Urban Martial Saint

From the four cars behind, a total of more than ten people got out, surrounding a man in his fifties.

This man was nearly 1.8 meters tall, with a strong build and long arms that almost hung down to his knees. His waist was straight, and as he walked, he exuded an aura of power and determination—it was clear he was a man of decisive action.

There was no doubt that this man was the notorious Ao Wuchang from Shu!

Shuzhong has many Red Robes, but to be truly called a Pao, one must have a certain status there. Thus, generally speaking, Paos are not weak.

Outside of Shuzhong, however, Pao is synonymous with Ao Wuchang because seventy percent of the Paos in Shuzhong are under his control. It can be said that Ao Wuchang is the leader of the Shuzhong Paos, and almost all the Red Robes revere him as their superior.

Without absolute strength, how could Ao Wuchang achieve this?

Now, this renowned Ao Wuchang from Shu stood before Ye Qing and the others. Even before he spoke, many were already feeling anxious.

Following beside Ao Wuchang was Aomuhan, who was bandaged. Standing next to Ao Wuchang, he had swept away his previous gloom, his face full of pride and arrogance, like a fox borrowing the tiger’s might. Only by Ao Wuchang’s side would he display such arrogance and conceit, as he had someone to rely on.

The group accompanying Ao Wuchang walked directly towards them, and Ye Qing and the others met them, clasping their fists from afar as they said, ”This must be the renowned Pao from Shu. I am Ye Qing, honored to finally meet the famous Pao.”

Ye Qing spoke simply, without unnecessary pleasantries. And Ao Wuchang had no intention of engaging in more conversation; he glanced Ye Qing up and down, then looked past him at Liu Mubai, Cui Yulong, and the others, furrowing his brow slightly, and said, ”Quite a crowd here!”

Liu Mubai said loudly, ”We’ve long heard of the famous Pao from Shu, so we specifically came to admire the style of the Pao from Shu!”

”Heh heh...” Ao Wuchang let out a cold laugh, ignoring them as he directly led his group to the other side and sat down in the seats there.

These seats had previously been occupied by Ye Qing and his group. With Ao Wuchang and his group seating themselves like this, they had directly reversed roles, leaving Ye Qing and his group unsure of what to do.

In fact, Ye Qing had originally thought about reasoning with Ao Wuchang. But seeing Ao Wuchang’s demeanor now, reasoning seemed impossible. No wonder Aomuhan had such a character; truly, what kind of father raises what kind of son. With Ao Wuchang’s arrogant and conceited attitude, could his son be any less restrained?

”Damn, what a thing!” muttered Ghost King Li Ruoyuan softly, not liking Ao Wuchang’s behavior.

Ao Wuchang’s ears were very sharp; even though Li Ruoyuan’s voice was small, he heard it clearly. He turned his head directly to look at Li Ruoyuan, assessed him up and down, and said coldly, ”Hmph, I thought the disciple of the Northern Fist King was a hero. I didn’t expect you to degrade yourself by mingling with these lost souls and wandering ghosts. Northern Fist King was a hero all his life; accepting such a disciple has truly ruined his lifetime reputation!”

Upon hearing this, Li Ruoyuan was immediately furious. Ao Wuchang’s words seemed to be cursing Ye Qing, but they were actually directed at him!

Seeing Li Ruoyuan about to speak, Ye Qing promptly interjected, ”Pao is also a hero of his time, it’s just a pity that he raised a son who only bullies those who can’t fight, and women. If this spreads, I fear that Pao’s reputation won’t fare much better, will it?”

Ao Wuchang’s expression turned cold; he turned to glare angrily at Aomuhan. Although Ao Wuchang spoiled Aomuhan, his education of Aomuhan was also very strict. He had already dealt with Aomuhan regarding this matter once before.

Aomuhan kept his head down, not daring to meet Ao Wuchang’s eyes, but his heart was filled with extreme hatred toward Ye Qing.

”I’ve already inquired about the matter concerning Liu Yuan and Mu Qingrong,” Ao Wuchang said with a cold gaze at Ye Qing. ”The fault was Aomuhan’s, and I have no objections to you injuring him. Rest assured, although I, Mr. Ao, only have this one son, I am not an unreasonable person. He was at fault, so he deserved to be injured. However, I hope that from now on, these two matters can be put behind us, and there will be no further grievances. How do you see it?”

Ye Qing was greatly surprised; he thought Ao Wuchang was going to use this matter to cause him trouble. He didn’t expect Ao Wuchang would say such things, suggesting that these two matters be put behind them entirely—could it be that he wasn’t here to cause trouble tonight?

After a few seconds of silence, Ye Qing slowly nodded and said, ”Since Pao Ge put it this way, let’s settle it like this. However, I want to say one more thing, if the Proud Young Master still holds resentment and seeks revenge, he can come to find me. My two friends do not know martial arts, there’s no need to involve those who cannot defend themselves in matters concerning martial artists!”

”You can rest assured about that!” Ao Wuchang said loudly, ”Since I have made this statement today, from now on, no one can pursue this matter any longer. Muh Han, listen carefully, if you ever cause trouble for any of them over this issue, I will personally deal with you!”

Ao Wuchang glared at Aomuhan, who shivered in fear and nodded quickly, ”I... I understand...”

”Good that you understand!” Ao Wuchang turned to look at Ye Qing and said, ”Now, are you satisfied?”

Ye Qing looked at Aomuhan and then at Ao Wuchang. He hadn’t expected Ao Wuchang to be so reasonable about this matter. What exactly was going on? Wasn’t Ao Wuchang here to pick a fight?

There was no sign of anything unusual on the faces of Ao Wuchang or Aomuhan. Ye Qing also glanced at Chen San behind them. Chen San’s expression remained somber, seemingly troubled. Seeing him like this made Ye Qing uneasy; it seemed that Ao Wuchang’s arrival was not that simple after all!

”With Pao Ge’s assurance, I can be at ease!” Ye Qing replied calmly.

”Very well!” Ao Wuchang nodded in satisfaction and said, ”In that case, let’s leave it at that. Ye Qing, since I’m here today, I have some matters to discuss with you.”

Ye Qing’s heart skipped a beat; he knew the most important issue was about to come. He looked at Ao Wuchang and asked, ”I wonder what matters Pao Ge wishes to discuss with me?”

”First...” Ao Wuchang glanced at the Seven-Star Ancient Sword strapped to Ye Qing’s back and said, ”This Seven-Star Ancient Sword is something that belongs to our Hong Alliance. I hope Mr. Ye can return what belongs to us.”

Ye Qing’s expression turned cold; Ao Wuchang was practically demanding to take it by force. If Ye Qing didn’t hand over the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, a fight would be inevitable.

”Hmph!” Before Ye Qing could speak, Cui Yulong, standing beside him, snorted and said, ”Since when did the Seven-Star Ancient Sword become the property of the Hong Alliance? All I know is that this Seven-Star Ancient Sword is a family heirloom of the Huangfu Household, and Miss Huangfu personally promised it to Ye Qing. By that logic, this Seven-Star Ancient Sword now belongs to Ye Zi. Why should it be returned to the Hong Alliance?”

Ao Wuchang cast a cold glance at Cui Yulong and said sternly, ”The Huangfu Household is also one of the Seven Rudders of the Hong Alliance, and this Seven-Star Ancient Sword was initially a gift from the Hong Alliance to the Huangfu Household. Later, when the Huangfu Household defected from the Hong Alliance, the Seven-Star Ancient Sword should have been returned to the Hong Alliance, but it was taken away instead. So, the true owner of the Seven-Star Ancient Sword has always been our Hong Alliance. Now, as a member of the Seven Rudders of the Hong Alliance, I have come to reclaim our Hong Alliance’s property. What is wrong with that?”

”When exactly did the Hong Alliance gift the Seven-Star Ancient Sword to the Huangfu Household? And when did the Huangfu Household defect from the Hong Alliance?” Liu Mubai said loudly, ”Since the Hong Alliance gave the Seven-Star Ancient Sword to the Huangfu Household, it became their property. What’s the rationale for taking it back? Moreover, who are you to say who the true owner of the Seven-Star Ancient Sword is? Does that mean since you Hong Alliance had the sword before the Huangfu Household, you are its rightful owner? By that logic, the Seven-Star Ancient Sword originally belonged to Master Guiguzi, so the sword’s rightful owner is Master Guiguzi, not the Hong Alliance!”

”Well said!” As soon as Liu Mubai finished speaking, Ghost King Li Ruoyuan started clapping and cheering, intentionally provoking Ao Wuchang. Earlier, when Ao Wuchang mocked him as a lonely wandering ghost, he had been holding in his anger, ready for an opportunity to vent.

Ao Wuchang’s expression turned cold as he stared at Ye Qing, saying sternly, ”Ye Qing, I don’t want to hear other people’s nonsense. The Seven-Star Ancient Sword is with you now; are you going to return it or not? Give me an answer!”

Ye Qing reached out to remove the Seven-Star Ancient Sword and caressed the sword scabbard, stating calmly, ”The Seven-Star Ancient Sword was given to me by Zi Yu. The only person who could take this Seven-Star Ancient Sword from me would be Zi Yu herself!”

”So you’re saying you won’t return our Hong Alliance’s property!” Ao Wuchang stood up abruptly and said loudly, ”Ye Qing, I respect you as a descendant of the Northern Fist King and helped my adoptive children a lot in dealing with Wang Tian’an, so I wanted to show you some respect. But if you refuse the toast and choose the penalty drink, then I won’t show any respect either.”

After speaking, Ao Wuchang walked a few steps forward, stood in the middle of the area, and said loudly, ”Martial artists have always spoken with their strength. If you don’t want to hand over the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, then use your power to guard it. However, I won’t bully a junior. Since all of you are here, let’s go together. Let me see what the sect founded by the Bloody Monk, Sha Men, is capable of that makes you dare challenge our Hong Alliance!”

Upon hearing this, the crowd from Sha Men erupted into a commotion, all infuriated by his words, clamoring to teach Ao Wuchang a lesson.

Seeing the crowd seething, Cui Yulong stood up and stopped them. He held a wooden box, walked a few steps forward, and calmly looked at Ao Wuchang, saying loudly, ”If you want to fight, I will accompany you!”