Urban Martial Saint

The ancient land of the Miao Borderlands has always been a region of endless mountains and rivers, with mountain paths that are extremely difficult to navigate. Coupled with the poor relations between the Miao and Han people, and the Miao people’s hostility toward the Han, no modern roads have been built in this region whatsoever. The entire interior of the Miao Borderlands seems to be an uncivilized society, with its own laws and rules, as well as its unique culture and way of life.

Ye Qing drove along the mountain roads of the Miao Borderlands, experiencing firsthand how different this place was from the outside world. In fact, from the moment he entered the boundaries of the Miao Borderlands, the distinction from the outside world was strikingly evident.

Outside the Miao Borderlands, there were towering buildings, cars, and villas. Even in suburban areas, most homes were red-brick houses with concrete roads. But within the Miao Borderlands, bamboo houses and earthen huts dominated the landscape, and not a single brick house was to be seen—this was fundamentally different from the outside. Moreover, the Miao Borderlands boasted pristine mountains, rivers, and ancient forests, a stark contrast to the polluted environment caused by overdevelopment outside. Even the air here was noticeably fresher, with an indescribable sense of comfort in every breath.

Following the route indicated by Bu Deng, Ye Qing navigated the mountain roads. Since the roads were undeveloped, the journey was quite bumpy. Fortunately, Ye Qing was driving a rented Jeep Wrangler, known for its off-road capabilities, which made traversing this mountain wilderness relatively manageable. However, the further they drove, the more desolate the surroundings became, showing that few people lived in these parts of the Miao Borderlands.

After driving for roughly an hour, the vehicle remained within the mountain paths, never leaving the expanse of the surrounding forest. With every passing mile, the environment grew more desolate. Initially, there were at least paths to follow, but as they progressed, there were essentially no discernible roads left. They could only push forward, crushing the vegetation around them.

”Do you think we’ve taken a wrong turn?” After a while, Ye Qing finally couldn’t hold back and turned to ask Bu Deng, who was beside him, ”Why does this road keep getting more and more remote?”

”This is the right road,” Bu Deng replied. ”This is just how it is in the Miao Borderlands. The Miao people don’t drive cars; they either walk or ride horses, so they don’t need well-built roads. That’s why it’s quite inconvenient to drive here—you basically have to make your own way.”

Ye Qing glanced at the surrounding desolate landscape and asked, ”At this rate, how much longer will it take to reach the venue for the Ten Thousand Gu Festival?”

Bu Deng shrugged and didn’t respond. In this forested terrain, driving a car was indeed more cumbersome and not necessarily faster than riding a horse.

Ye Qing sighed. Despite the poor road conditions, he had no choice but to press on—he had to reach the location of the Ten Thousand Gu Festival as quickly as possible.

After another half-hour or so of driving, the vehicle finally came to a stop in front of a pile of giant rocks. There was no road beyond the rock pile, and continuing forward was utterly impossible.

Ye Qing got out of the car and surveyed the surroundings. The area around the rock pile appeared exceptionally desolate, with remnants of animal pelts scattered around, suggesting that numerous wild animals must pass through here regularly. How could this possibly be the road?

”Are you sure we didn’t take the wrong path?” Ye Qing asked once more. No matter how he looked at it, this didn’t resemble a proper mountain route.

Bu Deng didn’t answer; instead, he put his hand to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle, as if transmitting a signal.

Ye Qing frowned deeply. Seeing Bu Deng’s behavior, he suddenly sensed that something was amiss. Bu Deng had been guiding him along increasingly remote paths, and now that they had reached such an isolated spot, he was sending out a signal—this was undoubtedly suspicious.

”What are you doing?!” Ye Qing quickly strode toward the car.

”Don’t move!” Bu Deng suddenly pulled a dagger from his waist, glaring fiercely at Ye Qing. In a deep, menacing voice, he said, ”If you dare take another step, I’ll run you through on the spot!”

Ye Qing’s expression darkened. He hadn’t expected his hired guide to turn out to be a black guide. Judging by this behavior, Bu Deng was almost certainly planning to abduct him!

At that moment, five people leaped out from behind the rock pile. Leading them was none other than the manager who had earlier helped Ye Qing with the paperwork at the car rental shop. A smug smile spread across the manager’s face as he approached with four others in tow.

”Hello, Mr. Ye!” The manager greeted Ye Qing cheerfully, his eyes twinkling. ”Fancy meeting you again!”

Ye Qing scowled and asked in a low voice, ”Who sent you?”

”Sent me?” The manager chuckled and shook his head. ”No one sent me, Mr. Ye. You’re overthinking things. I’m here for two reasons: one, to borrow some money from you; and two…”

The manager’s gaze drifted to the car as he grinned slyly. ”It’s my first time seeing such a beautiful girl. It’d be a waste for her to stay with you. Let me take her off your hands!”

Initially, Ye Qing had thought this was a ploy orchestrated by Wang Tian’an to deal with him. But upon hearing the manager’s words, Ye Qing realized this had nothing to do with Wang Tian’an. This was merely a case of the manager’s greed for wealth and lust driving him to rob Ye Qing of his money and take Huangfu Ziyu by force.

However, the manager was courting death. Robbing others was one thing; targeting Ye Qing was sheer folly!

Glancing at the four men surrounding the manager, Ye Qing smirked inwardly and said, ”So, to put it bluntly, you’re here to rob me, aren’t you?”

”Robbery sounds so crude…” The manager shook his head. ”Let’s call it a redistribution of resources. Having those riches and that beauty stay with you would be a waste; wouldn’t it be better to allocate them to someone who truly needs them?”

”Judging by your demeanor, you seem quite experienced. Done this many times before?” Ye Qing asked.

”Not bad…” The manager sneered. ”Every year, there are many fools who venture into the Miao Borderlands claiming they want to explore its secrets. Hah, of those who enter, at least two out of every ten never make it out alive. And when someone dies in these Borderlands, no one has the guts to investigate—it’s just another unsolved mystery. So, this has become a profitable trade. Most car rental businesses around here double as operations for robbing and killing. Now that we’re deep in the Miao Borderlands, Mr. Ye, even if you die here, no one will care.”

”Sounds like most who die in the Miao Borderlands don’t fall victim to the Miao people, but to people like you!” Ye Qing’s eyes were cold as he stared at the manager. In a stern voice, he said, ”The danger the Borderlands is known for—that reputation was built by scum like you!”

”Hahaha…” The manager laughed loudly. ”That’s not quite right. You haven’t met any Miao people yet, so you think we’re the villains. Once you really encounter the Miao, then you’ll understand just how terrifying these Borderlands are. Mr. Ye, killing you here would actually be doing you a favor—it’s a merciful deed. Otherwise, if you ventured further and had your brain and innards eaten by Gu insects, any one of those deaths would be far more horrifying than dying here.”

”So, going by what you’re saying, I should thank you?” Ye Qing said coldly.

”You’ve already thanked me.” The manager’s gaze fixed intently on Huangfu Ziyu in the car. ”The girl is mine. As for the money on this guy—well, it’s all yours now.”

At his words, the four men immediately advanced toward Ye Qing. From their expressions, they seemed to regard Ye Qing as a helpless lamb trapped in a cage, with no chance of resisting.

The manager, meanwhile, unhurriedly approached the car, his eyes never leaving Huangfu Ziyu inside. From the moment he first laid eyes on her, he had made up his mind—no matter what, he would kill Ye Qing and take Huangfu Ziyu. To him, she was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his lifetime!

However, Huangfu Ziyu remained remarkably calm, paying these men no attention whatsoever. To someone like the East State Poisonous Mantis, who had been killing since her teenage years, with at least three to five hundred lives under her belt, these few men were as good as dead. They posed no threat to her at all.

Ye Qing tightened his fists. He could tell that these men had significant blood on their hands. And for individuals like this, Ye Qing had no intention of showing mercy—he planned to wipe them out entirely.

Just as the four men were about to reach Ye Qing, a sudden, strange, bone-chilling cry rang out from deep within the distant forest. It sounded like the roar of a wild beast, but the pitch was far too sharp, sending a wave of fear and unease through the air. It was impossible to determine what kind of creature made such a sound.

”What the hell was that?” The manager turned his head hastily, his face filled with panic.

”No idea!” The other four men were equally alarmed. Having grown up near the Miao Borderlands, they were well aware of the terrors that lurked within its depths.

”Could it be… a Gu Master nearby releasing their Gu insect?” Bu Deng’s body trembled as he stammered, ”With the Miaojiang Seventy-Two Dong hosting the Ten Thousand Gu Festival, all the Gu Masters have gathered here. It’s possible that a Gu Master is passing through the area. If their Gu insects got hungry, they might have released them to hunt for food.”

The manager and his four subordinates turned pale. Although none of them had personally encountered a Gu Master, they had heard countless tales of their terrifying powers. Truthfully, none of them wanted to meet one under any circumstances.

”Bullshit! That cry sounded nothing like a Gu insect!” The manager gritted his teeth and exclaimed, ”Gu insects are just bugs. How could any insect make a sound that loud?”

Bu Deng shook his head and explained, ”Not all Gu insects are bugs. ’Gu insect’ is just a term for Gu entities. From what the elders have told me, Gu nurturing involves raising animals instead. Any creature with sufficient power can be cultivated as a Gu. In the past, people even raised tigers or pythons. However, compared to smaller, deadlier Gu insects, larger creatures like tigers and pythons were eventually deemed impractical and phased out. Even so, some Gu Masters still choose to rear larger Gu entities. Judging by this sound, it’s likely… likely some kind of sizable Gu creature...”