Stranger Danger

Chapter 542: When In The Jianghu, Do As The Jianghu Does

“Apologies, you two.”

The Wisdom King of Joy was unmoved by their plea. He grabbed their skulls with both hands and prepared to crush their heads into bits.

“Who dares to lay their hands on the good people of Endless Sand?”

It was at this moment a loud, forceful shout resounded throughout the area. As soon as it appeared, dark clouds covered the sky, and a terrific sandstorm washed over the area. It was as if the world had plunged into darkness in an instant.

A gigantic hand reached out of the sandstorm toward the people on the ground. It felt almost as big as the sky itself, and it exuded such pressure that a lesser person would void their bowels in an instant.

Ye Qing distinctly felt his energy stuttering like its channels were blocked, and his mind trembling violently like a leaf. He felt like an ant facing a natural disaster, and he was utterly helpless in both power and spirit to stop it.

It wasn’t just him. The Wisdom King of Joy, Master of Swords and Master of Curses were the same.

Joy Bodhisattva and Ouyang De were the only ones who seemed completely unaffected by it.

“Xiong Kuohai…”

Joy Bodhisattva took one step forward and manifested what looked like a silhouette of herself. It shot upward until it looked as tall as the sky itself before flipping its left hand over and producing a mutton-fat jade kalasa[1] on its left palm. The kalasa was also carrying a vibrant green willow branch. At the same time, her right hand was making an anjali mudra[2].

When the giant hand got close, the silhouette grabbed the willow branch and gently waved it in the hand’s direction.

For a moment, there was only silence. Then, the giant hand split into two halves.

Not done yet, the kalasa slowly floated into the air and grew bigger and bigger. Then, the sandstorm blotting out the sky condensed into a hurricane and flew into its opening.

Sunlight and calm returned to the world, and dancing amidst the light were countless celestials and white lotuses. It looked so auspicious and peaceful it was like they were standing in the middle of a Kingdom of Buddha.

Standing at the center of it all and carrying her kalasa, Joy Bodhisattva stood barefooted on the ground but looked holier and more dignified than ever before.

It was as the Wisdom King of Joy said earlier. Joy Bodhisattva had abandoned the way of the Buddha of Pleasure and picked the Joyful Way of the Buddha instead, suppressing desire with desire to attain a desireless state. Now, she had become a true Bodhisattva of the Buddhas.

That was also why the Kingdom of Buddha she manifested was perfectly holy. Not a shred of evil or anomaly could be sensed anywhere.

Everyone felt relieved when the giant hand and the sandstorm that was choking this section of the city disappeared, but Master of Swords and Master of Curses looked especially happy. Since their sect leader had arrived, there was no way Joy Bodhisattva could kill them anymore. They had survived this ordeal.

Or did they?

Suddenly, the Wisdom King of Joy tightened his grip. Their heads exploded, and their headless bodies collapsed on the ground just like that.

Neither Master of Swords nor Master of Curses saw this coming at all, so they were dead before they knew what was happening. Even their Yin Gods were annihilated before they could detach themselves from their mortal shells and escape.

“What… what was I…?” The Wisdom King of Joy murmured as if he had just awoken. When he looked down and saw the headless corpses, he flinched and jumped backward with panic, confusion, and disbelief clearly etched on his face.

“You will go this far, Bodhisattva?”

It was at this moment a human face took form in the sky. It looked angry, and the entire sky seemed to be shaking because of it.

The human face belonged to Xiong Kuohai, of course, though he wasn’t here in person. It was a wisp of his spirit. The real person was probably tens of kilometers away. Even so, Ye Qing couldn’t help but shudder at the man’s power.

“A Trueman may lose their life, but not their dignity. They’re the ones who attacked me. Naturally, they must die to compensate for their crimes,” Joy Bodhisattva said expressionlessly. “Besides, you and I are enemies. I don’t believe there is such a thing as ‘too far’ between us.”

“Do you think you can fight me just because you have become a Trueman, Bodhisattva?” Xiong Kuohai asked with a rumbling voice.

Joy Bodhisattva did not give an inch. “I invite you to try, Leader Xiong!”

Xiong Kuohai did not say anything, though the increasingly violent disturbance in space, howling wind and dark clouds suggested that he was gathering his strength.

In the end though, Xiong Kuohai didn’t do anything. The reason was simple. At the beginning, he had attacked Joy Bodhisattva as soon as he arrived because he wanted to test her strength. Had Joy Bodhisattva fought like a newly ascended Grandmaster who was still unused to her new powers, then he would do everything in his power to kill her. He would use her death to remind everyone the consequences of upsetting Endless Sand, and he would eliminate a competitor before she could grow strong enough to challenge him.

Bei You was only so big after all. Every new competitor, no matter how weak, meant that his share of the pie would become smaller.

However, Joy Bodhisattva turned out to be stronger than expected despite having become a Grandmaster just a while ago. In fact, she was stronger than some Grandmasters who had years to hone their strength. He was certain he would be able to defeat her, but it would come at a huge cost.

Not only that, Joy Bodhisattva was supported by Ouyang De. The old man was notoriously neutral and acted mostly based on his own whims, so it was impossible to say if he would assist her or not. If he did, then attacking Joy Bodhisattva could turn out to be the biggest mistake of his life.

“I admit that my men are in the wrong. I had no idea they were plotting to assassinate you until just now. Their crimes are severe, and their deaths deserved.”

Xiong Kuohai fell silent for a moment before adding, “However, Endless Sand’s honor must remain intact!”

Xiong Kuohai compromised. Although Master of Swords and Master of Curses’ death wounded him—they were his left and right hand and extremely powerful warriors in their own right after all—they were already dead. It just did not make sense to go to war against Joy Bodhisattva and risk everything over two dead men.

However, he couldn’t just back off without any retaliation either. If the word spread, then both him and Endless Sand would become the laughingstock of the jianghu for many years to come. Therefore, he needed an out. He needed Joy Bodhisattva to lend him a flight of stairs to get off this stage he had put himself on.

He was sure Joy Bodhisattva would understand his meaning.

“What do you want, Leader Xiong?” Joy Bodhisattva asked.

“A life for a life,” Xiong Kuohai replied.

“And who might this person be, Leader Xiong?”

“I want him.” Xiong Kuohai abruptly looked at the Wisdom King of Joy. “He’s the one who killed my vice leaders. Naturally, he should pay for his crimes.”

The Wisdom King of Joy turned as white as a sheet. He hurriedly turned to Joy Bodhisattva and cried, “Save me, Bodhisattva! Please!”

Unfortunately, Joy Bodhisattva’s response was, “It’s only right to pay for what you’ve done.”

“Bodhisattva!” The Wisdom King of Joy exclaimed in shock and horror. He could not believe that Joy Bodhisattva would betray him without a second thought. “It was you who—!”

Before he could finish, a shudder suddenly coursed through his body, and his pupils began dilating bit by bit. Then, he collapsed on the ground with shock, horror, reluctance, and fear forever frozen on his face.

Ye Qing’s demonic thought told him that the Wisdom King of Joy’s soul had crumbled, and his mind extinguished in an instant. He was so dead not even a god could save him, and the one who did it was clearly Joy Bodhisattva.

Ye Qing had anticipated that the Wisdom King of Joy would be turned into a scapegoat, but it still surprised him when it actually happened.

What a lamentable yet deserved fate it was.

Perhaps his fate was sealed from the moment he chose to betray Joy Bodhisattva.

“Are you satisfied now, Leader Xiong?” Joy Bodhisattva asked. She never even looked at the Wisdom King of Joy.

“I am. You truly are wise beyond your years,” Xiong Kuohai said. “I have other businesses to attend to, so this is where I take my leave. Please do not hesitate to pay me a visit at Endless Sand when you are free, Bodhisattva. And you as well, senior Ouyang.”

Both Joy Bodhisattva and Ouyang De nodded. The next moment, a gust of wind and sand appeared out of nowhere and enveloped Master of Swords and Master of Curses’ bodies. Then, they vanished into thin air just like that.

From the start to finish, Xiong Kuohai never even glanced at Ye Qing or Yi Pin.

“Good riddance. It’s a stage performance from the start until the end.”

After Xiong Kuohai was gone, Ouyang De sucked on his smoking pipe and blew out a smoke ring, sighing.

Both sides had killed, threatened, and made up with each other all in one sitting. To a naive outsider, what happened just now must look like an incomprehensible, unrealistic mess.

There was logic behind each at every action, however. Joy Bodhisattva killed Master of Swords and Master of Curses despite the many resistance she faced not because she desired revenge, but because she wanted to send a message to the sect leader. She was telling him that she was no small fry that he could take out as he pleased, so he should stop provoking her unless he was ready to face the consequences.

Xiong Kuohai knew that it was too late to salvage the situation, and further conflict would only put his own life and his assets at risk. So, he chose to compromise. It wasn’t as simple as raising the white flag and calling it a day though. No, it actually took quite a lot of effort and skill to beat a retreat without losing face. That was why he demanded the Wisdom King of Joy’s death.

They all knew that the Wisdom King of Joy wasn’t really the one who killed Master of Swords and Master of Curses, but so what? The point was to keep up appearances.

Joy Bodhisattva was showing off her power to display that she was not someone to be trifled with, but that did not mean she must remain forceful and uncompromising the whole time. All stick and no carrot made for an unhappy, disobedient donkey after all. That was why she killed the Wisdom King of Joy and gave Xiong Kuohai the flight of stairs he sought.

As for the Wisdom King of Joy, the guy was just a lamentable pawn from the start until the end.

All in all, both sides had suffered a not insignificant amount of losses in this conflict. Not only did Xiong Kuohai fail to assassinate Joy Bodhisattva and take over the Buddhist Hall of Joy as planned, he even lost his two vice leaders, Master of Swords and Master of Curses.

It looked like the Buddhist Hall of Joy had won, but in reality they had lost the Wisdom King of Joy, the Joy Arhat and the Lampholding Protector. It was hardly a loss they could ignore either.

“When in the jianghu, do as the jianghu does,” Joy Bodhisattva said softly.

“Indeed. When in the jianghu, do as the jianghu does!” Ouyang De took another puff and let out a deep sigh.

He was the guy who lived most of his life answering to no one but himself, but even he wasn’t completely free, was he? Take this conflict for instance. He was dragged into it because he owed Joy Bodhisattva a favor, didn’t he?

When in the jianghu, do as the jianghu does.

1. Basically a bottle that’s commonly associated with Guanyin. ☜

2. I’m guessing, I can’t find any reference regarding 一方平等印 even in Chinese, so I went for the next closest thing. ☜