Stranger Danger

Inside his room, a pale-faced Wang Luori was swearing up a storm after listening to Wen Zailai’s report, or at least he tried to before he accidentally triggered his wounds and coughed violently. When he finally recovered, he swore again, “What the fuck is wrong with these brainless idiots? I can’t believe they’re lining up like a bunch of goodie-two-shoes so that Ye Qing can kill them one by one! Am I crazy, or has the world gone crazy?”

“Please calm yourself, father,” Wen Zailai said while wearing his trademark smile.

“How can I? If these idiots continue to attack Ye Qing one by one like the idiots they are, I’d never get the opportunity to ambush Ye Qing as we’ve planned!”

Wang Luori glared at his adopted son and said in an unfriendly voice, “Is your plan really going to work, Zailai? If not, then stop wasting my time and leave me to my rest already!”

Wen Zailai didn’t get angry, however. He replied slowly, “Don’t be angry, father. Don’t you see? This is happening because of Ye Qing’s plot!”

“What do you mean?” Wang Luori frowned.

Wen Zailai answered, “You’ve fished before, father. That is what Ye Qing is doing right now, except that he’s using himself as bait. He’s baiting those greedy jianghu warriors into his trap so he could clean them up one by one.”

“Don’t you find it strange that, instead of surrounding himself with a plethora of Pacification Sentinels or staying inside the Pacification Bureau, Ye Qing would occasionally go off on his own? Even though he knew that countless people were coming for him?”

“Moreover, the timing and place he chose to pull his stunt is very suspicious. It was either the dead of the night where no one was around, or remote places where it was all too easy to ambush him. It’s clearly because he wanted to avoid hurting innocents when a fight breaks out.”

“Besides that, the locations he chose were very strategic as well. It’s either near the Pacification Bureau, or the administrative division, or the Black Feathers Guards’ base, or the White Horse Academy. If his enemies turned out to be stronger than expected, then he could escape to these locations and seek shelter.”

“A coincidence can happen once, twice, or even five times in a row. But ten? Twenty? It can only be a conspiracy.”

Wen Zailai declared confidently, “That is how I know that Ye Qing is fishing.”

“These poor fools believe that they’re the fishermen reeling in the delicious prey that was Ye Qing, when in reality it was the other way around. The slightest wag of the bait is enough to make them rush blindly like a bull and become the prey. How pitiful is that?”

“Hmph! What a cunning brat!” Wang Luori exclaimed in realization before growing disgruntled. “What should we do then? Should we wait some more, or…?”

Wen Zailai shook his head. “It would be pointless. It’s been a while since Ye Qing inflicted the wrath of the heavens on those people, and their heads are slowly cooling down as well. Jianghu warriors are bullies who only know how to target the weak. When Ye Qing’s strength had fully imprinted itself on their soul, they would fear, they would compromise, and they would eventually give up on hunting him altogether. No matter how enticing the reward is, they can’t enjoy it if they’re dead.”

“At this rate, these jianghu warriors would leave Luo Shui, and less and less people would attack Ye Qing. In short, our plan would end in complete failure if we do nothing.”

“Dammit! What should we do then?” Wang Luori huffed in frustration. “Are we really just going to give up like that?”

Wen Zailai smiled mysteriously. “Of course not. Why give up when a small tweak is all it takes to set things back on track?”

Pleasantly surprised, Wang Luori urged, “What’s this tweak? Tell me already.”

Wen Zailai replied, “It’s very simple. We simply need to expose the fact that Ye Qing is fishing.”

“Jianghu people aren’t just greedy bullies who prey on the weak. They’re also excessively concerned about their pride.”

“If we expose this fact, the jianghu warriors will be humiliated and furious. Ye Qing is strong, but he’s not so strong that they couldn’t even muster the courage to defend their pride.”

Wang Luori mulled over the plan and found it desirable. He immediately exploded with excitement, “That’s a great plan! Let’s do it!”

But Wen Zailai said unhurriedly, “Calm, father. I haven’t finished yet.”

“Although this would ruin Ye Qing’s efforts, it’s still not enough to push him to the brink.”

“That is why we also need a fire that would burn all of his options into ash.”

Wang Luori frowned. He was starting to realize that smart people weren’t just dirty in the heart, but they also loved keeping their audience in suspense. They could have summarized their whole plan in one breath, but no, they just had to break it down to many segments and drag it out as long as possible!

Noticing Wang Luori’s displeasure, Wen Zailai jumped straight into his explanation, “As you say, the jianghu people are fools. Not only do we need to give them motivation, we also need to improve their strategy a little. If they continue to attack Ye Qing as they are, we’ll just be repeating the cycle.”

“Instead, we can advise them to disrupt the law and order of Luo Shui and cause public unrest. We’ll then blame it all on Ye Qing. When the time is right, we can force the Pacification Bureau to surrender Ye Qing, expel him, or exile him from Luo Shui.”

“Of course, the unrest alone isn’t enough to force the Pacification Bureau to take action. But we have plants in the Pacification Bureau, the administrative division, and the Black Feathers Guard. There are also many people who disliked the Pacification Bureau in general. We can use them all to apply pressure on Gu Suitang. He will cave eventually unless he wishes to go up against the entire Luo Shui.”

But Wang Luori shook his head. “I don’t think so. Gu Suitang is a a stubborn mule. Forget Luo Shui, the whole world can press him to submit, and it’s still a coin flip if he will do so.”

Wen Zailai smiled. “That’s the point. If there comes a day where the entire world disagrees with Gu Suitang’s decision, can Gu Suitang really go up against the will of the many?”

“That said, your point makes a lot of sense. Gu Suitang would most likely not surrender Ye Qing to the dogs. After all, it’s not just his pride that’s on the line. The Pacification Bureau itself would become a joke if he caved in to his wrongdoers’ demands.”

“Therefore, he would most likely try to sneak Ye Qing out of Luo Shui instead. After all, this would only end if Ye Qing is gone. This way, he could end this farce and shield Ye Qing from criticism.”

“And that will be our opportunity. Once Ye Qing is out of Luo Shui, you’ll have all the time in the world to capture him, won’t you?”

“Hahaha! That’s a magnificent idea!” Wang Luori slapped the table and burst out laughing. “Thank goodness I have you, Zailai.”

“I’ll leave this to you then. Don’t disappoint me.”

“Don’t worry, father. Everything will go smoothly.”

……

“Have you heard, Brother Li? A poisoning happened at Chunlai Restaurant just yesterday. Thirty six guests, three employees and the shopkeeper himself were all killed!”

Two waiters were chatting with each other.

“Of course I have. I heard that their bodies rotted so thoroughly that their families didn’t even have a body to bury. It’s terrible,” replied the other waiter with a sigh.

“It’s all that Ye Qing’s fault. No one would be hurt if he hadn’t pissed off those jianghu people. What a bastard!”

“I know right? This is the ninth incident in the past five days. That Ye Qing is literally a harbinger at this moment. Disaster follows him no matter where he goes. Innocents have died, and countless properties had been damaged because of him.”

“That’s not all. I heard that many Pacification Sentinels, bailiffs and Black Feathers Guard have died as well. It’s a shame!”

“Dammit, why must we suffer for his sin?”

“We should just surrender that harbinger to the jianghu people. Heavens only know when this would end otherwise!”

It was at this moment the shopkeeper—an old man with a spotty white beard—stepped out and saw his employees slacking. “What the hell are you two doing? Get off your lazy asses and get to work already!”

One of the waiters complained, “Do what, exactly? We’ve cleaned the tables and chairs so many times it’s practically shining, but not a single customer had shown up so far.”

“Did I give you permission to talk back against me?” The shopkeeper scolded, but he let out a long sigh when he looked at his empty establishment and the empty street outside.

“It’s all that Ye Qing’s fault. No one’s visiting our restaurant because they’re afraid to go out, and they’re afraid to go out because of Ye Qing. At this rate, we’re all going to starve to death,” the other waiter complained.

“What are you talking about?” The shopkeeper rebuked him angrily, “This is anything but Lord Ye’s fault! Lord Ye eliminated the cultists and saved Luo Shui from disaster. We would already be dead if it wasn’t for him! How can you be so ungrateful?”

“If there’s anyone that is to blame in this situation, it’s the Taiping cultists and those so-called warriors who would do anything to achieve their goals!”

“How could you deny a person’s good for the wrongs of an evildoer? How could you resent a good person for the evils of another? That is unfair to Lord Ye and all good people in this world.”

“What difference is there between us and those evildoers if we would commit such an act? Who else in this world would be willing to be good if that’s the case? So don’t resent, and don’t hate.”

“But boss—”

The waiter was going to argue further, but the shopkeeper cut him off firmly, “Enough of this. If you have time to talk, then you have time to work.”

“Don’t worry, this world isn’t that hopeless yet. Good people will be repaid with good. You, me, and Lord Ye will have our due.”

At the entrance, Ye Qing stopped in his tracks and stared at the old shopkeeper who had added a few wrinkles and white hair because of the lack of business for a moment. Guilt and anger began welling in his heart.

He felt guilt because it was a fact that he was at the center of the incident that cost many innocent lives.

And he felt angry because of the unfeeling actions of the jianghu people and the mastermind behind it all.

A few days ago, after the fact that he was baiting his attackers into suiciding themselves into him was exposed, the jianghu warriors were humiliated and angry as a matter of course. They swore they would take revenge against him. They conveniently forgot the fact that they were the ones who attacked him in the first place.

Not only that, they had completely changed their method of attack as well. Before this, they were careful not to cause any harm to their surroundings. But now? They were still cautious, but they were slowly but surely getting bolder and bolder in their attempt. They no longer cared to minimize casualties or property damage. In fact, they actively used the lives of others to threaten him.

If Luo Shui was under control despite the flood of jianghu warriors who entered Luo Shui before, now it was under siege by chaos and disorder. Countless people’s lives were affected, and most of them resented him and him alone.

It was laughable and sorrowful how quickly he went from the hero of Luo Shui to the most hated person in the commandery.

Could Ye Qing fault them for their resentment? Of course not. It was a fact that he was the reason they had lost their homes and become separated from their friends and family, sometimes forever.

If there was anyone who was deserving of his hate, it was those unscrupulous jianghu warriors and the mastermind behind all this, Wen Zailai.

The only other person who knew about his plan was Tang Shi, and there was no reason for Tang Shi to screw himself over.

Therefore, Wen Zailai, the Deceitful Scholar, the bastard who had been watching this whole thing play out from outside the chess board, was the only one who had the means and the motive to pull this off.

Sure, he had no proof. It was all instinct. But he was sure it was Wen Zailai, and no one could change his mind.

“Huh? Lord Ye! Are you here for a drink? Come in, come in. I just opened a few jars of old wine a few days ago. Do come in and enjoy our brew if you’re free.”

It was at this moment the old shopkeeper spotted Ye Qing. He didn’t hesitate to walk up to him and welcome him just as warmly and sincerely as ever.

Ye Qing saluted the shopkeeper and politely turned him down. “I would love to, but I still have business at the Pacification Bureau. Perhaps another day.”

The old shopkeeper replied, “In that case, I shan’t keep you. But please, don’t hesitate to pay us a visit if you’re free, or if you’re dying for a drink.”

“My restaurant and wine will always be open for you, Lord Ye.”

Ye Qing saluted him again. “Thank you. It’s a promise.”

The old shopkeeper smiled brightly. “Indeed, it is a promise.”

“And Lord Ye? We don’t resent nor hate you. Truly.”

“I will remember. See you some time.”

Ye Qing turned away and took a moment to look at the sky. It was especially bright, clear, and sunny today—just like his feelings.

This incident started because of me. It will end with me not just for those I care about, but also those who care about me.