Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing, while speaking, had already grabbed a broken stick beside him and stabbed it into Snake’s abdomen in one swift movement. Snake didn’t even have a chance to react before Ye Qing pulled out the stick, and fresh blood gushed out, staining a large area of Snake’s abdomen red.

Seeing such a scene, everyone was stunned, including Ye Qing’s own men, who also froze. They knew Ye Qing valued these children greatly, but Ye Qing was usually very measured in his actions. Why was he so enraged this time? He struck with fatal intent; he had never wanted to make an enemy of the Snake Form Gate. If Snake died, the grievances between him and the Snake Form Gate would become irreconcilable.

Snake himself was also stunned, pressing his hand over the wound on his abdomen, staring blankly at Ye Qing, not knowing what to do. But Ye Qing’s face was twisted with ferocity as he kicked Snake to the ground and roared, ”There is a head for every debt and a debtor for every grievance. If you had a grudge against me, you could have come after me. Why attack these poor children? Today, if I don’t kill you, I’ll be letting these children down!”

As he spoke, Ye Qing raised his hand and stabbed Snake’s abdomen again, and blood splattered once more. Snake’s mouth opened wide, wanting to scream in agony, but he was now completely out of strength to make a sound, only able to gaze dumbly at his men.

However, at this moment, how many of his men dared to come to his aid? In fact, seeing such a scene, most of his men wore expressions of schadenfreude, with little anger to be seen.

Most of Snake’s men had been bribed by Xu Cunxiao, and they were all scheming for Ye Qing to kill Snake. Now that Ye Qing had really killed Snake, they were too pleased to rush to Snake’s aid for revenge.

As for those who hadn’t been bought by Xu Cunxiao, they were petrified at this moment and didn’t dare to step forward to help. On the contrary, Ye Qing’s men who had come with him quickly surrounded the scene.

”Big Brother, you go first!” Hou San said anxiously. ”I’ll hold them off here!”

Having followed Ye Qing for so long, Hou San regarded him as the most respected person in his life. So, to take on such a crime for Ye Qing tonight was a testament to his loyalty.

Ye Qing shook his head and gripped the stick tightly, looking at the limp, powerless Snake on the ground, then slowly turned his gaze toward the men Snake had brought with him.

Those men didn’t dare to meet Ye Qing’s gaze, each looking around with heads bowed, most without any real anger in their hearts. Only a few who hadn’t been bought by Xu Cunxiao were seething with rage, yet they didn’t dare to speak out, knowing that Ye Qing’s side was much stronger.

Ye Qing stared at these men for a long time, then suddenly bellowed, ”Get lost, all of you!”

The Snake Form Gate members, as if pardoned, saw those bought by Xu Cunxiao turn and run immediately, not daring to stay a moment longer. Those who hadn’t been bought hesitated a moment, but still, some ran first. In the end, only two or three did not follow the others and leave, standing still with expressions of anger and hesitation.

”Don’t you want to get lost, or do you want to die?” Hou San shouted angrily.

The three men shuddered, one of them said hastily, ”We... We just wanted to take Snake away... no other meaning...”

”Impossible!” Ye Qing glared at them fiercely and said solemnly, ”Leave now, or I will kill you all!”

These three men also had their sense of loyalty, but having witnessed Ye Qing’s ferocity, they really dared not challenge him. After casting a glance at Snake lying in a pool of blood, the three men eventually turned and hurried away.

As he watched these men leave, Ye Qing walked with a vacant expression toward the collapsed shanties, his mind seemingly elsewhere. The underlings beside him, seeing such a look on his face, dared not speak a word, all understanding how much Ye Qing cared for these children. Now, with such an incident occurring, it was normal for Ye Qing to be enraged. However, this event had escalated too much; by killing Snake, the enmity with the Snake Form Gate and the six sects would become irreparable.

At this moment, in a small grove of trees across from the orphanage, Xu Cunxiao stood watching with binoculars. Seeing Ye Qing’s dispirited demeanor, Xu Cunxiao couldn’t help but smirk coldly, ”Ye Qing, so you can suffer like this. Hmph, the deaths of those little beggars are just the beginning. You’ve killed Snake, and the old guys from the Snake Form Gate will be back soon. I want to see how you die!”

Mr. Wu stood beside him, his face alight with excitement, ”This Ye Qing is nothing special. With just a little trick from Third Brother, he took the bait immediately. This man is not to be taken seriously!”

Xu Cunxiao glanced at Mr. Wu and said, ”Don’t underestimate Ye Qing; he’s not simple. I can deal with him because I’ve planned for a long time and specifically set this trap to lure him in. If you were to face him alone, you must be careful. This man is not easy to handle!”

”Yes,” Mr. Wu hastily replied with a smile, though in his heart, he was far from pleased. Xu Cunxiao’s words, which made it clear that he thought Mr. Wu’s intelligence was insufficient to contend with Ye Qing, were nothing short of contemptuous. How could it not stir dissatisfaction in Mr. Wu’s heart?

Xu Cunxiao did not hold Mr. Wu in high regard, so he paid no attention to his expressions. After peering through the binoculars to check on Ye Qing’s situation again, a cold smile flickered across his lips as he said, ”It seems things are about to wrap up. Alright, we can head back now and wait for those old fellows from Snake Form Gate to return. Then, the show will really begin!”

”Where are we going back to?” Mr. Wu asked curiously.

”To Snake Form Gate, of course,” Xu Cunxiao replied. ”The seven sects of Snake Form Gate are still quite strong, and I plan to make use of them in the future. Besides, this Ye character is too cunning; I must keep an eye on their interactions with Ye Qing to prevent any trickery. Since we’ve placed so many eavesdropping devices in Snake Form Gate, we can’t let them go to waste, can we?”

”Right, right, right, Third Brother, you always think things through,” Mr. Wu hurriedly said with a laugh.

Xu Cunxiao wore a face of smug satisfaction and, without saying anything more, led Mr. Wu and the rest away. He knew his plan had been a complete success, and now all that was left was to sit back and enjoy the unfolding drama. He wanted to see for himself how Ye Qing would be brought down by the people from the seven sects of the Snake Form Gate!

When the members of Snake Form Gate left the orphanage, they didn’t linger and immediately rushed back to their headquarters. Once home, they all started sighing heavily, wearing expressions of defeat. Although most relished in schadenfreude, they couldn’t let it show too openly.

”That Ye guy has some nerve, daring to kill Snake,” a man shouted angrily. He had not been swayed by Xu Cunxiao, felt a strong sense of loyalty to Snake, and the first thing he thought of upon returning was getting revenge for Snake.

”This can’t just be let go, but what can we do now?” another man shrugged and said, ”Ye himself is so powerful, and he has so many people under him. Whether it’s one-on-one or a group fight, we are no match for him. How do we take revenge? How do you suggest we do it?”

”Why don’t we call the police?” a man tentatively suggested. ”Ye openly committed murder, and we are all witnesses. If we report it, he will certainly be convicted.”

”What’s the use of a conviction when Ye has already bribed the police of Shenchuan City? It doesn’t matter that he’s killed one person, even if he killed ten or a hundred, calling the police would be useless!” another person interjected. ”Don’t forget, he wouldn’t have gotten to where he is today without deaths on his hands. If they haven’t been able to pin a crime on him for so long, what chance do we stand without any power or money? If we call the police, there’s a chance we’d get arrested first!”

With these words spoken, everyone suddenly fell silent, each with different thoughts crossing their minds.

”I say, we might as well wait for the elders to return,” someone suddenly exclaimed loudly. ”It’s already past midnight; the elders should be back tonight. Once they are back, we just have to go by their decision, right?”

This received unanimous agreement. With Snake gone, the members of Snake Form Gate were without a leader and could only wait for the elders of their sect to return and guide them.

Across the building, Xu Cunxiao, Mr. Wu, and the others clearly overheard the entire conversation.

Xu Cunxiao maintained a cold smile, aware that everything was proceeding according to his plan. Now he just needed to wait for the elders from Snake Form Gate to return and then he could enjoy the spectacle.

”It seems that everything will come to a head tonight!” Mr. Wu excitedly said to Xu Cunxiao. ”Third Brother, I think that Ye won’t even survive the night!”

Xu Cunxiao sneered, ”It won’t be so easy to kill him. However, starting tonight, he indeed will live in constant unrest, that’s for certain!”

”All thanks to Third Brother’s wise and clever strategies, Ye is bound to die this time!” Mr. Wu laughed. ”This will also be Third Brother’s first major achievement in entering Shenchuan City. Once this matter succeeds, Big Brother will surely reward you generously!”

Upon hearing this, a fleeting, barely discernible chill flashed in Xu Cunxiao’s eyes. In truth, he harbored deep anger towards Wang Tian’an. However, with a Heart-devouring Bug planted inside him by Wang Tian’an, he was compelled to obey. His exertion in dealing with Ye Qing was driven partially by a desire for revenge for his brother, but also by a wish to earn merit and obtain some of the Heart-devouring Bug’s sustenance from Wang Tian’an.

The Heart-devouring Bug required a monthly feeding, or else it would begin to consume the host’s internal organs out of hunger. Yet, it wouldn’t devour them quickly; instead, it would gnaw away slowly, a sensation so excruciatingly painful that one wished for death. After experiencing it once, Xu Cunxiao and his peers never wanted a second taste. Working for Wang Tian’an, they dared not slack in the slightest, for fear that he might withhold the bug’s sustenance.