Urban Martial Saint

Wang Tian’an gave Xu Cunxiao a sharp look, knowing full well that Xu Cunxiao was the last person to be fooled easily. If Xu Cunxiao managed to persuade everyone in the room, there would certainly be a rebellion.

Wang Tian’an waved his hand and said, ”We are all brothers who have suffered and enjoyed together, how could I deceive you? What I’ve said will definitely hold true!”

”Hmph, those are just your own words. We’ve done everything for you, and once Ning Qianshu arrives, if you go back on your word, we’ll be powerless to resist. What could we possibly do by then?” Xu Cunxiao said coldly, ”Wang Tian’an, you’ve already driven us to this point. After everything that’s happened, do you still think you can fool us?”

”Exactly, we were fine staying in the Western Province, not worrying about anything. But you had to deceive us into coming out, and now we’ve already broken the agreement we had with Helian Tiehua. If he truly comes to kill us, we are as good as dead!” one man said angrily.

”Wang Tian’an, we treated you like a brother, and you fucking used us like pawns?” Another hot-tempered man slammed his hand on the table and bellowed, ”After everything that’s happened, you still want to deceive us? Do you really think we’re so easily fooled?”

”Why waste words with this man, let’s all go at him together and kill him!”

No one knew who took the lead, but the crowd was riled up, clamoring to gang up on Wang Tian’an.

The situation had slipped completely out of Wang Tian’an’s control. Even if he wanted to speak, there was no chance to do so. Caught up in the fervor of the moment, even his own henchmen quietly stepped back a few steps, fearing they would suffer the same fate as Wang Tian’an.

”Brothers, we are all family, just listen to me…” Wang Tian’an shouted loudly, but was utterly unable to stop the crowd, with several men already rushing at him and swinging their fists his way.

Wang Tian’an dodged to the side, but as he saw the rest of the men charge at him, he felt his anger rise and said sternly, ”Fellows, I’m speaking to you nicely for your own good. If you keep on pressuring me like this, don’t blame me for not being polite!”

”Haha, you’re still threatening us at this point?” one man laughed and said, ”Not being polite, what can you do? Damn it, we’re doomed to die by Helian Tiehua’s hands sooner or later; do you think we’re afraid to die? Better to die with someone under us as a cushion. Wang Tian’an, since you’ve tricked us to this point, you should be the first one to serve as that cushion. Don’t listen to him, everyone, let’s go at him and kill him!”

The crowd was very agitated, and hearing these words, they immediately rushed forward in an uproar. Wang Tian’an retreated several steps, but was completely unable to escape. Seeing the men charging at him quickly, Wang Tian’an frowned, realizing that if things continued this way, he would be killed by these men regardless of his strength.

Wang Tian’an gritted his teeth and reached into his pocket, pulling out a bottle filled with green liquid and smashed it onto the floor. The bottle shattered, and the green liquid instantly vaporized into a cloud of green gas, rising swiftly.

”Everyone, be careful!” Xu Cunxiao’s face changed drastically, and he exclaimed, ”Beware of poison, don’t come into contact with that gas, retreat quickly!”

Only then did the crowd remember that Wang Tian’an was the disciple of King Yan Ning Qianshu. As the saying goes, one who can heal can also poison. Ning Qianshu was highly skilled in medicine, and his use of poison was equally remarkable, like the Bone-Piercing Tendon-Softening Powder that was unique to him. Since Wang Tian’an was Ning Qianshu’s disciple, he must have learned quite a few methods of using poison; the bottle of liquid he threw might have some special effect.

The crowd rapidly retreated, not daring to touch the gas. But the green gas did not disperse; it simply floated in midair and slowly ascended. During this process, the crowd caught a whiff of a faint fragrance, which actually seemed rather pleasant. However, they did not feel any changes in their bodies, no signs of being poisoned at all.

Everyone was surprised. Wang Tian’an throwing out the bottle surely couldn’t be that simple, but why didn’t anyone feel anything?

However, at that moment, Wang Tian’an had no intention of running away. As the green gas slowly rose to the ceiling and began to disappear gradually, a cold smile flickered across Wang Tian’an’s face.

”Wang Tian’an, what the hell kind of trick are you playing?” a man yelled, yet he dared not take even a step forward, fearing he might trigger something.

Wang Tian’an looked at the people here with a cold smile. Without speaking, he just pursed his lips and let out a series of eerie, whistling sounds. As his whistle resonated, Xu Cunxiao and the others suddenly felt a sharp pain in their bellies. Everyone involuntarily clutched their stomachs and screamed in agony, a few of them even rolled on the ground, hugging their bellies and wailing, obviously unable to bear the pain.

”Wang Tian’an, you... you... what exactly have you... have you done to us...” Xu Cunxiao managed to stand up by leaning against a wall, his forehead covered in large beads of sweat. The twisting pain in his belly was unbearable. It felt as if something was gnawing at his internal organs from within, causing him excruciating pain.

Seeing everyone collapse to the ground in weakness, Wang Tian’an finally stopped whistling. Strangely enough, as soon as Wang Tian’an stopped, the pain everyone was feeling instantly disappeared. Aside from the cold sweat on their foreheads, it was as if everything that had just happened was merely a bad dream—each person wore an endless look of surprise on their face.

”What’s going on?” Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Although they all knew it was Wang Tian’an who had tampered with something, at that moment, not a single person dared to go and confront Wang Tian’an about it.

”You bunch of worthless trash!” Wang Tian’an sneered. ”You don’t even recognize the Heart-devouring Bug. Are you truly Chen Family household slaves, or are you ignorant of how the old generation Family Head of the Chen Family died?”

”Heart-devouring Bug?” The complexions of everyone changed, especially Xu Cunxiao’s, who started shaking uncontrollably. Of course, he knew about the Heart-devouring Bug—a unique Gu insect created by Ning Qianshu, who combined the Gu techniques of the Miao Borderlands. Normally it lay dormant inside a person’s body, but once manipulated, it could devour a person’s internal organs, making them suffer unbearable pain and leading to death. The old generation Family Head of the Chen Family had died from the Heart-devouring Bug after it ate all his internal organs, dying a most dreadful death. They had never thought they too had been infected with these Gu insects!

”You... When did you plant this Heart-devouring Bug inside us?” Xu Cunxiao asked with a trembling voice.

”When?” Wang Tian’an sneered again and said, ”That’s why I’ve always said, you lot are born to be household slaves. When you first came with me to the Western Province, I had already added the Heart-devouring Bug to your food, just waiting for today. I knew that once you found out my identity, you would sooner or later betray me, so I had already made preparations for both outcomes.”

As Wang Tian’an spoke, his gaze swept over the crowd with a sneer. ”Originally, I wanted to treat you as brothers, just as long as you worked diligently for me. After my Master’s great task was accomplished, I could let you live even better lives. But no, you insisted on forcing me to this extent, forcing me to turn against you. Well, now there is no need for any more bullsh*t. From today onwards, if anyone dares to disobey me, I will start by letting the Heart-devouring Bug slowly devour their internal organs, making them suffer excruciatingly before they die!”

The people of the Western Province changed their expressions. They had all just experienced the horror of the Heart-devouring Bug. Truth be told, these men were all desperadoes who had received serious injuries before, and there was hardly any kind of pain they hadn’t endured. But the pain of the Heart-devouring Bug consuming their organs was something they had truly never experienced before. It was like a nightmare, and even they could not bear to recall or attempt it again.

”Wang Tian’an, you’re despicable!” a man said indignantly.

”Despicable?” Wang Tian’an laughed loudly and replied, ”I quite like that description. How else is one supposed to accomplish great things without being a little despicable? Besides, do I have any moral obligations toward people like you? You were able to betray the Chen Family; who’s to say you wouldn’t betray me one day? I’ve already seen through you. Therefore, I must use some means to control you, or else, who knows? One day I might die by your hands just like those of the Chen Family!”

The people of the Western Province looked at each other, all boiling with rage. Yet, none dared to counter Wang Tian’an’s words, and even fewer dared to make a move against him. After all, no one wanted to experience that pain again!

”However, you don’t need to worry,” Wang Tian’an said with a smile, ”as long as you work well for me, and once my Master’s grand plan is realized, I will remove the Heart-devouring Bug for you. At that time, I will also afford you some benefits and certainly won’t treat you unfairly. But let me be clear, from today on, if anyone else thinks of betraying me, don’t blame me for being merciless.”

With a cold glance over everyone, Wang Tian’an continued sternly, ”By the way, I forgot to tell you all. The Heart-devouring Bug must be fed once every half month. If it’s not fed, it will lose control and start devouring a person’s organs. Before, I used to mix the food for the Heart-devouring Bug into your meals. But now that it’s all out in the open, there’s no need for that inconvenience. From today, as long as you do your job well, I will not skimp on the food for the Heart-devouring Bug. However, if any of you think of plotting against me, hmm, I advise you to think it through. Without me, once the Heart-devouring Bug gets out of control, you will probably die even more miserably!”

Actually, quite a few people had been plotting to kill Wang Tian’an when he wasn’t paying attention, hoping that their internal Heart-devouring Bugs would no longer be controlled. But Wang Tian’an’s words had completely dashed everyone’s hopes.

The Heart-devouring Bug had to be fed once every half month, which meant Wang Tian’an could not die. If Wang Tian’an died, or if he didn’t provide food for the Heart-devouring Bug, then everyone present would be devoured by it and would die. Therefore, these people from the Western Province were essentially kidnapped by Wang Tian’an; they had no choice but to obey his commands!