Stranger Danger

Chapter 143: Gu Suitang the Tyrant

“Wow…” Ye Qing was pretty surprised. The passage had described the entire incident perfectly. It was almost like a minute taker had witnessed everything from the sidelines and jotted it all down from start until the end.

“Yuhuai is an Intelligence Officer, and he is responsible for gathering intelligence, sorting truth from fiction, maintaining the files in the archives and so on. Naturally, he is the most up-to-date person in the bureau.”

Noticing Ye Qing’s curiosity, Chu Nianjiu walked up to him and explained in a quiet voice, “The book he’s holding is a Hatred-class Strange Artifact called the Truthseeker. Any information that the Pacification Bureau had collected, sorted, and entered into the records would automatically appear in it. Think of it as an auxiliary-type Strange Artifact.”

“I see!” Ye Qing’s eyes lit up. This was the first time he encountered a Strange Artifact like this. It was also a peek into the true power of the Luo Shui Pacification Bureau. The incident had literally happened less than half an hour ago, and yet the Pacification Bureau had already found out about it and investigated the whole truth. They were definitely not to be underestimated.

Ye Qing also noticed that Chu Nianjiu didn’t recognize him, which wasn’t surprising. Be it in terms of stature, appearance or aura, he was nothing like the country bumpkin he used to be.

“Hmph. Luo Feibai, Tian Wu. What do you have to say for yourselves?” Lin Yuhuai put away the Truthseeker and questioned the duo.

Luo Feibai looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Tian Wu wanted to argue his way out of the hole he dug himself into, but Gu Suitang interrupted him before he could speak, “You’re a Guardian of the Pacification Bureau, Tian Wu, but instead of protecting the people and serving Chu, you chose to disrupt the law and order, collude with criminals, neglect your duty, and even frame an innocent. As per the law of Chu, I hereby abolish your cultivation and expel you from the Pacification Bureau!”

“I—” Before Tian Wu could even process what he was saying, Gu Suitang had already slapped his head over his head. He let out a bloodcurdling scream as he felt an unstoppable power breaking his muscles and bones, destroying his dantian, and ripping his veins into shreds. Just like that, the man would never cultivate martial arts again.

Holy shit, this guy’s ruthless! Ye Qing gulped. He wasn’t expecting Gu Suitang to cripple Tian Wu practically the minute after his guilt was confirmed.

Gu Suitang casually tossed the limp Tian Wu out of the way before turning toward the entrance. His mouth split into a shit-eating grin as he asked, “What’s wrong, Red Hair? Does it offend you that I beat up your dog?”

“You could stand to be more polite, Deputy Chief Gu!” came a voice as someone walked through the entrance.

The newcomer was a dignified-looking old man with crimson hair and beard. He looked to be in his fifties, and he was wearing a golden crown and a golden robe with sun symbols on it. The closer he got, the brighter the surroundings seemed to become. The surrounding temperature was rising at an incredible rate as well. It was like he was a walking sun that brought light and heat wherever he went.

In Ye Qing’s eyes, the man was a burning sun that was bright, hot, and overwhelmingly powerful. If he wasn’t careful, he could easily be caught up in his flames and burn into dust.

“And you can shove your politeness right up your sorry ass! First it was Xiao Yang, now it’s Tian Wu. Do you really think I’m blind, you sonuvabitch? Who gave you the gall to plant spies in my Pacification Bureau?”

Gu Suitang spat on the ground before launching into another tirade, “Also, this is me in a good mood already! If I was in a bad mood, I would’ve called you Red Bush and made sure everyone and their mothers hears about it! Whatcha gonna do about it?”

The red-haired man hmphed, “Quit the baseless accusations, Deputy Chief Gu! I’ve never planted a spy in the Pacification Bureau!”

“Keep telling yourself that, Red Hair! Maybe one day you could convince yourself that it’s the truth!” Gu Suitang’s grin somehow grew even wider. “But I shan’t complain. Both of your dogs are dead, and all is right in the world once more. Hahaha!”

“Speaking of which, are you here to pick up your dog, Red Hair? Will you simmer-fry him or steam him in broth? Whatever the case, you probably shouldn’t eat him. You might just catch rabies!”

“Hmph! I’ve got no time for your bullshit!” The red-haired man uttered darkly, “I have come for one reason and one reason only, and that is to take revenge for my disciple! Give me that boy standing behind you, now!”

“What did you say? I’m so sorry, my age is getting to me lately. Care to repeat yourself, Red Hair?” Gu Suitang put a hand to his ear.

At this point, it was clear that the red-haired man was none other than the Hill Lord of Sunset Hill, Wang Luori. He said in an icy voice that did not fit his aura at all, “Give me the boy behind you. Give me Ye Qing, the one they call Joyless Ye!”

“Ye Qing? Joyless Ye?” Gu Suitang cast a glance at Ye Qing before turning back to Wang Luori. “Sure, I’ll… give you a stick to stick it up your ass, you bastard!”

“Everyone knows that your disciple was killed by that Stranger named Evergreen Ivy or something. If you want revenge that badly, then go kick her sorry ass to kingdom come! Why are you going after a boy who has nothing to do with it?”

“Oh, I know! You couldn’t find Evergreen Ivy, so instead you’re going after the next best thing; a scapegoat. Do we look soft to you, Red Hair? Is that why you think you can snatch an innocent man from right under our noses?”

Wang Luori abruptly glared daggers at Ye Qing. “Hmph! I will find out the truth, Deputy Chief Gu. Until then, neither Ye Qing nor Evergreen Ivy are getting away from me!”

Ye Qing should’ve looked away the moment the Hill Lord’s eyes suddenly glowed like a pair of rising suns, or maybe it wouldn’t have mattered whether or not he met his eyes. All of a sudden, a golden sun rose inside his head, and all he knew were flames and agony.

His spirit evaporated as easily as a tiny stream that was under siege by a forest fire. His mind was next as it crumbled inch by inch under the burning sun.

“Hmph!” Ye Qing let out a muffled groan as intense pain assaulted his mind. By now, he had figured out that Wang Luori had invaded his head via his spirit and was trying to destroy his mind before Gu Suitang could react.

As a Spirit Purifier, Wang Luori possessed the ability to attack another person’s soul with their spirit. It was incredibly difficult to guard against, and there was zero chance a warrior with a weak spirit could survive a spiritual attack.

Luckily, Ye Qing’s spirit was anything but weak. He hurriedly visualized the “Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method” and manifested the majestic apparition of Emperor Fuxi. It shielded his mind from the worst damages and prevented the scorching sun from extinguishing it completely.

Ye Qing knew it wouldn’t last forever though. Every time a warrior entered the next cultivation level, they would undergo a transformation that could only be described as revolutionary. It was like the difference between a person’s bare fists and a gun; an army and a nuclear bomb. It was why very few people could overcome this gap and win against someone whose cultivation level was higher than theirs.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Wang Luori was a half-step Spirit Master, and he was just an early-stage Astral Refiner. To say that the chasm between them was unbridgeable would be the understatement of the century.

“You motherfucking Red Bush! You actually dare to attack my charge from right under my nose!?”

It was at this moment the noble, mighty roar of a lion resounded throughout the Pacification Bureau. Like a clap of holy thunder, it shattered the golden sun in Ye Qing’s head and extinguished the flames ravaging his mind. It wasn’t long before Ye Qing’s mind and spirit returned to normal. He opened his eyes just in time to see Gu Suitang rushing toward Wang Luori like an enraged lion.

Gu Suitang wasn’t giving off any energy, but his speed was as quick as lightning. Ye Qing’s senses were telling him that Gu Suitang was using every part of his body to execute his purpose. His blood, his flesh, his sinews and his bones were all moving in perfect harmony to move heaven and earth itself.

Gu Suitang reached Wang Luori faster than one could blink and unleashed a palm strike. Knowing full well how strong the Deputy Chief of Bureau was, Wang Luori responded with a full-powered punch of his own.

A golden sun appeared behind the Hill Lord’s back without warning, and it was so bright that it dyed the entire bureau gold. At the same time, deadly flames appeared out of nowhere and threatened to consume anything and everything.

Although the punch was aimed at Gu Suitang and Gu Suitang alone, Ye Qing, Chu Nianjiu and everyone else still felt like they would be burned into dust if they did not get away immediately. And they did. It was like a second sun had manifested itself in the Pacification Bureau, and its terrific heat threatened to turn all life into dust.

There was absolutely nothing they could do before this power. Like ants facing down a blazing inferno, the only thing they could do… was die!

Gu Suitang paid the burning sun no heed, however. His palm easily scattered the all-consuming flames and smacked Wang Luori’s fist sideways. There was a loud boom as the artificial sun suddenly shook as if something had thrown it off balance.

Stunned by how ineffective his counter attack was, Wang Luori tried to gain some breathing room by jumping away from Gu Suitang. However, Gu Suitang easily caught his wrist and pulled him forward. Then, the Deputy Chief took one step forward and rammed his shoulder into the Hill Lord’s chest.

Wang Luori shuddered like he had been struck by a mountain. The attack had caved in his chest and disrupted his energies.

Wang Luori sucked in a shallow breath and gathered his energy for another strike, but he had just reached the halfway point when Gu Suitang abruptly backhanded him across the face!

Slap!

The slap was so crisp that it could be heard throughout the Pacification Bureau. Ye Qing was stunned, Chu Nianjiu was stunned, Lin Yuhuai was stunned, and even Wang Luori himself couldn’t say a word until a few seconds later.

“You… slapped me?” Wang Luori’s eyes bulged when his mind finally processed what just happened, crimson hair literally bursting into flames. It was clear that he was furious beyond imagination.

“Yep, I slapped you. Whatcha gonna do about it?” Gu Suitang guffawed. “I gave you face, and you thought you could barge into my territory and attack my men? Why can’t you people ever be satisfied with what you have?”

Before Wang Luori could respond, Gu Suitang slapped him again and taunted, “I thought you might want a freebie, so here you go!”

“RAAAARGH!” Wang Luori screamed on top of his lungs. “You’re dead! You’re so dead!”

As it turned out, the sun symbols on his robe wasn’t just for show. When they lit up, his power started growing at an exponential rate.

Unfortunately, he never got to do anything. The second he made a move, Gu Suitang sneered and punched him squarely in the chest. His strength was awe-inspiring, but what was even more impressive was his control. Somehow, the Deputy Chief managed to inject every ounce of force into Wang Luori’s body.

BOOM!

Wang Luori’s golden robe abruptly exploded into shreds. He himself was knocked flat on his back. The next second, Gu Suitang stomped on Wang Luori’s chest and drove him into the underground!

“You do realize that you’re a half-step Spirit Master at best, right? Did you actually think you stand any chance against me? Seriously, I could’ve pounded you dead with one hand!”

“You—!” A beet red Wang Luori struggled to get back on his feet, but it was futile. Gu Suitang’s foot might as well be a mountain right now.

“You what mate?”? Gu Suitang bent down a little and sent spittle all over Wang Luori’s face, “It’s very simple, small fry. Ye Qing is a member of the Pacification Bureau. If you touch a hair on his person, I’ll turn you from Red Hair to No Hair. If you lay a finger on him, I will break your legs. If you kill him, I will slaughter you and your sect to the last!”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Wang Luori shook uncontrollably.

Gu Suitang burst out laughing. “I wouldn’t dare? Are you even listening to yourself? Give me a reason, and I will march to your Sunset Hill this instant! Or are you questioning the Pacification Bureau and my power?”

Wang Luori kept his mouth shut. The Pacification Bureau definitely possessed the power to destroy Sunset Hill with ease, but he still couldn’t believe that Gu Suitang would go so far for Ye Qing.