Stranger Danger

Chapter 389: Monk, Taoist, Woman and Child

“This ‘Chaos Demon Ape Body Tempering Sutra’ really is quite something.”

Satisfaction and delight danced in Ye Qing’s eyes when he opened them. He was now at least twice as strong as he was ten days ago.

It was already bright outside when he opened the windows. Ye Qing half-lidded his eyes and basked in the warmth of the sun, the delicious scent of food, and the sight of people traveling along the street.

“Brother Chu and Brother Lin should arrive today or tomorrow.”

After he left Chaos Heaven Mountain, he had written an anonymous letter and reported the Human Pill incident of Red Sand Village to the local Pacification Bureau. Then, he traveled south, bypassing Qing He and He Jian [1], and reached Tian Yong.

With Chen Wuxin guarding him, he didn’t encounter any danger or people stupid enough to challenge a Half-Step Grandmaster. They were able to reach Tian Yong without any troubles.

They were currently staying in one of the cities located next to Tian Yong City known as West Yong. It was named so because it was located to the northwest of Tian Yong City. It was a very prosperous city.

In fact, they had arrived at West Yong two days ago. The reason they hadn’t entered Tian Yong City yet was because Chen Wuxin caught wind of the so-called Three Musts of West Yong and insisted that they enjoyed them all. Ye Qing was thinking that it was safer to meet up with his three companions in West Yong than Tian Yong City as well, which was why he ultimately decided to stay for a bit.

The so-called Three Musts of West Yong was one, the roasted squab pigeon of Yong He Inn; two, the tea and wine of Clear Heart Teahouse; and three, the Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers Dance of the Beauty Pageant Palace.

Ye Qing had tried out the roasted squab pigeon, the tea and the wine with Chen Wuxin already. He had to admit that they more than deserved their fame. He didn’t watch the Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers Dance, however. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to broaden his horizons, but because the show was way, way too popular.

As the day of the Hidden Dragon Meet grew closer and closer, more and more people were flooding into Tian Yong and its surrounding cities. There were independent warriors, sect elites, clan disciples, strange people practicing eccentric arts, scholars and more.

It wasn’t every day these people traveled to distant lands, so of course they wanted to enjoy everything those distant lands had to offer. This was why the queue of people wanting to watch the Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers Dance stretched from the entrance of Beauty Pageant Palace all the way to the city entrance.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, every single attendee was a wealthy and authoritative figure, so he literally couldn’t abuse his status and cut the line even if he wanted to. By the time it was his turn, the Hidden Dragon Meet would have begun already. That was why he chose to opt out of the show.

Chen Wuxin didn’t care about the wait though. He was willing to wait for days if it meant watching the dance, or more accurately, the gorgeous beauties performing the dance.

He didn’t know how badly Chen Wuxin had suffered in Fengdu, but he cut himself loose completely after arriving at civilization. To say that he ate, drank, and played to his heart’s content would be an understatement. It was like he was trying to make up for all the suffering he had endured in Fengdu. As such, he had spent over one thousand silvers in just ten days. If they didn’t have the money from the Chaos Heaven Brigands, Ye Qing wouldn’t have been able to sustain his lifestyle.

“Time to eat!”

Ye Qing was feeling a little hungry since he had been practicing the whole night. So, he went downstairs to grab some food.

The dining hall was already jam-packed with people when he arrived. It was loud and noisy.

Ye Qing swept his gaze across the area but could not find any empty table. In fact, there were only a handful of empty seats, and there was a reason why those seats had remained empty.

The table near the window to the southeast corner was occupied by a monk with a broad head and large ears. He looked like a friendly dude, but the bloody monk’s knife laid on the table told a different story. The food on the table wasn’t vegetarian either. They were all fish and meat. Not a speck of green could be spotted anywhere.

Seated at the table next to the monk was a mother and her son. It was impossible to tell the woman’s age since her face was covered up by a veil, but she had an hourglass figure that drew plenty of gazes anyway. The child was about seven or eight years old, and he looked as cute and adorable as one might imagine.

A scholar was occupying an entire table to the north wall. No one tried to share his table because his complexion was sickly yellow, and he kept coughing like he was gripped by some sort of terrible disease. His saliva and snot were all over the table and the food.

The scholar didn’t care though. He continued to eat his food at a leisurely pace.

Finally, an elderly Taoist was seated at the table at the corner of the west wall. A small banner with the words, “Unerring Predictions” written on the flag was set against the wall. Strangely, three additional sets of flatware besides the Taoist’s were set on the table. There was rice, vegetables and meat in the bowls as well. The end of the chopsticks were facing toward the seat instead of the other way around[2].

Generally speaking, there was one taboo most warriors obeyed no matter their affiliation and beliefs: Stay away from monks, Taoists, women and children unless absolutely necessary. It was because these four types of people usually didn’t get involved with the jianghu. If they did, then they most likely possessed strength to protect themselves; the power to make an aggressor regret their decision should they choose to attack them.

Currently, three of the four tables were occupied by the type of people Ye Qing should theoretically stay away at all costs. The last table was occupied by a scholar, but that scholar was obviously ill and coughing so hard that his spittle and snot were all over the table. Forget sharing a table with him, even looking at his table was enough to diminish Ye Qing’s appetite.

A moment of consideration later, Ye Qing walked up to the monk and saluted him respectfully. “Venerable Bhante, it would seem that there are no available tables at the moment. May I share a table with you?”

There was zero chance he was sharing a table with the scholar, and the Taoist’s table looked… occupied. However, it didn’t feel right to share a table with the woman and her son either, so Ye Qing ultimately chose to impose on the monk.

“I don’t own this inn. Feel free to sit wherever you please,” the monk replied without looking up from his food.

“Thank you.” Ye Qing sat down on a chair and asked with a smile, “My surname is Ye. May I know your dharma name, Venerable Bhante?”

“Boy, I came here to eat, not to make chit-chat. Haven’t you heard that all troubles in the world originate from the mouth?” The monk replied impatiently.

“Haha, you’re right. My apologies, Venerable Bhante,” Ye Qing apologized. He didn’t take offense because the monk was right. They were here to eat, not to make friends. He was only being polite.

A moment later, the waiter served Ye Qing the food and wine he ordered. He drank as he ate and was generally having the time of his life.

Suddenly, the monk sitting opposite him spoke up. “What wine is that? It smells pretty nice. Do you mind offering me a cup?”

“Do you drink too, Venerable Bhante?” Ye Qing asked.

“I’m eating meat, aren’t I? Why wouldn’t I be able to drink?” The monk declared uncaringly. “Now give me some wine, will you?”

“Sure.” Ye Qing poured the monk a cup of wine. The monk licked his lips happily after downing it in one gulp. He commented, “The wine is strong but not dry. It has a smooth, rich taste as well. How fine!”

“Give me another cup—no, a cup is too small. It just lacks a punch. Give me a full bowl, please.”

Ye Qing glanced back and forth between his jar and the monk’s ridiculously large bowl. He was pretty sure that he could pour the whole thing in and not fill up even half of the bowl. So, he said, “Since you enjoy this wine so much, you may have it all. Take it as my thanks for allowing me to share a table with you.” “Hahaha! You’re a good one, boy!” The monk declared and accepted the wine without any hesitation. Then, he drank greedily directly from the jar.

It took the monk only a few gulps to down the whole jar of wine into his stomach. Once done, he let out an alcoholic breath and declared, “It truly is a fine wine! It’s too bad there’s only one jar, but eh, whatever.”

“Anyway, I shan’t bully you any longer. Take this as payment for your wine.”

The monk tossed something in Ye Qing’s direction. When Ye Qing caught it and took a look, he noticed that it was a jade thumb ring; an incredibly rare emerald green jade too. It felt smooth and warm to touch. Clearly, it was a well-worn ring.

Ye Qing tried to return the ring. “This is too much. I can’t possibly accept this.”

“I don’t like it when people reject it. I gave it to you, so just take it!” The monk snarled while staring at Ye Qing with his large, bloodshot eyes. Such was his demeanor that Ye Qing wondered if the monk would attack him if he insisted on rejecting the gift.

“In that case… thank you very much, Venerable Bhante,” Ye Qing replied with a wry chuckle. Plenty of people had tried to rob him, but this was the first time someone forced him to accept a gift.

Ye Qing put the thumb ring into his shirt instead of Nine Heavens. There was no reason to show off the Nature’s Shell and garner unnecessary attention. It was at this moment he heard a loud voice asking,

“Are you a fortune teller, Taoist?”

Ye Qing looked. Two slightly drunken jianghu warriors were standing next to the old Taoist.

“Would you like me to tell your fortune?” The old Taoist looked up from his food and asked.

“What else? It’s not like you have wine to share with us!” A man with a thick, gnarly beard grunted with a loud burp. “I want you to check if the two of us are going to wow the world and become famous in the Hidden Dragon Meet.”

“You can do that, but are you aware of my rule?” The fortune teller asked.

“Rule? What rule?” The bearded man abruptly swept the other three sets of flatware to the floor and exploded, “Just tell us our fortune already! Otherwise, I will punch out all the teeth in your mouth!”

“Quickly,” the thin, small man standing next to the bearded man also urged.

“Fortune and misfortune are perfectly objective. It is the man who decides what befalls them. Since you must find out your fortune, then find out I shall.”

The fortune teller didn’t get angry with the guy’s rude behavior, however. He examined his facial features for a moment before starting, “You have a large forehead, and that is usually a lucky sign. However, your center is spread out in a way that suggests that you are unable to keep your fortune despite being born fortunate. From this, I can infer that you are born in a powerful, wealthy family, but later in life, your family experienced a major decline, and you are forced to set out and make a living for yourself.”

The bearded man turned beet red and shouted,“Shut up! I asked you if we’re going to become famous in the Hidden Dragon Meet, not dig up my past!”

“To tell you the truth, no. Neither of you will not be able to make a splash in the Hidden Dragon Meet.” The fortune teller said, “In fact, there is a dark spot that spans the center of your foreheads. This means that disaster awaits you two if you leave your abode.”

“What did you say, you stinking Taoist?” The small man immediately seized the old Taoist’s collar and uttered angrily, “I think you’re the one who’s going to have a disaster if you keep talking nonsense!”

“I am just doing my job. It’s not my problem if you don’t believe my fortune telling.” The fortune teller gave a push, and the small man let go of his collar before he realized it.

“Since I’ve told your fortune, it is your turn to fulfill your promise.”

“Promise? Since when did I promise you anything?” The bearded man looked confused.

The Taoist picked up the banner he set against the wall and turned it around. As it turned out, the other side of the banner stated:

“A life for a fortune.”

“A life for a life? What does that mean?” The bearded man asked.

“It means that if you want me to tell your fortune, then you’ll have to kill someone for me. A life for a fortune. It’s not so difficult to understand, is it?” The fortune teller said slowly, “Since I’ve told your fortune, you now must kill someone for me.”

“You want me to kill someone for you? Dammit, you’re not a fortune teller, you’re just a crazy person!” The bearded man laughed while shaking his head. “What terrible luck. Oh well, I’m feeling good today, so I shan’t stain my mood with murder. Let’s go, Si’er.”

The bearded man sneered and started toward the exit.

In response, the fortune teller shook his head. “Why blame others when you won’t save your own life.”

As soon as the duo stepped out of the inn, the small man abruptly drew his knife. Then, he plunged it into the bearded man’s back. He would do this a couple more times until his face was covered in blood.

1. Both are commanderies. I initially thought they would be the same as their real life counterparts (which are counties) but that’s not the case. ☜

2. If you couldn’t tell from the clues, this most likely meant that the seats were occupied by ghosts. ☜