Urban Martial Saint

He had changed into the guard’s clothing, and combined with the darkness of the night, no one noticed anything amiss as he followed the guard along the way.

As they approached Shen Qingyi’s separate courtyard, someone actually questioned why the guard had suddenly changed his route. Hearing the question, Ye Qing pressed the tip of his sword harder against the man’s back.

Under the threat of the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, the man did not dare to speak freely and simply repeated the answer Ye had given him earlier.

The Old Madam of the Shen Family had just returned to the Shen Family Manor, which was common knowledge amongst the people of the Shen Family. Plus, given how much Old Madam Shen doted on Shen Qingyi, it was plausible that she would send someone to call for Shen Qingyi. The guards they encountered along the way accepted this explanation without further questions, allowing the two of them to reach Shen Qingyi’s separate courtyard without incident.

Shen Qi had been guarding Shen Qingyi’s separate courtyard, but since Old Madam Shen had just returned, he went to the front courtyard to report and see Old Madam Shen, leaving the area sparsely populated.

Upon reaching the entrance of the courtyard, the two guards on duty approached to inquire. The guard repeated the original explanation, and without further questioning, the guards allowed them to enter.

In the courtyard, Lili was carrying a bowl of herbal medicine, preparing to take it to Shen Qingyi’s room. Seeing the guard enter, Lili couldn’t help but ask, ”What are you doing here?”

As she spoke, she turned her head and caught sight of Ye following behind. She was momentarily stunned and almost cried out in surprise, but luckily Ye stepped forward, covered her mouth with his hand, and whispered, ”I’m here to see Miss Shen, I mean no harm!”

The guard, seeing this, immediately turned to run away. Lili, witnessing the scene, quickly pointed at him several times.

Ye, seeing this, quickly stepped forward, grabbed the guard by the neck, and dragged him back. With a punch to the back of his head, he knocked the guard unconscious.

”Ye, are you... are you all right?” Lili looked at Ye Qing in amazement and asked, ”You... you’re really all right?”

”I’m fine,” Ye Qing said with surprise, looking at Lili: ”What... what could be wrong with me?”

”It’s just that you ate so many Ziyu Chenxiang Pills last night; even a divine medicine can turn into poison in excess. How... how did you survive, how are you all right?” Lili was very puzzled; she had heard everything Shen San had said here last night.

”Is that so?” Ye Qing remembered the moment he fainted last night; he really did feel terrible. However, when he woke up this morning, not only had his body returned to normal, his energy and strength had improved significantly, and the inner strength within his body was much stronger than before. Most importantly, Ye suddenly found that he could also perform an Internal Energy Release with his left arm now, effectively doubling his strength!

”You... you didn’t feel uncomfortable last night?” Lili asked in surprise.

”I did feel a bit bad, but I just passed out for a while. When I woke up today, I was fine,” Ye Qing explained, looking at Lili curiously: ”What’s the issue with taking too many Ziyu Chenxiang Pills?”

”Yes!” Lili said: ”Miss Shen and I didn’t know about this before, but Uncle San mentioned it last night. The Ziyu Chenxiang Pills belong to the category of tonics, and even the best tonic can be harmful to the body in excess. You ate so many at once, Uncle San said you were as good as dead. Miss Shen has been so worried that she hasn’t slept well since last night, she has been fasting and worrying about you incessantly. Now that you, Ye, are not only fine but also lively and active, come quickly with me to see Miss Shen so she can stop worrying!”

Hearing this, Ye felt warmth in his heart. Last night, Shen Qingyi had risked her life to save him, feeding him so many precious Ziyu Chenxiang Pills, and now she was so concerned about him; he truly appreciated her kindness. It made him feel his decision to look for her first upon arriving was well justified.

Tonight, the members of the Sha Men were planning to enter the Shen Family to settle a decade-old grudge, and a bloody battle was inevitable. The people from the Western Province were involved as well, indicating a grand conspiracy at play. Ye knew that the Shen Family would undoubtedly endure a bloody purge that night. Initially, he had come thinking to save the people of the Shen Family, but after what happened yesterday, his goodwill towards them had waned, and he partly wanted to seek revenge against Shen San. Of course, Ye’s primary goal was to see what the people from the Western Province were up to and ideally prevent their plans!

However, the first thing Ye wanted to do after arriving here was to take Shen Qingyi away. The battle tonight was unavoidable, and there would be danger for Shen Qingyi if she stayed at the Shen Family Manor. Ye didn’t want her to suffer any harm, so he planned to take her to a safe place first. That way, even if the Shen Family were annihilated, Shen Qingyi would be safe.

Ye threw the guard into a room, tied him up securely, stuffed his mouth, and then followed Lili into Shen Qingyi’s room.

In the room, a faint and gentle fragrance lingered, the signature scent of Shen Qingyi. Although the aroma was light, it exuded an unadorned gracefulness that matched Shen Qingyi’s demeanor perfectly.

Inhaling the scent gently, Ye’s heart calmed a great deal. He glanced around and saw that Shen Qingyi’s room was arranged with a simple elegance, devoid of modern amenities but very much in keeping with the chamber of a daughter born to a noble family.

In the innermost room, there was a large bed made of mahogany. Lying on the bed was a person, none other than Shen Qingyi. Her complexion was deathly pale, with a scar on her forehead, which made her look haggard. Many dishes were placed beside the bed, yet not a single one had been touched. Several maids stood by the bed, and seeing Shen Qingyi in such a state, tears welled up in the corners of their eyes.

The maids had all grown up with Shen Qingyi and were very close to her. Especially since she had risked her life to save them the day before, their gratitude was boundless. Given Shen Qingyi’s current condition, one could easily imagine how the maids were feeling.

When they saw Lili enter with a guard, the maids were all taken aback. Lili waved her hand at the maids and whispered, ”You all can go now.”

Lili held a relatively high status among these people, and although the maids found it odd that she had brought in a man, they said nothing and all turned to leave.

”Miss, miss...” Lili approached Shen Qingyi’s side and whispered, ”Look, see who has come to see you.”

Shen Qingyi did not open her eyes nor turn her head, just weakly waved her hand and said softly, ”Lili, let them all go back. I’m not in the mood to do anything right now, nor am I in the mood to meet anyone. Also, clear away all these dishes; I don’t want to smell them.”

Lili exhaled helplessly and then glanced at Ye Qing, whispering, ”Miss, turn your head and take a look, you might want to see him after all.”

”No need,” Shen Qingyi waved her hand and said, ”Ask them to leave. I don’t want to see anyone right now. Also, tell them not to disturb me.”

Lili shrugged at Ye Qing, who looked at Shen Qingyi’s frail figure and couldn’t help feeling pity. He stepped forward gently and said softly, ”Miss Shen, it’s me, Ye Qing.”

Shen Qingyi’s body visibly shook. She slowly opened her eyes and, upon seeing Ye standing beside her bed, was at first startled, and then tears started flowing silently down her cheeks. She stared at Ye for a long time before asking with a trembling voice, ”Ye, is it really... really you?”

”Of course it’s me,” Ye replied with a smile, ”Don’t worry, I’m fine now. See, I’m quite spirited. I actually feel even better than before!”

Shen Qingyi still seemed incredulous and turned to Lili.

Lili smiled and said, ”Miss, this is not a dream, it’s real. Ye is fine, and his recovery is going very well. I saw with my own eyes how he knocked out our guards.”

Ye Qing’s face slightly reddened; the way he had entered the Shen Family Manor was indeed somewhat unsavory to talk about.

”This... this is actually true.” Shen Qingyi looked at Ye Qing with joy and said, ”Ye, are you really alright? I heard Uncle Three say that if one takes too much Ziyu Chenxiang Pill, it’s very bad for the... for the body. I... I didn’t know it would be like this; I almost... I almost killed you...”

As she spoke, tears started streaming down Shen Qingyi’s face again. Ye quickly waved his hand and said, ”I’m really fine, I’m alive and standing right here, aren’t I? Also, I took Ziyu Chenxiang Pills but felt no discomfort whatsoever; instead, I felt more and more spirited. I reckon Uncle Three lied to you. How could Ziyu Chenxiang Pills, life-saving miracle pills, be harmful? Taking too much might diminish their effectiveness, but they can still fortify the body and improve health!”

Ye’s words were meant to comfort Shen Qingyi. In fact, he was well aware that he had nearly been killed by Ziyu Chenxiang Pills the night before. Although he didn’t know how he had been saved later, Ye was quite certain that taking too many Ziyu Chenxiang Pills could be fatal—a very likely truth. But he didn’t want to see Shen Qingyi so guilt-ridden, so he fabricated some words to deceive her.

Shen Qingyi was naively inexperienced and simple by nature. Believing what Ye said, her sadness turned to joy as she replied, ”Ye is right. How did I not think of that? Uncle Three must have been deceiving me. Ziyu Chenxiang Pills are meant to cure illnesses. And besides, I have taken so many without any problems.”

”Anyway, what matters is that Ye is alright now, that’s the best news!” Lili exclaimed with a smile, ”Miss, can you eat something now? Should I go heat up these dishes?”

Shen Qingyi’s cheeks turned pink as she said softly, ”There’s no rush.”

”How can it not be urgent? You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. Man is iron, food is steel; how can you survive without eating?” Lili then turned to Ye Qing and said, ”Ye, tell me, can you last without food? Can thinking of someone take the place of a meal?”

Lili was clearly teasing the two of them, and Ye Qing also felt a bit embarrassed as he softly suggested, ”Miss Shen, why don’t you have something to eat first?”