Stranger Danger

Chapter 576: What a Mighty Coincidence

Joy Bodhisattva was back to full strength thanks to the Nature’s Water, and the survivors still outnumbered Xiong Kuohai’s men despite everything. There was never any doubt how this final, if not somewhat anti-climatic battle would go. Just a moment later, Joy Bodhisattva had successfully annihilated all of Xiong Kuohai’s men including the likes of Wei Changhe.

“If you’re going to kill half of them, why didn’t you kill all of them? You’re aware that our plans are ruined if even one person breathes the truth to anyone, right?” Myriad Shadows asked casually. He never even batted an eyelid even though Xiong Kuohai’s men were technically his men.

Everyone except Joy Bodhisattva tensed up and broke out in cold sweat when they heard this.

“Do not worry, Sakyamuni. I am sure they will not betray the sect or reveal today’s matter to anyone. You may not trust in their behavior, but you may trust in me and my methods.”

Joy Bodhisattva looked at the group and asked, “What do you say, people?”

There was a moment of silence before everyone dropped to their knees. “We dedicate ourselves to the Way of Taiping, to the Sakyamuni, and to the Venerable One. We swear that no one will hear a word about today’s matter from our mouths.”

Joy Bodhisattva continued after the group was done swearing their fealty, “Besides, we need them to ensure the success of our plan.”

“What do you mean?” Myriad Shadows asked.

Joy Bodhisattva answered, “First, we need them to act as our witnesses. If I am the lone survivor of this incident, Sword King City and Earthfire Palace of Demons may suspect foul play. But if there is a group of survivors to support the claim that Xiong Kuohai and only Xiong Kuohai is behind it all, then they would be far more inclined to believe that that is the truth.”

“Second, their help is necessary if we are to take control of Bei You. Although Xiong Kuohai is dead, and Endless Sand is no longer a threat to our plans, Bei You is a massive place riddled with countless factions of varying strengths. I am not so arrogant as to think I can manage it all by myself, not to mention that the stronger factions of Northern Xinjiang such as Sword King City and Earthfire Palace of Demons would not allow me to claim the spoils unchallenged. If they interfere, it is inevitable that the sect’s plans would be impacted.”

“That is why we should keep them around as both a decoy and a smokescreen. Everyone here is a famous wanderer, despot, or gang leader of sorts. When the time is right, they can divvy up the cake that is Endless Sand on our behalf. We can even make them fight each other so that everyone thinks that Bei You is still an independent, divided region. Naturally, the major factions such as Sword King City or Earthfire Palace of Demons would have no cause to interfere.”

“Given enough time, we would have taken over Bei You without having to lift a single finger. They would be at our beck and call even if they did not know it themselves. What do you think, Sakyamuni?”

Myriad Shadows mulled over her plan for a moment before laughing out loud. “I knew I chose the right person. Very well! We shall do as you say.”

He then looked down at the anxious crowd and said in a much colder voice, “Thank your lucky stars that you are still useful to us. Take this.”

He dropped a few bottles of pills on the floor and said, “This is the cure to your poison.”

“Thank you, Sakyamuni!” exclaimed the crowd with pleasant surprise and caught the pills happily.

However, what he said next poured an ice bucket over their heads and chilled them to the core. “Don’t be too happy just yet. I’m not afraid to tell you that the poison afflicting you is one of the nine ancient poisons, the Burning Heart. It is a deadly poison that only my Way of Taiping can cure. The antidote I just gave you will only work for a month. If you don’t receive a new antidote when the month is up, you’re still going to die.”

The entire peak was deathly silent for a moment.

After examining the crowd’s despairing expression and judging that the time was right, Myriad Shadows finally offered them the carrot. “But don’t worry. I’m a fair man when it comes to reward and punishment. So long as you prove yourself to be a loyal and useful subordinate of the sect, I promise to treat you all just as well.”

“When the time is right, I will cure the poison afflicting you for real.”

“Thank you, Sakyamuni. We swear to serve the sect loyally and without reservation!” The crowd voiced their thanks and swallowed the pill. As soon as the pill entered their mouths, they felt a clear, refreshing sensation spreading throughout their body. The anomalous energy and negative emotions tearing at their fraying nerves immediately receded like a tidal wave.

Sensing just how quickly the antidote was bottling up the anomalous energy, the crowd could not help but look at Myriad Shadows with new respect and fear.

All, except one person. Ye Qing sighed mentally when he saw the grateful expressions on their faces. They still had no idea that the Burning Heart was incurable; no idea that they probably had to work for Myriad Shadows until the day they died.

It was clear that Myriad Shadows was exploiting the fact that few people knew about the mysterious Burning Heart. He would have come up with a more intelligent lie otherwise.

It didn’t matter anyway. Even if they found out the truth in the future, there was nothing they could do to change their fate. They would call Myriad Shadows everything under the sun for the lie, but in the end, they would still have to toil their lives away for him.

It was always easier to board a pirate ship than to leave it.

It was impressive that the Way of Taiping managed to create something that could suppress the Burning Heart for such a whole month though.

Ye Qing swallowed the pill just like the others, but he wrapped it within a layer of true qi and hid it inside his abdomen. He had been pretending to be infected by the Burning Heart this whole time, and his disguise was more or less perfect since the “Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon Sutra” fed on negative emotions. His demonic thought was already imbued with all kinds of negative emotions, so it took him little effort to fake the symptoms.

The end was close now. He just needed to keep his act together until then.

The reason Ye Qing did not simply swallow the pill was because he had no idea if the antidote was tampered with. Although it seemed redundant for Myriad Shadows to poison his victims a second time when they were already afflicted with an incurable poison, he would rather be safe than sorry.

Suddenly, Myriad Shadows turned to Joy Bodhisattva and asked, “Oh right, who was the one who tracked me that night? I didn’t think it was possible for someone to hide themselves from my senses.”

Ye Qing’s heart skipped a beat. This was the part he had been dreading the most. After all, Joy Bodhisattva was now a subordinate of Myriad Shadows and a member of the Way of Taiping. If she chose to betray him to further increase her profits, now would be the time to do it.

He didn’t know Myriad Shadows nearly long enough to figure out his personality. It was entirely possible for the Sakyamuni to be a petty little shit who would punish someone over the slightest slights. Although that didn’t seem to be the case—he did forgive Joy Bodhisattva after all—he was the reason the Sakyamuni nearly lost everything and got tricked by Joy Bodhisattva.

Myriad Shadows might not be able to kill Joy Bodhisattva because she was the key to his plans, but no harm was done if he killed him.

Even if Myriad Shadows was magnanimous enough to leave him alone, he would definitely fall under heavy scrutiny. If his true identity was exposed, then the Way of Taiping would hunt him down like a dog anyway. After all, he had ruined their grand plans before.

That was why Ye Qing’s heart leaped to his throat as soon as he heard the Sakyamuni’s words. If he knew that the Way of Taiping and Myriad Shadows were behind Xiong Kuohai, he would never have gotten involved in this mess.

Now, he could only pray that Joy Bodhisattva’s sense of honor was mostly intact.

“It was an attendant of mine, Sakyamuni. Her name is Cai Le.” Joy Bodhisattva explained, “Last night, I ordered her to inspect the Blissful Spring and ensure that everything is okay. On her way, she just happened to run into Xiong Kuohai.”

“Cai Le hailed from the Hidden Sect, and she is a descendant of the Night King. Not only that, she possessed the bloodline of the Phenomenon-class Stranger, Night Owl. In my sect, no one is as good at concealing their presence as her. I believe that is how she managed to escape your senses.”

“The Night King, is it? You sure have a knack for picking up talent,” Myriad Shadows replied noncommittally. “Where is she right now? I would like to meet her.”

Joy Bodhisattva dropped to one knee. “I beg your pardon, Sakyamuni, but Cai Le is a spy planted at my side by the Earthfire Palace of Demons. I executed her because I was afraid that she would reveal my secrets and plans to her true masters.”

“Oh. That’s a mighty coincidence, isn't it?” Myriad Shadows mused.