Urban Martial Saint

Of course, what shocked Ye Qing the most was that the Bloody Monk turned out to be this monk’s junior brother.

Counting now, this monk has two junior brothers, one is the Joyous Monk, and the other is the Bloody Monk. Not to mention the Bloody Monk, even the Joyous Monk is already close to being a peak master, a person who can duel with Prince Nalan. Although he was ultimately defeated, the fact that he could fight Prince Nalan for so long already speaks volumes about his strength.

And the Bloody Monk is even more renowned as the number one assassin under heaven, the only person who can challenge the Five Uniques. This means that the Bloody Monk’s strength is not even below the Five Uniques.

The monk’s two junior brothers are both peak masters. Therefore, the monk’s own strength must not be weak either; at least he should have the strength to aim for the top among the Five Uniques, right?

Ye Qing looked up at the dirty monk in front of him. To be honest, he really couldn’t compare this oily monk, who occasionally stuck his pinky into his nostril, with those peak masters famous throughout the world. This monk looked nothing like a peak master.

Even though the Joyous Monk was lustful, he stood there with an imposing aura. As for the Bloody Monk, not to mention his aura, the mere presence of his killing intent was enough to make people wary. But this monk stood there picking his nose—him, a peak master?!

”So... who’s the third one?” Huangfu Ziyu couldn’t help but ask. If this monk’s two junior brothers were so formidable, the third junior brother must be something as well. At least, he wouldn’t be obscure wherever he was known.

The monk replied, ”The third junior brother, I reckon you won’t run into him, so there’s no point in mentioning his name.”

”Why not?” Ye Qing said, ”You should still mention it. If we were to meet him, it might be too late.”

The monk curled his lips and said, ”If you can run into him, consider yourself capable; I’ve been looking for him for over thirty years and haven’t found him, yet you think you might?”

Ye Qing fell silent, and after a long pause, he softly asked, ”You’ve mentioned your two junior brothers’ names, but what is your own name?”

Huangfu Ziyu and Liu Mubai both looked at the monk. To be honest, they were both very curious about this monk’s name. His two junior brothers were so renowned; this monk surely couldn’t be a nobody, right?

”Everyone calls me the Wine and Meat Monk...” The monk paused and chuckled, ”My monastic name is Shijia!”

”Ah?” The three of them exclaimed, Ye Qing stared at the monk and said, ”Who gave you this monastic name? Don’t you think this name is somewhat disrespectful?”

Buddha Sakyamuni is the figure all Buddhists revere. Those of the Buddhist sects don’t even dare call his name directly. Who would have thought that this monk’s monastic name would be Shijia? How is that possible? Unless his master was an idiot, why would he give him such a name?

”What’s so disrespectful about it?” Shijia said, ”I drink and eat meat, kill, and am bloodthirsty — none of this is considered disrespectful. But naming myself Shijia is considered disrespectful? As the saying goes, ’Wine and meat pass through my gut, yet Buddha abides in my heart.’ If my heart holds Buddha, then even if I eat meat and drink, kill in bloodlust, or call out to Shijia directly — so what? Having Buddha in my heart is still better than those who have Buddha on their lips but demons in their hearts!”

Shijia’s words left Ye Qing and the others speechless. Though they felt what Shijia was doing was wrong, they couldn’t refute him.

Seeing the three of them quiet, Shijia chuckled and said, ”Young Ye, since you’ve treated this poor monk to some good food and drink, let me offer you some advice. The Southern Six Provinces are about to plunge into chaos. Whoever holds the Seven-Star Ancient Sword will become the target of all. If you want to stay alive, you’d better hand over that thing, lest you lose your life over it unknowingly!”

”Ah?” Ye Qing was surprised and asked, ”Why would whoever holds the Seven-Star Ancient Sword become the target of all?”

Shijia glanced at Huangfu Ziyu beside him and said, ”Don’t ask me; your little sweetheart knows better than I do!”

Shijia’s words made Huangfu Ziyu blush. She spat, ”People of the Buddhist sect should speak with propriety. I see you’re not much better than your two junior brothers!”

”That’s wrong!” Shijia shook his head and said, ”My heart has Buddha, whereas neither of them has Buddha in their hearts. No matter how improper I may be, I am merciful. As proper as they might be, they are not merciful!”

”Merciful my foot!” Huangfu Ziyu pouted and said, ”With all that mercy, I didn’t see you saving those killed by White-haired Ding San!”

”You’re missing the point; mercy doesn’t necessarily mean saving lives,” Shijia said. ”Buddha shows mercy in enlightening the world. The Womb of the Earth Bodhisattva vows to remain in hell until it is empty. Thus, true mercy lies in enlightenment, not just in saving lives. The Buddhist sect speaks of reincarnation. If not enlightening, merely saving lives would only blur the lines between good and bad, leaving demons to roam the earth. How is that any different from causing harm?”

Huangfu Ziyu countered, ”Then why don’t you just kill White-haired Ding San? He’s killed plenty and can be considered a demon!”

Shijia shook his head, ”His heart is filled with resentment. If it is not released, even in death he will still have a demon in his heart. Killing him now, how could it be considered salvation?”

Huangfu Ziyu was left speechless by Shijia’s words, and after a long pause, finally spoke, ”Then... then why didn’t you kill the Bloody Monk? Does he also have resentment in his heart?”

Shijia shook his head and said, ”He is connected to my Buddha, and one day, he will come back to my Buddha for redemption of the wrongs he has committed in the past!”

”Forget it, forget it, there’s simply no way to talk to someone like you.” Huangfu Ziyu waved her hand and said, ”No matter how you put it, you’re always right, purely sophistry!”

Shijia said, ”Amitabha, I am speaking with facts, lady benefactor, you may choose not to listen, but you cannot deny these facts.”

Huangfu Ziyu turned her back directly, completely ignoring Shijia. On the side, Ye Qing was dumbfounded and remained silent for a long while before saying, ”Master, you still haven’t told me, why does the Seven-Star Ancient Sword bring about slaughter?”

Shijia said, ”It’s very simple, the Seven-Star Ancient Sword is one of the seven keys to open the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates!”

”What?” Ye Qing’s eyes widened in shock; he suddenly recalled what Old Wang Ba had said to him before. At the time, Old Wang Ba told him that seven keys were needed to open the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, and one of them was with him.

Back then, Ye Qing was still wondering which key he possessed that was used to open the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. Unexpectedly, the key turned out to be the Seven-Star Ancient Sword he took as a weapon!

”An innocent man deserves no guilt, but possessing a treasure invites sin!” Shijia looked at Ye Qing and said, ”Back then, the Huangfu Household and the Chen Family were annihilated because of the keys. The Huangfu Household held the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, hence they were tragically wiped out. Now that you possess the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, what do you think?”

Ye Qing opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. Only until now did he finally understand the reason behind the annihilation of the Huangfu Household and the Chen Family years ago—they held the keys to the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. Now, he himself was holding one key, and undoubtedly, countless eyes must secretly be watching him!

”Moreover, the most troublesome part is that you not only have the Seven-Star Ancient Sword key.” Shijia continued, ”The Overlord Spear you brought back from Miao Borderlands last time is one of the keys too!”

”What?” Ye Qing was again shocked, the Overlord Spear is also one of the seven keys? No wonder Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun left the Overlord Spear in Miao Borderlands for safekeeping, it was to prevent someone from going in to snatch the Overlord Spear!

This way, he now possesses two of the seven keys to open the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. If this news spreads, how many people would be envious? Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, said to have been circulating for thousands of years, allowing a person to ascend overnight, have countless hidden forces waiting for these three gates to open. Undoubtedly, once the time is ripe, holding two keys, he is bound to become a target!

After a moment of silence, Ye Qing suddenly asked, ”Is the Cold Moon Blade also one of the seven keys?”

”How did you know?” Shijia asked in surprise.

Ye Qing nearly collapsed; earlier the Bloody Monk snatched the Cold Moon Blade, Ye Qing suspected the Cold Moon Blade was one too. Unexpectedly, casually asking proved it; the Cold Moon Blade indeed is one of the seven keys. Counting this way, he has come into contact with three of the seven keys. Many have fought desperately for these items, and he has unwittingly possessed three!

Originally, the Chen Family and Huangfu Household tragically faced annihilation due to a key. Now he has two keys, previously a Cold Moon Blade; with these three items together, how many would want to kill Ye Qing for them?

”What are the other four keys?” Ye Qing asked sternly.

”You better go back and ask your little sweetheart, she’s a descendant of the Hong Alliance, knows better than me!” Shijia said, ”I’m just reminding you, an innocent man deserves no guilt, but possessing a treasure invites sin, don’t die without knowing why. Also, you don’t need to worry about matters in Tianhui City here. I assure you, during this time, White-haired Ding San won’t kill in Eastern Province. So let those policemen take a break.”

After Shijia finished speaking, he directly turned and jumped over the backyard wall; Ye Qing didn’t even have time to stop him.

Here, Huangfu Ziyu and Liu Mubai also managed to stand up and walked to Ye Qing’s side, both with an expression of shock and doubt. Shijia’s name was unfamiliar to all three of them, but it was clear this Shijia was definitely not an ordinary person.

”Shijia, Shijia...” Liu Mubai gently repeated the name, pondering for a long time, and suddenly said in a whisper, ”Why do I feel like I’ve seen this name somewhere before?”

”Is it from the Buddhist scripture?” Huangfu Ziyu asked, ”In the scripture, Shijia Muni Buddha is frequently mentioned, maybe you’re confusing it?”

”I shouldn’t be confused…” Liu Mubai said, ”Because I remember this Shijia seems to appear together with a name called Wuji!”