Chapter 1237: What To Do

“You made a good choice.”

Taba Xuanwu gave Ye Qing a happy clap on the shoulder. “Oh right. From now on, just address me as brother. You ain’t my soldier, and I ain’t your general, am I?”

“Brother Taba,” Ye Qing said immediately. On the surface, Taba Xuanwu seemed tyrannical, barbaric, ruthless and cold-blooded. In reality, he was forthright, clear-eyed, affectionate and true. He was definitely a friend worth making.

Most importantly, he desperately needed Taba Xuanwu’s protection right now. No matter what, he was going to make a brother out of the general.

“Hahaha! Good!”

Taba Xuanwu wrapped an arm around Ye Qing and guffawed. “From here on out, you are a brother of Taba Xuanwu!”

Even before his rambunctious laughter had faded, Taba Xuanwu scanned his surroundings and declared in a tone that would not accept no as an answer, “Ye Qing is my brother now, and anyone who dares to bully my brother or wish him harm within Cloud Hue Pass is an enemy of Taba Xuanwu. My enemy is the Tyrant Might Army’s enemy, and the only punishment we offer our enemies is death!”

“Death!”

“Death!”

“Death!”

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The Tyrant Might Army shouted in unison, their aura of death rolling like smoke, and their voices scattering even the wind and clouds.

“Thank you, brother!” Ye Qing thanked Taba Xuanwu from the bottom of his heart. This wouldn’t scare off all of his enemies, but it would at least concern those who remained behind. He was safe for the short term, and a short term was all he needed. He only needed a day or two to recover fully and become fearless once more.

“There is no need for thanks between brothers, I think.”

Taba Xuanwu smiled. “If you really wish to thank me, then join me for a long drink tonight.”

“Very well! I promise I will drink until I drop!” Ye Qing laughed.

“Hahaha...”

Taba Xuanwu laughed loudly as well. “Indeed! We will drink until we drop!”

And so the duo walked side by side toward Cloud Hue Pass, the Tyrant Might Army guarding them from all sides, and the sun setting behind their heads. The clouds burned like fire.

......

“I can’t believe we had to let go of such a golden opportunity. A shame. A shame.”

After Ye Qing, Taba Xuanwu, and the Martial Might Army were gone, several figures appeared at the clearing outside Cloud Hue Pass and stared in the direction where their quarry had disappeared to, gloomy.

“It’s all Taba Xuanwu’s fault! He just had to be a busybody! Otherwise, the Earthly Sovereign Bell would be ours already!”

A short but stout man let out a curse. As he spoke, the excess flesh on his face wriggled like a million worms and vipers, giving him a terribly vicious impression. “Taba Xuanwu is a terrible man! Just terrible!”

“Say, what are the chances that Taba Xuanwu is plotting to claim the Earthly Sovereign Bell for himself? If he is, then Ye Qing is as trapped as a turtle in a jar, no?” An eerie, evil-looking man dressed like a scholar asked while fanning himself with a folding fan. As the fan swooshed through the air, strange silhouettes could be seen standing and sneering right above the object.

“Unlike you liars and oathbreakers, Taba Xuanwu is a true man of his word,” a woman jabbed with an adoring smile on her face.

The woman looked to be twenty eight or so, and she boasted an exceptionally lovely countenance and seductive laughter. However, her hands were bones burning with some sort of evil white flame. The contrast made her look positively chilling.

“Now is not the time to be a love-struck fool, Lady Bones,” said another man. He did not have a face. There was only a single bloodshot eye at the center. The blood vessels were blending into a bundle and spinning non-stop, causing dizziness in those who watched the swirling for too long. “Business takes precedence over personal matters.”

“But I am talking about business.” Lady Bones looked at the one-eyed man, giggling. “It’s better for the Earthly Sovereign Bell to be in the hands of Ye Qing than Taba Xuanwu, no? We all agree that Taba Xuanwu is not someone we can tackle, no?”

“Hmph. Why are we talking about this nonsense?”

The man with excess flesh on his face said impatiently, “Our first priority right now should be finding a way to kill Ye Qing and steal the Earthly Sovereign Bell!”

“Hah! He’s inside the Cloud Hue Pass right now. What can we do? Dare you kill Ye Qing in front of Taba Xuanwu?” The eerie scholar countered.

No one said a thing for a long time. To be honest, they did not dare.

Although everyone here was a famous and veteran Great Trueman or Great Grandmaster, they knew they weren’t good enough to challenge a Taba Xuanwu who had become a Half-Sage.

“It’s fine. We can wait until Ye Qing had left Cloud Hue Pass before we act.”

A long time later, a kind-looking old man with white beard and hair said, “Taba Xuanwu only said that we cannot attack him inside Cloud Hue Pass.”

“And if Ye Qing chooses to hide in Cloud Hue Pass for several years straight? Are we going to wait that long?” The one-eyed man countered.

“He cannot, not even with Taba Xuanwu’s protection,” The old man declared certainly. “He will leave Cloud Hue Pass in three, maybe five days at most.”

“What do you mean, Old Farmer?” Lady Bones asked.

The old man answered smilingly, “Because not even Taba Xuanwu cannot stop the rage of all under the heavens alone.”

“We are not special. There are countless others in the world who desire the Earthly Sovereign Bell including the Sages, the influential, the lofty, and the strong. Even if they choose not to act directly, they would not allow Taba Xuanwu to hide Ye Qing in Cloud Hue Pass for long. They will surely pressure him or warn him to send him away.”

“Taba Xuanwu is strong, but he is no Sage. Not only that, he is a general of Wei. His first priority will always be his soldiers and the people of Cloud Hue Pass. He does not have the freedom to act as he pleases.”

“Therefore, Ye Qing will leave Cloud Hue Pass very soon.”

“Your word makes sense, Old Farmer,” the eerie scholar smacked his fan against his palm in realization.

“I don’t know what you guys are so happy about. Even if Ye Qing does leave Cloud Hue Pass, can we really kill him by ourselves?”

Suddenly, a lazy voice interrupted. “Did you forget that Ye Qing just bested Taba Xuanwu fair and square? Do you think you could have done the same thing? Forget one of you, not even all of you may be a match for Taba Xuanwu!”

“With that in mind, do you really think you can kill Ye Qing and claim the Earthly Sovereign Bell after he recovers and leaves the Cloud Hue Pass?”

“Laughable! Simply laughable!”

“Who dares to interrupt me?!”

The sudden voice caught everyone by surprise. The man with excess flesh on his face especially flew into a rage and threatened to burst into a series of expletives.

His words died in his throat before he could begin though. It was because his eyes identified the newcomer first.

The newcomer was a sloppy-looking Taoist in his forties or fifties. He looked like he hadn’t shaved or cut his hair in ages, and he was wobbling on his feet with a drowsy expression. He looked like he was half-asleep or half-awake.

“The Taoist of Sleep...”

Everyone looked surprised by his appearance. Even the short-tempered man with a fat face nervously gulped and forced a smile onto his face. “I didn’t know it was you, Taoist of Sleep. I hope you will forgive me for not recognizing Mount Tai immediately.”

No one mocked the short-tempered man despite his complete and sudden change in attitude. After all, they would have done the exact same thing if they were in his shoes. It was because the Taoist of Sleep was powerful in many ways: background, strength, and skill.