Stranger Danger

Chapter 1196: The Jianghu Shall Witness Me

“Mister Taozhu, Chen Qishang, Chen Wuxin?”

Yi Pin exclaimed in shock, “Are you talking about who I’m thinking?”

“If you’re thinking about Mister Taozhu of the Way of Taiping, Chen Qishang of the Swordsgrave, and Chen Wuxin of Mount Qi, then yep, it’s them,” Ye Qing replied.

“Heavens above! They’re yours?”

Yi Pin could not help but cry out. Chen Qishang and Chen Wuxin were one thing: Chen Wuxin was the leader of a new bandit faction in Mount Qi, and he had almost taken over the entire place. Countless Truemen and Grandmasters answered to his command, and his faction was quite formidable even by Bei You’s standards. However, the bandit faction was incredibly new, so he could just as easily vanish from the surface of the earth the next day.

Chen Qishang was a swordsman of fair repute, but even he was just a junior in the Swordsgrave.

Mister Taozhu was in a completely different league compared to the duo though. He[1] was one of the most influential persons in the Way of Taiping and a famous jianghu warrior. To learn that he was one of Ye Qing as well... he seriously didn’t know what else to say besides, “Heavens above!”

“They’re mine,” Ye Qing answered. “Oh right. If you run into any trouble in Bei You, feel free to seek out Joy Bodhisattva[2].”

“Joy Bodhisattva is yours too?!” Yi Pin’s eyes widened. It’s only been a year or two since you came to Bei You! Where did you even find the time to do all these?!

“She is not one of mine. She is just an acquaintance that I helped in the past,” Ye Qing clarified.

“Thank goodness.” Yi Pin patted his chest. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure that he wouldn’t suffer a heart attack if the names of more famous people tumbled out of Ye Qing’s mouth.

Ye Qing rolled his eyes. What he told Yi Pin was just the tip of the iceberg. For example, he had no idea that Xue Beikun—now a Right General—and Devi Ruyi of the Mara Sect were his. He also had no idea that he, Feng Qingyou, and the royal princess of Nanjiang had singlehandedly ruined Chu’s century-long plan and thrown Nanjiang into chaos. If he did, the old Taoist would probably ascend to the heavens this instant.

“The hell? You look like you’re still hiding stuff from me. Speak! What else did you do that I wasn’t aware of?” Yi Pin stared at Ye Qing.

“Ahem... don’t look at me like that. It reminds me of the look of an aggrieved housewife.” Ye Qing rubbed his nose. “Gives me the chills.”

“Screw you!” Yi Pin rebuked Ye Qing in a playful manner before sighing. “It’s been two years at most since you escaped to Bei You, and you’ve gone from a puny Spirit Master to a Great Grandmaster. As if that’s not enough, you’ve silently accumulated a sizable social network and recruited so many powerful elites to your cause. Your talent, ability, intelligence, and luck are truly unbelievable. It reminds me of the East Emperor.”

“You exaggerate, brother!” Ye Qing hurriedly waved him off. “I wouldn’t dare compare myself to the East Emperor!”

The East Emperor was a legend from the late stage of the medieval times[3]. Born from humble origins, he joined the jianghu early but wasn’t able to make a name for himself or perform anything remarkable.

One day, the East Emperor saw injustice happening before his eyes and decided to take matters into his own hands, killing a villainous imperial relative with a long history of oppressing the weak and downtrodden. Because of this, a bounty was issued by the Dongsheng State. And so marked the beginning of the East Emperor’s legendary life[4].

While escaping from his pursuers, the East Emperor accidentally stumbled upon the inheritance of the ancient Great Emperor of the East. That was the moment he set foot on the staircase of heaven. In just three years, he had ascended to the heavens, transcended mortality, and become a Sage.

That wasn’t all. During his three years of adventure, the East Emperor had recruited, controlled, threatened, and enticed both friends and enemies for his own use. He had also taken control of many jianghu forces and built a massive social network singlehandedly.

Later, the secret that he possessed the inheritance of the Great Emperor of the East became known to the public. Naturally, the entire jianghu wanted to kill him and claim the inheritance for himself. At the side, the Dongsheng State was fanning the flames as well.

Enraged, the East Emperor decided that enough was enough. With his Sagely powers and all that he had built for the past three years, he threw the entire jianghu upside down. And so the world finally learned that the East Emperor had become a Sage, nor was he a loner that they could oppress as they pleased. It wasn’t long before the name East Emperor became known throughout the world.

While the jianghu was in chaos, the East Emperor continued to recruit more elites to his side and expand his forces. As a result, his faction quickly became one of the biggest factions in the jianghu.

On a related note, the Dongsheng State was in a poor state at the time. The imperial court was weak, and the clans, aristocratic families, and sects wielded most of the power. Not only that, they fought an endless war against themselves for the sake of self-interest. So, after the East Emperor had officially founded his own faction, he led the jianghu warriors, invaded the Dongsheng Imperial Palace, and killed the ruler. He then appointed himself as the new ruler and called himself the East Emperor.

In fact, it was pretty common for a jianghu grassroot to become an emperor. However, almost no one had kicked down the doors of the imperial palace, killed the existing sovereign, and claimed the realm under their rule. It felt almost childish and laughable.

It was hard enough to manage a family in this world, much less a country. As if that wasn’t enough, the Dongsheng State was an absolute shitshow no one wanted to touch even if it was gifted to them. That was why everyone thought that the Dongsheng State would become even worse under the East Emperor’s rule, and that the man would soon run back to the jianghu in shame.

To everyone’s surprise, they were wrong. Not only did the East Emperor prove to be a wise and competent ruler—returning peace and order to the state and enriching the lives of the people—he swiftly and thunderously dismantled the aristocratic families and straightened out the jianghu. In just a matter of years, he had transformed the Dongsheng State from a chaotic, barren realm to a country of peace and prosperity.

The East Emperor did not get complacent despite his successes. He continued to work hard to govern the country such as rectifying the laws and discipline of the court, bolstering the treasury, making friends with distant countries, conquering his neighbors, and training the troops. If the Dongsheng State was only peaceful and prosperous before, now it was strong as well.

At the time, disasters and Strangers were common, unending occurrences. Although the Dongsheng State was firmly under the East Emperor’s control, life was hell for almost everyone else in the world. There was a saying that went something like this, “If you are capable and successful, then why not try and make the world a better place as well?” Empathizing with the people’s suffering, the East Emperor united the countries, won over the wulin, and launched an all-out counteroffensive against the strange. Together, they eradicated the Strangers, suppressed both natural and man-made disasters, saved the poor, enriched the people, and returned peace to humanity.

For a time, the East Emperor’s reputation was unrivaled. The sovereigns acknowledged him as the Ruler of All, the jianghu proclaimed him the King of Kings, and the people revered him like a god.

The East Emperor would continue to live up to the people’s hope until the end of his life. The governments worked with great efficiency, corruption was non-existent, and the people lived in peace and contentment. The period would come to be known as the Reign of the East Emperor.

With all that said, Ye Qing did not believe that he could measure up to the East Emperor at all. At least, not yet.

Ye Qing replied modestly, “You can repeat this once I’ve become the emperor of a country or something.”

It was Yi Pin’s turn to roll his eyes at him. “You are one narcissistic bastard, aren’t you?”

The reason he said that Ye Qing resembled the East Emperor was because they shared fairly similar beginnings and journeys. For starters, they both had grassroot origins. They had both overcome unimaginable trials and tribulations they faced. Besides that, they also shared unparalleled luck, extraordinary talent, outstanding methods, great courage and more.

But of course, Ye Qing was nowhere at the East Emperor’s level yet. The East Emperor was the man who had created a dynasty and an age of prosperity after all.

“Still, the hidden dragon does not stay in the abyss forever. If you can overcome this crisis, I am sure that you will rise to the heavens and astound the world. Neither humanity nor the world would be able to restrict you any longer, and there will be no end to your future,” Yi Pin declared.

He was speaking from the bottom of his heart. If Ye Qing really could survive the Sages’ ploy, then everyone in the jianghu would know of his name. In the future, even if his achievements ultimately failed to surpass the East Emperor’s, he would still have a bright, limitless future.

“Let’s hope that your words come true, brother.”

Ye Qing smiled. “Alright, let’s not waste anymore time. The three of you will depart immediately.”

“Bai, Liang Huanxin, you will obey Reverend Yi Pin during this time. You must keep him safe no matter what.”

“Do not worry, young master. It will be done,” Old Man of Snowy Mountain and Liang Huanxin saluted him.

“This is it then. Take care, brother.” Ye Qing saluted Yi Pin.

“Don’t worry. I will be fine.”

Yi Pin looked at Ye Qing. “You, though, need to be careful even if you have the Earthly Sovereign Bell, okay? Do not underestimate your foes just because they are weak, nor should you grow lax because your strength is great. Be careful, discerning, and prudent. Do not fail where you are expected to succeed, okay?”

“Caution drives a ten-thousand-year ship; vigilance lives a hundred years old. I understand, brother, so don’t worry.”

Ye Qing smiled. “Just make sure that the fine wine is ready when I come home.”

“It’s a promise.”

“It’s a promise.”

Two hands lifted into the air and clasped together.

1. Really a she, but Yi Pin doesn’t know that. ☜

2. In my head, I justify Ye Qing’s advice as FQY being caught off guard by the Chu Emperor nuking the Nanjiang Royal Court and can't interfere with affairs in Bei You easily, not to mention that she’s playing mini Civ in some forgotten valley far, far away. In reality it’s not improbable the author just forgot an entire arc in his story... ☜

3. Cool your tits, people! The medieval times don’t apply to Europe only! ☜

4. I think this is referencing another protagonist of a web novel but I’m not sure. ☜