Stranger Danger

Chapter 578: Skin Painting Gentleman, Tiger Sovereign, Limp Celestial

The peach blossom trees planted by the Peach Blossom Celestials fill the world with hope.”

“That is what they said, but—cough! Cough!—what the hell is this? How did every peach blossom in Peach Blossom Mountain wither in a single night?!”

At the foot of Peach Blossom Mountain, a handsome young man dressed in white was staring at the withered peach blossom flowers with a disappointed look on his face.

It looked like he had a frail body because his face was so white it resembled chalk, and he was sitting inside a soft litter. He was also covering his mouth with a silk handkerchief and coughing lightly into it. Surrounding the litter were four exceedingly beautiful female attendants.

“It sounds like you’re coughing your lungs out, Skin Painting Gentleman. Rather than weeping over the course of nature, shouldn’t you focus on surviving this winter first?”

As soon as he finished, a silhouette descended from the sky and hit the ground so hard that a giant footprint was left on the ground.

It was an old man with disheveled white hair. He probably had a lame right foot since he was using a walking stick and keeping his right foot suspended in the air.

“Cough! Cough!... Unlike you, old man, I’m still very young. I may die sooner than expected, but there is no way you’re going to outlive me.” Skin Painting Gentleman coughed again before continuing, “Speaking of which, what are you doing here when you can be resting in your home? I can tell that your right leg would have really appreciated the rest.”

Before Limp Celestial could respond, a tiger’s roar resounded throughout the forest. Then, a massive, ferocious-looking tiger rode the wind and snow and galloped straight toward the duo.

The roar had begun from far, far away, but by the time it faded into nothing, the tiger was less than five meters away from the duo. Another loud roar later, it transformed into a huge man wearing a tiger’s skin.

The man was tall, big, and muscular. Thin yellow hair covered his arms, legs and face like that of a tiger’s fur. The hair on his forehead was white, however. It was also shaped like a 王 symbol, meaning “King”[1].

“You guys are early today, sick boy, lame geezer!” the brawny man teased Skin Painting Gentleman and Limp Celestial while cracking his neck.

“You’re quite early yourself!” Skin Painting Gentleman chuckled.

“Well, he does have four legs. Of course he’s going to be faster than us,” Limp Celestial said sarcastically.

“Hehe! Say whatever you want, but I’d rather have four legs than just one like you.” Tiger Sovereign looked Limp Celestial up and down a couple of times before frowning. “I don’t want to say this, old man, but you look like you have one foot in the grave. Considering that you only have one foot, that’s pretty bad, eh? You sure you want to risk slipping on your foot and burying yourself in a snowy ravine?”

“And you, sick boy. It’s pretty cold right now, and you’re weaker than even a woman. Are you sure you won’t die of coughing before we even make it to our destination?”

“No need to worry about me, Tiger Sovereign.” Skin Painting Gentleman replied smilingly. “Smart people naturally have a weak body. I’ve gotten used to it.”

Tiger Sovereign did not miss the subtle jab at his intelligence and harrumphed. “Bullshit! You’re weak because you’ve committed too many sins! Your negative karma is catching up to you!”

Suddenly, a strange shockwave rippled out from the peak of Blissful Mountain. Then, the image of a black lotus appeared in the sky.

The black lotus was massive and semi-transparent. Three of its petals were swaying lightly and giving off layers upon layers of magnificent, phantasmal light.

“It’s here!”

The trio immediately dropped their banter and stared at the black lotus intently.

“Did anyone of you figure out anything?” Tiger Sovereign asked while wearing a severe expression on his face. They were about nine kilometers away from the black lotus, and still the image of the black lotus managed to terrify him in an inexplicable way.

But at the same time, the black lotus represented an opportunity. The opportunity of a lifetime.

“Not at all. But it can’t be normal.” Skin Painting Gentleman replied with an evil smile on his face.

“It has to be some sort of natural treasure,” Limp Celestial declared. “It’s mine. The two of you better not try to take it from me.”

“What did I say earlier, limp geezer? Just pass onto the afterlife and leave this natural treasure to us youngsters already!” Tiger Sovereign scoffed.

“Those who are virtuous will be rewarded by the heavens,” Skin Painting Gentleman said indifferently.

Limp Celestial hmphed. “I won’t bear any responsibility for what comes next!”

“Bring it on! Like we’re afraid of you!” Tiger Sovereign scoffed harder.

It was at this moment the image of the black lotus slowly disappeared. At the same time, black clouds rolled in from every direction and hovered above the peak of Peach Blossom Mountain. They looked heavy and suffocating enough to crush the entire mountain into bits.

“So? Do we enter the mountain now, or...?” Skin Painting Gentleman asked.

“We’re already here. Of course we’re going in. You’re not scared, are you?” Tiger Sovereign taunted.

Skin Painting Gentleman responded seriously, “I never said that, but I do believe that some caution is warranted. Remember that a lot of people had entered the mountain ahead of us, but not a single one managed to make it out.”

The reason the trio had come here was for the mysterious treasure that had suddenly appeared at Peach Blossom Mountain about five to six days ago. Peach Blossom Mountain was a famous mountain in Bei You because it was warm as spring and filled with blooming peach blossoms no matter the season. Such was its fragrance that one could smell even from five kilometers away. That was why it was named Peach Blossom Mountain.

Despite its beauty, few people dared to set foot in Peach Blossom Mountain. It was because every single peach blossom in Peach Blossom Mountain was a type of Hatred-class Stranger called the Human-faced Peach Blossom[2]. They earned their name because their flowers were shaped like a human’s face, and their fragrance contained an exotic poison that could bewitch the mind.

If a weak-willed person caught a whiff of its scent, they would fall into a semi-conscious state and be drawn into the forest of Human-faced Peach Blossom. They would be devoured and turned into fertilizer.

This was why not a single human soul resided within five kilometers of Peach Blossom Mountain despite its supernatural beauty. Depending on how you looked at it, you might even call it a wasteland, just one that was created from peach blossoms.

About five to six days ago, something happened to Peach Blossom Mountain. First, the weather had suddenly taken a drastic turn for the worse, and black clouds loomed over the mountain like the grim reaper himself. Then, its eternal peach blossoms had, for whatever reason, withered in a single night. A few days later, the image of a black lotus began appearing on the peak of Peach Blossom Mountain and triggering all sorts of unusual phenomena.

A lot of people believed that a natural treasure or something incredible had appeared on Peach Blossom Mountain. Even more jianghu warriors wanted to claim it for themselves. That was why dozens of people had already succumbed to the temptation and ventured into Peach Blossom Mountain in search of fame and fortune.

Not a single person came back out, however. No one even knew if they were alive or dead. It was unusual to put it mildly.

Tiger Sovereign waved off his concerns, however. “Heh! Are you seriously putting us on the same pedestal as those small fries? If not, then what on earth are you worried about?”

To be fair, he was right. All three of them were famous warriors not just in Bei You, but also the entire Northern Xinjiang. Sure, it was a reputation of the worst kind, but hey, it was still reputation, right?

The Skin Painting Gentleman was a middle-stage Spirit Master who cultivated a martial art called the “Art of Skin Painting”, and it was one hundred percent a demonic art. In essence, it was a martial art that stripped its victims of their skin and transformed them into puppets.

Take the Skin Painting Gentleman speaking to them for example. He looked real, but it was entirely possible that he was just one of the Spirit Master’s puppets. No one except Skin Painting Gentleman himself knew where his true body was, and that advantage alone made him a most dangerous opponent.

The Limp Celestial was a late-stage Spirit Master and a former member of the Cripple Sect. The Cripple Sect only accepted cripples into their midst, which was why all Cripple Sect disciples were cripples.

For example, Limp Celestial was born with a limp right leg. After he joined the Cripple Sect, he was taught the Cripple’s Leg, which allowed him to transform his biggest weakness into his greatest strength. Today, his right leg was impervious to most weapons and capable of exerting an unbelievable amount of strength. Over time, he came to be known as the Limp Celestial.

Tiger Sovereign was a middle-stage Spirit Master. Born with the blood of the Phenomenon-class Stranger, the Hanging White-fronted Tiger and raised to adulthood by an actual tiger, his main cultivation art was called the “Tiger King Art”. Vicious and brutal, it gave him unparalleled strength and a fondness for raw meat. Human flesh especially.

Tiger Sovereign spent most of his time living in Tiger King Mountain and protecting the surrounding villages from bandits and Strangers. But in exchange, the villages must give him a boy and a girl every year to satisfy his hunger.

As someone who had lived on a mountain for most of his life, Tiger Sovereign didn’t think much of Peach Blossom Mountain at all.

1. I would’ve just translated it as King, but I don’t think anyone thinks that someone with the actual word “King” on their forehead looks cool. A symbol though, now that’s different. ☜

2. Not to be confused with the Human-faced Peach Blossom Ghost, but most likely related in some ways. ☜