Urban Martial Saint

The sudden arrival of the old man caused a flicker of inscrutable light in Hou Yuewen’s eyes. Lin Tianyou, however, was more hospitable and quickly invited the old man to sit down beside them and continue the previous discussion.

After the old man came in, Hou Yuewen spoke noticeably less, and the topics he had been discussing with Lin Tianyou earlier were not mentioned again.

The old man, on the other hand, was talkative and engaging. Although he didn’t say anything substantive, he was quite the conversationalist and easily shifted the topic. Initially, the three were discussing the patient’s condition, but as soon as the old man entered, it turned into a complete casual chat.

With the old man diverting the topic, Hou Yuewen simply stopped talking. He casually picked up the teapot beside him, filled all four cups, and said with a smile, ”Let’s drink and chat.”

”Thank you,” Lin Tianyou expressed his thanks and immediately took a sip from the cup in front of him.

Ye Qing, feeling parched, also picked up his cup and took a sip. The old man was the most straightforward, picking up his cup and downing it in one go.

”Is there any more?” The old man placed the empty cup in front of Hou Yuewen.

Hou Yuewen frowned slightly but still refilled the old man’s cup. Yet, the old man downed it in one go again, seemingly very thirsty.

”Ah, these small cups and bowls are too much trouble.” After drinking this cup, the old man simply put the cup aside, grabbed the teapot, and started drinking directly from the spout.

Ye Qing almost spit out his mouthful of tea. Wasn’t the old man’s way of drinking tea a bit too bold? And wasn’t this a bit too oblivious to others? There were four people here, and he was drinking straight from the spout; how were the other three supposed to drink?

When Hou Yuewen saw the old man do this, there was a clear look of surprise in his eyes, along with a hint of coldness, as if he had grown hostile towards the old man. However, Ye Qing and Lin Tianyou’s attention was on the old man, so they didn’t notice Hou Yuewen’s expression.

After drinking the entire teapot, the old man finally set it down and exclaimed, ”Ah, that’s what I call drinking tea; what we did before was just sipping!”

The three here were all dumbfounded. After a while, Lin Tianyou smiled and said, ”Sir, you seem very thirsty. Would you like some more? I can brew another pot for you!”

”No need, another pot might not taste the same,” the old man said with a light laugh, casually glancing at Hou Yuewen.

Hou Yuewen’s expression changed slightly, but he did not respond.

”If the tea isn’t strong enough, I can make a fresh brew just as easily,” Lin Tianyou replied.

”No worries, no need for trouble. I’m full now!” The old man laughed and said, ”Let’s continue.”

Having drunk the pot of tea, the old man seemed even more energetic and continued talking animatedly. However, the content was completely unrelated to the treatment this time.

After listening for a while, Hou Yuewen couldn’t sit still any longer. He stood up and said, ”Doctor Ye, Doctor Lin, I have some things to attend to, so I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll visit you both again when I have time!”

”Doctor Hou, stay a bit longer,” Lin Tianyou stood up to persuade him, but Hou Yuewen showed no intention of staying and got up to leave.

Watching Hou Yuewen leave, the old man couldn’t help but smile, stood up, and said, ”It’s getting late; I won’t bother you any longer. However, Doctor Lin, your room is quite stuffy; you should open the windows to let in some fresh air.”

After saying this, the old man didn’t wait for Lin Tianyou and Ye Qing’s agreement and directly went to open all the windows around. The cold wind from outside blew in, instantly invigorating everyone in the room.

Having opened the windows, the old man also left, leaving only Ye Qing and Lin Tianyou looking at each other inside the room. Earlier, Hou Yuewen had come over mainly to discuss the patient’s condition with Lin Tianyou, which was fine. But what was the old man there for? He seemed to come over just to chat; he couldn’t be that idle, could he? And why did he leave right after Hou Yuewen did? What was his intention? Could he have come for Hou Yuewen?

Ye Qing was full of doubts, but he didn’t pay much attention. After all, everyone here was a doctor, and perhaps they had some old grudges, which had nothing to do with him. So he didn’t go out to find out but stayed in the room to continue discussing the treatment with Lin Tianyou.

The old man left Lin Tianyou’s room, and instead of returning to his own, he hummed a tune and leisurely walked out of the dormitory building.

Outside, it was completely dark, and being near the border, the area was quite remote and uninhabited. Walking out of the dormitory building, there was a pitch-black yard, looking rather eerie.

The old man strolled into the depths of the yard, stood under a tree deep in the yard, and chuckled, ”Nephew, come out. Still playing hide and seek with me?”

Not long after the old man finished speaking, someone slowly came down from the tree. His face was covered in scars, and it was none other than Hou Yuewen.

”Old man, you’ve got the wrong person, haven’t you?” Hou Yuewen glared coldly at the old man and said in a deep voice, ”I don’t know you, nor am I your nephew.”

”Is that so?” The old man couldn’t help but smile. He turned to look at Hou Yuewen and said, ”Tsk tsk tsk, I wouldn’t have thought the once handsome Liu Ruxiang would end up like this. Ah, as the saying goes, he who does evil will meet his doom; it seems there’s indeed truth to that!”

Hearing the name Liu Ruxiang, Hou Yuewen’s expression changed drastically. He stared at the old man for a long while and suddenly said in a deep voice, ”Are you Bai Li Xi!?”

This old man turned out to be Sai Hua Tuo Baili Xi? However, looking at him, he didn’t resemble Bai Li Xi at all. And what had he been doing since leaving Wan Yan Manor, and why did he come here?

”How could I not be your master uncle? Is this how you address your elders when you see them?” The old man smiled faintly and said, ”Nephew, is this how the old man Ning Qianshu taught you?”

So, Hou Yuewen was Ning Qianshu’s disciple!? If Ye Qing heard this, he would be extremely shocked. Of course, he would immediately understand why Hou Yuewen sought them out.

Hou Yuewen’s face turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, ”I was wondering who could effortlessly neutralize my five poisons. I thought perhaps another astonishing Divine Doctor had appeared, but it turns out, it’s you, master uncle.”

Earlier in Lin Tianyou’s room, Hou Yuewen had released five kinds of poison, aiming to kill Ye Qing and Lin Tianyou. Especially in that last pot of tea, he had placed his unique poison; whoever drank it would surely die. However, the old man drank the whole pot of tea directly, which instantly alerted him. Moreover, the other poisons he released had no effect whatsoever, confirming for him that he was dealing with an expert. That’s why he chose not to linger in the room and promptly left.

Now he finally understood that this old man was Bai Li Xi. His five poisons were nothing in front of Sai Hua Tuo Baili Xi. Bai Li Xi neutralizing his poisons was as easy as child’s play, no wonder his poisons had no effect at all.

”Alas, after so many years, you’ve fallen so far!” Bai Li Xi sighed and said, ”In my memory, you were the spirited, ambitious Liu Ruxiang. Yet, after all these years, you’ve succumbed to such disgrace, even to the extent of committing such shameless acts as poisoning. Ah, time truly is a butcher’s knife!”

”Hmph, after all these years, master uncle, your nonsense has increased a lot!” Hou Yuewen said coldly.

Bai Li Xi said, ”I’ve been locked up for nearly thirty years, with a belly full of words and nowhere to say them. Now that I’m finally free, can’t I say a few words?”

Hou Yuewen was speechless for a moment. He frowned and said, ”Master uncle, Master has been looking for you for nearly thirty years. I heard he’s overjoyed at the news of your appearance. Since you’re back, why not go see him?”

”No rush, that old man won’t die so soon. As long as he’s alive, we’ll meet eventually!” Bai Li Xi looked at Hou Yuewen with a faint smile and said, ”But you, I’m a bit worried for you. You’ve made so many enemies over the years, and even if you disfigure yourself, how long can you hide? I heard the Wood Stretching Gu Master from the Miao Borderlands has left, and you caused his daughter’s death back then. I doubt he’s forgotten that debt.”

If Ye Qing heard these words, he’d be even more shocked. No wonder the Wood Stretching Gu Master despised the Han people; it turns out his daughter was murdered by Han people. Moreover, the one who killed his daughter was this very Hou Yuewen standing here, formerly known as Liu Ruxiang.

Hearing about the Wood Stretching Gu Master, Hou Yuewen frowned. He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, ”Master uncle, rest assured. My grievances with the Miao Borderlands won’t drag you into it.”

”Even if you wanted to drag me in, you couldn’t!” Bai Li Xi laughed and said, ”The misdeeds of your family have nothing to do with me. The Wood Stretching Gu Master isn’t stupid; even if he seeks revenge, he won’t find it on me. But you, be cautious. Don’t think disfiguring yourself will escape the eyes of the world. As the saying goes, those who walk in the night often eventually encounter ghosts!”

Hou Yuewen listened with a face full of black lines. Bai Li Xi certainly wasn’t just a little long-winded. Suppressing his urge to hit someone, he said in a deep voice, ”Master uncle, you intend to protect that Ye kid, don’t you?”

Bai Li Xi said, ”Haven’t you heard? It’s Ye Qing who saved me at the Wan Yan Manor; as they say, a life-saving grace must be repaid with a spring, shouldn’t I protect him?”

”Master uncle, do you really mean what you’re saying?” Hou Yuewen said, ”With the measly skills of the Wanyan family, could they have trapped you for so long? You were just hiding with them to avoid my master’s pursuit. Instead of him saving you, it was you yourself who wanted to come out!”