Stranger Danger

Chapter 125: The End - Or Is It?

Boom!

Hu Nu’s cultivation level didn’t change after he awakened his Stranger blood, but his aura and the power he displayed were almost on par with a Vessel Augmentor.

The only true Vessel Augmentors in the Pacification Bureau were Ling Jianqiu and Zhao Yunlong.

“How dare you!” Zhao Yunlong roared in anger and tossed a red cape straight at Hu Nu. It threatened to envelop him whole like a red cloud. At the same time, Zhao Yunlong rose from his chair and flew over to Hu Nu like a bird, fast and difficult to catch. His palm drew many afterimages in the air and roared like a dragon.

“Palm of Dragon’s Roar”

There was no way Hu Nu could defeat a Vessel Augmentor, but he refused to submit. Roaring, he clenched his fists and launched a flurry of punches at Zhao Yunlong. His punches were simple and direct, but they were also incredibly powerful. His force howled not unlike a tiger leaping over a mountain stream. The palm afterimages were easily scattered into nothing by his attacks.

But what was the point if he could not land a hit on Zhao Yunlong? It was the same for the Swordbearer, but as a Vessel Augmentor he could afford to drag out the fight. For a time, the duo traded “useless” blows with each other seemingly without end. It was a battle between the tiger and the dragon!

“Take this!”

The stalemate continued for a moment when suddenly, Hu Nu let out a mighty roar and manifested what looked like a crouching tiger behind him. It was both massive and full of bloodthirst. He threw another punch, but it was far more powerful than any one of the punches he had thrown before. Both the red cape and the palm afterimages were blown away in an instant.

Zhao Yunlong let out a pained grunt as he reappeared into view. The blood drained away from his face as he pulled away from Hu Nu. Despite the disparity between their cultivation level, Hu Nu was the one who had come out on top!

After he had successfully beaten back Zhao Yunlong, Hu Nu turned toward Ye Qing and glared at him like he would shoot flames from his eyes. He roared, “I’ll kill you!”

Hu Nu dropped on all fours and pounced toward Ye Qing. The ferocious tiger behind his back grew more and more solid until it finally merged with Hu Nu into one. His fingers bent slightly like claws, he fell down on Ye Qing like a real tiger.

It was said that the clouds obeyed a dragon, and the wind a tiger. It would seem that it wasn’t just a saying. A gale was blowing out of Hu Nu’s body, and it was so strong that it broke all the tables and chairs in the main hall into pieces. More importantly, it was pushing away the others and keeping them from being able to assist Ye Qing.

“Watch out!” Someone cried out in warning.

Out of everyone present, Ye Qing was the only one who was completely unperturbed by Hu Nu’s surprise attack. He waved his sleeve casually like he was batting away a fly, and like an actual fly Hu Nu was sent flying until he crashed into the ground so hard that he formed a small pit.

Just like that, the threat was neutralized. It was impossible to tell if the guy was still alive.

“Holy…”

Ling Jianqiu was the only person in the hall who wasn’t surprised by this outcome. Hu Nu had managed to push back even Zhao Yunlong, a Vessel Augmentor, and yet Ye Qing had knocked him out with a wave of the hand! Was Hu Nu that weak, or was Ye Qing too strong? Clearly, it was the latter. What a monster!

Shi Chong was still recovering from his injury, but he was so excited that he blurted out between his coughs, “Cough! Cough! Well done, Joyless! You’ve exposed Hu Nu’s true face and captured the true culprit behind the attack on Anyang. Your service to Anyang and the Pacification Bureau will never be forgotten!”

“Yeah. If not for you, heavens only know how much longer he would have worked against us from within!” Zhao Yunlong rebuttoned his cape and thanked Ye Qing from the bottom of his heart as well.

Yun Yan, who had been silent as a mouse since Ye Qing began expounding his suspicion of Hu Nu, also broke into a smile and said, “To think that Hu Nu would be Evergreen Ivy. Thank goodness you’re here, Joyless, or it is only a matter of time before Anyang encounters another great disaster. If that happens, we, the Pacification Bureau, would be responsible for it.”

“On behalf of the Pacification Bureau and the people of Anyang, I thank you for your service, Joyless!”

Yun Yan rose to her feet and saluted him respectfully after saying that.

“Thank you for your service, Joyless!”

Everyone else did the same thing as well.

“Hahaha! You’re welcome, everyone!” Ye Qing accepted the praise calmly, but a hint of ridicule crossed his lips as he continued, “However, it seems there’s a misunderstanding here. Did you guys actually think that Evergreen Ivy is Hu Nu?”

“What!? Hu Nu isn’t Evergreen Ivy? But didn’t you say—” Stunned, Zhao Yunlong tried to say something only to be interrupted by Ye Qing.

“Please recall what I really said earlier. Have I ever said that Hu Nu is Evergreen Ivy? Yes, I presented evidence that proves that Hu Nu is working for Evergreen Ivy, but does it really prove that Hu Nu is Evergreen Ivy? It does not, and the reason is very simple. It’s because Hu Nu isn’t Evergreen Ivy!”

“Are you sure?” Ling Jianqiu narrowed his eyes a bit when suddenly, he flinched as if he realized something. His expression turned dark as he asked, “Who is the real Evergreen Ivy then?”

Ye Qing smiled, but it didn’t reach the eyes. “Evergreen Ivy. It’s not a conventional name, but it’s easy to tell that it’s a feminine one. Also, Evergreen Ivy tried to hide her identity behind a cloak, but I could tell she’s small and delicate when I fought against her. She’s nothing like Hu Nu.”

He had been referring to Evergreen ivy as “they” and “them” this whole time, but now he was calling her by female pronouns. Combined with the obvious hints, every single person in the room subconsciously looked at the one and only woman in the main hall, Yun Yan!

Yun Yan smiled calmly and gently. “Surely you’re not suspecting me, Joyless?”

Ling Jianqiu’s gaze was icy as well. “Joyless, I would ask you to choose your words carefully. As you know, most Strangers possess the ability to assume whatever shape they like. They could be male, female, young or old. If this is your basis for accusing Yun Yan, then I am sorry to say that I am disappointed in you.”

He had adopted Yun Yan since she was a child, and she had been a kind and understanding soul for as long as he knew her. He loved her like his own daughter, and he would not allow anyone to slander her without good reason.

Even Shi Chong was shaking his head in disbelief. “Yeah, you must be mistaken, Ye Qing. Yun Yan has been sick and frail since she was a kid. She could barely carry something that’s heavier than a chair, much less fight and kill humans. There’s no way she is Evergreen Ivy!”

His sentiment was shared by most people in the main hall. Although Yun Yan was a sick and frail woman, she was wise, intelligent, and a warm soul. She was the one responsible for taking care of their miscellaneous affairs and ensuring that even dumb brutes like that would be well cared for. There wasn’t a single person in the Pacification Bureau who didn’t respect her from the bottom of their hearts.

“Hahaha! Calm down, people! You will understand why I’m saying this after I’ve clarified myself!” Ye Qing shrugged. “First, I had fought against Evergreen Ivy not long ago, and I can confirm that she is a Hatred-class Stranger. Hu Nu is pretty strong after he awakens his Stranger blood, but he’s at best on the same level as a Vessel Augmentor or a Malice-class Stranger. He is nowhere as strong as Evergreen Ivy is.”

“Second, Hu Nu was one of many who fought in the frontlines the whole time when the Strangers invaded. I’m pretty sure that there are many people in this room who can testify to this. There is no way he could’ve slipped away and conducted the ritual to summon the Nether Lord, so he cannot be Evergreen Ivy. Am I right?”

No one said a word because it was the truth.

Ye Qing clapped and brought everyone’s attention back to him. “As I’ve established earlier, Evergreen Ivy must be a member of the Pacification Bureau. She must also be able to slip away during the day of the invasion to carry out the ritual. With that in mind, who was the one person who wasn’t on the battlefield that day?”

“Also, the timing to conduct the ritual is very important. If it was held too soon, then the Pacification Bureau would have a shot at stopping it before it could be completed. It was the same thing if it was held too late. This means that Evergreen Ivy must be privy to the Pacification Bureau’s movement. She might not know what they were planning exactly, but it couldn’t have been difficult to guess considering that she was the mastermind.”

“With that in mind, it would be reasonable to say that only a handful of people would fit into this criteria, am I right?”

Again the crowd was silent and thoughtful. The Pacification Bureau had mobilized literally everyone who could fight the night the Strangers invaded Anyang. The only ones who were left behind were the old, the sick, the crippled and the servants. Out of all those people, the only one who knew that they had a covert operation that night was…

“But of course, this is just speculation; something to keep in mind while I bring up another matter!” Ye Qing chuckled. “Most of you wouldn’t know this, but I was attacked by Evergreen Ivy a few days ago while I was out of the county and carrying out a mission for Chief Ling. I was lucky to have survived the ambush.”

“But before I left the county, I specifically ordered my men to keep a close eye on the Pacification Bureau. It’s not difficult considering that every single one of you had remained in the county to flush out and kill the remnants of that invasion. In other words, anyone who left the county or was absent for whatever reason during my absence was most likely Evergreen Ivy.”

“Thanks to this, I found out that exactly one person had taken a few days off because she was ‘unwell’ while I was gone. What a coincidence, am I right?”

“One more thing. My mission was a covert mission that only Chief Ling and I should know. However, Evergreen Ivy somehow found out about it and was able to set up a well-planned ambush that almost killed me. Chief Ling could corroborate with me on this, but let’s just say that there was no way she could’ve done what she did if she hadn’t known about my mission beforehand.”

“Chief Ling is a cautious man. He would never leak a secret intentionally. As for me, why on earth would I leak my own activities, especially since I know that Evergreen Ivy was out for my blood? So, how did she find out about it?”

“I had thought long and hard over this, and in the end, I can only think of one possibility. Chief Ling must have brought up my mission by accident while he was chatting with someone; a close family member who could get him to lower his guard even for someone as cautious as him. She might even have prodded him about it since she knew he wouldn’t suspect a thing.”

“So, who do you think this person is, Chief Ling?”

Ling Jianqiu’s face darkened like never before as everyone turned to look at him. The Chief of Bureau was silent for a few seconds before he slowly turned to Yun Yan and asked, “Is it really you, Yun Yan?”

Ye Qing’s speculation was spot on, though it didn’t exactly turn out the way he thought it did. Ling Jianqiu was having dinner with Yun Yan when he talked about the mass disappearance happening at Jade Spring Village. He was wondering who he could send that wouldn’t be fodder for whatever Stranger was wreaking havoc at that place, and it was none other than Yun Yan who recommended that he sent Ye Qing!

So yes, Yun Yan did know that Ye Qing was leaving to investigate the mass disappearance at Jade Spring Village. More accurately, she was the one who had arranged everything! He was just a pawn in her scheme from the start until the end!

“Do you suspect me as well, foster father?” Yun Yan’s eyes watered.

“I…” Ling Jianqiu hesitated. If she was anyone else, he would not have fallen for such a simple trick. But Yun Yan was the daughter he had adopted and raised since she was young. How could she possibly be Evergreen Ivy?

Not only that, Yun Yan was weak and prone to illness from a young age, so much so that she couldn’t even practice martial arts. No matter how he tried, he just could not imagine her as the cruel, devious Evergreen Ivy!

And yet, he could not deny the truth behind Ye Qing’s words…

“Just give me an answer! Yes, or no?” Ling Jianqiu furrowed his brow until it was as wrinkled as the veins of a mountain. He looked like he was carrying a mountain in his chest as well.

Even Zhao Yunlong, a man who was normally as ice-veined as Ling Jianqiu was, couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure you’re not mistaken, Ye Qing?”

For the first time, the young man dropped his smile and sighed. “I don’t want it to be Sister Yun either. Alas, it was not meant to be!”

When he figured out the truth, he finally understood how Yun Yan, a mere mortal, had survived the knocking of the Soul Eater. He had thought it was because Ling Jianqiu had given her a talisman or something that shielded her from harm, but now he realized it was because she was hiding her strength. It was also why Yun Yan had not been teleported into the Mountain of Riddles during their last adventure together. It was because the Mountain of Riddles did not accept Strangers and idiots into its belly, and Yun Yan was anything but an idiot.

When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Yun Yan might have been a human at the beginning, but she had ceased being human at some point in her life. Now, only the Stranger was left.

However, Yun Yan had built up so much reputation in the Pacification Bureau that even now, when all evidence pointed toward her being Evergreen Ivy, there were still many people who doubted his words. So, Ye Qing broke into a grin and said, “There is one simple way to check if Sister Yun is Evergreen Ivy.”

“What is it?” Everyone turned to look at him.