Urban Martial Saint

Shen Qianyue had just turned around and hadn’t run two steps when another masked figure in black jumped out in front of him, blocking his way.

”Shen Qianyue, where are my father and the others?” The masked figure in black asked in a low voice. She was Wen’er, the daughter of the Grand Sect Master.

Earlier, Wen’er and Ye Qing had entered this tomb through the underground passage. However, when leaving, she was left behind by Ye Qing, who went out alone to lure Shen Qianyue and others in. When Shen Qianyue and those skeletons came in, she was hiding in the stone cave, watching everything clearly. Now seeing Shen Qianyue about to leave, she could no longer restrain herself and jumped out to ask about her father’s whereabouts.

”Who are you? Who is your father?” Shen Qianyue asked in surprise, with Ye Qing chasing closely from behind and now this person blocking his way from the front, rendering him extremely anxious. The skeletons were gone. If he were stopped like this, he might end up losing his life here.

”Stop pretending to be clueless!” Wen’er shouted angrily, ”Those people who blocked you just now, where did they go?”

”Oh?” Shen Qianyue seemed to realize something, nodding slowly as he walked towards Wen’er, saying, ”They went to...”

Before Shen Qianyue could finish his sentence, he suddenly shot out like an arrow, pouncing straight at Wen’er. With Ye Qing trailing behind, he certainly didn’t dare to charge at Ye Qing and could only find a way to get past Wen’er, planning to rush past her and escape from this place.

Seeing Shen Qianyue approaching, Wen’er immediately extended her palms to block him. However, compared to Shen Qianyue, her strength was far inferior. Really engaging would certainly put her at a disadvantage.

Ye Qing was following closely behind and seeing the situation, he dashed forward like an arrow. Just as Shen Qianyue was about to strike Wen’er, he suddenly reached out, grabbed Shen Qianyue’s ankle, and yanked him back forcefully.

With his strength largely recovered, Ye Qing easily threw Shen Qianyue back. Shen Qianyue was so scared of Ye Qing that he didn’t even think about resisting.

Getting up from the ground, Shen Qianyue turned without a word and ran back. Ye Qing and Wen’er were blocking the exit, so he didn’t dare to run in that direction anymore.

Ye Qing certainly wouldn’t let him escape and pursued closely. In no time, they all reached the end of the cave; there was no way forward anymore.

”Shen Qianyue, by collaborating with evildoers and harming the innocent, you’ve already enraged both the human and divine realms. Your death is not to be regretted. Today, let’s see where you can run!” Ye Qing gripped the scabbard of the Ancestor of Miao Dao tightly, glaring coldly at Shen Qianyue,

”Ye, don’t be too happy too soon!” Shen Qianyue replied coldly, ”I’m not that easy to kill, and even if I die, it won’t be by your hands!”

With that said, Shen Qianyue suddenly turned and jumped into the underground river, rushing along with the water flow into the channel ahead.

The underground river had an outlet, and the water flow rushed entirely into this outlet, similar to the entrance of the pond outside. The water flowed in from that entrance and flowed out from this side’s outlet, heading into the mountain’s interior, making it unclear what lay within.

Shen Qianyue knew that the entrance ahead was impassable, but driven by desperation, he jumped into this outlet. Keep in mind, the water flowed toward the mountain’s interior, and no one knew what lay within or if there was a path further in, or whether there might be hidden perils. He jumped right in; wasn’t that essentially suicide? With luck, he might escape following the flow; without it, he could be wedged somewhere inside the mountain, his bones trapped forever, never to find a final resting place.

Seeing Shen Qianyue jump in like this, Ye Qing was shocked too. But looking at the deep, dark cave, he certainly wouldn’t jump in to chase. It was simply too reckless. Killing Shen Qianyue wasn’t worth such a risk.

”Shen Qianyue, where are you running to!” Wen’er ran over, impulsively wanting to jump after him but was held back by Ye Qing.

”Don’t chase him!” Ye Qing said sternly, ”The water flow inside is very fast, and who knows what’s in there. Once inside, it’s fraught with danger. Shen Qianyue himself can barely make it out alive. There’s no need for us to venture in and take such risks.”

”But what about my father and the others now?” Wen’er asked anxiously.

”I don’t know either. I didn’t see them when I went out earlier.” Ye Qing paused and said solemnly, ”But now that everyone’s trapped in here, let’s get out quickly and see for ourselves.”

Only then did Wen’er react. Without saying anything more, she quickly turned around and rushed along the entrance, swimming out of the pond to search for the missing leaders of the South Ridge Sect.

Ye Qing followed behind her, consuming a few more petals of the Devouring Demon Flower to speed up his recovery. Although Shen Qianyue and the skeletons had been dealt with, Ye Qing still felt uneasy. After all, Nine-Fingers Wu Yong was from the Wanyan Family, and there was no guarantee that the Wanyan Family wouldn’t get involved. If they did, it would be dangerous.

They ran out of the pond, and Wen’er headed straight for the spot of the earlier battle. However, nothing was left there, just some bloodstains and nothing else. The sect leaders of the South Ridge Sect had already been taken away, and the area was desolate.

”Where is everyone? Where is everyone?” Wen’er stood in place, looking around frantically, exclaiming, ”Dad, Dad, Second Aunt, Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Fifth Uncle, where are you all? It’s Wen’er! It’s Wen’er!”

Wen’er’s shout echoed in the mountains, but no one responded. This made her even more anxious, her heart sinking as she frantically ran around yelling, desperately searching for her family.

Ye Qing followed behind, feeling worried as well. Were those sect leaders really in danger? But even if they were, shouldn’t their bodies be found? Why were there no corpses here? Could it be that their bodies disappeared as well?

At this moment, Wen’er seemed almost delirious, the more she couldn’t find them, the more frantic she became, running around aimlessly. Yet, after a long while, she still found nothing.

Seeing Wen’er in such a state, Ye Qing couldn’t help but step forward to stop her.

”Don’t worry too much. I think those leaders must have already escaped,” Ye Qing said. ”Shen Qianyue and those skeletons went into the cave without lingering outside. When I emerged, the battle with the Grand Sect Master was already over. Since we didn’t find the Grand Sect Master’s body here, it means they weren’t killed. They must have fled to recover. Let’s search outside; they might be waiting for you out there.”

”Really?” Wen’er’s expression eased slightly as she glanced around, whispering, ”I hope they’re okay.”

”They’ll certainly be fine. Considering the time, Shen Qianyue wouldn’t have had time to dispose of their bodies so quickly,” Ye Qing surveyed the area and continued, ”Let’s leave here quickly, meet up with a friend of mine, and then find those leaders.”

”Okay.” Wen’er slowly nodded. Despite usually being assertive, she was at a loss in such situations, relying solely on Ye Qing’s judgments.

Ye Qing took Wen’er, not down the mountain, but up towards the peak. Handsome Fatty Wang had earlier taken Nine-Fingers Wu Yong out, and Ye Qing had no idea where that path led. To find him, reaching the mountaintop for a better vantage point seemed like the best plan.

Stone Mountain wasn’t tall, and Ye Qing and Wen’er reached the summit in no time. Wen’er, upon arriving, immediately scanned the surroundings for her family but found nothing. It was as if they had vanished completely, no longer anywhere on the mountain.

Ye Qing swept over his surroundings and spotted a few people at the back of the mountain, with Handsome Fatty Wang conspicuously in the middle. This fellow was holding Nine-Fingers Wu Yong hostage, in a standoff with the people around him. This fatty sure was bold.

After spotting Handsome Fatty Wang, Ye Qing quickly led Wen’er down the mountain path. Before long, they neared the scene, overhearing Handsome Fatty Wang’s loud voice from a distance.

”Hey, doesn’t Fat Lord keep his word? I said stand still, didn’t I? Aren’t you listening? Believe it or not, I’ll stab this old bastard right through. Don’t try to scare me; you know Fat Lord’s temper too well. If pushed, I’ll take a couple down with me before I go. Even in death, it’d be worth it. So don’t test Fat Lord’s fiery temper, when I get mad, even I get scared, so what about you?”

Ye Qing was speechless. This infuriating fatty—could still chatter so much useless nonsense in such a tense situation.

”Is this how you’re supposed to handle a hostage situation?” Wen’er whispered beside him. ”To talk so much in a standoff—was this fatty a teacher?”

”Give me a break; the guy’s just a tomb robber!” Ye Qing derided. This annoying fatty would probably make a decent monk.

”A tomb robber?” Wen’er was taken aback, remaining silent for a moment before whispering, ”For a tomb robber like him to have survived this long is truly remarkable!”

Indeed, those who frequently delve into tombs rarely prattle on. It’s not only risky in terms of attracting eerie things within the tomb, but outside, excessive talk could easily get them caught by the police.