Urban Martial Saint

Upon hearing Yin Xianzi’s words, Ye Qing immediately stood up and exclaimed, ”So, tonight we must find this sorcerer, or else this child...will surely die?”

”That’s why I came to you!” Yin Xianzi said solemnly, ”I suspect that the sorcerer already knows about us coming here, and he is prepared to abandon this child, ready to give up the Living Corpse!”

”What?” Ye Qing was even more surprised and asked curiously, ”How would he know that we came here? Besides, he doesn’t know our identities. Even if he knows we’re coming, why would he be afraid of us?”

”I just spoke to Cyclops about this matter. He mentioned to me that Niu San’s wife was out grocery shopping earlier, and when she returned, she looked pleased. We suspect that the sorcerer noticed her expression, felt something was amiss, and chose not to come!” Yin Xianzi paused and said solemnly, ”Although he doesn’t know our strength, his refusal to come shows that he is very cautious!”

Ye Qing furrowed his brow, remained silent for a moment, and said, ”Then, does this mean...this child cannot be saved?”

Yin Xianzi replied gravely, ”Not entirely unsalvageable. If you really want to save him, we can try to find that sorcerer!”

”Can we still find that sorcerer?” Ye Qing was even more astonished, thinking that if they could find him, why were they just waiting here.

”Finding the sorcerer is not that difficult. There is a connection between the sorcerer and the person who is affected by sorcery. We can rely on this connection to find the sorcerer.” Yin Xianzi glanced at Ye Qing and said, ”However, it’s dangerous to casually seek a sorcerer!”

”Why is it dangerous?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

”Because the sorcerer’s hideout certainly contains the items he often uses for sorcery. So, in his own place, not only is his power greatly enhanced, but crucially, chances are high that we’ll fall into his trap if we go to his place!” Yin Xianzi said solemnly, ”Thus, even in Nanyang, a sorcerer fighting another sorcerer usually does not do so on the opponent’s turf but agrees on an alternate location for the duel.”

Ye Qing furrowed his brow. If Yin Xianzi mentioned the danger, then it is probably genuinely dangerous.

Seeing Ye Qing’s expression, Yin Xianzi explained, ”But don’t worry too much. With Cyclops and myself around, dealing with an average sorcerer on their turf poses no problem. As long as we don’t encounter formidable sorcerers like the Blood Dragon Couple, common sorcerers pose no threat. In Nanyang, sorcerers who achieve the strength comparable to the Blood Dragon Couple are fewer than five.”

Fewer than five, that’s saying there are only five such sorcerers. This statement surprised Ye Qing greatly, realizing the formidable strength of the Blood Dragon Couple in Nanyang, enough to rank them among the top five sorcerers there. This implies that Yin Xianzi and Ding Lianshun possess the strength to handle most sorcerers in Nanyang. But tonight’s sorcerer, is he among the majority or the minority?

”Mr. Ding’s intention is...” Ye Qing looked at Yin Xianzi, knowing that despite the danger, he must still seek out the sorcerer. He couldn’t just watch the child die here.

Yin Xianzi looked at Ye Qing and said decisively, ”If you want to go, we will accompany you!”

Yin Xianzi’s words made Ye Qing feel slightly warmed inside. Although Yin Xianzi and Ding Lianshun helped him with many things before, those were tasks Ye Qing forced them to do. Ding Lianshun’s willingness to say this was indeed rare.

However, Ye Qing didn’t realize that Ding Lianshun’s motivation for saying this was primarily to shift all responsibility onto him. If Ye Qing intends to go, they will follow him, but ultimately, Ye Qing will take the lead. Thus, if they successfully save the child and eliminate the sorcerer, it would all be Ye Qing’s doing. In doing so, Ye Qing’s luck is being consumed!

”If that’s the case, then let’s set off!” Ye Qing replied decisively.

”Alright!” Yin Xianzi nodded and walked into the courtyard, letting out a soft whistle. Soon, a shadow jumped directly down from a large tree nearby. Although the tree was tall, the figure descended lightly without a trace of injury.

The person who came down was Ding Lianshun. Seeing Ye Qing and Yin Xianzi’s expressions, he understood what the two had decided.

”To locate the sorcerer, we must let this child lead the way.” Ding Lianshun took out an object resembling an incense box from his pocket and said, ”This is Seeking Descent Incense that I brought back from Nanyang years ago. It is an essential item used by Southeast Asian Sorcerers to locate another sorcerer. Once the person under the sorcerer’s influence smells this incense, they will fall into a hypnotic state and unconsciously lead people to the sorcerer.”

Ye Qing asked, ”Then, does that mean all people under sorcery know the sorcerer’s location?”

”No!” Ding Lianshun shook his head and said, ”Usually, people under sorcery don’t know the sorcerer’s location. However, there’s a subtle connection between the person and the sorcerer. Someone created this Seeking Descent Incense to hypnotize and strengthen this link, thereby allowing people to find the sorcerer!”

Ye Qing suddenly understood. He glanced at Ding Lianshun, then at the child who was eating, and said, ”But asking him to take us to the sorcerer might be challenging. He seems engrossed in eating right now, probably won’t do anything else.”

”You’ll know by trying!” Ding Lianshun placed the Seeking Descent Incense by the child’s nostrils. After a few sniffs, the child began to slow his eating, and his eyes gradually became hazy.

”It really worked!” Ding Lianshun was surprised and delighted.

Seeing Ding Lianshun’s expression of surprise, Ye Qing asked, ”Have you never used this before?”

Ding Lianshun replied, ”Of course not. I haven’t interacted much with sorcerers!”

”How did you acquire this Seeking Descent Incense?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

”Uh, well… I stole it from a sorcerer in Nanyang…” Ding Lianshun replied awkwardly.

Ye Qing was speechless for a moment, realizing even a Peak Master had an embarrassing past. Who would have thought the famed Left Protector of the Twelve Green Halls, Ding Lianshun, had resorted to stealing?

”But don’t worry, this item is definitely effective and will find the sorcerer!” Ding Lianshun said, ”Now, let’s place the child on the ground and follow his lead.”

Ye Qing set the child down on the ground, his eyes continuing to appear hazy before finally turning into a blur. Though he kept his eyes open, those vacant eyes seemed eerie in the darkness.

Just as Ding Lianshun said, once placed on the ground, the child immediately walked toward the gate.

Ye Qing and the others dared not delay and quickly followed the child out of the yard. The child walked ahead in a completely unconscious state, and they followed him out of the small mountain village, heading straight toward the back mountain.

After walking for almost half an hour, the surroundings grew increasingly desolate, but they still hadn’t found the sorcerer. This made Ye Qing anxious, knowing they had less than an hour before dawn. If they didn’t find the sorcerer soon, resolve the influence on the child, his life would be in danger. This child’s stomach was bloated as if ready to burst at any moment, which was very worrying.

Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi cautiously observed the surroundings while following behind. Their attention wasn’t primarily on the child, recalling the Blood Dragon Couple they encountered last night. They were extra vigilant now, fearing another encounter with a powerful sorcerer, which would be dangerous.

They continued walking for about ten more minutes before finally descending the mountain and arriving outside an industrial park.

Upon seeing the industrial area, Ding Lianshun and Yin Xianzi immediately frowned. They quickly approached Ye Qing, and Yin Xianzi whispered, ”Ye Qing, the situation has gotten complicated.”

”What’s wrong?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

Yin Xianzi glanced at the industrial area ahead and whispered, ”This plant shouldn’t be abandoned, there must be workers inside. Yet, there’s no sign of light inside. Do you think that’s possible?”

Ye Qing scrutinized the area and noticed from the signage that it’s a materials factory. He knew such factories typically work around the clock and wouldn’t be empty at night unless they’ve gone out of business.

But the outside of the factory seemed clean, and the signage looked new, indicating this place isn’t closed or abandoned. This made Ye Qing alert, wondering if there’s something wrong with this plant.

”Is the sorcerer hiding in this factory?” Ye Qing asked in a hushed tone.

”That’s the most troubling part!” Ding Lianshun said gravely, ”This child is standing outside the plant; the sorcerer seems to be hiding inside. But this plant is so strange now, I suspect something’s definitely wrong inside!”

”What could be wrong in there?” Ye Qing asked softly.

Yin Xianzi took a deep breath and said solemnly, ”There must be at least a hundred people working the night shift here. But it’s as silent as death inside; I fear something unexpected has happened!”

”Unexpected?” Ye Qing’s face changed, and he said solemnly, ”So many people, how could something unexpected happen to all of them? What could possibly happen? Unless the sorcerer would kill them all?”