Stranger Danger

Chapter 560: Who Is The Butcher’s Knife

“Enter,” Joy Bodhisattva replied.

A female disciple of the Buddhist Hall of Joy stepped into the room. She was none other than Cai Le.

A hint of surprise flashed across Cai Le’s face when she saw Ye Qing, but she did not say anything. She simply stared at Joy Bodhisattva and awaited her orders quietly.

“Drink this,” said Joy Bodhisattva while handing tea cup to Cai Le. The woman looked confused, but she still did as Joy Bodhisattva said and drank the water in one gulp. At the side, Ye Qing was frowning while a thought flashed through his mind.

After Cai Le drank the water, her eyes gradually grew unfocused, and ecstasy slowly crept onto her features. She looked like she might float into the air at any moment.

A dozen or so breaths later, Cai Le finally snapped back to reality and bowed deeply to Joy Bodhisattva. “Thank you for the gift, Bodhisattva.”

“Do you know why I gifted you a cup of Blissful Spring, Cai Le?” Joy Bodhisattva asked.

I knew it,

Ye Qing thought to himself. The water inside the small container was the Blissful Spring. Joy Bodhisattva must have done something to draw the spring water over to her room.

Cai Le’s role in this was clear. She was to be the poison tester.

“I do not know, Bodhisattva. Will you please tell me?” Cai Le asked.

“Because I have poisoned it!” Joy Bodhisattva answered.

“W-What?!” Cai Le’s eyes widened a little. She looked astonished, suspicious and afraid all at the same time.

“Do you know what sin you’ve committed, Cai Le?” Joy Bodhisattva’s voice suddenly turned harsh and cold.

“I-I don’t... What did I do, Bodhisattva?” Startled, Cai Le hurriedly dropped to her knees and asked fearfully. Her face was white, and she was shaking all over like a leaf.

As Cai Le’s fear, doubt and worry grew, Ye Qing could clearly sense an anomalous energy feeding off of her emotions and growing swiftly. It was dark and evil like the representation of the darkest, filthiest corner of a person’s heart. Goosebumps broke out of his skin despite himself.

Joy Bodhisattva was a Grandmaster, so of course she picked up what Ye Qing had picked up herself. However, she remained firm and continued in a stone cold voice, “What sin did you commit, you ask? Do you really think I don’t know that you are the spy Xiong Kuohai had planted in my midst?”

“No! I am not a spy! I am not a spy! I am completely loyal to you, Bodhisattva! I would never dare to betray you!”

By now, Cai Le’s fear had grown to the point where it was almost tangible. She kept kowtowing to Joy Bodhisattva and begging for mercy, “Mercy, Bodhisattva! Mercy!”

Ye Qing did not know if Joy Bodhisattva was just scaring Cai Le to trigger the Burning Heart, or if the disciple really was a spy Xiong Kuohai had planted at her side. Regardless, her growing fear continued to fuel the anomalous energy inside her body and fueling its growth at a rapid pace. It wasn’t long before it flooded every inch of her body like a broken dam.

Cai Le herself was growing increasingly incoherent as time passed. Just a few breaths later, Cai Le abruptly looked up and fixed a glare at Joy Bodhisattva. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was contorted into a visage of hatred, violence, and madness.

“You wronged me! You’re accusing me of something I didn’t do! I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill you both!”

The next moment, Cai Le roared and pounced toward Joy Bodhisattva like an animal. In response, Joy Bodhisattva lowered her hand and unleashed her tremendous power, freezing Cai Le in place. Despite this, Cai Le continued to struggle with all her might with her teeth bared, and her face contorted like a ghoul from hell.

Joy Bodhisattva stepped forward and pressed a hand against her head. Then, she poured a rich amount of energy and spirit into her body and attempted to rip out the anomalous energy.

Just a few seconds later, Joy Bodhisattva furrowed her brows a little. She discovered that, despite her vast power, she was unable to uproot the anomalous energy at all. Scratch that, she couldn’t even manipulate it. And all this time, the anomalous energy continued to grow at an insane rate.

“Ahhh! Kill you! Must kill you!”

A couple more breaths passed, and Cai Le suddenly let out a mournful, angry roar. With a burst of abnormal strength, she actually broke out of Joy Bodhisattva’s shackles and swung her arms wildly in front of her. At the same time, wisps of dark flames began seeping out of her pores. Joy Bodhisattva’s face gradually darkened when she saw this.

It was at this moment Ye Qing appeared in front of Cai Le and pushed her down to the floor. While the woman was pinned, he produced a wine cup with a wisp of clear qi seeping out of it and held it in front of Cai Le’s nose. She inhaled.

Astoundingly, the redness in Cai Le’s eyes began receding at a visible rate after she inhaled the clear qi. Like a mouse who saw a cat, the anomalous energy swiftly hid itself inside Cai Le’s heart. The woman’s breathing was calming bit by bit as well.

“The Qi of Ultimate Purity?” Joy Bodhisattva asked while staring at the wine cup.

“Yeah.” Ye Qing explained, “I forgot to tell you this, but the Burning Heart is incurable and untreatable. The only way one could resist its influence and avoid its torment is to remain perfectly calm and desireless.”

“My Qi of Ultimate Purity can suppress it, but it only treats the symptoms and not the roots. Once its effects have passed, the Burning Heart may restart anew.”

“I see. The Burning Heart truly is something.”

Joy Bodhisattva narrowed her eyes a little. Even for someone like her, she could not help but feel a sliver of fear toward the Burning Heart.

“Ugh... What happened to me?” It was at this moment Cai Le regained her consciousness. Before she could say anything else, Joy Bodhisattva tapped a finger on her forehead and caused the light in her eyes to wink out like a candle. She abruptly collapsed on the ground and died just like that.

“Bodhisattva...”

Ye Qing frowned. He wasn’t sure why she did this.

“This secret cannot be known to anyone else but you and me, and you said it yourself that the Burning Heart is incurable, didn’t you? In that case, she no longer has any use for me,” Joy Bodhisattva replied indifferently. She had recollected herself during the short time she killed Cai Le.

Ye Qing did not say anything. Once again, he had forgotten that the so-called Bodhisattva before him was a true heretic of the Dark Ways. She might have a holy appearance, but she was really a tyrannical, ruthless ruler on the inside.

Joy Bodhisattva did not feel anything for her actions whatsoever. In her eyes, Cai Le was probably no more important than an ant. If she dies, she dies. There was no need to feel anything for the servant whatsoever!

Frowning, Joy Bodhisattva walked around her room twice before bowing to Ye Qing suddenly. “Thank you for telling me this, scion. If it wasn’t for you, both the Buddhist Hall of Joy and I would have met our demise. You have singlehandedly pulled us out of the abyss, and for that, I am deeply grateful.”

“You flatter me, Bodhisattva. It is simply the right thing to do.” Ye Qing hurriedly lifted his hands as if to stop her, but of course he didn’t touch her.

After Joy Bodhisattva had voiced her thanks, she said, “What do you think Xiong Kuohai is plotting by poisoning the Blissful Spring, scion?”

I’ve been waiting for you to ask this exact question! Ye Qing thought to himself but did not show it on his face. He pretended to mull over the question for a moment before answering, “I believe that Xiong Kuohai is planning to frame you. He is planning to use the jianghu warriors to kill you and destroy the Buddhist Hall of Joy.”

He proceeded to tell Joy Bodhisattva about his assumptions.

“Of course, these are just my assumptions. Do forgive me if they prove to be incorrect.”

“You are a wise man, scion. I find no fault in your assumption.” Joy Bodhisattva nodded. She was no longer looking at Ye Qing like a junior or a younger relative. Ye Qing could tell that she was, for the first time, speaking to him as if they were equals.

Joy Bodhisattva added, “That said, there is one thing I’d like to nitpick about.”

“Oh?” Ye Qing lifted an eyebrow. He was sure that his assumptions were near perfect. “Please enlighten me, Bodhisattva.”

Joy Bodhisattva answered, “You are right that Xiong Kuohai plans to destroy me and the Buddhist Hall of Joy using the butcher’s knife that is my guest. But that isn’t all he is plotting.”

“The guests participating in my Trueman’s feast are the butcher’s knife, but I am a butcher’s knife myself.”