Urban Martial Saint

The Monk and Old Wang Ba were arguing endlessly, while Ye Qing and the other two had no idea how to mediate, so they simply watched like spectators enjoying the show. These two old geezers were both thick-skinned types, and their bickering was actually quite amusing to watch.

Their argument finally came to an end when the food was served. As soon as the roast duck arrived, the Monk’s eyes went wide. He completely ignored Old Wang Ba, grabbed the roast duck, and began devouring it ravenously, utterly ignoring the fact that there were other people at the table who also needed to eat.

Seeing the Monk take all the roast duck, Old Wang Ba got anxious. The second dish on the table was a vegetarian dish, not his favorite type. But he wasn’t one to admit defeat either and moved all the dipping sauce in front of himself, looking smugly at the Monk, saying, ”Hey bald thief, this Capital roast duck is best eaten with the sauce. Go ahead and eat, but I bet you won’t taste anything without the sauce!”

”Oh, really?” The Monk perked up immediately, looking at the dipping sauce in front of Old Wang Ba, hesitating for a moment before saying, ”How about letting me have a try?”

”Dream on!” Old Wang Ba picked up the sauce, practically ready to tuck it into his chest, unwilling to let the Monk have any.

Watching these two bicker like children, Ye Qing couldn’t help but laugh quietly. He waved to the waiter to bring two more servings of roast duck and dipping sauce, finally resolving the dispute at the feast.

The Monk had quite a good appetite, eating one and a half roast ducks along with two portions of braised pork before he was satisfied and burped. Old Wang Ba, despite moving aggressively, couldn’t actually eat much; half a roast duck was enough to fill him up.

During the meal, Ye Qing intended to find out from the Monk his reason for coming to the Capital. However, with his mouth full of food, the Monk had no time to answer. It wasn’t until the Monk was full that Ye Qing finally seized the chance to ask him.

”This time, I’m coming to the Capital to find an old friend,” the Monk replied, burping while speaking. His tone and expression carried a somewhat mysterious feel, but seeing his greasy face, Ye Qing started to think that the Monk’s words were even less reliable than Old Wang Ba’s.

”An old friend?” Ye Qing was intrigued. ”Master, if you’re here to find an old friend, why did you come here today? It’s quite busy here today, with the General of Meng District, Helian Tiehua, coming to the Capital, and Prince Nalan hosting him. Could your old friend also be here?”

The Monk glanced at Ye Qing and said, ”You don’t need to probe me; my old friend isn’t Helian Tiehua nor Prince Nalan. How they are doing has nothing to do with me!”

Ye Qing always felt this Monk was quite mysterious and assumed he was acquainted with people like Helian Tiehua or Prince Nalan. However, the person the Monk came to find wasn’t either of them, so who exactly was he looking for here?

Ye Qing looked at Old Wang Ba beside the Monk, and Old Wang Ba shrugged, saying, ”Don’t look at me; this bald thief never tells me anything. I was dragged here by him. Anyway, when you return to Shenchuan City, make sure to bring me back. I don’t want to wander about with this bald thief anymore. Damn it, every day like this, I can’t even eat properly. I’m telling you, this meal is the most luxurious I’ve had in days!”

From the helpless look on Old Wang Ba’s face, it seemed his days with the Monk weren’t all that pleasant.

”I haven’t let you go hungry these days!” the Monk retorted indignantly. ”Every time I come back from begging, don’t I let you eat first?”

Ye Qing, astonished, looked at Old Wang Ba and asked, ”Eighth Master, have you two been begging your way here?”

Old Wang Ba’s face turned so flushed he could hardly find a place to hide, waving his hands repeatedly, saying, ”Don’t talk about it, don’t talk about it, it’s too damn embarrassing. Before we set out, I said to bring some money, but this bald thief insisted on experiencing life and made me leave empty-handed. So, we ended up fare-dodging on trains, begging for food. Damn it, Eighth Master has never done anything this shameful in his life.”

The Monk said, ”Oh, give me a break. When you were out roaming before, weren’t you living by deceiving people?”

”That’s different!” Old Wang Ba replied. ”Firstly, what I did wasn’t deceiving people. Secondly, at least I was earning my living with skills.”

After eating and drinking, the two resumed their bickering, giving no chance for the three others at the table to speak.

Ye Qing and the other two sat helplessly beside them. What could they say when dealing with these two people? There was simply no way to communicate with them normally. Ye Qing dropped the idea of asking their purpose for coming here and focused on waiting for Helian Tiehua’s arrival in the Capital. For him, the most crucial task was to figure out how to get the Seven-Star Ancient Sword back. Once he accomplished that, he could leave the Capital and return to Shenchuan City.

Outside, most people shared Ye Qing’s thoughts, all waiting for the General of Meng District, Helian Tiehua, to arrive in the Capital. Thus, most people stood on the street, their eyes fixed on the end of the street.

They waited until after one o’clock, and finally, three black sedans appeared at the end of the street. On the other side of the hotel, Nalan Lie had also brought many key figures from the Nalan Family to the entrance of the hotel. There was no doubt that the person arriving must be the Meng District General Helian Tiehua!

Immediately, the crowd outside stirred restlessly. The name of Great General Helian Tiehua was famous throughout the land, but few had seen his true face. Everyone wanted to see what this youngest acme expert looked like.

Ye Qing focused his attention as well; he had heard the name of Great General Helian Tiehua countless times. Being able to see him in the Capital this time was indeed an exciting event for a Martial Artist. Ye Qing was fine, as he was a disciple of the King of North-South Boxing, whose strength and reputation were on par with Helian Tiehua. Nonetheless, seeing Helian Tiehua here, Ye Qing was slightly excited in his heart.

The three black sedans pulled up and stopped at the entrance of the hotel. The car doors opened, and six tall men stepped out. Among them was a man who looked no more than forty or fifty years old, exceptionally tall with a height of about one hundred ninety-five centimeters. With a robust build, his body was filled with explosive power. His hair was in a crew cut, his facial features tough, and his hands were like dustpans, appearing very formidable.

The other five surrounded this man; there was no doubt that this man was indeed Great General Helian Tiehua.

Seeing Helian Tiehua, most people couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. Helian Tiehua’s physique truly befits the title of Meng District General. To know, Helian Tiehua’s stature is even stronger than Black Bear’s. Standing there, he was like a mountain, weighing on everyone’s hearts, making them raise their heads to gaze up at him.

Seeing him, Ye Qing was also shocked, unable to resist the urge to submit at his feet. Ye Qing understood this was a charisma, an inherent kingly presence. The Great General Helian Tiehua, with tens of thousands of disciples who revered him highly, had cultivated a commanding presence over years of reign. Even standing simply, he exuded a feeling of being unmatched in the world!

What a Meng District General! What a Helian Tiehua!

The onlookers mostly sighed in awe that the name of Helian Tiehua resonating across the land was by no means accidental.

Seeing Helian Tiehua, Nalan Lie was also shocked. People of the Nalan Family always believed that Prince Nalan was the strongest in the world and thus didn’t regard others among the Five Uniques. He was waiting for Helian Tiehua this time, although Prince Nalan had instructed him to welcome Helian Tiehua warmly, he didn’t really pay much attention to Helian Tiehua in his heart.

However, upon seeing Helian Tiehua, his thoughts completely changed. Great General Helian Tiehua, with such a commanding presence, was unmatched by others. Regardless of his actual strength, perhaps many would be daunted by his presence and not have the intention to contend with him!

Nalan Lie was stunned for about five seconds before coming back to his senses, quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, ”Nalan Lie greets General Helian. General Helian, after your long journey, our family head has prepared some modest wine, already waiting inside!”

Helian Tiehua glanced at Nalan Lie and said, ”Seventeen years ago, Helian had a brief encounter with Nalan Yuan. You indeed bear some resemblance to Nalan Yuan!”

The Nalan Yuan Helian Tiehua mentioned was actually Nalan Lie’s eldest brother, also Nalan Tianyu’s father. Fifteen years ago, he died at the hands of the Joyous Monk, which is why Nalan Lie is now the eldest among the second-generation offspring of the Nalan Family.

Nalan Lie was a smart man; hearing Helian Tiehua’s words, he realized Helian Tiehua truly harbored no hostility towards the Nalan Family this time coming to the Capital.

Nalan Lie sighed and said, ”My elder brother passed away early, so today, only Nalan Lie will accompany General Helian for a few more drinks!”

”Nalan Yuan was a young hero, his unfortunate death was indeed a great loss!” Helian Tiehua sighed as well, nodded, and said, ”Please lead the way, Nalan.”

”This way, please!” Nalan Lie walked ahead, leading Helian Tiehua and others inside the hotel.

Ye Qing observed the group from a small restaurant nearby as they walked into the hotel, immediately preparing to step outside, looking to find an opportunity to sneak into the hotel as well. However, just as he turned to leave, the monk beside him suddenly sighed, saying, ”Ah, how can someone really be heading to seek death?”

”What?” Ye Qing looked at the monk in surprise, not understanding what he meant.

The monk said nothing, only clasped his hands and sighed wistfully.

Ye Qing was puzzled, turning to glance over at the hotel entrance, also seeing nothing special. Whom was the monk referring to? Could it be that Helian Tiehua’s trip to the Capital was a search for death? How could that be? With Helian Tiehua’s strength, even Prince Nalan might not be able to hold him!