Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing slowly walked to the table and sat down, but the young man still wore a relaxed expression, as if he hadn’t seen Ye Qing at all.

After a moment of silence, Ye Qing, with hands clasped, said, ”My name is Ye Qing, and I am the owner of this bar. Earlier, my brothers might have offended this friend, and I apologize on their behalf.”

While cracking sunflower seeds, the young man sized up Ye Qing and asked, ”So, you are Ye Qing?”

”Does this friend know me?” Ye Qing asked, slightly surprised, ”May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

”What’s there to teach!” The young man suddenly threw all his sunflower seeds away, lifted his foot, and kicked toward Ye Qing.

Ye Qing dodged to the side and said, ”My friend, I have no grudges or grievances with you, why—”

Before he could finish, the young man charged again, leading with two punches straight at Ye Qing’s face.

Ye Qing retreated a few steps, but the young man kept pressing him, not giving Ye Qing a chance to speak. After dodging a few times, Ye Qing was finally unable to avoid further and was forced to counterattack, using the Xingyi Quan he had learned recently to confront this young man.

Compared to Xingyi Quan, Ye Qing was actually more proficient in Bajiquan, having practiced it for over a decade. However, since last time Tie Yongwen advised him not to display Bajiquan casually, Ye Qing had been cautious. Considering the young man’s capable movements, possibly a member of the Shen Family, Ye Qing chose to use Xingyi Quan instead.

The few people outside saw Ye Qing fighting with this young man and got excited, especially Da Fei, who clenched his fists and shouted loudly, ”Li, come on. Once you catch him, I want to kick his butt too!”

For Yue Peng, this was virtually the first time he saw Ye Qing in action; he had only heard of Ye Qing’s strength but had never witnessed it. Now, watching Ye Qing mix it up with the young man, fists and kicks flying swiftly, he was stunned.

The fight was tough for Ye Qing though, as the young man’s prowess was formidable, not inferior to his own. His techniques were equally exquisite, and as they fought, it resulted in a stalemate, although quite a few items inside were destroyed.

As they fought, the young man’s eyes grew brighter, showing no anger but rather an expression of surprise. After grappling for a while, he suddenly shouted, ”Ye, be careful!”

After speaking, the young man shook his hands and unexpectedly changed his technique, charging directly at Ye Qing.

Ye Qing, bewildered, exclaimed, ”Xingyi Quan?”

This young man was using the very Xingyi Quan that Tie Yongwen had taught Ye Qing, without any difference. Moreover, his Xingyi Quan was more authentic than Ye Qing’s hastily learned version, and his punches and kicks were filled with a terrifying explosive force.

Seeing the young man’s punch coming, Ye Qing hastily dodged to the side, reaching out to hook the young man’s fist. However, the young man was one step faster, twisting Ye Qing’s wrist and stomping the ground with his right foot, as his right fist headed straight for Ye Qing’s abdomen.

This was exactly the leveraging technique taught by Tie Yongwen; the greater the force of the foot on the ground, the stronger the punch. Hearing the loud sound of the young man’s stomp, Ye Qing knew the formidable power of the punch would be no small matter if it hit.

At the critical moment, Ye Qing could no longer hold back, and with a loud shout, he vibrated both arms. He forcefully stepped forward and charged with his right elbow, colliding it with the young man’s fist. This was a technique from Bajiquan, and he had to resort to Bajiquan to get out of this situation, since he had spent too little time on Xingyi Quan!

As the elbow met the fist, both retreated several steps, each still unable to overpower the other.

Ye Qing clenched his fists, his legs slightly bent, ready to burst forth. Yet, the young man leisurely brushed off the glass shards from his body and smiled, ”Ye, your Bajiquan truly lives up to its reputation!”

Taken aback, Ye Qing wondered how quickly the young man had changed his tune. Seeing that the young man had completely relaxed, Ye Qing also put down his fists, clasped his hands and said, ”It turns out this friend is also a master of the Xingyi Boxing School, may I ask your name?”

”Hahaha…” The young man laughed and said, ”My surname is Du, my master is Tie Yongwen!”

Ye Qing’s expression changed abruptly, and he asked anxiously, ”Are you Du Tianyi, Brother Du?”

”Brother Ye, don’t be so formal. You’re even two years older than me, so I should be the one calling you brother!” The young man clasped his hands and smiled, ”Indeed, I am Du Tianyi!”

Ye Qing was overjoyed. He walked over and grabbed Du Tianyi’s hand, laughing, ”I was wondering, in Shenchuan City, apart from Uncle Tie’s disciples, where else could there be such a master of Xingyi Quan. So it really was Brother Du, you really played a big joke on me!”

”I just got back myself. I’ve always heard a few senior brothers mention you, saying Brother Ye’s Bajiquan is very strong. I’ve been to the North before and have seen masters from various sects, but I’ve never come across a top figure in Bajiquan. So, itching for a challenge, I came to meet Brother Ye first,” Du Tianyi said, looking around and shrugging helplessly, ”Brother Ye, I’m sorry, I almost demolished your room. How about this, you name a price, and I’ll bring you the money tomorrow!”

”We’re all brothers here; why speak such distant words? There’s no need for compensation,” Ye Qing said with a laugh as he patted Du Tianyi’s shoulder. ”I’ve always heard Senior Brother Gao and the others mention your name, but I never got to meet you. I felt regretful about that. Seeing you today, what Senior Brother Gao and the others said was truly right—you really are enviable in your mastery of Xingyi Quan!”

”Ah, with your words, I’m relieved!” Du Tianyi took a deep breath and said, ”Actually, I’m just a poor guy. If you really made me pay for these things, I would probably have to come work for you!”

Ye Qing had not expected Du Tianyi to say such things, but he could see that Du Tianyi was indeed a frank and generous person, which made him feel even more favorable toward him.

Seeing Ye Qing and Du Tianyi walking out of the room arm in arm, Da Fei, who had been waiting to beat up Du Tianyi, was immediately dumbfounded, knowing that he could forget about seeking revenge.

Seeing Da Fei’s anxious expression, Ye Qing was reminded of the incident and said to Du Tianyi, ”By the way, Brother Du, if my younger brothers offended you in any way just now, I apologize on their behalf.”

”Brother Ye, don’t be so formal. We were just fooling around,” Du Tianyi said with a light smile, glancing at Da Fei, ”However, your brother needs to work on his temper. It’s okay among ourselves, but if it were someone else, being shouted at like that could affect business!”

Ye Qing glanced at Da Fei, who awkwardly lowered his head. They had started fighting with Du Tianyi partly because Da Fei was speaking too offensively. In fact, it was not Du Tianyi’s fault. Moreover, Du Tianyi hadn’t been very harsh when beating them, just kicking them a few times on the buttocks, and they should really be thankful that he had shown mercy.

Ye Qing knew about Da Fei’s temperament; a lot of the blame lay with him. However, it was good that Du Tianyi had taught Da Fei a lesson this time, serving as a warning for him, which should probably make him restrain himself in the future.

After asking Da Fei and the others to tidy up the room, Ye Qing took Du Tianyi to the upstairs office. Though it was their first meeting, given their similar ages and temperaments, they hit it off immediately. With the connection of Tie Yongwen, they soon found themselves in deep conversation. During this time, Du Tianyi even took the opportunity to spar with Ye Qing, allowing him to experience Bajiquan while explaining some theories of Xingyi Quan.

Being far superior to people like Gao Shusen, Du Tianyi’s theories were naturally more refined and profound. With his personal guidance, Ye Qing’s skill in Xingyi Quan advanced further, and he was able to spar with Du Tianyi for a while. Of course, reaching the proficiency of his Bajiquan would still be difficult and would require some time to master.

Du Tianyi stayed and talked with Ye Qing until late into the night before leaving. Both felt a sense of regret for not having met sooner. Du Tianyi, having no family, would now be living at the Xingyi Martial Arts School, so Ye Qing could often visit him to practice and exchange pointers.

The next morning, bright and early, Li Lianshan rushed over to Ye Qing’s place and immediately dragged him to the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena.

Today was the grand opening of the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, a significant event for both Li Lianshan and Ye Qing. As long as the dogfight arena opened smoothly, their income would substantially increase. However, many were eyeing this opening ceremony, both from Shenchuan City and other provinces, and surely many would want to disrupt the event. If the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena couldn’t open smoothly, others would still have a chance to compete.

Early in the morning, the Dog Field was already bustling with a large crowd, brightly decorated and lively. The external decorations for the opening ceremony were personally designed and arranged by Liu Yuan. When Ye Qing arrived, Liu Yuan was directing the placement of banners while eating a handheld pancake.

Seeing Ye Qing and Li Lianshan arrive, Liu Yuan immediately ran over and said, ”Ye Zi, Brother Li, you’ve arrived. The scene will be ready soon. Take a look at it later, and if there’s anything you don’t like, we can still adjust it in time!”

”That’s fine, Old Liu, I trust your work,” Li Lianshan said with a smile. ”We’ll leave this side to you. Ye Zi, let’s go upstairs and take a look. You haven’t even been here since the Dog Field was renovated; it almost doesn’t seem like it’s your place.”

Ye Qing bid farewell to Liu Yuan and first went upstairs to take a tour. Li Lianshan had indeed put a lot of effort into renovating the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, transforming it inside and out, almost making it unrecognizable. The decorations inside were even better than what Ye Qing had seen on his previous visits.

”How is it? It cost me quite a bit of money!” Li Lianshan said, proudly sitting in the office’s executive chair, ”Damn it, today’s opening of the Dog Field has to go smoothly. Otherwise, I’m really going to be bankrupt!”