Chapter 96: It’s Just A Joke, Bro!

“Have you memorized everything, Tao Xian?”

In the rebuilt Flowing Cloud Hall, Ye Qing was sipping wine and instructing Tao Xian on his new task. After he was done, his aide bowed his head and said, “I have!”

Ye Qing wasn’t a nagging person, but he could not help but remind Tao Xian again, “Remember, the investigation must be carried out with the utmost caution. It would end terribly for everyone if we were discovered!”

Tao Xian smiled and nodded again. “No worries, boss. I promise to proceed with the utmost caution.”

“Good. You may take your leave now.”

“Have a good night, boss!” Tao Xian saluted Ye Qing respectfully before leaving the room.

After Tao Xian was gone, Ye Qing left the Flowing Cloud Hall with his wine jar in tow. He then went to the garden to enjoy a relaxing night stroll, all the while taking sips from his wine.

There were two reasons he visited the Iron Shirt Gang tonight. One, he had something to entrust Tao Xian with. Two, he thought he deserved a break after that major battle last night, not to mention that he had jumped right back into cultivation and cultivated for almost twenty hours after that. His legs were literally numb when he finally stopped and tried to stand up.

Hard work was important, but relaxation was just as important be it in literary arts or martial arts. Even if it wasn’t, he had no intentions of cooping himself up in his room all day every day. It was bad for his mental health and his charisma so to speak!

“Up in the sky, there is a moon, a bed of stars, and an entire universe, and in my hand, there is a jar of wine, a garden of flowers, and an endless future. Now this is what I call poetic!” Ye Qing hummed happily to himself while strolling along a winding path through the garden. It was an elegant and beautiful place with melodious streams, quaint bridges, well-trimmed bushes, and gorgeous flowers that seemed to glow in the night. Every step he took introduced a sight to behold for the rest of time, and every ten steps felt as if he had crossed into a new world. This really was a fantastic place to enjoy the moon and drink delicious wine.

Alas, the moment couldn’t last. He was just rounding a corner when he suddenly came face to face with an unfamiliar man. A few seconds later, he became certain that the man wasn’t a member of the Iron Shirt Gang. One, a night guard would have asked him who he was and what the hell he was doing in the garden already. Second, they wouldn’t be wearing a bronze mask that covered up their face.

“Who are— Ye Qing began, but the man did not wait for him to finish. He took a step forward, released his aura, and threatened in a cold, harsh voice, “Quiet! You’re dead if you say another word! Where is your boss right now?”

The man’s eyes glowed a terrifying red in the darkness. If Ye Qing didn’t know better, he would think that the man was a Stranger ready to consume him at a moment’s notice.

Ye Qing blinked. This guy was a masked man who infiltrated the Iron Shirt Gang’s headquarters in the dead of the night, and the first question he asked upon encountering someone was the location of their boss… yeah, this guy was totally here to kill him.

“Say something! If not, I’ll kill you!”

The man’s eyes grew even redder. In fact, his aura was turning red and distorting the air around him.

In response, Ye Qing shrugged and said, “You were the one who said I’m dead if I say another word, and now you’re threatening to kill me if I stay silent? Make up your mind, man!”

“You…” The masked man lost his train of thought for a moment. If he wasn’t as desperate as he was, he would’ve murdered the damn brat for mouthing off to him already.

The masked man was none other than Qing Kui. After arriving at the Iron Shirt Gang’s headquarters, they had put on their masks, infiltrated the headquarters, and captured a couple of people. Their plan was pretty simple. They would interrogate their captives and find out where their gang boss was. Then, they would go to the gang boss and capture them. Once the gang boss had given them what they wanted, they would kill them to tie up loose ends and leave the place. Mission complete!

Unfortunately, reality was a harsh mistress. After infiltrating the gang and interrogating a good number of people, they quickly realized that the gang members were just as ignorant as they were. Forget their boss’ location, they didn’t even know if their boss was a male or female, old or young! If it wasn’t for the fact that Zheng Feng and Yan Tieyi were dead, they would’ve believed that this boss didn’t exist at all!

Not wanting to stay here all night, he and Xiao Yang split up so they could interrogate the men faster. Someone had to know who their boss was and where they were hiding, right? For a long time, Qing Kui was met with failure after failure until finally, he discovered Ye Qing in the garden.

Ye Qing wasn’t just taking a night stroll in the garden, he was drinking wine, enjoying the moon, and composing poems that positively made Qing Kui’s skin crawl. He had to be a prominent figure in the Iron Shirt Gang, meaning that he just might be able to tell him where the mysterious boss of the Iron Shirt Gang was.

“Don’t test my patience. Tell me where your boss is, or I will shatter every tooth in your mouth!” Qing Kui uttered harshly and murderously.

Ye Qing flinched back and protested innocently, “Calm, man, calm! You should’ve just said that sooner! I’ll take you to him right now!”

But I

did

tell you to tell me where your boss is, you sonuvabitch! Grr!

Most warriors were immune to mortal diseases, but Qing Kui felt he was dangerously close to catching a stroke. He swore he would suck the young man’s blood dry as soon as he had led him to his boss.

“Move! Don’t try anything stupid, or I swear I will make you wish you were dead!” Qing Kui ordered and pointed a finger at Ye Qing. A snake that seemed to be made out of blood immediately appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around his neck like a collar. It was so cold that frost was literally forming on his skin.

He’s strong!

Although the blood snake looked incredibly real—it was even flicking its tongue at him like a real snake—Ye Qing’s senses told him that it was really a manifestation of true qi. Not only that, his senses were telling him that this masked man was extremely dangerous.

Is he a peak late-stage Vessel Augmentor? Maybe even an Astral Refiner?

Ye Qing’s pupils contracted a little. This guy clearly wasn’t here to enjoy a drink with him, but what did he want exactly? Was it revenge for what had happened to Zheng Feng or Yan Tieyi?? Was it an attack by those who felt like they didn’t get what they deserved during the Zheng Clan’s downfall? Or was it something else?

“What are you doing? I said move!” Qing Kui urged when he saw Ye Qing blanking out of it for some reason.

“Okay, okay! Don’t hurt me! I’ll take you to the boss right now!” Ye Qing pretended to flinch again and put on an obsequious smile.

For now, I should play along and see where this goes!

Ye Qing led Qing Kui out of the garden and straight toward Tao Xian’s residence. When they had arrived, he pointed toward the main entrance and said, “Our boss is inside!”

“You think you’re very funny, don’t you?” Qing Kui’s eyes boiled with killing intent as he stared at the brightly lit room. The bastard might as well have pointed him to the entrance!

“This isn’t a trick! I wouldn’t dare lie to you with my life on the line!” Ye Qing explained in a hurry, “Our boss is a good man and a workaholic. That is why he’s still working even though it’s past midnight!”

It’s a logical explanation. I’m sure that Yan Yufei, for example, is still working at this time!

Unfortunately, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Before Qing Kui could decide if Ye Qing was trying to lead him into a trap or not, the door abruptly creaked open to reveal Tao Xian. The Hallmaster glanced back and forth between the two of them before saluting, “Good night, boss. Did you have something else to add?”

Qing Kui: “...”

Ye Qing: “...”

If reality was a harsh mistress, then coincidence was a real bitch. Ye Qing had led Qing Kui to Tao Xian’s room precisely because he knew that the Hallmaster wasn’t asleep yet. While Tao Xian was distracting the assassin, he would catch him by surprise and hopefully kill him in one strike. Even if he failed, he was confident he would be able to land a solid blow and earn himself the upper hand.

However, Tao Xian had stepped out of his room at the worst possible timing and said the worst possible things. After that, well, there was no after that because the game was up.

“So. You’re the boss,” Qing Kui said in a mocking tone while squinting his eyes at Ye Qing.

“Ahem…” Ye Qing coughed drily before shooting Qing Kui an apologetic smile. “The weather is pretty good today, so I thought I should welcome you in with a joke. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I do mind.” Qing Kui’s eyes flashed red, and the blood snake entangled around his neck immediately squeezed with all its might. Ye Qing’s face instantly flushed red as his breath became caught in his throat.

“Boss!?” By now, Tao Xian noticed that something was amiss. He did not hesitate to rush to Ye Qing’s rescue, but Qing Kui merely sneered and thrust his palm toward the Hallmaster. A crimson, hand-shaped silhouette immediately flew straight toward Tao Xian with deadly, all-consuming power. Everything in its way including the air was being consumed by the bloody hand.

Tao Xian skidded to a stop and turned as pale as a sheet. He wanted to dodge out of the way, but it felt as if the surrounding air was pinning him in place. He could only watch as the bloody hand sailed toward his chest.

Right when Tao Xian was resigned to his fate, a young man appeared in front of him and spun his sleeves in a circle, trapping the bloody hand at the center and dissolving it into nothing. He was Ye Qing, of course.

“Boss!” Tao Xian cried out while breathing an audible sigh of relief.

“Huh. It seems I’ve underestimated you!” Qing Kui looked surprised as well. He didn’t think that there was anyone in this county who could block his attack so easily.

If Ye Qing’s Boundless Lightning Palm was composed of forceful, yang force, then the bloody hand was the complete opposite. Vicious and unforgiving, the bloody hand shattered the bones and melted the flesh and blood of anyone who was struck by it. It should not need to be said that it was extremely dangerous, and yet Ye Qing had neutralized it without any effort at all. Clearly, he was an outstanding warrior.

But of course, surprise was all he felt from Ye Qing’s performance. He still did not consider him to be a threat at all.

“Nah! I’m just a little talented is all!” Ye Qing waved away the praise casually. “Everyone here are civilized people, so let’s act like it, okay? What do you want? If it’s within my ability to give, then I will give it to you!”

“But before you start, don’t ask me for my money or my life, okay? I don’t have money, and I’m not handing over my life!”

“...” Qing Kui ignored his joke and asked, “Are you the one who killed Zheng Feng?”

“Yep! That’s me!” Ye Qing did not deny this because there was no point. The guy wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t investigated the truth behind the incident thoroughly. “Are you here to take revenge for Zheng Feng?”

Instead of answering, Qing Kui asked another question, “If you’re the one who killed Zheng Feng, then you must have obtained his possessions. Did you find a painting among them?”

“A painting?” Ye Qing furrowed his brow for a second before relaxing.

Are they here for the “Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method”?

The slight change in Ye Qing’s expression did not elude Qing Kui. A smile spread across his face as he said, “You have seen the painting! Give it to me, and I promise I won’t desecrate your corpse!”

“The painting is with me, yes, but if you’re going to kill me either way then why the bloody hell would I give it to you?” Ye Qing asked with a raised eyebrow.

Is the guy stupid? Did no one teach him how to negotiate terms like a human being?

“The hard way it is!” Qing Kui let out an ominous chuckle. “I was hoping you would turn me down anyway!”

As soon as he finished, his bloody aura grew much stronger than before. It looked as red as fire, and yet it felt so cold it was like they were standing next to the source of winter. At the same time, frozen blood rippled out of the man like shockwaves.

“He’s… an Astral Refiner!” Ye Qing’s pupils contracted a little. He had his suspicions, but now he was certain that the assassin was in the Astral Refinement stage. It was because the bloody aura surrounding Qing Kui wasn’t made of true qi, but astral qi.

True qi was the intangible, insubstantial essence of the world. It could be molded into anything and everything, but it did not have a defining attribute. On the other hand, astral qi was known as the Qi of Perpetual Motion. Generally speaking, it referred to natural true qi that had taken on a distinct shape and attribute due to their environment or other factors. Some of the most astral qi in the world were Bing Fire, Yi Wood, Gui Water and so on.

An Astral Refiner was a warrior who had absorbed astral qi into their body and refined it into their true qi to give it characteristics of fire, water, lightning, earth, sound and other forces of nature. This was why astral qi was infinitely more varied and powerful than pure true qi.

Take Ye Qing’s “Boundless Lightning Palm” for example. The martial art molded his true qi to simulate the force of lightning, but it was ultimately just a simulation. It was nowhere as realistic or potent as the real thing.

Besides that, there was a reason astral qi was known as the Qi of Perpetual Motion. A body that was tempered by astral qi would not leak vigor, strength, or vitality into the environment, meaning that it could theoretically function indefinitely without an external energy source. It was why the ancients called this body the “Innate Flawless Body”.

To give a metaphor, if the Vessel Augmentation stage was the stage where the warrior dug “ponds” and “channels” in their body to fill them with “water”, then the Astral Refinement stage was the stage where they planted the seeds of life in their body and transformed it into a true ecosystem, mimicking nature in every sense of the word.

Ye Qing was now a bonafide late-stage Vessel Augmentor, so he had begun looking into the Astral Refinement stage as a matter of course. However, he absolutely wasn’t expecting to meet an Astral Refiner in the flesh, much less one who meant to do him harm.

“A-An Astral Refiner?!” Tao Xian stammered out in fright, and not just because the creeping frost was cold enough to constrict his blood vessels and turn his blood was ice. He could barely move an inch with how stiff he felt.