Stranger Danger

“The Incense of Misfortune holds the unique power of bad luck and decline. It is the amalgamation of poverty, inferiority, deterioration, hardship and sorrow. When it is lit, its target will suffer non-stop misfortune as if they had been possessed by the god of misfortune themselves. However, the Incense of Misfortune cannot kill someone directly no matter how unlucky they are!”

“The Incense of Misfortune, eh? How interesting!” Ye Qing commented to no one in particular.

The young man was currently riding a donkey and reading a book with great interest. Kung Fu Frog was sitting on the donkey’s head and sipping from its wine jar from time to time. It also looked a little drunk. The duo was still following the marked road and making their way toward Anyang, a county of Chu.

The donkey was a wild donkey Kung Fu Frog had beaten up and kidnapped from the nearby woods, a Red-class Stranger to be exact. Since it was no match for the Malice-class Stranger or Ye Qing, it had no choice but to be their mount.

The book Ye Qing was reading was called the “Twelve Incense Sticks of Ghosts and Gods”.? He had found it in Prayer’s Nature’s Shell. It didn’t seem like it, but it was his third greatest spoil after the “Blood Shadow Divine Art” and the “Blood Sea Fragrance”.

Twelve terrifying and bizarre divine incense sticks were noted in the book. They were, in no particular order, the Incense of Worship, the Incense of Malediction, the Incense of Sickness, the Incense of Pain, the Incense of Aging, the Incense of Dreams, the Incense of Ghost Summoning, the Incense of Exorcism, the Incense of Requiem, the Incense of Fortune, the Incense of Misfortune, and the Incense of Seven Emotions.

He could personally attest to the miraculous effects of the Incense of Worship, the Incense of Fortune and the Incense of Misfortune; the memory of the last one being especially vivid as he could still feel the phantom bumps on his head even though his injuries had long since healed. Naturally, he wanted to study them as deeply as possible. He could just imagine the applications if he could grasp the method to create these incense sticks.

“To create the Incense of Misfortune, one must gather a bowl of Rootless Water, a clump of hair from a Poverty Ghost, three Misery Flowers, a pair of eyeballs from an Unlucky Cat, one soulfire from a Bleakwind Bandit, and one leaf from a Distress Tree. One must then seek out a location where the five elements are weak and wait for the moment where night passes into morning. Only then can one create the Incense of Misfortune!”

“The Rootless Water is rainwater that hasn’t touched the ground. The Rootless Water, Dustless Water and Sourceless Water are known together as the three Lesser Waters. Do note that Rootless Water that is gathered during a yin month, day and hour is of the highest quality.”

“A Poverty Ghost is a scrawny, emaciated being with a head as big as a bucket, and a pair of eyes that resembled bells. They are the resentful ghost of a person who was poor for most of their life and died without even a single item to their name. Possessed by the power of poverty and decline, a Poverty Ghost’s victim is guaranteed to lose their family and succumb to destitution and homelessness. Every time a Poverty Ghost is successful in destroying the life of a person, a family, or a clan, their head would grow a proportional amount of hair.”

“A Poverty Ghost can usually be found in a wealthy family. They especially love to target kind-hearted and joyful souls. Do seek out people who fit this description if one wishes to capture a Poverty Ghost!”

“Beware! A Poverty Ghost is a yin soul of sorts, so they are shapeless, formless, and impervious to common weapons and attacks. However, their hair is the source of their power and their weakness. Just cut their hair, and the Poverty Ghost would cease to exist in this world!”

“The Misery Flower is a flower created from the tears of a person who has suffered much misery and hardships. It is…”

The more Ye Qing read, the brighter his eyes became. The “Twelve Incense Sticks of Ghosts and Gods” didn’t just explain the way and the materials necessary to create the twelve incense sticks, it also elaborated in great detail what those materials looked like, where they could be found, the best way to acquire them and more.

At least hundreds of materials and Strangers necessary in the creation of the twelve incense sticks were mentioned in the book, and every single one of them was described in great detail. Practically an encyclopedia on Strangers, it was an eye-opening experience for Ye Qing to put it mildly.

“This book… is priceless.”

If he ever encountered a Stranger that was recorded in the “Twelve Incense Sticks of Ghosts and Gods”, he would have an overwhelming advantage over them because he knew exactly how they functioned and what their weaknesses were. This was true even for Strangers who weren't mentioned in the book but had traits in common with those who were. He had no doubt that the knowledge he absorbed from this book would save his life and form the basis of his ability to survive in this world.

Some fools might think otherwise, but “knowledge is power” was most definitely not an empty saying!

“I’m going to focus on reading now, Brother Frog! Please alert me if you notice anything!” Ye Qing said before concentrating on the “Twelve Incense Sticks of Ghosts and Gods” completely.

Clop, clop, clop…

He was halfway through the book when suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats came from a side road that was connected to the marked road. Not long after, a medium-sized group made up of a dozen individuals or so came into view.

Leading at the forefront were four men wearing form-fitting outfits and standardized long sabers around their waist. Their eyes were emotionless, and their faces ice cold. They had clearly seen their fair share of battles. 𝘣𝑒𝘥𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝑙．𝘤𝘰𝘮

At the center of the group was a horse-drawn carriage. Despite its dark, unassuming colors, the horse-drawn carriage traversed the uneven road stably and without making the slightest noise. Judging from its make, its passengers were either wealthy, noble, or both.

The horse-drawn carriage was flanked by many more stern-faced guards, but the man riding on the right side of the carriage was particularly noteworthy. He was a muscular middle-aged man riding a fine black horse. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and very recognizable facial features. He was also noticeably a lot more fearsome than the rest of the guards.

When the middle-aged man saw Ye Qing and Kung Fu Frog, he raised his eyebrows before waving a hand. The group immediately slowed down, and the guards slowly moved closer to the carriage in a defensive formation.

“What’s wrong, Yan Feng? Is there trouble?” A mellow, rich voice came from within the carriage.

The middle-aged man moved closer to the window before responding in a low voice, “There is a man—a very strange man up ahead, my lord.”

The young man looked to be eighteen or nineteen years old. He was holding a book and riding what was obviously a donkey Stranger. There was also a strange frog on top of the donkey’s head. It was probably the strongest of the three because he was unable to identify its strength, not to mention that it was wearing a red bandanna around its head, carrying a wooden saber beside its waist, and sipping from a wine jar. To call them a strange combination would be an understatement.

“A strange man?” The man in the carriage hummed in thought for a second before replying, “He could just be an ordinary traveler. Let’s try staying out of each other’s way unless he’s clearly malicious.”

Yan Feng saluted. “As you command!”

Meanwhile, Ye Qing was studying the approaching group curiously. These people are quite strong, Ye Qing thought to himself. Most of the guards were early-stage to middle-stage Qi Invokers, and that Yan Feng was a late-stage Qi Invoker. They were also extremely well-trained considering that they were all carrying themselves in a disciplined and organized fashion.

When the group got close, Ye Qing slapped his donkey in the temple and retreated to the side. When the guards stared at him with naked wariness, he simply responded with a polite smile. Sensing no ill will from Ye Qing and caught off guard by his manners, Yan Feng subconsciously returned a nod before resuming his duties.

Are they heading to Anyang as well? Ye Qing thought when he noted that the group seemed to be heading in the same direction as him. Smiling, he cast his stray thoughts to the back of his mind and slapped his mount again. While the donkey slowly shifted behind the group, he picked up his book and resumed his reading.

Some time later, Yan Feng shot the young man following thirty or so meters behind a frown before calling out to the person inside the carriage, “My lord?”

“Yes?”

“That strange man is still following us. Should I give the order to chase him away, or…?”

The person in the carriage remained silent for a bit before replying, “Let’s not do that. He might just be headed in the same direction as us. As long as he isn’t malicious, I don’t mind him following us.”

“One more thing. If the traveler encounters any danger, do help him if it is within our ability to provide aid!”

“Yes, my lord!” Yan Feng answered affirmatively.

When Monkey Ridge was fully behind the group, their vision abruptly cleared up as if the mountain wilderness on both sides of the marked road had disappeared. Ahead of them was a flat valley with a single river passing through it, and a lush forest on both sides of the river.

Something wasn’t right about the woods, however. It felt dark, gloomy, and most uncomfortable.

Woooo… wooooo…

The group was passing through the forest when suddenly, a dark, chilly gale blew hard against them. The trees swayed violently, and the shadows on the ground looked like phantoms threatening to rip the life out of them. Everyone shivered and blanked out for a moment.

“Something’s not right about this wind!”

Not far behind the group, Ye Qing lowered his book as a red aura flashed around his body and shredded the powerful gale before it could get close. A bit of flint entered his eyes as he looked at the direction where the wind was coming from.

“Neeeeigh!”

The next moment, loud horse neighs pierced through the air, and ghastly silhouettes suddenly emerged from the wind.

The unnatural silhouettes rode large horses made purely from yin energy. They wore armor and wielded large sabers. Their ghastly green eyes flickered in the wind like ghost fire, and their mouths were opened in a soundless cry as they charged toward Yan Feng’s group. They looked like bandits, but they were very obviously not human.

“The Bleakwind Bandits!” Ye Qing immediately matched the ghastly Strangers ahead of him to a record in the “Twelve Incense Sticks of Ghosts and Gods”.

The Bleakwind Bandits were Red-class Strangers. They were former bandits who were corrupted by winds of yin energy and transformed into monsters who knew nothing but slaughter. They were known as Bleakwind Bandits because their mounts were composed of yin energy, their bodies were made from the very wind that transformed them, and they traveled on the wind itself.

There was nothing more a Bleakwind Bandit loved than killing travelers. Once their victims were dead, a Bleakwind Bandit would consume their bodies, capture their souls, and corrupt them so that they would become their eternal slaves!

“Bleakwind Bandits! We are under attack by the Bleakwind Bandits! Form up and protect our lord!” Yang Feng shouted, having recognized the murderous Strangers instantly.

The guards did not hesitate to unsheathe their long sabers and maintain a tight ring around the carriage. When the Bleakwind Bandits were close, Yang Feng barked out another order,

“Empower your sabers with a flame talisman!”

Everyone did as he ordered and slapped a flame talisman to the blade of their saber. The blades immediately burst into flames.

“Now kill them all!”

The next moment, everyone attacked the Bleakwind Bandits directly in front of them.

Boom!

A chain of explosions occurred as the flames roared, and the yin wind howled. A dozen Bleakwind Bandits were torn to shreds just like that. Not planning to show their attackers any quarter, Yan Feng and the guards kept pressing forward until every single Bleakwind Bandit had been annihilated.

“He’s employing brute force to crush the Bleakwind Bandits’ frail bodies, and yang to counter ying. A most intelligent tactic!” Ye Qing nodded in approval but shook his head immediately after. “Unfortunately, it’s not enough!”

As if on cue, the shattered Bleakwind Bandits reformed their bodies in the wind, let out a soundless howl, and charged Yan Feng’s group once more.

Yang Feng’s group did not panic. Still maintaining their tight formation, they crushed the incoming Bleakwind Bandits once more. However, the Strangers reformed their bodies before they could catch their breaths and charged again as if nothing had ever happened. It was as if they were unkillable and undying.

Of course, that wasn’t entirely true. The yin wind blowing in the air was weaker than before, and the ghastly flames burning in the Bleakwind Bandits’ eye sockets were dimmer. Clearly, their efforts weren’t futile.

“Stay strong, brothers! We just need to kill them a couple more times to end their sorry existence once and for all!” Yang Feng shouted to keep morale high.

Individually, the Bleakwind Bandits were fairly weak. However, they were ghosts whose existence had sprung from resentment, and their body from the yin wind. Shapeless and formless, they would never die until the yin wind that sustained them had died out completely. That was why they were extremely annoying to take down. Most people knew only one way to end them, and that was to kill them again and again until they had completely run out of energy. It was why many people would rather duke it out against a powerful Stranger than to outlast the Bleakwind Bandits.