Urban Martial Saint

”Hahaha...” Tie Yongwen looked up and laughed, saying, ”Mr. Ye does indeed have a discerning eye. My main reason for coming here was to seek an explanation from Mr. Ye.”

”What explanation?” Ye Qing asked.

Tie Yongwen said, ”You must already be aware that Wang Tiezhu was not kidnapped by Ding Shaoyan. Yet, because of this, you injured Ding Shaoyan, which I think was somewhat inappropriate!”

Ye Qing slightly furrowed his brows, staring at Tie Yongwen for a while before suddenly asking, ”Old Mr. Tie, could it be Elder Master Ding’s bodyguard?”

Tie Yongwen gave a faint smile and didn’t speak, which served as a confirmation.

Ye Qing’s frown deepened and he said, ”In this matter, I indeed misunderstood Ding Shaoyan, and I don’t deny it. Having done something wrong, naturally, I should be punished. I will explain this to Old Master Tie myself!”

As he spoke, Ye Qing suddenly pulled a dagger from his waist and thrust it toward his right shoulder without even blinking.

Tie Yongwen’s expression changed, and it was too late to stop him. However, he reacted quickly, grabbing a teacup next to him and throwing it. It struck Ye Qing’s hand just right. With a clang, the dagger was knocked to the ground, and Ye Qing avoided being stabbed by it.

The strength in Ye Qing’s grip was so easily dislodged by Tie Yongwen’s teacup, showing how strong the old bodyguard was. The legends that had circulated in Shenchuan City for so many years were indeed true!

”What do you mean by this, Old Mr. Tie?” Ye Qing frowned and asked, ”Does Old Master Tie think this action of mine was insufficient? If Old Master Tie feels it’s not enough, you can come at me yourself, and I, Ye Qing, will not frown!”

”Hahaha...” Tie Yongwen laughed heartily, suddenly stood up, walked over to Ye Qing, placed his hand on his shoulder, and squeezed it, slowly nodding, ”Just as expected!”

Ye Qing was even more puzzled, not understanding what Tie Yongwen meant. Moreover, he wasn’t close with him, yet he behaved so unreservedly.

”Young people are prone to impulsive actions, and making mistakes is inevitable,” Tie Yongwen looked at Ye Qing and said, ”I think, when one has done something wrong, it doesn’t necessarily mean they cannot be forgiven. First, we look at their intentions. If one is selfish and brutal, acting solely from personal grudges and harming others, such behavior must be punished.

However, if one acted out of good intentions but made a mistake due to various misunderstandings, then they can be forgiven.”

Ye Qing looked at Tie Yongwen, more puzzled than ever. From what Tie Yongwen was saying, it seemed he wasn’t here to cause trouble?

”This time, Ding Shaoyan, out of personal vendetta, ended up harming an innocent brother and sister, an act truly outrageous. Even if you injured him, it was his own fault, and you don’t owe anything,” Tie Yongwen said with a light smile, ”Young Master Ye, you were a bit impulsive. I just said that what you did was slightly wrong, merely that you acted impulsively, which is not a good habit.

In this society, people can be malicious, and things are not always as simple as they appear on the surface. You shouldn’t just rush into action based on someone else’s word. This time, Shaoyan only suffered some injuries, which is not too serious. But if he had died, it would have been hard to settle this matter, don’t you think?”

Ye Qing slowly nodded and said, ”You’re right, Old Mr. Tie, I was indeed too impulsive in this matter.”

Although he said this, what surprised Ye Qing even more was Tie Yongwen’s earlier form of address. Nephew Ye? What did that mean? What was his connection to him?

”I also heard about this incident from Shusen, and I understand that you were in a hurry to save Wang Tiezhu, so I can understand that feeling,” Tie Yongwen looked at Ye Qing and said, ”Moreover, the fact that you were willing to harm yourself shows that you are a man who can take responsibility for his actions, which I deeply respect!”

Ye Qing slightly bent forward and said, ”Thank you for your praise, Old Mr. Tie, but I still don’t know what you are truly here for? Tonight, I indeed misunderstood Ding Shaoyan, and I am willing to take responsibility for my actions. However, this does not mean I will let him off. He must pay a price for what happened to Wang Lili.”

Tie Yongwen was momentarily stunned. He didn’t expect Ye Qing to dare say such words in front of him. Given that even the teahouse lady boss behaved respectfully in his presence, and Ye Qing was still unequivocal about not letting Ding Shaoyan off, it had been many years since anyone dared speak like that in front of Tie Yongwen.

”Hahaha...” Tie Yongwen suddenly gave a hearty laugh and said, ”The disciple of the Third Brother, indeed has integrity. Good! Very good! Superb!”

”Ah?” Ye Qing was startled. What did he mean by ’the disciple of the Third Brother’? Remembering Third Master Li, could it be that Tie Yongwen also knew Third Master Li?

”You... You know Third Master Li?” Ye Qing asked in surprise. In Shenchuan City, this was the fourth acquaintance of Third Master Li he had met. Previously, Old Wang Ba, Poisonous Mantis, and Fire Butterfly all knew Third Master Li. Moreover, in their words, they all expressed great admiration for Third Master Li.

However, they all claimed to be juniors of Third Master Li, but Tie Yongwen’s calling him ’Third Brother’ showed that he was indeed a contemporary of Third Master Li.

”Northern Fist King Li Changqing’s name resounded throughout the North and the South. In my time, who among the martial artists wouldn’t recognize him?” Tie Yongwen slowly raised his head, his face full of nostalgia, but he again remembered the grandmaster of that era who dominated the North and South, undefeatable in Bajiquan.

Ye Qing was startled; he only knew Third Master Li was no ordinary person, but he hadn’t realized he was actually the Northern Fist King.

It’s important to know that the title ’Fist King’ is by no means simple. From his childhood to adulthood, Ye Qing had never met an opponent who could compete with him.

But in Shenchuan City, having met top figures like Poisonous Mantis Fire Butterfly and Tie Yongwen in succession, it was evident that the world was indeed a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, filled with outstanding masters. And for Third Master Li to be dubbed the Northern Fist King among so many significant figures, his strength must have been immense!

Tie Yongwen fell silent for a long time, and his eyes unexpectedly moistened. He slowly lowered his head and looked at Ye Qing, saying, ”Twenty years ago, after the fight between Third Brother and the Southern Fist King, he was never seen again. I never thought that today I would have the privilege to meet a successor of Third Brother.

Ah, it’s been twenty years in a blink, many things have already changed beyond recognition. Just hearing about Third Brother again, I have finally fulfilled one of my wishes. By the way, how is Third Brother doing now? Is he well?”

Ye Qing slowly lowered his head, and as Tie Yongwen’s complexion changed, he trembled, saying, ”Third Brother... Third Brother... he...”

”Third Master passed away nearly ten years ago,” Ye Qing said in a low voice.

”What!” Tie Yongwen’s body swayed, and he slumped onto the sofa, his voice trembling, ”How... how could it be? How could Third Brother just pass away like this? Third Brother, who excelled both internally and externally, unbeatable in strength, how could he just... How is it possible?”

Ye Qing was also feeling downtrodden and said softly, ”The year Third Master passed away, he vomited a lot of black blood in the room. He must have had some old injuries that hadn’t healed.”

”That’s it! That’s it! That’s it!” Tie Yongwen suddenly stood up, exclaiming loudly, ”During that fight with the Southern Fist King, Third Brother was poisoned, which led to his tragic defeat. These twenty years, Third Brother has always been burdened with the infamy of the Northern Fist being inferior to the Southern Fist.

Unexpectedly, in the end, Third Brother still couldn’t rid himself of the poison and actually died from the residual poison in his body!”

Ye Qing was taken aback, his expression changing in an instant. He hadn’t expected to learn the past of Third Master Li from here. Hearing that Third Master Li had been poisoned, Ye Qing was furiously indignant and said sternly, ”Third Master... how could Third Master be poisoned?”

”I don’t know either,” Tie Yongwen slowly sat down, saying gravely, ”That day, during the fight between Third Brother and Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun, I and four others were watching the fight. It hadn’t been long before Third Brother’s movements became noticeably slower, and after being punched by Shen Tianjun, he started vomiting blood incessantly.

I escorted Third Brother away and on the way, he told me he had been poisoned. I took him to the train station, and he asked me to buy a bottle of water. But, by the time I returned after buying the water, he had disappeared. I never imagined that he hadn’t been cured of the poison even after such a long time.”

Ye Qing said sternly, ”Does this matter have anything to do with the Southern Fist King?”

”I don’t think so!” Tie Yongwen shook his head, saying, ”The Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun was a hero for his entire life, bold and forthright. He would never stoop to such actions. Moreover, after that fight, Shen Tianjun himself felt that the victory was dishonorable. Like Third Brother, he went into hiding for twenty years and hasn’t appeared since.

If he were the one who poisoned him, he wouldn’t need to do that.”

”Then... who could have poisoned him?” Ye Qing asked, astonished.

Tie Yongwen was silent for a while, then said, ”Who exactly poisoned him is still inconclusive. However, rumors in the Jianghu say that the main suspect is the Xihang Shen Family. Moreover, Third Brother’s younger brother even went to the Xihang Shen Family to seek justice for this matter on behalf of Third Master Li.

But in the end, he was no match for the members of the Shen Family and was seriously injured. As a result, the successors of the Northern Li Family’s Baji Quan and the Xihang Shen Family have been mortal enemies ever since!”

After speaking, Tie Yongwen looked at Ye Qing and added, ”After so many years, no successor of the Northern Li Family’s Baji Quan has entered the South; you are the first. However, you must be wary of the Xihang Shen Family, and ensure they don’t come to Shenchuan City to find you!”

Ye Qing furrowed his brow, surprised to find that his trip to Shenchuan City had dragged him into a twenty-year-old feud. However, thinking that Third Master Li had been poisoned and killed, Ye Qing felt a surging anger and harbored intense hatred toward the Xihang Shen Family.

”I must investigate this matter and seek justice for Third Master!” Ye Qing clenched his fists and said resolutely.

”With your determination, Third Master’s spirit in heaven can also rest in peace!” Tie Yongwen slowly nodded and responded, ”However, no evidence yet proves that the Xihang Shen Family was behind this. Moreover, branded as the Holy Land of Southern Fist, the Xihang Shen Family has led the Southern Fist for many years.

If the Xihang Shen Family wants to target you, they just need to give the word, and all sects of Southern Fist will see you as their prime enemy!”

Ye Qing’s brow tightened, and he gritted his teeth, ”So what? If the Xihang Shen Family is indeed capable of such despicable acts, then I am prepared to risk my life to fight them to the bitter end!”