Stranger Danger

Chapter 148: Wen Zailai

Xue Shiwu’s four personal bodyguards—Wind, Forest, Mountain and Fire—shouted in horror when they saw this. The fight was over so quickly and unexpectedly that they never even got to start their own. They hurriedly raced out of the Cuiwei Boat and jumped into the river to save their charge.

After the four bodyguards were gone, Chu Nianjiu choked down some wine to suppress his shock. “Cough! Cough… You never fail to surprise, Joyless!”

Ye Qing smiled humbly. “Nah, it’s because he underestimated me!”

It was the truth. The real reason he was able to defeat Xue Shiwu in one punch and deal him a severe blow was because he did not believe that Ye Qing was a threat at all and fought him as such. In reality, Xue Shiwu was a very strong Astral Refiner. If the Little Commander had come after him with everything he had, he still would’ve won, but it would’ve taken a lot more effort and time.

Ye Qing finally turned around to face the guest room behind him. The shockwaves of his battle with Xue Shiwu could’ve shattered even a tough limestone house, but it did no damage to the seemingly wooden structure of the Cuiwei Boat whatsoever. Clearly, this boat was no ordinary boat. Just like the Cloud Mountain, it was probably protected by powerful restrictions.

Despite his idle thoughts, Ye Qing did not hesitate to push open the door. However, he was met with a conundrum as soon as he entered the room. Luo Shen was lying motionless on the ground, eyes bulging. He was very obviously dead. Strangely, Ye Qing couldn’t spot any injury on his body whatsoever. There was also a middle-aged man in his thirties sitting beside the table. He wore a silk hat and a scholar’s robe and carried a feathered fan. He looked very much like your traditional scholar.

The man smiled and saluted Ye Qing as soon as he saw him. “Hail, Patrolman Ye. I am Wen Zailai.”

Another late-stage Astral Refiner? Since when did late-stage Astral Refiners become as common as cabbages? Ye Qing thought in annoyance as he asked, “Well met, Brother Wen. What happened here?”

Wen Zailai replied casually, “It’s like this. I was having a nice drink when this stranger suddenly barged in and tried to kill me. He was probably worried that I would reveal his whereabouts. Worried for my life, I have no choice but to kill him in self-defense!”

“Is that so?” Ye Qing asked suspiciously while crouching down to pry open Luo Shen’s mouth. As soon as he did this, a mouthful of blood spilled out of the man’s lips.

What a sword! Ye Qing’s eyes glinted. He immediately noticed that Luo Shen had died from a sword wound, and the place he was struck with was none other than his mouth.

If he wasn’t mistaken, Luo Shen was going to say something after entering Wen Zailai’s room when suddenly, a sword pierced up his mouth and into his brain. Not only that, the attack was so fast that Luo Shen closed his mouth in panic only after the sword aws withdrawn. After that, he was just dead. That was why he looked unhurt from the outside, and why the blood had pooled inside his mouth.

“What are you doing here, Wen Zailai?”

By now, Chu Nianjiu and Lin Yuhuai had stepped into the room as well. They both frowned when they saw him sitting next to the table.

Wen Zailai took no offense from their rather cold attitude, however. He greeted them politely, “Hail, Brother Chu. Hail, Brother Yu.”

“Shiwen is a good friend of mine, and we were having a good time until this incident happened.”

“You’re a scholar, and he\'s a brute from the army. I doubt that the two of you even share the same type of chamber pot, much less enjoying a drink together,” Chu Nianjiu said sarcastically. “You’re not plotting something heinous, are you?”

“You must be joking, Brother Chu!” Wen Zailai laughed uncaringly. “A person’s hobbies aren’t just limited to literature and martial arts, and one can have friends from both low and high places! But I suppose that someone like you would not understand such concepts!”

Clearly, Wen Zailai was indirectly calling Chu Nianjiu uncouth.

Ye Qing touched Xu Banren’s shoulder and asked him through sound transmission, “Who is this Wen Zailai? And why does Brother Chu seem to dislike him so much? I could practically imagine a melodramatic past listening to their verbal spar!”

Xu Banren answered, “Wen Zailai is one of the four stars of the White Horse Academy. Not only is he well-read, smart, and judicious man, his attainment in martial arts is quite impressive as well.”

“But although he is as strong as he is knowledgeable, Wen Zailai is cursed with a devious mind. Ruthless as a soldier and cunning as a fox, he especially enjoys scheming behind another’s back. It is also why people call him the Deceitful Scholar.”

“Lord Chu had been hoodwinked by Wen Zailai in the past, but he was unable to repay the favor because he couldn’t find proof. Since then, they had constantly butt heads against one another.”

“I see!” Ye Qing exclaimed in realization. No wonder Chu Nianjiu was acting like Wen Zailai was his ex or something.

“Patrolman Ye. Thank you for overlooking my transgressions and even identifying the true culprit behind Luo Feibai’s murder.”

It was at this moment Li Lang stepped into the room and inspected Luo Shen’s body for a bit. Then, he looked at Ye Qing and added, “I deeply apologize for the troubles I’ve caused. I hope you will forgive me.”

Ye Qing saluted him, “You don’t need to apologize, Constable Li. You were just catching a killer, and I was only proving my innocence!”

“Thank you!” Li Lang returned the salute and glanced at the others. “Thank you all for lending a hand in this incident as well.”

“You’re welcome, Constable Li!” Everyone including Wen Zailai responded.

Ye Qing thought for a moment before asking, “I have a question, Constable Li. Do you think that this incident is as simple as it seems?”

Since the beginning, he had a feeling that something wasn’t right about this whole incident. For starters, why did Luo Shen want to kill Luo Feibai? Why did he choose the Cuiwei Boat of all places to execute his murder? And why did he kill Luo Feibai right after they left his room? No matter how he thought about it, he felt that the time, location and motive were all very suspect. So suspect, that he wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that Luo Shen’s true objective was him!

Besides that, Luo Shen’s own death was a little suspect. As someone who had fought him personally, he could tell that Luo Shen was pretty strong. He was also in possession of a special skill set that temporarily kept him at bay even if he was aiming to capture, not kill. However, the man had died as soon as he entered Wen Zailai’s room. He had died so cleanly and quickly that it was almost as if he hadn’t anticipated being attacked, a ludicrous thought considering his circumstances—unless he knew Wen Zailai.

It was the only explanation why Luo Shen had ducked into Wen Zailai’s room of all rooms, and why he was so unguarded that Wen Zailai was able to kill him in a single attack. It also explained why Luo Shen’s final expression was one of shock before he perished. He hadn’t expected Wen Zailai to kill him.

Finally, there was nothing strange about Xue Shiwu enjoying a drink with Wen Zailai, but it was beyond suspicious that Xue Shiwu would go so far as to assault him to prevent him from entering the room. The only reason he could think of was that Xue Shiwu was trying to stall him while Wen Zailai killed Luo Shen, meaning that Xue Shiwu and Wen Zailai were the true masterminds behind all this!

The more he thought about it, the more certain he became that his deduction was correct. There was one thing he couldn’t figure out though. He had just arrived at Luo Shui, and he literally didn’t know that Xue Shiwu and Wen Zailai existed until tonight. So why did the duo go through all this trouble?

It could be because they were trying to take revenge for Xiao Yang. Earlier, Xue Shiwu had called Xiao Yang a brother, and as far as he could tell they were pretty close. It could be because he wanted to take revenge for Xiao Yang and roped Wen Zailai in as the brains of the operation, though at this stage it was pure speculation.

Li Lang said nothing for a moment. “That’s up to Patriarch Luo to decide after I return Luo Shen’s corpse to him, not me.”

Ye Qing nodded in understanding. Li Lang was obviously an intelligent man who noticed the same thing he did. He was also a wise man who realized that the masterminds behind this incident were most likely people he couldn’t afford to offend. That was why he decided to leave it to Luo Feibai’s father, Luo Chunchao to make the decision.

Would Luo Chunchao choose to minimize the impact of this incident and overlook his son’s murder? Or would he kick up a fuss and muster heaven and earth to take revenge for his son? It was all up to him now.

“Men, take Luo Shen’s body away, and make haste. The last thing we need is another ‘accident’!” Li Lang ordered. Two bailiffs immediately rushed into the room and carried Luo Shen’s body away.

“Good night, everyone!” The chief constable saluted and left the room as well.

Ye Qing and Co got ready to leave. No one was in the mood to enjoy anything after this fiasco. However, they had just exited the room when a roar erupted from outside, “You are dead, Ye Qing!”

Boom!

A silhouette covered in blood red astral qi burst into the Cuiwei Boat. The doors and windows shook violently as he charged straight for Ye Qing.

“Xue Shiwu!”

Chu Nianjiu, Lin Yuhuai and the others immediately stepped out of harm’s way.

Ye Qing: “...” Such good friends!

Ye Qing rubbed his nose and pulsed his spirit once more. He was planning to target the weak point in Xue Shiwu’s energies once more. But despite looking like a crazed, savage beast on the outside, the Little Commander’s bloodshot eyes were as cold as ice. Like a wolf, he was savage but calm, cruel but mindful. He made sure to conceal his energies properly so that Ye Qing wouldn’t be able to find anything.

“Smart. Too bad it’s not going to help you!” Ye Qing grinned. If Xue Shiwu thought he was just a warrior who happened to be born with a strong spirit, then he was going to be very disappointed.? His spirit had grown by leaps and bounds after it was baptized by the Burning Wind. He could not claim that it was on the same level as a Spirit Purifier, but among Astral Refiners? It had to be among the best of the best. Despite Xue Shiwu’s attempt to conceal his energies, he could still see them as clear as day.

Ye Qing did not move even though Xue Shiwu was getting closer and closer. When they were less than ten meters away from each other, he took one step forward and vanished from view. An instant later, both combatants had switched places.

The Cuiwei Boat abruptly shook, and an invisible shockwave spread outward across the waters. Some nearby vessels even exploded into smithereens without warning.

The Cuiwei Boat itself was fine even though the shockwave had happened in its belly. It was because a ripple of energy had canceled them out and protected the ship from harm.

Back in the ship, Ye Qing was standing calmly on one side, while Xue Shiwu was clutching a limp arm on the other. His complexion was beet red, and his aura was fluctuating erratically as well. It was clear who had won the second exchange.

“I had no idea that Joyless could predict his opponent’s actions this well,” Chu Nianjiu muttered while exchanging a glance with Lin Yuhuai.

Xue Shiwu had thrown a punch when the two of them entered melee range, and Ye Qing had countered with a perfectly-timed elbow flick that knocked it off course. As a result, Xue Shiwu’s devastating punch could only sail harmlessly past Ye Qing’s cheek, and he was unable to switch up his move. This could not have happened if he didn’t know exactly what his opponent was planning to do or where the punch was aimed.

Then, Ye Qing straightened his forearm and smacked Xue Shiwu across the shoulder like he was wielding an axe, landing yet another powerful blow.

If shame could kill, then Xue Shiwu would have died a million times already. If the first time was a fluke, the second time was a coincidence, then the third time must be a pattern; a pattern where he, a late-stage Astral Refiner, had lost decisively against an early-stage Astral Refiner!

“RAAAAAGH!”

Xue Shiwu abruptly let out a mighty roar as his eyes turned completely red. He suddenly became a lot bigger as fangs suddenly stretched out of the corners of his mouth, and crimson hair grew out of his skin. Ye Qing frowned when he saw this.

“He’s a Strangerkin?”

That wasn’t all. A pair of crimson gauntlets had appeared in his hands, and it had a wolf’s head at the back and sharp claws at the fingertips. It was an exquisite and deadly-looking Strange Artifact.

The moment Xue Shiwu put on the gauntlets, the eyes of the wolf’s head abruptly lit up like a pair of crimson stars. At the same time, the apparition of a bloody wolf appeared around the gauntlet and let out a long, bloody howl.

“Joyless, Xue Shiwu has the blood of a Greedy Wolf in him. He is twice as fast and strong when his bloodline is active, and the gauntlet he’s wearing is a Malice-class Strange Artifact called the Greedy Wolf Gauntlet, so you must be careful,” Lin Yuhuai’s soothing voice rang beside Ye Qing’s ears.

“Don’t hold back, Joyless! Fuck him up!”

Chu Nianjiu’s sound transmission came right afterward. “You can cripple him or kill him, it doesn’t matter! The Pacification Bureau will back you up every step of the way, so just do it! We believe in you!”

Ye Qing: “...”

Such good brothers!