address us by our names.”

“No problem!”

Lin Yuhuai then introduced himself and Chu Nianjiu, “My name is Lin Yuhuai, and I’m an Intelligence Officer. He is Chu Nianjiu, and he’s a Windcatcher.”

“Well met, Brother Lin, Brother Chu. Please feel free to address me as Brother Ye or Joyless!” Ye Qing responded in kind.

A smiling Chu Nianjiu wrapped an arm around Ye Qing’s shoulder and took a sip from his wine, “Joyless, you’re quite an impressive lad, aren’t ‘cha? You’re not even twenty yet, and you’re already a Peacemaker. Your achievement isn’t unprecedented, but it’s been decades since someone as young as you was made a Peacemaker in our bureau!”

Ye Qing rubbed his nose wryly. “I wasn’t expecting this either. In fact, I still haven’t quite recovered from the shock yet.”

“Well, that’s the Deputy Chief for you. He wouldn’t be the Deputy Chief if he acts predictably. You’ll get used to it!” Chu Nianjiu laughed. “Anyway, you’ve had an exciting day, haven’t you? Follow me after you’re done with the registration. I’ll treat you to a drink at Cuiwei Boat tonight!”

Ye Qing saluted him smilingly. “Thank you, Brother Chu!”

Lin Yuhuai exposed Chu Nianjiu mercilessly, “You shouldn’t thank him. He just wanted to enjoy their Cuiwei Rainflower Brew again!”

Chu Nianjiu paid him no heed. “So? I’m killing two birds with one stone!”

“Whatever you say!” Lin Yuhuai shook his head wryly before looking back at Ye Qing. “Follow me, Joyless. I’ll guide you through the procedures, introduce you to your responsibilities, and give you a tour of this place!”

“Thank you very much, Brother Lin!”

“You’re welcome!”

……

“The Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method is on him?!”

Some distance away from the commandery, Wang Luori’s rage-filled expression suddenly melted into a joyous smile.

“Hmph, now I understand why Xiao Yang and Qing Kui snuck into Anyang. Their ambition is one thing, but they should’ve known their place and informed me about it. Their deaths are well-deserved!” He muttered cruelly as his lips curled into a cold, detached sneer.

“Still, it’s thanks to my dear disciple that the Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method is delivered right into my lap. Hahaha! The heavens are on my side this time!”

“Once I get my hands on the Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method, I’ll finally be able to enter the Spirit Master stage. When that happens, you will pay for everything you’ve done to me tenfold, you old bastard!”

Wang Luori burst out laughing like a madman then. His crazed laughter was loud enough to be heard even tens of kilometers away.

When he was finally done, his face slowly turned dark and cruel. “Ye Qing… Ye Qing…”

“You won’t escape me. You won’t escape me!”

……

“Luo Shui is famed for its One Water, Nine Bridges, and Eighteen Boats. One Water refers to the Luo Shui River, Nine Bridges refers to the nine Moon Bridges that connects the two shores of Luo Shui River, and Eighteen Boats refers to the eighteen pleasure boats scattered across the river such as Cuiwei, Brightmoon, Hongxiu, Ruyi, Crystal Clear, Aroma and so on.”

The moon glowed brightly in the night sky. Ye Qing, Chu Nianjiu, Lin Yuhuai, We Yueshan and Xu Banren were walking along the bustling riverside of Luo Shui River while Lin Yuhuai explained its most famous attraction, the “One River, Nine Bridges, and Eighteen Boats”.

The five of them were headed to Cuiwei Boat for a drinking session, of course. It was a small welcome party for Ye Qing. Wei Yueshan was tagging along because he somehow caught wind of their plans and muscled himself into their plans—he was just as much of an alcoholic as Chu Nianjiu was—whereas Xu Banren was forcefully dragged along after he returned to the Pacification Bureau.

A party wouldn’t be a party without enough people, right?

“A pleasure boat with friends, booze, and beautiful girls, huh? Not bad at all!” Ye Qing’s eyes were glowing with delight as he listened to Lin Yuhuai’s explanations.

“Hahaha… not only that, Cuiwei Boat’s Cuiwei Rainflower Brew is a uniquely delicious brew across all of Luo Shui. Only a limited amount is served every day, and only VIPs are allowed to order the brew. There are countless people who wish they could enjoy the brew, but couldn’t!” Wei Yueshan unconsciously licked his lips.

“It sounds like a must-have for sure!” Ye Qing replied smilingly.

Chu Nianjiu took a sip from his wine and added, “The Cuiwei Rainflower Brew is definitely incredible, but that is not the only thing they’re famous for. Their qin and se performance and their dances are famous throughout Luo Shui as well. I promise you won’t be disappointed, Joyless!”

Lin Yuhuai echoed in agreement, “Indeed, the Cuiwei Boat’s brew, music and dances are why they are the number one pleasure boat in Luo Shui!”

“Hahaha… I can’t wait!”

The group of five—well, all of them except Banren—continued to make idle conversation as they walked along the streets. The riverbanks were lined with restaurants, the pleasure boats and other vessels were floating along the river like strings, the flute and string music were positively endless, the delicious smell of food and booze was a constant, the sweet voices of songstresses could relax even the most strung-up men, and the innumerable candles, torches and lanterns lit the streets almost as bright as daytime. It was a phantasmal experience that did not seem to belong in this world.

“We’re here! That is the Cuiwei Boat!” Lin Yuhuai pointed when they arrived at an arch bridge that glowed white in the darkness as if it was forged from white jade. It was why it was called a Moon Bridge. A mysterious, exquisitely-designed pleasure boat was parked a fair distance away from it.

Appearance wise, the pleasure boat was definitely not the biggest, gorgeous, or most luxurious pleasure boat of them all. However, Ye Qing knew at first glance that it was the brightest star. Mysterious and elegant, it stood out among the other pleasure boats in a good way. It was unique like a night orchid in an empty valley, or the moon surrounded by a bed of stars.

It was at this moment Ye Qing noticed something strange. “Wait a second. This pleasure boat is parked in the middle of the river, and it isn’t close to the bridge either. Are we expected to fly over to it or something?”

“That is exactly correct! You are expected to fly over to Cuiwei Boat!” Chu Nianjiu let out a small chuckle before leaping into the air. He landed at the center of the boat.

“Sounds fun!” Ye Qing’s eyes lit up. The Cuiwei Boat was at least twenty five to thirty meters away from the riverbank, and it was even farther away from the Moon Bridge. Anyone whose movement art wasn’t up to snuff would not be able to board the Cuiwei Boat.

Ye Qing took one step and leaped into the sky as well. As light as a feather and as swift as the wind, he landed on Cuiwei Boat in just the blink of an eye.

“Joyless’ movement art is quite impressive!” Lin Yuhuai complimented. As Ye Qing was a body-tempering warrior, he thought that his movement art would be similarly brutish. Instead, the young man had looked like a bonafide celestial. It was honestly surprising.

Speaking of brutish, Wei Yueshan roared, “It’s my turn!” before backing up a few steps. Then, he dashed up to the shoreline and kicked off the ground with both legs. A few seconds later, he landed on the pleasure boat with a muffled thump.

“Now that’s more like it!” Lin Yuhuai shook his head. He and Xu Banren then leaped over to the Cuiwei Boat as well.

Xu Banren’s movement art was as soundless as a ghost, and Lin Yuhuai’s as calm and gentle as water. Regardless, they both landed on Cui Wei Boat without a sound.

1. gaming slang, meaning that it’s nice to let someone else do most of the heavy-lifting in a game