Stranger Danger

“What’s wrong?” Feng Qingyou looked at Ye Qing.

“Do you think it’s really okay for us to do this?”

Ye Qing began after a moment of silence, “If we do this, we’ll be able to screw over the Chus. We can even fix things so that the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace would kill Chu Wangsun for me. However, the Four Seas Dragon Palace would be forewarned, and it would be much harder for the four nations to wipe out the Four Seas Dragon Palace and quell the oceanic threat.”

“... When the war happens, a lot more people will die.”

At the beginning, his plan was to kill Fang Muyun and allow the Chus to trace the murder to White Fish Island. They would find out that Fang Muyun’s death was related to Long Ao. However, the dragons of the Four Seas Dragon Palace had not shown a lick of disloyalty since centuries ago, so there was a high chance they wouldn’t suspect treachery from the Four Seas Dragon Palace, at least not immediately. Chances were, the Chu embassy would travel to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace to make inquiries—alone.

When the Chu group, the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace would realize that they were exposed. There was no hiding this, so they would muster their full strength to annihilate the Chu group standing in their halls.

Chu Wangsun and Fang Muyun were close friends. He was almost certainly going to be joining the group headed for the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace. If, by some miracle, he was able to survive the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace’s full wrath, he would probably be in no state to fight just like Fang Muyun. He could play the fisherman a second time and fulfill his vengeance then.

Naturally, the death of the Chu group would expose the Four Seas Dragon Palace’s conspiracy, and the crisis of the Four Seas would resolve itself.

It would be a masterstroke that killed multiple birds with one stone. It was without a doubt the most advantageous plan for him.

… However, doing this would alert the Four Seas Dragon Palace that the humans were onto them. It would be much harder for the humans to eradicate the Four Seas Dragon Palace and quell the threat posed by the aquatic races, at least in the short term.

The Four Seas Dragon Palace dared to betray the human race after all. They must have their reason.

When the war began, it wouldn’t be an absolute bloodbath per se, but it was still going to cost many, many lives.

Therefore, the best way to minimize the human casualties was really to inform the Four Seas regarding the conspiracy without alerting the Four Seas Dragon Palace. This way, the four nations could muster their forces, catch the Four Seas Dragon Palace with their pants down, and eradicate them.

However, since the humans were prepared, it was unrealistic to think that Chu Wangsun would fall into such a state he could play the fisherman and kill him.

Not only that, assuming he didn’t do this right, he could easily become involved and exposed. That would be terrible.

On one hand, the greater good was at stake here. On the other hand, he would miss his chance to enact his vengeance. The plan that would most likely benefit his vengeance was also one where he wouldn’t need to risk his hide.

It seemed like such an easy choice to make, but in reality, it wasn’t. He might not be no virtuous sage who always put the greater good above personal good, but he wasn’t a cruel, unfeeling murderer either. How could he rest easy knowing that his decision might lead to the death of tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of innocent lives?

Sure, it wouldn’t be his fault that those people died.

Sure, no one would ever find out unless he revealed the truth himself, much less blame him for it.

But just because he could avoid the criticism of others… did not mean he could ignore the criticism of his own conscience.

He was a human after all. His heart was human.

“That is up to you to decide, Joyless.”

Feng Qingyou replied, “There are rarely perfect solutions in this world. Most times, you have to give up something to get what you want. If you want my advice, make sure that your choice isn’t one that you would regret in the future…”

“... And know that I will always support you no matter what choice you make.”

“A choice that I won’t regret, huh?” Ye Qing muttered to himself. His eyes were dim and unfocused, and his expression kept changing as hesitation, struggle, frustration, and many more emotions tore up his insides.

Feng Qingyou did not disturb him throughout all of it. She simply stood where she was while maintaining a clear, tranquil expression. She was like the light to Ye Qing’s darkness.

“I know what I should do now, Qingyou. Thank you.”

A dozen or so breaths later, the chaos in Ye Qing’s eyes suddenly vanished completely. All that remained was a gleam that was as clear as the moon, and as dazzling as the stars. His earlier struggles were completely gone as if he had weathered the storm and reached safe harbor; as if he had overcome a tribulation and become reborn.

In fact, Ye Qing did feel like his mind was cleansed until it was bright and flawless. His yang god too felt calm and at ease like it was brushed by a cool breeze.

“Oh? What is your decision then, Joyless?” Feng Qingyou asked.

“I think we’re going to have to alter our original plan.” Ye Qing smiled.

“So, you’re going to inform the Four Seas about the Four Seas Dragon Palace’s conspiracy ahead of time,” Feng Qingyou clarified with a smile. She did not seem surprised by Ye Qing’s reply at all.

“That’s right,” Ye Qing confirmed.

That’s right. He was going to give up their original plan and prioritize the greater good. It was the answer he had arrived at, and the decision his heart truly desired.

Yes, doing so would most likely cost him the opportunity to kill Chu Wangsun, but there were things a man should or shouldn’t do. He, Ye Qing, was no kind or benevolent soul, but even he knew what was right and what was wrong. Even he had his own principles he would uphold; lines he would never cross no matter what.

If he chose to abandon thousands and thousands of lives to their fate for his personal vengeance, even if he managed to kill Chu Wangsun and settle the score once and for all, he would probably be haunted by this decision for the rest of his life.

It was common sense that a warrior whose heart was restless and will was disturbed could not achieve great heights. Pragmatically speaking, his cultivation would suffer greatly. That was one reason not to make such a choice. Emotionally speaking, didn’t he become a warrior in the first place to become a man who could live however he wanted? To be able to follow his heart without being chained by something?

If he couldn’t even follow what his heart told him to do, then how could he live as he wanted? How could he be free?

Feng Qingyou’s advice for him to “make a choice that you wouldn’t regret” was exactly what he needed to hear.

It was also now he realized that, ever since he left Chu and entered Qi, his heart was flawed despite the continuous boons and rapid growth he had enjoyed as of late. In fact, it was precisely because of these gains that his heart became flawed. This was doubly true after he realized that his chance at taking revenge was at hand. He was so immersed in the calculations and the imagined taste of vengeance that he nearly overlooked his own heart.

The Profound Yellow Mother Qi could protect him from all evil influence, true, but that was only if it came from the outside. If he himself became the source of the evil—if he had succumbed to his own heart demons—then not even the Profound Yellow Mother Qi would be able to save him.

Over time, this would surely impact his martial cultivation.

Luckily, Feng Qingyou gave him the advice and guided him to face his heart directly. Because of this, he was able to wash away the dust covering his heart, cleanse his mind of the dirt shrouding his thoughts, and elevate him to a higher level.

Although it seemed unwise to relinquish the opportunity to kill Chu Wangsun, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Besides, who was Chu Wangsun? He was a man who was going to die in his hands eventually. What difference did it make if he killed him now or later?

One thing for certain, he wasn’t worth losing himself.

“So, how should we change it?” Feng Qingyou asked.

“I feel sorry for Fugong, but he’s going to have to work just a little longer.” Ye Qing smiled.

Although he had decided to reveal the Four Seas Dragon Palace’s conspiracy to the Four Seas, he wasn’t going to do it himself. As long as he didn’t involve himself, no one would be able to catch his tail. This meant that Fugong had his work cut out for him.

His servant hadn’t died, of course. Fugong, Lugong or Shougong were a non-factor in the battle between Fang Muyun and the Disaster-class Strangers. They could only handle the small fries who did not deserve to be involved in that battle as well. The outcome… Well, the outcome was obvious. There were only three of them and hundreds of Strangers left even after Fang Muyun had done his best to cut down the chaft. Lugong and Shougong perished one after another, and Fugong faked his death with Ye Qing’s help.

In his original plan, Fugong was going to fake his death, leave this place, and lead a new life using a new identity. Naturally, he did not need to get involved in the aftermath.

But now that he had changed his mind, he could only have Fugong “return to life” and inform the Four Seas about the conspiracy.

Also, Long Ao wasn’t dead yet. Now was his time to shine!

Ye Qing waved his hand, and an invisible ripple appeared in the space in front of him. The next moment, Fugong popped into existence.

“Hail, young master!” Fugong saluted him.

“I was going to have you fake your death and leave this place, but the situation has changed. I need your help with something,” Ye Qing said directly.

“Just give me the order, and it shall be done,” Fugong declared.

“It’s like this…”

Ye Qing proceeded to tell him his thoughts and plans in detail.

“You are a benevolent man, young master. This slave will see your will done,” Fugong saluted again after listening to the end.

“Remember, all you need to do is to pass on the message. You don’t need to do anything else,” Ye Qing instructed. “As you command,” Fugong replied.

“Is there anything you would like to add, Qingyou?” Ye Qing consulted the woman.

“No, your plan is perfect,” Feng Qingyou said smilingly.

“In that case, I’m going to start.”

Ye Qing chuckled and clenched his right hand. The Purple Ink of Beneficence holding Fang Muyun’s remnant mind was crushed, and that was the end of the scholar.

Next, Ye Qing struck Fugong in the head, damaging his mind and causing him to bleed from all orifices. He fell to the bottom of the sea.

With that done, Ye Qing turned in the direction of the Four Seas and declared with a grin, “Let the show begin.”