Urban Martial Saint

Old Wang Ba was not ashamed in the slightest, chuckling slyly, ”Just small change, small change, heh heh...”

”Master, could you sell me that turning luck jade bracelet for a bit cheaper?” Acne seemed more interested in the turning luck jade bracelet in Old Wang Ba’s hands, carefully asking: ”I only have one thousand eight hundred yuan left, I’ll keep two hundred for food, one thousand six, how does that sound?”

Ye Qing glanced at the young man, who was obviously excited and enthusiastic when he looked at the turning luck jade bracelet in Old Wang Ba’s hands, completely hoodwinked by Old Wang Ba.

”Ah, originally, I would never sell this item no matter how much money was offered!” Old Wang Ba had a look of heartfelt pain, as if making a monumental decision, and gritted his teeth, ”But since we’re fated, I’ll take a bit of a loss. One thousand six, it’s yours, but cash only!”

”Sure, sure, no problem, no problem!” Acne was overjoyed, hastily reaching into his pocket to take out money.

Old Wang Ba gave Ye Qing a sly wink, which was a hint to Ye Qing: ”Now you can save yourself one thousand six!”

Ye Qing frowned slightly, stopping Acne with a hand, saying, ”That’s enough, stop cheating this young man here. Three thousand eight, right? I’ll give it to you!”

Ye Qing pulled out a stack of cash and handed it over. Acne had just taken out one thousand six and was startled by Ye Qing’s words, asking, ”Cheating... cheating what?”

”What’s he talking about, no one’s cheating anything!” Old Wang Ba reached for the cash in Acne’s hand, spluttering, ”Come on, hand over the money and the turning luck jade bracelet is yours. To turn the tables and marry into wealth, you can count on this bracelet, opportunities like this don’t come twice!”

At least Acne had some smarts; he hastily pulled his hand back, avoiding Old Wang Ba’s reach. Staring at Old Wang Ba in shock, he asked, ”You... you’re not scamming me, are you?”

”How could I scam you, I...” Old Wang Ba wanted to continue his ruse, but Ye Qing was getting impatient and grabbed him by his clothes to drag him outside.

”Hey, hey, hey, give the money, give the money, the turning luck jade bracelet is yours...” Old Wang Ba kept shouting, but in the end, Acne wasn’t foolish and didn’t buy the turning luck jade bracelet.

Leaving the security room, Old Wang Ba immediately patted Ye Qing’s arm, saying, ”Okay, let go. With so many people watching, does it look good to hustle like this?”

Ye Qing let go, walking out of the hotel with Old Wang Ba. Old Wang Ba straightened his clothes and complained with a sullen face, ”I tell you, I never encountered anything good after meeting you. I finally made a deal, and the money was almost in hand, then you came out and spoiled it. Tell me, are you here just to mess with me?”

”Just cheat people a bit less, and you won’t have to be a fugitive on the run!” Ye Qing retorted unhappily. This guy, last time he left Shenchuan City, it was because he spread rumors about more bombings, which led to the police issuing a warrant for his arrest.

”Hey, I don’t like the sound of that!” Old Wang Ba said: ”When have I ever cheated anyone?”

Ye Qing replied, ”You still have the nerve to argue, have you forgotten why you were wanted?”

”That’s a fine thing to say?” Old Wang Ba retorted: ”When they issued the warrant, they accused me of spreading rumors and disrupting public order. But did I spread rumors? I said there would be more explosions in Shenchuan City. Tell me, was I right or not? Didn’t more bombings happen later on?”

Ye Qing actually couldn’t refute Old Wang Ba’s words. After he left Shenchuan City, there indeed were additional bombings. He Ziqiang was blown up, along with the orphanage incident. But could all this really have been predicted by Old Wang Ba?

Ye Qing gave Old Wang Ba a look; he still thought the guy was just a con artist, and a rather sleazy one at that.

”What exactly did you call me here for?” Ye Qing asked.

”No rush, let’s find somewhere to fill our stomachs first,” Old Wang Ba said. ”Damn it, a five-star hotel, with a business suite costing three thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight yuan a night, and they don’t even have instant noodles. What kind of hotel is this? I’m starving! Next time I see that stinking woman Huangfu Ziyu, I’m definitely going to insult her!”

”You stayed in a luxury business suite last night!?” Ye Qing’s eyes widened in surprise. No wonder it cost three thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight yuan a night. This bastard really knew how to live it up. Besides, who would eat instant noodles in such an expensive luxury suite?

”What’s wrong?” Old Wang Ba glanced at Ye Qing and said, ”What are you staring at? If I don’t stay in such a room, how can I live up to my status?”

Ye Qing scoffed, ”You’re just a wanted felon, what status do you have?”

”Let’s not talk about that,” said Old Wang Ba as he dragged Ye Qing to a breakfast shop. ”Come on, first treat me to breakfast, I’m starving!” He ordered one of everything on the menu and had a satisfying meal.

Ye Qing had already eaten breakfast, so he didn’t eat much, just watching Old Wang Ba eat. Old Wang Ba’s way of eating was as if he hadn’t eaten for two or three days, shoveling anything he could into his mouth. People nearby were stunned by his appearance. In particular, his sleazy look drew whispers and speculations from the crowd, some wondering if he was a poor relative who had run to the city from the countryside and, after several days, had finally found his relatives and was having a big meal.

Listening to the whispers around him, Ye Qing’s face burned with embarrassment. Being with someone like Old Wang Ba, one had to be prepared to be pointed at by thousands.

After what seemed like forever, Old Wang Ba finished eating. Ye Qing paid the bill and almost fled the breakfast shop with Old Wang Ba in tow. They took a taxi back to the hotel where Ye Qing was staying, and he couldn’t help asking, ”How can you stay in such a luxury hotel without a penny in your pocket? Don’t they ask for a deposit?”

”No need!” Old Wang Ba replied, ”In Dongzhou, any hotel that bears Huangfu Ziyu’s name doesn’t require a deposit; you can check in directly. It’s different here from Shenchuan City; no one dares to stay for free in Huangfu Ziyu’s hotels!”

Ye Qing was shocked. Huangfu Ziyu’s status in Dongzhou had reached such a level? In Shenchuan City, even the places owned by the Tianqing Gang and the Fu Bang occasionally had troublemakers. But a hotel run by Huangfu Ziyu didn’t even need a deposit; how strong was her influence in Dongzhou?

”Now can you tell me,” Ye Qing asked, ”what it is you wanted to see me about?”

Old Wang Ba sat on a chair, picking his teeth and combing through his perennially middle-parted hair. ”First, tell me in detail about the situation in Shenchuan City. I want to see what the situation is like over there!”

Ye Qing really felt like kicking Old Wang Ba off the chair, but he held back and recounted everything that had happened in Shenchuan City from beginning to end.

After hearing Ye Qing’s story, Old Wang Ba furrowed his brow and was silent for a long time before asking, ”The gun that killed Tie Yongwen was the one you snatched from Ding Changsheng?”

”That’s right!” Ye Qing nodded. The people from the Ding Family and Xingyi School were certain that he was the murderer because of this very reason.

”It’s clear someone is trying to frame you!” Old Wang Ba exclaimed. ”The Ding Family and Xingyi School aren’t fools; can’t they see through such a simple plot?”

”Maybe the people involved are too close to see it clearly!” Ye Qing replied gravely, feeling frustrated. It was obvious someone else had set him up, yet the Ding Family and the Xingyi School were still after him. Being falsely accused felt terrible.

”This isn’t a case of being too close,” Old Wang Ba shook his head and said solemnly, ”I’m sure that someone from the Ding Family and Xingyi School is involved in this!”

Ye Qing furrowed his brows, having considered this possibility himself. But who could be involved?

Ye Qing’s first suspect was Ding Shaoyan, because the explosion at the orphanage was also related to him. However, the car DVR from Tie Weihua’s car had proven that Shaoyan was not the one who had made the call. So, Ye Qing didn’t know whom to suspect for the moment!

”Don’t overcomplicate things!” Old Wang Ba waved his hand and said, ”To find the traitor from the Ding Family and Xingyi School is no easy task. However, there are a few people who are obvious suspects; to clear up this matter, you just need to find those few people!”

Ye Qing looked at Old Wang Ba, frowning slightly. ”Are you talking about the Tianqing Gang and the Fu Bang?”

”And Shen Baichuan!” said Old Wang Ba. ”Right after your situation arose, the Tianqing Gang and the Fu Bang immediately took action against you. Isn’t that obvious enough? Moreover, Shen Baichuan, who didn’t start an investigation, let alone see Tie Yongwen’s body, just called back to the Xihang Shen Family, which itself makes no sense.”

Ye Qing clenched his brows and said in a deep voice, ”Are you saying Shen Baichuan is behind this plot?”

”Pfft, as if he could. Don’t flatter him too much!” Old Wang Ba sneered. ”Shen Baichuan is just a reckless and entitled brat without much merit or patience. It’s not possible for him to have orchestrated this. Besides, whoever did this dared to kill Tie Yongwen, so they must be quite capable. Anyway, you have to be careful with this situation no matter what!”

Old Wang Ba frowned and said, ”Cui Yu is starting to make moves too. The Ghost King Li Ruoyuan and the Demon Queen He Qinghua, they have all arrived in Shenchuan City. It seems they are getting ready to deal with the Shen Family. Ye Qing, you are a descendant of the Li Style Bajiquan; this matter, if known by the Xihang Shen Family, would be a disaster for you. So, before the Xihang Shen Family enters Shenchuan City, you must secure your footing there!”

Seeing the unusually grave expression on Old Wang Ba’s face, which replaced his usual sleaziness and even carried an air of solemnity, Ye Qing looked at him.

”So, what is it that you’ve brought me to Dongzhou for?” Ye Qing couldn’t suppress the question any longer.

”Of course, it’s a good opportunity...” Old Wang Ba grinned at Ye Qing. ”And it’s a huge one. If you handle this well, standing firm in Shenchuan City will be no trouble at all!”