Urban Martial Saint

Upon hearing this, Ye Qing instantly regained his energy and eagerly said: ”Where? Who has a solution?”

”Xihang Shen Family Manor!” Old Wang Ba replied, ”Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun has been wandering the world for twenty years, seen everything, met everyone. Maybe, he might have a way to dispel this Twin Life Gu!”

Hearing this, a glimmer of hope rose in Ye Qing’s heart. Without wasting any more words with Old Wang Ba, he hurriedly called for Black Bear and rushed towards Xihang overnight. Chen Yongchang had only given him a day; this single day was just barely enough to reach Xihang. He didn’t have any extra time to spare.

Meanwhile, in Tianhui City, Old Wang Ba was together with the Dirty Monk. The two stood on the rooftop of a pavilion, overlooking a spacious courtyard across the way, which was rather elegantly constructed.

Though it was late into the night, there were still seven or eight people standing in the rear courtyard. Each of them wore grave expressions, clutching weapons in their hands, tensely scanning their surroundings, as if guarding against something unseen.

At the edge of the courtyard, there were also three large dogs, all fierce fighting dogs. Normally, they wouldn’t even let out a bark, but once they bit someone, they could tear a person apart alive—absolute savagery.

Three dogs combined with seven or eight armed individuals made the current rear courtyard defensively impenetrable. And yet, no one seemed to know exactly what they were guarding against.

”I told you I should have gone back to Shenchuan City, but you insisted on keeping me here as a witness,” Old Wang Ba said with an annoyed expression as he looked at the Dirty Monk. ”And now look—Ye Boy’s been infected with the Twin Life Gu by Wang Tian’an. Do you have a way to break the curse?”

”Twin Life Gu?” The Dirty Monk was visibly startled upon hearing about the insect curse. He shot a glance at Old Wang Ba, furrowing his brows and said, ”At this time, someone can still cultivate such a Gu?”

”It’s been cultivated—how can it be fake?” Old Wang Ba replied.

The Dirty Monk fell into a long silence before letting out a sigh: ”The wicked will perish of their own misdeeds. After committing so many atrocities, Wang Tian’an won’t live much longer either!”

Old Wang Ba nodded; he too understood the dark implications of the Twin Life Gu. Cultivating such a Gu insect required the slaughter of countless unborn fetuses. Wang Tian’an had indeed amassed an unforgivable sin—ten thousand deaths wouldn’t atone for it.

A moment later, Old Wang Ba suddenly came to his senses and said, ”Don’t change the subject! I asked if you have any way to break the curse, and here you are talking about Wang Tian’an’s deserved end—what’s the point?”

The Dirty Monk took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the distant courtyard. After a long pause, he quietly said: ”I don’t have a way either. But I’ve heard that even among the people from the Miao Borderlands, breaking the Twin Life Gu requires the sacrifice of someone’s life as payment to expel the insect curse. So, even if you find someone who knows how to break it, who would willingly sacrifice their life to save him?”

”That troublesome?” Old Wang Ba widened his eyes. ”So according to you, Ye Boy is doomed this time?”

The Dirty Monk shot Old Wang Ba a sidelong glance and said, ”He won’t die.”

”How can you be so sure?” Old Wang Ba asked, puzzled.

”What’s strange about that?” The Dirty Monk said, ”He’s someone you’ve groomed meticulously. If he were really in danger, could you calmly remain here? Besides, this lad’s Life Grid is unparalleled, and you—the sole inheritor of the Iron Calculation Sect—have reversed his destiny. Even if he tried to die, it wouldn’t be so easy!”

”Stop talking nonsense. Reversing destiny is not a casual thing,” Old Wang Ba said. ”I didn’t alter his fate—don’t make baseless guesses.”

”Give it a rest,” the Dirty Monk said with a chuckle. ”I saw this lad in Pingnan Province once; his luck wasn’t nearly as good back then. Now, in Shenchuan City, he’s suddenly hitting a streak of fortune. If you say you didn’t intervene, who’d believe you?”

Upon hearing this, Old Wang Ba knew he couldn’t hide what he’d done anymore, so he chuckled and said, ”Ah, it seems nothing can escape your eyes. But honestly, I have no confidence about this situation. The Twin Life Gu is supposedly the second most powerful Gu in the Miao Borderlands; in truth, it’s the first since the Golden Silkworm Gu hasn’t appeared in centuries. This Gu insect—even if it were you infected, you’d be done for too. Tell me, how can he possibly survive this ordeal?”

The Dirty Monk shook his head with a faint smile, gazing at the distant courtyard and said, ”In the grand scheme of the cosmos, everything is conspired by fate. If heaven wants him to live, even if he wishes to die, he wouldn’t be able to. If heaven forbids him to live, no matter how much he struggles, he couldn’t extend his life by a single second.”

Following the Dirty Monk’s gaze, Old Wang Ba saw a black silhouette that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere atop the courtyard wall.

Though the figure was far away, Old Wang Ba could still feel the suffocating malice rolling off it. This shadow seemed like a bloodthirsty fiend, its oppressive malevolence causing even the three fighting dogs in the courtyard to emit meekly whimpering sounds.

The figure was of average height, but his hair was unusually long, draped over his shoulders. Most strangely of all, his hair was entirely white, which, paired with his sinister aura, lent him an eerie and unsettling appearance.

”Who the hell is that guy?” Old Wang Ba asked, baffled. ”Why isn’t Ding San here?”

The Dirty Monk replied grimly: ”That is Ding San.”

”That’s Ding San?” Old Wang Ba stared wide-eyed in disbelief. ”Ding San—when did he turn into this mess? Why is his hair so long? And wasn’t his hair black? How did it suddenly turn white?”

”Did you think cultivating the Murderer’s Manual and the Murderer’s Knife came without a price?” The Dirty Monk answered solemnly. ”The Murderer’s Manual and the Murderer’s Knife use others’ blood to bolster one’s physical body and strength. For each person killed, a complete blood transfusion takes place. Such agony is beyond what ordinary people can endure. Over the past few days, Ding San killed over forty people, essentially undergoing forty transfusions. While his power surged tremendously as a result, it came with side effects. For instance, his accelerated metabolism is one symptom. His hair growing longer and turning white signifies his body’s excessively sped-up processes.”

”Really?” Old Wang Ba peered closer and sure enough, the face beneath the white hair was none other than Ding San. However, he was now utterly unrecognizable compared to before.

In the past, Ding San was merely a simple farmer. Now, he appeared no different from a bloodthirsty demon. His twisted features were grotesquely contorted, his bloodshot eyes gleaming with feral cruelty, as if the individuals before him weren’t people at all—but prey.

”What worries me most is that he might be entirely controlled by the Murderer’s Manual and Murderer’s Knife,” the Dirty Monk sighed. ”If it’s for revenge, then it’s just a matter of enmity; I wouldn’t mind his killing. But if he kills solely to strengthen himself, then he’s fallen victim to the control of these cursed artifacts—my worst fear.”

”Master Guiguzi is considered a sage of the highest order. Why would the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates he left behind hold such sinister items?” Old Wang Ba asked, confused.

The Dirty Monk shrugged and replied, ”The Heaven Earth Man Three Gates are the most mysterious and remarkable places in Huaxia’s thousands of years of history. Dynastic changes throughout history happen only when the gates are unlocked. In essence, these gates govern Huaxia’s rise and fall over the millennia. What lies within them—no one knows. Why such dark artifacts exist—no one can say. It’s likely only those who’ve entered the gates could fathom their reasons.”

Old Wang Ba nodded. As a descendant of the Iron Calculation Sect, he was well aware of the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. But the exact contents within have remained an unsolved mystery for millennia. Nonetheless, those who’ve passed through the gates have invariably achieved extraordinary feats—making the gates objects of universal yearning. For instance, the Bloody Monk’s current appearance stems from his quest to unlock the gates.

As the opening of the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates drew near, the heroes of the world had already begun to stir. Huaxia was on the brink of chaos once again. Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun’s return to Xihang Shen Family Manor was, in part, to protect the Shen Family from the coming storm. Ning Qianshu’s disciple emerging in the Southern Six Provinces, Meng District General Helian Tiehua preparing to march south, and the Bloody Monk reappearing—all tied to the imminent opening of the Three Gates.

While Old Wang Ba was contemplating this, the white-haired Ding San standing atop the courtyard wall finally leapt down into the yard.

The seven or eight people in the courtyard had noticed him early on, and after summoning ten more individuals, there were now over twenty people encircling Ding San. Yet, despite the numbers, no one dared to advance, opting instead to send the three dogs forward to attack Ding San.

The dogs, while sensing Ding San’s ominous aura, still rushed forward. The first dog was caught by Ding San, who grabbed its head and promptly snapped its neck.

At that moment, the remaining two dogs lunged, one biting Ding San’s arm and the other sinking its teeth into his leg. These fighting dogs were terrifying beasts; once they latched on, they never let go, pulling backward to rip flesh away.

Seeing the dogs biting Ding San, the nearby onlookers cheered. One person exclaimed excitedly: ”They’ve got him! They’ve got him! Everyone, charge—kill him!”

Seven or eight people rushed forward in unison, but before they reached him, Ding San let out a guttural roar and suddenly erupted into frenzy. Raising the dog clamped onto his arm, he brought it to his face, opened his mouth, and bit savagely into its neck. The dog howled in agony, but compared to Ding San, it seemed far less a beast. Incredibly, Ding San tore through the dog’s throat with his teeth.

At the same moment, Ding San grabbed the other dog biting his leg and twisted it violently, breaking its neck as well. In less than thirty seconds, all three fighting dogs had been dispatched swiftly and brutally by Ding San.

In under five days, Ding San had transformed so drastically it defied comprehension. The Murderer’s Manual and Murderer’s Knife—indeed terrifyingly sinister!