Urban Martial Saint

Hearing this, even Helian Tiehua and Prince Nalan couldn’t help but change their expressions. No one expected that these Five Poisons were actually not poisonous. More crucially, Ye Qing could actually figure these things out; his mind was too terrifying.

Huang Yidao opened his mouth wide, and after a while, he looked at Ye Qing and said, ”But, even if they aren’t poisonous, how did you manage to keep these five poisonous insects from biting you?”

”That’s quite simple,” Ye Qing said, ”These five poisonous insects are in a standoff with each other, so none of them dared to make a move. If we want to retrieve the steel needle, we just need not to alter their standoff position, and we won’t be attacked. So, I deliberately avoided the positions where these insects were directly confronting each other. These five insects were always in a standoff, so naturally, they didn’t have the time to attack me.”

The crowd suddenly understood; it turned out Ye Qing used this method to retrieve the steel needle. No wonder when Ye Qing reached in, those poisonous insects didn’t bite him, while others got bitten when they reached in. It was indeed because of this reason.

Upon learning why Ye Qing could easily retrieve the steel needle, the crowd didn’t need to ask Du Feng, as his method was exactly the same as Ye Qing’s.

However, this result made many people’s faces look unsightly, especially those whose children or nephews failed the first stage.

”Brother Shen’s design of this project is truly exquisite.” Prince Nalan sneered slightly, ”It seems very dangerous, but in reality, it’s linked closely with intrigue. My foolish grandson was too honest and had no scheming mind, yet he honestly tried to grab the steel needle. Compared to Nephew Ye, he’s indeed far inferior!”

Though Prince Nalan seemed to be praising Ye Qing, in fact, he was indirectly ridiculing Shen Tianjun for laying too many tricks. Saying his grandson was too straightforward explicitly implied Ye Qing wasn’t straightforward, expressing his dissatisfaction. After all, Nalan Tianyu was also bitten by the poisonous insect earlier. Although he passed the first stage, it was far from being as easy as Ye Qing’s; naturally, he felt somewhat unhappy.

”Mr. Shen already said that this martial contest isn’t focusing on the levels of martial arts; the main aim is to see everyone’s character and aptitude.” Shen Tianjun smiled faintly, ”Ye Qing is meticulous and well-considered, nothing strange about him observing this point. Moreover, for the first stage, I mainly wanted to test everyone’s courage and perception. Fortunately, everyone’s courage is commendable; knowing these Five Poisons are dangerous and still daring to reach for the steel needle, that’s not easy to achieve.”

Hearing this, Li Hongyi, standing by the side, couldn’t help but turn red-faced. Of all the participants in the first project, he was the only one who directly quit. Now, hearing Shen Tianjun say this, he felt extremely embarrassed. If he had known these Five Poisons weren’t poisonous, he might as well have risked being bitten and at least tried. But he didn’t even try, and now he’s utterly humiliated.

”Brother Shen, even though your method is good, Mr. Huang still finds it somewhat unsuitable,” Huang Yidao suddenly spoke.

The Joyous Monk glared and said, ”Are you trying to stir things up again?”

”Why can’t people speak up?” Huang Yidao, unwilling to show weakness, said to Shen Tianjun, ”Brother Shen, if you can’t accept Mr. Huang’s words, then I’ll leave Shen Family Manor right now.”

With Huang Yidao speaking to this extent, Shen Tianjun certainly wouldn’t stop him from speaking. Shen Tianjun slowly nodded and said, ”What does Brother Huang have to say, just say it without concern.”

Seeing Shen Tianjun say this, the Joyous Monk did not speak further, only glaring fiercely at Huang Yidao twice.

Huang Yidao ignored the Joyous Monk and said directly, ”Originally, my son has failed this time, so it seems that the Huang Family has no relation with the Shen Family and cannot continue with the contest. Therefore, this matter has nothing to do with Mr. Huang. However, I’m just this kind of person; if I have doubts in my heart, I must speak them out, even at the risk of offending others. So Brother Shen, if there’s anything offensive in my words later, please forgive me!”

Shen Tianjun slightly frowned, not knowing what excessive words Huang Yidao was going to say. But since Huang Yidao had already spoken to this extent, what more could he say?

”Brother Huang, speak without hesitation,” Shen Tianjun said calmly. ”If there’s anything inappropriate, we at the Shen Family can correct it. If there’s any misunderstanding, Mr. Shen can explain it to the imperial brother.”

”Alright!” Huang Yidao stood up directly, speaking in a loud voice, ”I heard that Ye Qing is not only a disciple of Northern Fist King Li San but also learned a lot of martial arts from Brother Shen. So, Ye Qing is considered Brother Shen’s student, isn’t that the case?”

Upon Huang Yidao bringing up this matter, Shen Tianjun’s frown deepened; what exactly was Huang Yidao trying to do?

Even Ye Qing over here frowned because he had already guessed what Huang Yidao was going to say. He didn’t understand what was going on with Huang Yidao. From start to finish, he has been targeting him. But they had no enmity; what was he up to?

”Brother Shen, is that the case?” Huang Yidao asked once more.

Shen Tianjun slowly nodded and said, ”Indeed, Ye Qing did learn martial arts from me for several days. However, I’m not really his master; I just taught him some boxing techniques on behalf of Brother Li San, since Brother Li San and I are close acquaintances.”

Huang Yidao nodded, ”Brother Shen taught Ye Qing some martial arts, and no matter what, there’s certainly some gratitude between Brother Shen and Ye Qing. Additionally, as far as I know, when the Killing Gate Seven Hidden attacked Shen Family Manor, it was Ye Qing who risked his life to save everyone there. It’s safe to say that Ye Qing is greatly indebted to the Shen family; everyone in the Shen family is very grateful to him, isn’t that right?”

”Indeed!” Shen Tianjun nodded, ”Ye Qing saved my Shen Family, and everyone in the Shen family has always remembered it.”

”Exactly,” Huang Yidao said, ”With the relationship between Ye Qing and Brother Shen, and the relationship between Ye Qing and the Shen family, I wonder if it would have any influence on Ye Qing’s participation in the contest?”

”What influence?” Shen Tianjun frowned, as Huang Yidao’s words implied suspicion that the Shen family might favor Ye Qing in this contest.

”Heh...” Huang Yidao smiled faintly, ”This is merely my speculation and might not be worth mentioning. But, speaking as an outsider now, I feel it’s necessary to say a few words. Since this is a public martial arts contest by the Shen family, the most critical aspect is fairness. Brother Shen, everyone here is at least a local hero; they’ve come to participate in the contest out of respect for the Shen family. As the host, shouldn’t the Shen family also show some respect to the guests? At the very least, ensure absolute transparency, fairness, and justice in this contest, right?”

”Are you saying our Shen family’s contest isn’t fair?” Shen Si exclaimed in a deep voice.

Shen Tianjun gestured to Shen Si not to speak, calmly saying, ”Brother Huang, do you believe our Shen family’s contest is unfair?”

”Whether it’s fair or not, I’m not sure. But as the host, Brother Shen should at least understand the importance of avoiding suspicion.” Huang Yidao said, ”All three projects were proposed by the Shen family, meaning the Shen family can completely control the outcome of this contest. Just a little manipulation in these three projects can determine the final winner.”

Speaking up to this point, Huang Yidao smiled slightly and said, ”Like the first round, everyone saw the five poisons in the box. I’d like to ask, did anyone realize that these Five Poisons were mutually antagonistic and not reinforcing each other?”

Upon hearing these words, everyone fell silent. Even the likes of Helian Tiehua and Prince Nalan hadn’t noticed these Five Poisons were antagonistic. They guessed the Five Poisons might be non-poisonous, but they didn’t realize they were antagonistic. Huang Yidao’s remark left many feeling embarrassed. These things they couldn’t discern, while a young junior could? It was quite humiliating.

”It seems none of you noticed at the time.” Huang Yidao turned his head, looking at Ye Qing, and said, ”This young brother’s observation skills are indeed too strong, aren’t they?”

Huang Yidao’s question implied suspicion that someone from the Shen family had tipped off Ye Qing, allowing him to easily retrieve the steel needle.

Everyone looked towards Shen Tianjun, and Huang Yidao’s words naturally sparked doubts among the crowd.

”My sworn younger brother is famously wise and resourceful; how can he be compared to you bunch of fools?” Shijia waved his hand and said, ”I believe my brother didn’t cheat, and Little Shen didn’t cheat either. You, this useless Huang knife, if you’re going to leave, leave quickly. Don’t affect the Buddha Master’s mood here!”

Knowing that Shijia was certainly not simple, Huang Yidao didn’t engage in a war of words with him. He only looked at Shen Tianjun and said, ”Brother Shen, I’m not sure if you can accept my words?”

Shen Tianjun gently sighed and said, ”Brother Huang, you’re right; I indeed overlooked these matters. Since everyone here is a guest, the contest naturally should ensure fairness, justice, and transparency. Concerning the previous projects, I didn’t consider them thoroughly. Perhaps, for the next two projects, we can try another method.”

”What method does Brother Shen propose?” Prince Nalan was the first to ask, already showing his support for Huang Yidao through his actions.

Indeed, many others were persuaded by Huang Yidao’s words. After all, Ye Qing passed the first round so effortlessly that everyone couldn’t help but wonder if the Shen family had already informed Ye Qing about the situation inside.

”For the next two projects, I feel we should abandon the ones proposed earlier.” Shen Tianjun looked at everyone and said, ”To ensure absolute fairness and justice, I propose that everyone present jointly decide on the next two projects.”