Urban Martial Saint

”Hahaha…” Shen Tianjun laughed heartily, looking up, ”The way you speak does remind me of Ning Qianshu back in the day. However, you’ve got his tone, but not his strength. Twenty years ago, even when they were so powerful, I dared to keep these things in Shen Family Manor. Do you think I’d be afraid of them now, twenty years later? Go back and tell them, I’m holding onto these items to honor a promise I made back then. The issues between you and the Hong Alliance are none of Shen Family Manor’s concern. But, my promise hasn’t expired yet, so these items must remain in Shen Family Manor. If anyone tries to stop me from keeping my promise, hmph, while Shen Family Manor may not be as powerful as Qing Tang or the Hong Alliance, if pushed too far, taking one or two down with us won’t be a problem at all!”

Hearing this, Wang Tian’an’s expression changed once again. He intended to threaten Shen Tianjun with the might of Ning Qianshu’s forces but wound up being threatened by Shen Tianjun himself. Upon reflection, it seemed quite true; with his extraordinary strength, even Ning Qianshu wouldn’t dare to provoke Shen Tianjun, let alone infuriate him. Angering Shen Tianjun—should he decide to make an example by taking out a few top-level masters or key figures—could be disastrous. After all, Shen Tianjun was considered a neutral figure.

”Shen Tianjun, I hope you’ll remember your words!” Wang Tian’an said gravely, ”The twenty years are nearly up, and your promise is due. I hope, when I return to Shen Family Manor, you won’t keep those items from me anymore!”

”When the promise expires, of course, the items will be handed over. These items have stayed in Shen Family Manor for twenty years, and I haven’t so much as glanced at them, let alone kept them,” Shen Tianjun paused, then added, ”However, why would I return them to you when they aren’t yours in the first place?”

Unable to contain his anger, Wang Tian’an demanded, ”Then who do you intend to give them to?”

”To their rightful owner, of course,” Shen Tianjun waved his hand dismissively, ”You simply have no right to these items!”

”You…” Wang Tian’an was enraged but, after staring at Shen Tianjun for a long while, he swallowed his fury. He was acutely aware that venting his anger in front of Shen Tianjun was nothing but an exercise in humiliation. After all, Shen Tianjun had just broken the arms of thirteen men with a single move; what would he do to the fifty or sixty men on Wang Tian’an’s side?

Shen Tianjun cast a glance at the people from Western Province, ”What now, you’re still not leaving, waiting for me to escort you out?”

Clenching his teeth, Wang Tian’an said sternly, ”We’re leaving!”

With a wave of his hand, Wang Tian’an led the people from Western Province to leave. Seeing this, Shen San, who was nearby, became anxious, ”Uncle, you can’t let them go; they killed Lao Qi!”

Glancing at Shen Qi’s distant corpse, Shen Tianjun also sighed softly, ”Life and death are destined; Lao Qi’s death is the greatest warning for the Shen Family. Let everyone in the Shen Family hear this clearly: the events of tonight are not to be pursued any further!”

Though the Shen Family members were puzzled by Shen Tianjun’s words, none raised objections, and they all nodded in agreement.

Wang Tian’an, fearful of being detained by the Shen family, hastened away with the people from Western Province. At this moment, only Shen Family members and those of Sha Men remained in the great hall—of course, along with the still-unconscious Ye Qing.

Seeing Shen Tianjun, the Sha Men members were now very nervous. After all, they had also killed a few members of the Shen Family and had incited chaos in Shen Family Manor that very night. Although they later joined forces with the Shen Family against the Western Province faction, with Shen Tianjun now present, those from Sha Men were still somewhat anxious.

Shen Tianjun turned to look at the members of Sha Men, who became even more apprehensive under his gaze. His eyes scanned over them and finally settled on Cui Yu, ”The blood battle ten years ago was indeed the Shen Family’s fault. However, the true puppeteer behind everything was Wang Tian’an and his people. The Shen Family has already received their just punishment; I wonder if the members of Sha Men could let go of our past grievances. On behalf of the Shen Family, I would like to apologize to you all!”

Shen Tianjun bowed deeply with his hands clasped in front of him. This move left members of both the Shen Family and Sha Men in utter disbelief. With Shen Tianjun’s strength, why would he need to speak so humbly to Sha Men?

Although the Sha Men members still harbored some resentment against the Shen Family, seeing Shen Tianjun apologize so respectfully instantly dissipated their anger. Cui Yu hurriedly bowed down, ”The Southern Fist King is our senior; we, the younger generation, don’t deserve such an apology. Moreover, we’ve come to understand the true circumstances tonight, and it seems we were the ones who misunderstood the Shen Family. It is we, Sha Men, who should seek forgiveness for the trouble we have caused the Shen Family!”

If Cui Yu had said such things before, others like Black Asura Ghost King Li Ruoyuan and Demon Queen He Qinghua would have certainly scoffed and ridiculed him, accusing him of fearing Shen Tianjun’s strength. However, this time everyone felt that Cui Yu’s words were very appropriate; the demeanor of the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun commanded respect from these nearly demonic figures, compelling them to admire him. A grandmaster of his generation, though unseen for twenty years, had made his presence felt with a few brief words, portraying an image of a grandmaster that forced everyone to acknowledge his stature.

The Shen Family had initially been puzzled and dissatisfied with Shen Tianjun’s apology. They believed that it was Sha Men who had deliberately provoked this great war, so they felt no goodwill toward the people of Sha Men. However, now that Cui Yu had spoken and behaved so politely, the Shen Family’s attitudes changed, feeling that the people of Sha Men were not as impolite and inconsiderate as they had thought. At least these people had manners, so the discontent in the hearts of the Shen Family dissipated, and they even felt a kind of camaraderie with Sha Men after joining forces in battle.

”It’s a blessing for our Shen Family as well as for Sha Men that everyone can set aside their grievances,” Shen Tianjun said with a faint smile, ”What is the end to vendetta if not by stopping the cycle of revenge? If everyone can let go of their grudges and live freely from now on, it would indeed be for the best!”

Cui Yu fell silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head, ”Senior Shen, we appreciate your kindness, but the vendetta for so many of our Sha Men brothers must be avenged. Those people from Western Province manipulated events back then, causing the deaths of over a thousand of our Sha Men brothers, and we must seek justice for them!”

Shen Tianjun sighed and said softly, ”If that’s the case, then I won’t try to convince you anymore. However, you’ve all been seriously injured, and in the next few days, Xi Hang won’t be peaceful either. So, if you don’t have any urgent matters, why not stay at Shen Family Manor for a few days? It would be good to wait until your bodies have healed before leaving.”

Cui Yu knew that Shen Tianjun’s invitation for them to stay was mainly out of fear that they would be ambushed by Wang Tian’an’s people outside. His offer was well-intended, but the members of Sha Men were inherently proud and, despite knowing the dangers outside, would definitely not stay to take shelter with the Shen Family.

”Thank you, Senior Shen, but we have urgent matters to attend to, so we cannot impose any longer!” Cui Yu clasped his fist, ”If I get the chance another day, I will definitely visit Shen Family Manor to pay respects to you, Senior Shen, and to everyone in the family.”

Shen Tianjun knew the nature of the people from Sha Men and realized he couldn’t dissuade them, so he did not say anything further and bid the Sha Men crowd farewell. Originally, they had planned to take Ye Qing with them, but seeing the extent of his injuries, they no longer brought it up. Taking Ye Qing with them could mean greater danger as they might be ambushed by Wang Tian’an’s people. Leaving him at Shen Family Manor could be safer, as the Shen Family would surely find a way to save him.

Seeing the people of Sha Men leave, the Shen Family couldn’t contain their excitement and gathered around Shen Tianjun, eagerly asking where he had been all these years and if he was going to leave again. It was evident that they all very much hoped Shen Tianjun would stay at Shen Family Manor. The recent defeat had made clear that without Shen Tianjun, the Shen Family Manor was not worth mentioning!

Shen Tianjun did not respond to the crowd’s questions, but simply waved his hand to calm them, ”We can talk about these matters some other time. Ye Qing has been seriously injured; let’s carry him to the inner chamber. I want to treat his wounds personally. He’s lost too much blood, and if we delay, he might be in mortal danger!”

Only then did the Shen Family remember Ye Qing, feeling somewhat ashamed. They were genuinely grateful to Ye Qing for risking his life to buy them time. Without him, they all would likely be dead by now. Shen Tianjun’s sudden return had been too exciting, and they had forgotten about Ye Qing. At Shen Tianjun’s reminder, they quickly turned around and clumsily carried Ye Qing to the inner chamber.

”Father, Ye Qing has lost a lot of blood; should we transfuse some blood to him?” Shen Da asked anxiously, filled with gratitude toward Ye Qing.

”No need!” Shen Tianjun said with a faint smile, waving his hand, ”The Ziyu Chenxiang Pill of our Shen Family is not so easily consumed. He took so many at once, and the medicinal power is all stored in his blood and body. With his current condition, dying is not so easy.”

”You... you knew about this?” Shen Da asked in surprise.

”Of course!” Shen Tianjun said, ”Otherwise, how do you think he managed to survive after taking so many Ziyu Chenxiang Pills?”

”Ah?” Shen Da was even more surprised and looked at Shen Tianjun, ”So it was... it was... it was you who saved him, Father?”

Shen Tianjun gently stroked his beard, looking at Ye Qing, ”This young man and I are fated, and it seems like a serendipitous coincidence. If it wasn’t for saving him, I would have returned to Shen Family Manor yesterday. Alas, it seems that all of this is destined by heaven. If heaven decreed such a great loss for our Shen Family Manor, then there’s nothing I can do to change it!”

Shen Da sighed and said in a low voice, ”Father, actually, those people from Western Province should not have been let go. They killed Old Seven, Old Eight, and Old Jiu, and many of our Shen Family. Without killing them, I’m afraid the clan will always harbor resentment.”