Stranger Danger

Chapter 437: I Will Kill You

“Pwack!”

Lin Yuhuai fell limp as blood spilled out of his lips.

Dammit. I’m too late.

Ye Qing was hoping to neutralize Ghost Clap before it detonated, but in the end, he just wasn’t fast enough. The good news was that the foreign force damaged Lin Yuhuai’s internal organs, blood vessels and more, but not so much that it would threaten his life. As he predicted, Zhao Lan didn’t have the guts to kill Lin Yuhuai.

This didn’t mean that Lin Yuhuai’s injuries were light, however. His muscles were ripped into shreds, his bones were broken, his internal organs were bruised, and his blood vessels were damaged. Normally, it would take him months to recover from a severe injury like this. Worst case scenario, it could even damage his martial foundation.

“Relax. He won’t die from this.”

After Zhao Lan was teleported out of the platform, he walked up to Ye Qing with an odd smile of ridicule and cruelty. “So? How does it feel to watch your friend getting hurt?”

“Why?” Ye Qing asked in a cold voice.

“Hahaha! Why? You ask why?” Zhao Lan’s eyes flashed cruelly. “Because of you, my brother is going to spend the next few months in bed. That’s why.”

“That’s all?” Ye Qing’s eyes grew colder and colder.

“Do I need another reason?” Zhao Lan’s eyes turned red like an animal’s. “Zhao Lu isn’t just my younger brother. He is the only family I have. When he was freezing in the cold, I was freezing with him. When I was starving, he was starving right beside him. And when someone attacks us, they attack us both. Once, my brother nearly died to protect me. After I began learning martial arts, I swore I would never allow him to get hurt again.”

“But you didn’t just hurt my brother. You damaged his martial foundation as well.”

“Did you know how much my heart ached when I saw his injuries? Know that his future might never be as bright as it could be because of one sonuvabitch?”

“I’m the one who hurt your brother, so why are you attacking innocents instead of me?” Ye Qing asked coldly.

“Oh no no no,” Zhao Lan shook his head while wearing a demented grin on his face, “that’s not how it works. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I’ll have you taste the exact same pain and misery I felt.”

“So? How does it feel? It tastes bitter, doesn’t it?”

“It is pretty bitter.” Ye Qing nodded in agreement.

Zhao Lan suddenly moved closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. “You should be thankful that you and your friends are members of the Pacification Bureau. Otherwise, I would have killed every friend and family you ever have. All of them.”

“Only then can you truly understand my pain.”

“Ah, I’m glad.” Ye Qing suddenly broke into a wide smile. “I hope I’ll run into you during my next match.”

“What?” Zhao Lan was puzzled.

Ye Qing grinned. “I want to kill you with my own hands.”

“You want to kill me?” Zhao Lan paused for a full second before the corners of his lips turned up uncontrollably. In the end, he couldn’t control himself and let loose a maniacal laugh. “What a coincidence! I could say the exact same thing! Ahahahahahaha!”

Zhao Lan walked away after that. Ye Qing’s gaze was cold and indifferent as he stared at the warrior’s back.

He had no qualms with Zhao Lan targeting him because of Zhao Lu. It was a sentiment that he agreed wholeheartedly.

However, Zhao Lan should never, ever have vented his anger on Lin Yuhuai. If his friend didn’t so happen to be a member of the Pacification Bureau, he would be dead already.

To say he was angry would be an understatement.

Even if he let this go, he didn’t think that Zhao Lan would stop things here. So be it. He would grant Zhao Lan the death he so desired.

After Zhao Lan left, Ye Qing produced Resurrection from Nine Heavens and fed it to Lin Yuhuai. The talisman expert’s aura quickly stabilized thanks to it.

“How’s Yuhuai, Joyless?” Chu Nianjiu and Gao Ningan caught up to them and asked urgently. Both men were looking at the unconscious Lin Yuhuai with clear worry in their eyes.

“Don’t worry. When he wakes up, he’ll feel as good as new,” Ye Qing assured them.

Resurrection could restore anyone to full health so long as they were still breathing. Therefore, Ye Qing wasn’t worried for Lin Yuhuai. Not only that, the talisman expert would return stronger than ever before due to the nurturing effects of the medicine, so this incident, while extremely unfortunate, was really a boon for him.

“What were you and Zhao Lan talking about just now?” Gao Ningan asked.

“It’s nothing. Just a casual chat.” Ye Qing waved off his curiosity.

“Yeah, right. Like anyone would believe that.” Gao Ningan pouted.

Ye Qing ignored him and nodded in Chu Nianjiu’s direction. “Today’s matches are over, so please take Brother Lin back to his room, Brother Chu.”

“Got it.”

Chu Nianjiu shot Ye Qing a long look but said nothing. He knew Ye Qing would never leave it at this, but he didn’t ask any questions. He simply nodded, carried Lin Yuhuai to his shoulder, and left the scene.

“The next round is going to be interesting.” Lei Xiaodan withdrew his gaze and shot Hong Jianglong a smile.

“Hmph! The fool’s already dead, he just doesn’t know it yet.” Hong Jianglong snorted. He too recognized Ghost Clap and knew what Zhao Lan was plotting, though he couldn’t interfere because he was the host of the Hidden Dragon Meet. Of course, he was also sure that Zhao Lan wouldn’t dare to kill Lin Yuhuai, and he was right.

After all the matches were over, Hong Jianglong rose to his feet and declared, “Today’s matches have ended, and the nine people who will be entering the quarterfinals are Xu Rulin, Zhao Lan, Wen Xiaonuan, Wei Bulao, Jian Wusheng, Zhao Bu’er, Zhuo Henshui, Ye Qing, and Yang Zhao!”

“Congratulations to all quarterfinalists. You will be awarded the title ‘Hidden Dragon’ and receive a reward for your achievements.”

“Thank you, my lord!” Ye Qing, Yang Zhao, Xu Rulin, Jian Wusheng and more replied in unison. Ye Qing and Zhuo Henshui were silent, but everyone else could hardly suppress their delight.

The reward was something, but what really delighted them was the title. On the surface, it seemed like a meaningless title with no weight behind it. In reality, it represented the approval of the imperial court and a tremendous boost to their fame. It would be much easier for them to walk the jianghu,gain recognition, obtain a post, earn merits, and generally weave a better, brighter future for themselves.

The reason they took part in the Hidden Dragon Meet in the first place was to gain fame and profit.

Hong Jianglong continued, “The quarter finals will take place three days later. We will still be drawing lots to determine your opponents. Anyone who arrives late or is absent for whatever reason will be disqualified, so please remember to arrive on time. Understand?”

“Yes, my lord,” Everyone replied.

“Good. I hope you will perform even better during the next round. Be the Hidden Dragon we believe you can be!” Hong Jianglong declared.

“Yes, my lord!” Everyone replied louder and in unison.

“Roar!”

A golden dragon flew away from the peak and into the clouds. Once again, golden light descended like a waterfall and illuminated the world.

……

Three days came and went in the blink of an eye. Having learned his lesson from last time, Ye Qing spent all three days inside the Tian Yong Pacification Bureau. He didn’t go anywhere besides eating, training, and sleeping. The last thing he wanted was giving his would-be murderers another chance to kill him.

The three days came and went peacefully. Absolutely nothing had happened within the confines of the Pacification Bureau. The same couldn’t be said for the city, however.

First, Zhao Bu’er had suffered multiple assassination attempts. His assassins claimed that they were attacking him to take revenge against his master, the Barber, though only they knew if that was the truth or not.

Second, the head of the Little Fist Sect and a late-stage Spirit Master, Lu Youwang gathered a troop of elites and attacked Zhuo Henshui by the Yong River. This was because Zhuo Henshui had killed Fu Chaogang, Lu Youwang’s direct disciple and the future Little Fist Sect.

The outcome defied all expectations, however. Despite being outnumbered and outclassed, Zhuo Henshui, a late-stage Spirit Purifier, grievously injured Lu Youwang and killed the dozens of elites he brought with him. It was said that the blood she drew dyed five kilometers of lake water red that day[1].

No one was surprised by Lu Youwang’s actions. It was perfectly understandable that the head of the Little Fist Sect would want to take revenge for his disciple. What was curious was how they managed to learn about the news and even make it to Tian Yong within three days even though they were situated at He Dong, a faraway prefecture.

That evening, Hong Jianglong personally paid General Hengshan a visit. It was said that the residence was filled with draconic roars and tiger howls for an entire hour. Obviously, a certain Pacification Commissioner had decided to make good his threat after hearing what had happened to Zhuo Henshui.

None of these two incidents could compare to the third incident, however. It was impossible to say who leaked the news that Wei Bulao was the disciple of the Undying Celestial, but the wave it caused was like chucking a massive rock into a pond. As a result, many warriors who were nearing the end of their lifespan slipped into Tian Yong with the intention of kidnapping Wei Bulao. They all wanted to interrogate the location of the Undying Celestial from his mouth and the secrets to immortality.

Among them were some old monsters who were thought to be dead such as the seventy-third warrior on the Black List, Wu Xingyun the Rainwalker; the eighty-fifth warrior on the White List ‘Create Something From Nothing’ Wu Bushuo, and more.

These two warriors in particular weren’t just named on the Black and White List, but also the Human Champions Ranking. Long story short, countless people beat the crap out of each other to steal Wei Bulao for their own benefit, and Wei Bulao suffered terrible injuries as a result of that conflict.

This wasn’t the end of the story, however. When most of the jianghu warriors were injured or killed, Lei Xiaodan suddenly appeared with a troop of shadow guards and apprehended everyone in the name of disrupting the order and hurting the innocent. In the process, he also grievously wounded Wu Xingyun, Wu Bushuo and several other warriors without giving them a chance to defend themselves.

Long story short, nearly no one had benefited from this conflict, and the biggest winner was, of course, the Intelligence Department.

Gossip was everyone’s favorite pastime. When the participants and imperial officials returned to the peak of the Flying Dragon Mount once more, they still couldn’t stop talking about Zhao Bu’er, Zhuo Henshui and Wei Bulao. They stopped only when Hong Jianglong, Fang Muyun and Chu Wangsun arrived.

It was 6 am sharp when Hong Jianglong announced the start of the quarter finals, also known as the Battle of the Eight Hidden Dragons.

The participants would be competing with each other to decide the winners and losers bracket, and just like before, multiple matches were held at the same time. The losers of the winners bracket would enter the losers bracket, draw lots, and fight against the winners of the losers bracket.

When the champion of the winners bracket and the losers bracket had been decided, the two champions would engage each other in one last match. That was how the Hidden Dragon Meet decided the final ranking.

1. I triple-checked this, and I can confirm that this is NOT a mistake. The MC isn’t the only one who can fight way above his weight class appraently. ☜