Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing looked at Old Wang Ba and said, ”Can’t I just not choose? I won’t take either of these methods!”

”Damn, Young Ye, have you become decadent?” Old Wang Ba glared and said, ”You weren’t like this before, you used to be so positive and proactive, always fighting no matter what you faced. But look at you now, sitting around waiting to die - is this the spirited youth you once were? Are you really planning to muddle through life like this?”

”Get lost!” Ye Qing waved his hand repeatedly and said, ”It’s not like I don’t want to change the current situation, but are those even real solutions you came up with? What kind of lousy ideas are those? You know the situation between Zi Yu and me, and now you’re suggesting I ally with the Yelu Family? That’s pure suicide. As for the second method, asking me to open the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master at this time, are you trying to say my troubles aren’t enough? Do you know how many people are watching me? If I were to unveil the Gold Silk Armor now, forget about the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and Sha Men, even with Uncle Shen here, those hidden masters would definitely make a move and flatten the whole Shenchuan City. Old Wang Ba, are you not satisfied with things right now? Must it be complete chaos in the world?”

Old Wang Ba scratched his head, nodded, and said, ”You’re right, kid. Right now, it’s indeed not suitable for the Gold Silk Armor to appear. As for your matter with the Yelu Family, Young Ye, let me tell you something, nothing is absolute. What you are certain about now might not actually happen in the future.”

”What do you mean?” Ye Qing asked with a frown. Previously, Old Wang Ba had talked about his affairs with Huangfu Ziyu, claiming they were impossible. Now, Old Wang Ba brought it up again, making Ye Qing recall his previous words.

”You’ll understand what it means later.” Old Wang Ba waved his hand and said, ”Alright then, since you’re not taking these two methods, Eighth Master will go back and think of something else for you. But let me advise you, the quickest way is still to ally with the Yelu Family. If you ever change your mind, contact me anytime, and I’ll help explain things to the Yelu Family for you!”

”Get out of here!” Ye Qing responded bluntly, watching Old Wang Ba leave, but his brows furrowed tightly. Even though both of Old Wang Ba’s methods were lousy, what he had said before made Ye Qing ponder again.

Ye Qing possessed the Buddha’s Relic and was currently hiding in the estate of the Seven Steering Committees of the Hong Alliance, which provided temporary safety. However, it wasn’t absolute safety. Who knew how many eyes were watching him in and out of Shenchuan City now. Although Helian Tiehua and the Four Great Villains had indeed scared off many people, it was only a temporary deterrent. The emergence of more hidden masters made it inevitable that some would take risks to obtain the Buddha’s Relic.

Moreover, from what Ye Qing learned from Nine-Fingers Wu Yong about the strength of the Wanyan Family, it was clear their centuries-old accumulation was no less than the Seven Steering Committees and Twelve Green Halls. Yet the Wanyan Family was still in hiding without taking any action, indicating they were plotting something bigger. If they made a move, even the entire Seven Steering Committees wouldn’t be able to protect Ye Qing. Instead, because of Ye Qing, the Seven Steering Committees and Sha Men would be entangled in endless troubles, which Ye Qing did not wish to see. He really didn’t want to drag those around him into it. So deciding what to do next became a bothersome issue.

Unless Ye Qing could regain his previous strength, gradually reaching the acme realm, he wouldn’t be able to stand his ground in these chaotic times. But currently, with his strength completely gone, the hope of regaining it seemed futile.

Truthfully, Ye Qing had another plan, which was to go to the Demon Hideout Cave and try to obtain more Devouring Demon Flowers to replenish his internal power. Moreover, the Demon Pet had a good relationship with Ye Qing, and if he could get the Demon Pet’s help, there would be no need to fear any hidden masters. However, Ye Qing was reluctant to try this method. As the Wolf Monk had previously mentioned, due to the influence of the Devouring Demon Flower, Ye Qing’s character was gradually changing, and he did not want to fully become a demonic figure.

After much consideration, Ye Qing found no solution, and could only continue living temporarily in this estate like usual. In the mornings, he would visit his master, Fu Qingping, to discuss the Buddha’s Relic matters, while also listening to Fu Qingping’s explanations about the Martial Path. Fu Qingping was extremely powerful, and his understanding of the Martial Path was well above that of other Peak Masters. Hence, Ye Qing benefited a lot from his lectures, although with his meridians depleted, he couldn’t practice martial arts anymore. Thus, despite the benefits, he could only treat it as a past-time activity.

As for Fu Qingping, every day he asked Ye Qing to explain the power of the Buddha’s Relic again, in hopes of breaking through his martial arts level. But as before, without seeing the power of the Buddha’s Relic himself, he could never fully grasp the acme realm he sought to reach. As he put it, he was always just a little short of it, unable to break through.

Though Fu Qingping came close each time, Ye Qing no longer acted impulsively like the first time. He believed that it was best not to disclose the secret of the Buddha’s Relic. The more people knew, the greater the danger, and it would also bring trouble to the people around him. Therefore, Ye Qing kept it a secret.

After two days passed like this, Ye Qing only left the estate once, to visit Lin Tianyou’s grave. Since Lin Tianyou’s family couldn’t find his body, they erected a cenotaph for remembrance. Ye Qing didn’t attend the funeral, but visited after it was over to pay his respects. Accompanying him was his master Fu Qingping, who was relatively free and equipped to protect Ye Qing.

With Fu Qingping by his side, the deterrent was indeed sufficient. Although many people kept an eye on Ye Qing from the shadows, none dared to approach him. Fu Qingping’s Qingping Sword was a notable deterrent among his contemporaries. Especially after it cut off the arm of Sky-Killing Master one night, its renown became widespread.

This morning, Ye Qing was leisurely sitting in the courtyard with Fu Qingping. Spending so much time together, they had developed a bond reminiscent of a cross-generational friendship, spending most of their days chatting. Naturally, Fu Qingping did most of the talking, explaining the ways of martial arts, with Ye Qing listening as if he were in a class.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps could be heard from outside the courtyard, as if someone was running in a rush. Ye Qing and Fu Qingping exchanged glances; ever since the Three Great Villains and Snake Gentleman were driven away, such an event had become rare in the estate. So who was running in such a rush now?

”Shall we go out to have a look?” Fu Qingping asked with a smile.

Just as bored, and worried that the outside situation might involve him bringing harm to someone else, Ye Qing nodded and followed Fu Qingping out.

As they exited the courtyard, the footsteps had already gone into the distance. With his current hearing ability, Ye Qing couldn’t trace the footsteps, but fortunately, Fu Qingping was with him, and his hearing was sharp enough to pick up on everything around them.

”This way.” Fu Qingping led Ye Qing towards the great hall, evidently, the previous people were rushing toward there.

Ye Qing followed Fu Qingping, soon reaching the great hall where a crowd had gathered outside. Judging by the worried expressions, the situation inside appeared grave.

Concerned, Ye Qing quickly approached with Fu Qingping. Just as they were about to enter the hall, they were stopped by members of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance.

”Senior Fu, Mr. Ye, our apologies.” The one who stopped Ye Qing was a close aide of Helian Tiehua, who apologized profusely to Ye Qing, ”Inside the hall, the Great General and the main members of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance are in a meeting, and it’s not convenient for you to enter now.”

Ye Qing exchanged glances with Fu Qingping. While Fu Qingping seemed indifferent, Ye Qing was a bit surprised. Helian Tiehua had never been wary of him before, so why now barred him from entering? What was really going on inside?

Nevertheless, with Helian Tiehua’s aide having said so, Ye Qing didn’t insist on entering. After all, he was a guest of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance, not a member.

As they left the area, they saw Bai Li Xi hurriedly entering the hall from another direction. Observing this, Ye Qing asked in surprise, ”Mr. Bai Li is here too, is someone injured?”

Fu Qingping looked at the hall and said, ”It seems so. I can hear people talking inside, apparently the injured person is quite seriously hurt.”

”Oh?” Ye Qing’s face changed slightly, ”I wonder who was injured? And why were they injured?”

”That I don’t know.” Fu Qingping replied, ”Wise Nephew Helian is also in there, so few people are speaking inside.”

This made Ye Qing even more puzzled. Earlier, Helian Tiehua’s aide had said there was a meeting inside. However, they now knew someone was seriously injured; these were two different things. Clearly, Helian Tiehua’s aide was deceiving them. Yet Helian Tiehua’s aide wouldn’t dare deceive Ye Qing and Fu Qingping on his own. So, this matter was definitely Helian Tiehua’s instruction. But what had happened that Helian Tiehua felt the need to hide it from Ye Qing and Fu Qingping?

Even though he didn’t know what happened, Ye Qing felt very uneasy. For some reason, this incident gave him a premonition, as if something more significant was about to unfold.

(I returned late today, so just two chapters for now, the owed chapter will be made up tomorrow.)