Urban Martial Saint

Zhao Chengshuang and Li Lianshan were racking their brains on how to comfort Ye Qing, but before they could come up with a solution, Ye Qing had already calmed down on his own.

The two exchanged glances, their eyes full of disbelief. They knew how much Ye Qing had invested in this matter—the more one invests, the greater the disappointment. There’s no reason for him to calm down so quickly. What’s going on?

”What are you standing there for? Aren’t you hungry?” Ye Qing urged them.

”Uh…” The two snapped back to reality and hurriedly followed Ye Qing out.

”Ye Zi, you… Are you really okay?” Zhao Chengshuang asked softly. Ye Qing’s composure only made him more uneasy. He understood Ye Qing well and was convinced there was still something weighing on his mind.

”What could possibly be wrong?” Ye Qing shrugged and said, ”You both said it—this matter is already settled. Even if I’m unwilling, what can I do about it? Should I stop eating and drinking, agonizing over it until death?”

”Uh… well, not to that extent…” Zhao Chengshuang scratched his head and said, ”But… I just feel like you haven’t truly let it go yet. Ye Zi, please don’t do anything reckless. Even if Huang Boxiong really set you up, his family’s influence is extremely powerful. Don’t impulsively cause trouble with him. If you do, this matter could get out of hand!”

”Chengshuang is right!” Li Lianshan chimed in, nodding. ”Ye Zi, there’s an old saying, ’Revenge is best served ten years late.’ If we rush to confront Huang Boxiong, even if we manage to kill him, what would that accomplish? It would just end in mutual destruction. Scum like him are not worth risking our lives over. I think we should find an opportune moment to get revenge, not rush into it recklessly.”

”Don’t worry. I won’t act impulsively and throw my life away for him,” Ye Qing waved them off and said, ”I have my own plans. I know how to handle this. You don’t need to worry about me!”

Zhao Chengshuang and Li Lianshan exchanged glances again. Judging by Ye Qing’s expression, he seemed clear-headed and calm. His words didn’t sound like lies. Could it be that Ye Qing had truly gotten over it?

Watching Ye Qing walk ahead, Zhao Chengshuang and Li Lianshan concluded he had really come to terms with it. Both let out a sigh of relief in unison. Truth be told, their biggest fear was that Ye Qing would act out of anger and storm off to Dongzhou to seek revenge on Huang Boxiong. Such a decision would cause chaos. Now that Ye Qing seemed to have calmed down and temporarily set aside his hatred, the two no longer had to worry about him.

The three of them, along with Cannon King Black Bear Liu Mubai and the others, left Tian Sheng and went to a nearby night market stall. They ordered some grilled meat skewers and other barbecue dishes. Zhao Chengshuang and Li Lianshan had spent the entire day at Tian Sheng with Ye Qing and were now famished. As soon as the food was served, the two began devouring it ravenously. As for Cannon King Black Bear and Liu Mubai, they hadn’t eaten much that day either, so their hunger mirrored that of Zhao Chengshuang and Li Lianshan. For the first few moments of the meal, everyone was occupied eating, paying little attention to their surroundings.

Ye Qing, however, ate slowly. In fact, his focus was mostly elsewhere. Although seated at the table, his eyes occasionally scanned the surroundings, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

About half an hour had passed when Ye Qing noticed several agile figures emerging from an alley across the night market stall. These individuals were hidden in the alley, seemingly observing Ye Qing and his group. They remained in the shadows, using clever techniques to conceal themselves, convinced they were well-hidden. Little did they know that every move they made was carefully monitored by Ye Qing, who missed nothing. It was less a case of them observing Ye Qing and more a case of Ye Qing observing them.

While Ye Qing was silently surveying these individuals, Liu Mubai, who was seated beside him eating, suddenly stood up, grabbed a few chopsticks from the table, and walked toward the alley. It wasn’t just Ye Qing who had spotted these people; Liu Mubai had noticed them long ago. He had spent time observing them, trying to learn their identities. After a while, he realized their focus never left Ye Qing, and their intent was clearly hostile. With that, he decided to take action.

Ye Qing wanted to stop him, but it was too late. Liu Mubai strode straight into the alley, but by the time he got there, the figures had already climbed onto the walls and vanished, leaving the alley empty.

”What’s that guy up to?” Zhao Chengshuang asked in bewilderment.

Ye Qing grew anxious. The people hiding in the alley belonged to the mercenary squad he had been waiting to lure out tonight. His plan was to eat at the market to draw them out. Now that Liu Mubai had gone over unprompted, wouldn’t this scare them off? Ye Qing had other plans in place and couldn’t afford for Liu Mubai to disrupt them.

But now, Liu Mubai had already acted, and Ye Qing had no way to stop him. Intervening directly would only make things more obvious, further alerting the mercenary squad. All Ye Qing could do was silently pray that Liu Mubai wouldn’t scare off the mercenaries.

Liu Mubai walked slowly into the alley, appearing completely unaware of the identities of the people within. His demeanor showcased guts and confidence as he strolled in, hands clasped behind his back, showing no fear of the hidden enemies.

From atop the wall, the mercenary squad intently watched Liu Mubai approach, expressions of confusion and surprise etched on their faces. They couldn’t fathom why Liu Mubai had entered the alley; they were convinced they had hidden so well as to be invisible to anyone outside.

”Stay alert! If he gets too close, take him out immediately!” a squad leader whispered, assuming Liu Mubai couldn’t hear their words. What they didn’t realize was that Liu Mubai could hear every word clearly, though he didn’t understand their Stick Country language.

Liu Mubai didn’t care what they were saying anyway. As he neared the wall, the mercenaries had already drawn silenced guns and aimed them at him, ready to shoot the moment their position was compromised.

Unbeknownst to them, Liu Mubai appeared completely unfazed by the danger. Moments before reaching the wall, he suddenly lunged forward with astonishing speed, leaping nearly a meter high. He snatched the nearest mercenary from the wall and disarmed him in a single motion.

The mercenaries had been poised to shoot, their predatory gazes fixed on Liu Mubai. But they were caught off guard—his speed, strength, and agility were beyond anything they anticipated. Before they could react, one of them was already dragged off the wall.

The captured mercenary fell heavily to the ground with a dull thud, groaning in pain. Liu Mubai lifted him effortlessly, using his body as a shield, leaving the remaining mercenaries temporarily stunned. Liu Mubai’s dominance and swift action left them clueless about how to respond.

Despite their initial shock, these mercenaries were veterans of countless battles, accustomed to life-and-death scenarios. Within moments, they refocused, aiming their firearms at Liu Mubai. One of them spoke in broken Huaxia language, saying, ”Release our man, and we’ll let you leave unharmed. Otherwise, there’s no way you’re getting out of here.”

Liu Mubai turned his head and calmly stared at the speaker, asking, ”Are you threatening me?”

The squad leader replied, ”Release him, and we won’t cause trouble for you. This is a matter between us and Ye Qing. As long as you don’t get involved, you won’t face any issues.”

Liu Mubai asked again, his tone steady, ”I’ll ask you one more time—are you threatening me?”

The squad leader grew angry, replying coldly, ”This isn’t a threat; it’s a warning. I know you Huaxia people value martial arts, but your so-called martial arts are useless against modern firearms. You’re better off letting him go while you can!”

Before the squad leader could finish his sentence, Liu Mubai promptly broke the captured mercenary’s neck and casually shoved the limp body aside. Turning to the leader, he said, ”Sorry, looks like I can’t let him go.”

The mercenaries’ faces turned pale, shocked by Liu Mubai’s decisiveness and cruelty. They were ruthless killers themselves, but Liu Mubai’s speed and ruthlessness left them in awe. Though he was unarmed, the mercenaries now regarded him with fear and vigilance, worried their turn was coming next.

Enraged and humiliated, the squad leader swung his rifle toward Liu Mubai, shouting, ”You bastard, I’ll end you!”

Just as he adjusted his aim, a chopstick flew straight at him, striking his hand with precision. The squad leader’s hand exploded in pain, and his gun clattered to the ground.

The mercenaries fumbled as Liu Mubai quickly disarmed the rest, leaving them powerless.

”Apologies…” Liu Mubai said calmly, gazing at the group. ”I don’t take kindly to warnings, and I despise threats. So I think it’s better if I warn you instead!”

(There’s some business I need to handle this morning, so just one chapter for now. Three more chapters will be updated tonight. Thank you all for your support!)