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The Strange Artifacts were right in front of Ye Qing when suddenly, a bright, piercing flash filled his vision.

The flash talisman was a talisman that could create an instantaneous burst of light strong enough to blind a warrior temporarily.

At the same time, Tang Shi brought out a conch shell and blew it. His body immediately transformed into a cloud and floated into the sky like smoke.

The Cloud Conch was a Malice-class Strange Artifact. Blowing it would transform the user into a cloud that was impervious to weapons and various elements. It was a powerful life-saving Strange Artifact.

Ye Qing had witnessed his Instantaneous Earth Escape and his doppelgangers earlier, so there was no point trying them again.

He was denied the underground and the surface, but that was fine. He still had the sky.

When Ye Qing recovered, he would most likely think that Tang Shi had escaped using either one of the two methods he had shown earlier. He could never imagine that he had transformed into a cloud and escaped into the sky. It was just unthinkable.

I’m a fucking gen—

Dang!

Tang shi was about to compliment himself again when suddenly, he heard a gong sound that shook his mind and disoriented him greatly. It was so unexpected and potent that he nearly lost control of his form.

Dang! Dang! Dang!

The gong rang a couple more times, and Tang Shi couldn’t maintain his form any longer. He abruptly turned back to human and hit the ground with a loud thud.

“Ouch!”

The moment he awoke, Tang Shi discovered that he was tied up like a mummy by countless invisible Blood Shadow.

“It’s incredibly rude to leave when a conversation is still ongoing.” Ye Qing grinned toothily at Tang Shi. “Try it again, and you will die.”

I can’t even if I want to! I can hardly breathe in these bindings!

Tang Shi shivered even as he shot Ye Qing an obsequious smile. He had no idea that Ye Qing had a Strange Artifact that could affect the mind. This meant that the guy hadn’t used his full strength when he fought against Cang Xiaoting, Shangguan Wuqing and Granny Xiong at all. What a monster!

“Now speak. Who are you? Are you in cahoots with Granny Xiong and her cohort? Have you come to kill me as well?”

Ye Qing said slowly, “And do try to speak the truth this time, If I run out of patience before you can finish, the only one who’d be interested in listening to your words afterward would be the king of hell.”

“M-My name is Tang Shi,” Tang Shi stammered, “And I’m not in cahoots with Granny Xiong! I’m not here to kill you, seriously! The thought has never even crossed my mind.”

Ye Qing nodded. It was true he hadn’t sensed any killing intent from Tang Shi, which was why he hadn’t killed the lying bastard… yet. “Then what are you doing here? And you better not tell me you’re passing through the area. We both know that isn’t true.”

Tang Shi fell silent for a moment before answering sincerely, “You might not know this, but there is no one in the jianghu who hasn’t heard of your achievements. You are the model of our kind, and our respect and adoration for you is like the Luo River, ceaseless and never-ending.”

“In short, I came here because I wish to see the legendary warrior with my own eyes.”

Can you feel my sincerity? It’s pretty damn sincere, isn’t it?

The ground beneath Ye Qing’s right foot suddenly cracked without warning, and Tang Shi was dragged right back to cruel reality. He hurriedly added, “And I want to know how strong you are.”

Ye Qing’s face turned unfriendly. “So, you’ve come to spy on me.”

Tang Shi put on a terrified expression and started weeping, “I mean no harm, my lord! I just want to make a living is all! I have a mother to raise and a son to—er, I mean I have a son to raise and a mother to feed, so please overlook my transgressions this once! I swear I’ll never do it again!”

Ye Qing ignored Tang Shi’s antics and examined him closely for a moment. “Why do I feel like I met you before? Wait, now I remember! You’re that stall owner who tried to kill me back at the Strange Market!”

Tang Shi’s act abruptly skidded to a halt. He recognized Ye Qing because his bloodline[1] was special, but he didn’t think that Ye Qing would be able to recognize him. He hurriedly said, “I wasn’t trying to kill you! It was just a joke, a harmless joke! And haven’t I apologized for my mistake and compensated you for your troubles?”

“I even gave you a Star Lotus as compensation. You’re a generous and forgiving man, I’m sure you would bring up old debts that are already settled, right my lord?”

“Speaking of which, the three swords Cao Xiaoting wielded are called Blaze, Poison and Disorient. They are all Malice-class Strange Artifacts. The erhu wielded by Shangguan Wuqing is a Malice-class Strange Artifact as well, but it is made from the food of a Heartbroken Tree, so it’s mighty impressive!”

“I’ve also inspected their Nature’s Shells for you. Cao Xiaoting has three martial arts manuals in his Nature’s Shell. The first one is his ultimate technique, the Nine Swords of Dominance. The second one is the Eight Steps of Snake and Crane, a movement art. And the third one isn’t worth mentioning; it’s just a third-rate martial art.”

“The most valuable item in Cao Xiaoting’s Nature’s Shell is the Yellow Court Pill. It’s a pill that could be used to unlock the Xuanguan point on your forehead and allow you to enter the Spirit Purification stage. Cao Xiaoting had probably prepared this for himself, but in the end his fortune ended up in your hands. What a lucky man you are, my lord!”

Tang Shi knew that his life was on the line and so spoke as quickly as possible. “Shangguan Wuqing’s Nature’s Shell is also filled with all kinds of random shit. The three most valuable items in his possessions are one, his Astral Refinement stage cultivation art, ‘The Miserable Wind and Rain’ that could be used to cultivate the Miserable Wind and Rain Qi. Two, a Stranger bone that, in my humble opinion, is the eyeball of the Soulstealer-class Stranger called the Lovesick Duck. The eyeball of a Lovesick Duck is an excellent crafting material and a medicinal ingredient. It’s incredibly valuable.”

“And three…”

Tang Shi paused for a moment for the suspense before breaking into a lascivious grin. “Three isn’t one item, but rather an assortment of valuable items. For starters, there is the undergarments of the star of Red Candle Boat, Hong Xiu, the undergarments of the three stars of the Red Sleeve Boat, the handkerchief of Li Ruyi of the Ruyi Boat, the handwritten letter of the concubine of Proprietor Li, head of the Tongbao Bank, the hair and hairpin of the wife of Feng Long Textile Farm and more. There’s even the embroidered shoes of a scribe in the administrative division, the—”

“Ahem!” Ye Qing coughed to stop Tang Shi from continuing further. What the hell was wrong with this fatty, and how the fuck did he even recognize these items? Was he secretly friends with Shangguan Wuqing, or did he share the same fetish as the guy?

In any case, Tang Shi was definitely born with the wrong exterior.

Still, Ye Qing had to admit that Tang Shi’s eye for valuables was pretty good. Not everyone could look at an item and figure out their origin and use immediately.

Tang Shi looked reluctant, but he ultimately stopped his rant and handed the treasures into Ye Qing’s hands. Ye Qing made it all disappear with the flick of a wrist.

After the items were put away, Ye Qing looked at Tang Shi and smiled. “Is that all? I’m pretty sure these aren’t the only things they have…”

Tang Shi: “...” I bloody knew he wouldn’t let me go without bleeding me a bit. Bastard! I’m gonna… do nothing because he’s stronger than me. Dammit!

“Oh, look at me! I can’t believe I made a mistake!”

Tang Shi took out a Malice-class Strange Artifact called the Crane Cry Bow and handed it to Ye Qing. He was all smiles on the outside, but weeping uncontrollably on the inside because it was one of his prized possessions.

Ye Qing looked very satisfied, but he wanted more. “Is there anything else? I’m pretty sure there’s more…”

Enough you piece of shit! Was what Tang Shi wanted to say, but his courage suddenly vanished into thin air when he met Ye Qing’s eyes. So, he produced a light green-colored, black-edged, long-sleeved shirt with bamboo patterns on it and handed it to Ye Qing, saying, “This shirt is called Green Ink Shirt, a Malice-class Strange Artifact. It’s always clean, it smells like bamboo and ink, and it can grow bigger or smaller depending on the person’s size. It also has a certain level of defensive capabilities.”

“Ohh!” Ye Qing’s eyes lit up. This was exactly what he needed right now because of his powerful physique, and the fact that his clothes tended to go boom whenever he fought a powerful warrior. This Green Ink Shirt should save him a handful of silvers at least.

Ye Qing accepted the Green Ink Shirt and put it on right in front of a disgruntled Tang Shi. After moving around for a bit, he decided that he was very pleased with the results.

Meanwhile, Tang Shi was horrified by Ye Qing’s audacity. The Patrolman didn’t even have the courtesy to change into his shirt when he wasn’t looking! It’s my shirt, dammit! Mine! He screamed inside his head.

“What else do you have?” Ye Qing beamed at Tang Shi after he was ready. He looked like he was looking at a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

“Nonono, you must be mistaken, my lord. This is everything.”

It was obvious that Ye Qing was going to squeeze him for all his worth, and this time Tang Shi didn’t back down. Do you think I’m stupid? Push me again, and I’ll fight you to the death!

Noticing Tang Shi’s defiance, Ye Qing narrowed his eyes dangerously. “No, I’m pretty sure there was one more.”

Tang Shi wanted to cry, really. He wanted to say no, but once again he discovered that his courage had fled him, and for good reason. Left with no choice, he brought out a martial arts manual and handed it to Ye Qing. “This is an Astral Refinement stage movement art called the ‘Illusionist’s Grace’. A top-rate movement art, it specializes in flexible, unpredictable and illusory movements.”

“This really is the last one, my lord. If I’m hiding anything else that is yours, then the heavens smite me with lightning, my children will be born without a butthole, and my wife will be—”

He knew from the start that Ye Qing wasn’t planning to kill him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be breathing already. But just because the Patrolman wasn’t planning to kill him now, didn’t mean that he wouldn’t change his mind later. The items Ye Qing was extorting from him were the price of his life, which was why Tang Shi had never thought to cheat the Patrolman.

Ye Qing had given him a chance to live, and he wasn’t stupid enough to waste it.

“The ‘Illusionist’s Grace’? Sounds amazing!” Ye Qing accepted the martial arts manual happily. Right now, he was still using his Vessel Augmentation stage movement art, the “Blood Sea Fragrance”. It was a great movement art, mind you, but its rank was ultimately too low to support him for long.

In fact, he was going to spend some contribution points and exchange for an Astral Refinement stage movement art at the Pacification Bureau, but he just couldn’t find the time because of all the shit that had been happening to him as of late. He was glad to save those contribution points especially since the “Illusionist’s Grace” sounded like an excellent replacement.

1. This makes me wonder if Tang Shi has the blood of Sun Wukong in him or something. I mean, the references are pretty clear. The ability to turn hair into doppelgangers and the ability to see through disguises, though to be fair it wasn’t mentioned if he actually identified Ye Qing via his eyes… ☜