Stranger Danger

Chapter 541: So?

“I can’t believe you never told me about this… which means that you must have already known that I am a traitor. Why didn’t you just kill me then? Why this farce?”

The Wisdom King of Joy asked bitterly even as the fight left his body.

Joy Bodhisattva shook her head. “I didn’t know that you’re the traitor. I only know that someone within the sect is colluding with outsiders to kill me. So, I decided to put myself out as bait, lure out the traitors and the outsiders, and kill two birds with one stone. That is all.”

Ouyang De coughed. “Ahem… considering that you already have a plan, and you have entered the Grandmaster stage, I’m sure you could have dealt with these people yourself. Why did you even bother hiring me to be your bodyguard then?”

It was clear that Ouyang De didn’t know about this either, and he was feeling stupid and annoyed as a result.

“I hired you to lure out all of my enemies. Otherwise, those who truly mattered might not show themselves. Besides, I prefer to wrap up my business in one go instead of dragging it forever.”

Joy Bodhisattva bowed respectfully in Ouyang De’s direction and said, “If it wasn’t for you, the Wisdom King of Joy would never have revealed himself. It is thanks to you pressuring them so much that they have no choice but to reveal their full hand. Therefore, not only is your presence necessary, you are the biggest reason that my plan is a success.”

“Hehe… I suppose you’re right.”

Ouyang De was a simple man. A good explanation and a bit of heartfelt flattery was all he needed to hear to forget the fact that he had been kept in the dark.

“I see. You truly are wise beyond your years, Bodhisattva.”

The Wisdom King of Joy nodded and, to everyone’s surprise, dropped to his knees and pressed his head to the floor. “Merciful Bodhisattva, I was blinded by evildoers and tempted into betrayal. Can you forgive me? If you do, I swear to carry out your every command serve you faithfully for eternity. May I fall into the infinite hells and never reincarnate if I break my promise.”

“Wisdom King of Joy! You spineless coward!” Master of Swords raged when he saw the Wisdom King of Joy submitting to Joy Bodhisattva just like that.

Instead of answering, the Wisdom King of Joy remained exactly where he was with his arms stretched forward, and his forehead pressed against the ground. He was prostrating himself before Joy Bodhisattva like he was praying to Siddhartha Gautama himself.

The fight was already over. He was injured, Master of Swords couldn’t fight anymore, Master of Curses was most likely suffering from a rebound after the God Sealing Curse was broken, the Lampholding Protector was crippled, and the Joy Arhat was dead. On the other hand, Joy Bodhisattva’s side had just gained another Grandmaster, namely herself. No matter how you looked at it, resistance or escape would only result in death. Therefore, begging for leniency was his only hope of surviving this.

“Do you know that there is nothing I loathe more than betrayal?” Joy Bodhisattva said slowly.

“I am aware that my sins deserve a thousand deaths. Still, I beg for your forgiveness, Bodhisattva,” The Wisdom King of Joy replied while shivering a little. He did not dare to retort or quibble considering the situation. He could only beg harder.

Joy Bodhisattva did not say anything for a time, and the Wisdom King of Joy remained as silent as death as well. He didn’t dare to say anything for fear of triggering her.

Just when the Wisdom King of Joy’s anxiety reached a new height, Joy Bodhisattva looked at Ye Qing and asked, “What do you think I should do? Should I kill him, or should I forgive him?”

“You… You’re asking me?” Caught off guard, Ye Qing pointed at himself while feeling incredulous and confused at the same time.

“Yes.” Joy Bodhisattva nodded.

“Ahem… this is your personal business, so you should decide for yourself.” Ye Qing rubbed his nose and answered cautiously, “Plus, I’m sure you already have a plan, so…”

“I see. I shall do as you say.” Joy Bodhisattva nodded.

Ye Qing: “...” I didn’t suggest anything though?!

Joy Bodhisattva suddenly lowered her hand and grabbed the Wisdom King of Joy’s skull. A shudder coursed through his body, but he didn’t dare to resist.

“You have betrayed me, and I don’t forgive you!” Joy Bodhisattva began. “But the Buddha is merciful, so I will give you a chance to make amends.”

“As you command, Bodhisattva!”

His fate had gone up, and down, then up again. The Wisdom King hid a deep sigh of relief. For now, it looked like he would live a little longer.

Joy Bodhisattva then looked at Master of Swords and said indifferently, “Kill them.”

“... Them?” The Wisdom King of Joy looked in Master of Swords’ direction in confusion. The Half-Step Grandmaster was just one person, so who was she referring to, exactly?

It was at this moment a second Joy Bodhisattva appeared from afar and reached them in just the blink of an eye. When she came to a stop, they finally noticed that she was holding a man by his neck.

The man looked old and gloomy, and his exposed skin was covered in all sorts of patterns. One look at those patterns sent a chill up everyone’s spine. Right now, he looked sickly pale and listless.

“Master of Curses!” Ouyang De blurted while looking back and forth between the second Joy Bodhisattva and her captive.

The second Joy Bodhisattva dumped Master of Curses beside Master of Swords. Then, she walked up to the first Joy Bodhisattva and, to everyone’s astonishment, merged into her.

Ye Qing couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. Despite his spiritual power, he was unable to tell who was the real and who was the fake, and he definitely had no idea when the second Joy Bodhisattva appeared, left, and captured Master of Curses without alerting anyone.

“Kill them, and I will let you live,” Joy Bodhisattva commanded.

“You dare?!” Master of Swords exclaimed in shock and horror. “We’re from Endless Sand!”

“So?” Joy Bodhisattva replied calmly.

“We are the vice leaders of Endless Sand! If you kill us, our leader will hunt you to the ends of the earth!” Master of Swords threatened.

“So?” Joy Bodhisattva repeated.

“Killing us is simple, but the price for that is endless strife and even destruction! Our two sects will fight to the death, and the fisherman will hunt us both! In the end, you’re the one who will bear all the consequences! So think twice before you threaten us again, Bodhisattva!”

Master of Curses sneered. Despite his sorry state, he appeared to be calm, collected, and utterly fearless. It was because he did not believe for a second that Joy Bodhisattva would actually kill them.

“So?” But Joy Bodhisattva was unmoved. “Wisdom King, kill them.”

Suddenly, Master of Swords had a very bad feeling about this. He tried to threaten Joy Bodhisattva again, “Are you really going to make a sworn enemy out of Endless Sand, Joy Bodhisattva?”

“Bodhisattva?” The Wisdom King of Joy himself was hesitating. He wasn’t worried for Joy Bodhisattva or the Buddhist Hall of Joy, of course. No, he was worried for himself. Master of Swords and Master of Curses were no ordinary people. They were the vice leaders of Endless Sand. If he slew them, there would be no reconciliation between him and Endless Sand. Even if he had acted under coercion, they would still chase him to the ends of the earth. It would be a difficult period to say the least.

“It looks like you don’t want to repent after all. In that case, I will fulfill your wish.” Joy Bodhisattva raised her hand emotionlessly.

“Mercy, Bodhisattva! This monk will do whatever you say!” The Wisdom King of Joy said hurriedly. A future of endless harassment was still better than death in the present.

Damn, she knows what she’s doing.

Ye Qing sighed mentally. From now on, the Wisdom King of Joy was well and truly Joy Bodhisattva’s slave. Unless a freak accident happened, he would never break free until he died.

Not only that, Ye Qing was almost certain Endless Sand and the Buddhist Hall of Joy would not go to war with each other even after Master of Swords and Master of Curses were killed. To begin with, Endless Sand was the one at fault for trying to assassinate Joy Bodhisattva in the first place. No one in their right mind would say that it was wrong to kill the person or faction who tried to kill you.

Second, Joy Bodhisattva was now a Grandmaster, and the threat she posed was great indeed. Master of Swords and Master of Curses were powerful, but in the end, they were just pawns who were slightly more useful than most. The fate of a pawn was to be tossed away, and while he knew little about Xiong Kuohai, he was sure that the leader would not want to battle Joy Bodhisattva to the death over the loss of two pawns.

As Master of Curses said himself, such a battle would only make it easy for a third party to kill both of them.

Finally, Master of Swords and Master of Curses only held value when they were still alive. Once they were dead, well, they could not generate any more value for Endless Sand, could they? What kind of leader would risk the collapse of their own empire for the sake of two worthless pawns?

Sure, some might argue that not retaliating after such a humiliating defeat was shameful and dishonorable, but if it meant that his interests were protected as a result, then… who cares?

If the voices of opposition within Endless Sand, and Xiong Kuohai was forced to take action despite his own wishes, then Joy Bodhisattva could still toss the Wisdom King of Joy out as a scapegoat and resolve the situation peacefully. He was the one who slew Master of Swords and Master of Curses after all. Xiong Kuohai would also have the perfect excuse to brush off this incident and pretend it had never happened.

A sliver of pity appeared on Ye Qing's face as the Wisdom King of Joy slowly approached Master of Swords and Master of Curses.

This was the jianghu.

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