Stranger Danger

Pop pop pop…

Tao Chong’s eyes widened. He could clearly feel every bone inside his body disintegrating into powder from that one tap. First, there was a series of pops and squeaks that sounded like frying beans. Then, an indescribable pain washed throughout his entire body.

“AAAAAAARGHHHHH!!!”

Unable to hold it in, Tao Chong let out a bloodcurdling scream. At the same time, he slumped on the ground like a pool of mud.

Despite this, Tao Chong did not forget to beg for mercy,

“Mercy, senior! Mercy!”

“Please… this junior never thought of harming you two. Please see the truth…”

Ye Qing ignored his screams and pleas and asked Feng Qingyou, “Why do people always overestimate their intelligence, Qingyou?”

Feng Qingyou answered casually without looking at Tao Chong even once, “Because they’re the type to hold their tears until they finally see the coffin[1].”

Ye Qing snapped his fingers, and the bloodcurdling scream came to a stop for one brief moment. Then, it exploded twice as loud and painful as before.

It wasn’t just Tao Chong who was screaming. The painted skin behind the back of his head was screaming as well.

Right now, Tao Chong wished from the bottom of his heart that he was dead. If previously he only needed to contend with physical pain, now he was being tortured in the mind as well.

When Ye Qing snapped his fingers, he immediately felt as if a seed was germinating and sprouting inside his mind. The only way to describe the resulting torment was that it was worse than death.

“Mercy… this junior… this junior knows his mistake…”

“This junior swears he won’t do it again… please…”

“This junior will do anything… all this junior asks is your forgiveness and mercy…”

At this point, Tao Chong didn’t dare to cling to hope; didn’t dare to bet on the possibility that his tormentors were just testing him. No, he knew that the duo had seen through his ploy completely. If he kept lying, then he would die while suffering the worst pain imaginable.

He didn’t dare to negotiate terms with the duo either. He now knew in both body and soul that he was dealing with a pair of dragons.

If you asked a tiger for its skin, there was still a chance you might turn things around and survive.

But if you asked a dragon for its skin, if you tried to fool a dragon, all you would be doing was committing suicide.

From the start, he had gone about this the wrong way. He shouldn’t have thought that he would get lucky; that his captors would somehow turn out to be dumber than expected, and he definitely shouldn’t have tried to plot against them. After all, no amount of optimism or plotting could survive against true power.

From the start, he should’ve just begged for mercy. Pleaded with all his heart and soul. Only then he might yet have a shot at keeping his life.

Ye Qing watched. He watched as Tao Chong screamed and begged at the top of his lungs, his expression unchanging even though it was easily some of the most horrifying screams he had ever heard.

Slowly, Tao Chong’s screams grew weaker and weaker. He was mere seconds away from death now.

“Why do people only learn regret when death is staring them in the face?”

Tao Chong was wallowing in despair when Ye Qing tapped him on the forehead, and the pain abruptly subsided like a wave. Soon, it was all gone.

“Thank you, senior… thank you for showing mercy…”

Tao Chong was so tired he could barely breathe, but he mastered himself and thanked Ye Qing profusely, “This junior was possessed by a moment of foolishness. Please show magnanimity and let this junior live. In return, this junior swears to serve you eternally. This junior swears that his loyalty will be unparalleled!”

“You want to live?” Ye Qing rubbed his nose as if hesitating, “What do you think, Qingyou?”

“No human is a sage who can do no wrong. There is nothing better than one who corrects themselves after making a mistake,” Feng Qingyou answered casually.

“And if they don’t correct themselves?” Ye Qing asked.

“Then they shall suffer a hundred times the punishment, of course,” Feng Qingyou said the harshest words in the lightest of tones. “But of course, idiots who choose not to correct themselves after making a mistake are, as much as it feels like otherwise, in the minority. I should hope that the large majority of people are wise people who will change their ways after being proven wrong.”

“What do you say, Tao Chong?”

“Yes! Yes! Senior is completely right!” Tao Chong stammered.

“Haha. If Qingyou believes you are redeemable, then I shall let you live… for now.”

Ye Qing placed his hand on Tao Chong’s shoulder, and he immediately felt a tremendous surge of vitality flowing into his body, mending his broken bones and restoring him to normal. He was healed in just a matter of breaths.

“Thank you, senior!” Tao Chong saluted Ye Qing, the display of power deepening his fear even more.

“I don’t need your thanks. I need you to be a wise man who will correct his past mistakes instead of a fool who is stuck to his ways,” Ye Qing said indifferently. “Otherwise, I don’t mind making you wish you were dead… forever. You believe me, don’t you?”

As Ye Qing spoke, Tao Chong could feel the seed in his mind stirring as if growing restless. He hurriedly answered, “But of course, senior! Now that you are my master, this junior swears to serve you eternally and loyally! If I dare to break my oath, may heaven and earth smite me where I stand!”

He did not doubt for a second that Ye Qing would make him pay if he broke his word. Even now, the pain the seed had inflicted upon him was such that he wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

“Let’s hope that is the case,” Ye Qing said indifferently.

“Your will shall be done, my liege!” Tao Chong responded crisply.

“Mehhhh…”

Seeing that Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou had completely dominated Tao Chong, the flock of goats began bleating profusely at them. Their bleats were filled with hope and pleading.

“What should I do, senior?” Tao Chong asked carefully, not daring to make a call without Ye Qing’s express instruction.

“Release the ordinary people and the innocent,” Ye Qing commanded. “As for the villains, no need to let them go.”

“As you command, my liege,” Tao Chong responded. He walked up to the flock of goats and cut open his palm. When he swung his hand in front of him, the blood wriggled in the air and transformed into many mysterious blood runes. Once they landed on the goats’ heads, their fur started shrinking back into their body, their hooves slowly turned back into human limbs, their horns fell out of their heads, and their goat heads turned back into human heads.

It was quite the profound process. Ye Qing could not help but click his tongue in amazement.

Nine breaths later, most of the goats had turned back into humans. They were completely naked, of course. There were male, female, fat, thin, old, young. If he hadn’t watched the transformation from start until the end, he would not have believed that these people were goats a moment ago.

Maybe it was because they had been goats for too long, but the victims were unable to adapt to their original bodies immediately. They were either crawling on all fours or lying on the ground, and they could not help but bleat from time to time. It was both pitiful and cringy.

“Meh! Meh! I’m back to normal!”

“Hahaha! Meh! I turned back! I finally turned back!”

“Thank the heavens, I can’t believe I’ve turned back into a human…”

“The heavens aren’t blind after all… uuuu…”

A moment later, when the victims finally got used to their original bodies, the cheers began. Then, they recalled that Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou were the ones who saved them and thanked them profusely.

“Thank—meh—thank you for saving our lives, warrior, fairy…”

“Meh meh… thank you, warrior. Thank you, fairy…”

“Thank you, warrior… thank you, fairy…”

“No need to thank me, you all. Rise.”

Ye Qing waved his hand, and the crowd felt an irresistible but gentle power lifting them to their feet.

“Meh meh meh!”

There was a small number of goats who hadn’t returned to normal though. When they saw that most of the victims had returned to normal, they naturally grew anxious and ran up to Ye Qing, bleating.

1. Meaning someone who refuses to be convinced until they are faced with grim reality ☜

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