Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing returned to the underpass and practiced the Acupoint Seeking Technique for another two hours, feeling the flow of Qi within his body growing stronger and stronger.

Sensing the flow of Qi is merely the entrance to Neijia Kung Fu. To truly harness these flows, one must use them to unblock the meridians and acupoints of the human body. Only then can the Internal Breath flow unimpeded and be truly projected from within.

Meridians are also called the pathways of energy, and acupoints are the various nodes on these energy pathways.

The acupoints of the average person are obstructed. To release the body’s energy smoothly and unobstructedly, one needs to unblock these acupoints. And this is the method of cultivating Neijia Kung Fu.

In ancient times, the number of acupoints someone had unblocked throughout their body already indicated the level of mastery they had achieved in Neijia Kung Fu. The governor and conception vessels, which are also mentioned in some martial arts novels, are included in the Acupoint Seeking Technique.

The Ren Meridian starts from the Huiyin between the legs below the body, moves up along the body’s front center to the Chengjiang Acupoint below the lips. The Du Meridian also starts from the Huiyin, but it goes backward, up along the spine to the top of the head, then forward past between the eyes, to the Gingival Intersection Acupoint at the upper palate of the mouth.

These two meridians flow through all the internal organs, connecting all the Qi within the body, making them the most difficult yet crucial meridians to unblock.

The Ren Meridian governs the blood, while the Du Meridian governs Qi, and they are the main meridians of the human body’s network of channels. If the Ren and Du meridians are clear, then the eight extraordinary vessels are clear; if those are clear, then the hundred meridians are clear, which can then improve the constitution, strengthen muscles and bones, and promote circulation.

Martial arts novels describe that if the Ren and Du meridians are unblocked, one’s martial arts would advance by leaps and bounds. This isn’t a baseless claim, but the Acupoint Seeking Technique also explains that unblocking the Ren and Du meridians just allows the Internal Breath to circulate throughout the body and is the most challenging step in cultivating Neijia Kung Fu.

However, if only the Ren and Du meridians are unblocked without the meridians in the hands and feet being cleared, the Internal Breath cannot burst forth from the extremities and naturally cannot be utilised practically.

Therefore, the Ren and Du meridians aren’t as magical as depicted in martial arts novels. To successfully cultivate Neijia Kung Fu, one must take it one step at a time. One shouldn’t aim to unblock the Ren and Du meridians right away, but rather unblock the meridians in one hand first, allowing the Internal Breath to be released from that hand and achieve the purpose of subduing an opponent!

Ye Qing tried using these Qi flows to impact his acupoints, but his Internal Breath was still too weak. After several unsuccessful attempts that left his body somewhat numb, he decided to stop. These were, after all, forceful impacts on the acupoints, and any significant mishap could damage vital acupoints and possibly lead to paralysis or loss of life!

After several fruitless attempts, Ye Qing temporarily gave up. He knew that the power inside him was not yet sufficient to break through the acupoints and needed more accumulation. Nevertheless, he was quite satisfied, for merely being able to sense the Internal Breath was not an easy feat!

After washing himself with cold river water, Ye Qing climbed back into the underpass to sleep, and inadvertently noticed the bag given to him by Fang Tingyun.

Ye Qing took it back, momentarily forgetting to open it. Looking at the bag now, he hesitated for a moment, but eventually went to open it.

Inside the bag was a brand-new suit and a pair of black leather shoes. Inside the shoes was a note with a line of delicate writing.

”When you go to work, you should wear clothes that fit in with this society. I believe in you, you will do very well!”

Without a doubt, this was a message written by Fang Tingyun.

Seeing the new clothes, warmth flooded Ye Qing’s heart. He had spent five years in the army, never frivolously spending a cent, always wearing a uniform. And he could no longer fit into the clothes he had from five years ago. Thus, even after so many days in Shenchuan City, he was still in his military uniform, for he truly had no other clothes.

From childhood to adulthood, Ye Qing had rarely ever worn new clothes. The uniforms issued in the army were the newest clothes he had ever worn in his life. Now, looking at the neatly tailored suit, Ye Qing couldn’t help but picture that girl with a particularly tender smile.

Ye Qing was no fool, he could certainly see Fang Tingyun’s attitude towards him. But until he found his younger brother, Ye Qing truly wasn’t ready to consider these matters!

After sitting with the clothes for a long time, Ye Qing still changed into the suit.

It must be said that a girl’s observation skills are indeed meticulous. Although Fang Tingyun had never asked Ye Qing for his size, the suit she bought fit him perfectly. Wearing it, he looked as if it had been tailor-made for him, with his sharply defined face giving him rather a cool appearance.

Ye Qing smiled lightly, took off the suit, and placed it beside the bed, ready to wear it to work the next day. Just as Fang Tingyun had said, going to work truly did require a presentable outfit!

Not long after Ye Qing lay down, the mobile phone beside him suddenly rang. He answered the call, and Fang Tingyun’s anxious voice came through from the other end, ”Ye, something… something’s happened, someone... someone’s entered our house...”

Ye Qing leapt up abruptly and urged her, ”Quickly lock the door and push the wardrobe in front of it to block it!”

”I’ve already locked the door, I’m pushing the wardrobe now, I... ah...”

After a scream, the sound of an angry man’s voice came through, ”Who the fuck are you calling!”

Ye Qing immediately clenched his fists, listening to the breathing on the other end of the line, he knew the man had picked up the phone.

”Listen, friend,” Ye Qing strained to remain calm, ”I know why you’ve taken them, but I must tell you, I was the one who discovered those pinhole cameras, and your friend was arrested because I called the cops. If you want revenge, don’t pick on the women, come at me!”

There was no sound from the other end, Ye Qing gritted his teeth and said, ”I know you’re still listening, and I advise you, you’d better let them go. If you harm a single hair on their head, I will make sure to break both of your arms and legs. I always do what I say. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will find you!”

”Keep blabbing!”

An icy voice came from the other side, followed by the sound of the phone being slammed down.

Ye Qing’s expression turned icy as he grabbed a military uniform and ran out of the underpass.

The underpass was pitch black all around, deep into the night, with no one around. Ye Qing ran recklessly, and after five minutes, he finally saw a sedan in the darkness. The car was still shaking violently; something unspeakable was probably happening inside.

Without a second thought, Ye Qing ran over, pulled open the car door, and urgently said, ”Take me to Ziling Road, Spring Rain Garden!”

A man and a woman inside the car were locked in an embrace, both half-dressed. Suddenly interrupted, the woman let out a shriek, while the man got up angrily and cursed, ”Fuck, you looking to die? Do you know who I am?”

Ye Qing punched the car door, leaving five finger indents instantly.

”Right away, big brother!” said the man, now compliant, jumping into the driver’s seat and starting the car instantly. It shot off like a racecar, nearly throwing the woman in the back seat out of the car.

”Big brother, I can tell you’re a man of character. I really like your straightforward style. You seem in a hurry, is something urgent?” the man glanced at Ye Qing while driving and said casually, ”Don’t worry, they call me Erhuan Shisan, and speed is definitely not a problem!”

With a stern face, Ye Qing did not respond, instead, he kept his glare fixed on the road ahead. His fists clenched and eyes shining with the intensity of an eagle’s, which made the man beside him extremely nervous.

”Don’t worry, big brother, we’re almost there!” The man drove fast, and it seemed his nickname, Erhuan Shisan, was well-deserved. They overtook countless cars with ease.

At night, there were not many cars in the city, and the roads were not so congested. After ten minutes, Ye Qing arrived at Fang Tingyun’s residential area, where several police cars had already arrived, and a crowd of onlookers gathered around.

Ye Qing got out of the car hastily and rushed over, wanting to enter and see what was happening. As he ran to the building, he was stopped by a few policemen.

A policeman said solemnly, ”Police are working on the case; bystanders can’t go in!”

”They’re my friends; how are they?” Ye Qing asked urgently.

”Your friends?” The policeman glanced at Ye Qing and said, ”Even if they’re your friends, you can’t just go in. The area is sealed off, and our criminal investigation personnel are collecting evidence on site.”

Looking up at the lit windows, Ye Qing asked, ”How are they doing?”

The policeman said, ”Three are missing, one is fine, giving a statement. You wait here; she can go once she’s done giving her statement!”

”Can I see her?” Ye Qing asked.

”No!” the policeman shook his head firmly, ”Don’t worry, the police are putting all our resources into investigating this case. Once the statement is recorded, you can see her!”

How could Ye Qing not be worried? It had been ten minutes since he received the call from Fang Tingyun. Based on his five years of experience at the border, Ye Qing understood that if they had taken the three women, it was certainly not to kill them. However, nothing else could be guaranteed.

Therefore, Ye Qing was aware that if he could find the abductors within half an hour, there was a great chance to rescue the three women unharmed. If it took longer than half an hour, the outcome would be unpredictable. Now, the police were merely collecting evidence, which could take more than half an hour, leaving no time for a rescue mission.

Even if they gathered evidence and saved the victims, if anything untoward happened to the women, how could they live with it for the rest of their lives?

(A reader group for this book has been established, with the group number: 310323423, and all friends are welcome to join the chat. Additionally, I recommend my friend’s new book ”The Fake Young Master,” which you can find by directly searching for ”The Fake Young Master.”)