Urban Martial Saint

Liu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh and said, ”Hey, you’re still envious of me? I actually envy you. People like us, any random person in Shenchuan City can step on us and show off. I may not worry about food and drink, but every day I have to play the flatterer with those clients. Otherwise, my job could be gone at any moment. My family relies solely on me; do you think I can afford not to play the flatterer?”

Ye Qing smiled and replied, ”It’s all about how much is enough, Big Brother Liu. As for life, having enough is what matters.”

Liu Yuan said, ”That’s how I see it, but the boss doesn’t think so. If I close one hundred in deals this month, next month the boss wants me to close one hundred fifty. If I do achieve one hundred fifty next month, then the boss expects me to bring in two hundred the month after. They say human greed is boundless, but it’s the bosses who are the greediest. We who work for them have to hustle to death at just one word from them. If we don’t do well, we’re out on the street in no time, and then how will we provide for our families?”

”Hahaha…” Ye Qing laughed heartily and said, ”Big Brother Liu, you’re exaggerating. If your boss really lets you go, I’ll hire you as my manager.”

”Brother, that means a lot to me. It warms my heart!” said Liu Yuan with a smile. ”But seriously, Ye brothers, I do need to thank you. This deal with Boss Li has been the happiest deal of my life. Previously, no matter how well you handled a deal, the clients would still find fault and make all sorts of excuses not to pay. But Boss Li, he’s so generous. I hadn’t even started the job, and he had already paid in full, truly generous indeed!”

Ye Qing was aware of Li Lianshan’s magnanimity and nodded in response, ”Doing business with Li is a lot more comfortable than with others.”

”Absolutely,” Liu Yuan agreed through a nod. ”And there’s the project from Director Mu. She’s a person of real loyalty. Now she oversees the project bidding for Lin Corporation, and she’s given me almost everything I could handle. Ye Zi, for this, I really owe you big time. Without you, I would never have had such an opportunity!”

”Big Brother Liu, I didn’t have much to do with that,” Ye Qing said. ”Previously, when Director Mu’s company faced that crisis, if it weren’t for your loyal support, the company probably would have collapsed. After all, it’s just the fruits of your good deeds that you’re enjoying now, and Director Mu is grateful for the support you provided her with in the past!”

Liu Yuan chuckled and replied, ”Oh, that matter, I simply offered a helping hand. Honestly, if things had gotten really dire, I doubt I could have held on much longer.”

”Now Director Mu is giving you a helping hand in return,” Ye Qing said with a smile. ”Besides, you showed such loyalty at that time, it proves you’re a person of integrity. Part of the reason Director Mu entrusts the projects to you is probably because she values that trait. Those in the construction business, who wouldn’t want a partner with integrity?”

Liu Yuan burst into hearty laughter and said, ”In the business world, integrity is certainly the most important thing.”

After chatting with Liu Yuan for a while, Ye Qing understood that this visit was mainly for him to introduce himself. With the business from Li Lianshan and Mu Qingrong, their company had risen from a mid-level status to a quite reputable company in Shenchuan City. Now Liu Yuan’s position in the company was very high, second only to the boss. The boss was also very polite to him, so Liu Yuan was living a comfortable life. He knew it was all thanks to Ye Qing, so he regarded Ye Qing as his best brother and had even sent over a few sets of new cupboards as a housewarming gift for Ye Qing.

Ye Qing had no choice but to accept Liu Yuan’s kind gesture and kept the cupboards. The young guys playing cards saw the beautiful cupboards and immediately forgot the game, scrambling to carry the cupboards away. By the time Qin Jing heard the noise and ran out of the room, there was nothing left in the living room.

This joker had no idea what had just happened, scratched his head, and asked Ye Qing, ”Ye Zi, call me when it’s time for dinner, okay?”

”I…” Ye Qing was rendered speechless, dumbfounded—damn it, how long had it been since lunch that he was already thinking about dinner? Was this guy a poop factory or what!

In the afternoon, after seeing Liu Yuan off, Ye Qing went straight to the Xingyi Martial Arts School. It was too late when he returned the day before to visit, and he had been busy in the morning, so he had to hurry over in the afternoon.

Tie Yongwen had previously received favors from Third Master Li, so he was very kind to Ye Qing, treating him almost like his own nephew. The affair with Ding Shaoyan had been personally settled by Tie Yongwen. Without Tie Yongwen reporting the incident to Old Master Tie, Ye Qing would have been in danger. The Ding Family only backed down after Elder Master Ding intervened; otherwise, they would probably still be looking to settle scores with Ye Qing!

Therefore, Ye Qing also held great respect for Tie Yongwen. As soon as he finished his business, the first person he visited was Tie Yongwen.

As Ye Qing approached the Xingyi Martial Arts School, he saw several cars parked at the entrance, one of which belonged to Lin Huayu.

Ye Qing was surprised. Had Lin Huayu also come? Did she know people from the Xingyi Martial Arts School? That didn’t make sense; the Lin family usually disliked martial artists, so what could be their connection with the school?

With his curiosity piqued, Ye Qing entered the Xingyi Martial Arts School. Just as he entered, he saw Master Wu Xinghuai busy serving tea to someone in the courtyard.

”Master Wu!” Ye Qing greeted Wu Xinghuai politely.

Upon seeing Ye Qing, Wu Xinghuai’s expression immediately changed. He had suffered a great loss at the hands of Ye Qing, and the Xingyi Martial Arts School had been attacked by Ye Qing as well. If it weren’t for Old Master Tie protecting Ye Qing, the unresolved grudges between them and Ye Qing would have remained. Even so, seeing Ye Qing still irritated him, after all having been beaten by Ye Qing once.

”Mr. Ye, you’ve arrived!” Wu Xinghuai, though angry in his heart, still greeted Ye Qing earnestly. He had no choice, since Old Master Tie was protecting Ye Qing.

Ye Qing knew that Wu Xinghuai must have harbored dissatisfaction toward him, but he didn’t care and just lightly smiled, saying, ”I’m here to visit Old Master Tie, do you know if the Old Master has come today?”

”You’ve come at the right time, the master did come today. However, the master is currently receiving guests in the living room, and it’s not convenient for him to see you,” Wu Xinghuai waved his hand and said, ”You should come back another day!”

Ye Qing smiled lightly, ”No problem, I can wait here for a while.”

Wu Xinghuai frowned slightly, wanting to send Ye Qing away, but in the end, he did not dare to do so. Firstly, he was no match for Ye Qing, and secondly, Old Master Tie was truly supporting Ye Qing. If he truly made a fuss with Ye Qing, it’s likely Old Master Tie would deal with him first.

Ye Qing walked to the other courtyard where there were many of Wu Xinghuai’s disciples. But seeing Ye Qing, none of them showed a pleasant face. They had all been beaten by Ye Qing before and certainly held grudges against him.

After waiting in the courtyard for a while, he saw someone approaching—it was Old Master Tie’s eldest disciple, Gao Shusen, who was also the short man who had sparred with Ye Qing before.

”Ye Qing?” Gao Shusen was visibly surprised to see Ye Qing and asked in wonder, ”What are you doing here?”

Ye Qing said, ”I just got back to Shenchuan City yesterday and came specially today to visit Old Master Tie!”

”You’re really thoughtful!” Gao Shusen said, ”Today, the master has an important guest and is chatting in the front hall. Brother Ye, I’m afraid I have to trouble you to wait here for a while. I’m really sorry.”

”It’s fine.” Ye Qing smiled faintly and said, ”Big Brother Gao, you go ahead with your business. I’ll just wait here.”

”Ah, there’s nothing pressing to tend to. It’s not right for you to just wait here. Come on, let’s go inside.” Gao Shusen led Ye Qing into the nearby parlor, had tea served, and called over his fellow disciple, the tall one, to accompany Ye Qing. As the eldest disciple of the Southern Xingyi Fist, and with Tie Yongwen attending to guests, he had to stay by his side, but the tall one could afford to leave.

Ye Qing had had several exchanges with this tall disciple and had no grudge against him; in fact, he admired Ye Qing’s strength. Sitting together, they exchanged a few words and promptly started discussing martial arts matters. It was clear that the tall one was almost a martial arts fanatic, always bringing the conversation back to martial arts.

Ye Qing chatted with the tall disciple about some techniques of Bajiquan and then asked, ”By the way, when I came in just now, I saw the Lin family young lady’s car here as well. The one visiting Old Master Tie, could it be that Miss Lin from the Lin family?”

”You’re talking about Hua Yu.” The tall one had served as a bodyguard for Lin Zhen Nan before and was quite familiar with the Lin family’s circumstances. He waved his hand and said, ”She’s just accompanying someone. The main guest isn’t her; it’s someone from the Xihang Shen Family.”

”Oh?” Ye Qing frowned slightly, reminded of the domineering young man he’d met before. To be honest, from the perspective of Third Master Li, he didn’t have any good feelings for the people of Xihang Shen Family. After meeting that young man, his dislike for the Xihang Shen Family only deepened, always feeling that the Shen Family was too arrogant and overbearing!

Moreover, as told by Old Master Tie, Third Master Li had been poisoned and then lost the fight with Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun many years ago. Regardless of whether Shen Tianjun was the one who poisoned him, the suspicion towards the Xihang Shen Family was high. As such, Ye Qing truly had not a shred of good feeling for the people from Xihang Shen Family.

Ye Qing said, ”Is someone from the Xihang Shen Family worth Old Master Tie’s personal reception, even if they are just a junior?”

”Although it’s a junior, that person is also the only direct descendant of the Xihang Shen Family,” the tall one said with a smile, ”This young lady is Shen Tianjun’s only granddaughter, cherished by Old Madame Shen as the apple of her eye, and is also the future heir of the Xihang Shen Family. Don’t you see, people from the Xihang Shen Family, whether in terms of upbringing or character, are first-rate choices. And there’s Shen Qianyue, although just a direct descendant, she is the most outstanding individual of the younger generation in the Xihang Shen Family, so of course, the master would personally receive her!”