Stranger Danger

Chapter 75: Knock Knock

Knock—knock knock!

Knock—knock knock!

Ye Qing had just finished visualizing the “Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method" one time when he suddenly heard a series of rhythmic knocks. It was extremely distinct not just because it was very rhythmic, but also because there weren’t many people in Anyang who would knock this way.

“Coming Clouds?” Ye Qing immediately identified where the knocking sound was coming from thanks to his reborn spirit.

“It’s past midnight already. Did a drunk come back for another round or something?”

Knock—knock knock!

The knocking continued unhurriedly and rhythmically. It sounded especially loud and clear in the dead of the night.

“No wait, something’s not right!”

Suddenly, Ye Qing raised an eyebrow. It had been a while since the knocking began, and yet the employees of Coming Clouds hadn’t responded to it at all. Besides that, the knocking sound carried a strange rhythm that was almost eerie. Scratch that, it was eerie as fuck to hear at this hour.

“What’s going on over there?” Ye Qing scratched his chin and wondered if he should go check it out.

Suddenly, the knocking sound ceased without a warning. Ye Qing’s eyes flickered like a dying candle in the darkness. Is it gone?

Knock—knock knock!

It wasn’t, and this time, it was happening at Endless Horizons’ doorsteps!

As the knocking continued, an ominous, ice cold air started spreading inside the bookstore. Kung Fu Frog jolted awake from his deep slumber and croaked anxiously, while Wawa flew into her book and stuck her head out a little, watching the main entrance nervously.

Knock—knock knock!

The ominous air seemed to thicken with every knock. In fact, the thick stench of death started permeating throughout the bookstore as well. On the second floor, Ye Qing felt as if his mind was being corroded by deathly energy, and his consciousness was definitely deteriorating little by little.

“Hmm?”

Ye Qing scrunched his eyebrows and visualized the “Emperor Fuxi Visualization Method”. The emperor appeared inside his head and rode a gorgeous vehicle through the sky. His light wiped clean every tinge of deathly energy in Ye Qing’s head in an instant.

“Who dares to play the demon in my bookstore? Get lost!”

Ye Qing’s eyes shone brightly as he rose to his feet. Lightning suddenly crackled inside his room, and his words sounded as loud as thunder. At the same time, a terrific gust of wind suddenly appeared inside the bookstore and shook the windows, the doors, the tables, the chairs and more like an actual storm was brewing. It immediately blew away the ominous air and stopped the knocks!

Ye Qing blurred and reappeared outside the bookstore, but to his surprise, he couldn’t see anyone. Rubbing his forehead and wondering what the hell just happened, he looked at Coming Clouds and jumped. He broke through a window and landed inside the restaurant.

“They’re all dead!”

Ye Qing scanned his surroundings once before disappearing from view. Three breaths later, he reappeared in the dining hall and sighed.

Everyone inside the restaurant was dead. The waiter, the cooks, even the guests who were sleeping upstairs in the guest rooms. At least ten souls were gone just like that, and everyone of them had died in the exact same manner. He couldn’t find any wounds on their bodies, but they were all lifeless, pale, and glassy-eyed. It was like someone or something had sucked their soul, leaving only the shell behind.

“Is it a Stranger? Or a human?” Ye Qing rubbed his nose and murmured to himself.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, Ye Qing heard a whistling noise from the window. He immediately raised his hand and caught a pitch black arrow between his fingers. However, there was so much force behind the arrow that his hand was pushed back half an inch.

Did a Qi Invoker shoot this? Ye Qing thought to himself while snapping the arrow in half.

This was just the beginning though. As if the first arrow was just the signal, countless more arrows shot through the windows like a sudden downpour.

“Hmph!” Ye Qing hmphed imperiously and swung his arms. Gentle as water and smooth as the clouds, he was able to catch all the arrows with his sleeves no matter how many flew in his direction.

“Flowing Cloud, Flying Sleeve”

“It is against etiquette to not reciprocate!” Ye Qing declared as he threw the arrows back where they came from even faster than before.

Clang clang clang!

Some of the arrows were parried, but some weren’t. He could hear people grunting in pain as the arrows sank into flesh and bone.

“How dare you massacre innocents, fiend! Succumb to your fate!”

It was at this moment an angry roar erupted from outside the building. It was so loud that it actually blew apart the main entrance and scattered debris everywhere. Then, a tall, muscular man rushed in like a tiger on the hunt. Every time he took a step, several bricks would shatter into pieces.

“Die!”

The man reached Ye Qing in just the blink of an eye and threw a punch. It was just a simple punch, but it felt like the sky itself was collapsing on top of him. Its will was unstoppable, unbreakable. The violent, ferocious fist would sooner break itself than submit. Ye Qing could almost hear it saying: Nothing will stand before me!

/p>

“Well met!” Ye Qing’s eyes lit up as he spun his feet about half an inch and ground the bricks he was standing on to dust. When his sleeves had become as hard as steel, he swung them straight at the man’s fist.

Boom!

There was a terrific noise of impact as the shockwave shattered most of the tables and chairs in the dining hall. His right arm dangling limply by his side, the ferocious man staggered all the way to the entrance before he finally managed to catch himself. Clearly, it was Ye Qing who had won the clash. Eyes bloodshot and face contorted in a wrathful expression not unlike an enraged beast, he charged toward Ye Qing once more.

“Graaaaaagh! Die!”

“Hu Nu, stop!”

Suddenly, a gentle voice called out from behind him. The ferocious man immediately stopped in his tracks and turned around.

A beautiful, mild-mannered woman wearing a green dress slowly stepped out from the darkness. She was followed by a bunch of warriors wearing black armor and carrying bows.

“Yun Yan? The Pacification Bureau?” Ye Qing exclaimed in surprise. She was none other than Yun Yan, the woman he had seen at the entrance of the Shing Wong temple a few days ago. As for the bow-carrying warriors, they were obviously the central force of the Pacification Bureau, the Sentinels.

“I’ve seen you before. You’re that young man who was following behind Lord Yan at the Shing Wong Temple, aren't you?” Yun Yan asked as she slowly walked toward Ye Qing.

“Be careful, miss!” The guy named Hu Nu took a step forward and stood protectively in front of her.

“It’s okay. I’m pretty sure he’s not the killer!” Yun Yan replied smilingly, “He’s one of the magistrate’s men after all. It’s highly unlikely that he’s a bad person.”

Ye Qing saluted her respectfully and said, “You are a discerning woman, Miss Yun. I am Ye Qing, owner of Endless Horizons!”

Her smile widened. “I had heard that Endless Horizons had gotten a new owner, but I didn’t think it would be you. And to think that you’re a hidden master as well!”

“You flatter me, Miss Yun Yan. I still have a long way to go before I deserve such a lofty title!” Ye Qing replied humbly.

“I doubt that, but if you say so, then so it shall be,” Yun Yan said in a gentle voice before looking at the dead people around the restaurant. “If you don’t mind me asking, Mister Ye, do you know what happened here?”

Ye Qing responded, “To tell you the truth, Miss Yun, I’m not sure myself. Earlier, I had heard a strange knocking noise coming from Coming Clouds. I paid it no heed at the time because it stopped after three times. Then, someone or something knocked on my door the exact same way and filled the bookstore with an ominous air. When I dispelled the unnatural air and chased out of the building, I found no human or Stranger abound.”

“Realizing that the people in the restaurant might be in grave danger, I rushed into Coming Clouds and tried to search for survivors. Unfortunately, it was already too late.”

“Hmph! That’s what you said, but is it the truth?” said Hu Nu while glaring daggers at Ye Qing. “You could be the one who killed them as well!”

“Haha. I don’t even recognize most of these people, and those I do know are my acquaintances. Why on earth would I kill them?” Ye Qing chuckled. “Suppose I’m the killer, why would I linger and wait for you to catch me red-handed? Anyone with half a brain would have run as far away from the crime scene as possible. What do you say, Miss Yun?”

“I believe you of course, Mister Ye,” Yun Yan said smilingly while walking around the dining hall. She took a look at some of the bodies before asking, “Who do you think is the killer? Human, or Stranger?”

Ye Qing answered with surprising conviction, “It’s a Stranger!”

“Oh? And how do you know?” Yun Yan stared at him curiously.

“I’m sure you noticed that none of the bodies have any wounds on their person. Moreover, you can tell from their posture and condition that they had passed away at the exact same time. There are very few humans who can do this, at least not me! Also, the ominous air I felt earlier had a tinge of deathly energy mixed in it, which is why I don’t think it’s human.”

“Your word makes sense!” Yun Yan nodded. “But just in case, I still need to ask you to come with us to our headquarters. I hope you won’t mind?”

To her surprise, Ye Qing said with a chuckle, “Actually, there’s no need. I think I know where the Stranger who did this is?”

“Y-You know where the murderer is?” Hu Nu’s eyes bulged in disbelief.

“I think so!” Ye Qing repeated with a nod before turning back to Yun Yan. “I need to head home and pick something up, Miss Yun. I’ll be right back!”

“Who gave you permission to leave!?” Hu Nu erupted while making a grab for Ye Qing’s shoulder. When his finger passed right through the young man’s body like it was air though, he realized that it was just an afterimage. The real Ye Qing had disappeared a moment ago.

“You dare to escape!?” Hu Nu roared and attempted to give chase, but Yun Yan stopped him again and said,

“It’s pointless. If he really wants to run away, we’ll never catch up to him. And if by some miracle we managed to catch up to him, we’re not strong enough to apprehend him anyway.”

Hu Nu: “...” That may be true, but don’t you think you’re being a little too honest, miss?

“Besides, I’m sure he won’t run away,” Yun Yan added. She sounded so calm and collected it was as if everything was under her control.

About half a teatime later, Ye Qing reappeared at the entrance and said, “Follow me!”

He then started walking toward somewhere.

Yun Yan exchanged glances with her subordinates for a moment. Then, she ordered, “Follow him!” and followed him into the night.

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