Urban Martial Saint

Just like last time, Yin Xianzi and Ding Lianshun did not stay at the farmhouse with Ye Qing. Instead, they were hiding outside, observing the surroundings.

In the house, only Ye Qing and Niu San and his wife remained. Ye Qing took out the Mu Ling and asked the couple to hold it in their hands to help them detoxify first.

The reason why Ye Qing did not perform this task in front of Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi was due to his lingering distrust of them. No matter what, these two were still members of the Twelve Green Halls. Although they’ve helped him a lot recently, he couldn’t disclose everything to them. Especially the Mu Ling, the Treasure of Zhendong from the Zhenmu Dong of the Miao Borderlands, incredibly rare. Knowing about this wouldn’t benefit Ye Qing at all.

Everything was quite similar to the Little Xie Couple; Niu San and his wife began to vomit one after another while holding the Mu Ling, expelling many poisonous insects. It seemed this Sorcerer indeed did not spare them either.

The physical condition of Niu San and his wife was slightly better than that of the Little Xie Couple. After vomiting, they took a short rest and stood back up. They were surprised at what they had just regurgitated.

”Doctor, what... what’s happening?” Niu San asked in astonishment.

”These are the poisonous insects you’ve unintentionally swallowed,” Ye Qing replied offhandedly. There wasn’t much he could explain to these honest local villagers.

”Ah?” Niu San and his wife both expressed shock and then remarked in amazement, ”Have we... have we eaten so many poisonous insects over time?”

”So you must be careful with your diet!” Ye Qing said, ”By the way, where do you keep your food?”

”Food?” Niu San hesitated for a moment, then quickly asked, ”Doctor, have you not eaten yet? Gosh, I forgot about this, dear! Hurry, go make a meal, go to the village entrance and buy some vegetables...”

”We don’t have any money left at home...” Niu San’s wife murmured.

”Can’t you borrow some?” Niu San glared and said, ”These three doctors have traveled so far to treat our son for free. Even if we’re poor, we can’t owe them a meal!”

Seeing the couple like this, Ye Qing sighed lightly, realizing they were indeed having a tough life. He took out a wad of cash and handed it to Niu San, ”Third Brother, take this money to buy whatever you need and set up your home properly!”

This wad of cash in Ye Qing’s hand, which was four or five thousand, wasn’t much for him now, but it was a huge number for Niu San and his wife who had never seen so much money before. For two farmers working hard all year, there’s not much left after living expenses. The sight of so much money left both breathless.

Niu San’s wife immediately reached out to take the money, but Niu San pushed her away and said urgently, ”How can you take the money so easily? Doctor Ye has come all this way to treat our child, not asking for a penny, we can’t also take his money, can we?”

After speaking, Niu San awkwardly turned to Ye Qing and said, ”Doctor Ye, really sorry, the woman does not understand. Please don’t do this, we’re already very grateful you’re treating our child, accepting money would be too much. You’ve come such a long way without earning anything, yet you have to spend money, we may be poor, but we can’t do this!”

It seemed that Niu San was a principled man, and Ye Qing felt more favorable towards him. He smiled lightly and said, ”Third Brother, it’s a misunderstanding, this money doesn’t come from me.”

”Oh?” Niu San froze for a moment and asked curiously, ”Then where does this money come from?”

”This is a government subsidy!” Ye Qing lied glibly, ”This money isn’t from me; it’s government-funded support for this illness.”

”This... there’s a subsidy for this illness?” Niu San was even more surprised; it was the first time he heard of a case where someone comes to treat their child for free and there’s also a government subsidy, and such a substantial amount.

”Of course!” Ye Qing affirmed, ”This illness is very rare, and once contracted, most families can’t afford the treatment. So, there’s this subsidy, mainly for the child’s recovery after the illness is cured. Third Brother, you take it first, buy some rice and flour and store them at home, all your existing food has to be destroyed.”

”Why?” Niu San glanced at the kitchen and said, ”The food in my house isn’t bad.”

”That’s not the problem.” Ye Qing said, ”Your child’s illness is unusual, which attracts various poisonous insects, leaving eggs in your home’s food. Eating these eggs will turn them into the poisonous insects you vomited earlier, which is extremely dangerous. So, all this must be destroyed, and everything at home replaced with new items!”

”Is there such a thing?” Niu San’s face was full of shock; he couldn’t entirely accept the news.

Niu San’s wife continued to keep her eyes on the money in Ye Qing’s hand. When she saw Niu San not reaching for it, she directly took it and said, ”Doctor Ye is right, I think there’s a problem with the rice and flour at home, better to destroy them quickly. Third Brother, you help Doctor Ye destroy all the food while I go buy something to eat at the village entrance!”

Finished speaking, Niu San’s wife left with the money quickly, fearing Niu San might stop her again.

However, this time Niu did not stop her. Firstly, Niu San was taken aback by Ye Qing’s words and was still thinking about the child. Secondly, Ye Qing claimed the money was a government subsidy, which comforted him enough to accept it.

Niu San led Ye Qing to the rice and flour barrels at home, looking at the remaining grains with some reluctance, ”Doctor Ye, are you saying none of my food can be eaten?”

”Not just these!” Ye Qing said sternly, ”Every edible item in your home needs to be destroyed, burned, with nothing left!”

”But... these are perfectly good grains, why can’t they be eaten?” Niu San was still somewhat unwilling to let go.

Ye Qing said, ”It cannot be helped unless you don’t wish to cure your child’s illness or don’t care about your own life!”

Hearing this, Niu San finally resigned and sighed helplessly, ”Then I’ll get some firewood to burn everything.”

Niu ran back and forth, destroying all the remaining food in the house. Just after he finished, his wife returned with a bag full of things, looking visibly pleased. After all, the child’s illness was treatable and having received such a large subsidy, her mood naturally improved.

By now it was late afternoon, after Ye Qing and the others finished dinner, they took a short rest. Yin Xianzi and Ding Lianshun hid near Niu San’s house. During the day, they had already familiarized themselves with the outside terrain. At night, they went directly to the spots they picked during the day to lay low, waiting for the Sorcerer to arrive.

Ye Qing stayed hidden in Niu San’s house. His own ability didn’t allow him to confront the Sorcerer directly. After witnessing the strength of the Blood Dragon Couple at the Xie Family home, he was highly cautious around these sorcerers and avoided direct confrontation unless absolutely necessary.

Niu San and his wife had long been sent away by Ye Qing, who found an excuse to have them and their two other children stay in the cellar to prevent undue alarm from the external situation. Meanwhile, Ye Qing waited quietly inside, holding the child who had been cursed.

The darkness of night crept in, giving the small mountain village an eerie and shadowy air. Outside was void of streetlights, only dim lights from each household trying and failing to pierce the darkness.

Ye Qing waited patiently for over seven hours inside, until after 3 a.m., still with no movement. This left him somewhat puzzled. Remember, in the previous night at the Xie Family home, the Blood Dragon Couple had arrived by 1:30 a.m. Yet why hadn’t this Sorcerer appeared? It was past 3 a.m., and dawn was approaching. Would this Sorcerer not show tonight?

This thought stirred concern in Ye Qing’s heart; without the Sorcerer’s appearance, the child’s sorcery wouldn’t be lifted, thus endangering the child’s life. However, he didn’t dare venture outside to have a look, fearing that even the slightest disturbance might alert the Sorcerer and deter his approach.

After about another half hour, while Ye Qing was anxiously waiting, a figure suddenly darted past the doorstep.

Ye Qing’s expression changed; he immediately stood up and grabbed the Wu Hong Dagger at his waist. Just as he was quietly moving toward the door, Yin Xianzi’s voice came through from outside.

”Ye Qing, something seems off!”

Ye Qing paused, realizing the figure might have been Yin Xianzi, though uncertain why she returned first.

”What’s wrong?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

”It’s already four o’clock now. It gets light here rather early, only an hour and a half left before dawn,” Yin Xianzi said in a solemn voice, ”If the Sorcerer doesn’t arrive soon, he’s definitely not coming tonight.”

”This...” Ye Qing frowned slightly, ”Does that mean we have to wait here another night?”

”This isn’t just about waiting another night!” Yin Xianzi replied sternly, ”This child is under the Great Food Descent, with a Maternal Bug inside, consuming so much food. He must clear his body regularly, or he’ll swell to death. If the Sorcerer doesn’t come tonight, I’m afraid this child won’t make it through the night!”