Urban Martial Saint

This old guy Old Wang Ba has committed quite a few crimes. Piled up together, not to mention issuing a national warrant, even handing it over to Interpol for an international pursuit is no problem. According to the summary of his past cases by the police, he’s an incorrigible serial fraudster of a malignant nature. With all the charges accumulated together, a national warrant was immediately issued, making Old Wang Ba wanted nationwide.

With a nationwide warrant, no matter where Old Wang Ba runs, there’s no way he’ll find peace. Ye Qing’s goal is to force him out, either back to Shenchuan City where Ye Qing can protect him or outside where he’d be chased by the police every day.

Ye Qing was anxiously searching for Old Wang Ba in Shenchuan City while also contacting the Xihang Shen Family Manor. After all, Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun is Huangfu Ziyu’s apprentice, and since the Twelve Green Halls sent such a top-level expert, this matter must be communicated to the Shen Family Manor for them to prepare in advance.

The Shen Family Manor had been in seclusion for a while because Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun is well aware of that period of history, knowing that when the Heaven, Earth, and Man Three Gates opened, it would mark the official war between the Seven Steering Committees of the Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls. Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun belongs to no faction and does not wish to get involved, thus sealing off the Shen Family Manor to avoid any involvement in this turmoil.

Therefore, upon receiving Ye Qing’s call, there were two completely different opinions regarding this matter within the Shen Family Manor. It was Shen Da who received the call, but he didn’t directly inform Shen Tianjun; instead, he first gathered the family brothers to discuss the matter once.

The elder members of the Shen family all remember the past issues between the Seven Rudders of the Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls. So when they heard that a young expert had ambushed Huangfu Ziyu and snatched away the Overlord Spear, their first reaction was that people from the Twelve Green Halls were about to enter the Southern Six Provinces in force. This would mark the beginning of a chaotic era, a bloody time for the Southern Six Provinces!

”I think we shouldn’t tell Father about this!” Shen Er said solemnly: ”Zi Yu was personally taught by Father, like his own child. If Father knew Zi Yu was kidnapped, he might abandon his previous promise and go to rescue Zi Yu. In that case, wouldn’t what Father once said about sealing off the Shen Family Manor become empty words? No matter what, Zi Yu is part of the Huangfu Household, which belongs to the Seven Rudders of the Hong Alliance. If Father helped Zi Yu, it would be tantamount to helping the Seven Rudders of the Hong Alliance. Once the Twelve Green Halls enter the Southern Six Provinces, they might come for us first. This is a matter of life and death for the entire family, everyone. I’m not indifferent to Zi Yu. But we’re not children; we shouldn’t act on impulse. Everything must be considered for the greater good!”

Shen Er’s words received quite a bit of support, as many felt that dragging the entire Shen Family into trouble to rescue Huangfu Ziyu was not the right thing to do. However, there were others with differing opinions.

Shen Si sighed, speaking quietly: ”Second Brother, I disagree with you. Don’t forget, Father always taught us that the Shen Family must stick together. No matter the danger or trouble, we should face it together as a family. Otherwise, how can we be called one family? Though Zi Yu doesn’t share our surname, she was raised by our Shen family since childhood. Her relationship with us is like that of our family. Now that she’s in danger, are we just going to let it happen to avoid making enemies?”

Shen Si is straightforward and somewhat impulsive but with a good heart. At least in the matter of Huangfu Ziyu, he is adamantly in favor of rescuing her. There are others in the Shen Family who share Shen Si’s viewpoint, believing that Shen Tianjun should be informed and that they should act to rescue Huangfu Ziyu.

”You just said Zi Yu is like family to us. But, in the end, she’s not a member of our Shen family!” Shen Er argued: ”Don’t forget, Father ordered the entire Shen family to be sealed off, prohibiting anyone from leaving or contacting others. However, Zi Yu was not part of this order; she could come and go freely, which in itself is a signal. Zi Yu is not part of the Shen family, and Shen family orders have no effect on her. I know how you all feel; you think of Zi Yu as family. I feel the same. However, with a family of over a hundred people, can we jeopardize everyone for just one person? Isn’t that a case of focusing on the small at the expense of the big?”

”But isn’t your way a bit too selfish?” Shen Si retorted.

”To accomplish great things, one cannot be concerned with minor matters!” Shen Er said sternly: ”To safeguard the entire Shen family, being selfish is justified. When the Huangfu household faced calamity in the past, Father had such a good relationship with them, yet he did not directly go to rescue them. Why? Because intervening directly could have dragged the entire Shen family down. As the family head, Father couldn’t put everyone at risk. So, he chose to rescue secretly at the last moment, placing the greater good above all else!”

Shen Er’s words left Shen Si speechless for a moment, but he still could not agree with refusing to rescue Huangfu Ziyu.

”Fourth Brother, I know you have a soft heart. But even a soft heart needs a premise!” Shen Er said sternly: ”This matter concerns the life and death of the entire family. You should know the outcome if the Twelve Green Halls enter the Southern Six Provinces. The Chen Family and the Huangfu Household were both as strong as us. What happened to them? Overnight, these great families were wiped out. Do you want the Shen family to follow in their footsteps? But the Chen and Huangfu families were members of the Seven Rudders of the Hong Alliance, while our Shen family doesn’t belong to any faction. Being dragged into such matters would be entirely wrongful!”

Shen Si pouted, unsure what to say. In terms of debate, he was far inferior to Shen Er and never managed to out-argue Shen Er.

Amid the crowd, Shen Qianyue was also present. Though he was an external branch of the Shen family, he was nonetheless the strongest among the younger generation, so his position in the Shen family was not low.

Listening to Shen Er’s words, a glint of calculation briefly surged in Shen Qianyue’s eyes as he inwardly chuckled. He had always feared the Shen family would intervene to rescue Huangfu Ziyu, which would equate to aiding Ye Qing. In his heart, he never wanted the Shen family to get further entangled with Ye Qing. He could see that Shen Qingyi had an unusual attitude toward Ye Qing. Should further entanglements occur, Shen Qingyi might become entirely captivated by Ye Qing.

Moreover, Shen Qianyue previously had conflicts with both Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu. He had schemed hard but failed to bring the two down, inadvertently leading to his brother Shen Baichuan’s imprisonment, who was still held captive. Though his expression remained neutral, in his heart, he harbored an intense hatred for Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu. However, with his strength alone, he couldn’t hope to exact revenge on them. Now, with a young man of exceptional ability from the Twelve Green Halls potentially eliminating Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu, it was like having his vendetta fulfilled, leaving him quite content to watch the spectacle unfold.

Seeing Shen Si speechless, Shen Er turned to Shen Da and asked, ”Big Brother, what do you think?”

Throughout the entire ordeal, Shen Da hadn’t expressed a word. He neither supported Shen Er nor Shen Si. But now, with Shen Er suddenly asking him, all eyes turned to him because Shen Da was the leader of the current Shen family generation, making his decision immensely important.

Shen Da remained silent for a moment, then said quietly: ”Second Brother, Fourth Brother, you both make valid points. From a family perspective, we indeed shouldn’t risk the entire family for one person!”

Upon hearing this, a hint of relief flashed across Shen Er’s face; with Shen Da’s support, the matter would be much easier to handle.

”But...” Shen Da looked at Shen Er before saying, ”Since we are a family, we should share the family’s glory and shame. In life and death, we advance and retreat together; this is the honor of all family members. If one family member is in danger and we forgo rescue to protect others, what meaning would a surviving family have? What face would it have left in the world?”

The relief on Shen Er’s face vanished instantly, replaced by the support from many others. Shen Qianyue’s expression also changed; from Shen Da’s words, it seemed he intended to help Huangfu Ziyu and aid Ye Qing?

”But Father himself proposed the sealing of the Shen family!” Shen Er exclaimed: ”Now, if we inform Father about this, with his character, there’s no way he’d sit idly by. If Father intervenes, wouldn’t he then be breaking his previous promise? If this were to spread, people worldwide would certainly mock Father for being inconsistent!”

This indeed gave Shen Da some pause, and after a long silence, he slowly shook his head and said: ”Second Brother, don’t you understand? Do you know the significance of Father leaving the Seven Keys at the Shen Family Manor back then? Father was chivalrous and empathetic throughout his life. He would rather risk the entire Shen family than see widespread suffering, which is why he collected the Seven Keys to stop the fighting in the world. This action alone already indicates Father’s stance!”

”Huh?” Shen Er was momentarily confused, still not comprehending what kind of stance this indicated.

Shen Da did not further explain, but stood up and said loudly: ”Regardless, Ye Qing has already called on the Shen family for help. When Sha Men and Wang Tian’an invaded the Shen family, if not for Ye Qing risking his life, the Shen family might no longer exist. Today, he is in danger. Even if we don’t help him, we should not hide the fact that he’s seeking our help. No matter what, Father should be informed of this matter. Ultimately, the decision on what to do rests with Father!”