Urban Martial Saint

The tranquil night, the silent moment, everything around was utterly quiet.

Inside the inn, everyone was already asleep. Yet, in this room, Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu were still awake. The Twin Gu larvae constantly threatened them, forcing them to lie together and use the Twin Gu to suppress the larvae’s activity. If not suppressed, the larvae’s motion could be extremely dangerous—even before hatching, they caused excruciating internal pain. And if they did hatch, it would be fatal.

The dialogue from earlier had brought them closer, though sharing the same bed still felt awkward. In the silence, neither spoke; they merely waited quietly for dawn. Despite not exchanging words or being able to sleep, both felt a deep sense of joy—perhaps it was simply because they were together.

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck Ye Qing’s body. Completely unprepared, he let out a muffled grunt from the intense agony.

Hearing the unnatural sound, Huangfu Ziyu immediately opened her eyes and saw Ye Qing’s contorted face, twisted due to the pain. She exclaimed in alarm, ”What’s wrong?”

The severe pain in Ye Qing’s chest and abdomen compelled him to instinctively reach to clutch his chest. However, his hands were still supporting his body; pulling one hand away caused the other to weaken, and he collapsed onto the bed, unable to hold himself up.

Huangfu Ziyu was now thoroughly alarmed. She quickly hugged Ye Qing and asked anxiously, ”Ye Qing, what’s happening? Are you okay? What’s going on?”

Ye Qing endured the pain, struggling to speak, ”Twin Gu...”

”Twin Gu?” Huangfu Ziyu exclaimed, ”The Twin Gu... is still inside you?”

Huangfu Ziyu had fainted after swallowing the Twin Gu, and she had no memory of subsequent events. Truthfully, when she consumed the Twin Gu, she was already prepared to die. She hadn’t expected to wake up, let alone find herself with Ye Qing in such a state. Earlier, everything had felt like an illusion. But now, Ye Qing’s torment brought her back to reality—the Twin Gu was very real!

”No...” Ye Qing shook his head, grimacing from the overwhelming pain. ”The larvae of the Twin Gu... are still within me. They’re... about to hatch...”

”The larvae of the Twin Gu?” Huangfu Ziyu was even more shocked. ”What... what should we do? Should I go find the Master?”

Huangfu Ziyu didn’t realize they were no longer in the Shen Family Manor; she still thought they were there and intended to seek Shen Tianjun’s help.

”No... don’t...” Ye Qing shook his head, his words shaky from the pain. ”We’re no longer at the Shen Family Manor. The Twin Gu is inside you, and as long as... as long as our bodies remain close, it will prevent the larvae from hatching...”

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Ziyu finally understood Ye Qing’s earlier actions. They weren’t driven by ulterior motives but aimed at drawing closer to her to suppress the Twin Gu larvae.

This realization left Huangfu Ziyu slightly crestfallen, though she hesitated not for a moment. She immediately grabbed Ye Qing’s hand and asked anxiously, ”Will this work?”

”It’s... it’s not enough...” Ye Qing was in so much pain that his face contorted, the larvae writhing within him, seeming about to hatch.

”Not enough?” Huangfu Ziyu hesitated briefly, inhaled deeply, and leaned closer, pressing her face against Ye Qing’s. ”How about this?”

Despite the intimate contact, the pain within Ye Qing did not subside in the slightest. He shook his head again—it still wasn’t enough.

”Still not enough?” Huangfu Ziyu furrowed her brows slightly, pondering for a few seconds, before sitting upright. ”Wait a moment.”

Without hesitation, Huangfu Ziyu shifted closer, fully leaning against Ye Qing to maximize physical contact. For a maiden, taking such steps was exceedingly rare, her cheeks cascading with red streaks of Hongxia.

”How about now?” Huangfu Ziyu asked softly, her voice tinged with shyness as she blushed deeply. Truthfully, this was her first time being so close to a man. Despite her outward demeanor seeming alluring, she had always been conservatively guarded. Yet with Ye Qing, she was willing to cross her personal boundaries.

But Ye Qing had no room to process this emotional moment; his agony dominated his thoughts to the point where even breathing became difficult. Despite Huangfu Ziyu’s tight embrace, the pain showed no signs of diminishing. Unable to summon the energy for speech, he merely shook his head in despair.

Watching Ye Qing suffer so intensely broke Huangfu Ziyu’s heart. She hugged him even tighter, desperate to alleviate some of his pain.

Finally, Ye Qing’s suffering eased, allowing Huangfu Ziyu to breathe a sigh of relief. Even so, she dared not relax; she kept holding Ye Qing tightly. It was impossible to tell how long passed, but eventually, both of them fell into a deep sleep together.

After about three hours, Ye Qing stirred awake. The room was pitch black, leaving him momentarily confused about his surroundings. The excruciating pain from earlier had been so overwhelming that he could recall nothing about what came afterward—he couldn’t even understand how he’d managed to endure it.

As his senses gradually returned, Ye Qing suddenly noticed something amiss. Lying beside him was a woman—careful observation revealed it was Huangfu Ziyu, with the two of them in a tight embrace.

Instantly, Ye Qing froze, his mind reeling as he tried to make sense of the situation. How had he ended up like this with Huangfu Ziyu? And this posture, this intimacy—it was hard not to wonder if something had happened between them.

As Ye Qing was still grappling with these thoughts, Huangfu Ziyu also awoke. Their gazes locked, and both of their hearts skipped a beat.

Ye Qing finally snapped back to reality and stammered nervously, ”Miss Huangfu, I... I... I didn’t mean to... I... I’m really sorry...”

Huangfu Ziyu couldn’t help but chuckle softly. ”I don’t blame you; why are you so tense?”

Attempting to scramble off the bed in a hurry, Ye Qing’s face flushed deeply upon seeing the breathtaking Huangfu Ziyu. His heart momentarily danced in confusion, nearly distracting him from his actions.

Watching Ye Qing’s flustered demeanor, Huangfu Ziyu giggled once more and teased him gently, ”You silly man, I was only joking with you.”

”Ah, I... I... I...” Ye Qing stumbled over his words endlessly but failed to articulate anything coherent. As he gazed at Huangfu Ziyu’s stunning beauty, a natural masculine tension overwhelmed him. Yet the awkwardness of the scene made it impossible for him to linger. He darted toward the restroom, saying hurriedly, ”It’s time. Let’s... let’s start preparing to leave...”

In his panic, he nearly slipped, stumbling forward and almost falling. Only by clutching the wall did he avoid landing face-first, though the incident remained comically embarrassing.

Observing Ye Qing’s flustered antics, Huangfu Ziyu burst into soft laughter again. She sat up and said gently, ”There’s no rush; we still have plenty of time. Take your time to tidy up.”

Ye Qing didn’t dare look back, retreating swiftly into the bathroom before shutting the door behind him. Sitting down, he finally felt slightly at ease. He took a few deep breaths and tried to recall the events of the previous night, but to no avail.

By the end of the night, the pain had been so unbearable that Ye Qing had drifted into unconsciousness. What came after was a blank, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t piece together the final moments. However, Huangfu Ziyu’s ethereal beauty lingered vividly in his thoughts.

Spending a night in the same room with such an extraordinary woman—it was hard for any man to forget. Ye Qing was no exception. Yet his mind was consumed more by awkwardness and hesitation than longing. As he thought about Huangfu Ziyu, Shen Qingyi’s face also surfaced in his heart. He didn’t know how to navigate these two relationships, but one thing was certain: Huangfu Ziyu had risked her life for him, and he couldn’t repay her kindness with cold indifference.

After sitting on the toilet for quite a while, Ye Qing finally gathered his thoughts. He stood slowly, looking at his reflection in the mirror, and sighed softly. Splashing water onto his face, he tried to wake himself up before picking up his toiletries to wash up and compose himself. Once he had finished tidying up, his mood had stabilized entirely.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Ye Qing took a deep breath and murmured to himself, ”No matter what, she risked her life for you. And last night, she shared a room with you. As a man, you must take responsibility for her!”

Having said that, Ye Qing sighed deeply before stepping out of the bathroom. By then, Huangfu Ziyu was waiting outside. When Ye Qing emerged, she entered the restroom. Though she hadn’t yet prepared herself, the faint weariness adorning her features was mesmerizing. No matter the circumstance, this woman’s beauty was unparalleled, captivating all who glimpsed her.

Seeing Huangfu Ziyu’s peerless elegance, Ye Qing’s heart stirred. Deep down, he liked her. But this feeling was merely fondness, not love. Now, however, he resolved to transform that fondness into love. As for Shen Qingyi, he had no choice—their future was irreparably changed. What had happened now rendered any future with Shen Qingyi impossible. So he could only silently bless Shen Qingyi, wishing her well with someone else.