Urban Martial Saint

”That’s right!” The person beside him suddenly had a gleam in their eyes and said, ”This news—none of us from the Nalan Family even knew about it. How could outsiders have spread it?”

The middle-aged man paused, glanced at the person next to him, and said in a low voice, ”Go and find that Black Mouse for me. I want to know where the information about Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu coming to the Capital originated from.”

”Alright, I’ll take care of it now!” The person beside him nodded, whispering, ”Big Brother, are you suspecting that someone is trying to set us up?”

”Perhaps someone is simply trying to use a borrowed knife to do the killing!” The middle-aged man sneered coldly, then said grimly, ”No matter the motive, whoever dares to provoke the Nalan Family will have to pay the price!”

The person next to him nodded repeatedly and said, ”Our Nalan Family will never allow ourselves to be bullied!”

The middle-aged man replied, ”Alright. Go handle this immediately. And by the way, don’t let Tian Yu know about this. Quietly gather some people and just bring that Black Mouse here.”

”Understood!” The man nodded and hurried off to attend to the matter.

The middle-aged man walked back into the room and sat down. His mind was still preoccupied with the issue of Prince Nalan planning to propose at the Shen Family Manor. He couldn’t get his head around Prince Nalan’s decision. While bloodline tradition favored the eldest grandchild, shouldn’t they at least make sure this eldest grandchild was capable? Nalan Tianyu was practically useless, and yet Prince Nalan adored him so much. If he were allowed to lead the Nalan Family in the future, wouldn’t the century-old foundation of the family crumble because of him?

For the middle-aged man, it was a troubling thought, but he also knew that convincing Prince Nalan would be nearly impossible. Changing this situation seemed entirely out of his reach.

Just as he was weighed down with frustration, someone suddenly walked in from outside. The middle-aged man looked up and saw that it was none other than Nalan Fangyuan, who had just returned from the airport.

Nalan Fangyuan had a trace of blood on the corner of his mouth, but he wore a cheerful smile as he walked straight in.

”Fangyuan, you... what happened to you?” The middle-aged man hurriedly stood up, staring at Nalan Fangyuan in astonishment. ”How did it go? Did you... did you lose?”

”I didn’t lose, but neither did he!” Nalan Fangyuan replied. ”The Wolf of Mongolia truly lives up to his reputation—very strong indeed!”

”You didn’t lose, and neither did he?” The middle-aged man chuckled in disbelief. ”Hah, then isn’t that just a tie? Why phrase it so mystically?”

Nalan Fangyuan shook his head and said, ”Not a tie—just no winner or loser. There’s no deep-seated hatred between us. If we kept fighting, someone might have truly gotten injured. That wouldn’t have been ideal either.”

”That does make sense.” The middle-aged man nodded and asked, ”So where is Liu Mubai now?”

”Not sure. Probably left by now.” Nalan Fangyuan responded.

”Left?” The middle-aged man was surprised. ”Could he also be heading to the Miao Borderlands?”

”No, it seems like he still has other business in the Capital,” Nalan Fangyuan answered.

”Still staying in the Capital?” The middle-aged man was even more surprised. At that moment, the man from before suddenly rushed back into the room, exclaiming urgently, ”Big Brother, something’s wrong! Black Mouse... Black Mouse is dead!”

”What!?” The middle-aged man’s eyes widened, and he demanded, ”How did he die?”

”He was killed, but we don’t know yet who did it,” the man replied.

”Black Mouse has actually been killed!” The middle-aged man furrowed his brow even tighter, suddenly standing up with a grim expression. ”It seems someone is trying to stop us from digging further into this. No, I must inform Father at once!”

The middle-aged man rushed out of the room and headed straight for the building where Prince Nalan usually resided. When he arrived at the loft, Nalan Tiancheng was practicing martial arts there, while Prince Nalan sipped tea leisurely from a short distance away.

”Uncle!” Nalan Tiancheng greeted the middle-aged man with a nod but did not stop his movement, continuing his training.

”Hmm!” The middle-aged man muttered in response, not wasting time as he hurried to Prince Nalan’s side, speaking urgently, ”Father, something has happened!”

”Calm yourself!” Prince Nalan glanced at him briefly and said, ”Speak slowly. Don’t get worked up.”

”Yes!” The middle-aged man took a deep breath to steady his pulse, then said, ”The matter with Ye Qing—I suspect someone is trying to use us to do their dirty work, manipulating Tian Yu to deal with them. So, I sent Third Brother to find that Black Mouse and ask how he found out about Huangfu Ziyu’s arrival in the Capital. But when Third Brother found Black Mouse, he had already been killed!”

After speaking, the middle-aged man looked at Prince Nalan. But Prince Nalan seemed entirely unbothered, continuing to sip his tea at a leisurely pace, as if nothing in the world could ruffle him.

”Father, I believe this is clearly someone trying to silence Black Mouse and stop our investigation. This person is almost certainly targeting us, the Nalan Family, intending to provoke conflict between us and the Shen Family.” The middle-aged man paused, lowering his voice, ”This person is outright challenging the Nalan Family!”

The middle-aged man had painted the situation as dire as possible, but Prince Nalan remained as serene as ever, as if he hadn’t heard a word. This left the middle-aged man feeling anxious, though he dared not press further and could only wait patiently.

Only after finishing his cup of tea did Prince Nalan slowly lift his gaze to the middle-aged man and say, ”You don’t need to concern yourself with this matter anymore.”

”What?” The middle-aged man was stunned. ”Father, this time it’s clear someone is targeting our Nalan Family. Shouldn’t we at least find out who it is?”

”No need!” Prince Nalan waved his hand decisively, saying, ”Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu have already left the Capital. This matter no longer concerns the Nalan Family. The more we investigate, the deeper we’ll get entangled. There’s no need to involve ourselves in others’ feuds.”

The middle-aged man scratched his head and lowered his voice, ”Father, do you... do you already know who’s pulling these strings?”

Prince Nalan gave a faint smile and said, ”Right now, the person most eager to kill Ye Qing is Wang Tian’an. Who else do you think it could be?”

”Wang Tian’an?” The middle-aged man’s eyes brightened. ”That’s Ning Qianshu’s disciple, right? He... he dares provoke the Nalan Family? He’s asking for death!”

”This matter is not to be pursued any further!” Prince Nalan waved his hand again and said, ”Let it be. This is a grudge between Wang Tian’an and Ye Qing. It has nothing to do with the Nalan Family, and we have no reason to get involved.”

The middle-aged man nodded. He understood Prince Nalan’s meaning: Wang Tian’an was under Ning Qianshu, and Prince Nalan did not want to risk a conflict with Ning Qianshu. After all, Ning Qianshu had many skills and was the disciple of Divine Doctor An Shiping—a truly formidable figure. Even though Prince Nalan didn’t fear him, getting involved in his affairs would only invite endless trouble. Pretending to know nothing about this situation was the smarter choice, sparing the Nalan Family from unnecessary entanglements.

”Father...” the middle-aged man lowered his voice, ”Liu Mubai is still in the Capital and hasn’t left. Should we have someone keep an eye on him?”

”No need!” Prince Nalan shook his head. ”That man may be arrogant, but he’s not the type to provoke our Nalan Family for no reason. He’s likely here waiting for someone.”

”Waiting for someone?” The middle-aged man was even more baffled, unable to grasp what Prince Nalan meant.

Meanwhile, at the Capital airport, a plane had just landed, and Chen Yongchang stepped out with two subordinates. He had come to pursue Ye Qing but was slower to act.

As soon as he deplaned, Chen Yongchang called Wang Tian’an to inquire about Ye Qing’s situation, only to be stunned by the news that Ye Qing had already left the Capital. He was shocked. Even the Nalan Family hadn’t managed to detain Ye Qing—a development he hadn’t anticipated at all.

But since Ye Qing was no longer in the Capital, Chen Yongchang had no reason to stay there. Without leaving the airport, he immediately booked tickets for a flight to the Miao Borderlands.

Flights to the Miao Borderlands were few, and the soonest available one was five hours later. Unwilling to idle in the terminal, Chen Yongchang and his two subordinates exited the airport to find a place to eat and rest.

As they walked out, a taxi approached. The driver was a man wearing a baseball cap with the brim pulled low, obscuring much of his face. His left cheek was wrapped in white bandages, likely due to an injury.

”Boss, where to?” the driver asked in a low, gravelly voice.

Not paying much attention, Chen Yongchang got in the taxi with his two subordinates and said, ”Take us to the nearest high-end hotel.”

Without replying, the driver stepped on the gas and drove away from the airport.

Chen Yongchang leaned back in the seat and began contemplating the mission in the Miao Borderlands. Ye Qing had been gone for a while now, meaning finding him there would not be easy. Still, his senior martial brother had some local connections in the Miao Borderlands, which might make dealing with Ye Qing easier.

The only worry on Chen Yongchang’s mind was the notorious reputation of the Miao Borderlands. Known as a land of sinister mysteries, it was said that nearly everyone in the area practiced Gu nurturing and used Gu. Offending the locals could easily lead to being targeted by their deadly arts. Minor encounters might result in a warning; more serious ones could cost him his life. For the Han people, the Miao Borderlands were practically a den of venomous snakes and wild beasts, a place where few dared to tread.

Though Chen Yongchang had never been to the Miao Borderlands, he had heard numerous terrifying tales about it. Heading there in person this time, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. What if real danger arose in that treacherous area? How would they handle it then?

As Chen Yongchang closed his eyes and pondered, the vehicle suddenly came to a stop. He opened his eyes and asked, ”That was quick! Are we there already?”

He turned his head to look around, but outside, there wasn’t a hotel or inn in sight—only barren wasteland.