Stranger Danger

Chapter 234: An Ox Who Knows Kung Fu

“How much longer do we have to go, Ugly Monk?” Ye Qing asked while glancing at his subordinate.

“We’re almost there, my lord,” Ugly Monk replied.

Ye Qing’s eyes glinted as their surroundings grew more and more remote. Not long after he fell asleep, Ugly Monk and Zhou Xi had woken up for an urgent matter. They claimed that they had accidentally come across an area that was covered in white mist and decided that it was worth investigating. However, the two Pacification Sentinels who were dispatched to scout out the place never returned, and they didn’t dare to venture inside without knowing exactly what they were dealing with. So, they decided to come back first and recruit Ye Qing’s aid.

A short while later, Ugly Monk pointed ahead and said, “That’s the place, my lord!”

Ye Qing looked. The white mist wasn’t too thick, so he could vaguely see what was behind it. It was a cluster of dilapidated buildings that had been abandoned for heavens-know-how-long. At this time, the white mist surrounding the area resembled deadly Strangers that were just waiting for him to enter their maws.

Ye Qing pulsed his spirit but couldn’t detect any danger nearby. So, he instructed, “I’m going to take a look. Stay here.”

“Let us come with you, my lord,” Ugly Monk insisted.

Zhou Xi echoed in agreement, “He’s right, my lord. We don’t know what’s inside yet. You could use the backup.”

Ye Qing pondered for a moment before agreeing, “Very well. Ugly Monk, Zhou Xi, the two of you will be coming with me. The rest of you will stay here. Keep your eyes open.”

“As you command!” The Pacification Sentinels replied.

Ye Qing didn’t sense anything special about the white mist when he was outside, but as soon as he went in, he felt a strong, invisible pressure compressing his spirit and his five senses to just a few meters.

“Something’s wrong with this mist. Be careful, and don’t get lost,” Ye Qing instructed before venturing deeper into the mist.

It was dead silent inside the mist. Literally, they couldn’t even hear an insect chirp. Add to the fact that the mist was suppressing their senses, and it felt like they were trekking through the desolate wilderness, lonely and suffocating.

“This isn’t right…”

A while later, Ye Qing noted something strange. This mist-covered area wasn’t really that big, and with their speed they should’ve exited the place a while ago. However, not only were they still inside, they couldn’t even find the exit anymore. Something strange was clearly going on here.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Ye Qing’s spirit warned him of danger. The next second, he heard a soft whistling sound behind his back.

Ye Qing sidestepped out of harm’s way and raised his hand to block an attack.

Bang!

The clash of force pushed the surrounding mist away, and it was revealed that Ye Qing’s attacker was none other than… Ugly Monk.

“What are you doing, Ugly Monk?” Ye Qing yelled. Before he could get a response, a saber flew straight toward his head.

Instead of dodging, Ye Qing tapped the blade and snapped it in half with one finger. The gesture looked weak, but the attacker staggered back with blood spilling out from between his fingers.

“Zhou Xi? You—”

Ye Qing was going to rebuke them both when suddenly, he noticed that their eyes looked blank and unfocused.

Someone’s controlling them? Ye Qing thought wth a deep frown. While he was hesitating, Ugly Monk’s arm abruptly bulged with muscles, and he was able to break free with a powerful pull. A golden sheen covered his hand as he unleashed a powerful palm strike.

“Vajra Palm”

At the same time, Zhou Xi leaped into the air and kicked out with both legs, the fall wind suddenly blowing out of nowhere.

“Fall Wind Kick”

Vajra Palm was one of Ugly Monk’s ultimate techniques. Fall Wind Kick was Zhou Xi’s trump card as well. The duo went all out from the start, but Ye Qing couldn’t because they were allies.

That said, Ye Qing could defeat them even without going all out. The best defense was a good offense, so Ye Qing took one step forward and met Ugly Monk’s palm with his fist, crushing the Vajra Palm’s force before it could even enter his body. Ugly Monk let out a muffled groan as he staggered away.

At the same time, Ye Qing whipped his palm around like a saber and struck Zhou Xi at the weakest spot of his martial art. The fall wind dissipated, and the flurry of kicks died down. While Zhou Xi was recovering himself, Ye Qing stepped forward and hit him right on the neck. The man’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fainted.

Ugly Monk caught himself during this time, but he was still trying to neutralize the force wreaking havoc inside the body. Ye Qing smirked, dashed forward, and knocked him out in the exact same manner.

“And done!”

Ye Qing clapped his hands and got ready to inspect Ugly Monk and Zhou Xi. After all, he hadn’t sensed anything out of the ordinary since the beginning. He wanted to know what was controlling them, and when.

Suddenly, the unconscious duo rose to their feet like someone was pulling them up by their necks. Then, they rushed Ye Qing once more. However, Ye Qing could clearly see that their eyes were closed. His spirit also told him that they were still unconscious.

Ye Qing frowned harder and passed through the duo in the blink of an eye. When he stood still, Ugly Monk and Zhou Xi dropped to the ground once more…

… And climbed back to their feet like zombies.

Ye Qing: “...” So, this is what stun immunity looks like in real life.

This time, Ye Qing summoned a thick swathe of Blood Shadows and trapped them in place. He might not be able to knock them out, but trapping them was a different story.

Just when Ye Qing thought that the matter was over, the sound of crossbow bolts being released suddenly entered his ears. A bad feeling suddenly gripped him as he swung his sleeves and scattered the arrow rain in one strike. The next moment, he saw a bunch of guards wearing black armor and carrying sabers and swords stepping into view. It was one other than the Pacification Sentinels he had ordered to stay outside the mist.

I thought so. If whoever’s behind this can control Ugly Monk and Zhou Xi, why wouldn’t they be able to take control of the Pacification Sentinels?

Ye Qing sighed as the Pacification Sentinels rushed him. He lowered his palm like he was pushing something, and the group abruptly froze in their tracks like they were pinned by a mountain. Then, the Blood Shadows bound them tightly.

“Show yourself. You’ll need more than my own men to kill me,” Ye Qing said with a sneer as he scanned his surroundings.

“Moo… I told you we won’t be able to kill Lord Ye with such petty tricks. In the end, we have to do this ourselves.”

A strange voice came from behind a curtain of white mist. Then, an old ox slowly stepped into view.

Noticing Ye Qing’s strange expression, the ox rolled his eyes at him and said, “What? You never seen an ox before? Moo!”

Ye Qing replied honestly, “I’ve seen an ox, but I’ve never seen one who can talk.”

The ox scoffed, “You think this is special? Wait till I beat your ass with my horns!”

The ox shook his head, and its crescent-shaped horns abruptly glowed like a pair of curved sabers. It was a saber technique, and a two-saber technique to be exact. Strange and treacherous, a flurry of saber forces shot toward Ye Qing like the rain.

Ye Qing conjured his own saber and swung it as swift as the wind.

Dang!

There was a soft shink as a thin line divided the mournful rain. At the same time, a bloody wound appeared on the ox’s forehead.

“What a fast saber. Not bad!” The ox swayed its head back and forth as the wound gradually recovered.

“You, on the other hand, have average skill at best. But only if I judge you by human standards, of course,” Ye Qing said with a sneer.

“Do you think I’m afraid of you, brat? You asked for this! Moo!”

The ox let out a loud moo as its stomach abruptly split open. But instead of blood, a pair of human hands stretched out of the wound and split it wider. A man then crawled out into the open.

He had a surly face, and his upper body was bare not because he couldn’t afford a shirt, but because he was covered in ox fur.

“Ox fur? You’re Niu Ben!” Ye Qing immediately recalled a certain memory in his mind.

Yesterday, after he returned to the Pacification Bureau, he had requested a name list of all the jianghu warriors who entered Luo Shui from Li Lang. Li Lang was the chief constable of the Three Companies and Six Offices of the administrative division and responsible for public security. There was no way he wouldn’t keep a record of all the jianghu warriors who had entered Luo Shui.

Of course, it was impossible for the guards to keep track of everyone, not to mention that some jianghu warriors were pretty good at disguising themselves. Niu Ben wasn’t one of them, however.

Supposedly, Niu Ben was an orphan who had been abandoned in a cow shed. He only survived because an old cow had fed him its milk every day. He also gained an ox bloodline as a result.

The ox bloodline was strong, and he was very young when he gained his bloodline. As a result, he became a half-ox half-human and was covered in ox fur. His personality was strange, and his mood was unpredictable.

Niu Ben was a middle-stage Astral Refiner and an expert at stick arts. His fighting style was wildm violent, and completely fearless. Over time, he came to be known as Niu Ben the Mad Ox.

“Hahaha! It’s a bit too late to be afraid!” Niu Ben let out a mad cackle and produced a stick from the old ox’s stomach. It was at least as thick as a human’s arm and incredibly long. Heavens only know how the old ox’s stomach managed to fit both the human and the stick.

Niu Ben’s eyes grew bloodshot as he let out a mighty roar. His fur started growing like crazy, and his stick was covered in a layer of lightning. He then charged toward Ye Qing and aimed a powerful downward swing at his head.

Space itself was shredded as the lightning stick cut through the air, but Ye Qing ignored it right until the moment it would hit his head. Then, he sidestepped out of harm’s way by a hair’s breadth.

Boom!

The ground shattered like powder when it was hit by the stick. Before Niu Ben could lift it up, Ye Qing stepped it back into the ground.

The lightning slithering across the stick spread to Ye Qing as a matter of course, but it was like he couldn’t even feel it. Since Niu Ben refused to let go off his weapon, Ye Qing put some more strength into his right foot and forced Niu Ben to his knees.

Niu Ben was stunned to say the least. The Great Ox was a Hatred-class Stranger who possessed incredible strength, and since he inherited its bloodline he naturally possessed formidable strength as well. However, he felt as helpless as a child before Ye Qing. And in a sense, he was.

While Niu Ben was being forced to his knees, Ye Qing took one step forward and touched his head like he was petting an animal. Then, the guy’s head exploded into a million pieces.

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