Stranger Danger

Chapter 95: Another Day, Another Killing

“One, two, three… ten. I got ten silver dragon-serpent runes and fifteen gray dragon-serpent runes from this battle!”

At Endless Horizons, Ye Qing was sitting on his bed and counting the dragon-serpent runes on the Annon Sutra like a dragon counting his hoard. He was red-faced with excitement and delight at the end of it.

“But why do I have ten silver dragon-serpent runes?” Ye Qing tilted his head in confusion. It wasn’t because he had gotten less silver runes than expected, but more. He had killed five Malice-class Strangers last night, and they were Grandpa Tree, Granny Mud, the Servant of Fear, Dark Eye and Rotten Crown. That should net him five silver dragon-serpent runes give or take. All the Red-class and Mundane-class Strangers he killed last night probably added up to one silver dragon-serpent rune as well. But where did the extra four come from?

“Could it be…?” A possibility entered his mind. What if the Nether Lord’s avatar counted as his kill as well? Although he hadn’t killed the avatar with his own two hands, he was indirectly the cause of his death. Perhaps that was why the Annon Sutra had given him a consolation prize of four silver dragon-serpent runes.

Marvelous!

“Hahaha, haha, ahahahaha! This excursion has been well worth the reward!” Ye Qing said while laughing himself silly. He could not remember the last time he was this wealthy. With ten silver dragon-serpent runes in stock, he would not have to worry about running out of cultivation resources for a very long time to come. It was worth the risk he had taken.

Ye Qing’s deranged laughter would continue a while longer before he finally snapped out of it and threw him into cultivation. Currently, he was a late-stage Vessel Augmentor who had augmented all twelve Standard Meridians, eight Extraordinary Meridians, and three hundred and sixty points of his body. However, he hadn’t reached the absolute limits of the Vessel Augmentation stage just yet. He still needed to fill his meridians and points to the brim with true qi and ensure that it would form a self-sustaining cycle before he truly mastered the Vessel Augmentation stage.

The “Blood Shadow Divine Art” stated, “The meridians are the passage in which the qi travels, and the points are the vaults in which they are stored. Only by filling the points with true qi could they come alive and form a tiny world in one’s body.”

Augmenting one’s meridians and points were like digging holes on the ground so they could be transformed into ponds. One could not have a pond without a hole, but if the hole wasn’t filled with water then it still wouldn’t be a pond. It would be like having an irrigation system without the water to nurture the fields.

This was why it was critical for the points to be filled with true qi. Only then could true qi cycle along the meridians from point to point and form a self-sustaining system in one’s body.

Earlier, Ye Qing had fully augmented his blood vessels but did not have the time to fill them with true qi. That was why he wasn’t really a late-stage Vessel Augmentor even though he met the requirements to become one. Now that the crisis was behind him, it was time to pop a silver rune or two, fill up those “ponds”, and create this tiny world in his body!

Although the county wasn’t completely rid of Strangers yet, it was only a matter of time before the stragglers were hunted down, and even if they weren’t, they did not have the strength to change anything. As for the aftermath, there were people far more qualified than him to handle it. Hence, there was no better time to cultivate than now. In fact, one of the main reasons he went through the trouble of uncovering the conspiracy and coming up with the plan to end it all was to grow stronger. And he would keep growing stronger until one day, there was nothing left in this world who could threaten his life!

……

“Are you sure the traitor is hiding in Anyang, Xiao Yang?”

In the middle of nowhere, a white deer as white as snow was galloping across a mountain while carrying a house on its back. The house was beautifully decorated, and there was a jade table at the center of the house.

The table was covered in delicious food and wine, but it was perfectly stable even though the white deer was galloping like the wind across mountains, rivers, uneven ground, winding paths and more. Not even a drop of wine had spilled from the ornate container that was holding it.

Two men were sitting across from each other at the table. The man to the left wore a black attire and looked to be in his thirties. He had red hair, a large forehead, and a strange, bony protrusion between his eyebrows. At first glance, he looked like an amiable person with little regard for trivialities. In reality, his bearing was that of an arrogant predator that looked down on all others like they were ants.

The man to the right wore a white attire and looked to be twenty-five or twenty-six years old at most. He had a handsome face, messy hair that gave him the appearance of someone who had just gotten out of bed, and a wide open collar. He was also leaning lazily against a wall and slowly swirling a cup of wine. Women would probably swoon over him if they could see him like this.

“I’m talking to you, Xiao Yang,” said the man in black after taking a sip of wine.

The man in white drank from his cup before curling his lips into a wicked, reckless smile. “Don’t you trust in my abilities, senior brother?”

“According to my investigation, Wu Chun had escaped to Anyang after stealing that item. He then started over as someone called Zheng Feng. Not only did he manage to step back into the light with his new identity, he actually flourished and founded a massive clan for himself!”

“Wu Chun, Wu Chun [1]. His name is stupid, but he isn’t stupid at all. It takes a good head and a seriously huge pair of balls to put oneself in public after what he did, and to do it right under our nose? Shit! I would almost admire him if he hadn’t stolen from us!”

“Speaking of which, those idiots from the Dark Sun Hall seriously need to go some day. They brag day in and day out about how well-informed they are, but they couldn’t locate Wu Chun even though he was right under their nose, winking at them and spitting in their faces for years. Heck, a blind man could’ve felt the spit on his face, but them? It’s like they’re dead to the world!”

“If you ask me, someone should dig out their eyeballs and feed it to the dogs. They’re not using their eyes anyway, so why have them taking up space on their faces?”

“Hmph!” The man in black—Qing Kui was his name—hmphed in disgruntlement.

“Ohh, I totally forgot that you’re from the Dark Sun Hall. Sorry, sorry!” Xiao Yang apologized with not a shred of sorry on his face whatsoever. “I’m really thankful that those idiots are such a bunch of fuck-ups though, seriously. This opportunity wouldn’t have fallen into our laps if not for them!”

A vein bulged on Qing Kui’s forehead as he glared daggers at Xiao Yang. “Watch your mouth, Xiao Yang. I wouldn’t mind teaching you a lesson in etiquette if that is your wish!”

Xiao Yang cared naught for his threat, however. He took another sip of wine and replied in an uncaring tone, “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m born this way, and I’m quite happy with the way I am. If you have time to teach me a lesson, why don’t you enlighten me on what you’re going to do when we meet Wu Chun?”

“What am I going to do?” Qing Kui let out a disdainful snort. “That traitor was just an early-stage Vessel Augmentor when he ran away. Considering how mediocre his talent is, I’ll be shocked if he manages to get any higher than the late-stage of the Vessel Augmentation stage. In short, I’m just going to kick his door down!”

“Haha, you’re a wise man, senior brother. According to my investigation, Wu Chun is indeed just a late-stage Vessel Augmentor,” Xiao Yang said in a lazy voice. “That said, he might have something up his sleeve that isn’t stated in the records, so it’s best if we proceed with caution.”

Qing Kui sneered. “So what if he does have something up his sleeve? It won’t change the fact that I’m going to crush him like an ant!”

Xiao Yang shrugged. “Whatever you say, senior brother!”

Qing Kui abruptly grabbed the wine jar on the table and gulped down a few mouthfuls of wine as if to quell his impatience. “How much longer until we reach Anyang?”

“Soon!” Xiao Yang took a moment to calculate the time before adding, “We should be there by tomorrow night at the latest!”

“Haha! Now that's what I call music to my ears!”

……

At the entrance to the Zheng residence, Qing Kui stared at the abandoned, dilapidated and overgrown mansion in front of him with his mouth agape. “Xiao Yang, are you sure that this is where the traitor is hiding?”

Xiao Yang blinked. “It should be. Look at the signboard. It says ‘Zheng Residence’, doesn’t it?”

“What the hell happened to the Zheng Clan then? And where did Wu Chun run off too?” Qing Kui complained when a possibility suddenly entered his mind. “That traitor couldn’t have noticed something and escaped, could he?”

Xiao Yang rubbed his nose. “I highly doubt it. Give me a moment to ask around.”

Xiao Yang searched around for a bit before calling out to a young woman. He managed to make her laugh in just a few short sentences, and coupled with the fact that he was a handsome man in the first place, he was able to find out the answer very quickly.

“So? Did you find out anything useful?” Qing Kui asked after Xiao Yang had returned to his side.

“But of course! Who do you think I am?” Xiao Yang declared proudly before explaining, “The girl told me that Zheng Feng, or rather, Wu Chun was killed some days ago. The reason is unclear, but the most popular theory is that he offended someone he shouldn’t have. Without Wu Chun to keep things together, the Zheng Clan naturally fell apart and turned into this.”

“Are you kidding me? He was killed right before we were about to find him? This can’t be a coincidence!” Qing Kui frowned. “Does the girl know who’s the one who killed him?”

Xiao Yang shook his head this time. “She’s just a common folk. I wouldn’t trust her answer even if she does know who did it.”

Qing Kui slapped his hand on a stone lion in front of the Zheng residence so hard that web-like cracks appeared on his surface. “If Wu Chun is dead, then the item must have fallen into the murderer’s hands. If we can’t locate the murderer, then this trip would be a complete waste of time and energy. God dammit!”

Xiao Yang didn’t panic, however. He said in a confident tone, “Calm down, senior brother. I have a plan?”

“What plan?” Qing Kui looked at him immediately.

Xiao Yang smiled. “Did you forget that I’m also a Patrolman of the Pacification Bureau of Luo Shui? I have the right to supervise and inspect all matters relating to the Pacification Bureau under the jurisdiction of Luoshui. Zheng Feng’s death might be a mystery to most people, but the Pacification Bureau must have looked into this matter. I can simply check the files and find our next lead!”

“That’s a great idea!” Qing Kui clapped his hands in excitement. “Let’s get right into it then!”

But Xiao Yang said lazily, “What’s the rush? We’ve been on the road for days, and my bones are stiff from all the sitting and nothing we’ve done. I heard that ‘Red Sleeved Beauty’ is a great place to catch a drink, indulge in beautiful bamboo flute music, and relax one’s weary bones. Why don’t we relax for the day and resume our mission tomorrow?”

“Relax one’s weary bones, my ass! I’d bet a silver that the first thing you do after entering the place is to work your bones over some woman!” Qing Kui sneered in disdain. “When our mission is complete, you may indulge yourself in your vices as much as you want! Now let’s go!”

“Sigh. You’re truly a stiff man, senior brother!”

Xiao Yang shook his head in disappointment, but he obeyed Qing Kui’s order and made a beeline for the Pacification Bureau headquarters. After they had arrived at their destination, Xiao Yang said, “Senior brother, you’re not a member of the Pacification Bureau, so it’s best if you wait here for me!”

Qing Kui frowned, but he understood that his presence would only complicate things unnecessarily. So, he swallowed his displeasure and said, “Be quick.”

“Sure!” Xiao Yang replied smilingly before sauntering into the headquarters.

Qing Kui thought that Xiao Yang would actually be quick, but before he knew it, seven hours came and went in the blink of an eye. It wasn’t until the restaurants on the streets were in the middle of closing that Xiao Yang finally appeared once more. Not only was the bastard chit-chatting with a couple of acquaintances, it was clear from his occasional burps and alcohol stink that he had enjoyed a wonderful dinner!

Qing Kui’s voice was filled with barbs when Xiao Yang finally bade his company goodbye and went to his side. “Hmph! You sure know how to take it easy, junior brother. Not only did you take seven hours to look into one simple matter, you even had dinner before you deigned to meet me!”

He would’ve throttled the guy already if they weren’t on a mission. What kind of person leaves their colleague out in the cold for seven hours without so much a peep? As if that wasn’t bad enough, he had the gall to eat dinner while he was starving in the cold!

Xiao Yang clasped his hands together and apologized in a hurry, “Sorry—burp!—sorry! It’s honestly out of my control though. I’m an important man, and it’s inevitable that someone would try to curry favor with me. I’ve never been good at turning down invitations, and before I knew it, it was already late at night.”

“Also, asking for permission to look into a file and checking said file takes longer than you think. Surely you can find it in yourself to forgive me? Burp!”

One of the unfortunate things about being a warrior was that you could smell exactly what the other party ate. Qing Kui scrunched up his nose at the smell of leek and egg and decided to cut to the chase before Xiao Yang could go off on another tangent, “Cut the bullcrap and tell me what you found already.”

Xiao Yang nodded. “Kay. By the way, you wouldn’t believe what happened yesterday. Last night, Ling Jianqiu and Yan Yufei lured over ten thousand Strangers into the county and killed them all with an ambush. There were a good number of Malice-class Strangers in the mix, and the Nether Lord’s avatar showed up near the end as well! Crazy, right? Had we arrived a day sooner, we might’ve been able to join in on the excitement!”

“The Nether Lord’s avatar?” Qing Kui’s impatience morphed into a hint of shock. “How is this county still standing then? You’re not bullshitting me again, are you?”

Xiao Yang shook his head. “Not this time, senior brother! It’s one hundred percent real! From what I heard, a young man managed to locate the place where the summoning ritual was taking place and disrupt it. That was why they were able to kill the Nether Lord’s avatar. If I remember correctly, the young man is called Ye Qing. It turns out that there’s some truth to the old saying, ‘boys make heroes’ after all!”

“I see!” Qing Kui exclaimed in realization before turning disdainful. “I was wondering how for a bunch of trash who aren’t even in the Astral Refinement stage yet managed to defeat the avatar of the Nether Lord. Turns out they’re just lucky!”

Xiao Yang chuckled. “Luck is a component of power, no?”

Qing Kui did not deny this because it was true. Then, he realized that Xiao Yang had gone off on a tangent again and got angry. “Can you stop trying to change the subject? Did you find out who killed Wu Chun?”

Xiao Yang answered in a leisurely tone, “Yep. They’re the gang boss of the Iron Shirt Gang! They’re extremely mysterious though. Not even the Pacification Bureau knows who they are!”

“The Iron Shirt what?” Qing Kui frowned.

“It’s a small gang in Anyang. The former boss was an old guy named Yan Tieyi, but he was taken out by the current boss. Then, the same person tricked Wu Chun into the Iron Shirt Gang’s headquarters using their friend—apparently Wu Chun and Yan Tieyi were fast friends—and ambushed him. In short, this gang boss is the one we’re looking for.”

Qing Kui said impatiently, “Why are you telling me all this useless information? All I needed to hear was ‘the killer is the Iron Shirt Gang’s boss’! Anyway, I’m heading over to annihilate them now! Unless this boss is a total coward, there’s no way they wouldn’t give us what we want!”

“Calm down, senior brother!” Xiao Yang hurriedly grabbed Qing Kui before he could walk away. “The Iron Shirt Gang was a major help in the massive ambush last night. You may offend Ling Jianqiu and Yan Yufei if you destroy them!”

“So what? We’ll just remove them if they dare to stand in our way!” Qing Kui snorted in disdain.

“Killing them is easy, but behind them stands the Pacification Bureau and Chu! Are you seriously going to risk Chu’s wrath just because you want to finish this mission faster?”

Qing Kui grumbled with displeasure. “What the fuck should we do then?”

A wicked smile crossed Xiao Yang’s face. “It’s simple. Tonight, we’ll infiltrate the Iron Shirt Gang and find that gang boss. Then, we’ll convince them to surrender the item!”

“Are you fucking serious? That’s exactly the same as my idea!”

“Not even remotely. You were planning to wipe out the whole gang, and I just want to have a good chat with the guy! Or girl!”

Qing Kui laughed scornfully. “Good chat my ass! Don’t tell me you’re going to let the gang boss live if they do hand over the item! You’re acting like a prostitute who pretends she isn’t a slut!”

“Seriously, what happened in your life that you think that killing one person is the same as wiping out a whole gang?” Xiao Yang threw his hands up and happened to notice that the moon was high. “Oh good, it’s midnight already. I know you’re dying to bloody your hands, so let’s go, senior brother. Another day, another killing!”

1. Chun can mean “stupid”. 👈