Stranger Danger

Chapter 80: Oath of Burden

“Oath of Burden?” Faceless blanched a little when he heard this.

The Oathbearer was the name of an exceptionally powerful and rare Stranger with a tortoise-like body, but a head that was shaped like a dragon or a snake. It was also called the Oath Tortoise. It was as huge as a mountain and carried an innumerable amount of monuments on its back. Mild-mannered and adventurous, it loved nothing more than to explore the world and bearing witness to oaths.

The Oathbearer was a fair and impartial witness. Anyone who broke an oath they swore on its name would earn the Oathbearer’s wrath and have their soul ripped out of their body and chained to the monument they swore their oath to. They would be tortured by Heavenly Astral winds and suffer for eternity. This was why the monuments were known as the Monuments of Oath!

If Faceless signed a contract with Ye Qing with the Oathbearer as the witness, he would never be able to renege on his promise. He would actually have to serve Ye Qing for all of eternity. When he offered to sign a Heavenly Ghost Contract with Ye Qing just now, it was because he thought that the young man was too young and ignorant to know about it. If Ye Qing actually signed a Heavenly Ghost Contract with him, he could exploit the flaw in the contract and break free eventually. However, not only did Ye Qing prove him wrong, he even knew about the Oath of Burden.

“What’s wrong? Having second thoughts?” A wicked smile sprung onto Ye Qing’s face.

“Hehehe, of course not! Why would I have second thoughts when I couldn’t be happier with this arrangement?” Faceless said half-heartedly before hesitating. “However, the mantra to invoke the Oath of Burden is so ancient that even I know nothing about it. If you say a single word wrong, you might summon some other Stranger or unknown danger instead, so…”

So I would advise you against this course of action!

“That’s for me to worry about, not you. You only need to tell me if you’re willing to sign an Oath of Burden with me or not. Yes or no?” Ye Qing pressed unhurriedly.

“But of course!” Faceless declared with a beaming smile. It was as if he truly wanted to bind himself to eternal servitude.

“Good!” Ye Qing nodded and produced the Incense of Fortune from his Nature’s Shell once more. First, he ignited the incense stick and planted it on the floor. After two solemn bows, he lifted his head and pressed one hand to his chest and another against his back. Then, he stood up tall and took a step forward in a surprisingly elegant and dignified fashion.

The strange ritual was an ancient ritual called the Gentleman’s Etiquette. It was the first step to invoke the Oathbearer.

Once done, Ye Qing raised his head slightly and chanted, “Heed my call, the void sky above and the dark earth below! I am Ye Qing. In the name of the undying oath, I summon the Oathbearer, Spirit of the Void Sky and Witness of Oaths, to witness my oath!”

His voice was heavy, slow and solemn, and his intonations sounded like it came from a far gone era. Invisible ripples actually started appearing out of nowhere as if his utterance somehow resonated with the world itself.

Shock flitted across Faceless’ features when Ye Qing actually succeeded. He actually knows the mantra to summon the Oathbearer? How is this possible?

The next moment, both Ye Qing and Faceless suddenly felt incredibly light as if they had been freed from their physical bodies. In fact, they were. Their minds shot right through the nine heavens before they finally arrived and saw the biggest tortoise they had ever seen in their life.

Starlights orbited around the giant tortoise’s body, and astral wind blew across its back from time to time. Its humongous back was jam-packed with countless tall, ancient, and weathered monuments inscribed with various oaths. They were obviously the legendary Monuments of Oath.

Besides that, Ye Qing noticed that some monuments had souls bound to their bodies. They were all screaming and wailing in the endless astral wind. They must be the damned souls who broke their oaths and were doomed to be cut by the astral wind for eternity.

“This… is the Oathbearer?!” Faceless thought as he perceived the power rolling off the giant tortoise and trembled from the bottom of his heart. He didn’t even have the courage to raise his head and look at his fellow Stranger.

“I don’t know, but most likely!” Ye Qing responded. The young man also felt a little intimidated—who wouldn’t after witnessing such a grand sight?—but he was able to maintain his composure far better than Faceless thanks to the “Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method”.

“Hail, oathmakers. Why have you summoned me?” It was at this moment a grand voice entered their ears. Both men blinked, and an old man wearing a clean robe and carrying a walking staff suddenly appeared in front of them. His smile was kind, and his demeanor was friendly. However, his eyes swirled like there was an entire universe behind them. They could see a vast, empty space, orbiting suns and moons, dying galaxies and more.

“Well met, Oathbearer, Spirit of the Void Sky and Witness of Oaths!”

Ye Qing did not allow himself to be distracted by the magnificent sight happening within the old man’s eyes, however. He did not doubt that the old man was an avatar or manifestation of the Oathbearer, and to treat him with anything less but the utmost respect was pure folly. “The two of us would like to sign a master-servant contract, and we would dare to ask you to act as our witness!”

“At your service!” the Oathbearer replied with a kind smile.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” Ye Qing shot a glance at Faceless. The Stranger had been trying to minimize his presence in hopes that Ye Qing would somehow miss him to no avail.

“R-Right!” Faceless replied despondently. Short of committing suicide, the only thing he could do was to swear the oath, so he did. “In the name of the Oathbearer, I, Faceless, swear that I will serve Ye Qing as his eternal servant. His wish is my command, his word is my law, and my life belongs to him and him alone. Should I ever waver in my loyalty, may my mind cease to exist from this world!”

Ye Qing did not rush to accept Faceless’ oath. After mulling over his words carefully and finding no loopholes, he raised his head and swore solemnly, “In the name of the Oathbearer, Ye Qing, solemnly accept Faceless’ oath of servitude!”

“And so it shall be!” the Oathbearer declared with a smile and raised his hand a little. Ye Qing and Faceless immediately heard an indescribable sound that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. Then, their oaths manifested into reality in the form of an ancient yet profound language before landing on a monument. And just like that, it was done.

As soon as the oath was complete, Ye Qing suddenly felt an indescribable, invisible connection to Faceless. If he wanted to, he could literally kill the Stranger with a single thought. Faceless felt the same thing as well, except that he was the one who might perish at any moment.

This was what a master-servant contract was. In this contract, the master bore no limitations or consequences whatsoever, but the servant must obey his master absolutely. Not only that, his death would not impact Ye Qing whatsoever, but Ye Qing’s death would result in his death as well. From now on, he could only serve Ye Qing like a dog and obey his every whim. He would also protect him with all his power because his life literally depended on it.

This is going to suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck, thought a certain unfortunate Stranger.

“Thank you for your help, the Oathbearer!” Ye Qing smiled and saluted the old man respectfully after the oath was complete.

“Haha, don’t mention it. It is my honor to be able to help you!” the Oathbearer responded while swinging his arm a little. The monument floating in the air immediately flew toward the giant tortoise’s back and landed in the middle of the forest of monuments.

“Most people know me as the Oathbearer, but you may call me Fu Tian [1], young one. If you need my services in the future, simply say my name, and I will respond.”

“Thank you, the Oathbearer!” Ye Qing exclaimed in astonishment. He was surprised that the Oathbearer would share his true name with him.

“If there is nothing else, then allow me to send you back to your bodies. Please, have a nice day!”

When Fu Tian waved his hand, Ye Qing found himself falling through the sky at an unimaginable speed. When his mind returned to his body, and he opened his eyes in a hurry, he discovered that he was back at the house again. Beside him, Faceless had jolted “awake” as well. It was almost like they had never left in the first place.

The first thing Ye Qing did after returning to the earth—literally—was to extinguish the Incense of Fortune. During the short span they were gone, the poor thing had burned down to just the length of a thumb. He reckoned that it was only good for one more use, and perhaps not even that.

After Ye Qing had put away the Incense of Fortune, Faceless suddenly interrupted him with a surprising question, “Master, are… are you really human?” He turned around and saw the Stranger staring at him with a most thoughtful expression.

“Duh? If I’m not human, then who is?” Ye Qing looked confused. “What’s troubling you?”

Faceless answered obediently, “From what I heard, most people who signed an Oath of Burden with the Oathbearer had never seen his true body, much less his avatar. The only thing they saw was the blank monument where their oaths would be inscribed.”

“But the Oathbearer didn’t just manifest his avatar to meet you, he even told you his true name. The Oathbearers are an ancient, honorable race who respects ancient customs above all else, and they never divulge their true name to anyone except those whom they acknowledge. Don’t you find it strange that the Oathbearer is so courteous with you?”

“Not at all! I’m a good man, and a good man is popular no matter where he goes!” Ye Qing replied cheekily.

Faceless immediately gave him a thumbs-up and echoed in agreement, “You’re right! It’s why people say that one good turn deserves another. Once again, you’ve hit the nail on the head, master!”

Of course Faceless knew that he was lying through his teeth, but he wasn’t stupid enough to press him about it. From the moment he signed a master-servant contract with Ye Qing, he was no longer Faceless, the Stranger. He was simply Faceless, Ye Qing’s eternally loyal servant, and thanks to his myriad experiences, he knew exactly what a servant should think, say and do.

“I still have a couple of things I need to settle, so head to Endless Horizons and wait for my return!” Ye Qing ordered and stepped out of the house. The moonlight shining down from the dark yet clear sky felt incredibly soothing.

“As you command, master!” Faceless answered with a deep bow.

Ye Qing was about to take his leave when he suddenly added, “By the way, don’t call me master from now on. Young master is fine. Also, change your face to someone your companions have never seen. You don’t want your companions to see you walking into my bookstore, do you? And no, you’re not allowed to take a woman’s appearance!”

“You truly are a gentleman, young master!” Faceless joked while making a face that caused goosebumps to creep all over Ye Qing’s skin once more. Then, the Stranger turned into an old man in his fifties and saluted him again. “See you in a moment, young master!”

“Mm!” Ye Qing responded, but his body grew increasingly transparent over time. As it turned out, he had long since vanished into the night.

Faceless waited respectfully until Ye Qing’s afterimage was completely gone. Only then did he disappear into the night as well.

It didn’t take long for Ye Qing to return to Longevity Alley. He wasn’t worried that Faceless would try something while he was gone because they had signed a master-servant contract. He could literally kill the Stranger with a thought if he wanted, and for better or worse, Faceless wasn’t the type to die for a cause!

“Wa… Warrior Ye. How did it go?” Hu Nu walked up to Ye Qing as soon as he saw him. Yun Yan had awoken as well, though she still looked a little pale and unhealthy.

“It’s dead!” Ye Qing gave him a nod before inspecting Yun Yan’s condition. “Are you okay, Miss Yun?”

The young woman slowly saluted him. “I’m fine. Thanks for your concern, warrior. By the way, that Stranger looks like a mythical Soul Eater, and its abilities are strange to put it mildly. Did you really kill it?”

“Your knowledge is most impressive, Miss Yun. You are correct. That Stranger is a Soul Eater!” Ye Qing said smilingly.

A bit of admiration trickled into Yun Yan’s eyes. “That may be true, but I am nothing compared to you. To think you’re strong enough to kill a Soul Eater! Most impressive, warrior!”

“I was just lucky!” Ye Qing replied humbly. “Anyway, now that the Stranger is gone, you should head home and get yourself treated as soon as possible.”

“Thank you for your understanding, warrior,” Yun Yan smiled politely but asked another question, “Warrior, you are incredibly strong and skilled considering your age. I am certain that you have a bright future ahead of you. If you don’t mind, would you like to join the Pacification Bureau and help us eliminate Strangers and protect the people?”

Ye Qing was honestly surprised by the offer. As the only department in Chu that was responsible for both the security of the people and the elimination of Strangers, the Pacification Bureau answered to the emperor and the emperor only. This was to prevent petty politics from diminishing their effectiveness and efficiency. To this end, they were even granted the right to kill first and ask questions later, so one might say that they were the most eminent and powerful department in the realm!

Countless people fought to enter the Pacification Bureau for fame and fortune, but of course its selection process was extremely stringent. For starters, the candidate’s background must be perfectly clean. Second, they must possess outstanding talent. But the way Yun Yan put it, he could probably skip this selection process and join the Pacification Bureau immediately if he so wished!

Seeing that Ye Qing was silent, Yun Yan continued, “Considering your talent and your achievement tonight, I promise that you will be granted the rank of Lieutenant at the very least.”

“Lieutenant?” Ye Qing raised his eyebrows. He did not think that Yun Yan would make such a generous offer.

The Pacification Bureau was split into five ranks in total. From top to bottom, they were the Chief of Bureau, Peacemaker, Lieutenant, Guardian, and Sentinel. Chief of Bureau should be self-evident. Peacemaker was the rank for people bearing titles such as Windcatcher, Investigator, Patrolman and so on. Since Chu Nianjiu was a Windcatcher, this meant that he was a Peacemaker-rank official of the Pacification Bureau.

On a related note, just because two people shared the same title did not mean that their status was the same. For example, Chu Nianjiu was a Windcatcher of Luo Shui; an entire commandery. It should be obvious that a Windcatcher of Luo Shui was far more illustrious than, say, a Windcatcher of Anyang.

Although Lieutenant was technically the middle rank between the five ranks, it counted as the upper echelon of the Pacification Bureau. For someone like Ye Qing, it was absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Ye Qing couldn’t deny that the offer was a tempting one, but in the end he shook his head and said, “Thank you very much for the most generous offer, but I’m just a young, inexperienced man who still has a long, long way to go before he can assume a post, much less one as important as Lieutenant. Also, the reason I visited Anyang is purely to explore the world and broaden my horizons. I may leave at any moment, which is why I have no choice but to let you down.”

He carried too many secrets that must not be exposed already. It would be folly to be involved with the Pacification Bureau directly.

“That is a terrible shame!” Yun Yan sighed in disappointment but quickly schooled her comely features into a soft, gentle smile. “Although it is a terrible shame I will not be able to work with you, it is still my honor to make your acquaintance today, warrior!”

“And I you, Miss Yun!” Ye Qing replied smilingly, “By the way, you need not address me as ‘warrior’ or ‘Mister Ye’. I am not that vain, and both appellations feel incredibly distant. Just address me by my name or my moniker, Joyless!”

“Okay. Since I’m a few years older than you, I shall call you Joyless.” Yun Yan turned a little red but said, “In that case, I want you to stop addressing as Miss Yun as well. Just call me big sis.”

“B-Big sis?” This is only our second meeting, and she wants me to call her big sis already? This relationship is moving a little too fast, isn’t it?

Ye Qing rubbed his nose and coughed. “Big… Big… Sister Yun! How does Sister Yun sound?”

In the end, his face-fu [2]wasn’t up to snuff, and he just could not bring himself to use such an embarrassing appellation no matter what, so he offered a compromise.

“Okay!” Yun Yan agreed easily.