Stranger Danger

“Is this how White Sand Fort treats its guests?” Ye Qing asked calmly.

“You show up uninvited and barge into our home without permission. Is this how you treat your hosts?” Sha Tongtian waved his arm, and the hundreds of sandmen charged toward Ye Qing at once.

“Hahaha! Fair enough.”

Ye Qing was chuckling, but the cold glint in his eyes told a different story. There was a soft noise underneath his foot, and he shot toward the formation like an arrow.

He would challenge an army by himself.

Bang bang bang!

Ye Qing and the hundreds of sandmen slammed into each other. When the dust settled, it was Ye Qing who came out on top.

In just the blink of an eye, Ye Qing had traveled from one end of the street to another. He then grabbed Sha Tongtian by the throat and slammed him into the wall behind him, forming a deep pit and a spider web of cracks.

Sha Tongtian wasn’t done, however. A sea of sand was soaring in the sky behind him and howling like the end of the world itself. The ground itself was moving rapidly like a tsunami, threatening to swallow him whole.

Ye Qing ignored it all. Still grabbing Sha Tongtian’s neck, he took one step forward and smashed that section of the wall into bits. Then, he continued forward and smashed through every wall who was unfortunate enough to stand in his way.

It wasn’t long before he crossed over half of White Sand Fort and arrived at a massive, imposing-looking residence. He stomped the ground again, and suddenly the sandstorm behind him collapsed limply as if their invisible strings were cut.

Ye Qing then tossed Sha Tongtian aside, clapped his hands clean of sand, and raised his voice, “I know you don’t want to see me, but I must speak with you, Boss Sha. Will you finally show yourself?”

The Sha Tongtian he just tossed aside crumbled into sand, and the gates creaked open several breaths later. Dozens of desert bandits in uniforms rushed out of the residence and surrounded him. The rooftops, the windows, the entrances and more were surrounded by desert bandits wielding blades or bows as well. They were all watching him nervously.

Ye Qing didn’t do anything. He simply stood there with a calm, confident smile on his face.

It was at this moment a low, raspy voice cut through the tension. “Stand down. Brother Ye, please come in.” It came from inside the residence.

The desert bandits immediately opened up a way and motioned for Ye Qing to head in.

There was no reason for Ye Qing to hesitate. He walked through the gates confidently like he owned the place.

The first thing he saw after he stepped inside was a massive tree. It was snow white in color and leafless. However, translucent fruits hung on its branches and gave off a faint, delicious scent.

A middle-aged man was sitting underneath the tree. He looked exactly the same as the fake Sha Tongtian from before. The genuine article.

From the start, Ye Qing knew that the Sha Tongtian who appeared before his eyes wasn’t real. Not only that, he figured out that Sha Tongtian was not an early-stage Spirit Master like people thought him to be, but a late-stage Spirit Master. He also possessed a sublime martial art and a prodigious amount of spiritual power that allowed him to manipulate sand, summon hundreds of sand soldiers, and even create a near perfect copy of himself from several kilometers away. He was a formidable warrior to put it mildly. The rumors regarding the strength of Bei You definitely wasn’t exaggerated.

This was why Ye Qing hadn’t gone on a killing spree. He was here to rescue Li Longxiang, not make new enemies. He had to reveal some of his skills so that his foes wouldn’t look down on him, but he made sure to avoid taking a life besides the first. if he killed too many people, then this could easily escalate into a full-blown war where neither side stood to gain anything.

“Please have a seat, Brother Ye.”

Sha Tongtian poured Ye Qing a cup of tea and watched him. Ye Qing calmly took his seat, sniffed the tea once and joked, “I’m a guest from distant lands, and you couldn’t even offer me a cup of wine, Boss Sha?”

Sha Tongtian elegantly sipped his own tea and replied, “I just have a habit of treating my friends and family with wine, and my important guests with tea. That’s all.”

Ye Qing drained his tea in one gulp and produced a jar of wine from Nine Heavens. He placed it on the table and declared, “Since you offered me tea, it’s only right that I reciprocate with some wine. I hope you won’t turn me down, Boss Sha?”

You said that you only treat your friends and family with wine, so if you accept my offering, then we will become friends.

“Why don’t you state your business first?” Sha Tongtian set down his cup and asked, “What is your name, and why have you come to White Sand Fort, Brother Ye?”

Tell me your business first so I may know if it’s serious or trivial, friendly or hostile. Only then I’ll tell you if I accept your friendship.

“Straight to business, eh? Very well.” Ye Qing smiled. “My name is Joyless, and I am a friend of Yi Pin.”

Sha Tongtian responded slowly, “So?”

He knew Yi Pin of course. The old Taoist was the head of the Temple of Divination. He was just a small fry though.

“Yi Pin has a disciple named Li Longxiang, and he is my junior, I suppose.” Ye Qing continued, “Your men captured him, and I would kindly request that you release him.”

“Hmm? We did?” Sha Tongtian furrowed his brows slightly before waving someone over. “Go summon White Snake.”

Ye Qing could tell that Sha Tongtian wasn’t lying. He really didn’t know about Li Longxiang’s capture.

A short while later, the woman with the white snake coiled around her neck stepped in. She saluted Sha Tongtian and greeted him, “Boss!”

Sha Tongtian asked directly, “Did you capture a man named Li Longxiang recently? He’s the disciple of Yi Pin, head of the Temple of Divination.”

White Snake thought for a second before answering, “We have.”

“Why?”

“Hiss... a few days ago, a client offered us one thousand silver to capture Li Longxiang. We do not know why.”

“Do you know who the client is?” Sha Tongtian asked.

White Snake shook her head. “No. They never revealed their identity to us.”

Sha Tongtian was silent for a moment. Then, he declared, “Bring Li Longxiang over.”

“As you command!” White Snake received her order and left immediately.

After White Snake was gone, Sha Tongtian grabbed the jar of wine and poured himself a cup. After draining its contents in one gulp, he praised, “A superior quality Snowfire? What an excellent wine you have here.”

“I’m glad that you enjoy it,” Ye Qing replied smilingly.

A moment later, White Snake returned with four brawny men and Li Longxiang. Thick chains were wrapped around the young man’s body, and his shoulder blades were pierced by metal. He was also covered in wounds from head to toe.

Despite his horrible appearance, Li Longxiang himself appeared quite vigorous. In fact, he kept struggling as he walked and caused the four brawny men to stagger from time to time. They probably wouldn’t be able to control him if even one of them was missing.

Moreover, Li Longxiang’s vigor roared like a flood trapped inside a furnace, and his steps felt as firm and heavy as a dragon. One might say that he was a dragon elephant in human skin. His physical strength was so, so much stronger than what it was back then, and he was now an Astral Refiner.

This was just his apparent strength. If he activated his Crimson Dragon Demon Ox bloodline, then his strength would become several times greater.

“Why are you tying him up?” Sha Tongtian asked on purpose even though he knew the answer.

White Snake replied, “This man is incredibly strong, boss. It’ll be incredibly difficult to control him without restraints.”

It was at this moment Li Longxiang spotted Ye Qing and exploded with shock and joy. He immediately rushed toward him while yelling, “Senior uncle! Senior uncle!”

The four men who were restraining him actually lost their footing. They were dragged helplessly behind his back until Li Longxiang finally reached Ye Qing.

“It looks like you’re having a good time, bud!” Ye Qing placed a hand on Li Longxiang’s shoulder, and the young man that not even four men could control abruptly came to a dead stop.

“My apologies for my men’s poor treatment of your junior, Brother Ye. I hope you won’t mind.”

Sha Tongtian was surprised by Li Longxiang’s strength, but only a little. After all, he was nothing compared to Ye Qing.

Li Longxiang’s outburst seemed to confirm that Ye Qing wasn’t lying about their relationship though.

“You exaggerate, Boss Sha. This boy is as tenacious as he is strong. He will recover in no time,” Ye Qing replied while swiping his hand across Li Longxiang’s chains and snapping them all in half.

“You are a forgiving man, Brother Ye.”

Sha Tongtian felt his eyelids twitching a little. The chains were forged using Nine Refined Metal, and Ye Qing had snapped it as easily as tofu. What a monster.

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