Stranger Danger

Ye Qing was impressed from the bottom of his heart. To be fair, Feng Qingyou already knew about his relationship with Chen Ah Sheng, so it wasn’t too difficult to put two and two together. However, it was still mighty impressive that she was able to piece together the scattered clues and deduce the whole truth.

He knew that Feng Qingyou hadn’t discovered the truth of Xue Beikun because he mentioned him either. No, she had probably figured it out from the moment she learned that the Heartless Brain was his subordinate.

Her explanation was also a subtle reminder to him that the supposedly secret cooperation between Xue Beikun and the Heartless Brain was not nearly as secretive as he thought it was. To be exact, both sides were too eager to accomplish the tasks he set for them and rushed things.

As per his orders, Xue Beikun and the Heartless Brain had cooperated many times to eliminate the bandits of Mount Qi. Xue Beikun used the merit to get himself promoted, and the Heartless Brain devoured the remnant forces of the defeated bandits to strengthen itself.

The plan should have been flawless. Had they executed it slowly and methodically, then no one would have found out about it. Instead, Xue Beikun was rising through the ranks far too quickly, and the Chaos Heaven Brigand was rapidly expanding their power and influence as well. It was inevitable that someone would discover the connection between them.

If Feng Qingyou could discover their connection, then another person might find out about it. The woman was hardly the only smart person in the world after all.

Thankfully, there was a silver lining to this situation. It had only been months since the plan was executed, and Xue Beikun’s current position was smack dab at the center of the totem pole. Although the Chaos Heaven Brigand was expanding way faster than it had any right to be, it wasn’t too obvious and hadn’t drawn too much attention. Therefore, there was no danger of Xue Beikun being found out and exposed—for now.

In the end, they were too hasty; too eager to produce results in the shortest time possible. He would have to caution them about this.

“If you can figure that out, then I’m sure this won’t be a problem for you. What do you think my request is, Qingyou?” Ye Qing challenged her.

“Since you mentioned Xue Beikun, your request must have something to do with him.”

Feng Qingyou answered immediately like she was the personification of wisdom itself, “You wish for me to replace Chen Ah Sheng as his new collaborator and assist him in his promotion, am I right?”

“Hahaha… you really are wise beyond imagination, Qingyou. That is exactly correct.” Ye Qing chuckled. “So? Will you accept?”

Although Feng Qingyou’s aid meant that his plan to take revenge against Fang Muyun and Chu Wangsun were more realistic than before, a wise man always leaves an out for themselves. Should the worst happen, and they failed to assassinate either one of the geniuses during their stay at the Eastern Shore, then Xue Beikun would become his one and only backup plan.

After all, the Chaos Heaven Brigand was no more, and he already promised to give up Mount Qi to Feng Qingyou.

Ye Qing had chosen to inform Feng Qingyou about Xue Beikun and asked for her cooperation after serious consideration. One, he shared a good relationship with her. Although her identity and origin were a mystery to him, he knew with every fiber in his body that she wouldn’t harm him. He also knew that Feng Qingyou shared no ties—none that were good anyway—with Chu because she was here in Mount Qi. If she really was a friend of Chu, then she would not be trying to control it in secret.

At the very least, their interests were closely aligned to each other.

Two, their cooperation would drastically benefit both of them and kill several birds with one stone.

For him, the entire Mount Qi would become his shield. Xue Beikun would also be able to use its resources to swiftly and safely grow his power and authority.

For her, Xue Beikun would become her spy and give her insight into the border army’s every move. She would be able to mitigate Mount Qi’s losses to the largest degree while still ensuring that Xue Beikun would rise through the ranks. And the higher Xue Beikun’s rank and authority, the better it would be for Mount Qi as a whole.

He could not see any reason for Feng Qingyou to turn him down, and as expected, she didn’t. She gave him a smile and said, “I see no reason to turn down such a wonderful offer, so I accept. I would have brought it up myself if you haven’t.”

“Our hearts really do beat as one!” Ye Qing laughed before realizing that he had gotten a little too excited. He immediately masked his embarrassment with a cough.

Luckily for him, Feng Qingyou did not seem to care about his frivolous comment. She simply smiled at him and said, “Let’s do it this way. The Heartless Brain will stay in Mount Qi so that he can both assist Wuwei and maintain his relationship with Xue Beikun. Do you agree?”

“Of course.” Ye Qing nodded.

“Since we are in agreement, please inform the Heartless Brain about our new arrangement. In the meantime, I will request Wuwei to get him a new body.”

Feng Qingyou tapped the table lightly with a finger, and an invisible wave of energy flashed once. Then, both the Boundless Mara Buddha and the Heartless Brain awakened at the same time.

“B-brother! You finally came! I’m so, so sorry that I failed you!” The Heartless Brain was besides himself the second he awakened and saw Ye Qing. “It’s really not my fault though. That woman is just too ruthless; too cruel! You have no idea the pains I went through…”

“Ahem…” Ye Qing coughed and winked at him repeatedly in an attempt to warn him that the “ruthless” and “cruel” woman he was speaking of was right behind him.

Strangely, the Heartless Brain failed to get his cues at all. He asked in confusion, “What’s wrong, brother? Did sand get into your eyes or something?”

“Oh right, where is that woman? She is unbelievably powerful. How on earth did you manage to rescue us from her clutches?”

“And where is the Fog Demon? Is he still trapped?”

“I am here!” It was at this moment the Fog Demon floated out of the Boundless Mara Buddha and declared loudly. “You came, boy! Since you managed to rescue me, you must have become a Grandmaster! Congratulations!”

“Hahaha… since the Fog Demon is here, then you must have captured that woman! As expected of my brother!”

The Heartless Brain exclaimed in joy when he saw the Fog Demon. “Where is that woman right now? I’m going to teach her a lesson! The damned woman had no idea how hard it was to find a passable body, and she just destroyed it in one strike! Worse, she… she…!”

The Heartless Brain trailed off and started shaking uncontrollably. Ye Qing could literally see the blood vessels and nerves in the brain twitching violently as if recalling a most unpleasant memory. When the Heartless Brain finally jolted back to reality, he uttered wrathfully, “I’m gonna make her wish that she was dead!”

“Hello? Are you there, brother? Why aren’t you talking? And why are you looking behind me? Is something there?”

Ye Qing paid the Heartless Brain’s incessant rants no heed. It was because he was busy staring at Feng Qingyou in shock.

It was only now he was certain that the Heartless Brain hadn’t misunderstood his cues. He just didn’t—or more accurately, couldn’t—see Feng Qingyou behind him. It was the same for the Fog Demon.

The difference between “didn’t” and “couldn’t” was miniscule, but right now, it chilled Ye Qing down to his very core. Feng Qingyou was literally a table away from him, and the distance was only shorter for the Heartless Brain and the Fog Demon. And yet, they were unable to perceive her at all.

How could he not be surprised?

How could he not be afraid?

He recalled how Feng Qingyou had trapped him in a nigh unbreakable illusion with a simple twang of her qin, and how it had taken his incomplete “Break Hammer” to finally break it.

In hindsight, it wasn’t surprising at all. If she could corner him like that, then why wouldn’t she be able to mask herself from the Heartless Brain and the Fog Demon’s perception?

“I have brought him over, miss.”

It was at this moment Gong Wuwei’s voice came from outside the entrance.

“Come in.”

Feng Qingyou said softly, and invisible waves seemed to ripple through the space around them. It was only then the Heartless Brain and the Fog Demon finally noticed that she was right behind them.

“I-it’s you? Why are you here?” The Heartless Brain exclaimed in shock and even more horror.

“I am the master of this place. Why wouldn’t I be here?” Feng Qingyou smiled at him. “Speaking of which, you had a lot of fun insulting me right to my face, hadn’t you? It seems that I haven’t punished you enough.”

The Heartless Brain could barely stop himself from stuttering when he heard the threat. “I-I-I-I-I-I was wrong! It was a mistake! I was stuck in this bottle for so long that I turned a little stupider than normal! I didn’t mean anything I said just now, so please, forgive me!”

Ye Qing couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows curiously. Just what did Feng Qingyou do to him that such a simple threat would scare him like a frightened kitten?