Stranger Danger

The sudden noise sounded like the banging of a night watchman’s rattle—crisp, melodious, and rhythmic. It wasn’t particularly loud or soft, and yet it somehow overcame the shrill, chaotic, and deafening screams currently filling the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin and entered everyone’s ears.

It was because the banging sound had appeared directly inside their head.

Inexplicable terror gripped everyone’s heart. Even the faces had temporarily stopped their screaming.

“He’s here...”

“He’s here!”

The next moment, the faces cried out in abject horror. It was as if who—or whatever was making this sound was the bane of their existence.

Pang! Pang! Pang pang!

The banging sound appeared again, and it was a little louder than before. It was almost as if the thing or creature making the noise... had gotten a little closer to them.

“It’s the Soul Collector! Return to your rooms and stay perfectly quiet and still unless you want to die! Now!” shouted Huo Linglong in a hurry before darting into a nearby room. She was so anxious that she dropped her coy act completely.

As she was talking, Ye Qing grabbed Yi Pin’s shoulder and rolled into the nearest room. Then, he slammed the door shut.

His spirit was probably the strongest out of everyone present, so an indescribable terror struck him the second he heard the sound. Even before Huo Linglong identified the Stranger, he already grabbed Yi Pin’s sleeve and covertly pulled him to the nearest entrance. As a result, they were able to duck into a room at the same time as Huo Linglong, if not faster.

Meanwhile, the crowd finally reacted and dashed toward the nearest rooms as well.

“Out of my way!”

Yue Juejiang didn’t dare to dilly-dally either. He bent his knees and jumped toward a room to his left, bowling over several unfortunate warriors in the process.

Pang! Pang! Pang pang!

The banging sound appeared a third time, and this time, it wasn’t nearly as harmless as before. There were two warriors who were still outside when suddenly, they froze as if someone had cast a spell on them.

The meatball screaming and attempting to roll away to safety abruptly ceased all activities as well. The Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin abruptly turned as silent as death.

An old man with a stooped back emerged from the darkness. He was wearing rags and holding a rattle.

The old man looked incredibly old. His hair was grayish white, and his face was covered in age spots. He was so thin that his cheek bones were sticking out, and his body looked like it was just skin and bones.

The old man looked beyond poor. His clothes were tattered rags woven from the coarsest fabric. He looked like a man whose back was permanently broken by the indomitable concept known as life.

He looked like he was carrying the heaviest burden. It took him ages to take a single step, and every step he took felt like it would shake the ground from the sheer weight of his invisible burden.

The abyss hung behind him like a curtain, and despair stood in front of him like a permanent fixture.

Naturally, there was only incurable numbness and lifelessness in the old man’s eyes.

As the old man came closer, the darkness hanging behind him abruptly spread out in every direction. It looked infinite and immeasurable.

Countless souls were struggling and wailing amidst the darkness, but strangely, there was no sound.

The two unfortunate warriors who failed to duck into a room in time abruptly slumped on the ground. Then, their souls floated out of their bodies and into the darkness.

When the old man walked past the meatball, the soul of the man whose neck was ripped off by Yue Juejiang, the soul of the woman he killed after he underwent a transformation, and two other souls were devoured by the darkness as well.

The old man didn’t look like he noticed anything. He continued to step forward while enveloped in infinite darkness.

The one and only thing that could pierce it was the banging sound of his rattle, incessant and rhythmic. Occasionally, a soul would fly out one of the rooms and join the darkness.

The souls kept struggling, but they would never succeed, nor would anyone hear their unearthly wails.

......

Inside the room, a white-faced Ye Qing and Yi Pin were clinging to the wall corner like their lives depended on it. Forget moving, they didn’t even dare to breathe audibly. They remained as still as puppets.

Although he couldn’t see what was happening outside, Ye Qing’s heart was thumping with indescribable terror and panic. His limbs felt as stiff as wood, and his mind shook like a leaf.

There were only two Strangers in his life who had inflicted such terror on him. The first one was the terrifying existence who destroyed August Hill Village, and the second was the Nether Lord Evergreen Ivy nearly summoned to destroy Luo Shui.

He was an ant at the time, and those two existences had felt as vast and infinite as the sky itself.

He was now dozens, no, hundreds of times stronger than who he was before, but he still felt completely powerless before such existences. It felt like he would never even come close to narrowing the gap between their powers, much less catch up to them.

An unknown amount of time later, the stifling, soul rattling presence outside the room finally disappeared bit by bit. When it was completely gone, both Ye Qing and Yi Pin slumped on the floor like mud.

A wry smile flickered across their faces when their eyes happened to meet each other. They were both happy and grateful to be alive.

After he recollected himself, Ye Qing asked Yi Pin, “What on earth was that, brother?”

Yi Pin wiped away the sweat on his forehead and answered, “That’s the Soul Collector.”

“The Soul Collector?” Ye Qing shook his head to indicate that he hadn’t heard of it before.

“Have you heard of the Night Watch, brother?” Yi Pin asked.

Ye Qing rolled his eyes at him. That was like asking if he knew what rice was.

“No, I’m not talking about the ordinary night watchmen who patrol the night and remind everyone to be careful with their fire,” Yi Pin guessed Ye Qing’s thoughts and corrected him smilingly. “I’m talking about the Night Watch of Yan.”

“Oh,” Ye Qing exclaimed in realization. Similar to the Night Patrol of Wei, the Demon Suppression Office of Qi, or the Pacification Bureau of Chu, the Night Watch of Yan were the government organization responsible for dealing with Stranger matters in a country.

“It is said that the Night Watch of Yan is a prestigious lineage descended from the ancient Night Watchers,” Yi Pin began slowly. “In ancient times, Strangers were everywhere, and demons and monsters killed and destroyed as they pleased. The Night Watchers were born to patrol the night, eliminate the Strangers, and protect the people from harm.”

“The leader of the Night Watchers was none other than the Earthly Sovereign himself, and the Soul Collector was said to be the vice leader. He was so loyal to the Earthly Sovereign that he willingly buried himself in the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin to protect his resting place.”

“The Soul Collector is the second most terrible existence in the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin besides the Earthly Sovereign himself. Any human or Stranger who dares to disturb his rest shall have their souls taken by the Soul Collector.”

“The reason he showed up is most likely because Yue Juejiang caused too big a commotion, and we stayed outside our rooms longer than usual.”

“Why did he let us live?” Ye Qing asked, puzzled. He refused to believe that this shitty room—or any room for that matter—could keep such a terrible existence at bay.

“The Soul Collector is the protector of the Earthly Sovereign’s Coffin. He would not tolerate any act of blasphemy against his lord or his resting place. Anyone who speaks or moves wantonly in his presence shall be treated as a blasphemer and have their souls collected,” Yi Pin explained.

“So, you’re saying that it will be fine if we don’t speak or move when he’s around?” Ye Qing exclaimed in realization. No wonder the first thing Yi Pin told him after they escaped into their room was to stay quiet and stay still. Huo Linglong had mentioned something like this as well.

“You can say that,” Yi Pin confirmed.

“If it’s that easy, then why do we need to hide inside a room?” Ye Qing asked.

“Are you stupid?” Yi Pin shot Ye Qing an incredulous look. “Because it’s safe, of course. The Soul Collector is a champion from ancient times. A single wisp of his aura can damage our minds if you’re lucky, or extinguish it outright if you’re not. These rooms are constructed from special stones that can neutralize the Soul Collector’s aura and pressure to a certain extent. That is the only reason you and I are still alive right now.”

Ye Qing couldn’t refute Yi Pin. It was a stupid question. He fell silent, and for a time, no one said anything.

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