Urban Martial Saint

The dwarf glanced at Huangfu Ziyu and sighed softly, saying, ”This matter, after all is said and done, should be taken care of by those people in Xi Hang. Besides, they might not agree with your methods. If they find out you’re helping the descendant of Li Changqing, you’re bound to face endless troubles!”

”Hmph!” Huangfu Ziyu scoffed coldly, ”Those unreasonable people from that household, if they dare to come find me, I’ll cut them down with one stroke of my blade. If it weren’t for that household, would my master have disappeared for twenty years? And would I have had to embark on this path?

Don’t think I’ll give them face; the fact that I didn’t personally go to Xi Hang to find them is already merciful enough.”

Thinking of Huangfu Ziyu’s tragic childhood, the dwarf sighed again and spoke softly, ”Miss, you’ve suffered a lot these years.”

Huangfu Ziyu clenched her hands tightly, her voice calm yet resolute, ”No matter how tough or exhausting, I must stand firm. I want those people to know that the Huangfu family hasn’t been wiped out!”

Seeing Huangfu Ziyu’s demeanor, the dwarf couldn’t help but feel his blood boil and said, ”Miss, with you here, the Huangfu family will never perish!”

Huangfu Ziyu smiled faintly and leaned back in her chair, saying, ”Among those gambling at the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena tonight, some recognize Li Style Bajiquan. I don’t want this matter to get back to Xi Hang.”

The dwarf stated with conviction, ”Miss, rest assured, none of those people will live through the night!”

Huangfu Ziyu didn’t speak any further, closing her beautiful eyes and resting quietly in her chair.

When her eyes were open, she was the Poisonous Mantis who killed without blinking, and could even devour the one she loved, bite by bite. But with her eyes closed, she once again became a lonely and pitiable woman.

It was this woman who struggled through blood and fire, who toiled and fought in this indifferent society. At the age of seven, her family fortunes changed dramatically; by thirteen, she learned how to kill; at seventeen, she was able to sweep through a gang single-handedly with a knife in her hand. With her frail body, she bore the hope of a family.

Everyone else could afford to be weak, but she could not.

Because her name was Huangfu Ziyu!

The Huangfu family, the last one standing.

Seeing Huangfu Ziyu leave, Ye Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even for him, there was an indescribable sense of oppression in front of Huangfu Ziyu. Fortunately, he dared to make eye contact with her, which many people couldn’t manage. Her eyes seemed to have a magic power; many men didn’t even dare to take a second glance at her.

Black Bear and the others returned to their room, and as soon as they entered, Fang Tingyun couldn’t help but ask, ”Who was that person?”

”Don’t look at me, I don’t know her,” Mu Qingrong looked towards Ye Qing and said, ”Your friend?”

”No,” Ye Qing shook his head.

”Then why did she enter your room as soon as she came in and turned it upside down?” Mu Qingrong furrowed her brow and continued, ”That woman is strange, and the dwarf with her is also strange. I saw him lift your bed with one hand and take out this book from underneath. It’s the first time I’ve seen a dwarf with such strength!”

Ye Qing and Black Bear had both witnessed the dwarf’s strength and were very clear about it. They exchanged glances, and Ye Qing waved his hand, saying, ”Everyone, don’t worry. She was just passing through. We are all exhausted from today, let’s all rest early.”

”Ye, you should rest early too,” Fang Tingyun said, looking at Ye Qing with a worried expression.

”Right, what were you all doing tonight? Why did you come back so late?” Mu Qingrong only then remembered to ask, not knowing that tonight, those few had narrowly escaped death.

The others exchanged glances but didn’t tell Mu Qingrong about the evening’s events. There was no point in causing her needless worry.

Fang Tingyun casually said they went out for dinner, glossing over the incident. Mu Qingrong didn’t probe further. What puzzled her more was the matter with Huangfu Ziyu. Although it was their first meeting and Huangfu Ziyu had said no more than three sentences to her, she could feel that this woman was indeed very strange. And Ye Qing, how on earth was he associated with such a strange woman?

Broom Star shared a bed with Ye Qing that night, and Black Bear spread out his bedding on the floor. When the three of them returned to their room, Ye Qing sat cross-legged on the bed, practicing the Breathing and Meditation method to heal his injuries with his inner strength.

Just like in the military, Black Bear did sit-ups and push-ups on the ground.

Broom Star, however, sat quietly in a chair beside them, his expression tranquil. Despite the grave danger they faced that night, he remained the most composed, as if oblivious to having just skirted the edge of death at the Ghost Gate Pass.

Seeing Broom Star so collected, Black Bear couldn’t help but say, ”Kid, weren’t you scared by what happened tonight?”

”Scared of what?” Broom Star responded.

”Those were bad guys; they kill without blinking. Aren’t you afraid they might have killed you?” Black Bear tried to scare him.

”Why should I be afraid?” Broom Star said, ”If they wanted to kill me, there must be a reason for it. It’s just an inevitable outcome. Can being afraid change that outcome?”

Black Bear said, ”Whatever the reason, those people are bad guys. They don’t need a reason to kill!”

Broom Star rebutted, ”As you just said, they are all bad guys—that’s the reason. Because they are bad guys, they want to kill me. Since I know they want to kill me, why should I be afraid? Wouldn’t that just be troubling myself?”

Black Bear scratched his head, as he was not the brightest bulb in the box. Broom Star’s few words had somehow managed to confuse him.

”Xiong Zi, quit teasing him. You can’t win an argument against him,” Ye Qing opened his eyes and smiled at Broom Star before saying, ”How come you’ve become calmer with each passing day? I remember when you first arrived here, you were still rather naive. Your change over the past few days has been dramatic, hasn’t it?”

Broom Star replied seriously, ”I am still me, the me that you see. You think I’ve changed, but you don’t realize that in my eyes, you’ve changed as well!”

Ye Qing was also taken aback; that statement carried such philosophy that even a highly educated student from Northern University like himself almost couldn’t grasp it. This kid was truly strange—his wisdom and composure were completely inconsistent with his age. Even many seniors didn’t possess such wisdom and calm. Had this child matured too soon?

”Don’t argue with him about anything in the future,” Ye Qing advised Black Bear, knowing that a few rounds of argument would leave him befuddled.

The next morning, Ye Qing’s injuries had almost healed. He jogged a few kilometers around the neighborhood and when he returned to the building, Zhao Chengshuang was also there.

”Ye Zi, have you had breakfast yet?” Zhao Chengshuang enthusiastically waved at Ye Qing like he had some good news.

”Not yet,” Ye Qing replied.

”Let’s go eat together!” Zhao Chengshuang looked up and shouted twice, ”Black Bear, Black Bear...”

”I’m coming, I’m coming! What’s the rush?” said Black Bear as he thundered down the stairs. ”I was just brushing my teeth. Can’t you wait?”

Because Ye Qing was injured the night before, he got up a bit later. Black Bear had already exercised earlier, and the intensity of his workout far surpassed Ye Qing’s, which resulted in his strong physique.

Black Bear pushed Zhao Chengshuang’s wheelchair, and the three of them headed to a teahouse outside the neighborhood to have morning tea. The teahouse wasn’t crowded, and they found a quiet spot to sit.

No sooner had they sat down than Zhao Chengshuang said, in a conspiratorial manner, ”Guess what happened last night?”

Seeing Zhao Chengshuang’s grin, Black Bear guessed, ”Did you get married?”

”Pah!” Zhao Chengshuang spat immediately and exclaimed, ”I’m not done playing around yet. Why would you curse me with marriage? Can’t you guess something positive?”

”If you’re not getting married, why are you laughing all the time?” Black Bear retorted.

”Come on, can’t I laugh without being married? Talking to you is so exhausting,” Zhao Chengshuang complained, before relenting, ”Forget it, I won’t make you guess. Listen up...”

Zhao Chengshuang drew out his words, then seeing the eager look on Black Bear’s face, finally laughed and said, ”Last night, Chen Hu, the Tiger King of the Fierce Tiger Gang, was found dead at the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena!”

”What?” Black Bear could not hide his surprise, and Ye Qing furrowed his brow.

The Tiger King’s reputation in Shenchuan City was well-known, and his own strength was formidable, something Ye Qing had personally witnessed. Moreover, his Fierce Tiger Gang was one of the top three gangs in Shenchuan City, containing many capable fighters.

Given that the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena was Tiger King’s own turf, and that many of his followers were gathered there last night, who could have managed to kill him there?

A vision of a red silhouette flashed through Ye Qing’s mind. Besides that extraordinary woman, who else could have pulled off such a feat?

”Is this the good news you were talking about?” Black Bear expressed disappointment, saying, ”I thought you had gotten married. I didn’t expect it to be about someone dying. He died too early; I still wanted to give him a thrashing myself!”

”Give me a break,” Zhao Chengshuang nearly choked on his own exasperation, ”Isn’t this good news? Tiger King was crazy. Given the feud you have with him, he definitely wouldn’t have let you off. That you were able to make it out alive last night was just luck.

If he had captured those girls today or something, you might not have been so lucky, and I can’t guarantee I’d be able to run into his dogfight arena every time.”

Ye Qing gently tapped on the table and said, ”This is indeed good news, but who did it, I wonder?”

Zhao Chengshuang waved his hand and replied, ”Let’s not speculate about that. Some people’s names are better left unmentioned.”

Ye Qing looked at Zhao Chengshuang and could tell from his expression that he must have known who was behind it. However, the mere fact that he would say such a thing suggested that Cheng Shuang was also quite wary of the Poisonous Mantis, Huangfu Ziyu. This Zi Yu was truly formidable, to the extent that even a wealthy second-generation like Cheng Shuang dared not speak her name freely.

It seemed that Ye Qing’s previous understanding of her had been insufficient.

”The main reason I called you out was to talk about another matter...” Zhao Chengshuang paused, then continued solemnly, ”Last night, Boss Lin was ambushed and nearly lost his life, and now he’s lying in a hospital. Do you guys have any idea who might have done it?”