Stranger Danger

Just dig a hole and put him to rest.

Feng Qingyou answered calmly, “To research him, of course. This is the first time I\'ve met someone like Deng Qiang. I’m pretty curious, to be honest.”

“R-Research?” Ye Qing shuddered a little. “A-And how are you going to go about this research, exactly? Are you going to dissect him?”

Feng Qingyou replied, “If it turned out to be necessary, then yes.”

Ye Qing broke out in a cold sweat and shot Deng Qiang a glance. People who study the art of healing are scary!

“What’s wrong? Are you scared?” Feng Qingyou teased him.

Ye Qing let out a chuckle and pretended to be calm. “Of course not. Why would I be scared?”

“Really?” Playfulness flickered across Feng Qingyou’s features, but she did not expose Ye Qing. Instead, she turned to Uncle Feng and asked, “I’m going out for a bit, Uncle Feng. Can you please take Deng Qiang away?”

“As you wish, Miss,” Uncle Feng answered and grabbed Deng Qiang. The misshapen man was monstrously strong and in his prime—relatively speaking—whereas Uncle Feng looked like he had one foot in the grave. However, the old man easily picked him up and walked away as if he weighed nothing at all.

Ye Qing shot the darkening skies a glance and asked, “It’s getting late, Qingyou. Where are you going?”

She answered, “I’m leaving the commandery to forage some herbs.”

“At this time? Isn’t it dangerous? Can’t you forage it in the morning or something?” Ye Qing asked worriedly.

Feng Qingyou chuckled easily, “I’m sure I’ll be fine with you to protect me. Unless you were planning to leave a frail woman like me to collect the herbs I need on my own?”

Frail woman? What kind of “frail woman” can venture into the Firewind Valley alone or repel the Fog of Nightmare with a single qin?

That said, Feng Qingyou was asking him to escort her. How could he possibly refuse a beautiful lady?

And so Ye Qing slapped his chest and declared confidently, “Hehe, of course not. I will keep you safe, my lady. You have my word no harm will come to you while you’re foraging!”

“I’ll be counting on you then,” Feng Qingyou smirked.

It was such an impish smile that Ye Qing suddenly felt a chill down his back. He was starting to have a bad feeling about this.

I suspect you’re plotting something, but I have no proof!

And so Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou left the commandery and traveled to a forest called the Black White Forest. The reason it was given this name was because half of the forest was pure white like the clouds in the sky, and the other half was as black as ink. It was the same for the animals and Strangers as well.

The two halves of the forest possessed distinctively different atmospheres. The Black Forest was dark and eerie, whereas the White Forest looked holy and pure. To a human though, it made no difference. Both sides were equally dangerous.

“Didn’t they say that the Black White Forest is incredibly dangerous? Why haven’t we encountered a single Stranger so far?”

It had been one and a half hours since they entered the forest. They had been following the dividing line that separated the Black Forest from the White Forest.

Feng Qingyou answered, “The black and white Strangers in the forest are completely hostile toward each other. If they meet, they would battle each other to the death. That is why most of them chose to stay away from the dividing line.”

Ye Qing exclaimed in realization, “I see! But what is this herb you’re looking for, Qingyou?”

She smiled mysteriously. “You’ll find out in a bit.”

Another half an incense stick of walking later, Feng Qingyou stared at a big clearing and nodded in satisfaction. “Let’s stop here!”

She walked to the center of the clearing and produced a small bottle from her Nature’s Shell. She then uncorked it and poured some sort of medicinal liquid on the ground.

Young, fleshy saplings began growing out of the ground where the liquid was poured. They were plants, but it might be better to describe them as works of art. They were black-and-white [1]in color and shiny like they were carved out of gemstones. They were also giving off a clean, fragrant scent.

“What are—” Ye Qing was just about to indulge in his curiosity when a series of rustling noises interrupted him.

“Shh! We need to hide!” Feng Qingyou immediately pulled Ye Qing into a hiding spot. They had just gotten comfortable when a group of ants suddenly appeared from both sides of the forest. Naturally, the ants emerging from the Black Forest were black in color, and the ones emerging from the White Forest were white.

Both groups were charging straight toward the strange plants Feng Qingyou had cultivated, but when they saw each other they immediately changed course and clashed against one another. As Feng Qingyou had mentioned earlier, the black Strangers and white Strangers were completely hostile toward one another. They would not stop until the other side was annihilated.

What happened next was a gruesome battle where blood and gore flew all over the place. It wasn’t long before their numbers had dwindled to just a handful.

Ye Qing wasn’t sure if he was seeing things, but the plants seemed taller, richer in scent, and more colorful after basking in the ants’ flesh and blood.

Ye Qing didn’t know if it was the scent of the blood or the plant, but more and more Strangers started showing up at the intersection point. They saw black and white mice, black and white butterflies, black and white mosquitoes; bats, tigers, leopards, pythons, fleshy warts, eyeballs and more.

All sorts of Strangers lived in the forest, but they were all black or white in color. Just like the ants, they went absolutely nuts as soon as they saw a Stranger of the opposite color. It was like their hatred took priority over common sense or even their self-preservation instincts.

Over time, more and more bodies began piling up in the forest, and the stench of blood became positively choking. The plants Feng Qingyou had cultivated also grew bigger and bigger until it became a lush shrub covered in verdant green fruits. Even Ye Qing could tell they looked delicious.

“Can you tell me your plan now, Qingyou?” Ye Qing swallowed to moist his dry throat and whispered. He was also rubbing his face to loosen the muscles that had been taut with shock for over an hour.

He wasn’t shocked anymore though. The war of black and white had been going on for over an hour. Even the most sensitive person would’ve been desensitized by now.

Feng Qingyou whispered, “The plants are called the Black White Shrub. They can only be found at the dividing line of the Black White Forest.”

“The growth condition of a Black White Shrub is extremely stringent. One, it will only grow if it was nurtured with the flesh and blood of both black and white Strangers. Two, it will only bear fruit if it has absorbed a balanced amount of both types of flesh and blood.”

“The fruits it bears are called the Black White Fruits or the Fruit of Living and Death. The white fruit is called the Fruit of Living [2]. It is an outstanding restorative that can neutralize a hundred poisons, regenerate one’s flesh, and restore one’s energies. The black fruit is called the Fruit of Death and the antithesis of the Fruit of Living. Unbelievably poisonous, it can corrode the body and pollute the mind. A single Fruit of Death contained enough toxin to kill a thousand people with ease. It is so deadly that it could threaten even a Spirit Purifier.”

“That sounds incredible!” Ye Qing exclaimed with widened eyes. The Fruit of Living was one thing, but the Fruit of Death sounded absolutely incredible. Any weapon that could threaten even a Spirit Purifier was a weapon to be reckoned with.

“What was that medicine you poured on the ground just now?” Ye Qing recalled. Earlier, Feng Qingyou mentioned that few Strangers would ever get close to the dividing line because it was practically a death sentence, so it would be incredibly difficult for the Black White Shrub to flourish in any capacity. As for bearing fruit, it should be outright impossible unless a miracle happened, or if someone made it happen like Feng Qingyou had. The liquid had to be the reason the Strangers rushed in one after another like they had gone completely mad.

“It’s a special concoction I made that most Strangers found to be irresistible. I used it to lure them over to a location where the Black White Shrub might grow. Since the black and white Strangers must fight to the death, their flesh and blood would fuel the Black White Shrub’s growth until it could emit a special scent of its own, one that would lure more Strangers unto itself. In my estimation, this virtuous cycle should last long enough for the Black White Shrub to bear fruit.”

As Feng Qingyou said this, the verdant green fruits on the Black White Shrub slowly changed colors. The fruits on the white branches slowly turned black, whereas the fruits on the black branches slowly turned white. It was impossible to say why the branches bore fruits of the opposite color, but one thing for certain, it was an incredibly strange sight.

Suddenly, Feng Qingyou cracked a small smirk. “It’s almost time. Before the Black White Fruits reaches full maturity, its scent would become several times greater than before, meaning that even more Strangers would be gathering at this place. Now is your time to shine, Joyless!”

“What? What does this have to do with me?” Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise while feeling a bad premonition. His gut was screaming that she was about to say something he wouldn’t like, and he was right.

Feng Qingyou’s smirk widened. “Did I mention that the fruits’ strong scent will drive the Strangers insane and push them to consume that Fruits of Living and Death at all cost? Can you guess who’s the hero I’m relying on to protect the fruits?”

“...”

Hero my ass! You don’t need a hero, you need a meat shield! Can I go home?

Although his first impulse was to escape, Ye Qing ultimately stepped out of their hiding spot and raced toward the Black White Shrub. He then leaped into the air and punched down on a group of Strangers. Everything within ten meters of the point of impact immediately went splat. After he landed on his feet, he swung his sleeves and knocked hordes of Strangers off balance.

Whoosh whoosh…

Dozens of goshawks with white flames streaming behind their wings swooped down on Ye Qing. Under the ground, centipedes that were over ten meters long and with blade-like feet dug out of the ground and skittered toward him as well.

“The White Flame Goshawk and the Hundred Feet Centipede…” Ye Qing smirked as he stomped his foot. As if on cue, the Burning Wind manifested into existence and burned the White Flame Goshawks and all other Strangers around him into ash. The Hundred Feet Centipedes still underneath the ground were crushed into fleshy juices as well.

“Now this is what I call a grind!”

The Strangers weren’t just numerous, the large majority of them were Red-class and Malice-class Strangers. At his level, they were practically free experience. Oh, how he missed the days where he grinded mobs and noobs until his hands were literally too sore to continue…

“Hang on, Joyless. The Fruits of Living and Death should mature any moment now.” A gentle smile flickered across Feng Qingyou’s face as she watched Ye Qing going through the Strangers like the reaper.

“No problem! I can fight Strangers at this level until the end of time itself!” Ye Qing responded while unleashing a Netherflame-empowered Boundless Lightning Palm. The electrified flames easily burned a dozen Strangers into dust. Right after that, he swiped his right hand and manifested countless Blood Shadows into existence. The invisible silhouettes easily cut through an entire swath of Strangers into half.

He wasn’t kidding. The black and white Strangers could be endless, and he would never run out of true qi or stamina thanks to the dragon-serpent runes. In fact, given enough runes, he could one day become as strong as the sun itself, so this situation was more than welcomed. Let it rain, baby!

1. Meaning that itt has both colors. Note that I use hyphen for this instance, while in other instances I didn’t. ☜

2. I had to change this to avoid confusion with the Fruit of Life born by the Dead Man’s Tree, but you’ll notice that their effects are practically the same. ☜