Stranger Danger

“Did you two find anything? Are there any clues as to where we are right now?”

At the village entrance, Ye Qing asked Shangguan Hongjin and Pedant Earth directly after meeting up with them.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t find anything.” Pedant Earth shook his head.

“I didn’t find anything either,” Shangguan Hongjin replied. “But I’m sure it is tied to the Dark Overlord, Li Hentian.”

“And why do you say that, Miss Shangguan?” Ye Qing narrowed his eyes a little.

“Tsk. I think we’re past pretenses at this point, aren’t we? A bloodbath is taking place outside, and it’s all to obtain the Dark Overlord Tokens. You wouldn’t believe how much effort it took me to get one and slip into the Death Sea before anyone can stop me. In any case, this place must have something to do with the Dark Overlord. With luck, it might even be the place where the Dark Overlord’s inheritance is buried.”

Shangguan Hongjin crossed his arms and let out a cold chuckle. “Don’t tell me you came in without knowing anything. I won’t believe a word of it.”

“Haha… you’re right.” Pedant Earth coughed. He and Six Fingers too stole a Dark Overlord Token each during the chaos and entered this place.

“A bloodbath, huh?” Ye Qing raised an eyebrow, though he wasn’t surprised to hear this. Even before he entered the Death Sea, signs of chaos and disorder were already beginning to rear their ugly heads. If he wasn’t mistaken, the secret of the Dark Overlord Tokens and the Dark Overlord’s inheritance had already spread far and wide. With that in mind, it was no wonder that a bloodbath was taking place outside.

“Yes and no,” Shangguan Hongjin replied honestly. “I don’t need to tell you what a man the Dark Overlord Li Hentian was. Of course I would like to get my hands on his inheritance.”

“That said, I’m also well aware of my limits. The queue of people who are more qualified than me to receive the Dark Overlord’s inheritance is probably longer than a river, and I know better than to dream of the impossible. The reason I came here is one, to satisfy my curiosity, and two, to get lucky. The meat of this adventure will surely go to the bigshots, but even the soup that leaked through their fingers will be enough to satisfy me.”

“You’re a helluva woman, Miss Shangguan,” Ye Qing praised her from the bottom of his heart. He too had more or less the same idea.

“Hah! No need to lick my boots, warrior. I’d much rather you call me a small fry who’s self-aware.” Shangguan Hongjin snorted. “You though, you’re not here just for the soup, aren’t you?”

Ye Qing smiled. “It is as you say, Miss Shangguan. Everyone dreams of becoming the one to obtain the Dark Overlord’s inheritance. I would not mind it one bit if it fell into my lap, but if not, then I wouldn’t cry over it or risk my life for it either.”

“Haha! I like that we are of the same mind. Would you like to continue our cooperation? This place is quite dangerous, and one misstep may result in tragedy. If we work together, we can mitigate the risks considerably.”

Shangguan Hongjin was also smiling. “As for whether we can obtain or even catch a glimpse of the Dark Overlord’s inheritance, there’s no point thinking about it until we reach that point, am I right?”

Her decision to continue her cooperation with Ye Qing hadn’t been made on a whim. One, Ye Qing was incredibly strong; so strong that even she couldn’t quite fathom his depths. Two, his behavior and conduct so far suggested that he wasn’t a villain or a two-faced bastard. Of course, that could change in the future, but for now, she didn’t mind working together with him.

“Sure! I see no problems with that.” Ye Qing nodded. Two heads are better than one after all. He then turned to Pedant Earth and asked, “What about you, senior? What are your plans?”

“I’m well aware that my strength is lacking, but thankfully, my knowledge and experience should make up for it to a certain extent. If you don’t mind my meager contribution, then of course I’m willing to make your acquaintance,” Pedant Earth replied in a hurry.

“You are too humble, senior. It is our honor to have your aid,” Ye Qing said smilingly.

“Thank you, warrior. Thank you, Miss Shangguan.”

Pedant Earth said gratefully, “Also, please don’t address me as senior, warrior. I do not believe I am unworthy. Instead, just address me by my name or Mr. Earth for short. That is how all my dao friends address me.”

“Very well. I shall address you as Mr. Earth from now on,” Ye Qing readily accepted Pedant Earth’s suggestion.

“As you wish, warrior. Hahaha!” Pedant Earth laughed.

“Are we done with the pleasantries? Good. Now, where should we go next?” Shangguan Hongjin interrupted.

“I don’t know either.” Ye Qing shook his head before looking at Pedant Earth. “You’re a master in the arts of fengshui and the like, right Mr. Earth? Can you please show us the way?”

“I can’t promise results, but I will give it my one hundred percent,” Pedant Earth answered affirmatively.

Pedant Earth knew very well that he was lacking in the combat department compared to his two companions. The only value he possessed was his unique wealth of knowledge and fengshui arts. It wasn’t everyday he got the chance to prove his worth, so of course he was going to give it his all.

First, Pedant Earth sought out a high ground. Then, he produced a circular luopan[1] and pressed a finger to its center. The luopan immediately glowed blue and conjured a fengshui geomancy diagram of the five elements and eight trigrams.

The wind blew, and the clouds gathered. The diagram kept changing and producing all sorts of profound images. To put it simply, the diagram was identifying the good and bad directions based on the theory of fengshui.

After he identified a direction, Pedant Earth put away the luopan and purified his eyes with a spirit talisman. His left eyeball turned as black as ink, whereas his right eyeball turned as white as paper. He then gazed toward the distance.

This was a visual art Pedant Earth cultivated known as the Qi Identifying Art. It allowed him to see the “faces” of the mountains and rivers, recognize the way the winds and waters are flowing, and observe the currents of the six qi.

“Argh!”

Suddenly, Pedant Earth let out a bloodcurdling scream and staggered backward. Blood began pouring profusely out of his eye sockets.

“Are you alright?!”

Ye Qing and Shangguan Hongjin hurriedly stepped forward and supported the old man.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.”

It took a while before Pedant Earth finally managed to open his eyes. However, his eyes were red and swollen, and the blood vessels inside his pupils were damaged and bleeding.

Pedant Earth searched around his bag for a bit before pulling out a wooden basin. The wooden basin was empty, but when he placed it on the ground, a bowl of clear water brimming with spiritual qi suddenly manifested out of nowhere.

Pedant Earth did not hesitate to wash his eyes with the water. A few breaths later, he finally looked up from the bowl and heaved a sigh of relief.

His eyes were still swollen, and his eyeballs were covered in red blood vessels. They looked better than they were before though.

“Are you alright?” Ye Qing asked concernedly.

“I’m alright. Thanks for your concern, warrior.” Pedant Earth saluted him.

“What happened?” Shangguan Hongjin asked next.

Pedant Earth hesitated for a moment before answering, “I saw a cloud of purple qi to the northeast.”

“Purple qi? I thought that’s an auspicious sign? Why are your eyes bleeding if that is the case?” Shangguan Hongjin sounded puzzled.

“And you are right. Purple qi is a sign of auspiciousness and nobility. However, there lies grave danger within that purple qi. It was just a blurry image, but I saw… the silhouette of a great Sage.”

“A Sage?!” Both Ye Qing and Shangguan Hongjin’s eyes widened.

“Correct. It was definitely a Sage.”

A tremor entered Pedant Earth’s voice when he recalled something. “However, this Sage… does not have a head.”

“If I have to make a guess, I reckon that a Sage had died at that place.”

“A dead Sage?”

Ye Qing and Shangguan Hongjin exchanged glances with one another. They could both see the shock and disbelief in each other’s eyes.

A Sage was someone who had transcended mortality and entered sagehood. They were what people called a “celestial-on-earth” or “living celestials”. They represented the pinnacle of cultivation under the heavens, and they possessed the power to pluck stars out of the sky, move mountains, and fill seas with a mere gesture. It was why they were treated like gods and celestials.

Of course, as godlike as their power seemed, a Sage was ultimately no god or celestial. It was because a Sage could age and die, and suffer tribulations and accidents just like any other human. It was just that they were so hard to kill that the large majority of Sages died of natural causes.

However, Pedant Earth was telling them that a Sage had died in these lands. Not only that, the Sage had not died because of old age. They were murdered. Their missing head was proof of that.

1. As a reminder, this is a Chinese compass. ☜

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