Urban Martial Saint

Although Ye Qing had made an alliance with Chen San to jointly deal with Wang Tian’an, Ye Qing had also stated that the main force against Wang Tian’an would be Chen San, which meant that Ye Qing himself would only play an auxiliary role. Thus, Ye Qing did not spend much energy focusing on the upcoming battle with Wang Tian’an, choosing instead to continue with his own life.

That very night, Ye Qing did not dare to return to rest, but stayed in Tian Sheng with a group of subordinates on standby, waiting for Wang Tian’an’s possible counterattack. After all, Wang Tian’an had suffered heavy losses that evening, and it was uncertain if he would become enraged and launch a full-scale attack. Even Chen San’s side was like soldiers sleeping on their spears, waiting out the whole night. Yet, Wang Tian’an didn’t make a move, showing no signs of activity, as if the incident hadn’t greatly impacted him at all.

After spending an entire night on alert without any moves from Wang Tian’an, Ye Qing shifted his attention away. After all, the Chen Family was the main force against Wang Tian’an. Now, the real standoff was between the Chen Family and Wang Tian’an. The Chen Family had already sent people to closely monitor Wang Tian’an’s every move. If there were any developments on Wang Tian’an’s side, they would definitely notify Ye Qing immediately. So, Ye Qing was quite content to relax and proceed with his own matters.

The union of South and North Xingyi Gate into a single Xingyi School—the provocation of Da Hong Fist during the last signboard-changing ceremony had once again made a name for the Xingyi School. Especially the congratulations from the three Shen brothers had greatly shaken Xingyi School’s reputation, with nearly all martial artists discussing the event. After all, the reputation of the Xihang Shen Family was extremely significant. Moreover, word was spreading that the Southern Fist King, Shen Tianjun, had return to the Xihang Shen Family Manor - this was truly blockbuster news.

The Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun had been renowned for decades, arguably being the strongest martial artist among the Southern Six Provinces. Despite vanishing for twenty years, the reputation of the Xihang Shen Family had continued to resonate throughout the world. Now that he had returned to the Shen Family, their fame was only increasing. Moreover, more and more people were speculating in whispers about what Shen Tianjun was doing during those two decades he was missing. After all, a person of Shen Tianjun’s caliber wouldn’t disappear without reason for twenty years!

Of course, Ye Qing was the one who knew most clearly about the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun’s situation over these twenty years. Additionally, Ye Qing’s identity had gained another aspect; he could now be said to be Shen Tianjun’s newly accepted disciple. Although he had only studied with Shen Tianjun for three days, Shen Tianjun had imparted to Ye Qing the theories he himself had comprehended over fifty years—all things that not even Shen Tianjun’s own son had been taught—a clear indication of the high regard Shen Tianjun had for Ye Qing.

The deeper Ye Qing reflected on the theory taught by Shen Tianjun, the more he appreciated its profoundness. Though it consisted of just a few sentences, their meanings were incredibly deep. With each layer of understanding, Ye Qing’s strength advanced further. Now, without wielding the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, he could even fight to a draw against Black Asura, which left Cui Yu in awe.

Previously, Ye Qing was unable to perform the Internal Energy Release. His power was barely comparable to White Impermanence, Cui Yu’s leading disciple. But now, Ye Qing was able to hold his own against a high-caliber fighter like Black Asura. It had not been that long, yet Ye Qing’s progress was astoundingly swift.

Moreover, Ye Qing had only managed to open the meridians in both of his arms, rather than all the meridians throughout his body. If he managed to open all his body’s meridians, what then?

Naturally, everyone was clear that opening up all of the body’s meridians was far from an easy feat. How far Ye Qing could go on the path of martial arts mainly depended on his own fate!

Over these past two days, Black Bear had also learned all of Bajiquan from Ye Qing. Every day, he spent two hours on the form, and whenever he had free time, Black Bear would practice the Stick to the Mountain stance beneath the big tree downstairs. This move suited Black Bear extremely well, and he had already mastered it to the point where he could handle a fight against others without issue.

Chen Jun, Hou San, Da Fei, and others went to Xingyi School, training in martial arts daily with Du Tianyi. Initially, they thought that four hours each day was not much, but after trying it once, they realized that even these four hours were incredibly tough. After their first day, all of them were so exhausted they collapsed to the ground, and even someone as willful as Mad Dog sat paralyzed, without even the strength to eat. Chen Jun and Hou San were constantly wailing, saying they didn’t want to train anymore. However, after Black Bear disciplined them, each obediently returned to Du Tianyi to continue their martial arts practice.

During these two days, Wang Tian’an seemed to have quieted down a lot, showing no signs of action. Such inactivity puzzled Chen San greatly. Chen San had always been at a standoff with Wang Tian’an, and a battle seemed ready to break out at any moment. Originally, Chen San had expected that, following the collaboration with Ye Qing, the two sides would engage in full scale war. But Wang Tian’an’s silence went against all of Chen San’s expectations, as if Wang Tian’an had no plans to initiate conflict at all.

Meanwhile, Chen San had sent provocations towards Wang Tian’an several times. However, Wang Tian’an had no intentions of retaliating. Instead, he was pulling back his forces that were previously spread out, paying no attention to Chen San’s provocations.

Such behavior puzzled both Chen San and Ye Qing, who were unsure what Wang Tian’an was plotting. Yet, the more passive Wang Tian’an remained, the more vigilant the two men became. After all, with the major setback Wang Tian’an had experienced last time and given his character, it was improbable that he would just swallow the affront lying down.

In response to Wang Tian’an’s situation, Chen San reinforced surveillance. They were closely monitoring Wang Tian’an’s actions, always on guard against any tricks he might play.

As for Ye Qing, with Chen San taking care of surveilling Wang Tian’an, he had become relatively free. Over the past couple of days, apart from practicing martial arts, he spent most of his time at the hospital and the orphanage.

The construction of the orphanage was still underway. According to Liu Changping, the provincial authorities would soon send someone to inspect the orphanage. This inspection was extremely important; the inspection team’s opinion would directly influence the decisions of the provincial leaders and determine whether the orphanage could continue to exist. Therefore, Ye Qing took this matter very seriously, increasing staff at the orphanage and asking Liu Yuan to keep a close eye on the construction, to prevent any accidents. Even he himself would visit the orphanage two to three times a day, taking the situation there very seriously.

Fortunately, the construction of the orphanage was progressing smoothly. Da Fei was the local thug here, and with the addition of the seven Snake Form Gate sect members guarding the place, there was no need to worry about any accidents happening at the orphanage. Especially since Zhao Chengshuang suggested building a police station nearby, which further ensured the safety of the orphanage.

What most concerned Ye Qing was the situation at the hospital. The six individuals staying there had suffered burns, which were no longer serious. Although their skin couldn’t be fully restored, having survived such an ordeal, the six of them felt very fortunate. However, the issue with the Heart-devouring Bug hung over their heads like a longsword, causing daily anxiety.

According to the six people, it had been twenty-five days since they last ate at Wang Tian’an’s place. This meant that in another five days, if they did not feed the Heart-devouring Bug, it could wake up from hunger, and they would certainly be doomed.

This situation also made Ye Qing very anxious, but the six people seemed to have a broader perspective. They had already decided that if they couldn’t get rid of the Heart-devouring Bug, they would opt for euthanasia before its outbreak. At least that way, they could die more peacefully; they didn’t want to feel the excruciating pain of the bug claiming their lives.

The decision of these people deeply saddened Ye Qing. These six were people he had saved, and after spending a few days with them, he saw that they were not inherently evil in nature. So, Ye Qing truly wanted to save their lives. But keeping them alive was easier said than done. Without a way to remove the Heart-devouring Bug, their death was inevitable!

On the third day at noon, like usual, after lunch, Ye Qing went straight to the orphanage. Just as he arrived, he received a phone call from Zhao Chengshuang.

”Ye Zi, there’s trouble!” Zhao Chengshuang’s voice was anxious. ”The provincial inspection team has already got off the highway and is heading towards the orphanage.”

”What?” Ye Qing was taken aback and said, ”How come so soon? Wasn’t there any advance notice?”

”Didn’t Director Liu tell you a few days ago that they would be coming these days?” Zhao Chengshuang said. ”But it seems that the provincial inspection team wants to catch you off guard this time, so even Director Liu didn’t know the exact time of arrival. I just got the news from the highway toll booth, saying that the inspection team from the province is on the way. Okay, since they are already here, don’t waste time, hurry up and tidy up the orphanage properly. Remember, put up several banners as I told you, so that they don’t feel you’ve neglected them.”

”I didn’t prepare those banners you mentioned!” Ye Qing said helplessly. ”These are all just formalities, aren’t they necessary?”

”Oh man, you’re so shrewd in other areas, why are you missing the point here?” Zhao Chengshuang said reproachfully. ”What do you mean by formalities? Let me tell you, these so-called leaders love to see these formalities. The better you handle these formalities, the more they’ll think you’re diligent. Society is like this now. If you want the orphanage to continue, put your stubbornness aside. Only if the inspection team is happy and speaks well of you to the province can the orphanage continue. You don’t want these kids to be taken in by those public orphanages, do you?”

Ye Qing sighed helplessly and said, ”Alright, I’ll go arrange it.”