Stranger Danger

Chapter 428: A Deliberate Show of Strength

The next day, on the way to Flying Dragon Mount, Ye Qing moved closer to Hong Jianglong and asked in a low voice, “How did it go, Lord Hong?”

After he went back to the Pacification Bureau, the first thing he did was to tell Hong Jianglong everything that happened and his suspicion that someone was trying to kill him.

Of course, he didn’t reveal the fact that he aided Longing, Hua Mei and Jue Yan. He only described how he barely managed to escape the Corpse Ship after a harrowing experience. It might not be the whole truth, but it was the truth.

He wasn’t afraid of beating the grass and startling the snake. In fact, he wanted to startle the snake.

The enemy had already tried to kill him once, but he had no idea who they were. Not only that, they were as dangerous as they were well hidden. He knew this because not even the Annon Sutra could tell him who that fake Ah Fu really was.

On his own, his chances of unmasking the mastermind was less than zero. Moreover, his silence could easily be mistaken as weakness and submission. He somehow survived the first assassination attempt, but what about the second, third, and forth?

No, staying silent would be a mistake. What he needed to do now was to make a show of strength and intimidate his enemy. If he could force them into making a mistake, then even better.

He told Hong Jianglong about the assassination attempt because the man possessed the power to blow this up as much as possible. For one, the Pacification Bureau was one of the most powerful departments in Chu. There was a chance they might be able to unearth that fake Ah Fu’s identity. Two, he wanted his enemy to know that the Pacification Bureau had decided to intervene in this matter, and that any further attempts would be an attack against the Pacification Bureau itself.

The reason people usually avoided beating the bush and startling the snake was because it would cause the snake to hide even deeper inside the bush, but it was still a better outcome than being bitten by the snake.

“Unfortunately, no. By the time we make it to Yonghe Lake, the Corpse Ship is nowhere to be seen,” Hong Jianglong replied with cold eyes and a hint of bloodthirst.

For the past few years, a couple of geniuses participating in the Hidden Dragon Conference would often go missing for no reason. However, he always thought that they were murders caused by vengeance or competition, something that happened everyday in the jianghu. Besides that, jianghu matters didn’t fall under the Pacification Bureau’s jurisdiction, and not enough people disappeared every Hidden Dragon Meet for them to change their opinion and consider if it might be related to the supernatural.

But now, Hong Jianglong was almost certain that the disappearances were tied to the Corpse Ship. If Ye Qing hadn’t survived the Anomaly, he would still have no idea to this day.

To think that an Anomaly had been kidnapping people right under their nose for years! To say that this was a huge slap to the Pacification Bureau’s face would be an understatement. Heavens only know what the people would say if they found out about this!

“How is the investigation into Ah Fu?” Ye Qing asked. He didn’t care about the Corpse Ship. He only cared about the mastermind behind Ah Fu.

Hong Jianglong replied, “My men reported that there is a waiter named Ah Fu in Wine Are Songs Boat, but he has been missing since noon today.”

Ye Qing furrowed his brows and bowed his head. He already knew that the real Ah Fu was dead thanks to the Annon Sutra. He was hoping that Hong Jianglong would find something about the fake Ah Fu, but it was clear that they had failed.

“Do you think that this has something to do with Wine Are Songs Boat?” Ye Qing asked after pondering for a moment.

“I doubt it.” Hong Jianglong shook his head. “The true owner of Wine Are Songs Boat is Chu Qingli, and he doesn’t know you at all besides watching you fight during the first stage of the Hidden Dragon Meet. Why on earth would he try to kill you?”

“The Harmony King’s son?!” Ye Qing nodded in agreement, but the dead end only confused him even more.

“That said, that doesn’t mean that the employees are completely innocent. We’ve already rounded up everyone and brought them back to the Pacification Bureau. We will interrogate them all and find out if any of them has something to do with your attempted murder,” Hong Jianglong ended in a cold voice.

Ye Qing said slowly, “I haven’t been in Tian Yong long enough to feud with anyone. But if I must accuse someone, I suppose there’s one person who fits the bill.”

“You’re talking about Chu Renhe?” Hong Jianglong glanced at Ye Qing. “It’s definitely possible, and the way you were tricked does remind me of Lei Xiaodan. However, they’re hardly the only suspects. You’ve offended a lot of people such as the Way of Taiping or the Nether Lord. It’s possible that one of their agents had pulled off this stunt.”

Hong Jianglong grunted with a hint of helplessness and resignation, “There are just too many people who want to kill you.”

“Ahem... so, about Ah Fu...” Ye Qing hurriedly changed the subject. I don’t want to offend those forces either, okay?! Trouble just has its way of finding me!

“Just leave it to me and focus on performing well in the Hidden Dragon Meet. You have my word that last night’s assassination attempt will be the last.” Hong Jianglong’s voice turned grim and frigid.

“When the Hidden Dragon Meet ends, I promise that I and the Pacification Bureau will give you a proper answer.”

“Anyone who dares to lay a hand on the Pacification Bureau and harm our people without reason must pay the price!”

Ye Qing pressed his fist to his palm. “Thank you, my lord.”

As soon as Ye Qing’s group made it to the peak, Lei Xiaodan walked over with a smile on his face and said, “I heard that you shut down Wine Are Songs Boat, Brother Hong! Did something happen?”

Hong Jianglong taunted him, “Your ears are sharper than a dog’s, Lord Lei.”

“You flatter me. My skills are nothing compared to yours,” Lei Xiaodan replied as if he couldn’t understand Hong Jianglong’s sarcasm. “You don’t need to tell me about it if it’s an important matter, of course. But I must warn you that the Harmony King would like to have words with you.”

“None of your business. I can handle myself,” Hong Jianglong replied indifferently.

“Did you have a good rest, Young Ye?” Lei Xiaodan ignored Hong Jianglong and turned to Ye Qing instead.

“Thank you for your concern, my lord. I am fine,” Ye Qing replied with a salute. Lei Xiaodan might look amiable, but Ye Qing could never stand in his presence without feeling threatened and uncomfortable. It was why he was unwilling to interact with the Judicial Commissioner if at all possible.

“Are you confident that you’ll become the champion of the Hidden Dragon Meet?” Lei Xiaodan asked another question.

Ye Qing replied smilingly while rubbing his nose, “You flatter me, my lord. There are countless geniuses who are participating in this Hidden Dragon Meet. I wouldn’t dream of taking first place. Top ten is good enough for me.”

The corners of Hong Jianglong’s lips curled downward when he heard this, however. “The fuck did you just say? If you’re not here to become the champion, then why are you participating at all?”

The Pacification Commissioner slapped his shoulder hard before threatening, “You better not bring shame to the Pacification Bureau, or I’ll break your legs with my own hands!”

Ye Qing: “...” Bro, I was just acting humble. Why are you treating it as real?

Lei Xiaodan noticed Ye Qing’s dumbfounded expression and chuckled. “Young Ye was just being humble, Brother Hong. With his strength, I’m certain he would be able to obtain a good placement. Right, Young Ye?”

Hong Jianglong was still glaring at him, so Ye Qing had no choice but to nod his head mechanically.

“Hmph!” Hong Jianglong hmphed loudly.

“Why do you sound so annoyed, Hong Jianglong? Is it because you don’t want to see me?” A powerful voice suddenly came from the distance. Then, a pissed off Harmony King strode into view.

“That’s not it, Your Highness...” Hong Jianglong’s annoyed expression immediately melted into an awkward smile.

“What is it then?” The Harmony King pressed. He might be a full head shorter than Hong Jianglong, but he wasn’t afraid to give him a piece of his mind at all. “Why did you shut down Qingli’s Wine Are Songs Boat, Hong Jianglong? You even detained all the employees!”

“Give me a moment to explain, Your Highness!” Hong Jianglong pleaded.

“You better! Otherwise, I’ll... I’ll...” The Harmony King thought for a moment before threatening, “I’m gonna stay rent free at your headquarters!”

Hong Jianglong felt a small headache coming onto him. “ We recently discovered that the Wine Are Songs Boat was involved with an Anomaly. That’s why we’re performing a detailed investigation on everyone working in Wine Are Songs Boat. Of course, they’ll be released once their innocence is confirmed.”

“An Anomaly? What Anomaly?” The Harmony King blinked. The moment he heard about this, he shoved his anger to the back of his head and focused on indulging his curiosity instead.

“The Corpse Ship Incident,” Hong Jianglong clarified.

“The Corpse Ship Incident? If I remember correctly, it’s one of the most concerning Anomaly cases in the Pacification Bureau, right?” The Harmony King asked.

“That is correct,” Hong Jianglong responded.

“To think it would actually be the Corpse Ship!” The Harmony King exclaimed in surprise. “Where is it right now? Have you dealt with it?”

Hong Jianglong shook his head. “No. By the time we noticed its presence and dispatched a squad, the Corpse Ship was long gone. Luckily for us, it didn’t cause too much trouble. One of the waiters working in Wine Are Songs Boat was involved in the incident. That is why we’re detaining everyone working in the boat and interrogating them.”

“I’m glad to hear that. My stupid son was at the pleasure boat last night. If the Corpse Ship had gotten to him...” The Harmony King patted his chest a couple of times to calm himself before cursing, “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me about it!”

The Harmony King was referring to Chu Qingli, of course. Hong Jianglong apologized, “Sorry. I should’ve explained things to him properly last night.”

Chu Qingli was drinking at Wine Are Songs Boat when he left to shut down the establishment last night. They even had a minor scuffle because of it.

The Harmony King waved off his apology. “It’s fine. Your action makes perfect sense considering that an Anomaly was involved.”

“But Jianglong, you are the Pacification Commissioner of the North. You should’ve noticed the Corpse Ship as soon as it appeared in Tian Yong. Had something terrible happened, the responsibility and the consequences would’ve fallen squarely on your shoulders. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Hong Jianglong saluted the Harmony King and promised, “You’re right. I should’ve done better. I promise to be more careful in the future so that nothing like this will happen again.”

“Good.” The Harmony King nodded before checking the time. “It’s almost time. I shan’t keep you from your duties any longer.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness.” Hong Jianglong saluted the Harmony King again before turning around to face Ye Qing’s group and offering a few pieces of advice. Then, he went away to attend to his responsibilities.

The Harmony King and Hong Jianglong hadn’t tried to hide their conversation, so everyone present heard it loud and clear. A murmur broke out as soon as Hong Jianglong was out of sight.

The Corpse Ship was an infamous Anomaly after all.

Inside a kiosk, Chu Wangsun shot Fang Muyun a glance. Fang Muyun responded with a small, careless smile that suggested everything was under his control.

An hour later, Hong Jianglong’s voice boomed across the place. “The battle to enter the quarter finals begins now!”

Silence immediately enveloped the peak.

“Draw your lots. As per before, one person will be able to advance to the next round without fighting.”

Hong Jianglong slapped the large brazier beside him, and glowing tokens flew out of its mouth and into everyone’s hands.

Ye Qing took a look at his token and noted that his number was eight. He sighed. It would seem that luck was not on his side.

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