Urban Martial Saint

When Ding San tumbled off the cliff, he was still faintly conscious. However, his injuries were so severe that he had no strength left in his body. Even as he fell into the valley, there was nothing he could do.

As he felt himself rolling closer and closer toward the bottom of the gorge, there wasn’t the slightest fear in Ding San’s heart. He wasn’t afraid of death; he had already made peace with that long ago. What lingered in his heart was only bitterness, because he felt that he hadn’t killed enough of his enemies.

As the distance to the valley floor shortened, rage roared in Ding San’s soul. If the heavens could grant him just one more chance, he vowed to slaughter everyone who had ever harmed his family!

But was that even possible?

As the bottom of the gorge neared, Ding San felt his heart grow colder and colder. He knew there would be no second chances. All that awaited him was death!

Just as Ding San was about to smash into the stone slabs below, a monk clad in a blood-red kasaya suddenly emerged from the shadows of the forest. With a flick of his right hand, a blood-colored long rope shot out and coiled instantly around Ding San’s waist.

Ding San felt a sudden tightening around his waist. His rapid descent was abruptly halted, and the force of the rope yanked him sideways. The howling wind rushed past his ears, and instead of crashing into the rocky ground below, he veered and landed softly on a grassy patch nearby. Most importantly, by the time he hit the ground, the force of his fall had been largely dissipated. Landing on the grass was no different from slipping off a bed — not a scratch on him.

Stunned, Ding San couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. He turned to look and saw, not far away, a monk standing there, wrapped in a blood-colored kasaya. The monk’s appearance was grim and horrifying, yet to Ding San — who had already cast aside all regard for life and death — such matters were meaningless now.

”You… Are you a Judge?” Ding San asked in a low voice, thinking that he must already be dead. He’d heard stories before: when one descends to Hell, the first figure they meet is the Judge, who adjudicates their sins in life and determines which circle of Hell they’ll be condemned to.

Of course, Ding San hadn’t realized he was still alive. To him, falling from such a height meant death was inevitable unless a deity directly intervened!

”A Judge?” The Bloody Monk let out a chilling laugh and said, ”In fact, a Judge is nothing more than my subordinate.”

The Bloody Monk was, of course, referring to the Ghost-faced Judge Cui Yu.

”Then… you must be King Yan?” Ding San asked in astonishment. After all, only King Yan could have Judges as subordinates.

”King Yan? Heh…” The Bloody Monk chuckled coldly and said, ”If I were dead, perhaps I could have been King Yan. But as it is, I’m still alive — so I’m only a ’Living King Yan.’”

”A ’Living King Yan’?” Ding San was even more baffled, unable to grasp the meaning of those words.

”That’s right!” The Bloody Monk stared at Ding San and said, ”Because anyone I decide to kill will not escape. That’s what makes me a Living King Yan!”

”Really?” Ding San’s eyes widened, full of awe as he gazed at the Bloody Monk. The first thought that crossed his mind was how incredible it would be if he could become like this monk. He had so many enemies, so many wrongs to avenge. He longed to kill them all!

Seeing the gleam in Ding San’s eyes, the Bloody Monk’s smirk deepened. From that look alone, he could tell: this Ding San was already teetering on the edge of possession. Ding San’s heart brimmed with murder, a desire to exterminate every last one of his enemies. And this was precisely what the Bloody Monk had been searching for.

”If you’re willing, you can be just like me,” the Bloody Monk said. ”Anyone you wish to kill, you could kill!”

”That… How could that be possible?” Despite his doubts, Ding San nervously asked, ”How… how could it be done?”

”It’s very simple.” The Bloody Monk pulled out an ancient book and a rusted short dagger from his robes and said, ”All you need are these two items. With each person you kill, your power will grow a little stronger. The more people you kill, the stronger you’ll become. The stronger you are, the easier it will be to kill!”

Ding San stared at the ancient book and short dagger, swallowing hard. He whispered, ”Is this… real? How could this be possible?”

The Bloody Monk chuckled and said, ”Whether it’s real or not, just try it and you’ll see. Once you’ve tried, you’ll know the truth.”

Ding San looked again at the book and dagger, a strange light flickering in his eyes. After a long hesitation, he finally whispered, ”Then… would you really give these to me?”

”Of course I would!” the Bloody Monk laughed aloud. ”These two things mean nothing to me anymore. It’s time they found a new heir. You and I were meant to meet, so I’ll give them to you!”

As he spoke, the Bloody Monk handed the book and dagger to Ding San.

Ding San received the items as though they were treasures of untold worth, his face glowing with excitement. To him, these objects were his hope for vengeance!

”But remember my words!” the Bloody Monk said gravely. ”These two items must be nourished with human blood. In other words, the more people you kill with them, the stronger you’ll become. How powerful you wish to be depends entirely on your choices!”

Listening to the Bloody Monk’s words, Ding San’s expression grew even more determined. Clutching the items tightly, he uttered word by word, ”I have too many people to kill!”

Seeing the cold glint in Ding San’s eyes, the Bloody Monk’s lips curved into a sinister smile. He knew he had won this gamble.

”Since you’ve made up your mind, let me help you one last time.” The Bloody Monk pulled out a pill the size of a marble and said, ”This is the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill. It will heal all your injuries in the shortest possible time. Take it, sleep, and by tomorrow, your body will be fully recovered. After that, you’re on your own. I won’t interfere further.”

The Bloody Monk handed the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill to Ding San, who swallowed it without hesitation.

”Aren’t you afraid it’s poison?” the Bloody Monk asked coldly.

Ding San smiled and said, ”If you wanted me dead, I’d already be dead. Why would you need poison?”

”Heh…” The Bloody Monk sneered. ”Very well. Sleep here tonight. By morning, everything will depend on you.”

With that, the Bloody Monk flicked the blood-colored long rope. It coiled around Ding San and hoisted him into the branches of a large tree, setting him into a fork of the branches where he fit perfectly. Looking up from the ground, it was impossible to see anyone hidden among the leaves. Even if someone searched, they wouldn’t find him there.

The Bloody Monk glanced at Ding San, who was already drifting into sleep in the branches, and let out another faintly cold smile before turning to ascend mid-mountain.

On a stone slab halfway up the mountain, the Dirty Monk and Old Wang Ba stood waiting. As the Bloody Monk approached, Old Wang Ba immediately blurted, ”Bloody Monk, you’re despicable! That guy’s filled with murderous rage—a soul consumed by vengeance who’d happily slaughter the whole world. You’ve definitely rigged this bet by picking someone like him!”

”I told Senior Brother earlier: the first person to enter the gorge would be our choice,” the Bloody Monk said with a cold smile, eyeing the Dirty Monk. ”Senior Brother, we agreed. Don’t tell me you’re too scared to follow through.”

”Damn it! This whole thing reeks!” Old Wang Ba protested. ”It’s the middle of the night! Who’s crazy enough to wander into a place like this unless they’re running for their life or up to no good? You’re obviously cheating your Senior Brother!”

”Old Wang Ba, you sound displeased,” the Bloody Monk sneered. ”Don’t think that just because my Senior Brother’s here, I won’t kill you. Do you think you can stick by him forever?”

The Dirty Monk finally sighed and said, ”Junior Brother, this wager is between the two of us. Old Wang Ba is the only witness. If you kill him, there’ll be no witness, and our wager won’t count.”

The Bloody Monk fell momentarily silent, while Old Wang Ba smirked triumphantly. ”Go ahead, try killing me! Without me verifying your wager, your Senior Brother will keep coming for you, and I’d love to see what you do then!”

The Bloody Monk glared furiously at Old Wang Ba, then turned back to the Dirty Monk. ”Senior Brother, enough talk. The person has been chosen. If you have no objections, from now on, we’ll observe his actions. As long as he keeps killing, you won’t disturb me. If he ever stops killing, I’ll admit defeat and come to you myself!”

”No way! Picking someone like that clearly tilts the odds!” Old Wang Ba interrupted. ”Find someone honest instead of this bloodthirsty maniac. Weren’t you just saying that all humans are inherently evil? Then pick an honest guy and prove it!”

The Bloody Monk ignored Old Wang Ba, focusing only on the Dirty Monk and waiting for his response.

The Dirty Monk glanced toward the tree where Ding San was hidden, sighed softly, and said, ”In the grand scheme of things, all is predestined. If this man entered the gorge at this precise moment, it was meant to be. Heaven’s will cannot be defied.”

”Hahaha…” The Bloody Monk roared with laughter. ”Senior Brother, you never cease to amaze me. Even knowing the odds are stacked against you, you still accept my wager. Very well, then. Farewell for now, hahaha…”

With that, the Bloody Monk strode out of the gorge, his mood elated. After being hounded by the Dirty Monk for so many years, this time, he finally felt he could rid himself of his senior brother and fully prepare for the chaos to come!