Stranger Danger

Chapter 453: I’ll Play With You

“Useless! Over one hundred men, and still you fail to catch Ye Qing? Truly useless!” Zhou Hengshan grunted. “Spread the news that Ye Qing killed the prince and our men when we tried to arrest him. He is to be treated as a rebel and killed on sight.”

“General, don’t you think we’re going a little too far?” The deputy general hesitated.

“Too far?” Zhou Hengshan leaned forward and looked down on the deputy general. “Ye Qing killed the Harmony King’s son, a prince of Chu. That’s a death sentence, isn’t it? He also killed members of the Hengshan Army and escaped. That’s treason, isn’t it? What’s there to be afraid of?”

“One more thing. Tell our people that those who claimed Ye Qing’s head will receive a three-rank promotion and ten thousand silvers.”

“At once.” The deputy general nodded and left the room.

“Humiliating me has a price, Hong Jianglong. Today’s the day I pay back what you did to me tenfold!”

Zhou Hengshan’s mad laughter resounded throughout the room. “Hahahahahahahaha...”

......

“Ye Qing killed the Harmony King’s son? Are you sure about this?”

At the Punishment Hall in the Intelligence Department, Lei Xiaodan was gently and carefully caring for his treasures. They weren’t valuable antiques, paintings or the like, however. They were living people that were being subjected to all kinds of horrible torture.

One man was encased in wax. Another was turned into a human swine[1]. A third man’s hands and legs were swapped. A woman had her limbs replaced with a Stranger’s. There was a skinless man and a boneless woman chained to a nearby wall.

His collection was numerous, and all of them inhuman. The fact that the victims were all alive—screaming in pain or cursing their tormentor’s name from time to time—only added to the horror.

“I’m sure. Nearly everyone in Food Is Heaven saw it when it happened. The duo were butting heads until Ye Qing killed the prince in a fit of rage,” Chu Renhe said with a hint of excitement.

While carefully wiping away the dust on one of his “treasures”, Lei Xiaodan asked casually, “Do you have a hand in this incident?”

The question didn’t register in Chu Renhe’s head at first. Then, he broke out in cold sweat and denied the accusation immediately, “Absolutely not. This has nothing to do with me.”

“Are you suggesting that Ye Qing hadn’t killed the prince out of rage, master?”

“Let’s pretend you are Ye Qing for a second. Do you think you would lose your cool and kill the prince in a fit of rage?” Lei Xiaodan countered.

“No, I don’t believe I would,” Chu Renhe replied.

“If even you wouldn’t succumb to such base impulses, why would Ye Qing? Someone must be behind this incident. But if it’s not you, then who else wants to kill Ye Qing?”

When Lei Xiaodan rose to his feet, Chu Renhe hurriedly received the cloth he was using to wipe down his “treasures”. After waiting for a bit and hearing no other response from his master, Chu Renhe said quietly, “What should we do, master?”

“What do you want to do?” Lei Xiaodan smiled at Chu Renhe.

“Ye Qing killed the prince in public. That’s obviously a death sentence. We are the Intelligence Department, so we have a duty to...” Chu Renhe hurriedly voiced the justification he had prepared a while ago, but he trailed off when his master continued to smile at him as if he knew his plans already. He slowly bowed his head and said, “I’ll do whatever you want me to do, master.”

“I know what you seek. You want to eliminate Ye Qing, do you not?” Lei Xiaodan shook his head with a wry smile. “However, we can’t be too proactive in this matter, at least not now.”

“Why not, master?” Chu Renhe asked.

“If we are too proactive, then the Pacification Bureau would think that we’re the ones behind this incident. The reward is not worth the risk.”

“Besides, Ye Qing killed the prince in broad daylight. Knowing the Harmony King, I’m sure he would spare no effort to apprehend or kill him. Besides, the Hengshan Army is getting involved as well, so there is nowhere Ye Qing could run. Why expend the effort when it is completely unnecessary?”

“All we need to do is to watch from the sidelines.”

......

“Joyless killed the Harmony King’s son?”

At the Pacification Bureau, Hong Jianglong felt like the sky had fallen after hearing the news from Gao Ningan.

“Could it be...”

Suddenly, Hong Jianglong recalled the hidden blade that had tried to drive Ye Qing into a dead end repeatedly. He was almost certain that they were behind this incident as well.

Knowing that there was no time to waste, Hong Jianglong hurriedly got up and strode toward the exit.

“Where are you going, Jianglong?”

He had just stepped out of the door when a grave, authoritative voice entered his ears.

Hong Jianglong felt a twitch in his left eyelid as he turned around to face the speaker. “Chief! I need to head out for something.”

The newcomer wore a soap green-colored robe and a tall hat. Not a speck of dust could be seen on his clothes, and not a piece of fabric was out of place. He also possessed a stern, rigid countenance.

He was the Chief of Bureau of the Tian Yong Pacification Bureau, Tu Yulei.

Tu Yulei looked to be in his forties, but in reality he was almost a hundred years old. He had ascended to his position several decades ago, and he had accrued such power and prestige that even the unruly, fearless Hong Jianglong respected him deeply.

But unlike most Chief of Bureaus, Tu Yulei once studied in the Yuelu Academy. He also worked both as a student and a teacher in many Confucianist academies. As a result, he came to cultivate a severe, conscientious, and meticulous personality. In more secular terms, he was a rigid, inflexible man. If he was going to accuse someone of a crime, he must have evidence. If he was going to carry out a certain action, he would abide by the rules and laws to the letter. He was averse toward unruly, showy, and highly independent people like say, Ye Qing.

Besides that, Tu Yulei valued the Pacification Bureau’s reputation more than even most Chiefs of Bureau. If a member of the Pacification Bureau dared to abuse their authority or threaten their department’s reputation for whatever reason, then he would put them through hell to put it mildly.

That was why Hong Jianglong didn’t really want to tell Tu Yulei about Ye Qing’s predicament. If he did, he would have to explain the ins and outs of the situation, and if he explained the ins and outs of the situation, there was a high chance Tu Yulei would actually stop him to preserve the Pacification Bureau’s reputation. Even if he didn’t, the delay could mean the difference between life and death for Ye Qing.

Zhou Hengshan was a petty, vengeful man. It hadn’t been long since he disparaged Zhou Hengshan’s man and even shamed him in his own headquarters, and he had no doubt that the general would take out his frustrations on Ye Qing. He might even kill the young man.

Zhou Hengshan wasn’t the only threat either. The Harmony King would spare no effort to see his son avenged. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Ye Qing was currently facing the greatest danger of his life.

“You’re going to save Ye Qing, aren’t you?” Tu Yulei asked calmly.

Hong Jianglong’s heart skipped a beat. “You found out, chief?”

“What do you think?” Tu Yulei snorted.

Hong Jianglong hurriedly began, “Before you say anything, please listen to my explanation. It’s like—”

Tu Yulei interrupted him before he could finish. “Go. Make sure you bring him back safe and sound.”

“... What?” Shock and disbelief appeared on Hong Jianglong’s face. Of all the responses he expected from Tu Yulei, this was the absolute last one on the list. “Chief, you...”

Tu Yulei said expressionlessly, “You thought I would stop you, didn’t you?”

Hong Jianglong didn’t say anything, but his silence was basically a form of admission.

Tu Yulei didn’t take offense. He explained seriously, “I believe in your eye for people, and I believe that the man who fought for the people and saved the realm multiple times cannot be a villain or an idiot. I am certain that there is a conspiracy behind this.”

“So go. Go and bring him back to us.”

Heartened, Hong Jianglong declared solemnly, “Thank you, chief! I swear I won’t disappoint you!”

“One more thing. You are a member of the Pacification Bureau, and as a member of the Pacification Bureau, you bow to no one except the emperor himself. If someone dares to stand in your way, beat the crap out of them. I will bear any and all consequences that may stem from it, so don’t hold back on my account!” Tu Yulei declared in a harsh voice.

“Understood, chief!” Hong Jianglong turned around, took two steps toward the exit, before turning back to Tu Yulei again. “I never knew you’re such a wise and manly man, chief! I hope to work with you for many more seasons to come!”

With that, Hong Jianglong finally took off and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

After the Pacification Commissioner was gone, Tu Yulei stroked his beard and smiled elegantly. “Why is he stating the obvious? I’ve always been a wise and manly man.”

......

Pop!

A flare streaked across the sky like a meteor before exploding with a blinding flash.

“Traces of Ye Qing have been found at the southside of the city, Wolf Commander.”

At the Azure Dragon Street, a man with loose hair and long, narrow eyes that resembled a wolf was sitting in the middle of the street. He was wearing a set of bright pixiu armor[2], and he was currently rolling a human head back and forth with his right foot. A dozen or so corpses were lined up on the edge of the street.

Suddenly, the head exploded into chunks of red and white. After the commander climbed back to his feet, he walked over to one end of the and began stomping on every head in his path. It was almost like he was playing a game or something.

The soldier who brought the news didn’t dare to urge his commander. He remained in his half-kneeling posture and kept his head low.

The Hengshan Army had two assistant regional commanders under the general, and four battalion commanders under the two assistant regional commanders. The four battalion commanders were in charge of the Tiger Battalion, Leopard Battalion, Wolf Battalion and Dog Battalion.

The Tiger Battalion was made up of Zhou Hengshan’s personal guards, and they were responsible for keeping him safe. The Leopard Battalion was made up of heavy cavalry, and they were normally deployed in wide plains and guerilla warfare. The Wolf Battalion was made up of heavy infantry and were normally deployed in mountainous terrains. They were the main force and meat grinder of the Hengshan Army. Finally, the Dog Battalion was made up of light cavalry. Their main responsibility was scouting, spying, and collecting intelligence.

The man before the soldier was the Wolf Commander, commander of the ruthless and bloodthirsty Wolf Battalion. His name was Fei Chuan.

“The south, huh?”

After Fei Chuan stomped every head to bits, he finally looked up with a hint of scarlet in his dark pupils. He asked slowly, “Have they caught him yet?”

“No. They’ve only discovered traces of him,” the soldier answered.

“I see. How useless,” Fei Chuan said lightly. His voice was fairly low-pitched, and it made him sound like a viper baring its fangs at its prey from the shadows. It was terrifying to say the least.

“Continue the search. Ye Qing must be caught no matter what.” Fei Chuan licked his lips and chuckled darkly. “I will not fail the general. If I did, then you will all lose your heads. Understand?”

“We understand. We will carry out your orders without fail, Wolf Commander!” The surrounding soldiers dropped to one knee and declared.

“Good. Now go.” Fei Chuan waved them away.

After the men were gone, Fei Chuan looked at the corpse beneath his foot and sighed. “Hang these uncooperative, unruly jianghu warriors where everyone can see. Let’s hope that’ll be enough to keep the rest of their ilk out of our way.”

“At once!” A soldier saluted. He then organized some men to hang the headless bodies on stakes. From a distance, the bodies almost looked like meat skewers.

It was at this moment another flare lit up in the sky.

“We found more traces of Ye Qing in the east, Wolf Commander,” someone reported. “However, we still haven’t managed to catch him. Commandant Sun is investigating right now.”

“The east?” Feng Chan rubbed his clean, hairless chin and said, “Ye Qing must have figured out that we’ve prepared a death trap for him to the east. He’s planning to escape the city!”

“I guess he’s not too stupid. He knows that the only way he might survive this is to escape Tian Yong!”

“Okay. I’ll play with you. Let’s see how tenacious you are, hmm?”

“Ye Qing won’t go to the north since that is where our main force is garrisoned. Therefore, Ye Qing can only leave through the east, south and west gates. In that case...” Feng Chuan let out a cold chuckle. “Send word to the gate commander to close the gates. If anyone tries to pass through the gates, kill them.”

“Also, have Brigade One, Two and Three perform a thorough search of the east, south and west side of the city starting from Azure Dragon Street all the way to the gates. Don’t miss even a single fly.”

“Brigade Four will remain here and operate as companies. You will search the north just in case Ye Qing decides to pull a fast one on us.”

“At once!”

The cries of acknowledgement shook the clouds above.

1. All limbs cut off. ☜

2. Pixiu is a Chinese mythical hybrid creature. Pixiu are considered powerful protectors of the souls of the dead, xian, and feng shui practitioners, and resemble strong, winged lions. ☜