Stranger Danger

It was night. Despite its recent destruction and the bloody storm still brewing around Chen Cang, Dragonmount City remained as lively and busy as ever. Every street was adorned with beautiful lights and overflowing with traffic as if it was daytime.

No one seemed to be in the mood of enjoying the nightlife, however. They were all looking up into the sky as if waiting for something.

THANG!

It was 7.30 pm sharp when suddenly, the crisp chime of a bell rang from somewhere. It grew louder and louder until the entire Dragonmount City could hear it.

As the bell chimed, lamp flames and bright lights flew out of every household and into the sky. They joined into a sea of fire at the center.

Lampfire from ten thousand households left ten thousand households,

Light spanning ten thousand meters illuminating ten thousand meters.

The sea of flames covered the whole sky and looked positively gorgeous. If the lighting only felt like daytime before, now it felt like the middle of the day.

Strangely, the sea of flames were neither scorching hot nor glaring. Instead, it was warm, comforting, and dreamlike.

The next moment, countless auspicious beasts such as a fire dragon, a phoenix, a qilin, a white tiger and more emerged from the sea of flames. They were as colorful as they were beautiful.

The auspicious beasts stood guard as a grand, mysterious palace slowly emerged from the center of the sea of flames. When it fully emerged, the auspicious beasts flew to various parts of the palace and transformed into murals, sculptures, engravings and more, adding even more flair to the palace than it already had.

“Ten thousand lamps may manifest a celestial palace… impressive!”

Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou were standing on the streets just like the others. Ye Qing in particular was staring at the floating palace with astonishment and wonder.

It wasn’t just him. Nearly everyone in Dragonmount City was wearing more or less the same reaction.

There was no doubt about it. The palace was where the Dragonmount Meet would be held.

“The Dragonmount Meet is one of the biggest events of the Yannan wulin. It is only natural that it would stand out among others.”

Feng Qingyou explained with a calm smile on her face, “In fact, this palace is a Disaster-class Strange Artifact called the Lampfire Palace.”

“The Lampfire Palace is created from the body of the Disaster-class Stranger, Ten Thousand Lamps. When manifested, it can accommodate over ten thousand guests and boasts defense similar to that of a military fortress, which makes it difficult to break through from the outside. Jointly owned by the major trading companies that organized the Dragonmount Meet, it normally wasn’t used unless for grand events such as this one.”

“Lampfire Palace, huh? It certainly lives up to its namesake.”

Ye Qing nodded. He didn’t know about the Lampfire Palace, but he definitely heard of the Ten Thousand Lamps.

Ten Thousand Lamps was a Disaster-class Stranger born from the myriad desires of red dust and manifested from the lamplights of many households. It didn’t have a definite form and could transform into anything and everything. It fed on lamps and people’s desires, and wherever it went, lights winked out, and people became devoid of desire.

At first listen, Ten Thousand Lamps sounded pretty harmless. In reality, it was easily one of the deadliest Strangers out there. All mortals naturally possessed Seven Emotions and Six Desires, and that was what the Ten Thousand Lamps fed. A mortal whose emotions and desires had been consumed by the Ten Thousand Lamps would become emotionless and desireless. They would not eat, they would not drink, they would not even sleep because the desire to do so simply wasn’t there. In the end, the victims would die from exhaustion, starvation or thirst.

Countless lives were lost wherever the Ten Thousand Lamps emerged. Even worse, as Ten Thousand Flames was born from mortal desires and manifested from lampfire, it was unkillable so long as desire existed. That was why Ten Thousand Lamps were usually sealed or suppressed, but never killed.

Somehow, the ingenious creator of the Lampfire Palace was able to refine the Ten Thousand Lamps into a Strange Artifact. Whoever they were, they must be quite extraordinary.

Buzz…

Suddenly, some of the crowd suddenly caught on fire. They looked exactly the same as the Lampfire Palace’s flame.

Like paper, these people slowly burned into ash and scattered into nothing. It was disturbing to say the least.

No one showed signs of fear or panic, however. On the contrary, the onlookers were looking at the “victims” with envious looks on their faces.

It was because the “victims” hadn’t actually burned to death. They had simply been transported into the Lampfire Palace thanks to the token they obtained.

As a matter of course, the participation token of the Dragonmount Meet was specially made. As it was really part of the Lampfire Palace, it was impossible to forge in any way. It was also why it was named the Lampfire Token. Only those with a Lampfire Token were allowed to enter the Lampfire Palace. Once the Dragonmount Meet was over, the Lampfire Palace would automatically retrieve the tokens.

More and more people were burning into ash and entering the Lampfire Palace. From a bystander’s perspective, it was quite the impressive sight.

“Let’s go.”

Ye Qing looked at Feng Qingyou, and Feng Qingyou nodded. With a thought, they burst into flames and slowly disappeared into nothing.

When ye Qing regained his consciousness, he discovered that he was standing in a pavilion. The pavilion was luxuriously furnished, and there was a table and two chairs near the windows. Delicious wine, fruits and snacks were placed on the table, and those sitting on the chairs would be able to see outside.

Through the windows, one could see a tall platform that was made purely from flames. Surrounding the platform was a sea of flames, and floating in the sea of flames like boats were countless other pavilions and private rooms. Strangely, their shapes were indistinct and constantly changing from time to time. It was also impossible to see into the structures.

Ye Qing had no doubt that the pavilion they were in were the same as the pavilions and private rooms outside.

“This Lampfire Palace is seriously something,” Ye Qing remarked while examining the incredible scenery outside.

“The pavilion we’re currently in is called the Lampfire Pavilion, and its position is constantly shifting inside the sea of flames. But no matter how much it shifts, you can always see the Lampfire Tower—the trading platform—through the windows.”

Feng Qingyou explained, “To ensure a customer’s privacy and safety, all participants are forbidden from looking into another pavilion or private room and discovering the other person’s identity. Besides that, when bidding is ensuing, the customers’ voices would be distorted so that it was impossible to identify someone through voice. Again, it is to ensure a customer’s privacy and safety and keep the unnecessary trouble to a minimum.”

“In summary, it is generally safe to bid and participate in the auction.”

“So far, it looks like the Dragonmount Meet deserves its reputation.” Ye Qing nodded in agreement. “

The duo would continue to make conversation with each other until a bell chime sounded again. Then, an attractive woman wearing a long red dress appeared on the Lampfire Tower. She looked to be in her thirties, but her beautiful countenance and an hourglass figure more than made up for it.

After the woman appeared, she performed a Wanfu Salute[1] and smiled. “Ladies and gentlemen, I humbly welcome you all to the Lampfire Palace and the Dragonmount Meet. I am Zui Yun, and I am your host tonight.”

Ye Qing recognized the red-dressed woman on the platform and voiced his puzzlement, “Hmm? Isn’t she the boss of the Zui Yun Pavilion?”

Zui Yun Pavilion was a famous and massive trading company in Dragonmount City. In fact, they were the ones who sold him the Thousand Frost Flame. The Thousand Frost Flame was an extremely rare and valuable item, which was why the boss herself, Zui Yun, had chosen to oversee the trade in person. That was why he recognized her immediately.

“Zui Yun Pavilion is one of the organizers of the Dragonmount Meet, and she is the boss. It’s unsurprising that she would make an appearance.”

Feng Qingyou answered, “What is surprising is that someone like Zui Yun would choose to play the host for the Dragonmount Meet. This has almost never happened before as the responsibility is usually beneath her.”

“Maybe she had too much idle time in her hands?” Ye Qing joked. He did not think that Zui Yun’s appearance was of any concern.

Zui Yun went through the usual ramblings all hosts were expected to give. A long time later, she finally announced the start of the Dragonmount Meet.

Zui Yun waved her hand, and a wisp of flames carrying a clay pot floated into the air.

The clay pot was grayish back, motley, and covered in soil. It looked like it had just been dug out of the ground.

Ye Qing could sense that it was emanating a kind of anomalous aura though. The soil especially was thick with yin energy.

1. In ancient times, women saluted with the right palm and left fist. This was known as the (Wanfu Salute). ☜