Stranger Danger

Ye Qing took a moment to consider his next step. Then, he chose a random direction, carefully pushed the wheats aside, and walked along the clearing, all the while making sure that he did not accidentally trample the plants.

Although he hadn’t sensed any danger or anomalies from the paddy field, that was no reason for him to lower his guard and act as he pleased. He did not try to harvest or trample the wheat either.

No amount of caution was too much in a place like this.

“Scarecrows…”

A short walk later, Ye Qing noted that there were a lot of scarecrows in the paddy field; one per square to be exact.

Just like the paddy field, the scarecrows felt ordinary to his senses. And yet, his instincts were telling him that there was something strange about them. Exactly what it was, he couldn’t identify it as of now.

“Hahaha, I finally—what the… is this a spirit field? Look at all these spirit wheats!”

It was at this moment three presences suddenly appeared in the paddy field. Clearly, they had been teleported inside just like him.

They were two men and one woman. The older man looked to be in his sixties and carried a luopan and a ruler around his waist. His wizened, weather-beaten face and dirty rags gave him a lethargic appearance.

The younger man looked to be in his thirties. He had a slender body, a thief’s eyebrows and a mouse’s eyes. Out of all his features, his arms were the most eye-catching of them all. They were so long that they stretched past his knees, and he had six fingers on each hand. Each finger was as clean as jade and as slender as leek. For whatever reason, his fingers looked prettier and nimbler than even the fingers of a woman in her prime.

He was also the one who spoke up just now.

The woman wore a red scarf and a red martial outfit. Her skin was darker and more rugged than normal, but that gave her a valiant and formidable-looking appearance that was unique to the women of the north.

“This place is overflowing with spiritual qi, but I also sense hidden danger and inauspiciousness. I know what you’re thinking, Six Fingers, but stay cautious and keep your hands to yourself,” the old man noticed the restless look on the middle-aged man’s face and warned.

“Relax. I understand.”

The middle-aged man, Six Fingers answered before eyeing the woman. However, at least one of his eyes was constantly eyeing the spirit wheats with greed.

The old man turned to the woman next and saluted her. “I am Pedant Earth, and this is Six Fingers. May we know your name, miss?”

“Pedant Earth and Six Fingers! Your fame spreads far and wide.”

The woman returned the salute and answered, “I am Shangguan Hongjin. Well met, you two.”

Pedant Earth and Six Fingers were a pair of famous tomb raiders in Mo Bei. The name of their occupation sounded pretty cool, but they weren’t much different from a Mountain Bearing Raider or a grave robber. They all profiteered from a dead man’s treasures.

Pedant Earth was an expert in fengshui, weather divination and astrology. His role was to check the fengshui of a place, foretell the weather and divine meaning from the stars. Six Fingers was born with twelve very nimble fingers, and he was a master in lockpicking and neutralizing traps. He also acted as the scout of their little group.

In ancient times, Mo Bei used to be a country. That was why there were a lot of ancient cities and massive tombs in the region. The duo had plundered many such tombs until they naturally became famous for their exploits.

It should not need to be said, but the dangers lurking in these ancient cities and tombs were no joke. The fact that they managed to profit from these ventures long enough to make a name for themselves proved that they were skilled warriors.

Grave robbing was generally believed to be an immoral way of living, but the duo usually robbed ownerless cities and tombs only. That was why their reputation was better than most of their peers—not that a pair of grave robbers could ever hope to have a good reputation, of course.

“Oh! You’re Shangguan Hongjin, leader of the Flying Red Scarf? Do forgive my impertinence!” Pedant Earth exclaimed in surprise. Even Six Fingers temporarily looked away from the spirit wheats and gave the woman his full attention.

The Flying Red Scarf was a famous Lulin[1] force that operated in the borders of Yan. They were famous for two reasons. One, the Flying Red Scarf was a band of heroic outlaws who performed many good deeds such as robbing the rich to support the poor, eliminating evil people or Strangers and more. They enjoyed an extremely good reputation because of this. Second, they had a female leader who was heroic, generous, loyal, principled, and strong.

Shangguan Hongjin was a very famous person, but this was the first time they saw her in person.

“All meetings are destiny, and this is a dangerous place. If you don’t mind, would you like to join us for this venture? There is strength in numbers, no?” Pedant Earth suggested.

Although Shangguan Hongjin was a Half-Step Grandmaster just like them, Pedant Earth still desired her cooperation. For one, there was strength in numbers. Second, he and Six Fingers were not the combative type of half-step Grandmasters. In a head-on clash, they might not be able to defeat Shangguan Hongjin even if they fought her two on one. That was why he wanted to recruit her. Her strength would definitely prove valuable in their survival.

“Very well.” Shangguan Hongjin agreed after a moment’s thought. “I look forward to our partnership.”

The reason Shangguan Hongjin agreed to Pedant Earth’s offer was equally simple. One, the two men enjoyed a fair reputation despite digging graves for a living. And two, she was confident she would be able to handle anything they might throw at her should they betray her.

“So do I, Miss Shangguan.” Pedant Earth smiled.

“What do we do now, Pedant Earth?” Six Fingers asked. “Do we start walking, or?”

“There’s no hurry. Allow me to observe our surroundings first,” Pedant Earth said while grabbing a handful of dark, yin-rich soil from his bag. Then, he put it into his mouth and chewed slowly.

A short while later, Pedant Earth abruptly spat out the earth he ate. The bits and pieces of earth immediately transformed into dozens of infant-sized birds and scattered in every direction.

A dozen or so breaths later, Pedant Earth slowly opened his eyes.

“So? Did you find anything?” Six Fingers asked.

“No. I found nothing at all.” Pedant Earth shook his head seriously. “Something feels wrong about this place though.”

“I don’t understand. It’s a good thing that you didn’t find anything, isn’t it?” Six Fingers asked.

“It is precisely because I didn’t find anything that I’m wary,” Pedant Earth replied with a frown. “In any case, I don’t see a reason to remain at this paddy field, so I suggest that we leave immediately. What do you think, Miss Shangguan?”

“I agree that this place feels off, so yes, let us be gone.” Shangguan Hongjin offered, “I’ll lead the way.”

“Very well. Be careful, Miss Shangguan,” Pedant Earth said.

With that, Shangguan Hongjin took the lead, and Pedant Earth and Six Fingers fell behind her. They formed a triangle as they made their way forward.

At first, the trio were careful to avoid damaging or trampling over the spirit wheat. However, nothing happened as they slowly navigated through the paddy field, so they slowly but surely relaxed their guard.

Some time later, Pedant Earth suddenly looked at Six Fingers and asked, “What’s wrong, Six Fingers?”

“Nothing?” Six Fingers shook his head while scratching his elbow.

“Really? You’ve been scratching yourself non-stop since a while ago. Are you sure you’re alright?” Pedant Earth raised a dubious eyebrow.

“Yeah, I’m not sure why, but I’ve been feeling itchy here and there. It’s fine though!” Six Fingers waved him off and said, “Let us be off.”

Since Six Fingers insisted that he was fine, Pedant Earth let it go, and the trio resumed their journey.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before Pedant Earth stopped in his tracks again. It was because Six Fingers’ scratching had not stopped for even a moment since their last talk. If anything, his movements were growing more and more aggressive.

“Six Fingers, what the hell is going on?” Pedant Earth walked up to Six Fingers with a deep frown on his face.

“I… I don’t know why, but I’m itching all over! It’s really bad!” Six Fingers replied while still scratching himself. It eventually got to the point where he was drawing blood with each scratch.

“Stop moving!” Suddenly, Pedant Earth grabbed Six Fingers’ arm and ordered seriously.

“What… what’s wrong?” Six Fingers asked and stopped moving, though he squirmed here and there due to how itchy he was. The sensation was horribly uncomfortable.

“Your wounds… they’re…” Pedant Earth muttered while staring at the scratch marks covering Six Fingers’ arms and neck. His eyes widened like he just saw something horrifying.

Beside them, Shangguan Hongjin was wearing a serious look as well.

1. Reminder, but Lulin is an agrarian rebellion movement. ☜