Stranger Danger

“They? Who are they?”

Ye Qing frowned. There were only a handful of people such as Yi Pin, Li Longxiang and more who knew that he was still alive, so who…?

Realization struck him then. “You mean the Fog Demon?”

Only a handful of people knew about the Boundless Mara Buddha’s existence, and it so happened that Feng Qingyou was one of them. He wouldn’t be surprised if the Fog Demon told her that he was still alive.

“Yes, and him.”

Feng Qingyou waved her hand, and two items appeared on the table. The first item was none other than the Boundless Mara Buddha, and the second item was a transparent bottle the size of a fish tank. A brain was currently lying inside of it.

“The Heartless Brain?!” Ye Qing exclaimed with a hint of surprise. Earlier, he clearly sensed the Heartless Brain’s presence in Chen Wuxin’s brain, which was why he thought that the Stranger was still inside Chen Wuxin’s head and undetected. But now, it would appear that he was wrong.

Ye Qing would like to say that he was surprised, but this was Feng Qingyou. In his opinion, this was just the natural outcome.

He had known Feng Qingyou for a while now, but he still couldn’t see through her even now. She was as mysterious as ever like a lofty mountain that was constantly shrouded by a thick, impenetrable fog.

Back at Luo Shui, he interacted with Feng Qingyou almost every day but could never identify her true cultivation level. Now that he was a Grandmaster, he still couldn’t unearth her true depths. He was literally sitting a table away from her, and yet her veil remained as impenetrable as ever.

Judging from the qin sound that subjected him to a nigh unbreakable illusion earlier, she had to be a Trueman at the very least and stronger than him.

“You’re the one behind this Heartless Brain, aren’t you?” Feng Qingyou asked.

“Huh? Didn’t they tell you everything?” Ye Qing blinked. He thought for sure that the Fog Demon and the Heartless Brain had divulged everything to Feng Qingyou, but since she was asking, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Feng Qingyou smiled calmly. “Your two Strangers are quite loyal to you. They revealed nothing to me. I had my suspicions, but they remained suspicions until you confirmed it to me.”

Ye Qing was surprised, to be honest. The Fog Demon was unwillingly transformed into his Artifact Spirit, and throughout their association, there wasn’t a single minute where it wasn’t thinking of a way to control him. As for the Headless Brain, heavens knew that the Stranger wanted to slip out of his thumb and lived as his own person from the very beginning. Naturally, he was surprised to hear that neither Stranger had tried to betray him.

“If you knew that Chen Ah Sheng is mine, then why did you kill him? His head is still rotting outside the stage, you know?” Ye Qing complained.

“Well, I only found out after I killed him,” Feng Qingyou explained. “He was so weak that he couldn’t even survive one hit. It’s only after I killed him that I discovered that he’s a Heartless Brain, and he’s carrying your Fog Demon with him.”

Ye Qing: “...” That’s a perfectly sound explanation, so why does it feel like my pride is insulted?

He shook off the weird feeling and asked, “By the way, what’s going on with them?”

Something didn’t seem right with the Boundless Mara Buddha or the Heartless Brain. Knowing their disposition, they should have shown themselves and complained about how they were underpaid for this shit yada yada the second they saw him. However, neither Stranger had so much as made a peep thus far. Clearly, something wasn’t right here.

“They are fine. I simply put them to sleep so they wouldn’t disturb our reunion,” Feng Qingyou answered.

“That’s fair.” Ye Qing nodded in approval before voicing another question, “So, why are you here, Qingyou?”

Feng Qingyou replied honestly, “To control Mount Qi, of course.”

Caught off guard by her answer—he was expecting her to refuse to answer—Ye Qing swallowed whatever he was going to say earlier and asked, “Dare I ask why you wish to control Mount Qi?”

“Of course!” Feng Qingyou nodded.

“Tell me!” Ye Qing held his breath.

“It’s a secret!” Feng Qingyou responded with a hint of mischievousness.

Ye Qing: “...” Ah, right. She said I could ask, but she never said she would tell me the truth.

“Fine.” Ye Qing shrugged. If Feng Qingyou didn’t want to say it, then there was no point pressing her. He also refrained from making wild guesses as—without a way to confirm anything—it would surely end with his frustration.

“Let’s talk about you. What is the connection between the Heartless Brain and Chen Ah Sheng?” Feng Qingyou changed the subject.

Ye Qing did not hesitate. He briefly gave her a summary of his adventure after leaving Luo Shui.

Feng Qingyou listened intently and calmly. Even when he spoke of the Ghost Tower and the Dark Overlord’s inheritance, she did not so much as bat an eyelid. She really was the personification of calm.

When Ye Qing finally reached the end of his story, Feng Qingyou began, “The reason you’re using the Heartless Brain to control the Chaos Heaven Brigand and improve your powerbase is because of what happened at Tian Yong, isn’t it?”

That was the question, but her tone made it clear that it wasn’t one.

“That’s correct.” Ye Qing nodded.

“So, you really killed the Harmony King’s son?” Feng Qingyou asked.

“Yes and no,” Ye Qing answered.

“I see. You’re saying that you did kill the Harmony King’s son, but it wasn’t because you wanted to.”

Feng Qingyou’s voice was warm and gentle as ever, but it hit the nail right on the head. “So, someone set you up!”

“It was Chu Wang—hmm, no, that’s not right. Chu Wangsun is an arrogant man who believes that crafty plots and machinations are beneath him. If he’s the one going after you, he would not have gone through the trouble of setting you up. He would simply show up at your doorstep and kill you.”

Feng Qingyou did not seem to notice the growing awe on Ye Qing’s face. She spent about thirty seconds with her own thoughts before continuing, “The one who set you up is Fang Muyuan, isn’t it? I recall that Fang Zhiyong putting his younger son under Chu Wangsun’s tutelage to correct his stubborn and obstreperous nature. This means that the student who died at Ghost Tower supposedly because of you is Fang Muyuan’s younger brother.”

“You are the reason that Fang Muyuan’s younger brother perished, so it makes sense that Fang Muyuan would want to take revenge against you. Both him and his father are exactly the type to borrow another’s hand to do their dirty work and leave no traces behind.”

By the time Feng Qingyou finished her deduction, Ye Qing was staring wide-eyed at her with shock.

A long time later, Ye Qing finally breathed out, “Qingyou, tell me the truth. Did you send someone to keep an eye on me?”

Feng Qingyou chuckled. “It is but a simple deduction based on available facts. Your reaction is exaggerated.”

“You say that, but I feel evermore the fool before you, Qingyou!” Ye Qing said quietly.

He had only given Qingyou a summary of his grudge with Chu Wangsun. He had never mentioned his student’s name from the start until the end—not least because he didn’t even know what that boy was called—and yet Feng Qingyou had accurately deduced the whole truth minutes after listening to his account.

If Fugong hadn’t come after him afterward, he probably still wouldn’t have figured out who was the bloody bastard who entrapped him to this day! What the hell!

If only he was as smart as Feng Qingyou; if only he could have figured out his framer from the get go… He could have saved himself with Hong Jianglong and the Pacification Bureau’s support.

He didn’t regret it too much, of course. It wasn’t like he could turn back the clock and fix his mistakes. He just thought that he might have had a chance to save himself if he had Feng Qingyou’s intelligence.

“I know more than you, and you are the victim of a conspiracy. It is only natural that you are less able to identify your circumstances than the observer with no stakes in the game.” Feng Qingyou consoled him. “If I were in your position, I might not have fared much better than you.”

“Hahaha, it’s fine, Qingyou. You don’t need to console me.”

Ye Qing shook his head with a smile. If Feng Qingyou was him, she probably would have glimpsed the truth right after the Corpse Ship incident. She would have correctly identified the danger and taken the necessary steps to secure herself adequately.

Past him was simply too slow; too foolish.

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