Urban Martial Saint

The fishing boat stopped at the shore, and the upstream current finally weakened, allowing Ye Qing to maintain his posture in the water. However, after soaking in the water for such a long time, and hanging on the fishing boat like this, Ye Qing was utterly exhausted at this moment, completely out of strength to climb out of the water.

Soaking in the water, Ye Qing silently activated his inner strength, hoping to carefully assess his injuries. However, no matter how he operated it, there was no response from the meridians in his body. Evidently, this time his meridians were truly completely shattered, and his martial arts were also thoroughly abolished.

In fact, what made Ye Qing more frustrated was not the issue with his meridians, but that his left hand and both legs had no sensation at all. Ye Qing still remembered when the power of the Buddha’s Relic entered his body, it was like a force tearing through everything, ripping and shattering his body; the tendons and bones of his left hand and both legs were torn apart in this process.

In other words, Ye Qing not only lost all his martial arts, but his limbs were also broken, just as Patriarch Bodhidharma had said, even if his life was saved, he would become disabled.

Fortunately, Ye Qing’s body contained the power of the Devouring Demon Flower, which timely protected his internal organs and mind; otherwise, he would have become more than just disabled.

However, what puzzled Ye Qing was why his right hand wasn’t torn apart. You see, Ye Qing was holding the Buddha’s Relic with his right hand at that time, and it was also with his right hand that he executed that move, A Stone’s Throw Away, channeling all the power into his right hand. But now, Ye Qing’s right hand was completely fine. Not only fine, but it also saved Ye Qing’s life. If it weren’t for his right hand still being able to move, Ye Qing would indeed have suffocated in the water.

With surprise, Ye Qing raised his right hand to inspect it carefully, instinctively wanting to see what was going on with his right hand. But when he turned his palm around to face himself, Ye Qing suddenly discovered an astonishing scene.

In the very center of his right palm, there was a spherical bead. The bead was embedded within the flesh, and there were no visible scars on his hand, as if the bead had naturally grown there. But Ye Qing knew clearly he had never seen this bead before, and he couldn’t understand who’s hand would grow something so strange.

A spherical bead inside the flesh of the palm? This was too bizarre!

Staring at that bead for a while, Ye Qing became more puzzled. He had never seen this thing before. Could it have appeared during the fight with the Corpse Ghost Dragon? But what exactly is this bead? Why did it enter the palm of his hand, yet there wasn’t a single injury on his hand?

After pondering for a while, another question suddenly arose in Ye Qing’s heart: What about the Buddha’s Relic?

During the fight with the Corpse Ghost Dragon, the power of the Buddha’s Relic was absorbed into Ye Qing’s body. But Ye Qing knew he only absorbed less than one percent of the power inside the Buddha’s Relic. The true power stored within the Buddha’s Relic was terrifying enough to kill hundreds of Corpse Ghost Dragons. So, even if Ye Qing used the Buddha’s Relic once, its power was still terrifying.

Ye Qing had fallen into the sea at that time, but he was still clutching the Buddha’s Relic. It was only later, when he sank to the seabed, that he became so dazed from suffocation that he stopped concerning himself with the Buddha’s Relic, only grabbing randomly with his right hand. As this thought occurred to him, his heart became tense. Could it be that in his disoriented state underwater, he accidentally dropped the Buddha’s Relic while grabbing blindly?

Ye Qing looked at the spherical bead in his palm, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat. For some reason, he felt that this bead was very similar to the Buddha’s Relic. Could it be... could it be that this bead is the Buddha’s Relic?

As soon as this thought emerged, Ye Qing immediately shook his head. The idea was too absurd. How could the Buddha’s Relic enter his palm? And even if the Buddha’s Relic did enter, why wasn’t there a wound in his palm, and why couldn’t he feel any pain?

This question puzzled Ye Qing for a long time, yet he couldn’t think of any possibility. However, during this time, Ye Qing finally regained a little strength. Furthermore, having been in the water for too long, Ye Qing turned his head and looked around, searching for a way to escape.

This civilian fishing boat was not docked at the pier but stopped near a shallow. So, from Ye Qing’s position, he only needed to swim five or six meters, bypass the fishing boat, and he would reach land, where he could slowly climb up.

However, now Ye Qing could only use his right hand, so this five or six meters felt like a daunting task. Moreover, the current was very strong here, and if anything went wrong, he could be swept into deeper waters again, and he might not be so lucky to encounter another boat.

Ye Qing took a few deep breaths, stared at the shallow for a while, and then gritted his teeth fiercely, untied the iron chains wrapped around him, and used his right hand to swim towards the shallow.

Ye Qing clearly underestimated the speed of the water and his current situation. As soon as his hand let go, he was instantly swept away by the current. Although he paddled hard with his right hand, his meridians were completely severed at that moment, and without inner strength to support him, he lacked power. Moreover, with only one right hand left, he couldn’t maintain balance and was unable to swim towards the shallows. Instead, he was being pushed farther away.

Seeing this situation, Ye Qing was even more worried. If he got swept away like this, he would be doomed. But now, he had no way out; the speed of the water far exceeded his strength, and he could only watch himself drift farther and farther from the shore. The only movable right hand could only be used to keep his head above the water surface, ensuring he wouldn’t drown.

However, given Ye Qing’s current state, persevering with just one right hand for such a long time was already exhausting. At this rate, in less than three minutes, Ye Qing would inevitably face the same fate as before, sinking to the bottom and suffocating to death.

Ye Qing felt unwilling in his heart; he had promised Huangfu Ziyu to return. But looking at the situation now, he feared he couldn’t make it back.

The rapid water swept Ye Qing across the sea. A few waves hit, and Ye Qing finally couldn’t hold on, being pushed underwater by them.

Choked by the water, Ye Qing was near collapse. In such a dark night, falling into the water meant certain death. Was it true that this time, he couldn’t go back to see Huangfu Ziyu?

Not long after sinking, Ye Qing was already suffocating unbearably. When drowning, people instinctively grab around, and Ye Qing was no exception. Unable to breathe, Ye Qing could only use his sole right hand to grab desperately; at this moment, even a straw would be something he wouldn’t let go.

But, what could there be underwater for him to grab?

While Ye Qing was struggling desperately, his right hand accidentally touched something furry. Without hesitation, Ye Qing grabbed it, surprisingly clutching a furry tail.

How could there be a long hairy tail underwater? What exactly had he grabbed onto?

Ye Qing didn’t have time to think about these questions now; he had managed to grab a tail, and he wouldn’t let go even at death’s door. He clutched the tail tightly, sensing it struggling vigorously and even something biting him. Ye Qing couldn’t tell what he had encountered, but he occasionally heard two dog barks. Despite the sharp pain, he refused to let go.

The tail struggled for a while but couldn’t shake off Ye Qing; instead, it began sinking with him. Clearly, this thing was getting anxious; Ye Qing could distinctly feel several paws clawing at the water, slowly guiding him sideways.

It wasn’t clear how long it took, but Ye Qing gradually lost consciousness, a result of holding his breath for too long.

When he awoke, the sky was already brightening. Ye Qing looked around to find himself lying by the riverbank, surrounded by water plants that almost covered his entire body. His body was still in the water, but his head was above the surface, which was the primary reason why he survived. Had his head been underwater the whole time, he certainly would have died.

Ye Qing was surprised he could survive in such a state. He took a couple of breaths, finally recovering some sensation. As he raised his right hand intending to sit up, he suddenly noticed he was still gripping a furry object.

”Woof woof woof...” Immediately, a barking sound came from beside him. Ye Qing turned his head to see a yellow mutt lying not far from his head. The mutt was sizable, its tail in Ye Qing’s hand, and it seemed to have been sleeping just now. With Ye Qing’s tug, the mutt woke up instantly, turning its head with a hostile look towards Ye Qing.

Seeing the tail in his hand, Ye Qing suddenly remembered what happened last night. As he was about to pass out, he grabbed a furry tail; could it have been this mutt’s tail? Was it possible that this mutt actually saved his life?

Upon thinking about it, it seemed entirely possible. Though this mutt wasn’t large, it had considerable strength. Also, dragging a person through water doesn’t require too much force, so this mutt might have dragged him to the shore.

Ye Qing’s right arm bore several wounds, evidently from the mutt biting him. However, Ye Qing harbored no hatred for the mutt. Last night, he clutched its tail, so naturally the mutt would bite him. Moreover, considering the situation, it was likely the mutt that dragged him to the shore; without it, he would have died. To Ye Qing, this mutt was his lifesaver, no, his life-saving dog!