Urban Martial Saint

Lin Mengjie nodded vigorously, saying, ”Yes, no one died!”

”How is that possible?” Ye Qing said, ”The building was blown up like that, how could no one have died? Mengjie, don’t lie to me, tell me the truth, I can handle it!”

”Ye, I’m not lying to you, really, no one died!” Lin Mengjie said, ”If you don’t believe me, you can ask Ms. Momo, she knows about it too.”

Hu Momo smiled faintly, saying, ”That’s right, really, no one died.”

Seeing the expressions of the two women, Ye Qing could tell they were not lying to him. Overjoyed but also shocked, he said, ”How... how is this possible? I must be dreaming, right?”

Saying this, Ye Qing pinched himself hard on the leg, the intense pain immediately making him realize that this was indeed reality.

”You’re not dreaming, this is the truth!” Lin Mengjie said, ”I don’t know if it’s their luck or if it’s because your great fortune protected them, Ye. The explosion demolished half of the building, but the classroom where the children were having lessons was miraculously untouched. Although the children were buried under the rubble, the frame of the classroom remained intact, creating a space for them, so they were all basically unharmed and have been rescued!”

”Is that so?” Ye Qing said in amazement, ”All the classrooms, they... they’re all like that?”

”Yes, they’re all like that,” Lin Mengjie nodded. ”It’s strange, but the explosion seemed to have deliberately avoided those classrooms and the offices where people were. Those areas were left completely intact. Only the empty rooms that were unoccupied were destroyed. It really was fortunate!”

Ye Qing’s face showed surprise; having been in the military, he had seen many explosions and knew such occurrences were highly improbable, unless the person placing the bombs had intentionally avoided the populated areas. Moreover, to blow up a building in such a manner, the bomb setter’s skills must be extremely advanced—any slight mistake could have cost several lives.

Could it be that these children’s lives were saved because the bomber intentionally made it so? If that was the case, then the person who placed the bombs had indeed done a tremendous good deed this time!

Ye Qing inwardly sighed with relief. The two things he was most concerned about were Tie Yongwen’s murder and the situation at the orphanage. Now that the situation at the orphanage turned out unexpectedly well, it gave Ye Qing some peace of mind, and he began to inquire about the situation with Tie Yongwen.

Upon learning that people from the Xingyi School had attacked the teahouse for his sake, and that the Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu even dared to challenge the Shen Family, Ye Qing was deeply touched. Truthfully, he didn’t understand why Cui Yu would do this for him, as a mere few words had exchanged this favor. Did those few words deserve Cui Yu risking his life for him?

”Where is Mr. Cui?” Ye Qing asked.

”He’s gone out…” Hu Momo paused, saying, ”Taking advantage of the delay before the Shen Family’s top fighters arrive, he went to visit some old friends.”

Ye Qing knew that Cui Yu’s so-called visiting old friends likely meant seeking help. Could it be that Cui Yu had really decided to clash with the Shen Family’s people?

”Because of my affairs, Mr. Cui has been put through trouble too,” Ye Qing sighed.

”Mr. Ye, you don’t need to be so formal,” Hu Momo said. ”The longstanding animosity between the Judge and the Xihang Shen Family was bound to lead to some outcome. Even without your involvement, it was impossible for the Judge and the Xihang Shen Family to coexist peacefully. Your affair just brought the day forward, that’s all!”

Ye Qing had vaguely heard from Tie Yongwen that there was indeed enmity between the teahouse and the Xihang Shen Family, seemingly related to a major battle ten years ago. Yet, he was not clear about the specifics of what had happened or the nature of their conflict. However, after hearing Hu Momo’s explanation, Ye Qing felt somewhat reassured. If it was just because of his affair that Cui Yu was risking a battle with the Xihang Shen Family, Ye Qing would definitely have felt guilty.

”Ye, there’s another matter…” Lin Mengjie hesitated, whispering, ”Our... our sites have been completely taken over by the Tianqing Gang and the Fu Bang, and even Li’s sites have been snatched. Many of our brothers outside have been hurt, and several have died. We no longer have any strongholds in Shenchuan City…”

Ye Qing furrowed his brows; he had anticipated this but did not expect it to happen so quickly. Less than four to five hours had passed since Tie Yongwen’s death, and such a major upheaval had already occurred in Shenchuan City. It seemed the mastermind had planned for a long time, having set everything up in advance. Once they started, they aimed to uproot everything associated with Ye Qing with lightning speed. Even if Ye Qing survived this time and found Tie Yongwen’s killer, whether he could avenge the murder was still an unknown.

Seeing Ye Qing’s distressed expression, Lin Mengjie also felt uneasy, but she still had to continue softly, ”Furthermore, Ye, many of our brothers have been arrested by the police. This includes those from the Fierce Tiger Gang who had recently joined us; most of them have been captured, and those who remain have scattered…”

”How could this happen?” Ye Qing was somewhat stunned. It was expected that the Tianqing Gang and the Fu Bang were against him, but why were the police arresting people? Although these gangs had backers, so did Ye Qing – Zhao Chengshuang was on his side, wasn’t he? How could he possibly allow such a thing to happen?

Lin Mengjie said, ”This matter is orchestrated by the Ding Family in the background, and Director Zhao tried to intervene but got arrested by the city police. They claimed he was involved with us, the black-related personnel, and he is now undergoing an investigation.”

Ye Qing’s expression changed. With the Ding Family’s influence in Shenchuan City, they indeed had the capacity to do this. However, Ye Qing hadn’t expected that they would target Zhao Chengshuang as well; it seemed that the Ding Family was determined to utterly destroy him this time.

If the Ding Family was fully committed to targeting Ye Qing, then officially, Ye Qing was completely doomed. The police of Shenchuan City would undoubtedly join forces against him and his associates. This was even more perilous than the massive battle with the Lin family he experienced before because, unlike last time, Zhao Chengshuang couldn’t help him now. Furthermore, the Tianqing Gang and the Fu Bang were also targeting him, as were the members of the Xingyi School, including the mastermind. With so many fierce forces combined, Ye Qing now found himself in a desperate situation, completely encircled by enemies!

Seeing Ye Qing fall silent, Lin Mengjie sighed softly and said, ”Big Brother Ye, I think Shenchuan City is no longer safe for us to stay. Why don’t we return to Jiuchuan County for now? We can start over there. Later, when there’s a chance, we can come back to Shenchuan City and seek revenge on these people!”

Lin Mengjie had thought a lot for Ye Qing, and he was very grateful, but unfortunately, he simply couldn’t let go now. There were too many kids in the orphanage, the incident of Tie Yongwen’s murder, the uncertain fate of his brother Ye Jun, his people including Black Bear detained in Tianhui City’s detention center, and so many brothers in Shenchuan City – Ye Qing couldn’t abandon them. Now, he must struggle desperately, even if it meant shedding his last drop of blood, to fight until the end. He wasn’t doing this just for himself but for all those connected to him, for everyone he needed to protect!

”Mengjie, I can’t go back for now,” Ye Qing looked at Lin Mengjie and said, ”Do me a favor, take the people on my side back to Jiuchuan County these few days, and ask Fifth Brother to help settle them down.”

”Big Brother Ye, do you know how many people in Shenchuan City want your life?” Lin Mengjie looked at Ye Qing anxiously and said, ”Staying here, you face the danger of being hunted down every day!”

”I can’t leave!” Ye Qing shook his head and said, ”I still have unfinished business. I must complete it!”

Lin Mengjie looked at Ye Qing and opened her mouth but eventually didn’t say anything. She knew Ye Qing’s character; once he decided on something, he was hard to persuade otherwise.

”If you won’t go, neither will I!” Lin Mengjie declared, ”You need people by your side to help you now, we’ll stay here and help you!”

”You can’t stay here...” Ye Qing firmly shook his head and said, ”Having more people isn’t always better right now. Besides, it’s too dangerous for you to stay; you must go back first!”

”No, I absolutely won’t leave!” Lin Mengjie also shook her head resolutely, her attitude firm.

Seeing Lin Mengjie like this, Ye Qing felt touched; he knew she was staying just for him. But Shenchuan City was so dangerous now, and he really didn’t want her to stay.

After a moment of silence, Ye Qing was still pondering how to persuade Lin Mengjie to leave, when suddenly the phone placed beside the table started ringing.

Ye Qing picked up the phone and saw it was an unknown number. He was slightly surprised; who could be calling him at this time?

Ye Qing walked outside with the phone, answered the call but said nothing, waiting for the person on the other end to speak first.

”Hello, hello, can you hear me? Can you hear me?” a familiar yet sleazy and shameless voice came through. Hearing this voice, an image flashed across Ye Qing’s mind immediately.

An eternal center-parted hairstyle, a sleazy appearance, shameless demeanor, yellow teeth, looking like a traitorous dealer. Frequently squatting in corners, telling fortunes, brushing walls, fixing sewers, repairing toilets, removing corns, and curing nail fungus, Old Wang Ba was a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.

”Old Wang Ba!” Ye Qing blurted out; this guy had been missing for a month or two, and Ye Qing thought he might have disappeared, but now, unexpectedly, he had surfaced again. And to call at such a time was completely unexpected.

”Hey, watch your language!” Old Wang Ba cursed from the other end of the phone and asked, ”What are you doing? Have you eaten yet?”

”It’s two in the morning, and you’re asking if I’ve eaten?” Ye Qing was almost driven mad; talking to this bastard was just impossible.