Chương 19: 90-95
Chapter 90: Nether Lord
Ye Qing must be the one behind Yan Tieyi and Zheng Feng's death since the Blue Demon Hand and Lightning Bolt were in his possession. He must be the mysterious gang boss behind the Iron Shirt Gang and the reason why the Iron Shirt Gang had come to their aid as well.
"What a cunning lad!" Yan Yufei chuckled helplessly. The magistrate wasn't stupid, and the moment he put two and two together he was able to figure out the truth and Ye Qing's motives in just a matter of seconds. "He didn't just wash his hands off the murders, we're going to have to act as his shield for a bit!"
Yan Yufei didn't just think of Ye Qing as a close friend, he also valued his abilities highly. Had he learned of the truth behind Yan Tieyi and Zheng Feng's deaths earlier, he would not have bothered the young man too much, at least not in a way that would matter. This was before mentioning the fact that Ye Qing had uncovered a devastating conspiracy, come up with a plan to eliminate the threats once and for all, and even summoned the Iron Shirt Gang to help them during their time of need as well. Objectively speaking, his merits had more than made up for his wrongdoings, and even he could not help but be impressed by the young man's planning and execution.
That was why his earlier words weren't directed at himself. It was a subtle advice to Ling Jianqiu to overlook Ye Qing's past actions.
Speaking of Ling Jianqiu, the Chief of Bureau was staring at Ye Qing as if he hadn't heard Yan Yufei's words. His silence would last at least a dozen breaths before he finally said, "Ye Qing has played a crucial role in the defense of Anyang. I have no qualms trading away a couple of vermin for his services!"
That was all Ling Jianqiu said before departing for the next battlefield.
"..."
Yan Yufei could not help but glance at Ling Jianqiu with astonishment. Had he known that the Chief of Bureau would be so willing to overlook Ye Qing's crimes in favor of his merits, he would not have bothered to say anything at all.
When the magistrate turned back to Ye Qing, the young man just happened to be looking his way as well. The moment their eyes met, Ye Qing abruptly clutched his head and moaned, "I'm still hurt from the fight, my lord! You don't mind me catching a short break, right?"
His meaning was clear. Hmph! No way I'm gonna work for you for free another time!
"...." Do I look like that type of person to you? Yan Yufei's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. The young man had a penchant for acting like he was an obedient, law-abiding citizen on the front, and then doing crazy shit like wiping out two of the biggest factions in Anyang behind one's back. Not only that, he was smart enough to keep the truth hidden from all parties and reveal it only when it would benefit the most. Even now, Ye Qing had seen through his intentions instantly and shut him up before he could even begin to say, "Please." Sometimes, he really thought that the young man was too smart for his own good.
Some time later, Yan Yufei finally shook his head and said in a wry tone, "Sure. I'll see you in a bit!" Then, he turned around and left. He was a scholar. If a minister could hold a boat in his belly [1], then he could tolerate Ye Qing's occasional bullshit as well.
The moment Yan Yufei had left the scene, Ye Qing's complexion immediately returned to normal. He then let out a chuckle and pounced toward the nearest Strangers.
The Servant of Fear's final counterattack was pretty deadly. It had taken nearly all of his spiritual power to overcome it. Luckily, the attack ultimately wasn't strong enough to damage his foundation, and he was mostly fine besides a headache and some sores here. Not only that, he was brimming with true qi—the fight against the Servant of Fear had exhausted him mentally far more than it had physically. He might not be able to fight a powerful Stranger in his current state, but he could definitely handle a bunch of small fries.
Plus, bullying small fries was safe and profitable. In the time he took to kill the Servant of Fear, he could've killed maybe a hundred small fries and earned far more dragon-serpent runes. With that in mind, why on earth would he actively walk the thornier, less profitable path?
Finally, the Strangers had already lost. With the passing of powerful Strangers such as the Servant of Fear, Grandpa Tree, Granny Mud and more, and the addition of powerful reinforcements such as the Iron Shirt Gang and Qiao Six, it was only a matter of time before the Strangers were annihilated.
Meanwhile, in a dark, hidden corner of the streets, Dark Eye muttered with eyes full of despair and disbelief, "How did this happen? Why did the humans know we're coming?"
"I don't know. It shouldn't have turned out this way," Rotten Crown replied, causing smelly pus to leak out the holes on her face. She sounded just as lost as her companion was.
"We failed our mission. The Nether Lord will never forgive us," Dark Eye's tone abruptly grew panicked as he trembled in fear. Rotten Crown too started shaking uncontrollably.
Most of the Strangers had chosen to fight against the Shenwu Defense Force as soon as the ambush took place, but Dark Eye and Rotten Crown had hidden themselves instead. Judging from how the battle had turned out, it was the right move. The reprieve wouldn't last forever, however. They might be able to escape the Shenwu Defense Force, there was no way they could escape the Nether Lord's wrath. His punishment was so terrible that they might actually be better off dead than alive.
"No, our plan hasn't failed yet."
Suddenly, a gentle voice surprised them from behind.
"Who the—!?" Dark Eye and Rotten Crown wheeled around in panic and saw a figure wearing a black hood standing behind them. They had no idea when the person had appeared.
"You're not so lost that you can't even recognize my voice, are you?" The hooded figure continued in their soft voice.
Neither Dark Eye nor Rotten Crown could see the hooded figure's face because it was completely hidden, but they eventually put two and two together and guessed, "Evergreen Ivy? Is that you?"
"It's me." Evergreen Ivy nodded. "Follow me."
The Stranger jumped into a courtyard beside her like she weighed nothing at all. Then, she led Rotten Crown and Dark Eye to a secret room.
"Evergreen Ivy, you said that our plan hasn't failed yet. What did you mean?" Dark Eye asked impatiently after the door had shut behind them. After all, the army of Strangers they brought were almost routed at this point.
"It's simple. My plan has never hinged on whether the county is destroyed, or if the Strangers gain the upper hand. The only thing it ever needed was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood; human or Stranger!" Evergreen Ivy answered with an unusual tremor in her voice. She was clearly very excited.
"I don't understand, Evergreen Ivy. Can you explain things better?" Rotten Crown looked increasingly confused.
"Hehe. Take a look!" Instead of answering, Evergreen Ivy pointed at an altar located at the center of the secret room. Her eyes looked fervent and full of anticipation.
"An altar?" Dark Eye and Rotten Crown examined the altar closely. "Eight corners, four directions, a statue and bones…"
As they said, the altar was shaped like an octagon and pointed toward the four cardinal directions. Placed atop three layers of bones was the statue of the Nether Lord himself.
Realization struck Rotten Crown and Dark Eye at the same time. "This is the bone altar used to summon the Nether Lord! Are you trying to bring him to this plane, Evergreen Ivy?"
"That's right!" Evergreen Ivy nodded under her hood. "It takes a vast amount of bodies, blood and slaughter to bring the Nether Lord to this plane. That is why I had tasked you to lure the Strangers into the county. It doesn't matter if the Strangers ultimately defeated the humans, or the humans defeated the Strangers as both outcomes would still create the bodies, blood and slaughter necessary for the ritual to succeed. And when the Nether Lord descends upon this plane, we will still be the final victor!"
"That's an incredible plan, Evergreen Ivy! Why didn't you tell us about this sooner? You could've saved us so much worry!" complained the duo, though they were really overjoyed by this turn of events. After all, it meant that the plan was still on track, and they wouldn't have to suffer the Nether Lord's punishment.
"The more people know about a secret, the harder it is to keep it under wraps," Evergreen Ivy said indifferently. "Take this failed invasion for example. How did the humans find out about our plan? It's probably because there's a traitor among us who leaked the plan to the humans!"
"What!? You must be joking! There's no way any of us would betray our plan to the humans!" Rotten Crown could not believe her ears.
They couldn't see Evergreen Ivy's expression, but her voice was clearly bitter and scornful. "I thought so too, but if that's true, then how did the humans find out about our plan? And how did we not know about this until it's too late?"
Dark Eye and Rotten Crown exchanged a glance with each other before defending themselves in a hurry, "It wasn't us!"
"I know you're not traitors. I wouldn't have brought you here otherwise," Evergreen Ivy assured them before turning serious. "Anyway, I would rather finish this sooner than later, so I'm going to carry out the ritual now. Please protect me until the ritual is complete."
"Got it!" Dark Eye and Rotten Crown responded obediently before moving into position.
Evergreen Ivy walked up to the altar and bowed three times toward the statue. Then, she slowly walked up the bone steps until she was at the top. Sitting crosslegged in front of the statue, she lit up all eight red candles in the eight corners of the altar before slicing open her wrist with a silver dagger. Finally, she held her hand above the statue and drenched it in her blood.
The yellow candle flames immediately turned as white as a ghost, and strange patterns suddenly appeared on the statue. Then, the statue absorbed all the blood that covered its surface.
Eyes closed and still dripping her blood over the statue, Evergreen Ivy muttered something under her breath for several minutes straight. It was as if she couldn't feel the blood loss at all. Gradually, the dark statue turned red and smooth like a piece of red jade. It clearly looked evil and demonic.
"O' mighty Nether Lord, in the name of Evergreen Ivy, I beseech you to descend upon this plane!"
Buzz!
As soon as Evergreen Ivy completed her chant, a dark shockwave rippled across the secret room. The statue's eyes also turned as black as the night sky. Then, a noise that sounded like a million people whispering at the same time appeared inside the room. It sounded crazed, chaotic, and dark. The noise was so unbearable that Dark Eye and Rotten Crown instantly collapsed to their feet and rolled around in abject pain, but thankfully, it faded away after just a second.
Outside the secret room, the sky of Anyang suddenly shuddered like someone was knocking on its fabric of space and time. Then, all the bodies, blood, energy of resentment and more littered across the county started flying into the sky. They eventually merged together to form a door of flesh and blood that oozed an ominous pressure and unspeakable evil.
"What the…"
For a time, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up. Even the Strangers had temporarily forgotten their rage to stare at the unholy door in the sky.
For the first time since the battle began, Ling Jianqiu's eternally frozen face cracked and revealed a hint of shock and disbelief, "Oh no! Someone is trying to use the bodies and resentment accumulating on this land to summon a powerful Stranger!"
"A powerful Stranger? Do you know what this Stranger might be?" Yan Yufei asked.
"I don't know!" Ling Jianqiu shook his head. "One thing for certain, it isn't someone you, I, or anyone in this county could fight against!"
"What do we do?" Yan Yufei did not linger on the subject.
"We need to stop this Stranger from descending!" Ling Jianqiu kept his answer as short and succinct as possible. "There are two ways. One, we destroy the door before it fully forms. Two, we identify the location where the ritual is taking place and destroy the ritual!"
"Neither of those sound like good options," Yan Yufei replied in a solemn voice. The first way was impossible because the door was extremely high up in the sky. Forget destroying it, they couldn't reach high enough to hit it.
The second way sounded less impossible than the first option, but it was really the opposite. Anyang was anything but a small place. They would be long dead by the time they finally found the ritual's location.
"Let's awaken the Heavens' Eye!" Ling Jianqiu decided to go with the first way after sucking in a deep breath. Considering that there was little chance they would find the ritual in time to destroy it, they could only pray that the Heavens' Eye would be powerful enough to destroy the flesh-and-blood door.
If it worked, they would live, and if not, they would die. It was as simple as that.
1. Idiom. It means someone in high places has great tolerance
Chapter 91: I'll Sacrifice You
"Lord Yan, Chief Ling, I can find the rats who're casting this ritual!"
Yan Yufei and Ling Jianqiu's mood had just reached a new low when Ye Qing's voice suddenly cut through the haze like a beam of sunshine.
"I'm sorry? What did you just say, Joyless?" Yan Yufei looked up at the young man who had somehow appeared next to him without him noticing. He knew that his ears were functioning perfectly, but he still couldn't quite believe what he just heard.
"You're not hearing things, Lord Yan!" Ye Qing said smilingly, "I said, I can find the rats who're casting this ritual!"
"Really? Are you sure?" Yan Yufei stared at him both suspiciously and hopefully. Ling Jianqiu wasn't speaking, but his gaze bespoke the same emotions as the magistrate. Despite their decision, they knew it was incredibly unlikely that the enemy had not factored in the possibility that they would attempt to destroy the flesh-and-blood door with the Heavens' Eye, meaning that their last-ditch effort was most likely going to end in failure. If Ye Qing really could do what he claimed, then it was certainly a more realistic and hopeful plan than theirs.
"Of course! Have I ever lied to you, Lord Yan?" Ye Qing declared confidently, "I just need you and Chief Ling to buy me some time."
"Okay then. We'll carry out both plans at the same time!" Ling Jianqiu wasted no time in arriving at a decision. "Lord Yan and I will do our best to delay the Stranger's arrival, while you will find the rats and disrupt the ritual!"
"If the Heavens' Eye succeeds in destroying the door, then all is well. If not, then we need to find those rats anyway!"
"I understand!" Ye Qing nodded and saluted the two men solemnly. "I'm counting on you, my lords!"
"And we you, Joyless!" Ling Jianqiu and Yan Yufei saluted him as well.
Their final words weren't just a prayer for success. It was a solemn promise to see through their duties to the very end if only for the people of Anyang!
Creak!
Ye Qing was just turning around to leave when the flesh-and-blood door in the sky suddenly creaked loudly as if it was about to open. The surrounding space shuddered violently, and the flesh-and-blood door suddenly came alive with countless vengeful souls and crying spirits screaming endlessly on its surface. Their unholy wails were so terrible that eardrums were deafened, and nosebleeds were triggered even from such a great distance.
"Looks like we have even less time than we thought. Let's awaken the Heavens' Eye immediately!" Ling Jianqiu said and tapped his sword with the back of his finger. It immediately let out a melodious ringing that temporarily kept the disturbing wails at bay.
"Got it!" Yan Yufei nodded and pointed at his Seal of the Land. Ling Jianqiu then threw a badge into the air and made a hand seal. The badge was immediately charged with some sort of energy.
The badge was none other than the symbol of the Chief of Bureau, the Pacification Badge. In a county, the Heavens' Eye could only be used by the county magistrate and the local Chief of Bureau, and only if they both activated it at the same time. It would not awaken if even one of them was missing!
"Please answer our call, Heavens' Eye!"
The two men chanted, and both the Seal of the Land and the Pacification Badge shone at the same time. They then fired a beam of light at the Heavens' Eye hung in front of the entrance.
Runes shaped like flowers, birds, fishes and insects suddenly came alive and swam all over the ordinary-looking bronze mirror. A dragon's head and a phoenix's tail feather washed away the stains on its surface instantly and created gentle ripples of light.
Creak!
It was at this moment the door in the sky widened just enough to reveal a crack. Behind the crack was an infinite sea of darkness. Everyone who saw it immediately felt dizzy as if they could faint at any moment, and the weak-willed ones instantly lost their souls and became possessed by evil energy. Their bodies then mutated into mindless monsters who knew nothing but slaughter.
That wasn't all. A pitch black hand abruptly poked out of the flesh-and-blood door. Size wise, it looked no different from a human's arm, but as black as ink and as ominous as the night. The appendage looked thin and frail, but it emanated so much power that it gave off the impression of beauty instead.
The moment the arm appeared, they all felt like a mountain was sitting above their chest. An unbelievable amount of pressure poured down from above, and the heads of those who were heavily injured or weak in mind abruptly exploded like watermelons.
"PLEASE ANSWER OUR CALL, HEAVENS' EYE!"
Ling Jianqiu and Yan Yufei roared in unison as the Seal of the Land and the Pacification Badge shone even brighter. When the Heavens' Eye grew so bright that it was like a second sun, it discharged a massive pillar that illuminated the entire county as bright as day.
The flesh-and-blood door shook violently long before the pillar of light even got close. It started melting rapidly like snow, and black smoke was rising from the pitch black arm as well.
The Heavens' Eye's light seemed to anger the owner of the arm. It opened its hand and made a grab for the incoming attack like it would crush it between its fingers.
Every time the hand moved an inch, it would grow a lot larger. It seemed physically impossible, but by the time the hand had moved about three inches, it had become large enough to blot out a sun.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Light clashed against the darkness, and white mixed haphazardly with black. The resulting shockwave was so epic that houses collapsed, the earth was torn asunder, and the entire world seemed to be engulfed in dust.
...
They used the Heavens' Eye already. We need to move faster! Ye Qing thought while feeling the epic clash happening far, far above his head. This wasn't the first time he had experienced this, but his heart was beating just as fast as the first time.
He looked at Faceless beside him and asked, "Where are they?"
"Hehe! You seem extremely confident that I'd be able to find them, young master. What if you were wrong?" Faceless laughed instead of answering.
Ye Qing looked back to the horrifying mixture of black, white, and pure chaos happening in the sky and said indifferently, "I'll sacrifice you to your god, of course! It was what you wanted, wasn't it?"
"And what will you do after I'm dead, young master?" Faceless asked with morbid curiosity.
"I'm going to run, duh. You don't actually think I'm going to commit double suicide with you, do you?"
Not only did Faceless take no offense from his sarcastic remark, he exclaimed, "As expected of my young master! You are a dragon compared to the rest of us puny mortals!"
"Cut it out. You'll have all the time in the world to butter me up after we've ended the ritual and survived this crisis!" Ye Qing slapped Faceless on the shoulder once. "So take me to them already!"
Faceless had made himself scarce ever since the Strangers had invaded the county. It was because Ye Qing had tasked him with keeping an eye on Dark Eye and Rotten Crown. It was because he knew that Evergreen Ivy would contact them eventually, and he wanted to take out the most elusive and well-hidden Stranger of them all. In the off chance that Evergreen Ivy decided to abandon her allies and never show up, he would at least know where Dark Eye and Rotten Crown were hiding. He would kill them when the crisis was over.
As it turned out, his plan was even wiser than he thought, though Ye Qing sincerely wished that things hadn't turned out this way. He was certain that Evergreen Ivy was behind the ritual, but there was no guarantee that she would be together with Dark Eye and Rotten Crown. It was a gamble he had to take though; their only chance at taking out the rat behind everything. If it worked, then all was well. If not, then he had no choice but to abandon Anyang to its fate and escape.
In that sense, he supposed he hadn't been wholly truthful with Yan Yufei and Ling Jianqiu. He had made it sound like he could locate the ritual for sure, which wouldn't be a lie if not for the timer that was breathing down all of their necks. If this location turned out to be farther than expected, then he could only apologize to the people of Anyang and do what he must. After all, a dead person would not be able to take revenge for Anyang!
In life, the best a person could do was to ensure that they had no regrets. Whether or not their efforts would bear fruit… was completely up to fate!
"Hehe. Don't worry, young master. You're a lucky man, and I'm not too far behind you. None of us are dying today!" Faceless declared.
"Oh?" Ye Qing's eyes lit up at the subtext. "So Dark Eye and Rotten Crown are involved in the ritual after all?"
"Not at the beginning, but afterward? Yes!"
"Speak human!" Ye Qing quipped impatiently only to remember that Faceless wasn't human.
Faceless stopped keeping him on tenterhooks and replied, "This whole thing was planned by Evergreen Ivy, probably. Just now, she suddenly revealed herself to Dark Eye and Rotten Crown and led them into a nearby residence."
"Evergreen Ivy? Residence?" Ye Qing figured out his meaning immediately. "They must be holding that ritual in that residence then! Take me there now!"
As it turned out, the residence wasn't far away at all. They had arrived at their destination after just a dozen breaths or so of running. Faceless said, "This is it, young master. I saw them entering this courtyard with my own two eyes. But as you know, my former allies are no ordinary Strangers, so I dare not follow them inside and risk being discovered."
"Got it."
The duo leaped up to the rooftop and looked around for a bit, but there was no one in the courtyard. Eyes half-lidded, Ye Qing abruptly dropped back to ground level directly in front of the house.
"Young master, this isn't very… stealthy, is it?" Faceless commented in a dumbfounded tone. If there was anyone inside the house right now, they would've spotted Ye Qing instantly.
Ye Qing smirked. "Relax. There's no one in the courtyard or the house."
He knew this because he had scanned the whole place with his spirit earlier.
"What?" Faceless looked left and right frantically but could not find anyone as Ye Qing said. Afraid that Ye Qing would accuse him of lying, he hurriedly defended himself, "I'm telling you the truth, young master! I really saw them entering this courtyard!"
"Why are you panicking? I never said you were lying to me!" Ye Qing entered the house and circled the living hall once.
"Where are they? They couldn't have left while I was gone, could they?" Faceless muttered. He was pale with fright because he knew that there was a non-zero chance Ye Qing would actually "sacrifice him to his god" if he screwed up something this important.
Luckily for him, Ye Qing replied confidently, "They're still here. You don't see them because they're underground!"
As soon as he said this, Ye Qing walked up to a certain spot and brought down his right foot on the floor. It immediately gave way to an underground passage.
Faceless: "..." I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Wouldn't it be stealthier to find the hidden level to open the passage?
"This is faster!" Ye Qing explained as if he could hear the Stranger's thoughts before jumping into the hole. A number of twists and turns later, they arrived at a stone door leading into a secret room.
"This is it!" Ye Qing said while staring at the door. He took a step backward and waved. "Strangers first!"
"..."
Fuck, I suddenly feel like swearing. Evergreen Ivy and the others must be ready after that loud commotion earlier. That's why he's sending me through the door first to spring their trap. How could he do this to his humble, loyal servant?
Despite his thoughts, Faceless sucked in a deep breath and slowly went over to the door. There was a high chance whatever was waiting for him behind the door would kill him, but he would definitely die if he dared to disobey Ye Qing's order. Between the bad and the worse option, it was obvious what he should pick.
Faceless took a moment to heighten his concentration to the max. Then, he gave the stone door a mighty push. As soon as the door creaked open, A pair of beams attacked his head and his abdomen at the same time!
Faceless let out a strange cry as his forehead split apart, and he unleashed his own beam of light to save his own life. Despite this, he was unable to block the full-powered attacks completely. A good chunk of his head was cut off, and his waist was just barely hanging by a thread.
As Faceless staggered backward, Ye Qing dashed into the secret room so fast that he was almost pressing against the floor. Quick as a phantom, he unleashed an attack that Faceless couldn't see because of the partially open door and elicited a pair of muffled groans. When he finally recovered enough to enter the secret room, he saw Ye Qing standing at the entrance with his saber out, and Dark Eye and Rotten Crown clutching a bloody stump each deeper within the secret room. Their severed arms were strewn across the floor.
"Faceless? You're the one who betrayed us!?" Dark Eye screamed with outrage and hatred when he saw the Stranger.
Faceless shrugged. "There never was any camaraderie between us, was there? You want to survive, and so do I. That's all there is to it."
Rotten Crown was glaring daggers at him as well. "The Nether Lord won't forgive you for this betrayal, Faceless! He will kill you when he descends on this plane!"
"I know. That's why I came to stop you." Blood poured down Faceless' face as he grinned widely. "I'll probably live if he fails to descend upon this plane, am I right?"
"You think you can stop us?" An insane amount of eyeballs suddenly appeared all across Dark Eye's body. They glowed ominously in the dim room and looked incredibly intimidating.
"Hehehe, of course—"
Faceless knew that he was no match against Rotten Crown and Dark Eye together, so he instinctively wanted to postpone the inevitable fight as long as possible, but when he glimpsed Ye Qing out of the corner of his eyes, he suddenly changed his mind. What could the two Strangers possibly do to him with Ye Qing around? So, he said, "—I can. I alone am enough to turn you both into ash."
Chapter 92: Shenwu
"Young master?" Dark Eye and Rotten Crown automatically filtered most of Faceless' boasting out of their mind except the important bit. Both Strangers wore a severe expression when they turned to look at Ye Qing.
Faceless might be beneath their notice, but the young man was a different story. He looked incredibly young, and his cultivation level seemed so-so at best. And yet, every cell in their body was screaming that he wasn't someone to be trifled with. The fact that they lost their arms in the earlier exchange was proof of that.
Ye Qing wasn't looking at them, however. Since the moment he entered the secret room, he only had eyes for the altar and the silhouette on top of it. He said, "Damn, Faceless! Were you hiding your strength this whole time? Now I feel sorry for stealing your limelight! Okay, you can play with the small fries. I'm going to focus on the altar!"
There was no time, and Dark Eye and Rotten Crown weren't worth his attention. Since Faceless wanted to prove himself so badly, it was only right that he, the master, gave him the opportunity to do so, right?
Small Fry D and R: "..."
Small Fry F: "..."
Faceless was more shameless than most since he had no face, but this face-slapping onslaught still felt as hard as a hurricane. If he knew this was going to happen, he would never have succumbed to the temptation. It was too late for regrets though. Even if he took back his words now, Ye Qing would not change his mind, and Rotten Crown and Dark Eye definitely wouldn't overlook him!
"You won't damage the altar, human!" Rotten Crown pounced toward Ye Qing when he took off toward the altar. As she ran, large clumps of rotten flesh fell off her head and exposed her bony white skull. They splattered on the ground with a disgusting squelch and spilled pools of yellowish liquid. Then, rotten arms, heads, tongue, teeth, hair and other unholy creatures crawled out of the pools and pounced toward Ye Qing as well.
"Get lost!"
Ye Qing didn't even look at Rotten Crown, however. He simply swung his sleeve and sent a raging torrent of force in her direction. The force blast annihilated all the strange creatures she had created instantly, and his sleeve struck her squarely in the face. If Rotten Crown's height was average, the sleeve would have put a hole in her stomach at most. However, she was an exceptionally short Stranger, so…
Bang!
Not only had Rotten Crown's head exploded like a watermelon, she crashed into the wall at the far end so hard that the entire room shook, and a bit of dust fell down from the ceiling. The Stranger still wasn't dead, however. Her empty shoulders wriggled a little before a pair of smaller heads about half the size of the original head grew out of them. The head on the left asked, "Are we still fighting, or?"
The head on the right yelled, "Are you stupid? He just beat us like it was nothing! We'd die for sure if we attacked him again!"
Enraged at being called stupid, the head on the left yelled back, "You're stupid! Your whole family is born stupid!"
The head on the right screeched in outrage, "Who are you calling stupid! I dare you to say that again!"
Spittle flew everywhere as the head on the left taunted, "Stupid, stupid, you're so stupid~"
As expected, the argument quickly devolved into a shouting match where absolutely no one was the winner. Neither head could get at each other physically because their heads were just a little too far apart, and their hands had fallen off during the crash earlier. Once words had proven insufficient to express their outrage and disdain, they even started spitting at each other's faces like children. It would've been beyond hilarious if Anyang's existence wasn't on the line right now.
Meanwhile, Ye Qing had broken off into a run as soon as he incapacitated Rotten Crown, his aura growing increasingly powerful with every step he took. When he was about three meters away from the altar, he leaped into the air and brought down his crescent saber with all his might to unleash a powerful blast of energy at the altar.
Ye Qing had gone all out with the attack. Only a total idiot would try to save his strength at this time. Of course, he could've unleashed an even greater attack had he chosen to destroy the altar at melee range, but he was afraid that stepping on the evil structure would have dire consequences. The outcome was the same anyway. As long as the altar was destroyed, the summoning ritual would be disrupted, and the Nether Lord would not be able to descend on this plane.
As for the black hooded figure on the altar, he was pretty sure that she was Evergreen Ivy. If he could kill her with the same strike, then even better.
However, pale white flame surged out of the candles placed in the eight corners of the altar and formed a semicircular shield. Ye Qing's attack crashed into the shield, and—
Boom!
The resulting explosion was so huge that the room wouldn't stop shaking, and everyone would be breathing dust until they got out of the room. However, the attack had failed to shatter the seemingly fragile altar. The fiery shield protecting it looked untouched as well. Ye Qing was the one who was sent flying like a ragged doll, and even after he landed on the ground he was unable to catch himself until he was almost back at the entrance. There were multiple deep cracks on the ground where his feet had dug into it, and his saber broke off inch by inch like it was made of dust.
Ye Qing wasn't done, however. As soon as he managed to arrest his momentum, he shot forward even faster than before and cracked the limestone floor beneath his feet like a spider web. An unbelievable amount of true qi poured out of his body as he swung his sleeves at the altar.
"Flowing Cloud, Flying Sleeve"
Rumble!
An even bigger explosion rocked the secret room like an earthquake, and this time the fiery shield wobbled like it had taken a solid blow. However, the bone altar within the shield was still untouched, much less Evergreen Ivy.
Thud thud thud!
Ye Qing was thrown back yet again, his sleeves scattering into countless pieces of fabric with every step he took.
After Ye Qing had caught himself for a second time, he wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his lips and muttered, "It's seriously tough!"
He had literally given his 120% to unleash the saber attack and the sleeve attack. He dared to say that no one in the Vessel Augmentation stage would dare to take either one of his attacks head on. However, it still wasn't enough to break through the fiery shield, and now, he had lost both of his weapons.
"Hahaha! It's useless!" A ridiculing voice came from atop the altar. Ye Qing looked up and saw Evergreen Ivy shaking her head a little under her hood.
This shield can only be destroyed by an Astral Refiner. You are strong, but not even you can breach it! No one in Anyang can! So stop wasting your energy and submit to fate! No one can stop our lord from descending!"
At the far end of the wall, Rotten Crown's two heads suddenly stopped arguing and started taunting at Ye Qing with surprising coordination,
"Hahaha… you're out of ideas, aren't you!"
"Hahaha! Hit the shield some more, stupid! What's wrong? Are you out of stamina already?"
"Hehehe. He should've known he couldn't break the shield, but he still wasted his energy anyway. What an idiot!"
"That's right! He's an idiot through and through!"
"Can't I?" Ye Qing suddenly glanced at the two heads. They instantly shivered like they were licked by death and snapped their mouths shut.
Dark Eye had no such qualms, however. He suddenly burst into a fit of mad, uncontrollable laughter while saying, "Hahaha! You've failed, Faceless, human! You've failed! So what if you managed to find this place? You're still going to die! Hahaha! Tremble in fear! Despair! DIE! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Faceless looked deathly pale. Ye Qing looked like he was contemplating something.
...
Crack!
Meanwhile, light and darkness, hope and death, good and evil were still clashing in the skies of Anyang. For a time, they were the only colors of the entire world. Then, a crack caused everyone's head to swivel in the same direction, and they realized in horror that it had come from the Heavens' Eye itself. Cracks were forming on its surface, and it didn't look like it was going to stop.
"Not good. The Heavens' Eye is about to run out of power!" Ling Jianqiu and Yan Yufei exchanged grim looks with each other. Worse still, the arm was still as powerful as ever.
Rumble!
As if on cue, the darkness encompassing the sky pressed an inch closer toward the ground, and the light of the Heavens' Eye dimmed even further. Everyone knew it was coming, but their hearts still sank to the bottom when the relic finally shattered into a million pieces.
The second the Heavens' Eye vanished, the light resisting the darkness immediately started fading like water without a source; a plant without roots. In the end, all that was left was infinite darkness.
It wasn't like their efforts were completely futile, however. Half of the flesh-and-blood door had been seared away by the light. It was also covered in holes and nowhere as pristine and ominous as it was at the beginning.
The arm was also missing everything beneath its elbow. The stump was dripping not blood, but a kind of dark energy that could only be described as evil, twisted, and strange.
Still, it wasn't enough.
Buzz…
The half-a-door started shaking violently. It looked like someone was trying to force their way through. First, it was a shoulder. Then, it was half a head. A couple wriggles after that, the entity managed to squeeze through half of his body. When it finally managed to put a leg through the door, the air shook, space rippled, and a terrifying, seemingly omnipotent presence bore down from above.
At that moment, every human felt like an ant that was moments away from being crushed by the heavens. What could a mortal do against a god or a demon? Nothing. Nothing at all. Forget resisting, they couldn't even muster the courage to look at the entity directly.
All hope was lost from the moment the Heavens' Eye was destroyed. As fear and despair started spreading throughout Anyang like a plague, some people even curled up on the ground and started crying like a baby. At this rate, Anyang's demise was all but set in stone.
"Did Joyless fail?" Yan Yufei muttered. His hair was loose and messy, and his clothes were disheveled. His eyes were calm and fearless unlike many others, but it wasn't because his character was that indomitable. Some people calmed down instead of panicking when faced with absolute despair, and he was one of them.
"It looks like today is the day I die fighting demons and protecting the people of Anyang. I have no regrets." Ling Jianqiu replied just as coolly as ever. "I only loathe the fact that I will not live long enough to slay every demon in this world!"
"Me too, Chief Ling, but the people of Anyang… they did not deserve this fate!" Yan Yufei sighed. No one else said a thing after that.
Right now, there were many people who regretted not doing better in life. There were even more people who were ridden with grief and unwillingness to succumb to their fate.
The entity in the sky seemed to deeply enjoy their despair, sorrow, fear and struggle. Its presence grew even more oppressive than before.
For a time, silence and despair hung over Anyang like a suffocating blanket when suddenly, a voice spoke up,
"Shenwu…"
The voice belonged to a Shenwu Defense Force soldier. He was covered in blood, and he looked so weak it was a miracle he managed to make a sound at all. But not only had he shattered the silence with his cry of defiance, he stood as tall and straight as the spear in his hand.
"Shenwu…"
A second voice spoke up. It belonged to another soldier who had lost his left foot. His disability did not stop him from propping himself up with his spear and standing just as straight as his comrade.
"Shenwu…"
A third voice responded. The soldier who said it had lost an arm, but it didn't stop him from lifting a banner with a tiger-and-leopard symbol into the air with the other. His expression too was firm and unyielding.
"Shenwu…"
"Shenwu…"
Shenwu…"
More and more soldiers rose to their feet and chanted the word "Shenwu" like a mantra no matter what state they were in. At first, it was just a trickle that could barely be heard, but over time it grew louder and louder, until finally the entire Anyang was shaking with the battle cry!
They were soldiers who had sworn themselves to defend their people to the last. They were warriors who flirted with danger and death every day. So what if the battle was lost? So what if they were all going to die? They would still uphold their duty faithfully. They would never give in to fear or despair, and they most certainly weren't going to pass to the other side like sniveling cowards!
Shenwu, Shenwu, Shenwu!
"Hahaha! Good! Good! Let it be known that there are no cowards in Chu!" Yan Yufei laughed energetically as the despair in his eyes vanished without a trace. "Let it be known that the people of Chu would rather die than submit to fate!"
"Death before dishonor!" Ling Jianqiu echoed in agreement before lifting his head high and staring at the entity without fear. "Death before dishonor!"
In the sky, the dark silhouette humphed as if annoyed by the puny humans' show of defiance. Black energy poured out of its body faster than ever before and fell toward Anyang like a world-ending downpour.
The pressure bearing down on the humans suddenly increased many fold. Their bones started cracking ominously like they were carrying a mountain on their shoulders. But no one knelt, and no one was afraid. The next second might very well be their last, but they would at least die with their honor intact!
Death, before dishonor!
Buzz!
The flesh-and-blood door shook again, and more of the entity emerged into the world. Now, it was just one step away from descending upon this plane; one moment away from turning Anyang into a hellscape!
Chapter 93: Cheers to Humanity
On the bone altar, Evergreen Ivy sneered from within her hood, "The Nether Lord would descend any second now. Anyang is finished, and so are you!"
Faceless looked deathly pale, but Ye Qing asked a sudden question, "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Evergreen Ivy said in a mocking tone, "Oh, you mean your fellow humans' final cries of sorrow and despair? I'll admit, they sound pretty melodious!"
Ye Qing shook his head firmly. "Despair? You couldn't have gotten it more wrong. It's the sound of defiance, resolve, and hope!"
"Hope? Is this a joke?" Evergreen Ivy snorted. "Who can possibly turn this around, pray tell? You? Ling Jianqiu? Yan Yufei?"
"No wonder you're the leader of this little group! That's right! I am the one who will turn this around!" Ye Qing declared confidently before producing an incense stick out of seemingly nowhere. He then ignited it and prayed solemnly to the heavens.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't you think it's a little too late for prayers?" Dark Eye said mockingly when he saw this.
Ye Qing ignored him until he had bowed three times in a row. Only then did he look at the Stranger and said, "I remember someone saying something very similar to me in the past."
"And?" Dark Eye didn't understand where he was going with this.
"And he died."
"..." Dark Eye thought that Ye Qing was spewing nonsense, but he wisely kept his mouth shut to avoid provoking the young man and losing his head as a result.
Meanwhile, Evergreen Ivy was suddenly struck by an inexplicable sense of unease as she watched Ye Qing. "What on earth are you planning?"
Ye Qing shot her a look before sighing. "Fine, I suppose it doesn't matter. Your Nether Lord will be showing up very soon, right? That's why I'm praying to the heavens and wishing him a safe journey!"
"What?" If Evergreen Ivy's face could transform into a question mark, it would. She just could not figure out what was going on in the young man's mind.
Logically speaking, she had absolutely nothing to worry about. The Nether Lord was literally seconds away from fully manifesting in this plane, and there should be nothing Ye Qing could do to change this at all. Therefore, all she needed to do was to wait for the Nether Lord to appear and squash the annoying gnat in front of her like a bug.
However, Evergreen Ivy just could not feel at ease for some reason. Her restlessness just kept growing and growing until finally, she lost her cool and shouted, "Dark Eye, extinguish that goddamn incense stick right now!"
Maybe it was because she shouted a little too loudly, or but the puff of air was just enough to blow out a candle in one corner of the altar.
Evergreen Ivy: "..."
Dark Eye: "..." Faceless: "..."
For a moment, the secret room was engulfed in awkward silence. The candle flames were the shield's sole source of power, so blowing out even one of them was enough to weaken it considerably. This was proven when the fiery shield abruptly dimmed in brightness.
"Dammit!" It took Evergreen Ivy a couple of seconds to recover from her shock, but when she did she immediately summoned a wisp of flame and flicked it toward the extinguished candle—or at last, she tried to. Right before the flame would escape her fingertip, her nose was suddenly assaulted by an itchy sensation. It was so uncomfortable that she let out a powerful sneeze and discharged a smear of something straight at the wick of another candle. Outraged, the red candle extinguished itself in an instant.
It was an understandable reaction. The red candle might just be a candle, but it wasn't without its pride. No way it would stand for this humiliation!
That wasn't all. Because of the sneeze, Evergreen Ivy's flame went flying toward an evil-looking talisman instead of the candle she intended to reignite. It was a tiny flame, but the talisman generously burst into flames anyway. If she wanted it to burn, then it shall burn!
The problem was that the talisman was one of the keys to summon the Nether Lord. If it was burned into a crisp, then the summoning ritual would fail immediately. Horrified, Evergreen Ivy immediately rushed over to the talisman and slapped her hand over the fire.
The good news was that the fire had extinguished instantly. The bad news was that she had accidentally slapped the statue behind the talisman and sent it flying through the air. Her eyes bugged out as she tried to catch the statue, but it was far too late. It drew a beautiful arc across the air and landed right in front of Ye Qing's foot.
"..."
Ye Qing subconsciously looked up and met Evergreen Ivy's stunned, dazed, and disbelieving eyes. He could practically hear her thinking: What the fuck just happened? All I did was bark an order and sneeze, so how…
Ironically, this was beyond even Ye Qing's expectations. When he ignited the Incense of Misfortune, his plan had been to induce Evergreen Ivy into making an "unfortunate" mistake and exploit the opening to destroy the altar. Instead, the poor girl had dismantled her own altar like she was possessed by the god of misfortune himself! He would shed a tear for her if she wasn't trying to destroy Anyang and everyone in it!
A wicked smirk slowly spread across Ye Qing's face as he gave Evergreen Ivy a wink. Then, he planted his foot on the statue.
"You dare!?" Evergreen Ivy let out a maniacal screech and raised her hand as if she could somehow command him to stop. The next moment, Ye Qing shuddered and crushed the statue beneath his foot.
While everyone was staring at him in shock, Ye Qing looked up at Evergreen Ivy again and shrugged innocently. "Sorry. I startle easily!"
Back on the surface, the entity was literally one foot away from manifesting in Anyang when suddenly, the flesh-and-blood door abruptly slammed shut and trapped his foot. Like a man whose foot was caught in a mass of metals after a major car accident, he was unable to pull free no matter how hard he pulled. The turn of events was so sudden and unexpected that even the soldiers abruptly stopped chanting and stared as the Nether Lord performed a one-footed dance for them in the sky.
As it turned out, it wasn't a good idea to force your way through an already half-broken door via brute force. One particularly forceful pull later, the flesh-and-blood door abruptly shattered into pieces and engulfed that corner of the sky in a massive cloud of black qi. Then, the entity started dissipating bit by bit as it was consumed by the black qi.
"Nooooooooooooooooooooo…"
The Nether Lord struggled with all his might, but the ritual had failed, and he could not remain in this plane no matter how much he wanted to. He ended his performance with a magnificent, full-throated, anger-charged roar that would reverberate throughout Anyang for at least a few minutes before finally disappearing into nothing. When he was gone, the black energy in the air too dissipated into nothing it never was.
"This… It has to be Joyless! Joyless found those rats after all!" Yan Yufei exclaimed with mixed emotions. It wasn't that he wasn't happy, but just a moment ago he was fully prepared to prove his manhood and die a patriotic death. Then, the Nether Lord had disappeared in a positively comical fashion. It was no wonder that a somewhat traditional man like him was having trouble processing his emotions.
"It would seem that that is the case." Ling Jianqiu nodded with a rare look of surprise and delight on his face as well. "He actually did it."
"Ha, haha, hahahahaha! I knew Joyless could do it! I knew it!" Yan Yufei suddenly guffawed on top of his lungs. It was an utterly undignified laugh that did not befit a magistrate in the slightest, but no one cared. It was because the others were all absorbed in their own shock and elation.
"We won!"
"We won!"
"Shenwu!"
"Shenwu!"
"SHENWU!"
The chant erupted throughout Anyang once more, but this time it wasn't filled with solemnity or grave determination. Instead, it was filled with joy and excitement. It was a cheer to the living, Anyang, and humanity!
...
"Nooooooooooooooooooooo…"
In stark contrast to the joyous cheers happening on the surface, a Stranger was howling in sorrow and despair as if he had lost both of his parents at the same time. It was, of course, Dark Eye.
"Bloody hell, shut up! If you miss your daddy that much, then I'll send you over to him right now!" Ye Qing rubbed his ear annoyedly while extinguishing the Incense of Misfortune.
Evergreen Ivy didn't lose her cool like Dark Eye did, however. In fact, she said in a surprisingly calm voice, "You may have won this time, Ye Qing, but the last laugh will belong to me. One day, I will kill you with my own hands!"
Ye Qing did not like the fact that she was acting so calm. He immediately dashed toward the altar and attempted to hit her with a palm strike, but—
Boom!
The altar abruptly exploded and forced him to dodge out of the way. As Evergreen Ivy slowly disappeared like a mirage, she left him one final message:
"See you soon, Ye Qing! Remember to watch your back!"
"Dammit!" Ye Qing's forehead pulsed as he unleashed his spirit and scanned the entire area. However, he was unable to sense Evergreen Ivy anywhere. She must've prepared an escape route for herself even though she was fully confident that the ritual would succeed. It was a good habit, but he hated it when it belonged to his enemies.
Not about to make the same mistake twice, he turned around and stared at Dark Eye and Rotten Crown. "Oh? Are we saying goodbye already? Okay! Allow me to send you on your way!"
The two Strangers had been tiptoeing toward the entrance since Evergreen Ivy made her escape, but Ye Qing had noticed their movements as a matter of course. Evergreen Ivy managed to elude him because she was both lucky and prepared, but these two? He felt insulted that they even thought that they could escape from right under his nose!
Ye Qing disappeared and reappeared right behind Dark Eye. Then, he made a grab for the Stranger's skull with his left hand. Sensing that he was in grave danger, Dark Eye immediately grew pitch black eyeballs all over the back of his head and shot a myriad of invisible beams at Ye Qing. At the same time, countless eyeballs appeared above Dark Eye and stared down on him as well.
As it turned out, the eyeballs exuded the exact same qualities as the Servant of Fear's corrupting influence. It attacked the mind and spirit and attempted to transform him into something he wasn't.
"This again? Too bad you don't have enough eyeballs though! Your appearance is also way too human for this tactic!" Ye Qing said mockingly. Frankly, the Servant of Fear would've found it insulting to be compared to Dark Eye if they were still alive!
Ye Qing sped up and caught Dark Eye's skull before the Stranger could try anything else. A whoosh of bluish black flames later, Dark Eye managed another two steps due to momentum before disintegrating into a pile of gray ash.
"So scary! We must run!"
"So brutal! We must flee!"
Rotten Crown paled and tried to flee after Dark Eye had died in front of them, but it turned out that two heads sharing one body was a terrible idea. At first, Rotten Crown ran in circles three times in a clockwise direction. Then, she turned around and ran in circles three times in an anti-clockwise direction. This kept going on and on as the two heads argued with each other incessantly,
"To the left, idiot!"
"No! We should go to the right!"
It was impossible to tell if they were really trying to flee or just fooling around. The Stranger had turned into pure comedy relief since they lost their main head.
"I almost feel bad for them, but eh, there's no future for them anyway!" Ye Qing shrugged before dashing over and landing a "Boundless Lightning Palm". One thunderous boom later, Rotten Crown's body exploded into smithereens.
"Idiot! You just killed yourself!"
"Stupid! You're going to die as well!"
"Ptooey! You're the stupid, your whole family's stupid!"
"Ptooey ptooey! You're the stupid, your whole lineage is stupid!"
"Ptooey ptooey ptooey!"
"Ptooey ptooey ptooey ptooey!"
The two heads would not stop yelling and spitting at each other's faces even as their voices faded over time. Eventually, they fell completely still.
"Why didn't you keep them alive for interrogation, young master? They might know a thing or two about Evergreen Ivy's identity," Faceless asked after Ye Qing had slain Dark Eye and Rotten Crown. It wasn't because he felt sympathy for his fellow Strangers though. In fact, he wanted Evergreen Ivy dead as soon as possible. After all, the woman knew that he was the traitor, and his life was in danger so long as she was still alive.
"There's no point!" Ye Qing replied while looking around the secret room for a bit. He felt disappointed when he found nothing valuable. "Evergreen is an incredibly careful Stranger. There is little chance she would have leaked her identity to Dark Eye or Rotten Crown, so it would've just been a waste of time!"
"Wise words, young master!" Faceless nodded in agreement. He was of the same opinion, frankly.
"Oh right, what is that incense stick you used just now, young master? Is it the one you made outside the county the other day?" Faceless asked another question.
"Yep. It's called the Incense of Misfortune!"
"The Incense of Misfortune? No wonder!" Faceless nodded with trepidation when he recalled just how unlucky Evergreen Ivy had been during those final moments. "Does this mean you can literally pray your enemies to death now, young master? That's incredible! It's a million times more effective than sticking nails in a voodoo doll!"
"..."
Chapter 94: Screw Ups Never Die
Ye Qing went back to the gates after he left the secret room. There, he saw Yan Yufeii and Ling Jianqiu celebrating their triumph with the masses. The magistrate called out to him as soon as he spotted him from afar, "Over here, Joyless!"
Ye Qing walked over to him and saluted both men. "Lord Yan, Chief Ling, I have completed my mission!" It was never too early to inform your superiors of your magnificent achievement.
"Yes you did, yes you did! On behalf of all of Anyang, I thank you for saving our lives!" Yan Yufei laughed happily and tried to bow to the young man, but Ye Qing hurriedly caught him before he could do so.
"You flatter me, my lord. I'm just doing my duty. Plus, I'm the one who suggested this plan, and because I underestimated the Strangers it nearly ended in an unthinkable tragedy. If anything, I should be begging for forgiveness from you two!"
Yan Yufei guffawed. "Hahaha! You're forgiven then! It is thanks to your plan that we are able to wipe out all the Strangers near Anyang, and barring the unforeseeable the county will be a far safer place for at least a hundred generations to come! If that isn't worth praising, then what is?"
He then put a hand on Ye Qing's shoulder and added in a meaningful tone, "Sometimes, the result is the only thing that matters. Do you get what I'm saying?"
"Wise words, my lord!" Ye Qing smiled back.
At the side, Ling Jianqiu patiently waited for them to finish exchanging pleasantries before asking, "So, who are the bastards behind the ritual, Joyless? And how did you find them?"
Ye Qing saluted him and said, "I was just about to give you a report, Chief Ling. The long story short is that Evergreen Ivy is the one behind this. As it turns out, her plan from the start wasn't to destroy the county with the Strangers, but to use the death, blood, and slaughter created by our battle to summon the Nether Lord."
"The Nether Lord?" Ling Jianqiu furrowed his brow sternly.
Noticing that Ling Jianqiu recognized the name, Ye Qing asked curiously, "Do you know who the Nether Lord is, Chief Ling?"
Ling Jianqiu shook his head. "He's a powerful and evil intelligent-type Stranger, but that is none of your concern at the moment. Please, continue!"
And so Ye Qing continued, "As to how I managed to find the location Evergreen Ivy is holding the ritual, it's a bit of a happy coincidence. Earlier, I tasked Faceless to follow Rotten Crown and Dark Eye because—"
He told them exactly how he had found the secret room, though he didn't mention the fact that he didn't actually think well of his chances of success, and he was totally ready to make a run for it if Faceless had failed.
Yan Yufei fell silent for a bit after listening to Ye Qing's story until the end. "He then said with lingering trepidation, "Thank the heavens that you're a lucky man, Joyless. We would've all died if not for you."
"I'm not going to deny that. My luck has always been pretty good," Ye Qing said smilingly, "but Anyang is pretty lucky too, don't you agree?"
"Hahaha! You're right! The heavens' grace is on Anyang and Chu today!" Yan Yufei launched into another guffaw.
Ling Jianqiu snapped out of his thoughts and asked, "Where are Evergreen Ivy, Dark Eye and Rotten Crown right now?"
"I killed Dark Eye and Rotten Crown, but Evergreen Ivy managed to escape. She was prepared."
Ling Jianqiu furrowed his brow again. "So our positions are reversed yet again. She is a threat so long as she continues to exist. We must uncover her and eliminate her as soon as possible!"
Ye Qing nodded. "I completely agree!" Considering Evergreen Ivy's skill and intelligence, she could definitely create a disaster like this again if she was left to her devices. It might take her another decade or two, but they could not rest until she was truly eliminated from this world.
More importantly, Evergreen Ivy now remembered him as the man who thwarted her whole plan and had vowed to enact bloody vengeance upon him. While he was now strong enough to protect himself, he did not fancy the idea of having to watch out for her for god knows how long, and heavens forbid if she summoned the Nether Lord to come after him or something. The sooner she was dead, the sooner he could rest easy.
"I'm glad to hear that. In that case, I leave her to you, Joyless!"
"...!?"
When Ye Qing finally realized what Ling Jianqiu was saying, he wheeled around and stared at the Chief of Bureau incredulously. I thought this is a Pacification Bureau matter? Why are you dumping this in my lap? Do I really give off a free laborer vibe or something?
Sure, he too wanted to find Evergreen Ivy as soon as possible, but it was one thing to act on his own volition and another to be carrying orders, especially if he didn't get a reward for it!
As if he could read his mind, Ling Jianqiu tossed a badge into his hands and said, "This is the Pacification Badge. Think of it as a symbol of the Chief of Bureau position. From now on, you may command any Sentinel, enter any Pacification Bureau branch, and look through any file in our archives as you please."
"..."
Ye Qing caught the badge, but he did not understand what Ling Jianqiu's gesture meant. The Chief of Bureau turned to Yan Yufei without giving him an answer. "It's time for us to perform our duty, Lord Yan. Let's go."
Yan Yufei hmphed. "You did not just steal one of mine and pretend that nothing had happened, Chief Ling."
Ling Jianqiu's expression remained unchanged. "What distinction does it make? We are all people of Chu, and we are all doing this for the good of the people, are we not?"
Yan Yufei looked taken aback for a second. Then, he clicked his tongue in astonishment and said, "You really had me fooled during our first meeting. Who would've thought that a straight-laced man like you could spout such nonsense with a straight face?"
"You flatter me, Lord Yan. I still have a long way to go before I can reach your level!" Ling Jianqiu replied with a salute.
"Not at all! Now I'm certain that you are who we should strive to be, Chief Ling!" Yan Yufei hmphed again before walking up to the Chief Ling and facing forward where You Da was walking toward them.
Oh. Ling Jianqiu was… inviting me to join the Pacification Bureau?
Meanwhile, Ye Qing had finally figured out what Ling Jianqiu meant from his interaction with Yan Yufei. It would seem that both Yan Yufei and Ling Jianqiu thought very highly of him. Who would've thought that he would become so popular one day? It would be even better if they were two women instead of two men, but hey, he wasn't complaining!
Smiling, Ye Qing toyed with the Pacification Badge for a bit before putting it away. Regardless of his intentions to join the Pacification Bureau or not, obtaining the badge was definitely a good thing. It would have been so much more difficult to suss Evergreen Ivy out of the Pacification Bureau otherwise.
Meanwhile, the vice magistrate, You Da, had reached Ling Jianqiu and Yan Yufei to give his report. His armor was coated in dry blood, and his expression was ridden with deep sorrow. He saluted both men before facing Lord Yan. "My lord. We managed to kill over ten thousand Mundane-class Strangers, a thousand Red-class Strangers, and eight Malice-class Strangers. However, the Shenwu Defense Force has also suffered three hundred fatalities and eight hundred injuries!"
The Pacification Bureau member standing next to You Da was also reporting to Ling Jianqiu in a solemn voice, "My lord. The Sentinels have taken one hundred fatalities and three hundred injuries. Of the hundred fatalities, two of them are Lieutenants, and five are Guardians."
Generally speaking, a county had a garrison of one thousand Shenwu Defense Force soldiers and five hundred Sentinels. This meant that both defense forces had lost over half their numbers in a single night. They might have secured Anyang for at least decades to come, but the price they had to pay was terrible to put it mildly.
A pyrrhic victory was almost as bad as a defeat, so it was no wonder that no one was happy.
"Thank you all for your hard work!" Yan Yufei nodded at them before shooting his right-hand-man, Yan Feng a look. The bailiff understood his meaning instantly and placed his saber on You Da's neck.
You Da wasn't expecting this as a matter of course, not to mention that he was terribly exhausted after the grueling battle. It wasn't until the cold metal was pricking his skin that he realized what just happened and exclaimed in shock, "What is the meaning of this, my lord!?"
His voice drew everyone's attention as a matter of course.
"You will see very soon. Bring him over, Yang Guan!" Yan Yufei ordered. A while later, the young bailiff returned with a prisoner in tow. His cultivation was sealed away by two metallic chains passing through his shoulder blades, and he looked like he had gone through hell. He was none other than Tang Yi'an. The gate captain wailed as soon as he saw You Da, "Save me, brother-in-law! Save me!"
You Da's eyes turned bloodshot and murderous when he saw this. "My lord! What on earth did Yi'an do to deserve such treatment?"
"Hah! What did he do, you ask?" Yan Yufei sneered. "Who did you think opened the gates to the Strangers, You Da? It was your brother-in-law. He was the reason Anyang was almost destroyed tonight!"
You Da's voice rose to a new octave. "WHAT? Impossible! Yi'an would never do such a thing! You must've been mistaken!"
He wasn't lying to save his brother-in-law. Forget the fact that Yi'an was the one who opened the gates, he didn't even know an invasion was coming until everyone was in position, and Yan Yufei had told him about it at the last minute.
"I didn't do it, brother-in-law! I'm innocent!" Tang Yi'an shouted even louder when he heard this, "Save me, brother-in-law!"
In response, Yan Yufei said disdainfully, "Innocent? Answer this then. Three days ago, did you not accept a bribe from a merchant and promised him that you would open the gates for him tonight?"
Tang Yi'an's jaw slackened. He wasn't able to answer the question, not that Yan Yufei wasn't expecting him to. He continued, "I can tell you right now that that 'merchant' who bribed you is really a Stranger. His plan was to convince you to open the gates so that he can lead an army of Strangers into the county, slaughter our people, destroy our home, and wipe Anyang from the surface of the earth. It is only by the grace of the heavens that we are still standing right now, so tell me, do you still think you're innocent?"
Tang Yi'an collapsed to his knees then. His eyes both looked horrified and hopeless.
You Da's heart sank when he saw Tang Yi'an's reaction. It was practically an admission of guilt.
He had always known that Tang Yi'an was a greedy and licentious man, but he still treated him like a son because he and his wife weren't able to conceive a child. He thought that Tang Yi'an was smart enough to not go overboard, and even if he did his offense should not be so severe that he, the vice magistrate of Anyang, could not protect him.
But this? This was beyond his wildest imagination. Forget protecting Yi'an, even he wasn't exempt from blame as he was guilty by association!
"Tang Yi'an, it is bad enough that you, the guard captain of Anyang, was derelict in your duty, but your treacherous greed had nearly led to its destruction. If we hadn't discovered the Stranger's ploy in time, tens of thousands of people would've died because of you. The destruction of Anyang would've had unimaginable consequences to Chu as well."
"You, Tang Yi'an, deserve death!"
Yan Yufei's voice was harsh and unrelenting. Everyone in the area was glaring at Tang Yi'an with anger and bloodthirst as well.
"You Da, I know that you have no clue of Tang Yi'an's treachery, but the law of Chu states that all colluders of Strangers are to be exterminated to the three generations! Do you submit?"
Thump! You Da also collapsed to his knees with hopeless, despairing eyes. He bowed his head and replied in a lifeless voice, "I submit, my lord."
It was the only answer he could give. Had he tried to resist in any shape or form, Yan Yufei would've had cause to execute him on the spot. And even if he miraculously managed to escape, there was no place in the entire realm that would accommodate him. Heck, there was no human nation in the entire world who would accept a colluder of Strangers!
"Good!" Yan Yufei said before changing his tune suddenly, "That said, the crime was committed by Tang Yi'an and Tang Yi'an only, and you have no knowledge of his wrongdoing. Moreover, you have fought valiantly to defend the people of Anyang, so I shan't execute you as per our law."
"That said, you still must answer to your crime if only for all the lives that were lost today. Your post will be stripped, your possessions will be confiscated, and you will be temporarily demoted to a sinner [1]. You may not leave Anyang until you have served your sentence and regained your citizenship!"
"I… thank you for not killing me, my lord!" You Da pressed his head to the ground and started weeping openly.
It was at this moment Tang Yi'an broke out of his stupor and pounced toward You Da. He screamed on top of his lungs, "B-brother-in-law! Don't leave me behind! Please save me as well! Please!"
Yan Yufei looked at the man with disgust as he ordered, "Take him away! I want him beheaded in front of the gates three days later so that the heroic souls who have died defending Chu today may rest in peace!"
"At once!"
Yang Guan accepted the order and dragged Tang Yi'an away.
Ye Qing let out a small sigh as he stared at the hysterical Tang Yi'an and the dazed You Da. He had no sympathy for Tang Yi'an, but You Da's fate could only be described as tragic. Unfortunately, there would always be screw-ups so long as life continued to exist in this world. You Da was just one unfortunate soul in an endless line of victims.
"Yan Feng, make the arrangements to give our warriors a dignified burial and compensate their families handsomely."
"At once!"
"Chen Hou, take some men with you and sort out the bodies of the Strangers. Put those that can be used in our treasury and burn the rest. We don't need a plague right now!"
"At once!"
"Yu Yuan, take the rest of the men with you and scour Anyang for stragglers. The sooner we rid the streets of Strangers, the sooner our people will be safe!"
"At once!"
1. A status quo thing. You know how slaves are a class below common citizens? This is that, but not slavery
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".
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