Stranger Danger

Chapter 290: The Incense of Fortune Can’t Be Lit!?

Chapter 290: The Incense of Fortune Can’t Be Lit!?

Oooooooooo...

A long and futile struggle later, the snail finally switched up its tactic. A strange energy spread across the lake bottom as the snail began secreting some sort of thick, slimy fluid.

The slimy fluid transformed into countless tentacles and reached out for both the temple and the Holy Son of Maitreya. But as soon as its tentacles made contact with the temple, a ripple of golden light immediately melted it all into pitch black goo. The snail wailed in pain as the goo rained from above.

Angry and in pain, the snail kept secreting more slime and creating more tentacles. The form of the tentacles was growing increasingly eldritch as well. They surged toward the temple and the Holy Son of Maitreya from every direction.

“Amitabha”

It was at this moment the old, emaciated monk inside the temple joined his hands in prayer. A Buddha appeared above him and shone as brilliantly as the sun itself.

The Buddha was none other than Vairocana of the Five Tath?gatas. His brilliant light dissolved the sea of tentacles and even evaporated the lake of demonic qi in one go. For a time, not a trace of impurity or darkness could be found in that area. There was only light and pure air. It was like a mini Kingdom of Buddha.

The snail writhed in pain as its tentacles, slime and body rotted under the power of the all-encompassing light. A frustrated roar later, the snail ultimately retreated back into its shell.

After the snail was gone, the turmoil underneath the lake finally subsided. The light faded, and demonic qi filled up the lake once more.

The “hill” was the same, the temple was the same, and the old monk was the same as well.

There was one small but notable difference though. A young monk was now standing in front of the old monk and saluting him respectfully.

Ye Qing wasn’t done watching, but the old monk suddenly turned his head and stared straight into his eyes. The next thing he knew, he felt like he was staring into the sun itself. He flinched in pain as tears poured out of his tear ducts profusely.

By the time the pain disappeared, and Ye Qing could open his eyes again, he discovered that both the “hill” and the temple were nowhere to be found.

“I just want to watch, man! What a petty old monk!”

Obviously, the old monk was the one who blinded him and made the snail and the temple go poof somehow. He wondered if the old monk was still alive, or if it was just a remnant of his consciousness. He also wondered why a monk would reside in the Guixu. This was the Demon’s Tomb after all. Surely there were better places for him to bury his weary bones? In any case, it wasn’t important.

“Hmm? Why do I feel so itchy all of a sudden?”

Ye Qing was just about to take his leave when suddenly, he was struck by an itchy sensation. When he attempted to scratch the itch, he realized in shock that there was a large bulge in his neck. He had no idea when or how it got there. Even stranger was the fact that it kept growing and shrinking in intervals. It was also wiggling back and forth as if something was trying to push out of his skin.

“What the fuck is this!?”

Ye Qing had a very, very bad feeling about this. He immediately clenched his neck muscles in an attempt to crush whatever the hell it was into bits.

It was futile though. Either the strange object was tougher than he thought, or some sort of strange energy was preventing him from exerting his strength on it.

Right now, he was so strong that he frightened even himself sometimes, but now he was balked by a simple bulge. It was how he knew he was in deep shit.

Next, Ye Qing awakened his internal energies and attempted to refine the bulge with his body. Unfortunately, it didn’t work either.

Not only that, he could feel the bulge growing bigger and bigger. It was to the point where he felt a hint of weight behind his neck.

Ye Qing hesitated for a moment but knew drastic measures had to be taken. His eyes grew flinty as he grabbed the bulge with his right hand and ripped it right off his neck.

“Gah!”

Ye Qing gasped as an entire chunk of his neck was ripped off as well, but there was no time to waste. He immediately squeezed the object in his hand with all his might.

The outcome was as expected as it was disappointing. Despite his prodigious strength, he was unable to put even a dent on it, much less crush it.

Since it was impossible to crush, Ye Qing decided to change his tactic. He attempted to burn it with the Burning Wind.

As his own flesh and blood turned into ash, he finally saw the object he was holding for what it was. It was a snail that looked exactly the same as the giant snail in the lake down to its very pattern. It was just a million times smaller than before.

The Burning Wind could supposedly burn anything and everything, but the snail looked perfectly fine. Not only that, it was stretching a little as if it was enjoying a sauna bath. At the same time, it stared at Ye Qing with its pitch black eyes as if mocking him for his impotence.

Ye Qing: “...” The fuck you looking at? Look at me some more, and I’m gonna...

Despite his irritation, there was nothing he could do against the snail. He could neither crush it, boil it, or burn it to death. Moreover, it looked exactly the same as the giant snail in the lake bottom. He was one hundred percent certain that this mini snail was either its offspring or its body double.

There was only one thing he could do then. Without hesitation, Ye Qing moved his hand back and tossed the snail back to whence it came; the lake.

“And don’t come back!”

That wasn’t all. Ye Qing immediately turned in the opposite direction of the lake and dashed off using Illusionist’s Grace at full speed. I might not be able to harm it, but surely I can get the fuck away from it?

He was gone in the blink of an eye.

Dozens of breaths later, a palm-sized snail slowly climbed onto the lakeshore and looked in the direction where Ye Qing had run off to, eyes flashing with enigmatic emotion and intent. Then, it slowly chased after Ye Qing. Seriously, it was so slow that it was only a little faster than a regular snail.

......

“Hmm? Why is there a snail here?”

It was at this moment a man appeared next to the lake and noticed the snail. He sneered, “How slow you are.”

In response, the snail glanced at the guy with clear disdain.

“Huh! It’s a snail with a personality!” The man exclaimed with a raised eyebrow. Then, he stomped down on the snail and even turned his foot back and forth as if to make sure that the snail would be crushed completely.

A few seconds later, the man finally withdrew his foot and walked away. He never even bothered to check if the snail was still alive.

As he was walking, he suddenly felt an itchy sensation behind his neck. He felt a big bulge but thought that it was just a particularly huge mosquito bite or something. He continued on his way after scratching the itch.

But over time, his neck felt heavier and heavier, and the bulge grew bigger and bigger as well. He tried everything he knew but was unable to crush the bulge.

Eventually, the bulge grew so heavy that his head was drooping, and his back was bent. The bulge itself had become bigger than a human’s head. It was as if the man had grown a second head.

The man kept trekking forward despite his condition. His eyes grew dimmer and dimmer until finally, he died.

His body was still moving, however. While carrying a big bulge behind his neck, he slowly but surely chased after Ye Qing...

......

“Phew... I should be safe now, right?” Ye Qing exhaled heavily after coming to a stop. He had been running at top speed for a good few minutes.

It shouldn’t be able to catch up to me. It’s not its true body, and it’s just a snail.

“I think so. As far as I can tell, there’s nothing behind us,” The Fog Demon replied.

It was only then Ye Qing let out a sigh of relief. “Do you know what the hell is that thing?”

The Fog Demon replied in a severe tone, “No. Not only have I never seen such a Stranger before, I don’t even know when or how it made its way into your body. How strange!”

“In other words, you’re useless,” Ye Qing complained.

The Fog Demon rolled its eyes. Says the guy who ran away like a beaten dog? “The snail’s most likely related to that giant snail that’s suppressed under that lake. I would urge you to be careful and keep your eyes to yourself.”

“You don’t fucking say?” Ye Qing retorted and rolled his eyes right back at the Fog Demon. Can’t a man watch a show anymore?

The Fog Demon egged Ye Qing again, “Also, and I do wish you’ll listen to my advice this time, but this is no place for little ol’ you or me. The sooner you get out of this place, the better it is for all of us!”

If Ye Qing died, then it died. It was afraid for its life to say the least.

“Eh. Just a little longer!” Ye Qing shrugged. The snail was eerie, but it wasn’t so dangerous that he must evacuate the place as soon as possible. At the very least, escaping it was more than doable.

Ye Qing tossed the matter regarding the snail behind his head and began searching the area for his opportunity once more. That said, the earlier encounter warned him that the Guixu was even stranger and more dangerous than the graveyard outside. One mistake, and he might not live to see another day. That was why he was on full alert even though he didn’t look like it.

Hmm, it seems very inefficient to roam aimlessly and pray that I would stumble onto something... oh right. I can light another Incense of Fortune.

Ye Qing’s heart ached—he only had six Incense of Fortunes, and he had already used three—but he ultimately produced an Incense of Fortune from his Nature’s Shell and lit it up.

He was planning to make more as soon as he got home. After all, the Incense of Fortune was exceedingly useful in certain cases. In fact, it saved his worthless life not long ago.

“Brother Incense, it’s all up to you now.” Ye Qing raised the Incense of Fortune and prayed in all four directions. “Please grant me your blessing!”

As soon as he said this, the Incense of Fortune... went out.

Ye Qing: “...” This place can’t be that cursed, can it? It won’t even let me use the Incense of Fortune?

Ye Qing frowned and tried lighting it again. However, the flame went out practically the next second.

This time though, Ye Qing found breaking out in cold sweat. The Incense of Fortune wasn’t working not because there was some sort of restriction in the Guixu, but because it was snuffed out. It was like someone standing right behind him and blew it out in a single breath!

A terrible fear shot up his spine and spread to every corner of his body as soon as he thought this. Gulping, he abruptly unleashed his Burning Wind in every direction and threw an elbow strike behind him like a revolving hammer.

Whoosh!

Ye Qing’s expression only turned uglier, however. It was because he hadn’t hit anyone. It was almost as if there had never been anyone behind him.

“I’m not paranoid... right?” Ye Qing muttered.

As if on cue, a low, raspy voice stuttered behind him, “Kekeke... have we got everyone we need?”