Urban Martial Saint

Zhao Chengshuang and Li Lianshan had been worrying about Ye Qing going to Dongzhou. Upon hearing he had returned, the two immediately rushed over to Tian Sheng.

”Ye Zi, you didn’t cause any trouble in Dongzhou, did you?” This was Li Lianshan’s first question when he saw Ye Qing.

”And what would you have me do?” Ye Qing replied with a smile.

Seeing Ye Qing’s expression, Li Lianshan instantly felt much more at ease and said with a laugh, ”I wasn’t expecting you to do anything; I was afraid you might have already done something. Since you went to Dongzhou yesterday, Chengshuang and I have been worrying non-stop, terrified that you might cause some major trouble there.”

Ye Qing chuckled faintly and said, ”Relax, I have a sense of proportion in what I do.”

”I know you have a sense of proportion, but I worry that this orphanage matter might have thrown that sense off balance.” Li Lianshan continued, ”It’s good that nothing happened. I know you’ve got resentment toward Huang Boxiong, but for things like this, we need to strategize and wait for the right opportunity to settle accounts with him. Revenge has no expiration date, as they say. We don’t necessarily need ten years, but we can wait for the right opportunity.”

Li Lianshan still didn’t know that Huang Boxiong was already dead. Just as Ye Qing was about to say something, Zhao Chengshuang burst in through the door. Seeing Ye Qing, Zhao Chengshuang immediately exclaimed, ”Ye Zi, what… what did you do in Dongzhou? How did Huang Boxiong end up being blown to pieces by those mercenaries?”

”Hmm?” Li Lianshan froze for a moment, looking at Ye Qing in astonishment. ”Huang… Huang… Huang Boxiong is dead?”

”Yeah, you didn’t know?” Zhao Chengshuang replied, looking at Li Lianshan. ”He was blown up by that group of mercenaries. The bomb was placed in the room Ye Zi had rented at the hotel. I just got the news. Luckily, Huang Boxiong and his people entered Ye Zi’s room first. Otherwise, if Ye Zi had gone in first, the one blown up would’ve been him!”

”Dang!” Li Lianshan widened his eyes and exclaimed, ”Are you serious? Huang Boxiong must be one cursed bastard, huh? Even in death, he managed to shield Ye Zi from disaster.”

Zhao Chengshuang turned to Ye Qing and asked, ”Ye Zi, what’s going on here? Did you have a hand in this?”

”Don’t look at me like that!” Ye Qing immediately waved his hands and said, ”What does this have to do with me? I didn’t plant the bomb, nor did I force Huang Boxiong into that room. Don’t try to pin this on me!”

”Oh, come on!” Zhao Chengshuang retorted, ”Others might not understand you, but I do. We’re family here, no need to keep anything secret. Let me guess—wasn’t this your plan to lure Huang Boxiong into that room and use those mercenaries to take him out?”

Having known Ye Qing for quite a while, Zhao Chengshuang had a deep understanding of him. He had actually guessed the truth.

”But I must say, you pulled it off beautifully!” Zhao Chengshuang quickly added with a cheeky grin, ”Damn, I’ve always hated that bastard Huang Boxiong, always backstabbing people. This time, you turned the tables and used the mercenaries to finish him off. Not only do we bear no responsibility, but we also got our revenge. Ye Zi, I really admire your approach!”

Ye Qing smiled faintly and didn’t say much, thereby acknowledging the deed as his own.

Li Lianshan grew excited as well and said, ”Since Huang Boxiong was killed by the mercenaries, even if the Huang Family wants revenge, they can’t pin it on Ye Zi. Haha, the mercenaries hated Huang Boxiong just as much as Ye Zi did. This turned into a perfect scenario—let them fight it out among themselves. We call that a dog-eat-dog situation!”

”Who cares about the dog-eat-dog stuff? As long as that bastard is gone, I’m satisfied!” Zhao Chengshuang interjected. ”Oh, Ye Zi, I just received news from the provincial capital. They’ve ordered Shenchuan City to pause the cancellation process for your orphanage. What’s going on? What did you do in Dongzhou to influence the province’s decision?”

Ye Qing didn’t hold back and recounted the entire situation involving Su Nuoyan and Su Kaicheng. After listening to Ye Qing’s story, Zhao Chengshuang and Li Lianshan stood with wide eyes and agape mouths. They were stunned speechless for quite a while.

”You… You randomly saved a girl in Xishan City and it turns out she’s from the Sujia of Capital City?” After a long moment, Zhao Chengshuang stammered, looking at Ye Qing. ”Your luck is unbelievable, huh?”

Ye Qing shrugged, still puzzled by his apparent streak of fortune. Since arriving in Xishan City, his luck seemed to have taken a dramatic turn. Though he’d faced his share of hardships, he always emerged unscathed and even gained unexpected rewards afterward. It baffled him—could it be that all the luck he hadn’t experienced in the past twenty years was now coming to fruition?

In truth, Ye Qing wasn’t aware that Old Wang Ba had secured three years of great fortune for him. The moment Ye Qing set foot in Xishan City, this luck began to manifest. Old Wang Ba had paid a significant price for this favor—his arm was nearly disabled as a consequence of altering fate.

”So, does this mean your orphanage still has hope?” Li Lianshan, more concerned about the orphanage, urgently inquired.

”It should be fine now!” Ye Qing replied. ”According to Su Kaicheng, as long as the assessment in the Capital goes smoothly, the orphanage can officially open. Moreover, it will become a national project, independent of Eastern Province’s administration, with annual funding from the government to cover operational costs.”

”That doesn’t matter as much; what matters is that your orphanage can continue to operate!” Li Lianshan remarked. ”Funding? We can make money ourselves. The critical issue is ensuring the orphanage isn’t shut down. Damn, last time Eastern Province wanted to close the orphanage it nearly gave me a heart attack. But now, everything’s fine—the orphanage can keep running, and there’s nothing more to worry about!”

”It’s not just about keeping it running—your orphanage is about to become a national project!” Zhao Chengshuang explained to Li Lianshan. ”Do you even understand the implications of a national project?”

”What does it mean?” Li Lianshan asked casually; he truly didn’t grasp the significance of those words.

”A national project means Ye Zi’s orphanage will be a priority for government support moving forward,” Zhao Chengshuang began. ”Most importantly, while the orphanage is located in Eastern Province, it will be under direct government management, free from local jurisdiction. Not even the highest-ranking official in Eastern Province would have any authority over this orphanage!”

”No way!” Li Lianshan’s eyes widened in disbelief. ”That’s… that’s insane! Seriously?”

Zhao Chengshuang shrugged, saying, ”That’s the reality. Why else would leaders from the Capital at a vice-national level take this matter so seriously?”

Li Lianshan scratched his head, turning to Ye Qing. ”Is it necessary to go this big? Why do I suddenly feel so much pressure?”

Ye Qing hadn’t fully understood the implications of a national project, but he didn’t feel the same pressure. For him, the priority was taking good care of the children—the rest didn’t matter much.

”Honestly, I didn’t want the orphanage to be managed by any government department,” Ye Qing admitted.

”Don’t worry,” Zhao Chengshuang reassured him. ”Although it will be directly managed by the government, they won’t have the time or energy to meddle with your orphanage. Everything will still be under your control; the government will only care about results. As long as there aren’t major problems, they won’t interfere. And the best part is, they’ll provide financial support. Even if you encounter issues with your funding, the government will step in to ensure the orphanage continues to operate smoothly.”

”That does sound pretty good,” Li Lianshan nodded in agreement, looking at Ye Qing. ”Ye Zi, I think this is a great deal.”

Ye Qing nodded as well; Zhao Chengshuang’s explanation had eased his worries. Funding has always been his biggest concern. Feeding, clothing, and supporting these children wasn’t cheap, and any financial hiccup could disrupt their lives. With government backing, there would be nothing to worry about.

”Ye Zi, you don’t need to worry about anything else for now. Just focus on handling the orphanage’s affairs and wait for the Capital’s evaluation,” Zhao Chengshuang advised. ”As long as the evaluation goes smoothly, this project will be confirmed. That’s the final hurdle!”

”Exactly, the orphanage is the key right now,” Li Lianshan echoed. ”Ye Zi, Principal Wu is still in a coma, and the orphanage lacks a leader, which is a serious problem. Should we appoint a new principal?”

Hearing about Principal Wu struck a chord in Ye Qing’s heart. Wu Yian had devoted himself tirelessly to caring for the orphanage’s children, only to fall victim to Huang Boxiong’s schemes, leaving him in his current state. Wu Yian’s plight was one of the reasons Ye Qing had resolved to kill Huang Boxiong. But now, Huang Boxiong was dead, and the orphanage could continue operating, yet Wu Yian’s condition remained unchanged.

The Acupoint Seeking Technique contained many treatments for various ailments, and strokes were among them. However, treating strokes required acupuncture, a skill Ye Qing hadn’t mastered. Although he knew the methods detailed in The Way of Acupuncture, he lacked the ability to apply them, which meant he couldn’t save Wu Yian.

Ye Qing had tried finding an experienced practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Shenchuan City capable of executing the necessary procedures. However, even those who claimed expertise would shake their heads and refuse once Ye Qing explained half of what the procedure entailed. The techniques were so intricate they couldn’t perform them, leaving Wu Yian’s situation unresolved.