Stranger Danger

Chapter 596: A Shame, But Not Really

“Ahem...”

Xie Taohua realized his mistake as soon as he said it. “Please don’t misunderstand, Brother Chu. What I mean is... where is that person right now?”

“They escaped!” Chu Wangsun answered simply.

Xie Taohua seized the opportunity to pay him a compliment. “They still lost to you despite their meticulous planning. You are incredible, Brother Chu.”

“I lost,” Chu Wangsun said indifferently.

Xie Taohua: “...” Bro, can you be less honest? Can’t you tell that I’m complimenting you?

Xie Taohua tried again, “Ahem... still, you managed to repel a formidable foe when you’re already spent. It’s a commendable feat.”

“They were weaker than me,” Chu Wangsun shut him down yet again.

If that’s true, then why did you say it?! Isn’t it normal to hide one’s shame, not the other way around?! Xie Taohua ranted mentally.

Having no idea how to deal with Chu Wangsun’s self-depreciation, Xie Taohua ultimately changed the subject. “Do you know who they are, and why they’re trying to kill you?”

“I don’t know.” Chu Wangsun shook his head. Although he had seen his attacker’s face—and it was a very ordinary face of a man, the kind that no one would pay attention to in a crowd—and he was certain that he didn’t recognize the face, there was a huge chance that it wasn't their real face. They might not even be male for all he knew.

He was unable to tell anything from their presence and the techniques they used either.

More accurately, his opponent hadn’t used any techniques at all. From the start until the end, they had fought with just basic movements and strength. Even a plow swing had more technique than what they displayed.

The attacker’s attempt to conceal their identity wasn’t flawless, of course. They had inevitably revealed their enigmatic Yin God and Purple Sun Trueflame to him.

Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough for him to guess their identity or even their general background.

“It’s fine. The next time we meet, I will recognize them and kill them.”

He was speaking from the heart, and it was no empty boast. He never made the same mistake twice, and he did not intend to start now.

“Hahaha...”

Xie Taohua was going to console Chu Wangsun, but the scholar had gotten out of the funk on his own. In fact, he might not be in a funk to begin with. As expected of Chu Wangsun.

He wasn’t going to praise the guy a third time, of course. After all, he was the ninth named warrior on the Human Champions Ranking, and he wasn’t a shameless bastard who cared nothing for his dignity. Two compliments were all he could pay Chu Wangsun before it really felt like he was debasing himself.

Besides, he had no intentions of being let down again. He had never felt so tired and annoyed complimenting someone.

It was at this moment Xie Taohua recalled something and reminded, “Oh right, there’s one more thing I need to speak with you about, Brother Chu. Pei Qiansui is Old Man of A Hundred Virtues’ most cherished disciple, and he is very protective of his own. Although it is a third party who manipulated the events so that Pei Qiansui would die in your hands, in the end, you did kill him. Beware of Old Man of A Hundred Virtues, for he is almost certainly going to come after you for revenge.”

“It’s just one heretic. I have nothing to fear from him.” Chu Wangsun said indifferently, “Is there anything else, Brother Xie? If not, then I’ll be taking my leave.”

“There’s nothing else, Brother Chu. Please do as you please,” Xie Taohua hurriedly replied.

There were two reasons he came over. One, he wanted to offer his help if it turned out to be necessary. The resurrection of a Phenomenon-class Strange Artifact was no joke after all. His suspicions also played a huge role in his initiative.

Second, he wanted to make Chu Wangsun owe him a favor if possible, but from the looks of it, it wasn’t going to happen.

“Very well. May we meet again someday,” Chu Wangsun replied before taking his leave.

“May we meet again.”

After Chu Wangsun was gone, Xie Taohua perceived the chaotic energies still floating in the surrounding air and muttered to himself, “Could it be him?”

Logically speaking, it should be impossible. It was true that the mysterious man on Peach Blossom Mountain possessed the skill and power to influence one’s mind and toy with one’s heart without a trace, but he had also just come into his Yin God and become a Spirit Master. It should be impossible for him to be able to injure Chu Wangsun to this extent.

The power gap was just too wide no matter how he looked at it.

And yet... his subconscious just wouldn’t stop saying otherwise. That that man was, against all odds, the one who injured Chu Wangsun.

“Forget it. Why am I even thinking about this? It has nothing to do with me to begin with.”

Suddenly, Xie Taohua broke into a self-derisive smile and said to himself, “I have not yet enjoyed all the beauties and colors the world has to offer. I have no time to stick my nose into other people’s business, do I? Let it go! Let it go!”

......

“Hah... hah... thank goodness he didn’t chase me.”

On a small hill, Ye Qing was panting heavily while his powerful vigor healed his festering skin and horrid injuries bit by bit.

When he confirmed that Chu Wangsun hadn’t given chase, he finally allowed himself to fall on his ass and scratch his heavy, disoriented head with lingering trepidation.

It should not need to be said, but the person who ambushed Chu Wangsun earlier was, of course, Ye Qing. But unlike what Chu Wangsun and Xie Taohua thought, it wasn’t premeditated. It was just an impulse that he chose to indulge when the opportunity presented itself.

At the beginning, he just wanted to make trouble for Chu Wangsun and test his strength a little. After all, Chu Wangsun was one of his sworn enemies. If it wasn’t for the bastard, he would never have been in this situation. It was only a matter of time before he sought Chu Wangsun out for revenge anyway, so why would he allow the opportunity to find out just how strong the famous Mister Nine really was slip through his finger?

However, Pei Qiansui turned out to be far more volatile than he expected. In a good way, of course. First, the man had detonated his Yin God. Then, he spurred his Phenomenon-class Strange Artifact to resurrect and forced Chu Wangsun to give it his all.

When he realized that the scholar was spent, he realized that a golden opportunity had landed in his lap, and a voice suddenly spoke in his ears:

Hey, this looks like a great opportunity to eliminate Chu Wangsun. It’s not everyday your greatest foe is in such a vulnerable state. Are you sure you want to capitalize on this opportunity?

He agreed with his inner voice, so he allowed his impulse to get the better of himself. He attacked Chu Wangsun.

Unfortunately, reality was a harsh mistress. It was only after he clashed against Chu Wangsun that he realized that, despite having expended most of his energies and even suffered a certain extent of injuries to stop Pei Qiansui’s self-destruction and the resurrection of the Soul Refining Furnace, the scholar remained unbelievably strong.

Even when everything went his way, and Chu Wangsun wasn’t expecting him at all, the most he could manage was injuring him.

Sure, he successfully burned Chu Wangsun’s face with the Purple Sun Trueflame and even damaged Chu Wangsun’s mind with his Heavenly Demon Yin God. Sure, it looked like everything had gone his way. But in reality? He was going to die if they kept fighting.

And how did he know this? Because Chu Wangsun had never used a single Strange Artifact from start until the end. He refused to believe that a man like Chu Wangsun would not have one or more Strange Artifacts that could save his life or turn the tables against his opponent when all hope seemed lost.

Besides that, Chu Wangsun’s “Eternal Sorrow” was seriously terrifying. It had shattered his Heavenly Demon Yin God and Paranirmita Vasavartin Heaven, and damaged his mind. Had he stayed for round two, his newly manifested Yin God would most likely become permanently destroyed, and he would fall back to the Spirit Purification stage. The risks were simply too great.

Realizing that his ultimate objective could not be achieved, and he had already dished out all the damage he could, Ye Qing did not hesitate to book it.

That was his plan from the beginning anyway. If he could kill Chu Wangsun, then hurray! If not, then he was going to run like hell.

He had never walked into this ambush with the determination to kill his opponent at the cost of his own life. That was why he fought Chu Wangsun with basic techniques and pure strength only. The thought of using his “Hellfire Red Lotus Saber Art”, “Chaos Demon Ape Body Tempering Sutra”, “Divide”, “Break Through” or more had never crossed his mind. After all, he had employed all these techniques at least once during the Hidden Dragon Conference, and if he still failed to kill Chu Wangsun in the end... it would basically be an announcement to the whole world that he, Ye Qing, was still alive, wouldn’t it?

That was the last thing he wanted to say the least.

That was why he stuck to basic techniques only. Hell, he wouldn’t even call them techniques. Any human could throw a punch, pull someone toward them, and lift a knee.

He did use his Purple Sun Trueflame and Heavenly Demon Yin God as well, but those were trump cards he gained after escaping from Tian Yong. Almost no one had seen them in action before, so he did not think Chu Wangsun could find anything from it.

It was a bit of a shame that he failed to kill Chu Wangsun despite the scholar practically being handed to him on a silver platter. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t frustrated by this failure.

Had he gone into this fight with fatalistic determination, had he unleashed everything he had, and had he successfully grasped the “Boundless Heart Demon Tribulation”... would today’s outcome be different?

It was possible.

But it was also just a possibility.

He hadn’t gone all out, but Chu Wangsun sure as hell hadn’t either.

So yes, it was a shame he failed to end Chu Wangsun here. But it wasn’t a big shame.