Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing furrowed his brows, he could see that Li Qianqiu was relatively honest, but the three people beside him were particularly slick. With these three people here, it was impossible for him to get any information about Huangfu Ziyu from Li Qianqiu. However, this was precisely what he was most concerned about. The whereabouts of Huangfu Ziyu, like the whereabouts of his brother Ye Jun, were the two things Ye Qing was most worried about right now.

Seeing Ye Qing’s skeptical expression, the three became even more anxious, fearing that Ye Qing would indeed ask Li Qianqiu about this matter. Li Qianqiu was a man of great courage and a key target of cultivation for Helian Tiehua. But he also had a trait of being too righteous and doing things based solely on his own preferences, which was quite vexing. If he considered Ye Qing a friend, he would go to any lengths for him. If he really revealed information about Huangfu Ziyu, that would be a significant problem!

”Mr. Ye, what does your silence mean?” a man said coldly, ”Is the Dragon Blood Wood and Gold Silk Armor with you or not, wouldn’t one word answer it? Are you afraid we might rob you? Hmph, you seriously underestimate my young master’s integrity. Don’t forget, your life was just saved by my young master earlier!”

This man’s words could be considered quite sharp and unkind. In fact, the three people around Li Qianqiu were all wily old hands in the Jianghu and generally wouldn’t speak like this. However, he had no choice at this moment. Ye Qing was clearly drawn to the news about Huangfu Ziyu, so he had to find a way to divert Ye Qing’s attention. The best way to change the topic now was to provoke Ye Qing, which was undoubtedly the most effective method.

Upon hearing this, before Ye Qing could speak, Li Qianqiu waved his hand first and said, ”Uncle Jiu, Ye brother definitely doesn’t mean that.”

Ye Qing also added, ”Sorry, I got a bit distracted earlier. Yes, the Dragon Blood Wood and Gold Silk Armor are indeed with me now. If you’d like to see them, it’s not a problem. I’ll go fetch them right away for you to look at.”

After finishing, Ye Qing stood up and left the room to look for the Dragon Blood Wood and Gold Silk Armor.

Watching Ye Qing walk away, Uncle Jiu immediately turned to Li Qianqiu and said anxiously, ”Young master, why did you speak out everything? Now, this matter is the most crucial for the Seven Rudders of the Hong Alliance. We cannot let any news leak. Otherwise, if ill-intentioned people find out, the implications could be enormous! Whether our Seven Rudders can contend with the Twelve Green Halls depends on this, it’s of great importance and must absolutely remain secret!”

Li Qianqiu sighed, slowly nodded, and said, ”Uncle Jiu, I misspoke earlier, I’ll definitely be careful.”

Seeing Li Qianqiu respond this way, Uncle Jiu relaxed a little and said, ”Young master, I’m not trying to criticize, but this matter is truly significant, and there can be no mistakes. Let’s not linger here. After exchanging a few words with him, we should head back quickly. The longer we stay here, the easier it is to slip up.”

Meanwhile, Ye Qing went to the back inner room, where there were also several sets of replicas he had brought back from Master Craft. The genuine articles had long been hidden by Ye Qing, and he certainly wasn’t going to take them out casually. Besides, he had set this up to make Prince Wan Yan believe that Handsome Fatty Wang had taken the genuine articles, diverting Wan Yan’s attention to Handsome Fatty Wang. Naturally, he wouldn’t take out the genuine articles now.

He brought the replicas to the front and handed them to Li Qianqiu and others to examine. In fact, Li Qianqiu and the others weren’t really interested in the Dragon Blood Wood and Gold Silk Armor, so they wouldn’t notice they were replicas. As for Ye Qing, his mind was still on what Li Qianqiu had said earlier, and he didn’t have the heart to consider what these people were thinking. Thus, throughout the process, neither party spoke, making the atmosphere slightly awkward.

Uncle Jiu pretended to examine them for a while, then placed the replicas on the table and said, ”So this is what the Dragon Blood Wood is like. It’s an eye-opener today, thank you, Mr. Ye, for your generous gesture, bringing such rare treasures for us to admire. However, it’s getting late, and it’s not convenient to disturb you any longer. Mr. Ye, why don’t we head back for now and visit you another day?”

Uncle Jiu thus announced their intention to leave. Ye Qing had no way to stop them and could only stand up to see them out. Despite having many questions for Li Qianqiu, he ultimately remained silent. He could tell that Li Qianqiu was also quite troubled, seemingly unable to speak directly about something.

At the door, Li Qianqiu quietly slipped a note to Ye Qing and then left immediately.

After seeing them off, Ye Qing returned to his room and opened the note, which simply read: ”Miss Huangfu is fine now, don’t worry. The matter is important, so I can’t say much, but don’t worry about it. Also, do not disclose this incident, thank you!”

The note was clearly something Li Qianqiu stealthily wrote for Ye Qing. With Li Qianqiu’s words, Ye Qing was finally able to take a deep breath. Although Old Wang Ba had told him earlier that Huangfu Ziyu was fine, he had always been on edge because Old Wang Ba was quite unreliable. However, Li Qianqiu was different, far more reliable than Old Wang Ba, and his words were unquestionably trustworthy.

Memorizing the note’s content, Ye Qing immediately burned it. It was clear that Li Qianqiu was under a lot of pressure to write this for him. If the Seven Rudders of the Hong Alliance saw this note, Li Qianqiu could be in significant trouble, and Ye Qing couldn’t let him have such worries.

Late at night, within Brahmanism in the realm of Tianzhu Country, the Purple Robe Lama, Venerable Protector of the Faith, was sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion in the grand hall. The atmosphere was solemn and silent, everything around seemed steeped in stillness.

No one knew how much time had passed when the Purple Robe Lama suddenly opened his eyes and turned his head sharply. There, behind him, was a monk who had appeared at some unknown time. This monk wore a pure white monk robe, untouched by any speck of dust. His face was as if carved from jade, and under the moonlight, he appeared even more handsome, a startlingly refined and otherworldly monk.

If Ye Qing were here, he would surely recognize with a glance that this monk was none other than Wuhua Monk, the one who previously persuaded Cui Yulong at the Shen Family Manor. It was also this Wuhua Monk, with a single Buddha’s voice, that disturbed Lu Zian’s mind and saved Chen San’s life.

Shen Tianjun once said that this Wuhua Monk was a disciple of Shijia. However, the secrets that Wuhua Monk carries are not much less than Shijia’s. Not to mention anything else, just the fact that he appeared silently behind the Purple Robe Lama, and even the Purple Robe Lama hadn’t realized it, is enough to astonish everyone in the world.

Seeing Wuhua Monk, the Purple Robe Lama was visibly surprised. However, he quickly regained his composure, looked Wuhua Monk up and down, and said softly, ”Are you the legendary one?”

With a faint smile, Wuhua Monk slowly walked underneath the statue of the Great Brahman God in the main hall, calmly gazing at the statue, with no discernible expression on his face.

Logically speaking, although the Great Brahman God is a branch of Buddhism, it is after all a Buddhist deity. Even if the teachings differ, people of the Buddhist Sect should at least display some respectful etiquette upon seeing it. However, Wuhua Monk faced the statue of the Great Brahman God with no trace of reverence, as if he was looking at an ordinary sculpture. For Buddhists, this is indeed a peculiar thing. Even if they don’t worship the deity at the temple, they at least hold veneration in their hearts. What’s going on with Wuhua Monk?

After staring at the statue of the Great Brahman God for a while, Wuhua Monk spoke softly, ”Does the Venerable plan to go to Huaxia?”

The Purple Robe Lama slowly nodded and said, ”Since you discern everything, why do you need to ask?”

”Precisely because I discern everything, I need to inquire.” Wuhua Monk turned to look at the Purple Robe Lama and said, ”Does the Venerable still remember the words a high monk spoke to you before you were tonsured at Dalin Temple?”

”Of course I remember!” the Purple Robe Lama said, ”That was sixty years ago. That high monk told me that sixty years later, I must not set foot in Huaxia again. Otherwise, the day I enter again will be the day I sacrifice myself to Buddha.”

”Since the Venerable remembers those words, why still attempt to enter Huaxia?” Wuhua Monk asked, ”Is it possible that the Venerable does not believe in fate?”

”No!” The Purple Robe Lama shook his head and said, ”I believe in fate, and I also believe in that high monk’s words!”

”If so, then why does the Venerable insist on entering Huaxia?” Wuhua Monk asked, ”Now that sixty years have passed, is the Venerable not fearful of fulfilling this calamity?”

”If it’s a calamity, avoiding it is futile. If it’s destiny, escaping it is pointless.” The Purple Robe Lama said, ”Since I believe in fate, I intend to go to Huaxia. If heaven has destined me to sacrifice myself to Buddha in Huaxia, then I must go to Huaxia once. If indeed I can die for Buddha, it counts as a kind of Buddhist fate for me.”

Wuhua Monk did not speak again, gazing at the Purple Robe Lama for a long while before taking a deep breath, ”It seems that the Venerable has finally seen through everything in the world.”

”All humans suffer; to gain liberation is to attain a good fate!” The Purple Robe Lama slowly clasped his hands together and softly uttered, ”Amitabha.” After a moment of silence, he turned to look at Wuhua Monk again and said, ”Did the Buddha’s Son come merely to remind me of this statement?”

Buddha’s Son? Why does the Purple Robe Lama refer to Wuhua Monk in this way? And what does Buddha’s Son really mean? What is Wuhua Monk’s true identity?

Turning his gaze to the stars outside the window, Wuhua Monk said, ”The opportunity has come. Dalin Temple will be rebuilt. I have come to ask for a favor from the Venerable.”

”Please speak, Buddha’s Son,” the Purple Robe Lama respectfully said.

Wuhua Monk looked at the Purple Robe Lama, and said each word clearly, ”Help the True Buddha find another Dharma Protector-Venerable!”