Stranger Danger

Chapter 274: the Spirit Ape Pays His Respect

“I don’t want the Langgan Golden Flower Fruits! I just want to survive the night! What’s so difficult to understand about that?” The Purity Sword disciple exploded. As if sensing its master’s anger, his sword began stirring and ringing.

He wasn’t alone in this. The other three Purity Sword disciples had grabbed their swords as well. Xie Chengyun was the only one who remained seated.

The six jianghu warriors subconsciously grabbed their weapons and watched the Purity Sword group warily. Xie Chengyun raised an arm to stop any conflict from breaking out before asking in a cool voice, “As you say, there are fourteen of us, and it so happens that there are fourteen Langgan Golden Flower Fruits on the table. Don’t you find that strange at all?”

“And what’s so strange about it? The master of this temple must have been a warrior like no other. It would be far stranger if we encountered nothing strange in his temple,” Kou Xiong argued. “Brother Xie, we’re not privileged like you. We’re not disciples of a major sect where we have a master to guide us and resources to squander as we please. We simply cannot allow a free opportunity like this to slip through our grasp!”

“In that case, there’s nothing to say.” Xie Chengyun narrowed his eyes and grabbed his sword. Killing intent immediately filled the hall.

Suddenly, a ridiculing voice interrupted the tension. “Heh. There’s no need to fight. There’s actually a very easy solution to your conundrum, you know?”

Xie Chengyun and Kou Xiong subconsciously glanced at the direction of the voice, and they found a young man leaning against the wall and sipping his wine at leisure.

“What do you propose?” Xie Chengyun asked. Although the young man was only a late-stage Astral Refiner, Xie Chengyun had a feeling that he was the greatest threat out of everyone present.

Ye Qing smirked. “Brother Kou wants to partake in these Langgan Golden Flower Fruits, whereas Brother Xie just wants to survive the night safely. In that case, why don’t you both make a compromise? Brother Kou, can you wait until the night is over before you take the fruits? This way, we can ensure that nothing will happen during the night.”

“Brother Xie, can you promise not to harass Brother Kou and his acquaintances when tomorrow comes? After all, you just want to get through the night safely, right? You should have no qualms with them taking the fruits after the night is over.”

Kou Xiong replied immediately, “That’s... That’s a good idea. I will give you face, brother. What says you, Brother Xie?”

Although Kou Xiong wanted to take the fruit as quickly as possible—after all, the longer this dragged out, the higher the chance something might happen and cost him the opportunity—he didn’t want to offend Xie Chengyun even more. If the swordsman really made up his mind to attack them, they would be lucky to escape this place alive, much less obtain the Langgan Golden Flower Fruits.

On the other hand, Ye Qing’s suggestion offered the best of both worlds, and assuming that the Purity Sword group really didn’t want the Langgan Golden Flower Fruits, he would be able to nab a couple more fruits. All things considered, why not?

“That sounds agreeable. Very well,” Xie Chengyun replied, though he wasn’t looking at Kou Xiong. He stared at Ye Qing for a moment before asking, “May I know your name, brother?”

Ye Qing lied, “My name is Ye Shi[1]. I’m just a nobody.”

In fact, Ye Qing didn’t even look like himself. As a powerful body tempering warrior, he could manipulate his bones and muscles as he pleased. Therefore, it was all too easy for him to alter his appearance.

He was famous throughout Luo Shui and even Tian Yong right now. The last thing he wanted was to be chased by his bounty hunters while he was still in danger. Just because he wasn’t afraid of trouble didn’t mean he actively wanted to get into one.

“Well met, Brother Ye. I am Xie Chengyun,” replied Xie Chengyun with a nod. He had a feeling that Ye Qing had given him a fake name, but it was fine. He wasn’t willing to press the young man for it.

“Well met, Brother Xie,” Ye Qing returned. Another nod later, Xie Chengyun closed his eyes and returned to his meditation once more.

He’s a proud one, Ye Qing thought to himself. He thought the swordsman would at least make some small talk before excusing himself, but that wasn’t the case.

Ye Qing was okay with this though. After taking another sip of wine, he slowly rose to his feet and walked up to the incense burner table. Then, he stared at the mud statue.

A short while later, Ye Qing produced a bright yellow incense stick and snapped his finger. He then lit the incense stick with an invisible flame. A fragrant scent immediately permeated the hall.

“What are you doing, brother?” Yi Pin asked curiously.

“I’m offering my respects. What else?” Ye Qing replied simply before straightening his posture and bowing his head deeply three times. Finally, he placed the incense stick inside the incense burner.

“In a temple, it is only natural to offer a prayer. Brother, Longxiang, you should pay your respects as well.”

“I suppose that’s true, especially since I’m a Taoist myself.”

Yi Pin stepped in front of the table after a moment’s thought and clasped his hands in a prayer. He bowed respectfully to the statue and said, “Disciple Yi Pin pays his respect to his better. This disciple may not have an incense stick to offer, but his truth is as heavy as a thousand mountains. This disciple humbly requests you to provide him your protection and shield him from all evils.”

Yi Pin was a true Taoist, so his gestures, tone, and even expression were far more convincing than Ye Qing’s.

Li Longxiang emulated his master’s behavior, but went even further and kowtowed to the statue a few times.

After Ye Qing went back to his seat, he suddenly looked at Xie Chengyun and asked, “Would you like to offer your respects as well, Brother Xie?”

Xie Chengyun opened his eyes and answered, “I appreciate your advice, Brother Ye, but we swordsmen only believe in ourselves and our sword.”

“I know right? Why would anyone practice martial arts if praying to the gods is enough to give us a good life?” A jianghu warrior sitting next to Kou Xiong chimed in ridiculingly.

“Seriously, Brother Ye. Everyone but ordinary people knows that a mud statue is just that, mud. Why are you taking this so seriously?” Kou Xiong himself guffawed in agreement. He could not help but find Ye Qing and Yi Pin’s solemn prayer absolutely ridiculous.

“Yeah! It’s just a mud statue. I can literally shatter it in one punch. If you’re going to pray to such a thing, then you might as well pray to me!”

“Hahahaha!”

It wasn’t intentional, but the atmosphere was considerably lighter after Ye Qing’s actions. Sure, the laughter were mocking and unkind, but it was still better than the razor sharp tension that existed a moment ago.

Ye Qing didn’t take offense despite the provocation. He simply gave them a small smile and said, “Well, there are true deities in this world, even if they aren’t quite what we expect. Better safe than sorry, right?”

After that, he slowly leaned against the wall and half-closed his eyes as if he was catching a break.

“By the way, brother, the incense stick you used isn’t normal, is it?” Yi Pin asked curiously after taking a seat beside Ye Qing.

He couldn’t say for the others, but as a Taoist who often paid his respects to all kinds of deities, he knew more about prayer items than most. It was how he noticed that the incense stick Ye Qing used wasn’t just of superior quality, its smoke had a firm shape, and its scent was thick but not irritating. More importantly, he could feel an indescribable air within the smoke. It was anything but ordinary.

“It’s called the Incense of Worship, a toy I developed during my free time. It’s nothing to write home about,” Ye Qing said casually.

“You’re a funny one, brother. That incense stick is anything but a toy.”

Yi Pin didn’t press Ye Qing since it was obvious the young man wasn’t willing to spill. Instead, he moved onto the topic he really wanted to talk about. “Say, you found something, didn’t you?”

Ye Qing took a sip of wine and admitted readily, “I’m not really sure, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Remember the stele at the foot of the mountain and the couplet we saw at the entrance?”

“Sure. What about them?” Yi Pin asked.

“The stele said, ‘Offer a prayer before entering, or protection you shall not receive,’ and the couplet said, ‘One incense stick, two incense sticks, three incense sticks for the divine.’ Both items state that he who visits this temple must pay their respects and prayers to a deity. I don’t believe that it’s a coincidence.”

“I’m a cowardly man who treasures my life a lot, you see. That is why I decided to offer up an incense stick. I won’t deny that I could be overthinking this, of course.”

Yi Pin grew solemn as he stroked his beard. “No, no you’re not overthinking this. This is the Demon’s Tomb we’re talking about. There is no such thing as too much caution. If anything, I’m the one who was careless.”

“Anyway, I’m feeling a little sleepy. Can you take the first watch, brother? I’ll replace you when it’s past midnight.”

Yi Pin didn’t give Ye Qing the chance to say yes. He plopped down on the floor and fell asleep just like that.

Nearly everyone in the temple was still engaging each other in friendly conversation, but as time passed, they started feeling tired and began engaging in other activities. Some people fell into meditation, some people lay down on the floor and slept just like Yi Pin, and some people cultivated. For a time, it was pure silence inside the temple.

As time passed, the sky grew darker and darker. There wasn’t a single ray of light outside the temple besides the bloody moon. As for sound, there was only the sound of the rain dripping against the roof tiles and the limestone floor. As unsettling as its origins might be, it at least chased away some of the oppressive darkness and silence hanging above the temple.

Plop.

Suddenly, a soft noise came from the courtyard. It sounded like an object hitting the floor or someone stepping on the floor and kicking up a small splash of water.

Plop plop plop.

The noise came closer and closer at a rapid pace. It sounded like something was approaching the temple hall at high speed.

The noise disappeared a moment before it would enter the temple hall. For a few breaths, there was only eerie silence until—

Creak...

The wooden door slowly swung inward. It looked like someone had grabbed the handle and gently pushed open the door, but strangely, no one was outside the door. Even stranger was the fact that the noise—as soft as it was—sounded unbelievably loud considering how quiet it was. It should’ve jolted everyone in the temple hall awake, and yet no one did.

Plop.

Plop.

The footsteps resumed and got closer to the incense burner table. One could vaguely see the outline of something paying their respects to the statue. Then, the transparent figure slowly revealed its existence.

It was a spirit ape wearing a Taoist robe. It was about as tall as the average human being, and its hair was tied up in a Taoist hair bun. Its arms were spread flat across the floor as it kowtowed deeply and reverently toward the statue. Its gestures were ancient, natural, and almost spiritual.

It was at this moment clear, dreamy light rippled out of the statue. When the spirit ape had assumed a meditative position—its palms, soles, and the top of its head all pointed toward the top—it inhaled and sucked the dreamy light into its mouth. It was almost like it was cultivating.

A few breaths later, the dreamy light disappeared. The spirit ape’s hair flashed with divine luster from time to time.

After the spirit ape was done cultivating, it rose to its feet and observed the people in the temple hall for a bit. As it closed its eyes, the skin on its forehead slowly split open to reveal a single eye that looked pure, clear, and transparent, yet seemingly contained an infinite amount of spirituality and essence of Dao.

As the third eye slowly swept its gaze across the room, everyone suddenly started glowing subtly. Some people’s lights were bright and clear, while some were dark and murky.

1. You probably didn’t notice, but Ye Qing pulled a Tang Shi here. Tang Shi’s name means honest when the man himself is the complete opposite. ?