Stranger Danger

“Pwack!”

The woman in red shook violently as she spat out a mouthful of blood. The attack was such that her energies plummeted in an instant.

“Mercy, third senior sister…”

“Naughty girls… should be punished…” Ah Su landed on the ground and stared at the woman in red.

“I know I made a mistake. I swear I won’t do it again, so please, have mercy and forgive me, third senior sister!” The woman in red begged.

“Ah Xiu… decides…” said Ah Su while looking over her back.

“I made a mistake, first senior brother.” The woman in red looked at Su Xiu, “I know you cherish me the most. You will forgive me, right?”

“I told you not to overestimate yourself, but you just won’t listen. Now you’re suffering the consequences, and for what?” Su Xiu asked gently.

“Sigh. I know. It’s all because of second senior brother. If he hadn’t bewitched me with his silver tongue, I would never dare to defy first senior brother and third senior sister, would I?” The woman in red said pitifully.

“Surely you are aware that second senior brother is an expert liar who’s most proficient at sowing dissension and slandering others, first senior brother?” the woman in red argued. “If you don’t believe me, I’m willing to confront him directly.”

When Su Xiu didn’t answer her, the woman in red asked, “You believe me, right first senior brother?”

“Of course I do, junior sister,” Su Xiu replied. “In fact, I already taught him a lesson on your behalf.”

“You’re such a good person, first senior brother.” The woman in red looked very happy. “May I know how?”

“It’s nothing big. I cut off his hands for you, and Ah Su sewed his mouth because he was too noisy,” Su Xiu replied in an indifferent tone. “Also, he kept trying to run away, so I broke his legs after a few escape attempts. You wouldn’t be as disobedient as him, right junior sister?”

“Of course not! Out of all of our brothers and sisters, you and third senior sister are the two people I listen to the most!” the woman in red giggled.

“Good.” Su Xiu nodded before voicing his disappointment, “A shame that the wheelchair I made for you is going to go to waste though. It was such an exquisite work of art too.”

“Thank you very much for the gift, first senior brother,” the woman in red said, “but my legs are perfectly fine unlike yours. You should save that wheelchair for yourself.”

“I sincerely hope you’ll remain a good girl then,” Su Xiu replied.

“If first senior brother and third senior sister continue to treat me well, then why would I be anything else?” the woman in red tilted her head.

“Good. Ah Su and I love good, obedient children,” Su Xiu said while caressing Ah Su’s hair a little. “So, where is the item, junior sister?”

“It’s not with me right now,” the woman in red replied helplessly.

“And right after you promise to be a good girl too,” Su Xiu said gently while rapping his knuckles against his wheelchair’s arm. There was nothing welcoming about his gentleness, however.

“Disobedient children… should be punished…” Ah Su said while grabbing the woman in red’s shoulder. When she tightened her grip, the woman in red’s shoulder immediately started cracking ominously.

“Ouch ouch ouch!” The woman in red curled into herself while crying in pain, “Give me some time to fully explain myself, will you? I meant that I’m not carrying the Demon Controlling Jade Manual right now. I hid it in a safe place.”

“Oh, I see.” Su Xiu didn’t seem to be surprised. “And where is it?”

The woman in red replied, “I hid it in a place that’s absolutely safe. So safe, in fact, that I can’t even recall where it is.”

“Junior sister! You shouldn’t toy with your senior brother and sister!” Su Xiu frowned with displeasure.

“I wouldn’t dare! It’s simply the truth.”

The woman in red explained, “Have your heard of a Stranger called the Secret Lady, first senior brother? Secret Lady looks like a young woman who enjoys wearing green clothes and carrying a red candle. She only appears during the night.”

“Those who encountered the Secret Lady could tell her a secret. They would forget about the secret after the fact. Only by locating the Secret Lady again and trading her another secret could they recall the secret they had previously told her. Not only that, they would forget the secret they traded to the Secret Lady forever.”

“So, you’re saying that you told the location of the Demon Controlling Jade Manual to the Secret Lady?” Su Xiu asked.

“That is correct,” the woman in red confirmed. “Unfortunately, I am the only one who knows how to find the Secret Lady.”

“You wouldn’t lie to me, right junior sister?” Su Xiu asked slowly while tapping his wheelchair.

“You don’t believe me, first senior brother?” The woman in red replied in an aggrieved voice, “You can search me if you don’t believe me!”

Upon hearing this, Ah Su turned around again and shot Su Xiu a cold look.

“Ahem… you must be joking, junior sister. Of course I believe you.” Su Xiu coughed before continuing, “In that case, please lead the way and take us to this Secret Lady of yours, junior sister.”

“On that note, do try your best to be a good girl, okay? If you anger Ah Su, she might dig out your eyes, sew your mouth, cut off your arms, and break your legs. When that happens, not even I can save you, understand?”

“Of course I will! I’m third senior sister’s goodest girl.” The woman in red giggled. “I shall lead you two to the Demon Controlling Jade Manual right now.”

“Good. Ah Su, you can release her now. I don’t think she’ll try to escape any longer,” Su Xiu looked at Ah Su and ordered gently.

Ah Su did as he requested and released her grip.

“No sense in wasting time. Let’s go, junior sister.”

……

“Greenlake Bai?!”

Hidden in the shadows, Ye Qing was watching the departing trio with an odd expression. The barefooted woman in red was none other than Greenlake Bai, the woman who screwed him over back at Fengdu. He had always wanted to meet her again and repay the “favor”, but this was the last place he expected to see her.

“Hehehe. Karmic retribution really does exist in this world. If you hadn’t tricked me back at Fengdu, then you probably wouldn’t be in this situation, would you?” said Ye Qing while barely stopping himself from laughing out loud.

Although the trio kept bringing up their relationship and emphasizing their shared bond, it was clear that they were hostile toward each other.

Assuming he hadn’t misinterpreted their words, the reason Su Xiu was chasing after Greenlake Bai was to obtain something called a “Demon Controlling Jade Manual”.

He could also sense Su Xiu was brimming with killing intent from the start until the end. If Greenlake Bai actually gave up the Demon Controlling Jade Manual to him, he would have killed her immediately after the fact.

Of course, Greenlake Bai was no fool. She was a shrewd woman who had tricked even him before, so of course she knew what Su Xiu was plotting. That was why she had hidden the Demon Controlling Jade Manual beforehand. As a result, Su Xiu couldn’t just kill her and be done with her, not unless he gave up on the Demon Controlling Jade Manual completely.

It was also why Greenlake Bai never showed any fear from the start until the end.

Of course, this stalemate was temporary. Su Xiu was still going to kill her as soon as he obtained the Demon Controlling Jade Manual. That was why the woman was definitely going to stir up shit on the way and make life difficult for Su Xiu as much as possible. In fact, she was definitely going to try and kill him somehow. It was the only way she could survive after all.

For now though, Ye Qing was absolutely enjoying Greenlake Bai’s misery.

“Wait a second. Su Xiu, Greenlake Bai and that Ah Su are all pretty strong. Maybe I could…”

A light bulb suddenly appeared on top of Ye Qing’s head. An idea to kill three birds with one stone just occurred to him.