Stranger Danger

Chapter 327: The Eight Legions

“Why didn’t you just kill them, Joyless?” Chu Nianjiu asked.

All five people were still alive despite the horrible state they were in.

“Because this isn’t all of them. Didn’t you hear the woman saying that they needed to debrief a captain or something?” Ye Qing answered. “We’ll make them take us to their hideout so we can eliminate their whole gang.”

“Makes sense.” Chu Nianjiu shrugged.

Snap!

Ye Qing snapped his fingers, and all five warriors awakened slowly. They were unconscious not because their wounds were too severe, but because he had confined their minds using the “Heavenly Demon Captures The Soul”.

During his time at the Martial Tower, he had focused on training his “Heavenly Demon Captures The Soul”, “Saber of Spring Wind and Fine Rain”, and the “Nine Impetus of Tai Chi”. Of the three, the “Heavenly Demon Captures The Soul” received the most attention as it was one of his core martial arts. Thanks to his training, he could now tweak the strength of the martial art as he pleased. He could paralyze someone or steal their minds with a single thought.

Just now, he had stolen the minds of the five warriors, effectively robbing them of their consciousness.

“Hey, you. You’re finally awake,” Ye Qing said while leaning against a maple tree and playing with a maple leaf. “Who are you people, and where is your hideout?”

“I admit that it’s our loss this time, but you would release us if you know what’s good for you. Otherwise—ARGH!”

The cold man was sneering and in the middle of threatening Ye Qing when suddenly, he let out a bloodcurdling scream. It was because an icicle had pierced a main artery in his thigh and spilled his blood like a fountain. Before his scream could spread, Lin Yuhuai tossed out a talisman that eliminated the noise completely.

“We ask you a question, you give us an answer. That’s all we ask. Break this rule, and the next few icicles will go to your mouth,” warned Chu Nianjiu while toying with an icicle and wearing a smile that didn’t reach the eyes.

The cold man stopped talking. He could tell that Chu Nianjiu would kill him without a thought if he gave him an excuse to do so.

“Who are you people?” Slave of Fire asked.

Pssh!

The second he finished, an icicle pierced his calf.

“You—!”

Slave of Fire’s face contorted with pain and anger, but Chu Nianjiu cut him off before he could say anything, “What did I just say? We ask a question, and you give us an answer, not the other way around.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself a third time. Disobey me again, and you are dead. Get it?” asked Chu Nianjiu while slowly sweeping his gaze across the group.

The five warriors looked disgruntled, but they finally wised up and kept their mouths shut. Satisfied, Chu Nianjiu nodded and asked, “Good. Let’s start with the basics. What are your names?”

“Slave of Fire.”

“Gu Lady.”

“Fifteen Saber.”

“Mad Fist.”

“Bird Scholar.”

The five warriors answered. Fifteen Saber was the cold man’s moniker, Mad Fist was the short-haired man’s moniker, and Bird Scholar was the scholar’s moniker.

“See? You wouldn’t have suffered if you were this cooperative from the beginning, would you?” Chu Nianjiu smiled in satisfaction. “Now, who are you people?”

The five warriors exchanged glances with each other. In the end, it was their leader, Slave of Fire who spoke up, “We are the Kinnaras.”

“The Kinnaras?” They had heard the name before, but they had no idea about the context.

“Have you heard of the Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas?” Slave of Fire asked when he saw their confusion.

“Hmph!”

But as soon as he asked the question, an icicle pierced Bird Scholar in the arm.

“I’m the one asking the questions. You just need to tell us what we want to know. Don’t give me that counter question bullshit,” Chu Nianjiu said coldly.

Despite his warning, Bird Scholar couldn’t help but ask as he shook with pain, “Why are you stabbing me when he’s the one who asked you a question?”

Now he understood why Fifteen Saber, a hardened veteran who often cut himself with his sabers screamed as loud as he did when he got stabbed earlier. Chu Nianjiu had specifically targeted the frailest and most painful areas of their body. Just because they were warriors didn’t mean they had no weak spots or were immune to pain.

It was clear that Chu Nianjiu was a master interrogator.

Chu Nianjiu sipped his wine and answered matter-of-factly, “Because I still need him to answer my questions. I’m sure you can take an icicle or two for your friend’s sake. Don’t worry, you won’t be the only one to suffer. Every time something useless comes out of his mouth, I will put a hole in one of you people. I’m also skilled enough to turn you all into ice porcupines without you falling unconscious. It’s a fun game. You can give it a try if you want to.”

Are you a monster?

All five warriors shuddered when they heard this. Slave of Fire hurriedly launched into an explanation, “According to the Buddhist scriptures, eight groups of deities often seen among the audience addressed by the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas. They are the Devas, the Nagas, the Yaksas, the Gandharvas, the Asuras, the Garudas, the Kimnaras and the Mahoragas[1].”

“Of the eight legions, the Devas and the Nagas’ role was the most important of them all, which is why they are collectively known as the Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas.”

“We are the Kimnaras of the Eight Legions.”

“The Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas?” Ye Qing rubbed his nose. Why do I feel like my confusion is only growing the more I listen to them?

Suddenly, Lin Yuhuai recalled something and exclaimed in surprise, “The Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas, the People of the Divine?”

“That’s right! It is us!” A hint of pride flickered across Slave of Fire’s face.

“Hmm?” Ye Qing and Chu Nianjiu turned to look at Lin Yuhuai. Why do you know what we don’t? Why are you so smart, huh? Huh?

Lin Yuhuai explained, “I read about them in a file regarding mysterious factions in the jianghu. They claim to be the Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas and the People of the Divine. They believe themselves to be the descendants of gods and Buddhas and naturally superior to all other humans.”

“As the guy said, the organization is split into eight groups based on the actual Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas. Technically, the eight groups are equal in status, but in reality the Devas and the Nagas consistently wield the greatest power within the organization.”

“Very little about the Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas is known. What is certain is that everyone in the faction is strong, independent, and anti-social in the sense that they only mingle among themselves. They don’t usually mingle with ‘mortals’, and they do not usually involve themselves in the jianghu. That is why few people are aware of their existence.”

“It looks like the Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas prefer to keep a low profile, but that’s because they prefer to be the puppeteer behind the strings. In fact, they were behind many major happenings in the jianghu. They are mysterious, but they are anything but low profile.”

“Did I get it right?” Lin Yuhuai looked to the five warriors for confirmation.

Slave of Fire nodded. “You are correct... warrior.”

The two school dropouts[2], Ye Qing and Chu Nianjiu, nodded. In other words, they had offended someone they shouldn’t have.

“Hmph! At least one of you isn’t a complete fool. Now that you know who we are, release us while you still can!” Mad Fist declared arrogantly.

Pssh!

Five icicles abruptly pierced his arms and legs. Before he could scream out in pain, countless mini icicles the size of a needle pierced his lips and sewed his mouth shut, causing his screams to turn into muffled groans.

“That’s the third time. I told you I would sew your mouths shut if you disobey me again, but it looks like none of you actually took me seriously!”

Chu Nianjiu narrowed his eyes dangerously and swept his gaze across the group. “Do you believe me now? Or do I have to kill someone to prove a point?”

“You...!”

The group of five was furious, but they didn’t dare to say anything. It was clear that this was their final warning.

“Good. I love it when you wear that angry yet impotent look on your face,” Chu Nianjiu said smilingly while sipping his wine.

“Who are your accomplices?” Ye Qing asked.

Slave of Fire hesitated, but when he saw Chu Nianjiu twirling an icicle as if he was just waiting for him to give him an excuse to kill him, he gave in. “Our captain, the Radical Fire Captain of the Kimnaras, and a squad of thirty six Fire Guards.”

“Where are they hiding right now?” Ye Qing asked.

Slave of Fire answered, “They’re hiding at Vicious Tiger River about two point five kilometers south of here. It was occupied by a bunch of Grave Raiders until we killed them all.”

“What’s your captain’s name?”

“Huo Hao.”

“How strong is he?”

“He’s an early-stage Spirit Master.”

“What about the Fire Guards?”

“They’re all middle-stage Astral Refiners.”

“What are Huo Hao’s hobbies?”

“... Er...”

“Don’t ‘er’ me and just answer my question. Otherwise, my friend will turn you into an ice porcupine, get it?”

“I guess his hobby is drinking and beautiful women...?”

“What type of woman does he like? Fat, thin, tall, short?”

“Fat.”

“Wow! He’s a unique one, isn’t he?”

......

Slave of Fire had given up resisting completely. He just answered whatever question Ye Qing threw at him no matter how nonsensical it was.

“Good. I can tell that you weren’t lying to me.”

Literally, he could tell. Ye Qing had been using his demonic thought to perceive his victims’ emotions this whole time. “Alright. It’s time to get serious.”

Slave of Fire: “...” Oh, you’re aware?

“You mentioned that the Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas dislike mingling with ‘mortals’, so how did you get involved with the Lei Martial School to the point where their headmaster even killed your scion?”

Slave of Fire was silent for a moment before answering, “Two days ago, our young master drank himself silly at Phoenix Come Restaurant and got into a violent argument with Lei Laohu. It ended with Lei Laohu killing my young master and his subordinates.”

“In the Eight Legions, we believe in repaying any harm or death we take multifold. So, we took revenge for our young master and wiped out his family.”

“Is that so?” Ye Qing rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But why don’t I believe you?”

The group of five paled a little.

“As I asked earlier, I thought the Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas do not mingle with ‘mortals’, so why would you show up in the city of Feng Yang, and in such numbers no less? Speaking of which, why is your scion there? Their wine can’t possibly be that good, can it?”

Ye Qing’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me that you’re here for a vacation. You must have some sort of ulterior motive.”

Slave of Fire quietly swallowed the lie he was about to give.

“Why aren’t you talking? Are you trying to come up with a lie that would fool us?” Ye Qing’s smile widened. “It better be a good one then, because we’re gonna separate you all and interrogate you in isolation. If your lies don’t match, then trust me when I say that you will regret being born in this world.”

Ye Qing waved a hand, and both Chu Nianjiu and Lin Yuhuai immediately grabbed a person each and walked a fair distance away from them. Just in case, Lin Yuhuai used a few talismans to ensure that there was absolutely no way anyone could send any sort of signal to Slave of Fire.

He’s a monster too, Slave of Fire thought with a shudder. All three of them were monsters. Why oh why did we choose to attack them? It would’ve been fine if we just minded our own business!

A short silence later, Slave of Fire said with a bitter voice, “It’s not that we don’t want to tell you, warriors. We just can’t.”

“Oh? And why not? Tell us.” Ye Qing smiled like a cunning fox.

Slave of Fire took a moment to choose his words. “It’s because we’ve all sworn an Oath of Devas and Nagas. If we reveal anything at all—literally anything—we would be burned by the Fire of Deva and damned for eternity.”

“If you don’t believe me, then watch.”

“We are here to—”

As if on cue, invisible flames suddenly burst out of Slave of Fire’s body. Draconic roars could be heard from the flames as well. The fire didn’t look or feel hot, but Ye Qing, Chu Nianjiu and Lin Yuhuai’s hearts all skipped a beat when they saw it. At the same time, Slave of Fire’s soul suddenly emerged a little from his mortal shell and writhed in the invisible flames as if it was being burned alive.

A few breaths later, the invisible flames vanished, and Slave of Fire’s soul went back into his body. He immediately collapsed on the ground covered in sweat like he had just run a marathon.

“As you can see, the mere thought of leaking our plans nearly cost me my life. It’s also the one and only warning I’ll get. If I say another word, then the Fire of Deva would annihilate my soul. I would die in pain and agony.”

“I’m telling you the truth, warriors. I literally cannot say what you wish to hear.”

1. S added at the back of the names since they are a group. Also, the Eight Legions of Devas and Nagas are real. ?

2. Just an expression. They’re not actually dropouts. ?