Urban Martial Saint

The sky was barely bright and the search along the shore continued. Great General Helian Tiehua, Shen Tianjun, and the Bloody Monk, among other peak masters, had not left the seaside and were all waiting here for the search results.

Countless large fish were laid out along the shore, including sharks, the kind that could swallow a person whole. These fish had been cut open in search of Ye Qing’s body, which might have been swallowed by one of them.

However, after so much time, everyone came up empty-handed and found nothing.

This situation left everyone beyond just worried. They were all extremely perplexed. They had clearly seen Ye Qing fall into the sea, but why, after such a long time, had they not found a single trace of him?

”Great General!” At this moment, a man hurried over and anxiously said, ”Great General, it’s bad; three brothers have fainted.”

”What happened?” Helian Tiehua said in a deep voice, frowning tightly. The issue with Ye Qing had not been resolved, and now his subordinates were starting to faint. Truly, trouble never comes alone.

”This...” The man glanced at Helian Tiehua and hesitated somewhat.

”Speak!” Helian Tiehua barked in a low voice. At such a time, he was already quite irritable, and this man was still hesitating, which naturally made him angrier.

”Yes!” The man immediately stood straight and spoke loudly, ”The three brothers passed out from exhaustion.”

This statement left Helian Tiehua slightly embarrassed as he turned to look at the members of the Seven Steering Committees of the Hong Alliance searching the sea and shore. They had been working tirelessly since last night without resting, and now most of them were extremely fatigued, hardly able to continue.

”Great General!” Another man ran over, anxiously saying, ”The brothers have been working since last night; they’re both hungry and exhausted and can’t hold on much longer.”

Another man followed, ”Great General, the fuel on the boat is almost used up. Should we pause to refill the fuel?”

Immediately, many subordinates came to report their exhaustion, visibly showing they were extremely fatigued and indeed couldn’t keep going.

”General Helian...” Shen Tianjun nearby heard everything clearly and sighed lightly, saying, ”Perhaps we should leave some people here to search while the others return to rest. They’ve been at it all night, and it’s particularly cold by the sea; continuing like this is truly unbearable!”

Shen Tianjun had a good relationship with Ye Qing, so even he suggested this; naturally, Helian Tiehua would not argue further. He nodded slightly, looking at the sea ahead, and said, ”In that case, leave one-third of the people here to continue searching. The others can go back to rest. We’ll search this area in shifts!”

”Yes!” Several men responded in unison, extremely excited and thrilled at Helian Tiehua’s words, as they had finally been granted the chance to rest after a whole night of fatigue.

Helian Tiehua slowly walked to the edge of the giant rock, looking at the busy people on the sea, and said softly, ”Where on earth could Ye Qing have gone? We’ve been searching since last night and have turned over this entire area, yet why can’t we find him?”

No one answered Helian Tiehua’s question, as everyone wore expressions of worry and gloominess, even Nalan Jingwei. Of course, Nalan Jingwei was not worried about Ye Qing but rather about the Buddha’s Relic. With Ye Qing’s disappearance, the Buddha’s Relic was missing as well, which was the most regrettable thing for Nalan Jingwei.

Shen Tianjun sighed wistfully and murmured, ”I’m not even sure how to explain this to Zi Yu.”

Helian Tiehua nodded slowly; indeed, it was like that. Huangfu Ziyu was still waiting for Ye Qing to return at the manor. However, all they could bring back were news of Ye Qing’s disappearance. How were they supposed to tell Huangfu Ziyu?

”Regardless, simply waiting here isn’t a solution,” the Wolf Monk approached and said in a grave voice: ”General Helian, King of Fists Shen, perhaps you should return to Shenchuan City to rest and arrange city matters. I shall stay here to watch over things. If Ye Qing is found, I will contact you immediately.”

Everyone exchanged glances, and no one objected; the Wolf Monk’s proposal was indeed good. Everyone had been here too long; though Ye Qing was very important, there were plenty of matters in Shenchuan City as well. Moreover, the Corpse Ghost Dragon’s men had all scattered, and some might have even hidden in Shenchuan City. Someone needed to return to suppress them; otherwise, who knew what they might do in Shenchuan City.

Furthermore, Ye Qing had once saved the Wolf Monk’s life, so he would certainly spare no effort in searching for Ye Qing here. Thus, everyone was very assured leaving him in charge.

”In that case, I’ll trouble you, Master,” Shen Tianjun said. ”I’ll first go back and arrange the affairs of the Shen Family. Once things are settled there, I’ll return to assist you in searching for Ye Qing.”

The Wolf Monk nodded and said, ”Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, nothing will go wrong.”

”Then we’ll head back first.” Shen Tianjun nodded and turned to call the masked old man who had been staring dazedly at the riverbank. The sky was dim, and it was impossible to see his expression, but it was clear that his mood was not good.

The others didn’t linger there either and each got in their cars to rush back to Shenchuan City. Of course, Li Lianshan and Zhao Chengshuang remained by the sea, continuing their search. However, they had arranged for subordinates to go down in groups, so they could hold on for a long time.

When daylight broke, several cars arrived at the manor entrance. Seeing the surprisingly quiet manor ahead, Helian Tiehua couldn’t help but sigh and exchanged glances with the people beside him.

Huangfu Ziyu was waiting inside the manor for Ye Qing, yet this time Ye Qing didn’t return. How were they supposed to explain this to Huangfu Ziyu?

After a moment of silence, Shen Tianjun said in a low voice, ”No matter what, we have to tell her the truth. Let’s go in.”

Helian Tiehua nodded, and everyone drove in. As they crossed the manor’s gates, they saw an exquisitely beautiful woman sitting at the entrance—it was none other than Huangfu Ziyu.

Huangfu Ziyu stood at the gate, staring blankly in their direction, her expression unreadable, only the occasional flicker of hope in her eyes. However, they could tell that her expressionless face was not absent-mindedness, but rather a nearly despairing void. After waiting for so long and with so much having happened, she was likely truly in despair inside!

Seeing Huangfu Ziyu, everyone exchanged looks. They had come in determined, but now their hearts were suspended. Her expression made them unsure of how to break the news to her.

As the vehicles arrived, Huangfu Ziyu immediately stood up, a sliver of hope crossing her face, even a hint of excitement, and she hurried over. Before she even reached the car, she shouted anxiously, ”Ye Qing, Ye Qing!”

The group had just alighted when they heard Huangfu Ziyu’s voice, and their expressions turned awkward. Faced with her expression, they all looked at one another, but none could speak.

Huangfu Ziyu ran over and, seeing them getting out of the cars without Ye Qing, her excitement vanished immediately. She glanced nervously into the car and asked urgently, ”Where is Ye Qing? Ye Qing... Where is he? Hasn’t he come back? Are there any cars behind?”

Huangfu Ziyu searched everywhere, unable to find Ye Qing in these cars, then ran to look behind, hoping there were cars following. But ultimately, she was disappointed; there was no Ye Qing, nor any cars following.

”What’s going on? Where is Ye Qing? Where is Ye Qing?” Huangfu Ziyu looked at them, her voice almost hoarse.

”Zi Yu, listen to me,” Shen Tianjun said in a low voice. ”Actually...”

”I don’t want to hear anything!” Huangfu Ziyu shouted, ”I just want to know where Ye Qing is! How is he? Is he... is he dead?”

Hearing Huangfu Ziyu’s words, everyone felt extremely awkward, and for a moment, no one responded.

”Speak up, is Ye Qing... is Ye Qing dead? Is he dead?” Huangfu Ziyu was devastated, her face full of tears.

”Well...” Glancing at each other, Helian Tiehua said in a low voice, ”He... he might not be dead yet...”

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Ziyu visibly staggered. She stepped back a few paces, looking at everyone in front of her, her face indescribable, a completely heart-broken feeling. Her body trembled continuously, whether from agitation, fear, or sorrow. But her despairing face tugged at everyone’s hearts.

”Zi Yu, don’t be like this,” Shen Tianjun hurried over and said. ”Ye Qing merely fell into the sea, and no one has seen his body yet, so he might not be dead. Maybe he’s still alive, just injured. You must understand, to confirm life there must be a person, and to confirm death there must be a body. We haven’t seen anything, so no one can hastily declare his fate!”

Huangfu Ziyu, who was previously in despair, now finally showed a glimmer of hope after hearing Shen Tianjun’s words. She stood tall, wiped her tears, and resolutely said, ”Right, to confirm life, there must be a person, and to confirm death, there must be a body. Without seeing anything, he isn’t considered dead. No matter what, I have to find him! I have to find him!”

Her voice, towards the end, was almost a frenzied scream. After shouting this, she turned as if mad, running straight back into the hall.

”Zi Yu, Zi Yu, what are you doing?” Shen Tianjun asked worriedly, as everyone hurried to follow. Just reaching the hall entrance, they saw Huangfu Ziyu coming out with the Sun Shooting Bow. At the door, she leapt, using the bow’s power to soar through the air, over everyone, heading straight for the sea.