Stranger Danger

“It is an excellent opportunity.”

Ye Qing nodded. One, the Four Seas Summit would be set on the Eastern Shore, a location that was far away from Chu. Two, the Four Seas Summit was a grand event involving every country under the heavens, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that thousands and thousands of people would be attending. As the saying went, murky waters make for easy pickings. Be it taking his revenge against Fang Muyun and Chu Wangsun or making his escape afterward, this kind of environment was advantageous to both.

“Thank you for telling me this, Qingyou. I’ll be sure to repay you properly after I’ve taken my revenge.”

Ye Qing thanked her before voicing his curiosity, “By the way, how did you know about this? We’re still half a year away from the Four Seas Summit, and I’m pretty sure that the participant list is a matter of national secret, right?”

“It’s a secret!” Feng Qingyou gave him a mysterious smile and changed the subject, “So, you’re definitely heading to the Eastern Shore.”

“But of course! I wouldn’t get a better chance than this. I see no reason to miss it whatsoever,” Ye Qing replied.

Feng Qingyou smiled. “That’s good. I’m actually planning to travel to the Eastern Shore and experience this year’s Four Seas summit as well. When the time comes, I’ll lend you a hand.”

“You’re heading to the Eastern Shore too? That’s awesome! We can travel together!” Ye Qing’s eyes lit up like the stars. “However, I’d appreciate it if you don’t lend me a hand.”

“Why not? Do you think I’m too weak to help you, or do you think I’ll drag you down?” Feng Qingyou asked.

“Of course not! I am more than happy to accept your help!” Ye Qing hurriedly explained himself, “It’s just that this is my vengeance and my mess, so I’m the one who should handle it. There is no reason to drag anyone into it.”

He was happy that Feng Qingyou was willing to help him. It proved that she cherished their relationship and bond. However, that did not mean he should take her kindness for granted.

He made it sound like killing Fang Muyun and Chu Wangsun were as easy as snapping his fingers, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. The journey would surely be riddled with obstacles and dangers. Even if he succeeded, it would not be the end of the story. In fact, it would be the start of a new, bigger danger. One misstep, and he would be facing the wrath of the Fang Clan and the Jixia Academy at the very least, or the entire Chu at the worst. In that scenario, the world literally wasn’t big enough to hide him.

He wanted to kill Fang Muyun and Chu Wangsun because he wanted to settle past scores and do right by himself. But if he had to put Feng Qingyou at risk to do this, then he would rather not go through with it in the first place.

It wasn’t that he was soft-hearted or anything. Feng Qingyou was his friend and the woman who saved his life. Be it from a principle or an emotional perspective, he could not put her in danger for his own selfish goals.

“Are we friends?” Feng Qingyou asked.

“Naturally,” Ye Qing answered.

Feng Qingyou smiled. “If we are friends, then it’s only natural that we support each other during our time of need. Those who only partake in the other’s spoils and never their suffering aren’t friends to begin with.”

She added something he wasn’t expecting after a pause, “Besides, helping you is helping myself.”

Ye Qing lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? Do you have a score to settle with Fang Muyun and Chu Wangsun as well?”

“Not at all.” Feng Qingyou shook her head, which only added to Ye Qing’s confusion.

He asked, “Then what do you mean by, ‘helping you is helping myself’?”

Feng Qingyou answered vaguely, “Let’s just say that they were born at the wrong place.”

“You’re only confusing me more, Qingyou.”

Ye Qing seriously had no idea what she was talking about. He understood every word she spoke, and yet it made no sense whatsoever when they were joined into a sentence.

“You’ll understand in the future.” Feng Qingyou did not explain any further. “All I can tell you at the moment is that Fang Muyun and Chu Wangsun are two of my primary objectives for this trip. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about putting me at risk. Even if you haven’t shown up, I would’ve sought them out anyway.”

“Really?” Ye Qing asked suspiciously. He couldn’t be sure if Feng Qingyou was telling the truth because she was the one person who was immune to his ability to sense emotions.

No, it wasn’t because Feng Qingyou’s mind was as unfathomable as the endless sky. If anything, it was the opposite. Clear and pure as a mountain spring, her heart was bare for all to see.

That only confounded him more, however. All living beings in the world possessed Seven Emotions and Six Desires. Every ripple in one’s heart, every thought in one’s mind naturally drew from these emotions. It was why desire was the hardest thing to subjugate bar none.

The reason the Buddhists disciplined and restricted themselves, the Taoists slew their heart demons, and the Confucian suppressed their so-called “heart ape” and “desire horse” were all to achieve unity between the heart and mind. However, how many people could actually reach that level?

To his senses, Feng Qingyou’s heart was as still as a dead well. The ripples of her heart were as pure as they were almost non-existent. Either she had truly achieved the so-called unity in heart and mind and transcended desire and emotions, or she was only showing him what she wanted him to see. In either case, Feng Qingyou was as mysterious as she was unfathomable.

“Of course,” Feng Qingyou confirmed.

Ye Qing stopped hesitating and laughed loudly. “I’m glad. With your help, there is no way Fang Muyun and Chu Wangsun would escape me this time!”

Feng Qingyou did not answer. She simply smiled at him like a beautiful, tranquil painting.

A few breaths later, Ye Qing recalled something and said, “Oh right, there is one more thing I need your help with, Qingyou.”

“What is it?” Feng Qingyou asked.

“Do you know who Xue Beikun is?” Ye Qing asked.

“You mean the new Right Battalion Commander of the Brigand Obliterator?” Feng Qingyou said.

“You know him?” Ye Qing was a little surprised, to be honest. He was going to give her a brief summary of his background, but as it turned out, she already knew him.

“Of course I do. He went from a little commandant to the right commander of the Brigand Obliterator in just a matter of months. How could I possibly miss someone like him?”

Suddenly, Feng Qingyou looked into his eyes with a growing smile on her face. “He’s yours, isn’t he?”

“W-what do you mean?” Ye Qing’s hand shook, and he damned near sent one of the tea cups on the table flying. Is she a prophet or something?!

“There are four points that fueled my suspicion. One, Xue Beikun was originally the commander of the Black Feathers of Luo Shui. It was a cushy job with little to no risk and much to gain from, and yet he gave it up and came all the way to this danger-filled place to serve as an insignificant commandant. Logically speaking, it doesn’t make sense.”

Feng Qingyou actually gave him a serious explanation, “Two, Xue Beikun had shown up at Qing Wu at more or less the same time you faked your death and made your escape. It is also around the time you sent the Heartless Brain to take control of the Chaos Heaven Brigand. It seemed too coincidental to be a coincidence.”

“Three, Xue Beikun was unusually familiar with the inner workings of Mount Qi. For whatever reason, he could always figure out his enemies’ plans beforehand and annihilate them accordingly. It is why he was promoted to his current position in just a matter of months. This is something even a local would find difficult to do, much less an outsider who just arrived at Qing Wu.”

“And four, Xue Beikun had given Mount Qi quite the run for its money since he came to Qing Wu. Although I can’t say that the blows he dealt to Mount Qi as a whole are serious, he has certainly caused a lot of trouble to most of the factions in Mount Qi—all of them, except one Chen Ah Sheng. It’s almost guaranteed that they shared some sort of connection between them.”

“Looking at Xue Beikun’s background, the timing of his appearance in Qing Wu, his unnaturally swift promotion, and the strange connection he shared with Chen Ah Sheng, there is one constant that stands between the two of them, and that constant is you.”

“Naturally, I arrived at the conclusion that Xue Beikun is yours.”