Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing didn’t explain and immediately pushed Xiang An aside, then drew out the Seven-Star Ancient Sword and casually flicked it, directly pointing it at the right shoulder of Gu Master Xiang Jiu.

The Seven-Star Ancient Sword was extremely sharp, and as it struck, a wound instantly appeared on Gu Master Xiang Jiu’s right shoulder. Soon after, a black Gu insect crawled out from it.

The Gu insect was about the size of an adult’s forefinger, with many legs, resembling a centipede. As it emerged from the wound, it immediately began climbing towards Gu Master Xiang Jiu’s neck.

”Quick! Quick!” Xiang An shouted frantically. ”Don’t let it go in again!”

The girl closed her eyes directly, already desperate. If the Gu insect got into the neck, her father would be beyond saving.

At this critical moment, Ye Qing reached out and grabbed the Black Heart Gu. The Black Heart Gu was fierce and opened its mouth to bite Ye Qing’s hand.

Ye Qing felt the pain but ignored it, directly slicing it with the sword, cutting the Black Heart Gu in half.

Seeing the situation, the girl and Xiang An were both stunned, temporarily speechless. They couldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams that Ye Qing actually had the ability to cut the seemingly invincible Black Heart Gu into two. How was this possible? Previously, they had managed to take out the Black Heart Gu once, but despite all efforts, they couldn’t kill it and nearly caused the death of Gu Master Xiang Jiu. So, they dared not let the Black Heart Gu out again this time. Who could have thought Ye Qing would so easily get rid of it? It was truly astounding!

Ye Qing remained calm, put away the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, and turned to Xiang An, saying, ”Alright, it’s done.”

At this point, the two snapped out of their shock. The girl let out a scream and rushed to Gu Master Xiang Jiu’s embrace. Xiang An hurriedly ran to Ye Qing’s side, repeatedly saying, ”Mr. Ye, thank you, truly thank you. You’ve saved the life of Gu Master Xiang Jiu; you’re a benefactor to our entire village!”

”Huh?” Ye Qing paused, unsure what Xiang An meant. He had just saved one person, and now he was considered the benefactor of the entire village?

”Gu Master Xiang Jiu is the guardian Gu master of our village. Most of the people here are ordinary farmers, and few practice the Gu Technique. If it weren’t for Gu Master Xiang Jiu, those powerful Gu masters would have turned us into their slaves long ago.” Xiang An was very sincere, speaking without any concealment: ”You saved Gu Master Xiang Jiu, and you are indeed a benefactor to our whole village!”

Ye Qing suddenly realized, surprised that such primitive matters existed in the Miao Borderlands. Those Gu masters treated ordinary people as slaves; it was clear their character wasn’t very respectable.

”A trivial task, there’s no need to thank me,” Ye Qing paused before speaking again, ”As long as you can get me to Zhenmu Dong, that would be the best thanks!”

”Mr. Ye, rest assured. Even if it costs my life, I will definitely get you to Zhenmu Dong!” Xiang An promised.

Ye Qing nodded, feeling slightly more at ease.

Meanwhile, Gu Master Xiang Jiu slowly stood up, his complexion much recovered. Looking at the Black Heart Gu on the ground, now severed in two, he sighed deeply and muttered a few words.

”Gu Master Xiang Jiu says thank you!” Xiang An translated nearby.

Ye Qing looked towards Gu Master Xiang Jiu, who bowed slightly. Although the action was awkward, it was clear he sincerely appreciated Ye Qing.

Ye Qing nodded in return and said, ”No need to be polite.”

After a pause, Ye Qing took out a Ziyu Chenxiang Pill, broke it in half, and handed one half to Xiang An, saying, ”Have Gu Master Xiang Jiu take this; it can heal the wounds.”

Xiang An took the half Ziyu Chenxiang Pill, hesitated a moment, then walked over and handed it to Gu Master Xiang Jiu. The nearby girl tried to stop him, but Gu Master Xiang Jiu was a step ahead, and he took the half-pill from Xiang An and put it directly into his mouth.

Seeing Gu Master Xiang Jiu like this, Ye Qing immediately felt some goodwill towards him. The Miao People generally harbored hostility towards Han people, always suspicious they were out to harm them. But Gu Master Xiang Jiu was different; he had a straightforward heart. Though he had doubts about Ye Qing before, after being saved once, he completely trusted Ye Qing. This straightforward spirit was something Ye Qing saw for the first time in the Miao Borderlands.

Ye Qing cupped his hands towards Gu Master Xiang Jiu and said to Xiang An, ”Can we leave now?”

Xiang An inquired of Gu Master Xiang Jiu, who nodded, and only then did everyone get into the car and continue driving forward.

After about ten minutes, Gu Master Xiang Jiu, sitting in the back, suddenly spoke in a stream of words. Xiang An quickly turned his head to look, stared at Xiang Jiu for a moment, and excitedly said to Ye Qing, ”Mr. Ye, your medicine is truly effective. Gu Master Xiang Jiu says not only are his injuries healed, but his strength has also returned. He says thank you!”

Ye Qing smiled faintly. The efficacy of the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill is, of course, extraordinary. Although Ye Qing only gave him half a piece, for his injuries, that half was already more than enough. Not only could it heal his wounds, but it also swiftly restored his stamina, something unparallelled by other medicines.

Seeing Gu Master Xiang Jiu in such a state, the girl was much relieved. Looking at Ye Qing, her gaze no longer held hostility and vigilance but rather gratitude.

With Gu Master Xiang Jiu’s recovery, he talked significantly more, chatting with Ye Qing through Xiang An.

This Gu Master Xiang Jiu was very straightforward, and Ye Qing did not hide anything from him, directly recounting the matter of being afflicted with the Twin Life Gu and his need to find someone to cure it.

Upon hearing Ye Qing’s words, Gu Master Xiang Jiu also frowned tightly and said in a deep voice, ”The Twin Life Gu hasn’t appeared in the Miao Borderlands for over a hundred years. How could someone outside manage to cultivate it?”

He glanced at Ye Qing; having been saved by Ye Qing just now, he believed in him implicitly. However, the news was simply too shocking, wasn’t it? The reappearance of the Twin Life Gu, cultivated by an outsider—if someone brings this Twin Life Gu into the Miao Borderlands, I’m afraid even the Miao people won’t be able to stop them!

”Is there any way to dispel the Twin Life Gu?” Xiang An couldn’t help but ask. Although he hadn’t known Ye Qing for long, he was beginning to worry about Ye Qing’s situation.

Gu Master Xiang Jiu shook his head slowly, and Xiang An and the girl were immediately anxious, both worried for Ye Qing.

”Then...what to do?” Xiang An asked anxiously, ”Is there really no way to save him?”

”I don’t know either.” Gu Master Xiang Jiu shook his head and remained silent for a long time, saying, ”However, we’re almost at Zhenmu Dong. I can go find the Dong Master and ask him to consult the Gu God. Perhaps the Gu God knows how to dispel the Twin Life Gu!”

”The Gu God!?” Xiang An immediately perked up, saying excitedly, ”The Gu God is the strongest Gu Master in the entire Miao Borderlands. Surely he knows how to dispel the Twin Life Gu.”

Gu Master Xiang Jiu did not speak, but he was somewhat worried in his heart. As a Gu Master, he naturally understood the Twin Life Gu better than others. The Twin Life Gu is indeed not so easy to dispel. Even the Gu God may not have a way to release it. Finding the Gu God now is but an attempt, the outcome is still uncertain.

Xiang An was very excited, quickly telling Ye Qing about the Gu God. After hearing Xiang An’s words, Ye Qing merely gave a wry smile without showing much reaction. He was no longer concerned about his own life; he was more concerned about the life and death of Huangfu Ziyu. If he could save Huangfu Ziyu, he wouldn’t hesitate even if it meant his death. But, is there still time to save Huangfu Ziyu now?

Following the road pointed out by Xiang An, after less than an hour, the car arrived outside Zhenmu Dong.

Zhenmu Dong is considered a relatively large dong in the entire Miao Borderlands. So, outside Zhenmu Dong, you could see people passing by everywhere, and occasionally there were vehicles. Among the Miao people, some also came by car, so Ye Qing and his group’s car wasn’t very conspicuous here. Especially since there were Miao people in the car, Ye Qing didn’t receive any inspections along the way, making entry fairly easy.

According to Xiang An, the Miao people of Zhenmu Dong are generally peaceful and not very hostile towards Han people, so Han people appearing here isn’t uncommon. However, during such a grand Ten Thousand Gu Festival, it’s likely only Ye Qing dared to come here among the Han people.

The Dong Master of Zhenmu Dong is the Gu God of the Miaojiang Seventy-Two Dong and the foremost expert of Miaojiang Gu Techniques. That is also why the Ten Thousand Gu Festival is being held at Zhenmu Dong. As the host of Zhenmu Dong, they had specially arranged accommodations for the Gu Masters coming from various dong. Xiang Jiu, being a Gu Master from Xiang Yun Dong, also received a small room.

As soon as Ye Qing arrived here, he was eager to find Huo Lie and the others, but Xiang An stopped him. Firstly, Huo Lie and his group might not have arrived yet, so Ye Qing might not find them, and it could alarm them prematurely. Moreover, since this was the residence of the Gu God, if Ye Qing caused any disturbance here, it would indeed be troublesome, making the entire Miao Borderlands his enemy.

Once Ye Qing was settled, Xiang Jiu left immediately, firstly to visit the Dong Master of Xiang Yun Dong, secondly to secretly inquire if Huo Lie’s group had already arrived, and thirdly to ask the Dong Master of Xiang Yun Dong to question the Gu God about the Twin Life Gu matter. After all, Ye Qing had saved Xiang Jiu’s life, and Xiang Jiu wanted to repay the favor, so he was particularly attentive to Ye Qing’s matters.

After Xiang Jiu left, only Ye Qing, Xiang An, and the girl remained in the room. Ye Qing sat in the room, but was restless, because he was always thinking about the matter of Huangfu Ziyu.

”Mr. Ye, you needn’t worry!” Xiang An comforted Ye Qing, ”The Gu God is a kind person and doesn’t mind the distinction between Miao and Han much. As long as the matter isn’t your fault, he will definitely help you save your wife!”