Urban Martial Saint

Although Ye Qing didn’t find anything inside the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, he definitely wouldn’t tell the Seventh Elder about it. In fact, he had previously deceived the Wo Country’s Ninja, making them think he had obtained something from the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, but no one knew what exactly was inside.

After leaving the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, he planned to find Old Wang Ba and have him casually jot down some content using Taoist Incantations as if it was obtained from the Tomb, just to temporarily fool the Seventh Elder. After all, the Seventh Elder wouldn’t understand Taoist Incantations and would likely think it was a Secret Manual left by the Ghost Valley Master. Deceiving him wouldn’t be difficult. Ye Qing was determined that as long as the Seventh Elder took the fabricated document to their Sect Master, he would find a way to follow along, thus creating an opportunity to rescue Huangfu Ziyu.

The Seventh Elder didn’t think much about it as his Inner Strength hadn’t recovered at all. In this situation, he was more confused about his physical condition and didn’t have the time to ponder what Ye Qing was planning.

”Since there’s no problem here, rescuing Miss Huangfu shouldn’t be difficult!” The Seventh Elder nodded and said, ”Let’s settle it like this. After we leave, you give me what you got from the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, and I’ll contact the Sect Master to discuss it with him. Rest assured, my life was saved by you, and I will ensure Miss Huangfu’s absolute safety. If you’re still worried, I will stay by your side until Miss Huangfu is rescued. Will that work?”

Despite the Seventh Elder’s pleasant words about staying by Ye Qing’s side as a hostage, he was actually making calculations. After leaving the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master and obtaining what Ye Qing gave him, he planned to contact the Wanyan Family. By then, when the Wanyan Family sent experts to rescue him, Ye Qing wouldn’t be able to keep him at all. He said this partly to gain Ye Qing’s trust and partly to ensure he obtained the items from the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master without any mistakes.

Ye Qing waved his hand, ”That’s not necessary. Since I saved you, I surely trust you!”

”Mr. Ye is indeed generous!” The Seventh Elder casually praised, while secretly mocking Ye Qing for being too trusting. He deceived him with just a few words; with such a personality, why did the Wanyan Family value him so much?

Ye Qing smiled faintly and turned to look at the Gate of Life in the distance, ”Let’s conclude this matter here. For now, let’s leave this Tomb of Ghost Valley Master; I’ll write down the Secret Manual I’ve acquired for you once we’re out.”

”Yes, yes, leaving this Tomb of Ghost Valley Master is the main thing!” The Seventh Elder nodded quickly. His Inner Strength had not recovered at all, which puzzled him greatly. Due to consuming the Devouring Demon Flower, his wounds had almost completely healed without any pain, so he did not know that his Qihai Acupoint had been disabled. He just thought he was overly exhausted and hadn’t had any water for a day and a night, resulting in this condition. His current priority was to leave this Cave quickly and take a break.

Ye Qing picked up two flashlights from beside a corpse and led the group directly through the Gate of Life. Although the Seventh Elder’s Qihai Acupoint was disabled, his physical strength improved significantly after consuming the Devouring Demon Flower, allowing him to walk. As for Old Chen, ever since seeing Wen’er, he had clung to her side like a lecherous old man, much to her annoyance. Had she known Old Chen’s background, she might have kicked him away long ago.

Beyond the Gate of Life was a long stone corridor, and after walking about one hundred meters, they reached a spacious Cave.

Upon entering this Cave, Ye Qing felt invigorated. He originally assumed that leaving through the Gate of Life would lead directly outside, but instead, there was this Cave. If the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master was indeed inside this Cave, it made sense why Ye Qing hadn’t found it after searching through so many Caves; the possibility was significant.

Earlier, Ye Qing had told the Seventh Elder that he had already acquired something from the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, so now, he couldn’t let the Seventh Elder see the Tomb. Otherwise, deceiving him would be much harder. Therefore, he signaled to Wen’er and said to the Seventh Elder, ”Seventh Elder, this Cave might be dangerous. Since you’re still injured, why don’t you and Grandmaster Wen’er wait back in the stone corridor while I scout ahead to ascertain the situation? Then we can proceed.”

Having experienced life and death at the Death Gate, the Seventh Elder was already terrified of the Tomb and had not regained any Inner Strength. In this situation, he was even more reluctant to take risks. Hearing Ye Qing’s proposal to scout ahead was a relief to him. Wen’er and Fu Qingping understood Ye Qing’s intentions, leaving Wen’er and Fu Qingping in the stone corridor was also to monitor the Seventh Elder and prevent him from discovering anything suspicious while following Ye Qing.

”That’s a good idea. Thank you, Mr. Ye,” the Seventh Elder replied.

Ye Qing smiled, instructed Wen’er to look after Fu Qingping and the Seventh Elder, and then turned his attention to Old Chen, who was sticking close to Wen’er.

Old Chen kept rambling about ancient sweet-talk next to Wen’er, but suddenly feeling Ye Qing’s gaze, he was instantly uncomfortable. He glanced at Ye Qing with a frown and said, ”Hey, Young Ye, what do you mean by looking at me like that? If you want to scout, go scout; don’t interrupt my beautiful chat with the lady!”

”Cut the crap, come with me!” Ye Qing said, grabbing Old Chen by the arm and dragging him along. Unaware of Old Chen’s background, Ye Qing wouldn’t leave him alone with Fu Qingping and Wen’er. Since Fu Qingping was still injured and lacked Inner Strength, if Old Chen had ulterior motives, Fu Qingping and Wen’er would be in danger. Hence, taking Old Chen along was the safest option.

”Damn it, I don’t want to go! I said I don’t want to go, yet you still drag me along? If you want me to go, you should seek my opinion first! Without asking if I want to go, you disrespect me. Moreover, forcing me to go against my will is coercion. How can you force someone to do what they don’t want? Haven’t you heard? Freedom is the most important thing, and you’re restricting my freedom, my time spent chatting with a beautiful lady!” Old Chen struggled and complained, but Ye Qing didn’t let go, dragging him away.

Behind them, the Seventh Elder watched Old Chen in surprise. He hadn’t heard Old Chen’s ramblings before, and experiencing it for the first time, he was astonished by Old Chen’s way of speaking.

Watching them walk away, Old Chen’s voice continued to echo back, causing the Seventh Elder to ask, ”Who... who is this person?”

”An old undying one!” Wen’er casually replied, expressing her disdain for Old Chen. The old pervert persisted with his verbal harassment despite his age, making Wen’er both angry and resentful.

”Old undying one?” The Seventh Elder’s expression changed, instinctively glancing at Fu Qingping beside him. He had heard of Fu Qingping, who was over a hundred years old and an esteemed figure. If Old Chen, being called an ”old undying one” even in Fu Qingping’s presence, meant they were of the same generation. Thus, the Seventh Elder elevated his estimation of Old Chen, suspecting that he might also be a formidable Peak Master.

Not knowing Old Chen’s background, a misunderstanding arose for the Seventh Elder. He raised Old Chen’s status in his mind and dared not have any disloyal thoughts or consider overpowering the others after recovering his strength.

Following Ye Qing’s instructions, Wen’er led the Seventh Elder and Fu Qingping back to the stone corridor, avoiding lingering in the Cave. According to Ye Qing, this was to prevent any traps in the Cave. In truth, Ye Qing simply wanted to keep the Seventh Elder from seeing anything inside the Cave. If the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master was indeed here, seeing it would complicate matters.

The Seventh Elder couldn’t guess Ye Qing’s thoughts, but after surviving the Death Gate’s crisis, he knew the Cave concealed dangers and instinctively wanted to retreat to the safer stone corridor.

Inside the Cave, Ye Qing wielded a flashlight, searching with Old Chen. This Cave differed from the previous ones; it wasn’t wide open—standing at the entrance, one couldn’t see the whole Cave. The Cave had large rock pits and obstacles, blocking the view and requiring a closer look to understand the layout.

This terrain boosted Ye Qing’s hope that the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master could very well be located here.

Initially, Ye Qing used the flashlight. However, once Wen’er and the others returned to the stone corridor, he switched it off. In darkness, even if the Seventh Elder tried to spy from the stone corridor entrance, he wouldn’t see anything. In contrast, Ye Qing had no problem seeing in darkness, so he wasn’t concerned about the lack of light.

Meanwhile, Old Chen became irritated after the flashlight went out and started to yell, ”Hey, kid, why’d you turn off the light? Are you planning something shady? It’s pitch black, and... ouch!”