Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing woke up on the third morning.

He lay in a rather tranquil room, with the morning sun shining through the window just reaching the foot of the bed. And before his bed, lay a breathtakingly beautiful girl. Her skin was as white as frosted jade, which under the sunlight, seemed even more flawlessly pure. Her long eyelashes quivered slightly as if they too could feel the sunshine. Her beautiful cherry lips, though devoid of any embellishment, were filled with endless allure that made one unable to resist the urge to kiss them.

This girl was none other than Shen Qingyi. She appeared to have been overwhelmed with exhaustion, as she was currently fast asleep with her head resting on the side of the bed. Judging by her posture, it was likely she had spent the entire night by his side.

When Ye Qing fainted, although the people from Sha Men and the Shen Family had awakened, the situation at that time was far from optimistic. He had risked his life in a gamble—if the Shen Family and Sha Men could not overcome those people from the Western Province, he would never stand by and watch them get killed. He could not have imagined that upon waking up, everything would have settled down. Moreover, the first person he saw upon opening his eyes was Shen Qingyi.

In Ye Qing’s heart, he always harbored a tender feeling for Shen Qingyi. The events that had taken place last time at the Shen Family had brought them a step closer. Now, opening his eyes to see Shen Qingyi, Ye Qing felt excessively comforted. Although his entire body was still tired, his mood was exceptionally good. He turned his head and quietly observed Shen Qingyi, who was less than a foot away from him. He didn’t want to think about anything else at that moment, preferring to just stay there peacefully.

”Ye, you’re awake!” Just as Ye Qing was immersed in this serene tranquility and joy, a surprised voice suddenly broke in, instantly disrupting the calm. The speaker was Lili, Shen Qingyi’s personal maid.

Shen Qingyi was the first to wake, and as she opened her eyes, she saw Ye Qing, who was less than a foot away from her, causing her to be momentarily stunned and then overjoyed.

”Ye, when did you wake up?” Shen Qingyi promptly sat up, her eyes brimming with joy as she looked at Ye Qing and asked, ”How do you feel? Does the wound still hurt? What are you feeling? Grandfather said, you lost a lot of blood, so you might feel exhausted upon waking. How do you feel?”

Shen Qingyi’s concern for Ye Qing was evident, bringing much contentment to Ye Qing’s heart. He nodded slightly and smiled, ”I’m fine now, don’t worry about me.”

”How could I not worry?” Lili pursed her lips and chuckled, ”Miss has not gone anywhere these past two days; she’s been right here watching over you!”

”Lili!” Shen Qingyi’s face flushed red as she hastily hushed Lili. Turning back to look at Ye Qing, she became somewhat bashful, unable to meet his gaze, and said softly while looking down, ”Ye, you’ve lost a lot of blood, you need to rest properly. Right, Lili, quickly go find grandfather and tell him Ye is awake, so he can check on him.”

”Alright, I know,” Lili pouted, ”Don’t worry, grandfather said, with Ye’s condition now, it’s not easy for him to die. Look how worried you are!”

Shen Qingyi’s face grew even redder, trying to feign anger and glare at Lili, but she had never made such an expression before, so it was quite unconvincing, making Lili cover her mouth and giggle incessantly.

Though Lili spoke lightly, she didn’t stay in the room any longer and quickly went to find Shen Tianjun. As she left, the flush on Shen Qingyi’s face began to fade slightly, and she sat beside the bed, anxiously inquiring about Ye Qing’s condition. She was truly concerned about him.

”Don’t worry, I can feel that I’m really alright now,” Ye Qing responded with a smile, reassuring Shen Qingyi not to worry so much.

”How can you be alright? You’ve been lying down for three days and three nights!” Shen Qingyi was still worried.

”Is that so?” Ye Qing was taken aback and said, ”No wonder I’m feeling so hungry!”

”Oh no, I completely forgot about that.” Shen Qingyi promptly stood up and said, ”Ye, you haven’t eaten anything for three days and three nights, you must be starving. I’ll go and prepare something for you to eat. What would you like?”

”There’s no rush for that,” Ye Qing glanced at a cup of water by the table and said, ”Could I have some water to drink first?”

”Yes, yes, just wait a moment,” Shen Qingyi said as she picked up the teacup from the table and made to head outside. Ye Qing could clearly see that there was actually water in the cup underneath the coverlet.

”Miss Shen, that cup of water will be fine; there’s no need to go to any trouble,” Ye Qing said.

”That cup won’t do,” Shen Qingyi quickly shook her head and said, ”That cup is for moistening your lips. You’ve been unconscious for three days and nights, without food or drink, and your lips are chapped. So, I got this cup of water and used a cotton swab to moisten your lips. It’s not for drinking.”

After Shen Qingyi finished speaking, she picked up the cup and walked out of the room. On this side, Ye Qing was stunned. Shen Qingyi had watched by his bedside for so long, and he was already very grateful and pleased. However, he hadn’t expected Shen Qingyi to be so considerate, even going to the trouble of preparing these things to take care of him. All of this made Ye Qing’s heart warmer and his feelings for Shen Qingyi much stronger.

Shen Qingyi had not yet returned with the cup when a series of footsteps sounded from outside. Immediately afterward, a group from the Shen Family walked in. Leading the group were none other than Shen Tianjun and Old Madame Shen. The Shen Family was now formally in the hands of Shen Tianjun!

When Lili went to call the People of the Shen Family, they had been busy with other matters. But upon hearing that Ye Qing had awoken, everyone dropped what they were doing and rushed over without a second word. After all, Ye Qing had shown great kindness to the Shen Family, and everyone remembered this favor.

”Father, he’s really awakened!” Shen Da exclaimed joyfully beside Shen Tianjun.

Hearing Shen Da’s words, Ye Qing was momentarily stunned. Shen Da’s father was the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun. And was this person actually the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun? Looking again at Shen Tianjun, Ye Qing was stunned once more, because this man was the one who had helped him with the Acupoint Seeking Technique at Third Master Li’s grave. In fact, Ye Qing had suspected before that he might be the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun. But now that he found out this person was indeed the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat shocked.

Shen Tianjun, with a smile on his face, led the people of the Shen Family into the room and walked straight to the bedside, chuckling, ”Ye Qing, you’ve finally awakened. How do you feel?”

Ye Qing struggled to sit up, saying, ”I’m much better, just a bit weak, I guess I’ll be okay after some rest.”

”That’s for sure, losing so much blood at once, it would be strange if you weren’t weak,” Shen Tianjun laughed as he helped Ye Qing sit up, ”But your physical constitution is very good. Even though you’ve lost a lot of blood, you’re recovering quickly. I think it won’t be long before you’re fully healed.”

Ye Qing nodded, still somewhat unable to accept it as he looked at Shen Tianjun. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, ”Senior, are... are you really... truly the Southern Fist King?”

”Hahaha…” Shen Tianjun laughed heartily, stroking his beard, ”What do you think, do I not look the part?”

”It’s not that…” Ye Qing quickly shook his head, ”I just didn’t expect that you’re the one hailed as a legend by the Southern Six Provinces, the Southern Fist King. When I met you last time, I didn’t know anything!”

”Legend? That’s just what people say—I’m just an ordinary man,” Shen Tianjun said with a smile, ”Last time we met, even if I had told you my name, you probably wouldn’t have recognized me. Hehe, Brother Li San must have not mentioned these matters to you!”

Ye Qing nodded and sighed softly, ”Third Master Li, when he lived in our village, just taught me some Boxing Techniques and never spoke of his past. I only got to know about Third Master Li’s matters gradually when I was in Shenchuan City.”

Shen Tianjun also sighed, ”Third Brother was an extraordinary figure, a truly regrettable loss.”

Ye Qing looked at Shen Tianjun, then at the People of the Shen Family, pondered for a while, and said, ”Senior Shen, there is something I’ve always wanted to clarify, but I don’t know if it’s appropriate to ask…”

Shen Tianjun looked at Ye Qing with a smile, ”I know what you want to ask. Brother Li San truly did not choose wrongly; you, as a young man, are indeed quite remarkable. The first time you came to Shen Family Manor, my people nearly killed you, but later you repaid evil with good, saving the lives of everyone in my Shen Family. This is great benevolence!”

Hearing this, Shen San and the others standing behind lowered their heads, embarrassed and awkward. Now, recalling the incident when they nearly killed Ye Qing, each felt ashamed.

Shen Tianjun continued, ”Now that you are within Shen Family Manor, everyone here is grateful to you. While you could have improved relations with my Shen Family, you still thought of Brother Li San’s affairs, and even took the risk of making an enemy of my Shen Family again. This is great righteousness. Great benevolence and great righteousness, that is the mark of a hero!”

Shen Family Manor’s people were confused by Shen Tianjun’s second statement and didn’t understand its meaning. However, they all heard Shen Tianjun’s praise of Ye Qing’s great benevolence and righteousness as a heroic deed, which was the key point. With the stature of the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun, his praises for someone meant that Ye Qing’s reputation would undoubtedly spread throughout the world in a short time. And in this world, how many could be personally commended by Shen Tianjun, and so highly at that?

Ye Qing, looking at Shen Tianjun, shook his head slightly, ”Senior Shen, Third Master once showed great kindness to me; I must understand his affairs clearly. This is not about benevolence or righteousness, I act only with a clear conscience, heedless of how the world judges. Therefore, I’m unworthy of Senior’s praise.”

”Hahaha…” Shen Tianjun laughed loudly, ”Ye Qing, now, I finally understand why Brother Li San chose you back then. Over these years, you are the person I’ve seen who most embodies the spirit of the ancient heroes. The ancient xia, in conduct and deeds, only sought to have a clear conscience. In my actions, I, Shen Tianjun, also strive for a clear conscience. Whatever questions you have, just ask them. If I know the answers, I’ll certainly not conceal them!”