Urban Martial Saint

Seeing Shen Er’s hasty appearance, Huangfu Ziyu couldn’t help but be surprised. She walked over and asked curiously, ”Second Uncle, what happened?”

Actually, nothing serious was likely to happen at Shen Family Manor at this time. Huangfu Ziyu’s concern stemmed from recent conflicts she had been having with some of the local gangs in Xi Hang. She feared her subordinates might have encountered trouble outside.

”Master, something terrible has happened!” Shen Er took a few breaths and said, ”Ye Qing… Ye Qing is in trouble…”

”What happened to him? How is he now? Is he okay?” Before Shen Tianjun could speak, Shen Qingyi, who had been sitting in the courtyard, immediately stood up and hurried to the doorway.

Seeing the anxious and concerned expression on Huangfu Ziyu’s face, she felt a pang of pain within her heart. Taking a discreet step back, she pretended to be indifferent, though inwardly she was even more affected.

Shen Er said, ”He’s fine for now, but… but he’s been struck by Wang Tian’an’s Twin Life Gu…”

”Twin Life Gu? What kind of thing is that?” Shen Qingyi asked nervously. ”Is it serious? Is Brother Ye in danger? Grandpa, is Brother Ye going to be alright?”

Shen Tianjun remained silent, but his tightly furrowed brows spoke volumes. For a figure as formidable as Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun, there were few things in this world that could stump him. Yet now, even he was creased with concern, showing just how extraordinary the Twin Life Gu was.

Huangfu Ziyu also felt a flash of shock. Although she didn’t know what the Twin Life Gu was, from Shen Tianjun’s expression, she could guess that it wasn’t something trivial.

Shen Tianjun didn’t reply to Shen Qingyi’s question, and instead asked Shen Er in a deep voice, ”Where is he now?”

Shen Er replied, ”He just arrived at Shen Family Manor; he should be resting in an inner chamber now.”

”Brother Ye has already come to Shen Family Manor?” Shen Qingyi exclaimed in surprise. Without another thought, she turned and rushed out of the courtyard toward the inner chambers.

During the time that Ye Qing had been away from Shen Family Manor, Shen Qingyi had been worrying about him every day, yearning to see him again. Now that Ye Qing was finally back, she naturally wanted to see him as soon as she could.

Upon learning that Ye Qing had arrived, Huangfu Ziyu felt a deep internal conflict. She too wanted to see Ye Qing, but she didn’t dare. After painstakingly convincing herself to harden her heart and stop thinking about anything related to Ye Qing, she feared that meeting him again would ruin her resolve.

Seeing Huangfu Ziyu’s expression, Shen Tianjun knew what she was thinking. He sighed softly and said, ”Ziyu, stay here and continue practicing. I’ll go and take a look!”

”Yes!” Huangfu Ziyu nodded in agreement, though she couldn’t hide the disappointment in her eyes. She understood that Shen Tianjun was making the decision for her, for her own good. Yet her heart felt a deep sense of loss—she truly wanted to see Ye Qing, even just for a fleeting glance.

Inside the inner chamber, a group of people was bustling around Ye Qing, unsure of how to handle his situation. All they could do was wait for Shen Tianjun to arrive. However, before Shen Tianjun could make it, Shen Qingyi dashed in first. Seeing Ye Qing unconscious on the bed, Shen Qingyi cried out in alarm, rushing to his side. She grabbed his hand tightly and shouted anxiously, ”Brother Ye, Brother Ye, are you alright? Wake up! Don’t scare me…”

Seeing Shen Qingyi’s frantic demeanor, the Shen family’s members all exchanged bewildered glances. Shen Qingyi, who was usually as calm as water, had never been this emotional before. Yet now, in front of Ye Qing, it seemed as though she had transformed into a different person, unable to remain composed. Could it be that this cherished Miss Shen, adored by so many, truly had feelings for Ye Qing?

Many young members of the Shen family couldn’t help but feel displeased at the scene. Most of them were distant relatives of Shen Qingyi, part of the branch families. During their time in the Shen family, Shen Qingyi had been their untouchable ”Goddess.” But now, seeing her heart seemingly belonging to someone else, how could they not feel envious?

Among the crowd stood Shen Qianyue, whose mood had been sour ever since Ye Qing had stepped back into Shen Family Manor. Now, seeing Shen Qingyi’s intense reaction, his jealousy festered. He stared coldly at Ye Qing, his eyes faintly glinting with killing intent. But at the moment, everyone’s attention was focused solely on Ye Qing, and no one noticed Shen Qianyue’s abnormal expression.

Shortly thereafter, Shen Tianjun entered. As soon as he arrived at the doorway, the Shen family’s members hastily opened a path for him to walk through.

Upon seeing Shen Tianjun enter, Shen Qingyi quickly rose to her feet. Her face was still streaked with tears, and she asked urgently, ”Grandpa, quickly check on Brother Ye—he… he isn’t hurt, is he?”

Shen Tianjun’s expression was grim as he took Ye Qing’s wrist and began checking his pulse. Though Shen Tianjun was renowned for his martial prowess, his skill in medicine and expertise in the Acupoint Seeking Technique were also notable. While he was not on the same level as Sai Hua Tuo Baili Xi or King Yan Ning Qianshu—the two Divine Doctors who were disciples of An Shiping—few in the world could surpass Shen Tianjun when it came to treating various ailments.

After feeling Ye Qing’s pulse for a while, Shen Tianjun’s expression gradually turned astonished. Suddenly, he looked at Black Bear, who had been standing aside, and asked in surprise, ”Other than being struck with the Twin Life Gu, did he sustain any other injuries?”

”No!” Black Bear replied. ”The captain was only afflicted by that Gu insect. Along the way, the Gu kept attacking him repeatedly, which must have been very painful, but he didn’t receive any other injuries.”

”That doesn’t make sense.” Shen Tianjun glanced at Ye Qing, saying, ”If he wasn’t injured, why do his arms show absolutely no trace of inner strength? His body seems completely drained as if hollowed out. This unconsciousness isn’t due to the Twin Life Gu—it’s because of exhaustion!”

”Exhaustion?” Black Bear looked bewildered. ”But on the way here, Captain hardly did anything. Aside from fighting briefly with the Xihua Gang near the grove, he only made two moves. How could that lead to exhaustion?”

”Then… is Brother Ye going to be alright?” Shen Qingyi asked nervously.

”Exhaustion isn’t a major issue,” Shen Tianjun said gravely. ”A few days of rest, allowing his energy to gradually recover, will suffice. The real trouble lies with the Twin Life Gu. This Gu insect ranks second in the Miao Borderlands, and its cultivation is even more difficult than the first-ranked Golden Silkworm Gu. Although the Golden Silkworm Gu is rare, its creation only requires the presence of a Gu Mother. The Twin Life Gu is different—it needs the sacrifice of at least a thousand lives, most of them unborn twin embryos. The difficulty is enormous. However, once cultivated, its power is unmatched.”

Many of the Shen family members were unfamiliar with the Twin Life Gu. Upon hearing Shen Tianjun elaborate, their faces filled with surprise. On the outskirts of the group, however, Shen Qianyue concealed his joy. To him, if Ye Qing could perish because of the Twin Life Gu, it would be the best possible outcome.

Shen Qingyi stood there stunned, only regaining her composure after some time. She clung to Shen Tianjun’s arm and asked urgently, ”Grandpa, is there any way to save Brother Ye?”

Shen Tianjun sighed, glanced at Ye Qing, and said in a low voice, ”I’ve traveled the world for decades and visited the Miao Borderlands multiple times. Even there, the Twin Life Gu hasn’t been seen in over a hundred years. Few in the region would even know about it. Even in Miao Borderlands, it’s likely impossible to cure!”

”What?” Shen Qingyi’s face went pale, her voice trembling. ”Then what will happen to Brother Ye? Grandpa, please, think of something—save him!”

Black Bear suddenly dropped to his knees in front of Shen Tianjun. ”Senior, please, save the captain!” he pleaded.

Looking at Black Bear, Shen Tianjun sighed. ”I don’t have a cure for him. However, I’ve heard of a method to temporarily mitigate the Twin Life Gu. Whether it will work, I cannot be sure, but we can try it first.”

Shen Qingyi quickly said, ”Then let’s try it immediately!”

”We must not rush,” Shen Tianjun cautioned. ”Ye Qing’s physical condition is peculiar. I need to first determine why he suddenly collapsed and whether any changes have occurred within his body. Otherwise, treating him recklessly might cause even greater harm, putting him in real danger!”

Everyone exchanged confused glances, unable to fathom why Ye Qing had collapsed, nor what could have happened to him. Shen Tianjun turned to Black Bear, asking him to recount everything Ye Qing had done.

Scratching his head, Black Bear described their journey in detail. ”Since yesterday, Captain has been sitting in the car without doing anything. How could he be exhausted?”

After hearing Black Bear’s account, Shen Tianjun pondered for a moment before saying, ”Just now, you mentioned that Ye Qing used the Seven-Star Ancient Sword to split a car in half?”

”Yes!” Black Bear paused before continuing, ”Not only did he split the car in half, but the ground itself cracked with a deep groove.”

Hearing this, the Shen family members gasped in astonishment. Though the Seven-Star Ancient Sword was a famed instrument capable of cutting through metal with ease, splitting a steel car in two was a challenging feat. Moreover, creating a deep crack on a concrete surface afterward made the whole thing seem even more incredible.

How much strength would it take to achieve such a result? The power of that single strike was simply terrifying.

The most stunned among them were the older experts such as Shen Da and Shen Er. Their skills were on par with Ye Qing’s, so they fully understood the difficulty of performing such a task. Especially Shen Da, whose strength exceeded Ye Qing’s, yet he knew he could never pull off something like that. How had Ye Qing managed it?

Shen Tianjun slowly nodded to himself, murmuring, ”So that’s how it is...”

”Senior Shen, what… what’s going on exactly?” Black Bear asked curiously.