Chapter 438: Immortal Moon Margin
In just a moment, Li Qiye dashed forward and dragged out a trunk from the river.
"Crash!" A skeletal scorpion flew out from the river with its extremely sharp tail stabbing at Li Qiye with lightning speed.
Li Qiye smiled and met the skeleton as both of his hands grabbed onto its tail.
"Snap!" Before the stinger could reach Li Qiye, it had already been torn in half by him.
"Such strength!" Many cultivators were shocked at how easy it was for Li Qiye to subdue the skeleton.
Li Qiye effortlessly threw the skeleton back into the river then landed on the shore and handed the fish over to the ghost representative. In the end, he gave the trunk to Qiurong Wanxue.
"For you." Li Qiye said with a smile: "It is a shame that this is not the thing I want, but it is perfect for you."
Qiurong Wanxue accepted the Ghost Algae Trunk with some surprise. Judging by Li Qiye's attitude, this seemed to be an amazing treasure. Someone close by urged her due to their curiosity: "Open it, let's see what is inside."
It was a fun event to open these trunks, so many young cultivators hastily opened them right away to see if they were lucky or not. However, Qiurong Wanxue knew not to show off her wealth, so she looked at Li Qiye instead.
Li Qiye smiled and said: "Open it and see, a bit of fun isn't bad." Li Qiye wasn't afraid of others seeing the treasure. Qiurong Wanxue no longer hesitated after hearing this and quickly took care of the algae to reveal an old box.
Finding a box was a very rare occurrence. The moment this box was opened, a bright moonlight appeared like multi-colored fireworks.
Before seeing the treasure, this dazzling moonlight was already amazing enough.
Qiurong Wanxue noticed that this box contained a crescent moon around the size of a palm, emitting moonlight just like the actual moon in the sky. The shocking thing was that there seemed to be a shadow sitting on the moon; it exuded an ethereal presence like an immortal.
Before anyone could see what was actually inside, Qiurong Wanxue had already closed the box. Her heart was beating very quickly despite her not knowing what it was. However, she was certain that it was an incredible treasure.
Nevertheless, the spectators knew that it was a treasure just from the moonlight.
"It must be a decent treasure." A young cultivator said in admiration: "So lucky, he only attempted once and already obtained a treasure."
"Let us go." In contrast to the cautious Qiurong Wanxue, Li Qiye freely smiled and said.
She obediently followed right after him and they left the ferry. Once they were outside, she quickly asked: "Are you not picking up a trunk for yourself?"
Li Qiye's first choice already contained a treasure so she knew that it was another scenario like with the Yang Nightfish, where Li Qiye understood a few secrets about Necropolis. Otherwise, his actions wouldn't have been so precise.
"No." Li Qiye shook his head and continued: "The Ghost River is a very special place. Once an earth-shattering treasure appears, don't even think about finding another one for several dozen years. I'm certain that the key is not in the Ghost River."
"Earth-shattering treasure?" Qiurong Wanxue felt a rush as her spirit was shaken. An earth-shattering treasure was something she would never have dreamed of, but now this crescent moon seemed to be one of them.
At first, she simply thought that it was a good treasure, not an earth-shattering one.
"Are you… saying that this crescent moon is such a treasure?" Qiurong Wanxue couldn't stay calm, quivering as she spoke.
"Half-moon Immortal." Li Qiye nodded his head and explained: "A very long time ago, the Half-moon Immortal appeared once again, but it disappeared later on. I didn't expect for it to be at the Ghost River."
"Half-moon Immortal? Not Half-immortal Moon?" Qiurong Wanxue was struck into a daze: "This… This thing is alive?"
"It is a Half-moon Immortal, a foreign dao treasure with a great origin; you can call it the Immortal Moon Margin." Li Qiye continued with a smile: "The last time it appeared, numerous battles took place for it. Later on, its owner took it away and it disappeared. Luckily, we found it this time." 1
Qiurong Wanxue was quite emotional. This treasure was wondrous, but it was also a thing that could bring about a calamity since anyone would be tempted by its greatness.
She restrained her emotions and asked: "What kind of treasure is this Immortal Moon Margin?"
Li Qiye looked at her quivering self and replied: "That depends on you. This foreign dao treasure is from the Legendary Era, so its level is dependent on you and your fortune. As long as you keep trying, one day, this Half-moon Immortal will be no less than an Immortal Emperor Life Treasure and you will greatly benefit from it."
Despite mentally preparing herself and knowing that what Li Qiye called "earth-shattering" would absolutely not be bad, hearing the words "Immortal Emperor Life Treasure" still left her heart beating rapidly.
An emperor's Life Treasure was something outside of the Snow-shadow Tribe's reach. Even great powers did not necessarily have one, let alone a small tribe like theirs. It could be considered a supreme and priceless treasure.
She didn't dare to accept such a treasure: "This… It is too valuable." An Immortal Emperor Life Treasure could cause fellow brothers to turn on each other and force master and disciple to slay each other.
"Take it." Li Qiye calmly smiled: "This is your reward for catching the Yang Nightfish."
Li Qiye could give a real Immortal Emperor Life Treasure to someone else, let alone the Half-moon Immortal.
Qiurong Wanxue couldn't help but stand there in a daze. Just what kind of person would be so carefree about an emperor's Life Treasure? Not to mention her, even the descendants from emperor's lineages would not be so nonchalant when dealing with items of this magnitude.
All the geniuses and experts from the previous generation greatly valued emperor's Life Treasures and considered them a lifeline. Li Qiye, on the other hand, couldn't care less and immediately gifted it away like it was nothing.
Suddenly, before they could put some distance between them and the Ghost Fate Sect, tendrils of smoke suddenly condensed before them as a figure appeared to block their path.
"Ye Sha!" Qiurong Wanxue exclaimed after seeing the person that suddenly arrived. She took a step back and knew that the matter was not good after seeing his expression.
Ye Sha gazed at them as if they were mere lambs: "I heard you guys obtained a decent treasure?"
Qiurong Wanxue was panicking while Li Qiye remained calm. Li Qiye then slowly spoke: "Your information gathering is pretty fast."
Ye Sha had just come back to the ferry in order to test his luck again, but after hearing that Li Qiye's group found a treasure, he quickly gave chase.
"Hahaha, it seems that this treasure was meant for me." Ye Sha deviously smiled: "I'll pay three Yang Nightfish for the treasure in your hand."
Qiurong Wanxue's expression greatly soured. What kind of exchange was this? This was clearly robbery!
Li Qiye remained unperturbed and grinned: "What if I don't want to sell?"
Ye Sha coldly glared at him: "Human Junior, maybe you don't know who I am, but I'll give you some advice anyway. Be smart and sell it. At the very least, you will get three fish. If not, your corpses will be lost in the wilderness."
"You are right." Li Qiye nodded his head in agreement: "Someone's corpse will definitely be lost in the wilderness, but it will be your corpse, not ours."
"Foolish Thing, you're only making this hard for yourself!" Ye Sha's eyes revealed a murderous glint as his expression darkened: "Very well, I will just save three fish. It is not a small amount."
"Is that so?" Li Qiye responded with a relaxed air: "Be smart and hand over all of your treasures, or else I will flay your flesh piece by piece."
"You're courting death!" Ye Sha angrily exclaimed. Today, a human junior dared to humiliate him and incited his murderous intent.
Ye Sha wanted to attack, but suddenly, buddhist chants appeared: "Amitabha, oh merciful Buddha." A monk descended from the sky and said: "No wonder why the murderous air is so dense here. Benefactor Ye Sha, I am here." 2
The moment Ye Sha saw this monk, his expression quickly changed. A dense fog surrounded him as he wanted to quickly escape.
The monk didn't give chase and merely warned him with a smile: "Benefactor Ye Sha, you can escape from the monk but not from the temple." 3
However, Ye Sha didn't dare to stop. He ran quite a distance away as if he had seen his nemesis.
438 TeaserIn just a moment, Li Qiye dashed forward and dragged out a trunk from the river.
"Crash!" A skeletal scorpion flew out from the river with its extremely sharp tail stabbing at Li Qiye with lightning speed.
Li Qiye smiled and met the skeleton as both of his hands grabbed onto its tail.
"Snap!" Before the stinger could reach Li Qiye, it had already been torn in half by him.
"Such strength!" Many cultivators were shocked at how easy it was for Li Qiye to subdue the skeleton.
[collapse] Immortal Moon Margin is a translation I'm not sure of. Since this is a living creature, I suspect that it should be a name, so it would be Xian Yuemei, which is exactly Immortal Moon + Eyebrow/Upper Margin of a book. But since I am not certain that this is a person's name and it also follows the previous naming scheme, I translated it to English. ↩ Reminder, "benefactor" here is just what monks call everyone else, he doesn't owe Ye Sha anything. ↩ This looks to be a modified version of this phrase — the monks can escape, but the temples won't be able to escape. So in this modified version, temple stands for justice/buddhist faith. Of course, this is just my interpretation of this particular version. ↩Chapter 439: Monk Dazhi Is Afraid Of His Wife
A bald monk with unique ordination markings on his head appeared. A string of large and round buddhist beads hung by his neck as he stood there with his palms placed together. His amiable smiling face would fool others into thinking that he was an accomplished monk.
Li Qiye looked at the monk before him and shook his head to say: "Monk Dazhi." 1
Monk Dazhi met his gaze and performed a buddhist chant before saying: "Amitabha, Benefactor Li, it seems that we are connected by fate. I didn't expect to see you here in the far Nether Border."
"Stop!" Li Qiye waved his hand and said: "I don't like monks. You came here and ruined my fun. I was going to make mincemeat out of that brat, but you scared him away."
Monk Dazhi didn't care about Li Qiye's distaste for him and smiled: "How could it be hard for Benefactor Li to take care of him? As the saying goes, a monk might be able to flee, but the temple cannot. If you really don't want to spare him, then just directly rush into the Nightwalker Sect, annihilate it, and massacre his entire tribe!" 2
Qiurong Wanxue was taken aback by the monk's words. The Nightwalker Sect was a great power, yet this monk was talking about annihilating it — way too arrogant.
Li Qiye glanced at him and responded: "Are you trying to trick me? Monk, don't use me as a tool, or else I'll break your temple and pull out all your hair."
"Amitabha, amitabha. Benefactor Li's hostile tendencies are through the roof. You should purify yourself." Monk Dazhi placed his hands together and put on the appearance of a wise monk.
Li Qiye shrugged then narrowed his eyes at the monk: "So you want to enlighten me? I was waiting for someone to come and teach me the way. Why don't you try?"
Monk Dazhi jumped from fear and quickly took several heavy steps back before motioning with his hands: "Joking, I was just joking. This little monk is but one who starts the fire for cooking and bathing. How could my trivial buddhist knowledge be enough to enlighten a god like Benefactor Li?"
"It is good that you are aware of this. Remember, you owe me one since you scared my prey away." Li Qiye nonchalantly gazed at the monk and said.
"Oh… Then let me go and catch Ye Sha for you." Monk Dazhi immediately said.
Li Qiye shook his head and said: "It is too late, one has to pay attention to the process while hunting. Even if you bring him back now, the enjoyment is already gone. In short, you just owe me a favor, understand?"
Monk Dazhi frowned and wryly smiled: "This is Benefactor Li forcing me into a hole. You are making it difficult for me on purpose."
"You're wrong, this is because you tried to be cool earlier. It has nothing to do with me. If you didn't try to be cool, then nothing would have happened." Li Qiye leisurely smiled.
Monk Dazhi tapped his own head in resignation. However, the monk was also an optimist. A bit later, he noticed Qiurong Wanxue standing next to Li Qiye and revealed a mischievous smile.
"Amitabha." The monk chanted and smilingly said: "How is Benefactor Li's progress with the little girl from the Soaring Remembrance Village?"
"What does it have to do with you?" Li Qiye glanced at him with one eye and asked: "You are a monk so why are you asking about mundane matters?"
"Hahaha, Benefactor Li, it is because I care for you." He smiled and added: "You should know that the little girl is famous for being difficult in the southern Distant Cloud. If she becomes furious, then everyone will get a headache due to her wrath. You, as her fiance, ran here to the Nether Border all alone with another lady… If the little girl finds out, then you won't have an easy time."
Qiurong Wanxue blushed and understood that this monk was not a proper monk at all!
"Oh? You're threatening me?" Li Qiye glared at him and inquired.
This was met with a composed countenance as Monk Dazhi replied: "Benefactor Li, as the saying goes, a bribe is required to keep someone's mouth shut, am I right? I'm afraid my mouth is a bit loose, unless I get a little something that is."
Li Qiye smiled and leisurely retorted: "When it comes to sealing one's mouth, I know the best way. In this world, to keep something a secret, do you know what the best method is? … Dead people do not talk, so it is meaningless how much they know."
"What is going on?" Qiurong Wanxue became quite annoyed. They were speaking as if she had a shady relationship with Li Qiye. Clearly, the two of them had nothing going on at all.
Monk Dazhi was startled by Li Qiye, so he took several steps back again and forced a dry smile: "Amitabha, amitabha. Benefactor Li is too serious, I was just kidding."
Li Qiye waved his hand and said: "Okay, you meat-and-wine fiend, stop pretending to be a respected monk in front of me. Even if you tell that girl, it is useless. It is normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Plus, there is no woman that I cannot handle." 3
Qiurong Wanxue glared at him. This young man not only had a big tone against his enemies, he was also quite boastful about this kind of matter.
"Amazing, truly amazing!" Monk Dazhi gave him a thumbs up and admiringly praised. He then rubbed his hands in a lowly manner and said: "Hahaha, Benefactor Li, no, Brother Li, can you teach this little brother a thing or two? I respect your wife-handling skills very much. My respect for you is like the unrelenting torrent of the three rivers…"
Monk Dazhi unleashed a wave of praises towards Li Qiye.
This sudden change made Qiurong Wanxue speechless. What does a monk want to learn wife-handling skills for?
Li Qiye laughed at him and asked: "So? You don't want to be a monk anymore and suddenly want to return to a secular lifestyle?"
Monk Dazhi was a little embarrassed as he replied: "I won't hide it from you, Brother Li. I am only a monk due to necessity."
"So you are a fake monk." Li Qiye laughed and added: "It is one thing to be a meat-and-wine monk, but you are actually a fake one!"
Li Qiye then squinted his eyes and continued: "Wife-handling skills? Techniques? Very well, I shall teach you. Just directly push her onto a bed, then all will be well."
"Pervert!" Qiurong Wanxue angrily exclaimed while blushing. This little guy really dared to say just about anything.
"Well…" Monk Dazhi also choked while giving a wry smile.
Li Qiye shook his head then smilingly asked: "Nevermind, each household has their own troubles; you have to take care of it yourself. However, Fake Monk, why did you run to the Nether Border?"
"The same reason as Brother Li." Monk Dazhi replied: "After the lost mythical island disappeared, a piece of news suddenly erupted in the Distant Cloud. A few people in the Nether Border saw a gigantic hand stretching out from the Prime Ominous Grave, so many great powers came running over here. Now, many old men calculated that the grave will open in this generation, so a lot of people came here to add to the fun. This is the same with me."
Li Qiye was not too surprised about this news. Paper cannot wrap fire, so Qiurong Wanxue's group were not the only ones who saw the gigantic hand. The eclipse, the disappearance of the island, and the gigantic hand were quite easy to link together.
However, Li Qiye speculated further than others and was one step ahead.
Li Qiye looked at the monk and said: "So you came to Necropolis to find the key as well?"
The monk shook his head and answered: "It is not easy to obtain the key. The key is a great creation! To me, it doesn't matter who obtains the key because anyone can enter the Prime Ominous Grave after it is opened. The only thing that matters is that the key owner will open the grave right after they obtain it."
"Well put." Li Qiye smiled. However, he must obtain the key because, to him, the key was not simply just a method to open the grave.
The monk then continued: "However, I heard about a certain something. There is an auction at Midtown called the Coffin-tapping Imp auction. I wonder if you are interested in going together?"
Li Qiye's heart started to beat faster. He became serious and asked for confirmation: "The Coffin-tapping Imp?" He remembered a particular existence that had not appeared for a long time. He even thought that this existence was dead.
"Very well, I'm free anyway so I might as well go and see." If it was truly the Coffin-tapping Imp, then it was worth a trip.
The group then proceeded towards Midtown. However, they didn't make it very far before a red cloud floating in the horizon flew towards them at an extremely swift speed.
Monk Dazhi became shocked when he saw this red cloud and quickly told Li Qiye: "Brother Li, something suddenly came up. I gotta go." With that, he escaped so fast that it seemed as if a plague was approaching.
A fierce voice came from the horizon: "Jian Xuan, I will capture you even if you run to the corners of the world!" The red cloud in the horizon was actually a girl in a red outfit. With an extreme speed, she quickly chased after Monk Dazhi.
Monk Dazhi didn't dare to linger even a bit longer and disappeared in the distance in just the blink of an eye. He looked like a mouse that had just seen a cat.
"So it turns out that he is afraid of his wife." Li Qiye smiled and said after watching the fleeing monk. He also understood why the monk asked him for some wife-handling techniques.
Dazhi = Grand Wisdom. ↩ This is the common phrase I was talking about last chapter. ↩ I could have used polygamy instead of three wives and four concubines; which version do you guys like better? Closer to the raw or more transliteration? ↩Chapter 440: Divine Spark Prince
Qiurong Wanxue tilted her head while contemplating, then she suddenly exclaimed: "Jian Xuan… Could he be the descendant of the Nether Crossing Swamp? I heard that he is a really amazing genius. So it turns out that he is a monk!"
Li Qiye smiled in response: "Maybe."
Perhaps the monk didn't just run to the Soaring Remembrance Village to unravel the mystery of the village, it was to hide from someone as well.
Qiurong Wanxue recalled the monk's words and asked while looking at Li Qiye: "Young Noble has a fiancee?"
Li Qiye looked at this mature and alluring woman in a carefree manner and replied: "Why? Are you jealous?"
Qiurong Wanxue glared at him with frustration and snappily retorted: "Don't you feel that you are a bit too narcissistic? As if I would like you. Plus, your fiancee should be the one that's jealous, not me!"
Despite being angry, her charming elegance did not lessen at all.
"You don't have to worry about that." Li Qiye smiled and continued: "There has not been a woman that I could not deal with. If I wanted to marry you, there would be no such thing as jealousy."
Qiurong Wanxue glared at him and retorted: "Has no one ever told you about your ego?" Her mature charm juxtaposed her current coquettish and youthful attitude and made her even more alluring.
"People have mentioned it before." Li Qiye slowly said: "But this is not being egotistic, it is called strength. I, Li Qiye, have never met anything that I couldn't deal with."
Qiurong Wanxue had nothing else to say and could only gently sigh. Li Qiye was correct about this.
"Midtown" wasn't the real name of this particular location in Necropolis. However, because this city was located in the center, cultivators from the outside called it Midtown.
It was a very old and lively city. Midtown could be said to be one of the biggest cities inside Necropolis. There was an ocean of people in this city consisting of both people and ghosts. The distinction between the two was blurred and people would eventually get accustomed to living together with ghosts. Moreover, they were not real ghosts but sentiments, so they easily got along with outside cultivators.
The two of them entered Midtown and easily found out the location and time of the Coffin-tapping Imp auction. They discovered that it was taking place in the afternoon.
Qiurong Wanxue curiously asked after entering Midtown: "Auctions take place in this city? I have never heard about it before."
Although there were visiting cultivators all year round, the majority of them didn't want to stay for a long time at Necropolis. Even frequent visitors did not stay for long so one can forget about establishing a sect or an auction house.
The auction houses were just temporarily buildings. Despite visiting this place several times before, this was Qiurong Wanxue's first time hearing about an auction.
"Occasionally." Li Qiye said: "If it is an Imp auction, then it will be amazing. It will be a very high quality auction with great goods."
"Imp?" Qiurong Wanxue curiously inquired: "Is it a Necropolis ghost?"
Li Qiye's eyes narrowed as he answered: "This… I'm afraid no one knows. Whether Imp is a ghost or a regular being is a mystery. Some say that he is a ghost while others believe that he is just a normal existence."
Qiurong Wanxue looked at Li Qiye. She felt that he knew more about this matter but didn't want to reveal it, so she didn't pry any further.
The Coffin-tapping Imp auction was taking place in an old courtyard in Midtown. However, rather than calling it a courtyard, it was more accurate to call it an abandoned yard. This was a big yet abandoned mansion. The house itself had collapsed a long time ago, leaving behind only a yard big enough to house one thousand visitors.
The two entered the premises around the time the auction began. A large crowd that nearly consisted entirely of cultivators from the outside gathered here.
The news about the auction had been spread in the last few days by an unknown source. There had never been an auction organization at Necropolis, so the news of the Coffin-tapping Imp auction attracted many curious cultivators.
Whether it was for the auction itself or just for the fun, many young cultivators came running here after hearing the news.
Everyone was able to participate in this auction as it was without any restrictions.
However, this auction did not truly resemble an authentic auction. There was no reception for participants, so everyone had to choose their own seat. Some sat on the ground while others hovered in the sky. Some even took out their treasure pavilions…
Li Qiye and Qiurong Wanxue noticed that several hundred people were already waiting in the yard, including Mo Lidao, the descendant of the Sky-devil Gate whom they met back at the Penta Realm Gate.
Mo Lidao's tall stature stood out amongst the crowd like a crane amongst chickens. In fact, his height was not his only exceptional characteristic, his identity and strength were quite notable as well.
"Many are disciples from the great powers." Seeing the young crowd, Qiurong Wanxue emotionally added: "A lot of people came to Necropolis recently…"
Li Qiye replied: "There will be even more later on." If the world knew that the Prime Ominous Grave was about to open, countless great powers and emperor's lineages in the Sacred Nether World would come running. Anyone would feel an irresistible temptation for the grave — there was no exception!
Qiurong Wanxue leered around a bit more and asked with surprise: "Why are there no inhabitants of Necropolis? Is this just limited to cultivators?"
This surprise auction only had visitors from the outside. Necropolis' inhabitants and ghost cultivators from the sects in the city did not come.
Li Qiye stopped looking around and answered her question: "If you are a ghost from Necropolis and know about Imp, then you would not take part in this auction."
Qiurong Wanxue heard the underlying tone in his words and asked: "Is Imp that scary?"
"Imp…" Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and continued: "That depends on how you define the word 'scary.' If you say that he is scary, then he is indeed very dreadful. However, if you say that he isn't scary, then he isn't scary at all."
Qiurong Wanxue gave him a stern look and angrily retorted: "Just don't tell me then, keep on beating around the bush."
He smiled in response: "All in all, just don't try to find out Imp's identity. Attempting to learn his identity is not a good thing for anyone, no matter who they may be."
Li Qiye's warning caused her heart to beat faster. Li Qiye, who was always carefree about everything, was now being serious. She naturally understood that this matter was not ordinary.
"Hahaha! It seems that I am not late." Suddenly, a sepulchral voice appeared along with an amalgamation of smoke. Afterward, a person appeared.
"Ye Sha!" Many young cultivators were alarmed when they saw this person and immediately retreated.
Ye Sha enjoyed the fear from others and said with a devious smile: "Don't be so alarmed, I am not a man-eating monster." Despite saying this, his appearance was that of someone basking in the limelight.
"Ye Sha, don't gloat around here." An arrogant voice appeared: "The southern Distant Cloud doesn't only have you as a hero." A young man led a group of disciples to this place. The flame burning on his body gave him a sacred aura as if he was the child of gods.
"Divine Spark Prince." Many young cultivators went to greet this person who just arrived.
He was the prince of the Divine Spark Country, the little brother of the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden. He brought along the Divine Spark disciples with an overbearing momentum that loomed over everyone else.
Ye Sha looked at the prince and coldly smiled: "So it is the Divine Spark Prince, excuse me." Ye Sha then added in an awe-inspiring manner: "However, you are also showing off here."
"So? If you think that you can act arrogantly, then do so in front of my sister!" These words were very domineering. Many cultivators on the sideline just watched and didn't dare to interfere.
These blustering words caused Ye Sha's expression to change. He was very arrogant, but even an assassin like him was extremely wary of the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden.
Not only was the maiden an extremely powerful heaven's proud daughter, it was also because of her fiance, Di Zuo!
Anyone in the Sacred Nether World would be very careful when talking about Di Zuo, one of the three heroes. He was the descendant of the Myriad Bones Throne, a terrifying sect that had three emperors!
No matter how formidable one's talent was, they would not dare to oppose Di Zuo in the Sacred Nether World.
Ye Sha could only restrain his anger. He was confident that his cultivation was not inferior to that of the Divine Spark Prince and was certain that he could assassinate him. But now, the prince had the upper hand in this vocal exchange.
"Divine Spark Prince, only one's own strength carries true significance." Ye Sha coldly proclaimed. He called out that the prince was only using his big sister's prestige to bully others.