Stranger Danger-Chapter 1155: Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva

When Ye Qing grabbed the arms, the thousand-armed woman in the sky seemed to take notice. She looked at Ye Qing as the one thousand arms behind her back rippled like water.

At the same time, more arms reached out of the space around Ye Qing and grabbed his shoulders, head, and other body parts. It felt like... a threat. A fatal one.

Jinpeng Moyun was standing right next to Ye Qing and so was very close to the arms. He was so close that he could almost see the evil energy leaking out of the arms.

“Don’t move. That’s the Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva.”

Jinpeng Moyun immediately stepped away from Ye Qing, though he made sure to face toward the Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva the entire time. “If you wish to commit suicide, do it somewhere where you wouldn’t hurt us.”

“Relax. I was just testing if I could grab the arms, that’s all.”

Ye Qing remained perfectly calm even though his shoulders were full of arms. “By the way, what is a Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva?”

That’s all, he says, as if he wasn’t experimenting with his own life at stake!

Although Jinpeng Moyun was ranting on the inside, he still answered Ye Qing’s question. “The Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva is a Bodhisattva in the Mara Sect. She possesses the body of an eagle, the face of a human, and a thousand arms. She is the protector of all pregnant women in the world. Whenever she makes an appearance, all mortals must face toward the Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva and chant her venerated name as a show of respect.”

“However, Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva possesses both a good side and an evil side. If she appears during daytime and is seen by a mortal, chanting her name would grant them her blessing. This is her good side. If she appears during nighttime, then she becomes an unseeable existence that brings death and massacre to the world. This is her evil side.”

“If the Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva appears during nighttime, and someone does not face toward her or tries to turn away in her presence, then she will take it as blasphemy and kill them by twisting their head.”

“Only by painting one’s eyelids with blood can one see her true body, chant her venerated name, and be saved.”

What the hell are these monsters?

Ye Qing was speechless. First, there was the Myriad-eyed Snake King Protector God that could not be seen. Now, it was a Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva that enjoyed twisting people’s neck to the next life. It was clear that there were a few screws loose in these gods’ heads.

As if that wasn’t enough, there was an entire sect of people who worshiped these things. In a sense, they were even sicker than the monstrous gods.

“What are you thinking?” Jinpeng Moyun noticed Ye Qing’s strange expression and asked warily. He was worried that the young man would cause unnecessary trouble for them.

Ye Qing wasn’t afraid of the Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva—he could tell at first glance that it was a fake—but considering their current circumstances, if there was a way to resolve the situation without fighting, it seemed prudent to do so.

“It’s nothing. Thank you for answering my question, Prince Moyun.” Ye Qing saluted him.

“Hmph...”

Jinpeng Moyun harrumphed. “You best keep a tight rein over your impulses.”

Ye Qing smiled but said nothing. At the same time, he let go of the arms.

As soon as he did this, the pair of arms turned intangible, and the ones placed on top of his shoulders receded back into space.

“Interesting.”

The corners of Ye Qing’s lips curled up slightly. In fact, he sensed the arms’ presence from the very beginning. However, they could neither be seen nor touched. That was why he tried to grab them just in case a fight was necessary.

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Thankfully, that did not seem to be the case. He was no battle maniac, so he was perfectly fine with this outcome.

About half a teatime later, the Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva finally turned around and vanished.

Her departure caused everyone to let out a sigh of relief, but most of them were harboring deep sorrow, pain, and fear inside their hearts.

Dozens of people had died just like that. Barring a few exceptions, most of them could not help but place themselves in their deceased compatriots’ shoes and feel terribly sorry for them. After all, they could very well be next.

Naturally, they were all sad and fearful.

The negativity did not last though. It was because Devi Ruyi stepped up and consoled the group once more. It wasn’t long before all they felt was peace and tranquility.

Just like before, Devi Ruyi blessed the departed with a recital and dissolved their remains into ash. She also took their souls into her body.

While this was going on, Yi Pin walked up to Ye Qing and said in a hushed voice, “Hey brother. If you would listen to me, I think you should stop provoking Prince Moyun, at least not until we’re out of this place.”

“You noticed?” Ye Qing asked.

“Even an idiot would notice something so obvious!” Yi Pin rolled his eyes at him. “At night, the Myriad Buddha Plains might as well be a giant Anomaly. Every Stranger that we encounter during this time has something to do with the Mara Sect.”

“Be it the Thousand-armed Eagle Mother Bodhisattva or the Myriad-eyed Snake King Protector God from before, they both obey the behavior and rules set by the Buddhas of the Mara Sect. This means that we should be safe so long as we did not break any rules.”

“These people are disciples of the Mara Sect, so they are more familiar with the Buddhas of the Mara Sect than anyone else. We might need them to get out of the Myriad Buddha Plains.”

“Whatever grievances you feel during this time can wait until we’re out of here, don’t you agree?”

“I know. Don’t worry.” Ye Qing nodded smilingly. He wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t everyday he came by such a useful tool. He wasn’t going to kill the guy, but he sure as hell was going to squeeze out every ounce of value from him.

“Considering our current circumstances, the Golden-winged Aquila is too big of a target, Ruyi. Why don’t we put it away and walk instead? Not only will we be safer, it will be easier to find clues regarding the way to leave the Myriad Buddha Plains this way.”

After Devi Ruyi was done blessing the departed, Jinpeng Moyun walked up to her and told her his idea.

“That is sound logic.” Devi Ruyi nodded before ordering, “Let’s go down, grandma.”

“As you command, Devi.” The old woman commanded the Golden-winged Aquila to land after an affirmative response.

After everyone had left the Golden-winged Aquila’s back, the Stranger let out a soft cry before shrinking rapidly. The buildings on its back were shrinking as well.

In just the blink of an eye, the hill-sized Stranger had shrunk to the size of a normal aquila. It landed on Devi Ruyi’s shoulder and rubbed its head against her cheek affectionately.

Devi Ruyi gave it a head rub before looking at Jinpeng Moyun, asking, “Where do you think we should go, Prince Mmoyun?”

“Please give me a moment.”

Jinpeng Moyun removed a calabash from his waist and bowed to it three times. Then, he said, “Help me help me calabash...”

“Help me help me calabash...”

“Help me help me calabash...”

“???”

Ye Qing rubbed his nose as he watched the strange sight. For whatever reason, he could not help but feel embarrassed on Jinpeng Moyun’s behalf. He also wondered if seven calabash children would jump out of the calabash[1].

If his assumption was correct, that would be a childhood dream come true!

The next moment, a puff of smoke exited the calabash’s mouth. Then, the smoke transformed into a wizened old man.

“God dammit.”

Ye Qing curled his lips in abject disappointment.

1. A reference to a Chinese animated series called the Seven Calabash Brothers. ☜