Urban Martial Saint

In the afternoon, Ye Qing hurried to the Xingyi Martial Arts School, wanting to find Tie Yongwen to ask about the strange man from last night. However, Tie Yongwen was not in the school but had gone out to visit friends with Elder Master Ding.

Tie Yongwen was Elder Master Ding’s personal bodyguard, so he generally stayed close when the elder went out. Ye Qing realized he wouldn’t be seeing Old Master Tie today and just recounted last night’s events to Gao Shusen instead.

After listening to Ye Qing’s description, Gao Shusen was visibly astonished. After all, it’s no small feat for one man with a single blade to chop a car into quarters. Though he had been with Tie Yongwen for a long time and seen many skilled fighters, he had never heard of anyone capable of such a deed.

After thinking for a moment, Gao Shusen suddenly asked, ”Did you say the blade was pure black?”

Ye Qing nodded and replied, ”It’s black, with golden patterns on it. The blade is about one and a half meters long, and the hilt is half a meter long. I have never seen a knife of this style before!”

”A black blade with gold patterns...” Gao Shusen repeated several times, then suddenly opened his eyes wide and exclaimed, ”Could that be the legendary Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade?”

”Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade?” Ye Qing was taken aback and asked, ”What knife is that?”

”I don’t know what kind of knife it is; I just vaguely remember my master mentioning it before. He said it was a sharp weapon, one of the top ten famous blades. It caused a stir when it appeared, and I don’t remember whose hands it ended up in.” Gao Shusen looked at Ye Qing and said, ”But since that man claimed to be a friend of the Xingyi Boxing School, it means he must certainly know the master and doesn’t hold any hostility toward us. You don’t need to worry too much; maybe he’s just a passing expert who casually saved someone!”

Ye Qing nodded. His reason for inquiring was simply that the man’s intervention was too startling, and he had no intentions of pursuing the matter. Moreover, though the man had killed Fang Tian, it was to save a woman and a child, which Ye Qing found quite admirable.

”You shouldn’t dwell on this matter anymore. The master will probably be back tomorrow. I’ll ask him then, and if there’s anything, I’ll call you,” Gao Shusen said with a smile. ”Just right, Junior Brother called today, saying he’ll be in Shenchuan City tonight. If you’re free, come by the Xingyi Martial Arts School, and I’ll introduce you to Junior Brother!”

”Sure.” Ye Qing nodded and chatted casually with Gao Shusen before they began practicing the techniques of Xingyi Quan together.

As Tie Yongwen had said, the difference between Southern and Northern Fist fundamentally lies in their philosophies. Once you understand these philosophies, there’s not much difference between Southern and Northern Fist, and techniques from various sects can be mastered and used as one’s own. Just as Tie Yongwen defeated Ye Qing using Bajiquan, even though his mastery of Bajiquan was not as deep as Ye Qing’s, his philosophy in martial arts was superior, making Bajiquan fit him well.

Ye Qing had trained with Third Master Li for so many years, and the martial arts philosophy of the Northern Fist King had unknowingly been instilled in his mind. However, Third Master Li never explicitly spoke about these. Tie Yongwen’s words were like a key, unlocking the martial arts philosophy that Third Master Li had implanted in Ye Qing’s heart. Now, even though Ye Qing was unable to release inner strength externally, his strength was making great leaps day by day. Even the Xingyi Quan, which he found particularly easy to learn now, took much less time compared to when he initially learned Bajiquan.

After practicing Xingyi Quan with Ye Qing a few times, Ye Qing could almost match him. Seeing Ye Qing’s prowess, Gao Shusen couldn’t help but feel impressed. ”The master often says, ’understanding one technique leads to understanding all techniques.’ I didn’t grasp this principle before, but having seen you, I finally understand. Ye brothers, your understanding of martial arts truly surpasses mine. Your journey forward will definitely be much longer than mine!”

Ye Qing quickly clasped his hands and bowed, saying, ”Without Senior Brother Gao’s guidance, I would hardly have achieved anything!”

”The master can lead you to the door, but the practice is up to the individual!” Gao Shusen laughed. ”Look at all the people in this Xingyi Martial Arts School. Most of them are my personal disciples, but yet, everyone’s achievements are different. Ye Qing, no wonder the master never stops praising you. You truly are a martial arts prodigy. It’s just a pity that you started learning martial arts too late; you’re past the age for releasing inner strength. Otherwise, if you could cultivate both internally and externally, you might reach the heights of the master!”

Remembering how Tie Yongwen shattered the stone tablets with his foot, Ye Qing also felt a deep shock. Tie Yongwen’s strength was indeed beyond question. Yet in his speeches, he still held such admiration for Third Master Li and Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun. Just how staggering must the strength of Third Master Li and Shen Tianjun be?

In the afternoon, a black sedan with a Xi Hang license plate pulled up outside the teahouse. The young man who got out, bearing a haughty expression, was Shen Baichuan from the Xihang Shen Family, who had almost fought with Ye Qing the last time.

Shen Baichuan looked over the teahouse, a hint of a cold smile passing over his lips, and walked straight into the teahouse.

The Lady Boss was sitting in the hall; seeing Shen Baichuan come in, she rose to greet him with a smile, ”Friend, are you here for tea, or are you looking for someone?”

Shen Baichuan didn’t reply, but merely sized up the Lady Boss and asked, ”Are you Hu Momo?”

The Lady Boss paused, wondering why it seemed like everyone who visited these days knew her name. That strange man yesterday, this young man today, what were they all about?

The Lady Boss asked, ”My friend, how may I address you?”

”Everyone says the Ghost-faced Judge is as ugly as a pig or a dog but particularly fond of beauties. Seeing you today proves it true,” Shen Baichuan said with a cold smile, insolently staring at the Lady Boss’s ample bosom. ”Tsk tsk, such a lovely flower placed in cow dung!”

The Lady Boss’s face chilled. She could see that Shen Baichuan was here just to cause trouble. She furrowed her brows and said, ”If you have no business here, please leave. We still need to run our teahouse.”

”Since I’ve come, obviously I have business. Besides, even if I didn’t, couldn’t I sit here?” Shen Baichuan sat on a chair with his legs crossed, looking at the Lady Boss. ”In this world, no one dares to send me away. Miss Hu, don’t think that just because you’re beautiful, you can get rid of me. I’m not Cui Yu; I don’t fall for your tricks!”

The Lady Boss’s face grew even colder. The man from yesterday, though peculiar, had never said anything too offensive. But since Shen Baichuan’s entrance, almost every word from him was an insult to the Ghost-faced Judge, clearly here to provoke.

”So, you know the Judge.” The Lady Boss said softly, subtly taking a few steps back. She knew she was not strong, so if a fight really broke out, the further back she retreated, the better.

Since Shen Baichuan had arrived, White Impermanence and the young girl had heard the disturbance outside. Particularly when they heard Shen Baichuan insulting the Ghost-faced Judge, they didn’t wait for the Lady Boss’s call and directly took position, hiding in the shadows, ready to strike against Shen Baichuan at any moment.

Shen Baichuan arrogantly said, ”I wouldn’t say I know him, just aware of his existence. Opens some teahouse in Shenchuan City and thinks he’s the best assassin broker in Eastern Province. Hmph, just a frog in the well who’s never seen the world!”

The Lady Boss replied with a faint smile, ”Young man, don’t overstep your words. Seeing your age, you should be the Judge’s junior. Aren’t you afraid the wind might blow your tongue off for speaking like this as a junior?”

Shen Baichuan sneered, ”Hmph, even if the Judge were right in front of me, I would speak the same. What teahouse, what Ghost-faced Judge, what top ten assassins of the black list. In my eyes, they’re all just blown up tales!”

”Oh, is that so?” White Impermanence, hidden behind, let out a cold shout, gripping a long spike and rushing out, stabbing directly towards Shen Baichuan’s back.

At that moment, the little girl also charged from the front, swinging her silver wire at Shen Baichuan.

Shen Baichuan, who had some skills, jumped up from his spot, dodging their attacks, and sneered, ”That’s truly the talent of the lowest rung. I see that the Judge is no better!”

Both White Impermanence, who was still injured, and the little girl, whose weapon had been taken by Ye Qing and not yet proficient with the new one, were furious after missing their strike and charged together at Shen Baichuan.

Shen Baichuan, unapologetic, drew a soft sword from his waist and charged into the encirclement of White Impermanence and the little girl. The trio fought intensely inside the room, breaking chairs and tables as if demolishing a house.

In the end, White Impermanence and the little girl were at a disadvantage, wounded by Shen Baichuan on their arms and losing their weapons.

Shen Baichuan ostentatiously pulled a white cloth from his pocket and wiped the blood off his soft sword, tsking and shaking his head, ”These are the Judge’s disciples? With such poor skills, yet daring to rank as the second best assassins? I see, this teahouse isn’t much after all. The Judge’s skills, pfft, just a joke!”

White Impermanence and the little girl lay on the ground, breathing heavily, glaring at Shen Baichuan with resentment.

”Don’t get too cocky. If it weren’t for my injury, it wouldn’t be clear who would lose!” White Impermanence barked angrily.

The little girl also gritted her teeth, ”My weapon was taken, and the new one I got isn’t suitable. Otherwise, you’d be dead by now!”

”Oh, lost already, and still looking for excuses? How can you recover any dignity just by saying a few words?” Shen Baichuan said dismissively, shaking his head, ”I really don’t know how the Judge teaches you, but frankly, I find you laughable. Pretending to be capable when you are not. Is this how the Judge trains you? Hehe, if that’s all he’s capable of, I would like to see his skills myself!”

”Really?”

No sooner had Shen Baichuan finished speaking than an icy voice suddenly sounded by his ear. Before he could turn around, a large hand grabbed his neck, lifting him up like picking up a chicken!