Urban Martial Saint

The woman dashed into the back warehouse in a hurry. Before long, she came out with a pile of items. Ye Qing glanced at them; among them were many cigarettes and alcohol, all of which belonged to expensive brands. It seems this time, the woman plans to really squeeze quite a bit of money out of Ye Qing.

However, Ye Qing was focused on getting information, so he couldn’t bother with the money issue at the moment. He needed to find out who was really in charge at Shan De Tea House and the number of people connected with the Huang Family before he could make a move. If he acted rashly, it could be very dangerous for Ye Jun and the others.

The woman calculated the cost of the cigarettes and alcohol and charged Ye Qing over twenty thousand yuan in total. Ye Qing didn’t have enough cash on him, so he ended up going to the ATM next door to withdraw more before he could afford it.

Having received the money, the woman was beaming with joy. After packing up all the items, she finally told Ye Qing, ”I’ve got these things sorted out for you. If you want to get things done, go find a man named Li Yuanhui. Li Yuanhui is Yang Tianyun’s cousin, and his word carries a lot of weight at Shan De Tea House!”

”Oh?” Ye Qing perked up instantly. According to the woman, if Li Yuanhui was Yang Tianyun’s cousin, he’d definitely be familiar with the relationship between Yang Tianyun and the Huang Family. Ye Qing wanted to find out about Ye Jun and the others, and seeking out Li Yuanhui might provide the information without alarming Shan De Tea House. This was certainly more convenient than looking for Yang Tianyun.

”Sister, I’m not familiar with this area nor do I know who Li Yuanhui really is. If I want to find him, how should I go about it?” Ye Qing asked again.

”That’s easy.” The woman chuckled and said, ”Since I’m helping you arrange this, I’ll definitely see it through to the end. Shan De Tea House is usually busier in the afternoon and evening; in the morning, it’s generally quite leisurely, so Li Yuanhui won’t be around. At this time, he’s usually at home, sleeping. If you want to find him, it’s pretty easy; his home is at Room 302, Building 2, Honghua Community, right there at the third street junction ahead. Bring these things to him and tell him Aunt Zhou from the tea house opposite sent you, and he’ll certainly help you!”

Ye Qing noted Li Yuanhui’s home location and asked, ”Is it convenient for me to go there now?”

”What’s inconvenient about it?” The woman replied, ”You have so many things with you, it’s convenient anytime.”

”I mean, is there anyone else at his home? Would I be disturbing him?” Ye Qing inquired, essentially probing the woman for more information about Li Yuanhui’s situation.

”At this time, there should be no one at his home.” The woman checked her watch and said, ”He lives alone, and even if a woman is there, it’s no big deal; they’re all women he’s picked up from nightclubs, they have nothing to do with him. You’re bringing so many things with you and mention my name, he’ll surely get the point. Even if there is a woman at home, he won’t hesitate to send her away!”

Hearing that Li Yuanhui lived alone, Ye Qing felt slightly at ease. He asked about the details of the Shan De Tea House, but the woman wasn’t very familiar with it, only knew some of the people there. As for the connection between Shan De Tea House and the Huang Family, besides Yang Tianyun, she didn’t know of any other relationships. She didn’t even know the true identity of Huang Yidao, only aware of his considerable reputation in the Western Province.

Finding no valuable information, Ye Qing ceased his inquiry. He thanked the woman, grabbed the items, and left the small shop to head toward Honghua Community with Fu Qingping.

Following the woman’s directions, Ye Qing easily found Li Yuanhui’s home. He knocked for a full five minutes at the door before an irritated voice came from inside: ”Who is it? Knocking like this in the morning?”

”Li, is it? Aunt Zhou from the shop opposite the tea house sent me.” Ye Qing replied.

”Wait a minute!” A sound of footsteps was heard inside, and shortly afterward, the door opened, revealing a young man in his twenties, who looked like Li Yuanhui. He glanced at Ye Qing and Fu Qingping, his gaze lingering on the things Ye Qing was carrying, and then his face relaxed a bit.

”Come in,” Li Yuanhui invited them inside.

Ye Qing and Fu Qingping entered. The apartment had decent amenities, but inside was a mess; dirty clothes and trash were scattered everywhere. It seemed no one cleaned the place regularly, verifying the woman’s words that indeed, only Li Yuanhui lived there, hence the untidy condition.

”Have a seat.” Li Yuanhui casually pointed to the sofa and then headed to the bedroom. After a short while, a scantily dressed woman emerged from the bedroom, seemingly not fully awake, but was pushed out by Li Yuanhui and not allowed to stay.

After sending the woman away, Li Yuanhui sat down beside the two. By now, he had looked at the items Ye Qing brought, appearing quite satisfied.

”So, what brings you here?” Li Yuanhui reclined on the sofa while smoking, asking leisurely with an air of arrogance.

”Well...” Ye Qing smiled faintly at Li Yuanhui and said, ”A friend of mine seems to have upset someone at Shan De Tea House. He got beaten up by some folks there, and now he’s been taken away too. Aunt Zhou mentioned that you could help, so I came to see if you could lend a hand.”

”Your friend?” Li Yuanhui looked at Ye Qing and said, ”Why bother upsetting Shan De Tea House? That’s asking for trouble. Shan De Tea House is not a place you can afford to mess with.”

Ye Qing maintained a faint smile, waited for Li Yuanhui to finish, then softly said, ”The incident has already occurred. The most important thing now is to get my friend out. Can you do that?”

”Whether it can be done depends on who your friend upset!” Li Yuanhui said sternly, ”Tell me what happened. I’ll see if it’s doable!”

Ye Qing looked at Li Yuanhui and said, ”I’m not sure of the details, but my friend was beaten at Shan De Tea House yesterday.”

As soon as Ye Qing spoke, Li Yuanhui’s expression visibly changed. This showed he definitely knew about Liu Mubai’s situation and probably understood even more. In other words, Ye Qing had found the right person this time.

”You...” Li Yuanhui stood up, his face cautious as he stared at Ye Qing, asking sternly, ”Who exactly are you?”

”Haha...” Ye Qing chuckled, standing up as well, ”What do you think I am?”

”You... you...” Li Yuanhui glared at Ye Qing for a while, then suddenly shouted angrily, ”I don’t care who you are, but this is Xifu City, my territory. Since you’ve come here, don’t think of leaving alive!”

As Li Yuanhui spoke, he pulled out a dagger from his pocket, brandishing it at Ye Qing. His boldness apparent, seeing Fu Qingping was elderly, and Ye Qing alone, he didn’t feel overly threatened, even ready to deal with Ye Qing himself.

”I advise you not to act recklessly.” With Fu Qingping beside him, Ye Qing was quite confident. He calmly looked at Li Yuanhui and said, ”Answer a few questions, and you might keep your life.”

”What a joke, you think I’m afraid of you?” Li Yuanhui shouted angrily, suddenly lunging forward with the dagger aimed at Ye Qing, intending to strike him down first.

Seeing Li Yuanhui strike, Ye Qing realized that Li Yuanhui must have practiced some martial arts but lacked Inner Strength training, unable to achieve Internal Energy Release. Although Ye Qing lacked Inner Strength now, he still retained the techniques he had trained in previously, so dealing with someone like Li Yuanhui, who couldn’t release Internal Energy, was no difficulty.

Before Fu Qingping could intervene, Ye Qing had already swiftly grabbed Li Yuanhui’s wrist, twisting it to disarm him of the dagger immediately.

Li Yuanhui winced in pain, attempting to kick Ye Qing, but even before extending his leg halfway, Ye Qing intercepted him, kicking Li Yuanhui’s knee and forcing his leg back. Simultaneously, Ye Qing stepped forward, grasping Li Yuanhui’s wrist and pinning him to the ground. This was a classic grappling technique frequently used in the military, which Li Yuanhui, lacking Internal Energy Release, couldn’t possibly break free from, leaving him solidly restrained by Ye Qing.

”Let go of me! Let go now!” Li Yuanhui shouted angrily, ”You don’t let me go, I’ll kill you!”

Ye Qing picked up the dagger nearby and pressed it against Li Yuanhui’s throat, saying, ”In this situation, do you think it’s easier for me to kill you, or for you to kill me?”

While speaking, Ye Qing pressed the dagger further down, nearly piercing Li Yuanhui’s flesh. Feeling the sharp dagger, Li Yuanhui was also shaken, unable to act brazenly anymore, and whispered, ”You... what do you want? I’m just a worker, I know nothing about the big boss’s matters.”

The more Li Yuanhui says he knows nothing, the more likely he knows something. Ye Qing smiled and pressed the dagger against Li Yuanhui’s throat, saying, ”If you really know nothing, then I’m sorry, but I can only kill you. After all, knowing nothing, your staying alive is pointless!”

This statement shocked Li Yuanhui, causing him to tremble, shaking his head quickly, ”Actually... well... I do... know something. Just, pal, what... exactly do you want to know?”

”Very simply, where was my friend taken to yesterday?” Ye Qing asked sternly.