Stranger Danger

“What? What is it?”

“You haven’t heard? Lord Ye is challenging everyone who wishes to kill him to face him in an arena! He promises that the Pacification Bureau will not pass judgment on anyone who manages to kill him fair and square in the arena!”

“You’re not kidding me, are you? Would Lord Ye really risk his life like this?”

“It’s one hundred percent real! It’s confirmed by Deputy Chief Gu himself!”

“Huh. Lord Ye is a real man after all. Well, what are you waiting for? Lead the way!”

“This way!”

……

The commandery hall, the Hall of Thought.

“What on earth is Ye Qing planning, and what on earth is Gu Suitang thinking? Why would he allow Ye Qing to pull a stunt like this?”

Song Yushu voiced his doubts before looking to the commandery governor of Luo Shui, Jiang Muyang for instructions. “Should I round up the men and stop this, my lord?”

Jiang Muyang was a scholarly man in his forties. He had a thin figure, a long beard, and a gentle temperament. One might say that he lacked the sharp, intimidating presence that most leaders would have.

Jiang Muyang set down his book and looked at Song Yushu. “Yushu, an official must never allow their personal grievances to affect their work.”

“The Pacification Bureau and the administrative division are two sides of the same coin. If they are united, then they are strong. If not, then they are weak. What you did yesterday was impulsive to say the least.”

Song Yushu hurriedly defended himself, “My lord, I’m doing this for the people of Luo Shui!”

Jiang Muyang’s expression was still gentle, but his voice was unquestionably stern. “Yushu, I know that you are good friends with Yuechun, and I know that you have connections to Xue Beikun. However, they shouldn’t be a concern in your duties. If you allow your private interests to get in the way of your public duties or worse, use your position to fulfill your private interests, then you may be executed for your crimes.”

Song Yushu broke out in a cold sweat when he heard this. “My lord… I…”

“You don’t need me to tell you if what I say is true.” Jiang Muyang cut him off before he could explain further. “The administrative division will not be doing anything regarding this matter. We will simply wait and see what happens.”

“As you command, my lord.”

Defiance and fear waged a war in Song Yushu’s heart, and in the end, fear won out.

……

At the main camp of the Black Feather Guards, Pang Kun asked a tall, muscular man clad in black armor who exuded a bloody aura, “Commander, what do you think those two fuckers are plotting?”

The man was Xue Beikun, Commander of the ten thousand Black Feathers Guards of Luo Shui. Xue Beikun was currently sitting on the floor and eating a rare leg of lamb. His mouth was clearly tinged with blood.

Xue Beikun took a bite from the leg of lamb and chewed it slowly, blood trickling down his lips and creating a bloody stench. However, Xue Beikun didn’t seem to notice it. He looked like he was having the time of his life.

Xue Beikun answered after he finally swallowed the chunk of meat, “Who cares what they’re plotting? All we need to do is to keep applying pressure on the Pacification Bureau.”

“But it’s not going to work, is it?” Pang Kun asked, puzzled.

Xue Beikun answered, “That’s not the goal. The goal is to check out the Pacification Bureau’s stance on this matter and take them down a peg if possible. If the Pacification Bureau compromised, then they would be the laughingstock of Luo Shui. If not, then they would be painting a bullseye on their back.”

“No matter what happens, the Pacification Bureau will be the loser of this battle.”

“Should we do anything with this arena nonsense?” Pang Kun asked.

Xue Beikun answered, “No. It doesn’t matter what they do. It is as futile as lighting a lamp for a blind man.”

“See, if the jianghu warriors managed to kill Ye Qing, then the Pacification Bureau’s reputation would suffer a huge blow. If not, nothing would change. Ye Qing and the Pacification Bureau would still be the object of Luo Shui’s ire.”

“So we don’t need to do anything. We simply need to wait for the results.”

“As you command, commander,” Pang Kun replied firmly.

“Oh right, I want you to bring a message to Wang Luori and Wen Zailai. I don’t mind cooperating with them, but if they use my idiot son for their schemes again, then I will make them regret everything.”

“Also, execute the traitors who collude with outsiders by chariot splitting. The Black Feather Guards have no need for traitors.”

“You may leave. I would like to enjoy my food in peace.”

By the time Pang Kun left the tent, his back was already drenched in cold sweat.

……

“Well? What are you waiting for? I’m right here.”

At the center of Luo Shui river, there was a Luo Shui Arena where famous songstresses, performers and courtesans of the Eighteen Boats performed for all to admire. But today, it had become the place where Ye Qing would soon challenge the warriors of jianghu.

Ye Qing was crossing his arms and staring at the massive crowd surrounding both sides of the river and the bridges with a disdainful smile on his face. “I thought you guys were going to kill me? Well, I’m here now. You may attack me to your heart’s content.”

“Why isn’t anyone showing up? Oh, I know! It’s because you guys are cowards who can only defeat an opponent who’s weaker than you, or a prey who’s caught in your trap. You’ve never won a fair fight, and you never will.”

“Trash! Useless! Garbage! You should go home and suck on your mother’s tits if you’re this scared!”

Suddenly, a monotonous, listless voice cut through the air. “Hmph! Do you think we’re stupid? We all know that this is a trap you and Gu Suitang had set up to catch us all in one fell swoop!”

Ye Qing looked. The speaker was an ordinary old man in his sixties. Judging from his blank eyes and monotonous speech, it was obvious that he was being controlled by someone.

Ye Qing pulsed his spirit. He quickly discovered the jianghu warrior who was controlling the old man. He was hiding amidst the crowd and holding a doll. Every time the doll made a move, the old man would move as well.

“Relax. I, Gu Suitang, am beneath such tactics, and I would never put the Pacification Bureau’s reputation at risk.”

Gu Suitang leaped onto the arena and swept his stern gaze across the area. “As long as you don’t harm innocents, and as long as you keep to the jianghu code and fight fair and square, you have my word that the Pacification Bureau would not interfere.”

“If you are strong enough to kill Ye Qing in a one on one, then you deserve the kill. I am not so petty that I would take revenge against the warrior who defeated him fair and square.”

Gu Suitang left after saying that.

After Gu Suitang was gone, Ye Qing swept his gaze across the crowd, “So? Do you believe me now? Unlike you people, the Pacification Bureau does not go back on their promises or break their code whenever it suits them.”

Ye Qing waited a while longer, but still no one stepped forth to challenge him. So, he started taunting, “Still nothing? I’m literally delivering myself to your doorsteps, and still no one would accept my challenge? See, I knew you guys are chickenshits. Even my grandma can beat you up in a fight!”

“You know what? You should all change your names to Mouse. In fact, you don’t deserve human names. Just call yourself Dog Balls or Cucked Dogs or something. You guys act like mice and dogs anyway, so why not?”

“Cease your arrogance, Ye Qing! I’ll face you!”

A short, thin, and gloomy-looking man finally couldn’t handle the insults any longer—or maybe he just wanted to be the first—and leaped onto the arena. “I am the “Five Tigers Saber” Peng San, a middle-stage Astral Refiner. Show me what you’re made of!”

Ye Qing side-eyed him imperiously. “Spare me the introductions. I have no interest in a dead man’s name.”

“You will regret your boast!” Peng San snarled in anger. But as soon as he finished, Ye Qing’s silhouette abruptly grew transparent.

“An illusion?” Peng San’s eyes widened in shock. He tried to react, his fingers had just wrapped around the hilt of his saber when his neck hurt, and his vision rapidly turned black. A moment later, he was dead.

Ye Qing withdrew his arm and kicked Peng San’s headless corpse into the river. There wasn’t a single drop of blood on his hand. He clasped his hands behind his back and snorted. “What did I say? Trash. Next!”

“My turn.”

The next moment, a huge, muscular man wielding an equally massive shield let out a might roar and leaped high up into the sky. Such was his strength that the bricks beneath his feet shattered like tofu. When he had reached the highest point, he inclined downward and fell toward Ye Qing with his shield in front of him. It looked like he was planning to squash the young man like a meteor.

“Well met!”

Ye Qing let out a bark of laughter and leaped into the air as well. He slammed his elbow into the guy’s shield like a hammer and exploded it into pieces just like that. Then, he slammed into the man and turned him into a shower of blood and gore as well.

Ye Qing landed lightly on the arena looking like he just squashed a fly. Then, he grinned at the audience and said, “Trash. Next!”

“Heavens…”

The jianghu warriors hiding amidst the crowd gasped at the outcome of the battle. Peng San was famous for his fast saber and his saber art, the Five Tigers Soul Severing Saber. He was supposed to be as fast as the wind and could cut both humans and ghosts like nothing. However, Ye Qing had killed him before he could even draw his saber.

Of course, one could argue that Ye Qing had attacked Peng San by surprise. In fact, many of them thought exactly that. The same couldn’t be said for the shieldbearer, however. The shieldbearer’s name was Wang Dun, and he was a middle-stage Astral Refiner who was born with supernatural strength. He had crushed countless enemies with his shield and brute strength, and he was so strong that some late-stage Astral Refiners didn’t dare to clash against him head on. However, Ye Qing had shattered both his shield and his body in one strike. Just how strong was the young man’s body?

“Look at him showing off. He’s already famous, but after today? The entire realm is going to know his name,” Chu Nianjiu joked.

At the top floor of a restaurant, Chu Nianjiu, Lin Yuhuai, Wei Yueshan, Xu Banren and more were sharing the same table and observing the fight from above.

Wei Yueshan looked both impressed and envious. Most people wouldn’t know the intricacies, but he was a body-tempering warrior himself. He knew exactly how powerful Ye Qing’s body was. His toughness wasn’t the only factor either. The way he manipulated his force during the clash was so exquisite that most warriors wouldn’t be able to replicate it.

“Xuanlang, Runyu, Feiyu, you came?”

It was at this moment a couple more people joined them. Fang Xuanlang and An Runyu were none other than the two warriors who had assisted Ye Qing during the zombie outbreak incident, and Luo Feiliu was one of the Four Gentlemen of Luo Shui.

“How can we miss a show like this?” The first thing Fang Xuanlang did after reaching the table was to grab Chu Nianjiu’s wine jar and take a deep gulp. “Delicious!”

An Runyu greeted everyone cordially before voicing his worry, “I’ve only met Brother Ye once, but he didn’t give off the impression of a reckless fellow. Why would he take such a terrible risk this time?”

Lin Yuhuai smiled, but didn’t give him an answer. Chu Nianjiu snatched his wine back from Fang Xuanlang and snorted. “What can a bunch of mice do to Joyless? They could attack him together, and he can still defeat them all with one punch.”

“Now that’s an exaggeration if I ever heard one.”

Chu Nianjiu had just finished talking when a cold hmph came from the stairs. The next moment, Xue Shiwu, Wen Zailai and Xu Wushang[1] stepped into view.

“What are you doing here, Xue Shiwu?” Chu Nianjiu said in a displeased voice as he set down his jar.

“Is this restaurant yours? No? Then why can’t I be here?” Xue Shiwu sneered. “Also, this is the perfect spot to enjoy the death of a certain idiot.”

“Haha! You can’t defeat Ye Qing, so you’re hoping that someone would do your dirty work for you? Yes, that’s exactly what I expect from a chickenshit like you,” Chu Nianjiu taunted. “Your pipedream is going to remain a pipedream though. I could’ve slain these mice by myself, much less Joyless!”

“We will see.” Xue Shi hmphed again before taking a seat on the opposite table. Wen Zailai greeted the group cordially, but their response was indifferent at best and hostile at worst. He paid it no heed and sat down beside Xue Shiwu.

“By the way, where is Brother Chen?” Fang Xuanlang asked.

“How would I know? I’m not his nanny.” Chu Nianjiu shrugged while leaning against his armrest. “That guy is obsessed with training, so I bet he’s practicing his sword somewhere. I also heard that he’s still investigating his younger brother’s[2] death.”

“Let’s not get into details though. Look! Another guy is about to commit suicide.”

1. He’s the Little Sword King who tried to capture Ye Qing when he first arrived at Luo Shui. ☜

2. After over two hundred chapters, finally… ☜