Stranger Danger

Gu Suitang was so angry that he pushed his foot harder and caused the ground to depress a few inches deeper. The Boundless Mara Buddha had it worse because it was directly under the Deputy Chief’s foot. Its demonic qi crumbled and it was pushed a few inches deeper into the ground.

“Ahem, chief? That’s my Strange Artifact you’re stepping on. Please don’t break it if you can.”

Ye Qing’s heart ached at the sight. Although the Boundless Mara Buddha had nearly damned him just now, he didn’t blame it because it was his fault for being too weak to control it. Plus, he would already be dead if it wasn’t for the Boundless Mara Buddha.

“Relax. It won’t happen.”

Gu Suitang removed his foot and picked up the Strange Artifact. “The main body of your Strange Artifact is the remnant of a Grandmaster monk, and they were a body-tempering warrior as well, right? There’s no way I’d be able to break it unless I were to use my full strength.”

“Speaking of which, a Soulstealer-class Strange Artifact is rare even in Luo Shui. Where on earth did you get this?” Gu Suitang asked curiously, “Of course, you don’t need to answer if it’s a sensitive issue.”

“Not at all! I got it from Thousand Buddhas Grotto.” Ye Qing proceeded to tell Gu Suitang how he came by the Boundless Mara Buddha, though he didn’t mention his encounter with the White Horse Academy or Wang Yang. After all, no one must know that he was the one who killed Wang Yang.

“I see. You are one of the luckiest brat I’ve ever seen,” Gu Suitang commented enviously. Not only did Ye Qing obtain a Soulstealer-class Strange Artifact during his trip, he even obtained a Spirit Purification stage martial art. If this wasn’t considered lucky, then what was? If he was this lucky when he was younger, he would probably be a Grandmaster by now.

Is this kid the reincarnation of a great one or something? It would explain why he’s so unbelievably lucky. It was one thing when he ruined the Nether Lord’s plan to descend on Anyang, but this time he just happened to stumble on the Way of Taiping’s plan and save Luo Shui from disaster as well.

Also, he hailed from a no-name village and somehow grew from an ordinary human being to a late-stage Astral Refiner in just a year. To call him lucky would be an understatement.

It didn’t matter to Gu Suitang though. Everyone had their own destiny, and he was a firm believer of creating one’s own destiny.

“It’s not luck, it’s skill, okay!” Ye Qing complained. He couldn’t hear Gu Suitang’s thoughts, so he thought that his remark about him being lucky was pretty unfair.

“Oh right, did you happen to run into Wang Yang or the White Horse Academy during your time there?” Gu Suitang recalled something and asked suddenly.

W-What? He didn’t find out what I did, did he? Ye Qing’s heart skipped a beat when he heard this. However, he quickly realized that he was overthinking this. He had pulled off what was practically the perfect crime. There was no way anyone would find out about his involvement.

“No, I haven’t run into anyone. What’s the matter?”

Gu Suitang replied, “Oh, nothing. It’s just that two White Horse Academy disciples claimed that Wang Yang had killed the vice principal’s nephew, Cheng Yi. Do you know who Wang Yang is? He’s Red Bush’s only son.”

“Cheng Nuo didn’t have any children, so he raised his nephew like his own son. Naturally, he was so pissed that he caught Wang Yang at the entrance of Thousand Buddhas Grotto and killed him.”

“That said, I know Cheng Nuo. The guy’s been a coward and a schemer his whole life. It doesn’t really make sense that he would kill Wang Yang no matter how angry he was.”

Gu Suitang paused for a moment to scratch his nose.

“Ahem…” Ye Qing coughed awkwardly and scratched his nose as well. That’s because I’m the one who gave him the final push. Not that you’ll ever learn about it. “What happens next?”

Gu Suitang didn’t notice Ye Qing’s gesture and continued, “What happens next? They clashed of course.”

“Wang Luori only had one son, and you know better than most just how protective he is over his own. He gathered his men, strode up to White Horse Academy, and demanded that they surrender Cheng Nuo.”

“White Horse Academy is a smelly place, but even they can’t stand someone just waltzing up to their doorsteps and demanding that they surrender their vice principal. A failed negotiation later, they fought to see who had the bigger fist.”

“Luckily, Red Bush turns out to be even more useless than he looks. Not only did he get his teeth kicked in by the principal, his prized treasure, the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele was shattered as well.”

“Really? That’s awesome!” Ye Qing’s eyes lit up. This was exactly what he was hoping to see when he came up with the plan!

“Indeed, it is.” Gu Suitang chuckled as well. “But that’s not the end of it.”

“While Red Bush was making his way back home, he was ambushed by a killer from Joker Tower. He would’ve died if he hadn’t brought the Heaven Patrolling Sun Ship with him.”

“Someone must hate Red Bush real bad to go so far as to hire a killer from Joker Tower to kill him. Their timing was perfect as well.”

“Who could’ve done this?” Ye Qing wondered out loud when the name “Luo Chunchao” suddenly flashed in his head. He was the only person in Luo Shui who had a murderous grudge with Wang Luori, was wealthy enough to employ the services of Joker Tower, and knew Wang Luori’s schedule like the back of his hand.

Luo Chunchao really was a dog, no, a wolf whose bite was far worse than its bark. When it was time to lay low, he had laid perfectly still. When it was time to act, he had spared no effort to see his plans through.

It was a shame that Wang Luori still managed to get away in the end.

“Dammit, this story would have a perfect ending if Wang Luori died…” Ye Qing sighed.

“Few stories have a perfect ending, brat.”

Gu Suitang shot him a look of amusement before breaking into a shit eating grin. “Relax. Red Bush might have survived the assassination attempt, but he is injured so badly it would take him at least three to five months to recover. Also, the killer from Joker Tower killed a ton of Sunset Hill disciples probably hoping that they could placate their employers somewhat. Add to the fact that the Eastern Purple Cloud Stele is destroyed, and Sunset Hill has never been weaker.”

“Hehehe, that’s decades of hard work gone just like that. He’ll be crying for a long time yet.”

Why do you look happier than me, the perpetrator who’s behind everything? Ye Qing rolled his eyes at the Deputy Chief’s reaction, but he himself could hardly control his delight. Wang Luori might have survived, but he wouldn’t be bothering him for a couple of months at least.

“Wang Luori doesn’t seem like the person to leave it at that though,” Ye Qing said after thinking for a moment. The Hill Lord was fueled by sheer spite. He couldn’t imagine the guy giving up on revenge especially after he suffered this much.

Gu Suitang scoffed. “What else can he do? He can’t beat White Horse Academy, and it was his son who killed the vice principal’s nephew first. I don’t doubt for a second that he’s plotting bloody vengeance, but for now he can only swallow his humiliation and anger.”

“But of course, if he’s stupid enough to take the fight to White Horse Academy again, then it’s cheers to everyone. I only wish he would put on a show like this for us everyday!” Gu Suitang didn’t hide his schadenfreude at all. “In any case, this is probably the biggest defeat Red Bush has ever suffered in his life!”

Gu Suitang recalled something and added, “Oh right, make sure you keep your trip to Thousand Buddhas Grotto a secret. If Red Bush finds out about this, he might think that you’re related somehow and vent his frustrations on you.”

“Ahem… I understand, chief. Thank you for the concern,” replied Ye qing with an obedient nod. There is no way I would out myself. That would be pure stupidity.

“One more thing. Your strange Artifact is powerful, but its demonic qi is too strong for you to control right now. At your current strength, the best you can hope for if you use it is a pyrrhic victory. At worst, you would be corrupted by its demonic qi like just now. So try not to use it if at all possible,” Gu Suitang advised while handing the Boundless Mara Buddha back to Ye Qing.

“Yeah. Thanks.” Ye Qing nodded after receiving the Boundless Mara Buddha from Gu Suitang. He then looked at the Fog Demon still in the Deputy Chief’s hand and asked, “What are you going to do with this Fog Demon?”

Gu Suitang sneered. “Nine Nethers Demons are extremely hard to kill, and the havoc they can wreak is unthinkable if they managed to escape.”

“I’m sure you felt it already, but Nine Nethers Demons are most proficient at corrupting one’s heart and taking control of them. Not only that, they’re pretty good actors, so it’s quite difficult to spot their victims.”

“A long time ago, we once had a Nine Nethers Demon who corrupted over a dozen major clans and sects and pitted everyone against each other. It was a tumultuous, troubled time.”

“Therefore, the best way to deal with these things is to burn them using the Demon Subjugation Furnace. It’ll end the threat once and for all.”

“No! Don’t burn me! Please, don’t burn me!” The Fog Demon suddenly cried out in panic.

Ever since it realized it couldn’t escape Gu Suitang’s grasp, it had been playing dead and hoping that Gu Suitang would get sloppy. It was its only chance at escaping the Spirit Master.

In fact, it had been chiding itself for not escaping when it could. Why oh why did I stay behind like an idiot? Now I’m going to die for that idiocy!

“And why would I do that?” Gu Suitang asked.

The Fog Demon hurriedly answered, “I’m afraid of pain.”

Ye Qing: “...”

The Deputy Chief broke into a wide grin. “Is that so? Hmm, I was only going to burn you for a day or two, but since you’re afraid of pain, I suppose I can drag it out to two weeks or so.”

The Fog Demon: “...” Who’s the demon here, you or me?

The Fog Demon offered, “I-I can become your servant! All I ask is that you don’t kill me!”

Gu Suitang scoffed. “Seriously? You’re so weak I can’t see how you could possibly be of use to me.”

The Fog Demon: “...” If I was stronger than you, I wouldn’t be making this offer, would I? I would be beating the crap out of you and making you my servant, okay?

The Fog Demon panicked. It had taken it a great deal of effort to pass through the gap and into the human world. How could it die before it could do anything? “I… I may be weaker than you, but I have my uses!”

“I’m a Fog Demon. I can transform into anything and everything, and I can assassinate your enemies without a trace.”

“As a being of corruption, I can control all kinds of people and have them serve you. They’ll pave the path to your ascension.”

“And in the norm, I can entertain you and relieve your boredom. See? Am I not useful?”

The Fog Demon prattled on and on in a seductive voice.

“Even now, you’re still trying to tempt me. You just can’t help your nature, can you?” Gu Suitang scoffed disdainfully. “In any case, I will get whatever I want with my own two hands. I wouldn’t resort to such unscrupulous methods.”

Bang!

Gu Suitang abruptly squeezed his fingers. There was a loud bang as the Fog Demon let out a bloodcurdling scream and leaked a ton of demonic qi.

“That said, you did give me an idea. I can let you live if you agree to it,” Gu Suitang said suddenly just when the Fog Demon thought it was dead.

“W-What is it? I’ll do anything so long as you let me live! Anything!” The Fog Demon replied in a hurry.

“You have two options. One, I’ll toss you into the Demon Subjugation Furnace and burn you into a pile of ash for two weeks. Two, you’ll become the artifact spirit of this Strange Artifact.”

“Huh?” Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise when he realized that Gu Suitang was talking about the Boundless Mara Buddha. You can do that?

The Fog Demon fell silent. As a Nine Nethers Demon, it was born with intelligence and memories. It knew it would never be able to leave the Strange Artifact if it was refined into an artifact spirit, and that it would have to do whatever its master told him to. It wasn’t an unbreakable bond, but it would be so, so much harder for it to escape its bindings than otherwise.

Originally, its plan was to submit to Gu Suitang and find an opportunity to escape later. As a Nine Nethers Demon, it was born with all sorts of miraculous abilities, so it wasn’t impossible for it to escape even a Spirit Master.

Unfortunately, Gu Suitang was smarter than it gave him credit for. He had shattered its delusions in an instant.

“What’s wrong? You don’t like option two? That’s fair. I prefer option one myself.” Gu Suitang shrugged when he saw that the Fog Demon was silent.

“I agree! I agree!” The Fog Demon agreed hurriedly. If it refused, then it would die. If it agreed, then it would live, and it would still have a chance to break free. It was obvious which option was better.

“A wise choice.” Gu Suitang chuckled. “Let’s go. We’ll seek out Old Ling when we get back and have him forge this Fog Demon into your Strange Artifact’s artifact spirit.”

“Forge? You can forge artifact spirits?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

Gu Suitang explained, “Artifact spirits can be split into two categories: natural and artificial. Generally speaking, it’s easier but slower to wait for a Strange Artifact to manifest an artifact spirit on its own, and harder but faster to create one.”

“Take your Boundless Mara Buddha for example. One way to make it manifest an artifact spirit is to spend a long time nurturing its intelligence. The artifact spirit will be perfectly compatible with the Strange Artifact and be capable of unleashing its full power. Not only that, it can grow stronger and possess a limitless future.”

“However, this would be a long and arduous process. It can be as quick as a few years, or as long as several decades. It’s completely up to the heavens.”

“The second method is to forge an artifact spirit. To put it simply, it’s the process of merging the soul of a compatible Stranger into the Strange Artifact. This method is way faster than the first one, but its success rate is usually pretty low. After all, not only must the Stranger’s soul be compatible with the Strange Artifact, it must be strong enough to withstand the forging process. If it disintegrated in the middle of the process, then that was it.”

“On that note, the Strange Artifact must be pretty tough as well, or it too can be damaged or destroyed during the process.”

“Obviously, there’s a high chance the Strange Artifact would be damaged if the forging process had ended in failure. It would also permanently lose the ability to gain its own sentience.”

“In short, both methods are both pros and cons.”

“Why did you even make me the offer? Who would compensate me if the forging fails, and the Boundless Mara Buddha is destroyed?” Ye Qing blurted.

“Hah! I’m doing this for your sake, brat!” Gu Suitang chided him, though it wasn’t serious. “Your Strange Artifact is far too powerful for you to control right now. The only way you can unleash its full power without pushing yourself to the brink is to rely on an artifact spirit to shoulder most of the burden.”

“Besides, your Boundless Mara Buddha is extremely tough, yin and evil, so it’s very compatible with a Nine Nethers Demon. A Nine Nethers Demon is also very resilient and difficult to kill, which makes them one of the most suitable materials to forge an artifact spirit. I am eighty percent sure that everything will go smoothly.”

“But of course, I won’t force you to go through with this if you still think that it’s a bad idea.”

“No, no, it’s a great idea! Thanks chief!” Ye Qing relaxed immediately when he heard this. An eighty percent chance of success was pretty high.

The first method had never fallen into Ye Qing’s consideration because it would take too long. By the time the Boundless Mara Buddha had gained an artifact spirit, it was entirely possible that he had outgrown it. Therefore, this was an opportunity he couldn’t let slip.

“Hmph!” Gu Suitang shook his head wryly. “Well, let’s not dilly-dally any longer!”

“But what about the leak? Are we just going to ignore it?” Ye Qing pointed at the crack on the ground and asked worriedly, “And what about the rest of the Way of Taiping?”

“Relax. They’re already dead. I brought Yuhuai and Nianjiu with me. Do you really think those crazies can defeat those two?”

Gu Suitang snorted in disdain. “As for the leak, I’ll dispatch someone to bury this place as soon as we get back. That’ll end the threat once and for all.”

“But…” Ye Qing frowned.

“Enough. Your mental space was just invaded by a Nine Nethers Demon. You need to nurture your mind and spirit as soon as possible to avoid any lingering effects.”

Gu Suitang slapped Ye Qing on the back of his head lightly and joked, “You’ve already taken most of the credit. You gotta leave some for the rest of your colleagues, right?”

“It’s a bad habit to claim all the profits anyway. You’re more likely to overeat and ruin your relationships.”

“Now move it!”