Stranger Danger

Chapter 133: A Moment of Tranquility

“Can we hurry up, Brother Tian? What if someone else claims our mark before us?”

Tian Hang and his group had been moving at a slow and steady pace toward the gravesite. Mu, the vicious man who wanted to kill Ye Qing earlier, was urging Tian Hang to move faster after finally losing his patience.

Tian Hang glanced at Mu coldly. “What did I tell you yesterday? A Stranger Hunter must always be patient and careful! If not, it’s only a matter of time before they die! If you can’t even do something so simple, then you might as well go back to your home and till the soil! At least you’d still be alive then!”

Mu visibly flinched and put on an obsequious smile to appease his leader. “Haha, don’t be mad, Brother Tian. I’m just worried that they’ll get away, you know?” It was clear that he was terrified of the man.

Tian Hang snorted. “That won’t happen. The gravesite appears at night and vanishes in the morning. If we get there too early, there’s a chance we might be pulled into it. Do you know how dangerous that is? Forget robbing the guy, it’d be a miracle if even one of us manages to make it out alive!”

“At our current pace, the sun should just be rising when we get to the gravesite, so we would be safe. If the boy died, then all is well. If not, he should still be exhausted enough that we can defeat him with ease!”

“Brother Tian is wise!”

“Brother Tian is so awesome he can plan ten steps ahead!”

Tian Hao chided them goodnaturedly, “Enough, you bootlickers. We’re getting close, so get ready. I expect all of you to pull your weight if that boy somehow survived the gravesite.”

Mu snorted in disdain. “There is such a thing as over-worrying, Brother Tian. That gravesite is so dangerous that I’ve never heard of anyone walking out of it alive.”

Tian Hang smiled. “Perhaps, but one should always be prepared for the worst. It is the only way you can lead a good life in this world.”

“We won’t forget, Brother Tian!” Everyone responded affirmatively.

As Tian Hang had predicted, the sun rose just as they got to the gravesite. Its warm rays pierced through the heavens, chased away the darkness, and illuminated the world once more.

“Huh?” Mu was leading the way when suddenly, he cried out in surprise, “Brother Tian, look! That locust tree is gone!”

Tian Hang stepped forward and gazed into the distance. “Huh. It really is gone. What happened here?”

“And that boy is right over there, Brother Tian! But… huh? He really is still alive! But he’s lying on the ground and breathing very lightly. He must be badly injured or near death already!”

Mu’s eyes lit up when he glimpsed Ye Qing in the middle of the gravesite and sensed his faint breathing. He immediately took off while yelling, “I’m going to kill that boy right now, Brother Tian!”

“Come back, Mu!” Tian Hang blanched, but it was already too late. He muttered “dumbass” under his breath before waving for the others to follow, “Let’s go, boys! Be careful!”

“Someone’s coming, young master!” Beside Ye Qing, Faceless opened his eyes and shot Tian Hang’s group a glance. “It’s the Stranger Hunters from yesterday, and they do not look friendly. Should I take them out?”

/p>

“Those greedy bastards. I knew they would show up,” Ye Qing sighed. Tian Hang thought they were unnoticed when they hid in the forest yesterday, but his spirit was far greater than they could imagine. He could even tell that they were watching him with unfriendly eyes. It was then he knew then that they were plotting something heinous against him.

After they ran into the Yin Locust Tree, he quickly figured out that the Stranger Hunters were hoping that the Stranger would kill him or severely wound him at least. That way, they would be able to take advantage and profit from his dead body.

I saved them, and their way of repaying me is to kill me. This world.

“Go!” Ye Qing waved. “No need to hold back!”

“Hehehe! Don’t worry, young master. You have my word that their deaths would be painless!” Faceless let out an evil cackle and slowly made his way toward the Stranger Hunters.

“Get out of my way if you want to live, you decrepit thing!” Mu yelled in disdain when he saw Faceless walking toward him.

Instead of getting angry, the Stranger Faceless replied with a polite smile, “I’m afraid I can’t do that. My young master has ordered me to entertain you and your friends. Without further ado…”

As soon as Faceless said this, Mu abruptly froze in his tracks. Then, his eyes, his nose, his mouth and his ears slowly vanished into nothing. He hit the ground with a thump and died just like that.

“Mu! Watch out, everyone!” Tian Hang turned pale and cried out a warning when he saw this. The rest of the group hurriedly drew their weapons and spread out. However, they didn’t even manage to get close to Faceless when suddenly they felt a strange energy invading their bodies. The next thing they knew, their faces slowly started disappearing as well.

“I can’t see! I can’t see! My eyes!”

“My nose! I can’t feel my nose! Brother Tian, help!”

“Mm! Mmmmmm!”

Everyone was screaming in terror and running their hands over their own faces as if the gesture would somehow prevent their facial features from vanishing. But of course, it was no use.

Out of everyone present, Tian Hang was the only one who managed to stop the unnatural power from killing him. Even so, the fact didn’t bring him any comfort at all. Everyone in their group was a Vessel Augmentor, and three were middle-stage Vessel Augmentors. No one was a newbie either. So how did everything go wrong so fast?

When they had chosen to come after Ye Qing, Tian Hang was certain that the worst that could happen was a death or two; practically par for the course for Stranger Hunters. Instead, everyone had died in just a scant few seconds. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the boy didn’t even look injured or tired from the night’s ordeal. It was clear he was ready for them as well.

It was a trap!

The sandpiper and clam war together, and the fisherman catches both. That was what should have happened, except that the sandpiper was really a flesh-eating monster, and after devouring the clam it waited for the fisherman to show up so it could eat him as well. To say that Tian Hang was terrified and dismal would be an understatement. If the servant alone was enough to wipe them out, he could only imagine how strong the boy was!

Flee! I need to flee!

Tian Hang turned around and fled immediately. If he waited a few seconds longer, he worried that he would never get the opportunity to worry again. As for revenge, the thought had never even crossed his mind. Death was a constant in this line of work, and the risks were often as high as the rewards, if not higher. If the Stranger Hunter came through, then the rewards could transform their lives forever. If not, then they would die like the rest. The only one to blame if that happened was themselves.

Alas, Tian Hang had only managed a few steps when he felt a hot wind blowing past his face. The next thing he knew, his blood began boiling, his internal organs started charring, and a raging bonfire suddenly ignited inside his head. His mind felt like it was on fire.

“Ahhhhhhhh!” The pain was so bad that Tian Hang could not help but let out a scream. When he did, dark red flames shot straight out of his mouth. His pores began to leak dark red flames as well.

As Tian Hang burst into flames, he hit the ground with a soft thud. A few breaths later, all that was left was a pile of ash that was quickly scattered by the wind.

“I could’ve taken him, young master!” Faceless turned around and said. It was the truth. Tian Hang wasn’t weak, but there was little chance he would be able to defeat Faceless.

Ye Qing shot him a lazy smile. “You could, but it would’ve taken too long. I’d rather end it now so we can get to our destination as soon as possible.”

Faceless slapped his own head in disbelief and chagrin. “I can’t believe I almost forgot about it! The shame, the shame! Please forgive me, young master! Next time, I swear I’ll prioritize your time and business like I value my own life!”

Faceless had always been a bootlicker, but this was a tad too far even for Kung Fu Frog, who had gotten used to his antics at this point. It rolled its beady eyes and croaked disdainfully at the Stranger.

In response, Faceless puffed up his chest and declared, “How can you say that, Brother Frog? I’m not trying to butter up the young master. I only speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! What do you say, Wawa?”

Wawa was currently sitting on Ye Qing’s shoulder. She made a face at Faceless and booed him, “Shameless bootlicker!”

Faceless sighed thematically, “I suppose it was too much to expect the sparrow and the swallow to know the dream of the great swan! A shame!”

Ye Qing interrupted suddenly, “Now I’m curious. What is your dream, Faceless?”

Faceless couldn’t say that his dream was to rebel against his master and beat his sorry ass, of course. He let out a good-natured chuckle and answered, “My dream is to serve you as your most faithful servant, and that you will live as long as the heavens themselves, of course!”

Ye Qing shot him a noncommittal smile and stared at the rising sun to the east. He said quietly, “I don’t need eternal life. I just want to live my life happily and peacefully.”

“Let’s go.”

And so they resumed their journey on the peaceful, earthly road while the sun was still warm.

……

The reason Maple Leaf Point was called the Maple Leaf Point was because it was situated inside a red maple forest. The leaves turned as red as fire when autumn came, and they were even more beautiful than the red flowers in February. It would not be wrong to say that they were a symbol of humanity’s prosperity and passion.

The river running through Maple Leaf Point was called the Luo Shui River. It passed through two commanderies, Luo Shui and Feng Yang, and dozens of villages. Without exaggeration, it had spawned over tens of thousands of acres of fertile land and provided a near endless source of aquatic food. Naturally, it was a center of trade and businesses as well. It was even called the “ribbon of jade that wraps around the Land of Heavens, and produces more goods than Shendu itself”.

The “Land of Heavens” in the line was referring to Luo Shui, the commandery famed for its aquatic food, rice, and commerce. Once a traveler had gotten to Maple Leaf Point, they could travel all the way to Luo Shui by boat.

Although Maple Leaf Point was just a ferry terminal, it was as big as a village and much more prosperous than the likes of August Hill Village. It even had a small garrison to defend its denizens from threats.

Unfortunately,? this meant that its entry inspection was extremely stringent. Even with the badge he received from the Anyang Pacification Bureau, Ye Qing still had to undergo a detailed interrogation and special registration before he was finally allowed into the terminal. It was mostly because he brought three Strangers with him.

Faceless wasn’t afraid of being found out because of his transformation ability and the Invisible Cicada, but Kung Fu Frog and Wawa did not have such luxury. There were plenty of warriors who used Strangers in combat, or wealthy people who kept pet Strangers in this world, so Stranger servants and pets were hardly uncommon. Chu couldn’t exactly enforce a realm-wide ban on such practices either.

To make up for this, the imperial court decreed that everyone who wished to bring a Stranger or two with them on their travels or raise a pet Stranger must subject themselves to careful scrutiny and registration. This was to prevent Strangers from controlling a human to infiltrate a human settlement, or to prevent humans from using their Strangers to wreak havoc to their surroundings. Every time there was a supernatural incident, these people were usually the first ones to be investigated as well.

The good news was that the badge was useful, and the guards were perfectly respectful with him. After he completed the processes as per the rules demanded, he was let into Maple Leaf Point without any fanfare.

Ye Qing did not linger after entering Maple Leaf Point. He went straight to the ferry terminal just in time to catch a tower ship that was bound for Luo Shui.

The tower ship was called Cloud Mountain, and it was just as big as its name might suggest. Thirty meters long, thirteen meters wide, and twenty-six meters tall, it resembled a small mountain. Silver clouds were engraved into various parts of the ship such as the hull, the bow, the four-storey tower, the deck and more to give it a mystical and elegant, noble and exquisite appearance as well.

Ye Qing had just set foot on the ship when a ship steward named Qian greeted him. The steward’s smile grew wider when he took note of the group’s appearance. As a general rule, people who brought Strangers with them should be treated respectfully, and Ye Qing was almost certainly no one to be trifled with.