Urban Martial Saint

With Old Chen’s nagging, the group continued along the stone corridor for about two hours, yet still found nothing.

This only made Old Chen even more insistent, constantly shouting that they must have taken the wrong path and wishing everyone would immediately follow him back to find another route.

Truthfully, having walked this far, even Ye Qing and the others were starting to have doubts. Especially Ye Qing; according to Guiguzi’s guidance, this should definitely be the way out. But why, after walking for so long, had the road not come to an end? This was rather peculiar, wasn’t it? Guiguzi wouldn’t arrange for an exit to be this far away, would he?

However, despite his doubts, Ye Qing firmly believed this was indeed the way out. In fact, because the Gate of Life only had this one exit, if this road wasn’t the way out, then there was no other way to exit.

After walking for so long, Ye Qing could still maintain his strength, but Fu Qingping and the Seventh Elder were struggling. Although Fu Qingping’s health had recovered, his inner strength hadn’t returned. And the Seventh Elder’s Qihai Acupoint had been rendered useless, making him nearly incapacitated at his age. Without his inner strength, after walking this far, he was naturally at his limit.

As for Old Chen, he only had the strength left in his mouth; he was already leaning against the wall. Without that support, he might have just collapsed on the ground, still nagging.

Ye Qing also noticed the group’s condition and realized that if they continued this way, whether they found the exit or not, the others would be thoroughly exhausted. Although Fu Qingping and the Seventh Elder hadn’t spoken, Ye Qing could see they were not in good shape.

”Who knows how far this road really is? At this rate, even if we walk for a few more hours, we might not reach the end!” Ye Qing stopped and looked at the others, saying, ”How about this: I’ll take one person ahead to scout while the rest rest here for a bit. Once I determine exactly where the exit is, I’ll come back for you. How does that sound?”

”Isn’t that unnecessary?” The Seventh Elder shook his head, saying, ”This path leads straight ahead, without any forks, so we won’t miss the exit. Regardless of where the exit is, we have to keep walking. We might as well rest here for a bit, regain some strength, and move forward together to save time!”

”I say, why keep moving forward? We must be on the wrong path. Hurry back, and we’ll still be on time!” Old Chen continued to mutter.

”If you want to head back, go ahead. We’re not stopping you!” Ye Qing responded bluntly, silencing Old Chen.

Ye Qing glanced at the Seventh Elder; he had said that to initially take Fu Qingping ahead, away from the others’ view, so Fu Qingping could practice the Innate Nine Diagrams. The Innate Nine Diagrams were incredibly effective for Fu Qingping now, not only quickly restoring his strength but also accelerating his recovery. However, Ye Qing didn’t want to expose the Innate Nine Diagrams in front of the Seventh Elder and Old Chen, which is why he suggested scouting ahead. Yet, the Seventh Elder immediately vetoed Ye Qing’s idea, leaving him unable to continue. The Seventh Elder’s logic was sound, and if Ye Qing insisted on contradicting him, it might arouse the Seventh Elder’s suspicion.

”That’s fine too!” Ye Qing nodded, saying, ”Let’s rest here for a bit before continuing forward.”

”Oh, finally, a chance to rest!” Old Chen exclaimed, sliding slowly down against the stone wall until he sat on the ground, appeared utterly drained, muttering against the stone wall, ”If we don’t rest soon, I’ll drop dead from exhaustion. Continuing like this doesn’t guarantee we’ll find the exit, but it certainly feels like I’ll collapse halfway.”

No one paid attention to Old Chen’s complaints. Amid everyone present, Wen’er was the only one with inner strength, so her spirit was high. As soon as they sat down, she immediately took out food and tended to Fu Qingping with it.

”Oh, there’s food? Give me some, give me some!” As soon as Old Chen saw the food, he acted crazed, no longer tired, jumping up to Wen’er’s side in leaps. With hands outstretched, he seemed ready to snatch the food right out of Wen’er’s hands.

Ye Qing looked helplessly at Old Chen, wondering just what kind of person Old Chen truly was. His incessant nagging was enough to wear anyone out, but the man was also extremely lecherous. That might have been tolerable if not for his insatiable appetite. Earlier, when Wen’er first took out food, he devoured over half. If not for Ye Qing stopping him, Old Chen might have eaten all the food Wen’er brought in one go. Once again, as soon as Wen’er brought food out, he’d rushed over like a starving ghost, if not wary of Ye Qing, he might have outright snatched it. This gluttonous, lecherous, and nagging man was truly hard to accept.

Honestly, if Old Chen hadn’t been encountered in the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master, Ye Qing would never have brought him along. It was only because Old Chen had too many suspicious traits that Ye Qing had no choice but to keep him close. At that moment, Ye Qing also had to consider whether bringing Old Chen along was ultimately wise or foolish.

”Are you reincarnated as a starving ghost? You’ve already eaten enough for three, and now you want more; aren’t you afraid of bursting?” Wen’er retorted in frustration.

”I have a big appetite. What’s wrong with that? Besides, I’ve been stuck in this cave for who knows how long, eating raw fish until I’m sick of them. Now, when there’s nice food, of course, I’m excited!” Old Chen muttered while giving a flattering smile, ”Miss, you look like someone with a kind heart, the kind raised by a good family. Surely you wouldn’t leave someone to die, right?”

”So what, if I don’t give you food, are you going to die?” Wen’er replied.

”I would starve!” Old Chen answered earnestly.

”Then starve!” Wen’er waved her hand and put away the food without sharing any with Old Chen.

Old Chen instantly panicked and quickly said, ”Hey, why are you so unkind? I’m practically starving. Are you really going to watch me starve here? Beautiful, although you’re very pretty, I must tell you, being pretty doesn’t count, true beauty lies in the heart. If someone as beautiful as you can be consistent inside and out, that’d be truly perfect. Watching me starve, that’s not fitting your character!”

Wen’er essentially ignored Old Chen, turning her head to the side and gripping her bag of food tightly, not allowing him as much as a glance.

”Ah...” Old Chen persisted, but this time Fu Qingping reached over, handing his food to Old Chen, ”Eat this and stop talking, alright?”

Seeing Fu Qingping give his own food to Old Chen, Wen’er was suddenly anxious, ”Senior Fu, that’s your food! Don’t let him trick you. This old man already ate so much, he’s not really hungry!”

”It’s fine!” Fu Qingping waved his hand, leaning against the stone wall to see down, ”I’m not hungry. Let him have something, at least it’ll keep him quiet for a while.”

Wen’er looked from Fu Qingping to Old Chen, who was ravenously devouring, and was utterly spent. It seemed even Fu Qingping couldn’t take Old Chen’s excessive chatter, preferring to use food as a means to silence him.

Wen’er again took more food from her bag to offer Fu Qingping, who refused. Sitting down against the stone wall, Fu Qingping slowly closed his eyes, and it was unclear what he was doing. Ye Qing, observing, thought Fu Qingping’s posture had an implicit resemblance to Innate Nine Diagrams, yet he knew for a fact the Innate Nine Diagrams contained no such posture.

In truth, Ye Qing was unaware Fu Qingping might not align himself to the form of Innate Nine Diagrams, but internally he adhered to its methods to adjust his inner breath, gradually reclaiming his strength. Because his martial arts evolved from the Taoist Sect, his comprehension far surpassed Ye Qing’s. Whereas Ye Qing required the posture to regulate his breath, Fu Qingping had transcended such external form, applying Innate Nine Diagrams methods anywhere, anytime.

Ye Qing was unaware of Fu Qingping’s capability, otherwise, he might have suggested bringing Fu Qingping ahead privately to cultivate. In fact, regardless of location, Fu Qingping only needed a peaceful mindset to practice Innate Nine Diagrams. Even this brief period of rest would suffice.

After Old Chen finished the food, he resumed his chatter. Seeing Fu Qingping meditatively, Ye Qing pulled Old Chen aside, feigning a journey up ahead, actually just to distance him from Fu Qingping, preventing any interruption. Although Ye Qing didn’t know what Fu Qingping dwelt on, instinct suggested Fu Qingping should not be bothered.

After resting for over an hour, everyone regained some energy. Fu Qingping eventually opened his eyes, visibly more refreshed.

With Fu Qingping revitalized, Ye Qing led the group further ahead. This time, opposing the anticipated distance, after only about an hour forward, the stone corridor altered; they could hear the faint sound of running water.

”It’s here! It’s here! It’s here!” Old Chen exclaimed excitedly, ”There’s the sound of running water, even if it’s an underground river, at least we’re soon to exit!”