Urban Martial Saint

Old Madame Shen and Shen Da exchanged a glance. Now, this was the only method left—they had no other way to completely eradicate the Twin Life Gu.

”Does the Gu Land in the Miao Borderlands have a way to eliminate the Twin Life Gu?” Old Madame Shen asked.

”I don’t know!” Shen Tianjun spread his hands and said, ”But that’s the birthplace of the Twin Life Gu. Besides, the Miao Borderlands are full of hidden talents—maybe there’s really a way to solve this. Whatever the case, this is our only approach. We might as well treat the dead horse like a living one and give it a try.”

”Is there no other option?” Old Madame Shen asked.

Shen Tianjun thought for a moment and said, ”Unless we can find Sai Hua Tuo Bai Li Xi or King Yan Ning Qianshu—these two can definitely solve the Twin Life Gu!”

”Then forget about it!” Old Madame Shen waved her hand decisively. She knew all too well that finding either of them was even less likely than taking their chances in the Miao Borderlands. Rumors had it that Sai Hua Tuo Bai Li Xi was already dead, and as for King Yan Ning Qianshu, seeking him out was practically suicide.

”Father, what should we do then?” Shen Da looked at the unconscious Ye Qing, anxiety written all over his face.

Shen Tianjun said, ”The three of us together can’t suppress the Twin Life Gu. We need to find someone with exceptionally profound Inner Strength to help.”

Shen Da said, ”Then I’ll go fetch Second Brother to assist us.”

”No!” Shen Tianjun waved his hand, saying, ”Shen Er’s Inner Strength is still insufficient!”

”Then who else are we supposed to turn to?” Shen Da froze in shock. Of all the people in Shen Family Manor, Shen Er was second only to him in strength. If even Shen Er couldn’t help, then there was no one here capable of accomplishing this.

”How about asking that girl from the Huangfu Household?” Old Madame Shen suggested. ”Her Inner Strength surpasses Shen Er’s by a measure. Perhaps she can lend a hand.”

To be honest, Shen Tianjun was reluctant to have Huangfu Ziyu involved because he knew she was trying hard to forget Ye Qing. However, in this moment of urgency, Huangfu Ziyu was the only one capable of helping—they had no other choice.

After a moment of hesitation, Shen Tianjun sighed and said, ”Fine, go get Ziyu.”

Shen Da immediately went out, and before long, he brought Huangfu Ziyu into the room.

Actually, Huangfu Ziyu had heard about Ye Qing being afflicted by the Twin Life Gu while she was at Shen Tianjun’s courtyard. Although she didn’t know much about the Twin Life Gu, she could tell from Shen Qingyi’s worried expression that this was no ordinary affliction. She had been concerned about Ye Qing ever since, itching to rush over to check on him.

When Shen Da approached her for help, Huangfu Ziyu didn’t hesitate for even a moment—she followed him over immediately. Walking into the room and seeing Ye Qing lying unconscious on the bed, no matter how strong-willed Huangfu Ziyu usually was, at this moment her heart sank into sadness, longing to rush over and examine Ye Qing’s condition herself.

Seeing Huangfu Ziyu’s expression, Shen Tianjun sighed inwardly, muttering to himself, ”A fateful connection, such a fateful connection!”

”Alright, now that Ziyu is here, tell us what to do next.” Old Madame Shen said. ”Why do we need four people for this task?”

”This method was shared with me years ago during my travels in the Miao Borderlands by a local Gu Master.” Shen Tianjun explained, ”In the Miao Borderlands, Gu techniques are diverse, each with its own unique properties. Even the most powerful Dong Master can’t solve all Gu techniques. However, the Miao Borderlands have a universal method—they use a special artifact called the Sealing Gu Pot to confine the Gu Insects. Most Gu Insects, once removed from the body, can be destroyed. But destroying the insects doesn’t mean the technique is entirely resolved. As I mentioned earlier, Gu Insects leave eggs in the human body. Once the insects die, the eggs hatch, killing the person. The Sealing Gu Pot can temporarily suppress the insects, preserving a person’s life. Later, they seek a specialized Gu Master to eliminate the Gu Insects for good.”

”So you mean to confine the Twin Life Gu in the Sealing Gu Pot?” Old Madame Shen asked. ”But didn’t you just mention that once the Twin Life Gu leaves the body for too long, the eggs within will hatch—how is this any different?”

Shen Tianjun shook his head and said, ”The Sealing Gu Pot has a unique property—it maintains a connection between the Gu Insects and the host’s body, preventing the eggs from hatching. However, the Pot’s effect only lasts for a limited time and can’t be reused after a single use. It’s imperative to find a Gu Master to resolve the Gu Insects before the Pot loses its efficacy!”

The other three exchanged looks, astonished at the complexity of the Miao Borderlands’ Gu techniques. Indeed, the mystique surrounding the Borderlands wasn’t unwarranted.

”So your plan is to use the Sealing Gu Pot to suppress the Gu Insects first and then have Ye Qing travel to the Miao Borderlands to seek help himself?” Old Madame Shen exclaimed. ”Why make things so complicated? Let’s just send him to the Borderlands directly and suppress the Gu Insects there—it’ll save us some time, won’t it?”

”No!” Shen Tianjun shook his head firmly. ”I swore I wouldn’t leave Shen Family Manor, and I won’t break my promise. Besides, according to Black Bear, Wang Tian’an only gave Ye Qing one day. That one day is nearly up. If we don’t remove the Twin Life Gu soon and seal it in the Pot, Wang Tian’an will activate the Gu, and Ye Qing will unquestionably die. We must extract the Twin Life Gu here and now!”

Upon hearing Shen Tianjun’s reasoning, Old Madame Shen nodded and said, ”Then there’s no time to waste—what do we need to do?”

Shen Tianjun cast a glance at Huangfu Ziyu before speaking in a grave tone, ”To extract the Twin Life Gu, we must block six major acupoints on his body, forcing the Gu into a corner before removing it. The three of you must work together to seal these acupoints!”

”Which six acupoints?” Old Madame Shen asked directly.

Shen Tianjun listed six specific acupoints, and Old Madame Shen, without hesitation, walked up to Ye Qing and pressed her hands on two of them.

”Let’s begin!” Old Madame Shen said.

Shen Da wasted no time—it was an emergency situation, and he immediately moved to seal two acupoints as well. Huangfu Ziyu, slightly dazed, stepped forward and placed her hands on the remaining two acupoints.

Seeing that all three were positioned correctly, Shen Tianjun nodded and said, ”Let’s start now. Channel your Inner Strength fully to seal these acupoints completely. Remember—failure is not an option. If you slip up even once, the Twin Life Gu will panic and burrow into his internal organs, and no one will be able to save him!”

”What’s so difficult about that?” Old Madame Shen said. ”Ye Qing’s Inner Strength is completely depleted now—he has no resistance left. Sealing his acupoints isn’t a problem, just a little Inner Strength will suffice!”

”His Inner Strength might be exhausted, but the Twin Life Gu remains within him, and its power is considerable.” Shen Tianjun stated gravely. ”Besides, when I last felt Ye Qing’s pulse, I detected a mysterious force in his body. Be cautious. If that force retaliates, we’ll be in real trouble!”

”Another force?” Old Madame Shen asked curiously. ”What do you mean?”

”I don’t know either,” Shen Tianjun said after a pause. ”But I suspect it’s tied to Brother Li San—only he might shed light on its origin!”

Old Madame Shen didn’t press further, simply nodding and responding, ”Fine, we’ll proceed cautiously. Eldest Brother, Ziyu, make sure to channel your Inner Strength completely—no room for error!”

”Understood!” Shen Da replied immediately, while Huangfu Ziyu, though silent, nodded resolutely. There was no way she would take saving Ye Qing lightly.

Shen Tianjun picked up the Seven-Star Ancient Sword from beside him, drew it from its sheath, and said gravely, ”Let’s begin!”

The three heard his command like an order and simultaneously began channeling their Inner Strength, aiming to seal the six acupoints on Ye Qing’s body.

As their combined Inner Strength flowed into Ye Qing, the Twin Life Gu inside him instantly reacted, thrashing about in resistance, trying to escape the six sealed acupoints. But the trio had heeded Shen Tianjun’s warnings and made their move with utmost efforts. Although the Twin Life Gu writhed furiously, it was unable to escape Ye Qing’s sealed acupoints and was gradually forced toward his lower abdomen.

Shen Tianjun tightened his grip on the sword and focused intensely on Ye Qing’s lower abdomen, watching closely for the Twin Life Gu’s position. He waited for the perfect moment to extract it—the slightest misstep could release the Twin Life Gu instead, which would continue attacking Ye Qing.

Just as Shen Tianjun was tensely waiting for his opportunity, the three sealing Ye Qing’s acupoints suddenly showed reactions—faces pale and hands trembling as though they had suffered a backlash.

From deep within Ye Qing’s body, an unforeseen, overpowering force emerged, repelling their combined Inner Strength. Even the seasoned strength of Old Madame Shen, tempered through decades of training, couldn’t prevail against this mysterious internal power—it easily pushed back the Inner Strength they had poured into sealing Ye Qing’s acupoints.

Shen Tianjun’s expression changed dramatically. He was keenly aware of Ye Qing’s condition—if the three were forced to retreat, the six sealed acupoints would unravel, leaving the Twin Life Gu free to burrow into Ye Qing’s internal organs, resulting in catastrophic consequences.

In this critical moment, Shen Tianjun acted decisively. Raising the sword, he delivered a precise strike to Ye Qing’s lower abdomen, cutting open a small incision. Then, with a subtle twist, the sword blade extracted a chunk of flesh, revealing a writhing entity within—it was none other than the Twin Life Gu.

Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun was not only a martial arts legend but also a master swordsman of unparalleled precision. Despite the difficulty of targeting through layers of flesh, his strike perfectly removed the Twin Life Gu. However, because the Gu hadn’t yet been forced into his desired position, the extraction had inadvertently caused additional tissue damage.