Stranger Danger

“Huh?”

Mountain Tunneling King and Mrs. Basket stiffened when they heard this. Alarm bells were blaring loudly inside their heads.

“What’s wrong? You don’t believe me? Or do you disagree with my method?” Ye Qing noticed their mood shift, of course.

The two Grandmasters gulped before replying in a hurry, “O-Of course not. We will submit to your judgment, senior.”

Strangely, Ye Qing shook his head disappointedly. “You will? Ah. That’s a shame.”

Mountain Tunneling King and Mrs. Basket were confused, of course. What did he mean by that?

Ye Qing noticed their confusion and explained in a kind voice, “I was going to treat you to an experience that is worse than death itself if you defied me.”

The two were shocked and afraid, of course. Ye Qing was saying that he had done something to them, and yet they hadn’t noticed anything amiss from the start until the end. They also suspected that he was bluffing them. After all, even with his incredible power, there was no way the young man could’ve done something to them without them noticing, right?

“Oh? It looks like you don’t believe me after all!”

Ye Qing’s mouth split into a wide, chilling grin, and he snapped his fingers before they could react. The next moment, both Mountain Tunneling King and Mrs. Basket noticed a seed appearing inside their headspace; their yang god to be exact.

The mysterious-looking seed was covered in demonic runes. When it germinated, they immediately felt as if their yang god was being chewed on by a million insects. At the same time, an indescribable itchiness washed out from the depths of their soul, and no matter what they tried, they were unable to suppress it even a little.

Ye Qing had not been kidding when he told them he was going to treat them to an experience that was worse than death.

The torture lasted only a breath, and yet the two Grandmasters felt as if they had endured it for a lifetime. Then, the demonic seed began to sprout. The itchiness transformed into horrific pain, and they felt as if someone was flaying their yang god alive. Agonized screams burst through their lips as cold sweat poured out of every pore.

“Mercy… mercy, senior! We believe you, so please…!”

“We believe you!”

The two Grandmasters begged for mercy as they rolled on the ground, dignity be damned. When Ye Qing snapped his fingers again, the demonic seeds inside their yang gods regressed back to its original form and disappeared like they were never there.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

Despite this, it took Mountain Tunneling King and Mrs. Basket at least a good few seconds before their panting finally slowed, and they grew conscious of their surroundings once more. The torture had only lasted a few breaths, but they felt as if they had just paid the hells of Fengdu a visit. The indescribable itchiness and pain truly was an experience that was worse than death itself.

“Hahaha… you see, I left a little something in your yang god called a demon seed. When activated, it will go through the five stages of growth, namely germination, sprouting, growing, flowering and fruiting. Each stage comes with its own unique set of sensations such as numbness, pain, yada yada… one thing for certain, it will make you feel like digging out your own soul.”

Ye Qing was closing his eyes a little and explaining with a look of slight intoxication on his face, but his listeners only felt colder with every word he spoke. They had just experienced germination and sprouting, and they already felt like killing themselves to end the suffering. To learn that there was still growth, flowering and fruiting at the back… who in the world could possibly withstand such torture?

“Of course, if you managed to endure all five stages, then congratulations!”

Ye Qing opened his eyes and met the duo’s expectant gazes. “Your soul will disintegrate into nothing, and you will never have to suffer ever again.”

Mountain Tunneling King: “...”

Mrs. Basket: “...”

And here they thought they would be free if they managed to endure the five stages. In a sense that was true, it just wasn’t the type of freedom they wanted, and it sure as hell did not deserve to be congratulated!

Ye Qing had figured out this technique while he was feeling bored. Founded on “Heavenly Demon Captures The Soul”, it was specifically created to deal with disobedient people he didn’t want to kill for one reason or another. This was the first time he used it in a real scenario, and it had proven to be most effective.

As gray despair rose in both Mountain Tunneling King and Mrs. Basket’s eyes, he added, “But don’t worry. I won’t rake you over the coals so long as you don’t give me a reason to. Also, you only need to serve me for three years. When your service period is up, I will remove the demon seed planted inside your yang gods and release you.”

“Really?”

Mountain Tunneling King and Mrs. Basket exclaimed in pleasant surprise. Neither of them could quite believe that Ye Qing was telling them the truth. After all, with the demon seed planted inside their yang god, Ye Qing could have enslaved them for the rest of their lives. They never expected him to promise to free them just three years later.

Sure, they were still going to be Ye Qing’s slave for the next three years to come, but compared to a lifetime of servitude? It was nothing at all.

“What would be the point of lying to you? I can literally kill you both with a thought if I want to,” Ye Qing said indifferently.

“Thank you, senior!”

“You are most merciful, senior!”

Mountain Tunneling King and Mrs. Basket actually felt grateful when they heard this.

“Save it. Just serve me faithfully, and I promise I won’t treat you unfairly.”

Yet again, the carrot and the stick had done the impossible. In the end, all humans could be mastered so long as you mastered their hearts.

Having said that, Ye Qing returned the two Grandmasters’ Nature’s Shells back to them.

“Senior… you…” They spluttered while receiving their Nature’s Shells.

“I told you. I won’t mistreat you so long as you serve me faithfully,” Ye Qing said indifferently, “One more thing. Don’t address me as senior ever again. I am much younger than you two, and the two of you calling me senior makes me feel way older than I actually am.”

“My name is Joyless Ye. In the future, simply address me as young master.”

“As you command, young master. And thank you. We promise we won’t betray your expectations,” Mountain Tunneling King and Mrs. Basket responded. Despite what Ye Qing had done to them, their resentment of him was much lower than expected. In fact, their respect for him had grown by leaps and bounds.

“Good. I have other things to attend to, so go catch some rest and recover your strength in the meantime.”

Ye Qing gave them a pat on the shoulder before walking toward Shangguan Hongjin and Pedant Earth.

“As you wish, young master.” Mountain Tunneling King and Mrs. Basket stared at Ye Qing’s back for a moment. After exchanging a glance with each other, they sat down on the ground and did as Ye Qing ordered.

“What’s wrong? The two of you are staring at me like I’m a stranger or something.”

The two Half-Step Grandmasters were currently staring at him dazedly. They looked like they could not believe everything that just happened.

“Warrior Ye…” Pedant Earth snapped back to reality and tried to something, but Shangguan Hongjin got the better of him.

“You’re unbelievable, man! I can’t believe you’re kicking Grandmaster asses right after you overcame your tribulation! The entire jianghu would go crazy if they hear about this!”

Shangguan Hongjin’s eyes shone brightly as she looked him up and down like she was seeing him for the first time.

“Hahaha… you’re not too bad yourself, Miss Shangguan. Did you forget how you pushed back multiple Half-Step Grandmasters and Spirit Masters on your own and threatened multiple Grandmasters to their faces?” Ye Qing returned a compliment.

“Sure, but it was all bark and no bite. I was just about to piss my pants even when I said those things. There is no way I can compare to you!” Shangguan guffawed, though she was clearly pleased by Ye Qing’s compliment.

“Of course you can. You knew you were headed toward your death, but you still went ahead without hesitation, both of you. Few people are as courageous as you both.” Ye Qing saluted them and gave them a deep bow. “I did not think I could have survived this crisis without your aid, so thank you. I will never forget this.”

“Y-You’re welcome, warrior Ye,” Pedant Earth stuttered a little, surprised by the depths of his sincerity.

“You flatter us. You saved our lives before, so it’s only right that we save yours!” Shangguan Hongjin huffed. “Besides, we didn’t really help all that much, now that I think about it.”

“You must be joking, Miss Shangguan. If the two of you haven’t bought me enough time, there is no way I could have refined the Profound Yellow Mother Qi and regained enough strength to put up a proper fight.” Ye Qing shook his head. He was speaking from the bottom of his heart. He still had some Nature’s Water with him, so he could have instantly recovered his wounds if he wanted to. However, he would not have the time to refine the Profound Yellow Mother Qi and improve his power, and he definitely wouldn’t be able to go head to head against the Grandmasters.

That was why he really was grateful toward the duo.

“Oh right, please don’t call me Warrior Ye any longer. Instead, call me Joyless.”

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