Stranger Danger

“Marquis.”

It was at this moment a man appeared right next to the bronze carriage.

It was none other than Ink Flute.

“Where are they?”

A low, masculine voice came from inside the bronze carriage.

“Myriad Buddha Restaurant,” answered Ink Flute with a salute.

“Are they all present?” Zhao Changming, the Brocade Shirt Marquis asked.

“They are,” Ink Flute answered.

“Very good. If they really are the ones I’m looking for, then I will reward you handsomely for your efforts,” Zhao Changming declared.

Ink Flute looked pleased, but he replied in a modest tone, “It is my honor to serve you, marquis. I dare not ask for a reward from you.”

“It is what you deserve. Don’t turn me down,” Zhao Changming said coldly.

“In that case, thank you very much, marquis,” Ink Flute thanked him with a salute. Too much of a good thing was a bad thing, and Ink Flute knew very well that excess humility would only earn Zhao Changming’s ire, not favor.

“You mentioned that you fought against him before. What do you think of his strength?” Zhao Changming asked.

“He’s very strong, marquis.”

Ink Flute answered honestly, “He only looked at me one time, and I felt afraid and cold to the very core of my soul. His strength cannot be underestimated.”

“That’s to be expected. He wouldn’t have become the Earthly Sovereign Bell’s master otherwise,” Zhao Changming replied with a hint of yearning.

“T-The Earthly Sovereign Bell?” Ink Flute’s eyes bulged in shock.

“Indeed. Why else would I go so far to track him down?” Zhao Changming answered honestly before declaring in a self-assured voice, “The Earthly Sovereign Bell will be mine.”

“Congratulations on your inevitable success and fortune then, marquis!” Ink Flute pushed away his shock and said in a hurry.

“Hahaha... thank you for your kind words.” Zhao Changming laughed. By now, the duo had reached the periphery of Myriad Buddha Restaurant.

“Surround the place! Not a fly is allowed to leave without my permission!” Zhao Changming ordered. Then, he drew back the curtains and stepped out of his carriage.

Zhao Changming was a middle-aged man in his forties. He was neither tall nor muscular. Despite this, he naturally exuded an air of bloodthirst and tyranny. He had a square face and a pair of large ears. His eyes shone as bright as the sun, and he had bronze green-colored skin. He naturally drew a person’s gaze without trying to.

“At once!”

The seventy-two Snow Dragon Guards immediately dismounted and formed teams of nine. They then spread out and surrounded the Myriad Buddha Restaurant.

By now, almost everyone in Myriad Buddha Restaurant had noticed the commotion. Someone stepped out of the restaurant to see what was going on, but a few blood spears descended from the heavens and skewered him to the ground, killing him instantly.

“No one is allowed to leave the Myriad Buddha Restaurant! Those who disobey shall die!”

“Kill!”

“Kill!”

“Kill!”

Blood spear in hand, the seventy-two Snow Dragon Guards cried in unison. Then, their forces merged, and their vigor surged to form a snow white dragon in the sky. As the snow dragon circled around the restaurant, snow began to fall, and the surrounding temperature abruptly plummeted.

The noises coming from inside the Myriad Buddha Restaurant disappeared in an instant. For a moment, everyone’s face turned as white as a sheet.

Zhao Changming himself said nothing. He simply raised his head and stared at the Myriad Buddha Restaurant with cold eyes for a moment.

“Found you.”

Suddenly, Zhao Changming cracked a grin and made a grabbing motion. A bronze spear immediately flew out of his carriage and landed in his palm.

The next moment, Zhao Changming stepped forward—his foot melting the snow and cracking the earth as he did this—bent his right arm backward like the bowstring of a large bow, and launched the short spear straight at the restaurant.

BOOM!

There was a rush of air currents, and the wind, snow, and air within several kilometers of the restaurant cleared out in an instant. Houses collapsed, and the weaker ones suffered grievous injuries in just the blink of an eye, bleeding from all orifices and trembling all the way to their core.

The short spear sank into the Myriad Buddha Restaurant like a meteor, but strangely, it elicited no response from the building whatsoever. It was almost as if the spear was a mud bull entering the sea[1].

The Brocade Shirt Marquis remained calm despite the strange outcome. Hands clasped behind his back, he stared at the gap created by his spear throw and declared, “There’s no point in hiding. I’ve already found you, so come out!”

“You’re here for me.”

A few breaths later, a young man stepped out of the gap and into the air, floating. He was gripping a short spear that was vibrating constantly as if it was trying to break free. It was useless though.

The young man was, of course, Ye Qing.

“I am,” Zhao Changming admitted while examining Ye Qing.

“I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. Am I wrong?” Ye Qing asked while examining Zhao Changming in return. He could sense from Zhao Changming’s emotions that the middle-aged man had come for him and only him. This was not related to Old Man of Snowy Mountain.

He was puzzled though. Why had Zhao Changming come for him when they had never met before?

“You are half-wrong.”

Zhao Changming replied, “You don’t know me, but I know of you. Anyway, let’s get to the point. Surrender the Earthly Sovereign Bell, and I will let you live!”

......

“Earthly Sovereign Bell? What’s that?”

“Are you serious, bro? The Earthly Sovereign Bell is the Earthly Sovereign’s ultimate treasure! The artifact that made his Dao!”

“I thought it was lost a long time ago?”

“It was lost, but not gone! Whoever said the Earthly Sovereign Bell could not resurface again?”

“I can’t believe the Earthly Sovereign Bell has resurfaced. It really looks like the age of chaos is nigh!”

“Say, do you recognize that youngster? Why haven’t I seen him before? Does he really have the Earthly Sovereign Bell?”

“I don’t know him either, but since the Brocade Shirt Marquis had shown his face, it’s unlikely to be a case of mistaken identity.”

“Sigh. if the Earthly Sovereign Bell really has resurfaced, then a bloody storm is surely on the horizon!”

......

Zhao Changming did not try to hide his intentions. His declaration was so loud that everyone could hear him as clear as day. The air was filled with murmurs and exclamations of excitement for a time.

“The Earthly Sovereign Bell? Are you sure you’re not mistaken, marquis?” Ye Qing’s heart sank even as he feigned ignorance. This was the last reason he expected the marquis to come after him.

“I wasn’t sure before, but now, I know with every fiber of my bone that you are the possessor of the Earthly Sovereign Bell.”

Zhao Changming declared with certainty, “You did well to mask your presence, but you can’t hide from me. I can tell that your body is strong, and it contains the presence of the Profound Yellow Mother Qi. Therefore, you must have the Earthly Sovereign Bell.”

“... How did you find out that I have the Earthly Sovereign Bell?”

Ye Qing admitted after a short silence. He knew there was no point arguing at this point. “Never mind, I’ve figured it out. It must be the Martial Sovereign or the Long-browed Divine Monk.”

“Now that I think about it, countless people must have heard that the Earthly Sovereign Bell is with me.”

Ye qing sighed. No wonder Zhao Changming did not bother to conceal his intentions. The news that he had the Earthly Sovereign Bell must have spread across the entire Wei at this point.

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“I’m curious though. How did you find me?”

He had disguised himself as another person back at the Kunlun Ruins. Besides that, he had only met Xiahou Zun, Wan Lingxiao, and Long-browed Divine Monk once. Therefore, Zhao Changming should not have been able to identify him. How did he do it?

Again, Zhao Changming answered honestly, “It’s all thanks to the Taoist accompanying you.”

The marquis was feeling very good right now. That was why he did not mind giving Ye Qing a proper answer.

“I see!” Ye Qing sighed.

It was only now he recalled that Yi Pin had not disguised himself back at the Kunlun Ruins, meaning that the Sages knew exactly what he looked like. Due to the distractions they encountered at the Myriad Buddha Plains, he hadn’t thought to ask Yi Pin to disguise himself after they returned to civilization. As a result, he was found out.

What was the saying again? There was no defending against a noob teammate!

Dammit, I was careless.

“Are you satisfied?”

Zhao Changming reached out. “If you are, then you can surrender the Earthly Sovereign Bell now!”

1. What happens when a mud bull enters the sea? Nothing, because it melts instantly and disappears into the depths. Hence the idiom. ☜