Stranger Danger

What excuse should I use to leave the village? Ye Qing frowned. It was likely that the trip to Jade Dragon Lake would take days, so he couldn’t just sneak away during a routine patrol. He couldn’t just up and leave either. His fellow villagers would definitely suspect something.

Knock knock!

It was at this moment someone double-tapped on his door. He called out, “Who is it?”

Sun Er’s voice came from outside. “Captain Lin is looking for you, Ye Qing!”

Ye Qing opened the door and greeted his fellow villager. “Good afternoon, Sun! Why is the captain looking for me?”

Sun Er shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I reckon it has something to do with the group of outsiders who just came into our village!”

“Outsiders? Do you know who they are?” Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise.

“Sorry, no. What I can tell you is that they’re well-dressed, pompous, and not someone you wish to trifle with. Make sure you don’t offend them when you see them, okay?”

Ye Qing smiled. “Sure! Why would I do that?”

The two men chatted until they arrived at Granny Xia’s residence. As soon as they arrived at her doorsteps, they immediately heard a cold, unfamiliar voice coming from inside, “Hmph! The favor we’re asking from you is trivial at best, but all I hear are excuses and more excuses! Is that it? Does August Hill Village thinks they are superior to the Zheng Clan of Anyang?”

“Of course not! Why on earth would we denigrate our guests? It’s just that Huhu and I are still recovering from a major battle, and we are not fit for any sort of long trip. Please understand…” Granny Xia’s voice followed meekly.

“Understand? Understand my ass! I think you just don't want to obey us! You realize that the entire August Hill Village is going to suffer if my young master’s plans are disrupted in any way?” A stout middle-aged man with a ferocious aura threatened.

“Be polite, Pao. We are here to ask for help, not to fight and kill,” said a youngster sitting at the head chair of the house. He was wearing expensive clothes and enjoying a sip of tea. Although it sounded like he was reining in his servant, his arrogant expression and his next words were anything but. “We can always threaten them after they refuse to help us, right?”

“As you command, young master!” The man named Pao grinned savagely while staring at Granny Xia and Lin Hu like a butcher would examine his meat.

Granny Xia and Lin Hu were fuming, but they didn’t dare to let their emotions show. Forget the Zheng Clan, the group of five in her house alone was no one they could trifle with.

The youngster in expensive clothes was Zheng Tianyuan. He was the leader of the group and the scion of the Zheng Clan. His aura marked him as a middle-stage Qi Invoker.

Pao was Zheng Tianyuan’s bodyguard and a late-stage Qi Invoker.

The old man with white hair and a goatee called himself Prayer. He looked to be in his late fifties, but his aura was tough and unfathomable.

The other middle-aged man was called Chi Long [1]. Living up to his namesake, he had red hair, red beard, and reddened skin that gave him the appearance of a walking furnace. His aura felt incredibly powerful and hot to touch as well. He was a keeper of the Zheng Clan.

The last person in the group was an old woman named Granny Snake. She carried a walking stick with a handle that was shaped like a turtle dove. Her pupils were an eerie dark green, and she carried a dark green snake that constantly slithered in and out of her sleeves. It was possible there were more snakes inside her clothes. Her aura was as gloomy as she was creepy, and she too was a keeper of the Zheng Clan.

The two men and one woman were all late-stage Qi Invokers. In fact, their auras clearly marked them as Pao’s superior in cultivation. Without exaggeration, the three of them were enough to slaughter every man, woman and child in August Hill Village!

“Granny Xia, right? Maybe you or your watchmen captain are unable to accompany us, but surely there’s someone else you can send?” The old man named Prayer spoke up in an unhurried tone before sipping his tea. “We will take anyone you have as long as they’re suitable. We desperately need this medicine to save a life, and we cannot afford any more delays. We will be most grateful if you will lend us your aid!”

Granny Xia relaxed a bit when she heard this. “Well, there is someone. A few days ago, a Windcatcher of the Pacification Bureau, Chu Nianjiu, was conducting business in Little August Hill. He had taken one of our watchmen with him while investigating the Jade Dragon Lake. If you don’t mind his cultivation, I am sure he can be of help to you!”

“You’re talking about the lad standing just outside the door, aren’t you? Let him in!” Prayer said amiably.

Granny Xia nodded and called out, “Ye Qing! You can come in now!”

After Ye Qing stepped into the house, he saluted Granny Xia and Lin Hu before asking, “Were you looking for me, Granny Xia?”

The old woman answered, “Ye Qing, these people are guests from Anyang. They would like your help with something.”

“Help? What can I possibly do for these people?” The voices were muffled, but he had vaguely heard Granny Xia talking about the Jade Dragon Lake before he was invited in. Could these people be looking to visit the Jade Dragon Lake?

“Have you been to Jade Dragon Lake?” Zheng Tianyuan interrupted arrogantly and stiffly before Granny Xia could say anything.

Ye Qing looked to Granny Xia for instructions. It wasn’t until she said, “Please answer his question,” that he saluted the youngster and responded, “That is correct. Three days ago, I accompanied Lord Chu Nianjiu to the Jade Dragon Lake to investigate a Strange Artifact that had gone out of control. However, we never went deeper than the periphery because he claimed that the Jade Dragon Lake is too dangerous!”

On the inside, Ye Qing was celebrating his good luck. He was just wondering how he could convince Lin Hu to let him go to the Jade Dragon Lake.

“Good. You will be accompanying us!” Zheng Tianyuan declared, sealing Ye Qing’s fate without even bothering to ask for his consent.

Ye Qing pretended to look confused as he, a measly journeyman Reforged, shouldn’t have been able to eavesdrop on their conversation. Prayer noticed this and let out a chuckle. “It’s like this. We desperately need a herb named the Red Buddha Lotus to save a life. As the herb could only be found in the Jade Dragon Lake, we would need someone to take us there. Since you’ve visited the Jade Dragon Lake before, would you be so kind as to act as our guide?”

“I…” Ye Qing pretended to hesitate. He wanted to go there of course, but it would be highly suspicious if he raised his hands and whooped, “Let’s go, let’s go!” It was a forbidden area that nobody wanted to visit after all.

Also, these people might be able to fool his fellow villagers, but as someone who made it all the way to the underbelly of the Jade Dragon Lake, he knew that it was a total lie. Forget the Red Buddha Lotus, it didn’t even have a lotus-shaped plant in the area. The only plant that could be found close to the lake was weeds and more weeds. Therefore, these people had to be visiting the Jade Dragon Lake for a whole nother reason!

Prayer continued, “Don’t worry, lad. We don’t need you to accompany us to the lake. Just take us to the outskirts, and we’ll handle the rest. We promise you that you won’t be in any danger, and we’ll reward you handsomely for your efforts!”

Suddenly, a sweet, young voice interrupted the conversation, “Why don’t you let my baby play with him, Prayer? It might just be the incentive he needs to change his mind, haha!”

It was Granny Snake who had said those words. She was clearly an old woman, and yet her voice sounded just like a young woman in her twenties. It was eerie to say the least.

Everyone turned to look at Granny Snake, then back at Ye Qing. It was because a green snake about the width of a thumb had circled around his neck before they realized it. Ye Qing visibly gulped as it tickled his skin with its tongue. His lips were pale, and his body was shivering as if he was doing everything he could not to move and startle the snake. He looked so afraid he might faint at any moment!

Of course, it was all an act. Ye Qing had sensed Granny Snake’s movements the second she set her snake on him. He simply chose not to react was to avoid suspicion.

He wasn’t worried that Granny Snake would kill him. They needed him to take them to the Jade Dragon Lake, so there was no way they would kill him until then.

“What are you doing, elder one?” Lin Hu exclaimed in shock and instinctively took a step toward Ye Qing. He quickly stopped when he realized there was no way he could rescue the young man before the snake bit him though.

Granny Snake chuckled darkly. “Relax. Like I said, it’s just a little incentive. If the lad agrees to be our guide, then all is well. But if he does not, haha…”

He would be fucked up, of course.

“I’ll do it! I’ll be your guide!” Ye Qing nodded in a hurry.

“Good boy!” Granny Snake reached out, and the green snake leaped back to her arm. It circled around her wrist and returned to being a cute, “harmless” pet.

“If you’re worried that we might mistreat you, don’t. Take this.” Prayer tossed a pellet into Ye Qing’s hands. “This is a Tiger Bone Power Pill. It can strengthen your body and improve your vigor. You’re currently in the journeyman level of the Body Tempering stage, right? If you consume this, you’ll enter the adept level immediately! Consider this our down payment for your service. We’ll give you a second pill when we’re done with our business!”

“Thank you so much, elder one! Thank you!” Ye Qing hurriedly tucked the pill under his shirt while wearing an ecstatic expression on his face. On the inside though, he was rolling his eyes so hard his imaginary eyes had fallen out of their sockets. You couldn’t be anymore obvious with your carrot and stick approach if you want to. Also, Tiger Bone Power Pill is such a lame ass name. I’m willing to bet a million silvers it’s nowhere as good as my dragon-serpent rune. This is the problem with society these days, they keep overestimating their worth even though they’re really just a small fish in a big pond that blah blah blah…

“Now that we have our guide, let’s not waste anymore time!” Zheng Tianyuan declared before making his way to the exit. Even now, he still hadn’t looked Ye Qing in the eye. Chi Long and Granny Snake followed right behind him.

“We shall be taking our leave then. Thank you for the tea,” Prayer said politely while getting up. “And don’t worry, we’ll take good care of your lad. I promise that no harm will come to him.”

“Of course, of course. Thank you!” Granny Xia and Lin Hu hurriedly got up to see their guests out. After they were gone, Granny Xia beckoned Ye Qing to her side before saying seriously, “Boy, those are bad, bad people. You must watch yourself when you’re in Little August Hill. If you find anything that doesn’t sit right with you, anything at all, do not hesitate to run like hell, okay?”

“I understand, Granny. Thank you for your concern!” Ye Qing nodded obediently and gave her and Lin Hu a bow. Then, he left the house.

After Ye Qing was gone, Lin Hu slammed the table hard and growled, “God dammit! If we were any stronger, Ye Qing wouldn’t need to risk his life on our behalf! He’s just a boy!”

“It can’t be helped. We live in a world where weaklings do not deserve to live.” Granny Xia sighed weakly. “And you and I are both weaklings!”

“I have a question, Granny. Why did you summon Ye Qing instead of Zheng Tao or Wu Biao to accompany those people? Aren’t they stronger and a better fit for the job?” Lin Hu asked.

She replied, “The trip to Jade Dragon Lake is most likely going to end in tragedy. While Zheng Tao and Wu Biao are stronger and more suitable, we have lost too many warriors to the human skin Strangers already, not to mention that Chen Zheng just died three days ago. Even our surviving warriors are injured or outright crippled. Frankly, we cannot afford to lose anymore men.”

“Right now, Zheng Tao and Wu Biao are our village’s strongest warriors besides you and me. They’re also the ones with the highest potential for growth. It’s a shame we have to sacrifice Ye Qing, but they must be protected at all costs.”

“Granny, you… you knowingly sent Ye Qing to his death?!” Lin Hu cried in horror. “How can you do this? Granny, you… argh! I’m going to stop him!”

Granny Xia caught Lin Hu as soon as he tried to move. “What do you think you’re doing? Your life is your own, I can’t stop you if you insist on throwing it away, but consider this: what will happen to the village if we lose you?”

“I… I…” Lin Hu stopped struggling. He looked like he wanted to rip something in half.

Granny Xia slowly let go of Lin Hu and let out a sigh. At that moment, it looked like she had aged another dozen years. “I told you, didn’t I? Weaklings do not deserve to live in this world!”

Lin Hu closed his eyes, complexion turning as gray as death.

She was right. In this world, weakness is a sin!

1. meaning Red Dragon ☜