Stranger Danger

Chapter 354: I’m Scared Too

“Brother Fu, Ruyan is timid. Ruyan doesn’t want to sit here.”

A sweet voice entered Ye Qing’s ears before he could look up.

“Fine, we won’t be sitting there,” an arrogant voice cooed before ordering imperiously, “Hey you! Get up and give us your seat!”

Ye Qing looked up. As expected, the young man who hadn’t worn a mask was looking down on him from above. He turned away after a disinterested glance.

The boat wasn’t big, and Ye Qing and Greenlake were sitting in the middle of the boat. Since the rest of the seats were close to the sides of the boat, one could say that they were occupying the best seats. It wasn’t surprising that someone would have funny ideas.

“Hey, I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?” The arrogant man frowned when he saw that Ye Qing was ignoring him.

“Are you talking to me?” Ye Qing finally responded.

“What do you think? Who else could I be talking to if not you? A ghost?” The man harrumphed.

“Oh, sorry. I thought it was the barking of a dog of someone who forgot to keep their dog on a leash,” Ye Qing replied uncaringly.

“There’s a dog at this place? Where? Why can’t I see it?” Jing Xin, the monk immediately looked left and right as if he was actually searching for a dog.

The young man’s complexion turned ugly. “Do you know who I am, boy? How dare you insult me!”

“Oh, you’re the dog! But aren’t you a human?” Jing Xin exclaimed in mock realization before Ye Qing could answer.

The young man flushed red and roared at Jing Xin, “Shut up, Crazy Monk!”

“My mouth is my own. Why should I shut my mouth because you say so?” Jing Xin scratched the back of his head. “Also, I’m not wrong. You’re not a dog, are you? Unless you’re secretly a Stranger wearing human skin?”

Before the young man could react, Jing Xin abruptly launched an attack at him, “Audacious Stranger! How dare you try to infiltrate our ranks! I shall smite you with my Mighty Sky Dragon!”

“You really are crazy!” The young man was able to block the sudden attack, but he staggered a few steps backward due to how powerful it was. “Are you planning to kill us all? Just how insane are you to fight someone on the River of Forgettance?”

He then remembered something and hurriedly added, “Also, I’m human! I’m not a Stranger!”

“Don’t fight on the boat, you crazy bastard!” Everyone else was stunned and glaring at Jing Xin as well. For obvious reasons, no one expected a fight to break out on the boat. After all, they were all going to die if the boat capsized. Crazy Monk was even crazier than they thought, however.

“If you’re not a Stranger, then why the fuck are you kicking up a fuss? Stop wasting my energy, fool.”

Thankfully, Jing Xin was just crazy, not stupid. He knew it was a bad idea to fight on the boat as well. He sat back down after rebuking the young man.

The young man: “...” So it’s my fault now?

“Calm down, Brother Fu. It’s my fault you were in trouble. Let’s forget about this, shall we?” Ruyan said meekly while pulling at the young man’s sleeves.

“It’s fine. It’s not your fault, Ruyan.”

After consoling the girl, the young man sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to speak in an amiable tone, “I am Fu Hengcong of the Fu Clan of Tian Yong. Can you give me face, brother?”

“I do not know a Fu Clan or Fu Hengcong,” Ye Qing replied indifferently. It was the truth.

“You don’t know the Fu Clan of Qing He[1]? Tsk tsk... the Fu Clan and the prestigious Cui Clan are known as the Two Jades of Qing He, and Scion Fu is a direct descendant. He is known as the Romantic Warrior, and he once spent tens of thousands of gold just to ransom a lady of a brothel. He is a model example we should all strive toward!”

Song Qingyu looked at the woman standing beside Fu Hengcong and said frivolously, “In fact, I’m willing to bet this is the woman you ransomed. She is as graceful as a willow and as sweet-sounding as sugar. Be sure to keep her safe, Scion Fu.”

The woman ducked behind Fu Hengcong as if embarrassed, and Fu Hengcong harrumphed, “I don’t need you to tell me that!”

He ignored the guy and turned his attention back to Ye Qing. “I’m willing to pay for the seat. How much do you want?”

Ye Qing replied indifferently, “My apologies, but I’m pretty wealthy myself.”

“You...” He exhaled deeply before continuing, “Is there anything I can give you that will convince you to give up your seat?”

At the same time, he released a hint of aura as a threat.

Ye Qing replied, “There’s no need. I’ll relinquish the seat when we get to the inner market. You are free to use my seat for as long as you want then.”

“You dare make fun of me?” Fu Hengcong’s eyes flashed silver.

“So what if I am?” Ye Qing sneered as his own eyes turned as black as ink. A tiny black lotus could be seen swaying behind his pupils.

An invisible, formless energy spread out in the sky, and Fu Hengcong suddenly let out a muffled grunt. The blood on his face abruptly drained away, and an iron taste suddenly filled his throat. He gulped down the blood while doing his best to hide his shock.

Just now, he had employed a mental art that was passed down within his family, the “Supreme Yin Soul Slaying Arrow”, to attack Ye Qing. It was one of their ultimate techniques and could annihilate a person’s Six Souls without a trace. It was as invisible as it was deadly.

In his senses, Ye Qing was just an early-stage Spirit Purifier. That was why he was confident he could eliminate his Six Souls with a sudden attack. Even if he failed, he was certain it would deal a grievous blow and teach Ye Qing to never cross him again.

In reality, not only did he lose the exchange, he was this close from losing his life. The “Supreme Yin Soul Slaying Arrow” had vanished immediately after it invaded Ye Qing’s headspace, and right after that, he felt a deadly power that caused every hair on his body to stand on end.

The only reason he survived Ye Qing’s counterattack was because the mental imprint his father had left in his headspace had triggered at the last moment. Despite this, he still took some damage from the attack.

“It’s fine, Brother Fu. Don’t be angry.” Ruyan consoled Fu Hengcong before turning to Ye Qing, “This is all my fault, mister. I’m sorry. All I ask is that you don’t get angry with Brother Fu.”

“Tsk tsk, a woman’s crying for you, Scion Fu. How can a member of the Fu Clan or any man for the matter let such a beauty cry?” Song Qingyu interrupted before Fu Hengcong could say anything, “I can step up on your behalf if this is too much for you to handle!”

“Silence, you cur!” Fu Hengcong glared at Song Qingyu. He was going to beat a hasty retreat after Ye Qing dealt him a severe blow, but now he could no longer do it without completely embarrassing himself.

If he had worn a mask, then he could’ve pretended that this never happened. Unfortunately, his own disdain had stopped him from donning a mask when entering the Yin Market, so everyone and their mothers knew exactly who he was. He didn’t doubt for a second that rumors of his “cowardice” would spread throughout the yang and the yin world if he backed down now.

What should I do? Fu Hengcong desperately tried to come up with a solution.

Meanwhile, something flinty flickered in Ye Qing’s eyes. On the surface, it sounded like Song Qingyu was just making a casual remark. In reality, the fucker had been fanning the flames since the moment he opened his mouth.

The woman named Ruyan was no naive lady either. Fu Hengcong himself couldn’t see it, but it was obvious that she had him completely under his thumb. Not only that, she most likely incited this whole conflict because she knew that his and Greenlake’s seat were the safest, proving that Greenlake’s intuition was correct.

Fu Hengcong might have the word Cong (meaning Intelligent) in his name, but he was as dumb as a pig.

“I don’t like your tone, villain. It has treachery and malice riddled all over it,” Jing Xin spoke up suddenly.

“What are you talking about, monk? I just don’t like seeing a woman cry is all.” Song Yushu shrugged.

“That’s his woman, not yours. Even if she cries, it’s up to him to appease her, not you. Is that it? You want to fuck his woman?” Jing Xin harrumphed.

“Shut your trap, monk!” Fu Hengcong turned around and glared at Jing Xin.

“I’m trying to help you, you idiot. It’s obvious that this guy is the type of bastard who enjoys stealing another man’s woman. But luckily for you, your woman isn’t a good person either. After all, what kind of good person would demand another person to give up their seat as soon as they got on a boat? If you ask me, you should let her go before she cucks you.”

Jing Xin chanted an “Amitabha” before continuing, “The Buddha says that one should perform a good deed everyday. No need to thank me, benefactor.”

“Why the fuck I would thank you? You’re the cuckold! Your whole family are cuckolds!” Fu Hengcong was so angry he could catch a stroke, but then again, what was the point of arguing with a madman, especially one he couldn’t beat?

Ruyan was sobbing quietly and acting like she might burst into tears at any moment.

This monk’s a genius! I can’t believe drew all the attention away from me in just a few sentences! He’s a good guy! Ye Qing’s impression of Jing Xin improved considerably. Thanks to the interruption, the tension between him and Fu Hengcong was considerably lesser than before, and Fu Hengcong now had an excuse to call off his stupendously bad idea without bad.

Honestly, he didn’t feel like clashing against anyone at the moment, and if this was anywhere else, he would’ve just given up the seat and walked away. However, he couldn’t ignore the ferryman’s words, not to mention that Fu Hengcong’s attitude was loathsome. That was why he didn’t give up the seat.

He wasn’t afraid of being recognized either. He was wearing a mask right now. Unless he revealed his own face like an idiot, the guy would never find out his true identity!

“Enough. The boat’s about to take off.”

It was at this moment Lu Hui interrupted the conversation coldly. He said this because the ferryman was boarding the boat as well.

The ferryman paid no attention to the group after boarding the boat. He walked up to the front end of the mast and lit another lantern.

The two lanterns lit the boat as bright as day, though the light it gave off felt cold and unsettling.

“That’s the Human Skin Lantern and the Corpse Oil Candle.” Greenlake whispered when she noticed Ye Qing examining the lanterns curiously. “The reason he lit one lantern when he came over and two lanterns when he’s about to head back is a sort of prayer to guarantee safe passage.”

After the second lantern was lit, the ferryman pushed off the shore with his bony setting pole. The boat immediately shot toward the center like a loose arrow.

The second the boat drifted away from the shore, every ghost in the River of Forgettance immediately swam over like sharks who smelled the scent of blood. As they gathered, they formed several huge waves that only grew bigger as time passed. Each and every ghost was howling on top of their lungs and reaching out toward the passengers with ethereal hands. This was just the beginning, and already it looked like the apocalypse was upon them.

“Bro... Brother Fu, I... I’m scared...” Ruyan grabbed Fu Hengcong’s arm tightly and buried her face into his chest, shaking.

I’m scared too! Fu Hengcong was quaking with fear as well. Still, he forced down his terror and consoled her, “Don’t... don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

If I die, at least we’ll die together.

1. A commandery in Tian Yong prefecture. ?

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