Urban Martial Saint

”Did you hear that? He was insulting you!” Watching the Bloody Monk leave, Old Wang Ba said indignantly, ”Truly the person he admires the most in this lifetime. What he’s admiring is your stupidity. Bald old fool, I’ve said it before, you’re too soft-hearted. All that talk about wisdom roots and Buddha nature—if you’d just killed him back then, we wouldn’t have all this trouble now!”

The Dirty Monk’s expression remained calm as he slowly pressed his palms together in a prayer gesture and said, ”In the grand scheme of things, everything has its destined course. This gamble? I may not lose, nor is his victory certain!”

”How is this not already a loss?” Old Wang Ba rolled his eyes and exclaimed, ”I just took a look at that kid’s state—he’s so consumed by hatred that his whole being is born for vengeance. He’s practically possessed by now. Now that he’s got the Murderer’s Manual and Murderer’s Knife, he’ll just keep killing endlessly. The number of people who will die by his hand will be countless. You’ve already lost this gamble for sure!”

The Dirty Monk shook his head with a faint smile and said, ”Not necessarily!”

”Not necessarily? My foot! This whole thing is already written in stone!” Old Wang Ba said. ”I can’t let this stand—I need to find Ye Qing and kill him while he’s still weak, before he grows into some kind of killing machine. Killing him now would stop all this madness from escalating, and your wager with the Bloody Monk would be as good as nullified. Then you can just keep hunting the Bloody Monk down without all this extra baggage!”

”No need!” The Dirty Monk shook his head and said, ”This person must not die!”

”Why can’t he die?” Old Wang Ba demanded. ”Aren’t you a monk? Doesn’t saving one life surpass building a seven-story pagoda? This guy is going to slaughter thousands in the future—killing him now would be like saving thousands of lives! How many seven-story pagodas is that worth, huh?”

The Dirty Monk looked at Old Wang Ba and asked, ”Old Wang Ba, do you know why I sought your help in tracking down the Bloody Monk?”

”Do you even need to ask?” Old Wang Ba replied. ”In all the world, who else but a disciple of the Iron Calculation Sect like me could possibly calculate the Bloody Monk’s whereabouts? Bald fool, don’t let your usual act of being an enlightened monk fool you. When it comes to divination techniques, the Iron Calculation Sect remains unmatched!”

The Dirty Monk shook his head and said, ”Buddhism and the Dao are different. What you can calculate, I cannot. What I can see, you cannot. The Buddhist Sect speaks of causality and sees only the ends. The Taoist Sect speaks of causality but focuses on the processes. So, I can see the outcomes of these two, while you can only see what they will do, not their ultimate endings.”

Old Wang Ba was dumbfounded and asked, ”Then... then what will their outcomes be?”

The Dirty Monk smiled faintly and said, ”This gamble? I am destined to win. I’ve told you before—my junior brother possesses wisdom roots and Buddha nature. His future achievements will be on par with, if not greater than, mine!”

”Nonsense! I think you’re just bragging!” Old Wang Ba scratched his head and said, ”Then what about my outcome? Take a look for me!”

The Dirty Monk glanced at Old Wang Ba and slowly shook his head, saying, ”You’ve defied the heavens and altered your fate too many times in this lifetime. There are too many potential endings for you. To know your final outcome depends entirely on what you do moving forward.”

”At least tell me one of them—just let me hear it first!” Old Wang Ba pressed.

The Dirty Monk was silent for a long time before finally saying, ”In the future... you will die.”

”Damn it!” Old Wang Ba immediately raised his middle finger at the Dirty Monk and said, ”Of course, I know I’ll die—who doesn’t? How is that any different from farting nonsense?”

The Dirty Monk shook his head and said, ”You will die... miserably.”

”I...” Old Wang Ba’s jaw dropped. It took him a while before he unleashed a storm of insults at the Dirty Monk, cursing him so thoroughly it could be described as a verbal downpour.

The Dirty Monk remained composed, enduring Old Wang Ba’s tirade without retorting. Finally, when Old Wang Ba was out of breath, he grumbled, ”I’m the Eighth Master of the Iron Calculation Sect, and there’s no way I’ll die miserably. Forget it, let’s not talk about me. I want to ask you about two other people!”

Old Wang Ba paused for a moment before asking solemnly, ”What do you reckon will happen to Ye Qing?”

The Dirty Monk went silent for a moment before saying, ”His future... is uncertain.”

”Why is it uncertain?” Old Wang Ba asked in surprise. ”He’s not part of the Iron Calculation Sect, and he hasn’t done anything that defies the heavens or changes destiny. How can his fate not be certain?”

”He may not be a disciple of the Iron Calculation Sect, but you are!” The Dirty Monk gazed at Old Wang Ba. ”His outcome is closely tied to yours. Unfortunately, the two of you share a trade-off relationship. The greater his success, the more miserable your end will be. If you wish to die in peace, you’d best stop redirecting fortune to him!”

Old Wang Ba froze. Reflecting on what had happened to his arm, he begrudgingly admitted there was some truth to the Dirty Monk’s words.

The Dirty Monk looked at Old Wang Ba again and said, ”The Heaven, Earth, and Man Three Gates are about to open once more. I know you intend for Ye Qing to enter them. But Old Wang Ba, let me warn you: the true heirs of the Three Gates have long since emerged. The Killing Wolf TriStar has already descended into this world, and those three are the rightful inheritors of the Three Gates. This destiny does not belong to Ye Qing. If you insist on forcing him into the Three Gates, then the moment he steps inside will also be the moment your life comes to an end. You’d better think this through!”

Old Wang Ba let out a long breath and said, ”Bald fool, you sure know a lot.”

The Dirty Monk smiled faintly and said, ”Weren’t you going to ask about two people? Who’s the second one?”

”The second person is the kid Ye Qing adopted—a child called Dudu,” Old Wang Ba said. ”That boy is strange. So young, yet every word he speaks is profound and cryptic. I’ve tried divining his circumstances, but no matter what, I can’t calculate his past or future. Do you know what’s going on with him?”

The Dirty Monk remained silent for a while before finally shaking his head. ”I’ve seen that child as well. To be honest, I can’t discern his future either. But I am certain that this child’s future will be anything but ordinary.”

”No kidding. I already knew he wouldn’t be ordinary! But why?” Old Wang Ba asked.

The Dirty Monk spread his hands and said, ”That, I do not know.”

”Then what’s the point of asking you!” Old Wang Ba grumbled, clearly unhappy. ”Forget it, talking to you is exhausting. So, what now? Should I help you calculate where the Bloody Monk’s gone?”

”No need.” The Dirty Monk shook his head. ”In the next few days, he will certainly remain in Tianhui City!”

”Why are you so sure?” Old Wang Ba asked curiously. ”Isn’t he heading to Shenchuan City? What would he do in Tianhui City?”

The Dirty Monk glanced toward a tree, where Ding San sat hidden, and smiled faintly. ”My junior brother has always been competitive. Since he’s made this wager with me, he’ll undoubtedly want to win. That person, even with the Murderer’s Manual and Knife, may or may not grow strong. My junior brother would never allow him to be killed prematurely before he’s had a chance to fully develop. So, he’ll definitely stay in Tianhui City until that person’s power reaches its peak before leaving.”

Old Wang Ba suddenly realized, ”I see! So that’s how it is. And you? Are you staying in Tianhui City too?”

”No,” the Dirty Monk shook his head. ”Since I’ve made this gamble, I won’t interfere for the time being. For the past decade or so, I haven’t had a moment of leisure. Now that I finally do, I should take some time for myself.”

”Yourself?” Old Wang Ba raised an eyebrow. ”What would that be?”

The Dirty Monk let out a mischievous laugh, his prior mystique vanishing instantly. Swallowing eagerly, he said, ”After all these years, I haven’t had a proper feast. Mongolian Roast Lamb, Capital City Sliced Duck, Eastern City Soy Sauce Pork Knuckle, Yellow Sea Steamed Fish—this time, I’ll eat to my heart’s content!”

”I cannot believe you...” Old Wang Ba looked exasperated. ”You’re a monk! Always preaching compassion—and here you are eating meat! Aren’t you afraid of Buddha punishing you?”

”It’s for their salvation!” The Dirty Monk said with a straight face.

”Fine, I’m done arguing with you. I’m heading back to Shenchuan City!” Old Wang Ba waved his hand. ”That kid Ye Qing has a tribulation coming up. I need to go back and guide him through it.”

The Dirty Monk said, ”Old Wang Ba, if it’s just about repaying a debt, what you’ve already done for Ye Qing is enough. But you keep helping him—why? What are you really trying to achieve?”

Old Wang Ba fell silent for a moment before replying solemnly, ”If I told you it’s to prove the prowess of the Iron Calculation Sect, would you believe me?”

The Dirty Monk didn’t respond. He simply sighed and said, ”I hope you remember my words. The more you do for him, the worse your end will be. If you can stop early, do so, or else the Iron Calculation Sect might end with you.”

”Bullshit! Before I die, I’ll find myself a disciple!” Old Wang Ba scowled. ”Actually, your warning just reminded me—I should head back to Shenchuan City to recruit an apprentice. The Iron Calculation Sect will not end with me—it will live on forever!”

The Dirty Monk gave a faint smile, said nothing more, and slowly walked into the valley.

As he watched the Dirty Monk’s back fade into the distance, Old Wang Ba frowned. Despite acting as if he didn’t care, deep down, he was genuinely concerned. The more he did for Ye Qing, the greater the price he paid. Was it truly destined to play out as the Dirty Monk had warned, with him meeting a terrible end?

Standing there in silence for a long time, Old Wang Ba muttered, ”After this chaos is over, I’ll retire to the countryside and farm. Ancestors of the Iron Calculation Sect, you better bless me and help me make it through this alive!”

Grumbling to himself, Old Wang Ba left the valley by another path. Under the moonlit night, the valley gradually returned to stillness, as if all the turmoil from moments before had never occurred.

About half an hour after Old Wang Ba and the Dirty Monk had left the valley, a group of men with flashlights entered. These were the same thugs who had been chasing Ding San earlier. Under Wu Tiande’s orders, they were to catch Ding San at all costs. As such, they had come searching for him in the valley.