Urban Martial Saint

Yang Shitao clapped his hands, and a man in his thirties immediately came out from the next room.

The man had an average build, flat head, and a slightly thin figure, showing nothing particularly special about him.

Boss Lin looked at the man, then at Yang Shitao, with confusion in his eyes. He had been in Shenchuan City for such a long time yet had never seen this person. However, he thought that Boss Lin would not introduce a nobody to him.

”Let me introduce...” Yang Shitao said with a faint smile, pointing to the man, ”This is He Ziqiang...”

”What?” Boss Lin suddenly stood up, his eyes nearly popping out, staring at the man of average build with an incredulous expression on his face.

He Ziqiang, he had certainly heard of him. Known as the number one on Xiangjiang’s top ten most wanted list, in fact, his name was well-known both domestically and internationally.

As one of Xiangjiang’s most notorious ruthless bandits, he had successfully kidnapped three of the top ten tycoons in Xiangjiang, easily escaping amidst the encirclement of Xiangjiang Police, and was hailed as Asia’s top kidnapper. It was conservatively estimated that he had extorted more than one billion through kidnappings!

Compared to Boss Lin, a petty local thug, He Ziqiang could be called a major international thief, a global figure. No wonder Boss Lin was so shocked; he never imagined that this world-famous thief would be a man of average stature with a flat head.

Boss Lin now started to believe that Yang Shitao could kidnap Lin Huayu because He Ziqiang’s reputation was not for nothing.

Yang Shitao was very pleased with Boss Lin’s reaction, and said with a light smile, ”Boss Lin, as for the method, I haven’t thought of one yet. However, with Mr. He here, grabbing your cousin shouldn’t be difficult.”

Boss Lin stared at He Ziqiang, remaining silent for a long while before he finally spoke in a low voice, ”Ye is no simple man, Mr. He might need to prepare in advance, better think of a thorough plan.”

”I’ve seen many challenging people. Those three tycoons in Xiangjiang, which one of them was simple?” He Ziqiang said with a faint smile, ”I remember one tycoon who was particularly afraid of death, specifically hiring a team of well-trained mercenaries to protect him. Still, he got kidnapped by me. The waters of Shenchuan City are too shallow; kidnapping Lin Huayu is much too simple!”

Boss Lin was indignant, as Lin family’s influence in Shenchuan City was substantial; He Ziqiang’s words completely disregarded the Lin family.

”It’s still best to prepare, this is Shenchuan City, not Xiangjiang!” Boss Lin said gravely.

”If it were Xiangjiang, then I really would plan.” He Ziqiang glanced at Boss Lin and said, ”But in Shenchuan City, it’s not needed. Last time I kidnapped Lin Huayu, it was just a piece of cake, and I didn’t find it challenging at all.”

Boss Lin once again widened his eyes in astonishment, looking at He Ziqiang, he said, ”Last time... It was you who kidnapped my cousin?”

He Ziqiang laughed, ”Who else would dare to ask for three hundred million?”

Boss Lin was dumbfounded and after a long moment, he closed his mouth, clenched his teeth, and said, ”You better be careful, last time it was Ye Qing who rescued my cousin; you’d better not fall into his hands again!”

On hearing this, He Ziqiang’s expression finally changed. His plan had been very good, the money was nearly in hand, but unexpectedly, an issue had arisen and Lin Huayu was rescued. Had it not been for Lin family hiring Ye Qing as a bodyguard, he would still be unaware of who had spoiled his plan.

He Ziqiang was a proud man; he was not like other kidnappers who would immediately flee after a failed attempt. Not having succeeded this time, he felt a pent-up frustration and was determined to kidnap Lin Huayu and get the ransom from the Lin family. It was for this reason as well that he had teamed up with Yang Shitao.

”Hmph, just a retired Special Forces soldier. Although he has some skills, society thrives on intellect; people who are all brawn and no brains don’t live long!” He Ziqiang said coldly.

Yang Shitao waved his hand from the side and said, ”You two should stop arguing over these matters. It would be best if both of you could come up with a good plan and kidnap Lin Huayu in one go. I’m leaving this task to you, and I hope you won’t disappoint me this time!”

He Ziqiang smiled faintly and said, ”With me here, there’s absolutely no problem!”

Boss Lin frowned intensely, annoyed by He Ziqiang’s disdainful attitude. But now, he was more concerned about dealing with Ye Qing, as his own survival was at stake.

Ye Qing brought the little boy home, and Mu Qingrong and the others were indeed quite surprised at first. However, after hearing the boy’s story, they immediately felt a great sympathy for him and took over his care with overflowing affection, bathing him, changing his clothes, feeding him, and staying very busy.

Ye Qing was rather relaxed on the side, watching the girls care for the boy with great relief. These girls were very kind-hearted; with them looking after the boy, Ye Qing felt much more at ease. The boy, however, remained very calm and was neither excited by the girls’ kindness nor overly happy about escaping his ordeal.

Frankly speaking, he seemed almost like a seasoned monk, indifferent to everything. Perhaps it was because he had experienced too much loss over the years, he had matured quite a bit.

”Oh, where did this kid come from?” Suddenly, a voice came from the direction of the bathroom.

Ye Qing turned to look and saw a tall girl with fair skin and a beautiful face walking towards them. Her looks surpassed any other girl in the room, even Mu Qingrong seemed a tad less lovely in comparison. However, Mu Qingrong’s spirited air, Mo Xiang’s gentle womanliness, and Tingyun’s tenderness were beyond her comparison.

The girl walked over to the little boy, playfully touched him, and then turned to look in the direction of Ye Qing, saying, ”This must be the new tenant you all mentioned, Ye, Brother Ye, right?”

”Oh, I forgot to introduce you,” Fang Tingyun quickly rose to her feet, saying, ”Ye, this is the tenant from the innermost room, Zhao Qingyue.”

Ye Qing stood up and politely shook hands with Zhao Qingyue. He had heard the name before, frequently mentioned by Huo Pingping who suggested she was the belle of Shenchuan University. However, Ye Qing hadn’t seen her since he moved in, and was surprised to meet her that evening. The belle of Shenchuan University indeed had remarkable beauty, he couldn’t deny.

”I’ve always heard Sister Fang speak highly of you, Ye, and I’ve been wondering what kind of boy could capture Sister Fang’s heart,” Zhao Qingyue said with a gentle smile, ”Now that I see you, Ye, you really are a person of impressive appearance.”

Fang Tingyun hadn’t expected Zhao Qingyue to say such a thing, and her face instantly flushed red. She hurriedly said, ”Qingyue, don’t talk nonsense.”

”Hehe…” Zhao Qingyue laughed a little, not continuing the conversation but politely said to Ye Qing, ”Ye, I was away with a university exchange group in another province recently, so I haven’t been back for a while. I heard that you helped us a lot, and I haven’t had the chance to thank you.

How about this, if you’re free tomorrow, I’ll cook a few dishes as a welcome for your move into our apartment.”

It must be said, the belle of Shenchuan University had a way with words that was quite pleasant. Although this was her first time meeting Ye Qing, she spoke as if they had known each other for a long time. She was talkative, much like Huo Pingping.

However, while Huo Pingping was hot-tempered and often spoke in sarcasm, Zhao Qingyue’s words carried politeness and warmth, clearly showing that she was a very wise person.

”There’s no need to trouble yourself,” Ye Qing responded softly.

”Oh, do you have plans tomorrow, Ye?” Zhao Qingyue smiled, ”It’s okay, I don’t have to go anywhere during this period. Whenever you’re free, I can cook for you as well.”

Unable to decline further, Ye Qing could only nod and say, ”Thank you.”

”We’re living together, after all; we should take care of each other. You don’t need to be polite,” Zhao Qingyue smiled at Ye Qing, walked over to the sofa, and gently pinched the little boy’s cheek, saying, ”Oh, quite serious, huh? By the way, what’s your name?”

The little boy said, ”Broom Star.”

”Ah?” The women were surprised in unison, and Fang Tingyun questioned, ”How can that be a name?”

The little boy said, ”I caused my mom and dad’s deaths, so that’s what everyone calls me.”

”No!” Fang Tingyun shook her head eagerly, saying, ”Your mom and dad’s death wasn’t your fault, that’s just superstition, you are not Broom Star.”

Mu Qingrong nodded, saying, ”Right, Broom Star shouldn’t be used as a name. What’s your real name?”

The little boy thought carefully, then shook his head, saying, ”I forgot.”

The little boy, now only six or seven, had perhaps had a name when his mother was alive. But after her death, everyone started calling him Broom Star, so he of course didn’t remember his previous name.

The women looked at the little boy with pity, each likely imagining what sort of things had happened to him at such a young age.

”How about we do this, let sister give you a name, okay?” Mu Qingrong said.

”A name is just a label, isn’t it? As long as you call Broom Star and I know you’re referring to me, that’s enough,” the little boy looked at Mu Qingrong and said.

The women were surprised by the boy’s philosophical response, exchanging looks, with Mu Qingrong saying, ”Broom Star doesn’t sound nice; it seems like bad luck, you can’t be called that.”

The little boy said, ”You just said all those things were superstition; then being called Broom Star isn’t bad luck either.”

The women were again at a loss for words, impressed by the boy’s logic and intelligence. His words were not something typically expected from a child of his age.

Fang Tingyun said, ”Let’s still give you a nicer name, calling you Broom Star doesn’t feel unlucky to us sisters. But others might laugh at it!”

After thinking, the little boy said, ”Whether they laugh or not, what does it have to do with me?”

The women were completely speechless; the young boy’s attitude could indeed be described as liberating. He seemed indifferent to everything around him, which was extraordinary for his age. Moreover, his wisdom and exceptional intelligence made it hard for anyone to treat him as just a regular child.

In the end, none of the women could persuade the young boy. Therefore, another member was added to Ye Qing’s side, a little boy called Broom Star.