Stranger Danger

“Faster! Faster!”

Suddenly, a couple of horse riders burst through the storm of snow and galloped past the horse carriage. They were five jianghu warriors wearing thick cloaks and carrying swords or sabers around their waists.

At first, they were eyeing the horse carriage with greed and bloodthirst in their eyes. Then, they noticed the paper doll driving the horse carriage and were taken aback by the supernatural sight. After exchanging a look with each other, they bounded ahead without any fanfare.

Inside the horse carriage, Ye Qing opened his eyes and let out a small sigh. “The older the jianghu, the more cowardly its denizens become…”

If Chu treasured culture, then Yan advocated strength. That was why there were far more armed jianghu warriors roaming about the area, and why battles and bloodshed were everywhere.

Not long after they left the Southern March Pass, they encountered many jianghu warriors who took note of their wealth and were tempted to rob them. They did not only because they saw the paper doll and grew wary of their strength. Much to Ye Qing’s regret, they all chose to leave them alone.

Something was strange, however. Ye Qing could tell that they weren’t the jianghu warriors’ original targets. Their meetings were purely coincidental.

“This must be the one, ninth or tenth group of people who almost tried to rob us? Where the hell are these people going in this weather, and for what?”

‘They’re probably going after the Three Perfections Troupe,” Feng Qingyou answered without even looking up from her book.

“The Three Perfections Troupe? Did they choose today to leave the city as well? What a coincidence,” Ye Qing commented subconsciously before the audacity of the would-be robbers finally hit him. “Wait, seriously? They’re actually targeting the Three Perfections Troupe? Were they damaged in the head or something?”

The Three Perfections Troupe had existed for a long time, and there were almost nowhere in the entire world they hadn’t visited. And yet, no harm had ever come to them. Not only that, they even dared to reject an invitation from the Old Heavenly Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain. In general, the Three Perfections Troupe went wherever they liked and did whatever the hell they wanted. Why?

Because they were confident in their strength to protect themselves and defend their independence, of course!

Forget the mysterious leader of the Three Perfections Troupe, not a single human or Stranger who performed on the stage that day was a weakling. On top of that, he also sensed several powerful and anomalous presences behind the curtains. As they weren’t performers, they were probably guards who were there to protect their co-workers.

Long story short, these people were suicidal and crazy to think that they could target the Three Perfections Troupe. At the very least, he hadn’t sensed a single person who was powerful enough to put even a dent on their stage props.

Feng Qingyou replied indifferently, “Birds die for food, and humans for riches.”

Ye Qing sighed as well. “Hah… that’s how it has been since the olden days. They never learn, and they never will.”

He could understand the robbers’ motivations at least. If there was such a thing as a walking treasure vault, the Three Perfections Troupe would be it. The performance from three days ago had probably earned them tens of thousands of silvers. It was more than enough money to tempt countless into committing a crime.

That wasn’t the real treasure, however. It was the priceless Strangers they owned such as the Beautifly, the Melody Vine, the Jade Rabbit and more. Those were creatures that not even ten thousand gold could buy.

Capturing even a single one and selling them to a powerful official and wealthy businessman would earn them enough money to live in luxury until the day they died.

The large majority of these warriors were probably after the Strangers. They were treasures worth risking their lives for.

Every day, countless people fought in the jianghu for fame and glory. However, that wasn’t their real goal. Their real goal was to lead a life of luxury and peace through the fame and glory they accrued.

One moment of risk for one lifetime of stability. What was there not to like?

So yes, Ye Qing could understand their motivation. He just couldn’t agree with it.

In his opinion, killing others for one’s own benefit would never be the right way.

He was lamenting not because he was concerned for the robbers’ wellbeing, but because he was lamenting the wastefulness and foolishness of it.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to Ye Qing. “Do you think we should follow them, Qingyou?”

“Just do what you want.” Feng Qingyou smiled. She did not expose his true intentions.

“Okay!” Ye Qing responded and took control of the paper doll. The horse carriage began turning and following the trail of the robbers.

Just a while later, Ye Qing suddenly noticed a couple of people standing on both sides of the road. They weren’t moving at all.

“Are they asleep?”

His senses told him that their eyes were closed, their breathing was even, and their expression was tranquil. It was almost as if they were asleep.

“They are, though they will never awaken again,” remarked Feng Qingyou as she lifted the curtains and looked at the sleeping men.

“Is that so?” Ye Qing murmured thoughtfully and tapped his finger once. A wisp of demonic thought immediately invaded a Spirit Master’s headspace. He could see that the man’s yin god and consciousness were perfectly unharmed, but for some reason, he just wouldn’t wake up. He showed no response whatsoever even when Ye Qing jolted his headspace with his demonic thought. It was the same for everyone else.

“How strange!”

Ye Qing lifted a curious eyebrow. Unless he was mistaken, the Three Perfections Troupe was probably the one behind their condition.

“Do you know what happened to them, Qingyou?” Ye Qing asked.

Feng Qingyou lowered the curtains and answered, “I’m not sure yet, but I believe that they’re already dead even though they’re still breathing.”

“Let’s go.”

Ye Qing did not ask how she arrived at the conclusion. He simply controlled the horse carriage and charged forward once more.

Every once in a while, they would run into a small group of people who were afflicted with the exact same condition. In fact, the frequency of the encounter and the number of victims only increased over time. Some of them he recognized, and some he did not. In any case, they were all trapped in the same dreamless sleep that was no different from death even though they were still breathing and wearing tranquil expressions on their face.

Ye Qing’s expression was slowly but surely turning serious as well. It was because he could tell that these people had been put to sleep without any resistance whatsoever. There were no signs of injury or struggle on the victims’ bodies whatsoever.

About half a teatime later, Ye Qing finally caught up with the Three Perfections Troupe. He was surprised. He had been expecting to find a long stretch of people and numerous carts trudging along at a steady rate like most nomadic groups would. Instead, what he found was a simple oxcart that looked even shabbier than the horse carriage he and Feng Qingyou were riding.

The oxcart was carrying only a single box that was covered up by a piece of ox leather. It was completely covered in snow.

The driver was an old man who looked so old it honestly wouldn’t be surprising if he passed away within the hour. He was wearing a wide hat and nodding off like a chick pecking away at a grain of rice.

The snowstorm was incredibly cold and harsh, and yet the old man was wearing a sleeveless robe that should only be worn during summer. It was because a layer of mysterious energy was protecting the old man and neutralizing the elements before they could even get close to him.

Even stranger was the ox pulling the cart. It was an ink black ox that was completely black from head to toe. It had three eyes instead of two, and its third eye was a vertical slit. As it was completely shut right now, Ye Qing almost missed it even with his powerful demonic thought.

A strange old man, a mysterious box, and an anomalous ox. At first glance, they looked like nothing special especially in a weather like this. Once you noticed the anomalies though, they combined into a beautiful yet strange picture.

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