Stranger Danger

Chapter 380: The Chaos Heaven Brigands

The soft sword pierced Ye Qings throat, but the village chief was the one who flinched. It was because the young man had popped like a bubble.

Shit! Its a fake!

The village chief withdrew his sword and jumped away faster than when he attacked Ye Qing. He appeared outside the building in just an instant and unleashed thirty six thrusts while doing so. The sword thrusts combined into a powerful gale that turned the entire building into a crumbling pincushion in an instant. The sword art was named the Thirty Six Gale Swords.

Dude, that was a perfectly good house. Its such a waste to destroy it.

The village chief had just caught his balance. He didnt even have time to draw his breath when a regretful voice came from behind. Every hair on his skin stood on end, but before he could make a move, an icy hand grabbed his shoulder and froze him in place. No, he wasnt actually encased in ice or anything. He just knew that something horrifying would happen if he so much as twitched a muscle.

W-Warrior, i-its all a misunderstanding, The village chief stuttered as the blood drained away from his face. His well-groomed hair was drenched in sweat right now.

A misunderstanding? You drugged my wine and plotted to turn me into a Human Pill, and youre telling me that its a misunderstanding? Ye Qing smirked. Okay, lets pretend that its a misunderstanding. But whats this about turning an entire village of people and the merchants and escorts who came to this place into Human Pills? Do you think that the local government and Pacification Bureau will treat this as a misunderstanding if they hear about this?

Large beads of sweat appeared on the village chiefs forehead. Mercy, warrior! It was just a momentary lapse of judgment! I know I deserve death, but please, mercy?

Oh my, it isnt everyday I encounter someone with a sliver of self-awareness. But then again, maybe Im wrong. After all, what kind of self-aware person would do such a heinous thing? Arent you afraid that karma will catch up to you?

Ye Qing was smiling, but his eyes grew colder by the second. A Human Pill was, as the name might suggest, a pill that was made from humans. A pill seed was implanted in the victims body, and the victims qi, essence and spirit were used to nourish the pill seed until it became a pill through the use of a horrifying secret art. This was the reason the victims belly kept growing larger, but their bodies were skinny and emaciated.

When the pill had fully ripened, the pill would fall out of the victims stomach like a fruit. Of course, the victim whose everything was completely absorbed by the pill would die.

This pill creation method was so cruel, heretical, and inhumane that it was unanimously rejected by both the imperial court and the people of the jianghu. Anyone who was discovered to have done such a thing would be exterminated to the nine generations.

However, there were many benefits in creating pills this way. For starters, it took less time than creating pills via fire or water. It was also easier to create the pill. Not only that, a Human Pill contained the essence, qi and spirit of a person, so it contained a tremendous amount of refined energy. Consuming such a pill would not only improve ones cultivation drastically, but also increased their lifespan. Naturally, there were plenty of inhuman bastards who created Human Pills in secret despite the risks.

Ye Qing had learned of Human Pills while he was living at Luo Shui, but he had never actually encountered such an incident until now. In fact, he was sure he would never encounter such an incident simply because he refused to believe that humanity would stoop so low. Of course, reality proved that there was no such thing as the lowest, only lower.

I was wrong! I was foolish! I could tell that my death is near, and in my fear and panic drove me to committing such a heinous crime! I deserve to die! The village chief weeped. Please take me to the authorities, warrior. Im willing to confess my crimes and submit to their judgment!

Oh? Ye Qing raised an eyebrow. Nah, I dont think you actually want to submit to anyones judgment. Youre just stalling for reinforcements.

I I dont understand what youre saying. the village chief looked confused.

No, you understand exactly what Im saying. Ye Qing loomed over the village chief like the executioner as he spoke, You repeatedly refer to yourself as the village chief, and that you made the Human Pills because the end of your lifespan is near, and youre afraid to die. In reality, its all bullshit.

One, I can tell that youre quite the vigorous bastard despite your white hair. You have at least twenty more years before you actually approach the end of your lifespan.

Two, youre not the village chief. There is no Half-Step Spirit Purifier in the world who would choose to languish in a small mountain village, and if you really are who you claim you are, you would never dare to turn the entire village into a Human Pill farm.

And three, you are not alone, because there is no one person who can turn an entire village into a Human Pill farm and somehow keep it hidden from the Pacification Bureau. Therefore, you must have accomplices.

That is why your so-called confession and regret are all bullshit. Youre just hoping that your accomplices will save you while I deliver you to the authorities. Am I right?

You are a discerning man, warrior. The village chief shuddered, and hatred flickered in his eyes for just a moment. Then, he roared angrily, Since you already figured out the truth, then theres no point in hiding it any longer. Me and my subordinates are members of the Chaos Heaven Brigands. The Chaos Heaven Brigands?!

That surprised Ye Qing a little. Generally speaking, criminals could be broken down into three categories. The small-time criminals were called thieves, the middling ones were called bandits, and the actual threats were known as brigands.

In Chu, there were a total of thirteen infamous brigand groups. Their numbers were great, and their members were as strong as they were ruthless. Murders, pillages, raids and more, there was no evil under the sun that they wouldnt commit. Despite Chus many attempts to eradicate these brigands, they were never quite able to succeed. Over time, they came to be known as the Thirteen Brigands.

The Chaos Heaven Brigands were one of them. The leader of the Chaos Heaven Brigands was a Half-Step Grandmaster named Chen Ah Sheng, and he called himself the Chaos Heaven King. He was supported by Four Protectors, Eight Vajrapanis, and thirteen armies. The Four Protectors were Spirit Purifiers, the Eight Vajrapanis were Astral Refiners, and the thirteen armies consisted of five thousand and eight hundred warriors[1].

With this amount of forces, the Chaos Heaven Brigands could go up against any county in Chu and potentially win. Despite this, the Chaos Heaven Brigands ranked near the bottom of the Thirteen Brigands. In fact, they were the second weakest brigand group of the thirteen.

Thats right. The village chief nodded before his expression grew sorrowful. To tell you the truth, my family was murdered by the Chaos Heaven Brigands. We used to run an escort agency until Chen Ah Sheng set his eyes on us. Not only did he steal our merchandise, he even killed my younger brother and and cooked my wife and son alive. That bastard!

The village chief uttered through gritted teeth. I only survived because I pretended to be dead. Later, I joined the Chaos Heaven Brigands in order to find an opportunity to kill Chen Ah Sheng and take revenge for my family once and for all. Unfortunately, Chen Ah Sheng is cunning as he is strong. I never found my chance even to this day.

Is that so? Ye Qing raised an eyebrow. It was true that Chen Ah Sheng had the horrific hobby of cooking humans alive and eating them. He had read about it while going through the Pacification Bureaus files. As for the village chiefs story, he had to admit that it sounded pretty tragic.

So, you decided to join your sworn enemy because you couldnt defeat them?

No, I was forced to. The village chief uttered bitterly. I am a human as well. I dont want to turn humans into Human Pills either. But what can I do except obeying Chen Ah Sheng? If I dont do it, then they would just kill me and send someone else. In that case, I might as well do it myself. At the very least, Id be able to save some innocent people.

So, youre saying that youre a good person? Ye Qing smirked.

A good person? Of course not! How can someone whose hands are covered in blood like me be a good person? The village chief let out a bitter chuckle. But now now, I have a chance to atone for my sins.

Chen Ah Sheng had taken some of the villagers to his mountain. If you wish to rescue them, then you need to act fast. I can lead you up the mountain. I can help you save the villagers. You may do whatever you want with me after that. Just please give me a chance.

Ye Qing let out a soft chuckle. Ah, your offer is appreciated, but I dont think Ill be taking you anywhere. I dont want someone to stab me in the back, you see. Your story is surprisingly elaborate, and I gotta admit that I almost believed you for a second there. But too bad for you, Im not a three-year-old.

Warrior Im telling you the truth! The village chief flinched.

Ye Qings lips curled into a devilish smile. Maybe, maybe not. Ill know the truth very soon.

The village chiefs eyes abruptly grew cloudy and unfocused. A few breaths later, it regained its light, and a devilish cackle escaped his lips. Kekeke, how interesting! Do you know, boy?

Do I know, what? Ye Qing asked.

The reason Ye Qing was willing to waste his breath on the village chief was because he was waiting for the Fog Demon to dominate his mind. Normally, the Stranger could do it in just a matter of seconds, but more time was necessary since Ye Qing didnt want the Fog Demon to damage the village chiefs memories.

In the future, when his mastery of Heavenly Demon Captures The Soul had reached the adept level, he would be able to capture his enemys mind in an instant and view their memories himself.

This guy was actually telling you the truth. A modified version of it, at least. The Fog Demon couldnt stop cackling. He was part of an escort agency, and Chen Ah Sheng was part of the reason his family died. He was running an escort mission when Chen Ah Sheng took out his men and captured him. In order to survive, he murdered his own young brother, cooked his own wife and son, and served their flesh to Chen Ah Sheng. Now this is one bastard I can stand behind, kekeke!

Ye Qings eyes flickered with scorn and killing intent. Heh. Such is human nature. When ones life is on the line, some people will give up their lives to save a total stranger, while some would sacrifice their own loved ones just to live a second longer. To be human on the outside, but a Stranger on the inside. How lamentable.

Anyway, did you get Chen Ah Shengs location and information from his memories?

But of course! You know, this guy is no joke. His name is Hu Fengsan, and hes one of the Eight Vajrapanis. The reason hes creating Human Pills is because Chen Ah Sheng is planning on entering the Grandmaster stage. Naturally, Chen Ah Sheng himself is based not far away from here. Look.

The Fog Demon and Ye Qing shared an eternal contract, so they could easily share memories with one another. It took the Fog Demon only a moment to share Chen Ah Shengs location with Ye Qing.

A while later, Ye Qing rubbed his nose and fell silent. He remained like this for a while until the Fog Demon grew impatient and asked, What are you blanking out for, boy? You saved who you needed to save and killed who you needed to kill. All thats left is to send a message to the Pacification Bureau, so get it done already. You havent forgotten that youre being hunted, have you?

What do you think will happen if we go to Chen Ah Sheng? Ye Qing asked suddenly.

Excuse me? Do you have a death wish? The Fog Demon was stunned. Im not done living yet, human!

I dont have a death wish. On the contrary, I think its my only chance to live. Ye Qing wore an enigmatic smirk as he beckoned the Fog Demon to follow him. Come on.

Where are we going?

Were going to get justice for the innocents, and a way out for myself.

1. Jesus, there are another TWELVE MORE GROUPS like this? I mean sure its kinda impossible to oversee everything considering that everyone can become superhuman, but seriously, Chu, come on.