Stranger Danger

Chapter 427: Fang Muyun’s Ploy

The core of “Blood Demon Sutra” was composed of two martial arts. The first one was the “Art of Blood Control”, a martial art where the practitioner absorbed and refined another person’s blood for their own use. The second one was the art that creates the Children of Blood Demon, the “Art of Blood Demon”.

Of the two, the art to create the Children of Blood Demon was the more important one. It was also the one the people of the jianghu feared the most.

He had learned the way to create the Children of Blood Demon back when he obtained Shangguan Wuwo’s “Blood Demon Sutra” in the Demon’s Tomb. However, Chu Qingge clearly loathed the Children of Blood Demon, and he didn’t know her well enough to trust that she wouldn’t turn on him at the time. That was why he chose to hide the fact from her.

When he was busy suppressing his fog-possessed blood, he suddenly recalled the “Art of Blood Demon” and the Children of Blood Demon. The “Art of Blood Demon” could transform one’s blood into the Children of Blood Demon, so why not try it on the fog?

Sure, the “Art of Blood Demon” only worked on blood, but the fog had been subsumed into his blood. Logically speaking, there should be no problems for him to impose the “Art of Blood Demon” on it. So, he used the “Art of Blood Demon” and created exactly one Child of Blood Demon. The violent reaction ravaging his insides was gone after that.

Since his blood was mixed within the fog, the Child of Blood Demon was a mixture of both blood and fog. It was why it looked light red in color.

“We are very happy to see that you’re fine, Scion Ye,” Hua Mei said while hugging her pipa. “Earlier, our mistake had nearly cost you your life. You only survived because you are as strong as you are blessed. We are truly sorry for what happened to you, and we can only hope that you can forgive us for our grave mistake.”

“You exaggerate, Miss Hua Mei. I am fine, am I not?” Ye Qing smiled. “By the way, can I ask you a question?”

“By all means, ask away,” Hua Mei replied.

Ye Qing took a moment to compose his words before starting, “After I took control of the fog, I noticed that I now share a connection with the Boat of Longing. Why did this happen? Is it something I need to watch out about?”

A gentle smiled crossed Hua Mei’s lips. “It’s nothing to worry about, Scion Ye. The fog is the reason the Boat of Longing turned into an Anomaly. Now that you’ve refined a wisp of the corpse’s original fog, you have gained partial ownership of the Boat of Longing. That is why you share a connection with it. It is perfectly harmless.”

“In fact, the reason we’re suppressing the corpse’s head and limbs inside our objects despite the danger is to obtain the original fog. Only then can we take control of the Boat of Longing.”

“I see!” Ye Qing nodded in understanding, though he already had an inkling that that was the case. He then apologized to the three girls, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that the fog is so important to you. You may have it back if you so wish.”

“There’s no need, Scion Ye. You misunderstand me.” Hua Mei stopped him. “You are the one who saved and liberated us from our eternal misery. We are not so greedy that we would deny you your just reward, not to mention that the fog belongs to no one.”

“What I’m trying to say is, you’ve become one of the masters of the Boat of Longing. If the need arises, you may summon us and the Boat of Longing to anywhere with a large body of water such as a river or a lake. We will answer your summons no matter what.”

“You’re welcome, though I must clarify that I was just fighting to fulfill my promise to you, and to save my own life,” Ye Qing replied with a salute.

He offered to return the original fog to the three girls not because he didn’t want it—on the contrary, he was extremely reluctant to give up the unique Child of Blood Demon he created using it—but now that they no longer shared a common enemy, it was possible that the girls might turn on him. On the off chance they harbored such thoughts, he was hoping that his show of goodwill would appease them.

Thankfully, they turned out to be better people than he thought.

“What you did for us is a favor we may never repay for eternity. As Hua Mei says, don’t hesitate to call for our help if you need us. We will be there for you,” Longing also echoed in agreement.

“You don’t need to play coy with us, Scion Ye,” Jue Yan replied in a cold tone, though it was clear that that was just the way she spoke.

Ye Qing smiled wider. “In that case, I shall happily accept your gift. Also, allow me to extend the same offer. If you ever need my help again, just send me a message, and I promise I’ll be there for you as well.”

“Thank you, Scion Ye.” Longing, Hua Mei and Jue Yan returned smilingly.

A brief conversation later, Ye Qing bade the three girls goodbye. For one, he had been stranded in the Boat of Longing for almost the entire midnight. To say he was tired in both mind and body would be an understatement. He needed a well-deserved rest as soon as possible.

While he could just rest in the Boat of Longing, the Yonghe Lake was located inside the city of Tian Yong. If someone like, for example, the Pacification Bureau noticed their existence and decided to take action, it would be troublesome to say the least.

And third, the three girls were in pretty rough shape themselves. They still hadn’t dealt with the body parts suppressed inside their objects completely. Ye Qing wasn’t stupid enough to impose on them any longer.

Right before Ye Qing left, he suddenly recalled something and voiced his curiosity, “Oh right, Miss Longing. Can I ask you something? There were many other people who toured Yonghe Lake at this time. Why did you pick me out of everyone you could’ve chosen?”

“Every time the Hidden Dragon Conference takes place, the three of us would come to Yonghe Lake and seek out young geniuses like you to help us,” Hua Mei replied honestly. “Yesterday, we sensed your power almost as soon as you entered Yonghe Lake. That was why we invited you onto the ship.”

“Just to clarify, but you didn’t know who I was until then, right? You only sensed me after I entered Yonghe Lake?” Ye Qing asked.

“That’s right,” Hua Mei confirmed.

Ye Qing narrowed his eyes a little. “In that case, do you know Ah Fu?”

Longing shook her head. “Who’s that?”

Ye Qing replied, “He’s my boat rower. Do you recognize him?”

Hua Mei looked confused. “No, we don’t. I thought he’s one of yours? Is there something wrong?”

Ye Qing narrowed his eyes some more before he relaxed into a smile and gave them a wave. “No, it’s nothing. Have a good night, girls.”

He turned around and left. Since he obtained the corpse’s original fog, he was a partial owner of the Boat of Longing. Naturally, the fog permeating the lake could no longer entrap him. In fact, the corpses floating on the lake automatically formed a path that led all the way to the shore for him. It was almost insultingly easy considering everything he had suffered to escape the ship, but hey, he wasn’t complaining.

“Take care, Scion Ye.”

On the Boat of Longing, Longing, Hua Mei and Jue Yan said with bright smiles on their faces.

“You too!” Ye Qing gave them another wave.

The next second, a thick fog surged from the lake and shrouded the entire ship. Then, the Boat of Longing slowly sailed away until it was gone.

Despite this, Ye Qing could still sense a faint thread between himself and the ship. If he wanted to, he could reach out and summon it to his side anywhere, anytime.

“This is an Anomaly we’re talking about, boy. Are you sure this is the right thing to do?”

While Ye Qing was watching the ship leave, the Fog Demon’s voice rang beside his ears, “Their words are pretty, but surely you didn’t forget that they were using you from the start until the end, have you? Besides, they were exhausted after the battle against the corpse. If you acted just now, you might have been able to kill them all, take revenge, and claim the credit for solving a case that not even a Grandmaster was able to solve. You could’ve killed two birds with one stone.”

“Heh. You make it sound easy, but Longing and the girls are quite formidable. It’s far more likely that I would go for wool and come back shorn,” Ye Qing said indifferently. “Besides, what’s so bad about my current circumstances? I’m alive, I’ve made some useful friends, and I’ve even gained partial control of an Anomaly. There is simply no reason to ruin such a perfect ending with my greed.”

“Friends, you said? Are you sure you’re a Patrolman of the Pacification Bureau? If someone finds out that the Qing Emperor Junior is ‘friends’ with an Anomaly, hehehe...” The Fog Demon cackled.

“So what? All I need to do is to make sure that my secret isn’t leaked, right?” Ye Qing smirked. “Also, I have better things to focus on right now. For starters, who’s that Ah Fu? Someone is trying to kill me.”

He was certain that Ah Fu was a human being. Barring a few exceptions, no Stranger would dare to waltz into the Pacification Bureau like it was their own residence. That was why he suspected that something was amiss from the very beginning. His suspicion only grew stronger after he obtained his answers from the girls.

Whoever was plotting his death, they somehow knew that the Corpse Ship would appear at Yonghe Lake beforehand. That was why they lured him to Yonghe Lake and tried to kill him using the Corpse Ship.

“Do you know who might be behind this?” The Fog Demon asked.

“Not in the slightest,” Ye Qing shook his head, “but just because I don’t have a clue now, doesn’t mean I won’t have a clue in the future.”

“Anyway, let’s not dilly-dally any longer. It’s time to head back to the Pacification Bureau.”

......

“Why did you help Ye Qing and even gave him the original fog, sister?”

Back inside the Boat of Longing, Longing voiced her puzzlement to Hua Mei after they left the shores.

“I’m not helping him, sister. I’m helping ourselves,” Hua Mei replied calmly.

“What do you mean?” Longing asked.

Hua Mei explained, “First, we were all injured and exhausted after the battle against the corpse, and Scion Ye is no ordinary warrior. He was also protected by a powerful Soulstealer-class Strange Artifact. I’m not confident that we would win if we chose to clash against him.”

“Second, Scion Ye is a dragon among humans. He has a bright future ahead of him. I see no harm in befriending such a person.”

“And third, most of the original fog went to us, which makes us the unshakeable masters of the Boat of Longing. Although Scion Ye also owns a portion of the original fog, his share isn’t nearly big enough to threaten us in any way.”

“In conclusion, I see far more benefits to befriending Scion Ye than antagonizing him. What do you think, sister?”

Longing pondered her words for a moment before nodding. “Your words make a lot of sense, sister. I am glad you managed to stop me before I made an irrational decision. Thank you.”

Hua Mei smiled. “Why are you thanking me? We’re sisters, aren’t we? Anyway, let’s master the original fog immediately. Our sisters have suffered long enough. It is time to save them all.”

“You’re right.” Jue Yan nodded.

“Indeed.”

......

Inside an elegantly furnished study, Fang Muyun was reading the “Annotations of the Analects” with a serious expression on his face.

Suddenly, the candle flame illuminating the room flickered a little.

“How did it go, Fugong[1]?”

A voice answered, “Mister. Ye Qing came back from the Corpse Ship alive.”

A man slowly stepped out of the darkness. He was a rotund and genial-looking man with a long beard. He wore a square hat and a baggy red robe with the word “Fortune” sewn at the center. He looked like he was celebrating the New Year, jubilant and festive.

“He came back alive? He deserves his fame after all.” Fang Muyun set down his book with a surprised look on his face.

“I could have killed him myself, mister. Why didn’t you send me to deal with him?” Fugong asked with a grin.

Fang Muyun picked up his book again and replied, “We are in Tian Yong, and Ye Qing is a Patrolman. Anyone can kill him, but not us.”

“After all, it’s not easy to wash the blood out of your hands.”

“I understand.” Fugong nodded.

Fang Muyun asked another question, “Did you clean up properly?”

Fugong chuckled. “But of course, mister. All the witnesses, evidence and such have been dealt with. Even if Ye Qing suspects something, the only ones he can suspect are the ‘Wine Are Songs Boat’ and the real Ah Fu who works there. Too bad for him, the real Ah Fu is forever gone.”

“Well done,” Fang Muyun replied.

Fugong voiced his worries, “Still, we have alerted the snake in the bush. Ye Qing is on his guard now, and it’s going to be so much harder to kill him in the future.”

“Is it?” Fang Muyun smiled as his eyes reflected the warm light of the candles. “Preparation is the key to success. So long as we prepare accordingly, then we will succeed, won’t we?”

“Do you have a plan, mister?” Fugong’s eyes lit up.

Fang Muyun responded to his question with a question of his own, “Do you know who’s the real owner of Wine Are Songs Boat?”

Fugong shook his head. “Please enlighten me, mister.”

Fang Muyun answered, “It belongs to the Harmony King’s son.”

Realization flashed across Fugong’s face. “Are you planning to pit the Harmony King against the Pacification Bureau, mister?”

But Fugong shook his head immediately after he finished. “No, that’s not right. Hong Jianglong and the Harmony King shared a good relationship with each other, and the Harmony King is infamous for his slothfulness. He wouldn’t sour his relationship with the Pacification Bureau over a mere pleasure boat.”

“You should expand your horizons more, Fugong.” Fang Muyun shook his head smilingly. “I’m not aiming to sow dissent between the pacification Bureau and the Harmony King. That’s completely meaningless.”

“My real goal is Ye Qing and Chu Qingli.”

His answer only confused Fugong even more. “My apologies, mister, but I don’t understand your meaning.”

Fugong looked up at Fugong with warm eyes that were as black and infinite as the night. “And you don’t need to. You only need to understand that I’ve never failed at what I set out to do.”

“Ye Qing will not walk out of Tian Yong alive.”

1. Meaning Elder of Blessing/Fortune, but I didn’t name him that because it sounds bad. Priest of Blessing might be more accurate but I try to avoid the word “Priest” due to its many, many connotations. ☜