Urban Martial Saint

Wang Yuanbo, Lin Guoqiang, and Old Fifth Yang—these three individuals, each held significant weight in Jiuchuan County. It was a rare sight to see them now arguing over who should pay for this meal.

All three were anxiously waiting for Huang Feiming’s decision, each eager to seize this opportunity.

Huang Feiming glanced at Wang Yuanbo with dissatisfaction and said to Xu Changzhi, ”Since we are here with Mr. Ye, he should be the one to treat us to this lunch. Young Master Xu, you came all the way from Dengyang City early this morning and probably haven’t even had breakfast yet. Mr. Ye, don’t disappoint us this time!”

Lin Guoqiang was taken aback, and Wang Yuanbo’s heart skipped a beat—he had realized what Huang Feiming meant.

Huang Feiming wanted to ingratiate himself with Xu Changzhi, but seeing that Xu was not so easily approachable, he switched strategies and started to work on Xu’s friend instead.

With Xu Changzhi’s attitude towards Ye Qing, as long as Huang Feiming could build a good relationship with Ye Qing, wouldn’t that mean establishing a good relationship with Xu Changzhi as well?

”Clever old fox!” Wang Yuanbo couldn’t help but curse in his heart, but he still maintained a smile and said, ”Director Huang is right, Mr. Ye, we really must trouble you for lunch then!”

Seeing Wang Yuanbo and Huang Feiming say so, Lin Guoqiang had no choice but to give up; he knew he wouldn’t get this chance. However, he was even more puzzled as to why Huang Feiming wanted to please Ye Qing so much. What was going on here?

Lin Guoqiang looked at Xu Changzhi, intuition telling him that this matter definitely had something to do with Young Master Xu. But who was this Young Master Xu, exactly?

”No problem!” Ye Qing smiled and looked up at Old Fifth Yang, ”Fifth Brother, I’ll trouble you for this!”

Just when Wang Yuanbo had started speaking, Old Fifth Yang thought his chances were over. But then, such a dramatic scene unfolded, and the meal landed squarely on him, to his great surprise.

”Ye Zi, don’t worry, leave it to me. Director Huang, Director Wang, I’ll go make arrangements now.” Old Fifth Yang said, excitedly leaving; no sooner had he stepped out of the room that he immediately called Mengjie on his phone.

”Mengjie, clean up the best private room in the restaurant right away, and set our best waiter there. Also, free up our top chef, let him do nothing else today but prepare his signature dishes. Everything must be perfect, I’m hosting a very important guest—a very important guest indeed!”

”What kind of guest? Why all the fuss?” Mengjie asked curiously.

”Hahaha…” Old Fifth Yang laughed boisterously, mysteriously saying, ”I won’t tell you who it is just yet, but let me just say this. If I can connect with this line, I, Old Fifth Yang, will also have a powerful backer in the future. Moreover, my business will no longer be limited to Jiuchuan County!”

”Really? Who could it be?” Mengjie was full of guesses, but since Old Fifth Yang wouldn’t reveal more, she could only follow his instructions to prepare everything.

At the hospital, Ye Qing had delivered the meals Old Fifth Yang had sent over to several patients before taking Xu Changzhi and the others directly to Old Fifth Yang’s hotel. Ye Qing also specifically brought Gu Xianping with him, wanting to show Wang Yuanbo how much he valued Gu, and to introduce Gu to more people so he wouldn’t be bullied in the future.

Lin Guoqiang wanted to follow, but no one invited him; he couldn’t put on a brave face to join them, so he could only dejectedly watch everyone leave. Standing at the hospital’s main gate, he watched as Huang Feiming’s car slowly drove away, knowing his chance was completely gone. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly and return to the hospital.

When Ye Qing and the rest arrived at the hotel, Old Fifth Yang had everything ready. Seeing Ye Qing and his group, Old Fifth Yang hurriedly invited them upstairs and personally tended to them, which showed just how much he stationed this meal.

Ye Qing was not particularly interested in these kinds of banquets, but to create opportunities for Old Fifth Yang, he still brought everyone along. Of course, to help Old Fifth Yang seize the opportunity, he specially asked him to sit at the table.

Old Fifth Yang was very grateful for what Ye Qing had done and considered himself lucky to have made such a useful friend. It must be said, Old Fifth Yang was very adept at public relations; after one meal, he managed to have a warm conversation with everyone, and even Huang Feiming’s attitude towards him had changed greatly.

Old Fifth Yang had come a long way from being a mere thug, partly due to luck, partly due to savvy, but most crucially due to his ability to forge relationships and networks. After one meal, he was already on friendly terms with Huang Feiming, marking this friendship as established.

Xu Changzhi wasn’t much interested in these matters; he mainly chatted with Ye Qing, his tone revealing his admiration for Ye Qing.

While Xu Changzhi owed his life to Ye Qing, his attitude towards Ye Qing was chiefly because of witnessing Ye’s impressive skills that night. He envied Ye Qing’s abilities and kept asking how Ye had trained to achieve such adept skills, even hinting at his desire to become Ye Qing’s disciple.

Looking at Xu Changzhi’s delicate appearance, Ye Qing squeezed his shoulder and shook his head, ”Don’t even think about learning martial arts; first work on getting physically stronger. Have you ever seen anyone capable of fighting who gets winded just walking a few steps?”

Embarrassed, Xu Changzhi responded, ”Ah, I’ve been so busy with school these past few years, I’ve neglected my body. It looks like I really need to start exercising. Ye, how do you usually train?”

Ye Qing said, ”If you want to train, spend a few years in the military, and when you come out, you’ll have everything!”

”Really?” Xu Changzhi immediately perked up and asked, ”Ye, what kind of soldier do you think I should be? I’ve always liked the Special Forces. Do you think I’m suited for it...?”

Ye Qing shook his head and replied, ”Not suited!”

Xu Changzhi felt somewhat disappointed and asked, ”Why not?”

”Special Forces are selected from the elite of various units. If you can win a championship in a company-level competition, then you have a chance to be selected for the Special Forces.” Ye Qing looked at Xu Changzhi and said, ”Considering your current condition, winning a championship might be a bit difficult!”

Xu Changzhi was greatly embarrassed and scratched his head, saying, ”Ah, I knew I should have just joined the military instead of going to school. If I had joined the military back then, I might have become a leading soldier in some unit by now!”

”If Young Master Xu had joined the military, he would definitely be a shining star in the army!” said Huang Feiming, who was buddy-buddying up with Old Fifth Yang as he turned his head and appropriately flattered him.

”Exactly, exactly, Young Master Xu not joining the military is indeed a great loss to the military world!” Wang Yuanbo also chimed in with his flattery.

Xu Changzhi was quite pleased and chuckled. However, Ye Qing remained silent because he could tell that Xu Changzhi simply wasn’t cut out for the military.

Wang Yuanbo sat there feeling rather helpless. He wanted to get closer to Xu Changzhi and Huang Feiming, but both of them weren’t paying him much attention. In the end, he had no choice but to strike up a conversation with Gu Xianping. He was also calculating in his mind that if he could get on good terms with Gu Xianping, it would mean getting on good terms with Ye Qing and indirectly establishing a connection with Xu Changzhi.

However, Gu Xianping, the Old Scholar, was fine when it came to lecturing or teaching, but not so much for chatting. Conversations with him often led to awkward silences, which Wang Yuanbo frequently experienced.

Wang Yuanbo was feeling dejected when Huang Feiming suddenly turned his head to look at Mr. Ye and asked, ”Mr. Ye, do you also understand criminal investigation?”

Old Fifth Yang had told Huang Feiming about Ye Qing catching the assassin, and Huang Feiming was deeply impressed. He knew that these professional assassins were extremely difficult to catch, and the fact that Ye Qing had caught one so effortlessly was incredibly impressive.

Ye Qing replied, ”I understand a little, not too much.”

”Mr. Ye, don’t be modest. Catching a professional assassin isn’t just a little understanding!” Huang Feiming paused, then asked, ”Mr. Ye, based on your criminal investigation perspective, could you guess where this Li Qiang might be now? Has he left Jiuchuan County or not?”

Wang Yuanbo also looked at Ye Qing, only now recalling the major unresolved case. If they couldn’t solve the case, he would be in even more trouble.

Ye Qing was silent for a moment before he said, ”I think there’s a seventy percent chance he is still in Jiuchuan County!”

”Ah?” Huang Feiming and Wang Yuanbo were both stunned and asked, ”Why do you say so?”

Ye Qing explained, ”Based on the testimony of Lu Youjin, it’s evident that Li Qiang is a filial son, a man who values filial piety. He hasn’t returned to Jiuchuan County for thirteen years, which means he hasn’t tended to his father’s grave for that long. According to my investigations, in two more days it will be his father’s death anniversary, and he will most likely stay to pay his respects. Furthermore, the hundredth day after his mother’s death is approaching, not far from his father’s anniversary. It’s very probable that he would stay to observe both anniversaries before leaving!”

Huang Feiming and Wang Yuanbo looked at each other, neither having analyzed the situation this way. But now, hearing Ye Qing explain it, both of them felt there was a lot of sense in his words.

Wang Yuanbo asked, ”If he is in Jiuchuan County, then where might he be hiding now?”

Ye Qing answered, ”You don’t need to worry about where he’s hiding. You just need to know where he will go!”

”Where will he go then?” Wang Yuanbo asked curiously.

Ye Qing remained silent, while Huang Feiming glared at Wang Yuanbo and said, ”Isn’t it obvious? He’d definitely be at his parents’ graves!”

It dawned on Wang Yuanbo that if Li Qiang was to honor his parents, he would certainly go to their graves, which was inevitable.

Huang Feiming, now spirited, said, ”Wang Yuanbo, go out now and arrange for someone to hide near Li Qiang’s parents’ graves. The moment Li Qiang shows up, capture him and bring him back!”