Stranger Danger

Chapter 666: Youthful Arrogance

“What... what are you doing?”

At the foot of Dragonrider Mountain, Zhou Xianyang was staring at Ye Qing with a dumbfounded expression on his face. It wasn’t just him. The entire clearing had fallen silent before they knew it.

“Haven’t I told you already? I’m paying them a visit,” Ye Qing answered with a smile on his face.

Are you sure? Because it sure looks like you’re crashing the party to me! Zhou Xianyang’s mouth opened, but he couldn’t say anything for a time. Also, you know that your “visit” is almost certainly going to invite retaliation, right?

As if on cue, the clouds covering the peak of Dragonrider Mountain suddenly stirred violently. Then, a draconic roar erupted from the clouds and shook both heaven and earth, and a gargantuan dragon’s head peeked out of the clouds to look down on Ye Qing like he was an ant.

The pressure the gargantuan dragon’s head was giving off could only be described as overwhelming. Zhou Xianyang and everyone else around him shaking like leaves as the blood drained away from their face. Some of them were even shaking and feeling like they might black out at any moment.

Seeing this, Ye Qing took one small step forward. It was just a small, insignificant step, and yet the entire Dragonrider Mountain shook like an earthquake, and even the dragon’s head in the clouds wobbled a little.

The crowd immediately felt the oppressive pressure on their bodies disappearing like it never was.

“Who are you? Why have you come to our Dragonrider Mountain?”

A few breaths later, a loud, imposing voice boomed from the dragon’s head.

“My name is Joyless Ye. I have come to pay you all a visit as promised!” Ye Qing answered gently while still clasping his fists.

“Promise? Do you mean an appointment? We don’t remember having an appointment with you.” The dragon’s head replied in a doubtful voice.

“Hmm? Did Miss Han Shuang not bring my message to you? I remember telling her that I would personally pay Dragonrider Mountain a visit in a few days or so,” Ye Qing asked.

“Han Shuang? Who are you?” A hint of nervousness and killing intent entered the speaker’s voice.

“Looks like she really hasn’t given you my message. It’s fine though. It’s fine though. You’ll find out who I am very soon.”

Chuckling, Ye Qing gave the Dragon Nursing Nest hanging on his waist a gentle slap, and a tiny head immediately poked out of its opening. Giggle looked up at the dragon’s head in the sky with a hint of fear in its eyes.

“Don’t worry. I am here.” Ye Qing petted Giggle’s head before raising his voice again, “You may not recognize me, but surely you recognize it?”

“The lotus flower Stranger of Celestial Spring and the Dragon Nursing Nest?!” The voice grew angry and murderous. “It’s you!”

“It is I,” Ye Qing confirmed.

“You dare come to our Dragonrider Mountain?!” The dragon’s head roared so loud that the clouds scattered, and the sky darkened.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Ye Qing countered. Despite the waterfall of pressure crashing down from the heavens and right onto Ye Qing, he continued to speak as if it did not exist.

“We Dragonrider Mountain do not remember ever offending you in any way, so why had you intercepted our opportunity, killed our disciples, wounded our elder and stole our treasure?”

Maybe it was because Ye Qing was acting too calm, but the voice behind the dragon’s head too calmed down and fired off a series of questions.

To that, Ye Qing only had one thing to say. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Because it’s the... right thing to do?” The dragon head seemed very surprised by this answer. “... Is that it?”

“That is all,” Ye Qing answered.

The dragon head fell silent. High atop the Dragonrider Mountain, Yu Longzi, Yue Hualong, Yun Chaoyu and the rest of the elders fell silent as well.

They had anticipated all kinds of answers when the question was asked. They had expected this Joyless Ye to respond with fame, self-interest, or power. Instead, he had given them an answer they never expected.

It was exceedingly common for people to fight over fame, kill over profit, and harm over power. They would’ve accepted these answers without a second thought. But “justice”?

To say that the answer felt unfamiliar and distant to them would be an understatement. They could not help but feel that this Joyless Ye was both childish and laughable.

Nearly all youngsters dreamed of living as they pleased and becoming a hero at least once in their life. Nearly all of them had entered the jianghu for that dream. Their hearts were pure because they were young, and they were heroic because of youthful arrogance.

However, the jianghu slowly but surely washed away their innocence, the violence shaved away their edges until they became completely bland, and promises of fame and glory corrupted their once innocent heart.

Before they knew it, they had devolved who could not help but overworry both the past and the future, carry out every action as if they were treading on thin ice, and take every step with profit and loss in mind.

Before they knew it, the youthful arrogance and heart of heroism that once occupied the center of their hearts were nowhere to be found. Always looking out for number one and only number one, they had become like flies who swarmed around shit for good, or dogs who hung around humans for food.

They had become people who looked at those who said things like, “It’s the right thing to do,” and thought from the bottom of their heart that they were unfamiliar, childish, and laughable.

A few breaths later, as if to confirm that Ye Qing was actually being serious or not, the dragon’s head finally spoke up again, “You seriously killed our disciples and harmed our elder just for that?”

“Is that not enough?” Ye Qing countered.

“In that case, why have you come to our Dragonrider Mountain today?” the dragon’s head asked.

“Why would anyone pay another person or household a visit? To meet you all in person, of course,” Ye Qing answered.

“It is bad enough that you killed our disciples and harmed our elder, but you would taunt us at our doorsteps as well? Don’t you think that you have gone too far?” The dragon’s head asked.

“Not at all,” Ye Qing replied indifferently, “Those who humiliate others will always be humiliated by others; those who bully others will always be bullied by others[1].”

“Gasp!”

Everyone at the foot of the mountain gasped while chanting “Mother of heavens” inside their head like a mantra when they heard this. It was bad enough that this guy killed the Dragonrider Mountain’s disciples and stole their stuff, but now he was slapping their face left, right and center in broad daylight as well! People had gone to war for less!

“Good. Very good. It looks like you truly don’t think much of us at all. We may be a small sect, but even we have our own dignity.”

The dragon’s head declared, “I don’t care who you are or what sect you belong to. One way or another, you will pay for what you have done to Dragonrider Mountain today!”

His voice was calm, but it was clear that it was the calm before the storm.

“Perfect. I have come to seek justice for my friend, and it would be terribly disappointing had you chosen to tuck your tail between your legs and run away.”

Ye Qing performed another salute with a daring grin on his face. “I look forward to your guidance.”

“Since you have come to visit us, surely you don’t expect to hold a dialogue at our doorsteps? We hereby invite you to climb our mountain and partake in our hospitality... if you dare.”

“Why not? If the mountain won’t come to me, then I shall go to the mountain myself.”

Ye Qing smirked and lowered his fists. Then, he began walking toward the mountain pass.

“You...”

It was at this moment Zhou Xianyang called out to Ye Qing. He didn’t know why he did it. Maybe it was because he was moved by Ye Qing’s audacious announcement at the very beginning; maybe it was because of that heroic, “It’s the right thing to do,” maybe it was because of his courage to “go to the mountain since the mountain refused to come to me”, or maybe it was all of the above. Whatever the case, he could not let Ye Qing walk to his death without at least trying to stop him.

In his opinion, Ye Qing could not possibly stand up to an entire sect alone no matter how powerful he was. That was the kind of stories people told after a few drinks in, and as much as he wanted it to be otherwise, they were just that: stories.

“Do you need me for something?”

Ye Qing paused in his steps and turned around to face Zhou Xianyang.

“You...”

When Zhou Xianyang met Ye Qing’s clear eyes, he suddenly found himself unable to say the words he meant to say. In the end, he could only offer two words, “Be careful...”

“Don’t worry.”

Ye Qing gave him a smile. “They’re just a bunch of clay chickens and pottery dogs[2]. What is there to be afraid of?”

With that, Ye Qing faced toward the mountain pass once more and stepped forward. The moment he crossed the threshold and planted his foot on the mountain path, lightning roared, the wind howled, and draconic roars deafened the ears. It was as if he had intruded into divine territory, and the gods were very, very angry at the offense.

Ye Qing paused for a brief moment and lifted his head to stare at the terrifying phenomena happening above his head.

......

“My lord! He has trampled all over our dignity and spat on it! If you’ll just allow me to pluck that bastard’s head...”

Inside the Dragonslaying Hall, Yue Hualong uttered while wrathfully glaring at Ye Qing on the Dragonscaling Road.

1. An altered version of the original line in Analects, “One who loves others is always loved by others; one who respects others is always respected by others.” ☜

2. a.k.a useless trash. ☜