Stranger Danger

Creak…

The group of three had just arrived at the entrance when the doors of the Qiao residence suddenly opened without warning. It would seem that they were expected.

Ye Qing wasn’t surprised by this. In fact, he wasn’t surprised by what happened next. As soon as they crossed over the threshold, the doors slammed shut behind them, and Qiao Shanhu and Qiao Shanpao abruptly bolted away from him in different directions as if they knew this would happen. The next moment, dozens of men wearing form-fitting outfits and wielding swords and sabers surrounded him from all sides.

“Not bad, not bad! I love how you welcome your guests!” said Ye Qing with a knowing smirk on his face. In fact, he noticed that Qiao Shanhu and Qiao Shanpao had made a number of hand gestures to a few beggars who “happened” to cross their paths a while ago. He had no doubt that those beggars had passed on a message to Qiao Six, which was why the information broker was able to prepare such a “nice” welcome for him.

The two men believed that Ye Qing hadn’t noticed their petty maneuver, but they were wrong. He hadn’t stopped them simply because he deemed it unnecessary.

Barring the unforeseen, he was certain that no one in this residence possessed the strength to stop him from escaping.

“Guest? You are no guest. Our doors only welcome friends, family, customers, and deities. You are just an outsider who trespassed into our master’s property uninvited; a thief. And there is only one way to treat a thief!”

The leader of the armed group abruptly charged toward Ye Qing and roared, “Kill!”

There are two middle-stage Qi Invokers and five early-stage Qi Invokers. The rest are journeyman or adept Reforgeds!

Ye Qing quickly got the measure of the group while responding to the threat. When the leader brought down his saber, he shifted his feet slightly so that it would pass just centimeters away from his face. Then, he took a step forward and came face to face with the man.

“Good day!”

The leader wasn’t expecting Ye Qing’s speed to put it mildly. The brief surprise was all the young man needed to bump his shoulder against his chest. The next second, the leader flew backward like he was struck by lightning and accidentally bowled over three other men.

Ye Qing wasn’t out of danger yet, however. While he was pushing the leader away from him, two swords thrust at his left arm and right shoulder, and a saber swung at his ankle from a super low angle. They were coming at him from different directions as well. An ordinary warrior would have been mutilated or killed.

But Ye Qing was anything but ordinary. He pushed off the ground gently and floated into the air like a feather, dodging the sword thrusts by a hair’s breadth. Of course, the saber had missed him as well. The three attackers could only watch in horror as Ye Qing flew around them in an unnatural arc and landed deftly on his feet. They hadn’t seen him move, but they all felt a sudden pain in their weapon hand that forced them to let go of their weapons. It was only then they realized that a throwing knife was embedded in their wrists!

After crippling three people in one go, Ye Qing abruptly slackened as if he had used up all of his energy. Sensing an opportunity, the closest attackers to Ye Qing hurriedly closed the distance and swung their weapons. It was a ruse. Ye Qing took one step into the air and abruptly split into multiple copies of himself.

It was near impossible to distinguish who was real and who wasn’t, and the Ye Qings seemed to be escaping in every conceivable direction. When all was said and done, their attacks had missed, and sudden pain had gripped their wrists. Just like the three attackers from before, a throwing knife was embedded in their wrists!

Curiously, the throwing knives were a hair’s breadth from hitting an artery, which could’ve constituted a serious threat to the attackers’ lives. The young man had also missed the bones and the tendons and avoided inflicting a wound that could’ve crippled their arms permanently.

Was it a coincidence?

Or was it intentional?

What happened next stunned everyone who was watching the battle. The copies disappeared, but Ye Qing started darting all over the place like a monkey. Sometimes, he would sprint forward in a straight line and suddenly dash backward as if the laws of physics were fake. Sometimes, the straight line would abruptly turn into an arc or even an S-shaped curve. And sometimes, he would descend from the air like he was planning to flatten an attacker like a pancake only to rise back into the sky.

His movements were so erratic and unpredictable that it was near impossible to react or guard against it, much less mount any sort of effective retaliation. Every time he dashed or flew past an attacker, a throwing knife would suddenly appear in their wrists. Even worse, they now knew it definitely wasn’t a coincidence that their wounds were neither life-threatening nor crippling-for-life because all of the throwing knives had landed exactly one millimeter away from the artery and avoided the bones and tendons!

It wasn’t long before every attacker in the front yard was neutralized. Clutching their wrists and covered in blood, they all looked as sorry as they could be. On the other hand, the young man who defeated them all was smiling and not even touched by the battle. At that moment, he resembled a mighty celestial of the heavens!

“Does anyone wish to continue this fight?” Ye Qing clasped his hands behind his back and asked with a playful smirk on his face.

“...”

How? With our heads?

Everyone stepped away from Ye Qing at the same time. It wasn’t cowardice that drove them to back down. It was the simple, unadulterated fact that there was absolutely nothing they could do against him!

“Master Six would like to speak with you, young warrior.” 𝙗𝒆𝙙𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙚𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝒎

It was at this moment a man wearing a black outfit and a cold expression stepped out of a building deeper within the residence. He said, “This way, please!”

The cold man didn’t even look at his injured allies. After Ye Qing made to follow him, he immediately turned around and led him around the main building toward the back yard.

The man’s facial control was excellent, but not his body language. His slightly stiff footsteps and the left hand he had hidden in his sleeve since showing up betrayed his true feelings. He’s probably hiding an elastic sword up his sleeve, thought Ye Qing after shooting the man’s left hand a glance, a left-handed elastic sword user? I bet his fighting style is pretty backstabby and unorthodox!

As if sensing Ye Qing’s gaze, the cold man slowed down for just an instant and tensed up his muscles. If the young man displayed any abnormal behavior at all, the elastic sword in his sleeve would penetrate his throat in the blink of an eye…

… Or so he would like to tell himself. He was confident in his skills, but he wasn’t confident they were enough to kill the young man next to him.

“Heh. My name is Ye Qing. What is yours, brother?” Ye Qing asked.

“Zuo Yiyan!” replied the cold man, but he did not lower his guard as a matter of course.

“A good name!” Ye Qing praised while admiring the exquisite scenery around them. “I’m surprised. Your master’s residence looked pretty mundane from the outside, but the inside is a whole different world!”

He was speaking from the heart. Whoever designed the architecture must be a genius. On the outside, the residence paled in contrast to the flamboyant buildings around it to the point where it was almost inconspicuous. But on the inside, there were tall, lush trees and well-trimmed bushes that soothed the eyes, smooth grass and beautiful flowers that added life and vibrance to the surroundings, covered bridges that spanned across certain sections of the residence and enabling a scenic view of the gardens, rooftops with flying eaves that seemed to reach out to the heavens, tasteful corridors that seemed to wind into the unknown and entice its guests to childish exploration, and more. Together, they painted an elegant, poetic picture that seemed to sing at the very soul.

That wasn’t all. There was an order in which the elements of the residence were arranged. At first glance, it seemed like there were a bit too many fake hills, bridges, gardens, trees, and winding paths. In reality, it was to create a giant maze. That’s right, this whole section of the residence was a maze designed to confuse enemies and uninvited guests alike. Without a guide, most people would not even be able to find their way back to the exit, much less make it to whatever destination they had in mind.

As if that wasn’t enough, Ye Qing sensed many guards stationed at both conspicuous and inconspicuous places. He wouldn’t say that the defense was airtight—this was a world full of monsters after all—but it was quite impressive.

“Master Six is the architect!” Zuo Yiyan continued to respond tersely as if every word was worth an ounce of gold.

Ye Qing clicked his tongue and said, “Your master’s writing is ass, but his designing skills are anything but. He must be a man of culture!”

“...”

Zuo Yiyan didn’t know what to say. Did this guy seriously just disparage Master Six to my face? Does he think I’m deaf, or is he that confident?

Screw it, I’m just going to play deaf!

Zuo Yiyan also pretended that he was mute. Nothing could go wrong if he heard nothing and said nothing, right?

Many twists and turns later, the duo finally exited the maze and entered a huge clearing. The first thing Ye Qing saw was a massive, sky blue pond with countless lotuses floating on the surface. It was beautiful, but Ye Qing imagined that it would be even more beautiful when it was summer, and the lotuses were in full bloom.

“Please enter the boat, young warrior. Master Six is waiting for you in the pavilion up ahead!” said Zuo Yiyan. After Ye Qing had done as he said, the cold man personally steered the boat toward the pavilion.

Zuo Yiyan’s boat poling skills were excellent. They reached the pavilion quickly and smoothly in no time at all.

The pavilion was octagonal-shaped and tastefully ornamented. Bronze bells were hung beneath each corner so that melodious ringings filled the ears every time there was a breeze.

The pond was beautiful, the pavilion was aesthetic, and the ringings were sublime. Naturally, the pavilion’s name could not be far behind.

“Rainflower Rest, a resting place where the rain falls on a pond of lotuses, is it? Not bad at all!”

“And I am most glad that Boss Ye is a man of culture! This deserves a hearty drink!”

In the pavilion, a middle-aged man in his forties wearing a scholar’s robes rose to his feet. He also had a long, elegant beard that complemented his cultivated appearance perfectly.

Who would’ve thought that this cultured, gentle-looking man who almost looked like a teacher would be the greatest information broker in Anyang, the omniscient Master Qiao Six?

“You know me, Master Six?” Ye Qing hopped off the boat and stepped into the pavilion.

“Please take a seat, Boss Ye!” Qiao Six beckoned for Ye Qing to sit down on the chair on the opposite side of the table before saying, “And yes, of course I’ve heard about you. You are a self-proclaimed scholar who carries a strange frog with you and entered Anyang seven days ago. You bought Endless Horizons, a bookstore that was supposedly haunted for one hundred silvers with Zhao Mu as the broker on the very same day.”

“You spent most of your time indoors, but on the rare occasion you leave the building, you enjoy sunbathing, drinking wine and listening to music. You don’t care for your business, but you are kind and agreeable. You managed to win the affection of your neighbors in just a few days and earn yourself the nickname, ‘Boss Ye’!”

“Haha. I didn’t think that you would investigate a nobody like me so thoroughly. No wonder some people claim that you’re omniscient!” Ye Qing said smilingly. He wasn’t surprised though. The guy wouldn’t be known as the greatest information broker in Anyang if he wasn’t this good.

Qiao Six smiled and accepted a cup of hot tea from his servant girl. A small sip later, he said evenly and amiably, “You say that, but it’s clear that I haven’t found anything beneath the surface. For example, I never realized that you were a hidden dragon until you defeated my guards without a scratch!”

Ye Qing smirked. “It’s not your fault. I’m just a world class actor is all!”

“I can see you’re a humorous person, Boss Ye!” responded Qiao Six while barely suppressing a grimace. This guy just does?not hesitate to use anything you throw him to compliment himself, doesn't he?.

Ye Qing leaned back against his chair and enjoyed a sip of tea. He then said lazily, “Speaking of which, you’re not a very good host, are you? I’ve come to see you with a great gift, but you welcomed me with violence practically the second my foot left the threshold. That isn’t very polite, is it?”

Qiao Six smiled calmly. “You heard what my guard said, didn’t you? An invited guest is one thing, but an uninvited one, well, it’s only natural I would want to gauge your intentions and check if they are good or evil, fortune or misfortune, commanding or imploring, am I right?”

Ye Qing raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re saying that it was just a test?”

The middle-aged man replied immediately, “That is correct!”