Urban Martial Saint

At this point, the elderly man paused for a moment, looked at Ye Qing, and said, ”After observation, we have found that Ye Qing is a very suitable candidate, worthy of entrusting everything of the Yelu Family to him. So, I’d like to ask Ye Qing, are you willing to receive the inheritance of the Yelu Family?”

Ye Qing was just inquiring about the matters of the Yelu Family earlier, but unexpectedly, these two elders suddenly presented such a dramatic twist. His mind went blank for a moment, he looked at Old Wang Ba, then at Wu Changming. The former was full of excitement, while the latter seemed somewhat regretful, yet it was clear he was quite pleased with Ye Qing.

”Well...” Ye Qing scratched his head and said, ”Gentlemen, doesn’t the Yelu Family still have some female members? It’s not completely extinct. Moreover, Yelu Ying is the eldest daughter; she can inherit the Yelu Family’s legacy!”

”She is a woman; she will eventually change her surname and no longer belong to the Yelu Family!” The elder paused and said, ”The ancestral teachings of the Yelu Family state that all things of the Yelu Family are passed down to men, not women!”

Ye Qing was even more surprised and said, ”This ancestral rule is a bit too strange, isn’t it?”

”It’s quite normal,” Old Wang Ba said, ”If you go back about one hundred years, many things were like this, with men holding dominant positions. If a family had all its male descendants deceased, even if all female members were alive, the family would be considered extinct. Otherwise, why did so many people want to have sons to inherit the family business? Girls back then, if married off, had to change their surname and could no longer be considered part of the family.”

Ye Qing said, ”But that was in the past, and the times have changed. Where are there still so many rules now?”

”But this is ancestral teaching!” Old Wang Ba looked at the two elders and said, ”Oh well, you don’t need to say more. They are strictly following the ancestral teachings, and that’s not wrong. To change this situation, you would have to find Yelu Tianji, who set these teachings. Otherwise, no one can change this result!”

”Rules are set by people, and with the changing times, they cannot remain the same,” Ye Qing said, ”Now, there is no concept of gender distinction at all. with Yelu eldest daughter still here, let’s just hand the Yelu family’s legacy to her, wouldn’t that work?”

”No!” The elder shook his head resolutely, saying, ”Right now, this isn’t about rules or not. It’s that the women of the Yelu Family simply cannot inherit this legacy.”

”Why not?” Ye Qingqi asked.

The elder glanced at Ye Qing and said, ”It’s a secret of the Yelu Family. If you are willing to accept this inheritance, you will have the right to know all the secrets of the Yelu Family. However, if you do not accept, sorry, this secret cannot be passed on to outsiders!”

”This...” Ye Qing scratched his head, finding these two elders too rigid. Despite the current times, they strictly adhere to ancestral teachings. The Yelu Family is down to a few female members, on the brink of extinction, yet these two seem unconcerned!

In fact, Ye Qing did not know the situation of the Yelu Family. These two elders were merely Tomb Guarding Elders of the Yelu Family and not members of the Yelu Family, nor did they bear the surname Yelu. Therefore, the existence of the Yelu Family was irrelevant to them. Since birth, they strictly followed the ancestral teachings handed down by Yelu Tianji, guarding the Yelu Family Ancestral Tomb. As for matters outside guarding the tomb, they were not their concern. Thus, the Yelu Family’s present state had no impact on them; they simply conducted affairs according to ancestral teachings.

”Mr. Ye, these are the ancestral teachings of the Yelu Family; no one can change them!” Wu Changming looked at Ye Qing and said, ”The Yelu Family has fallen to this point and is already considered completely withered. The glorious past of the Imperial Family can no longer be repeated. We have no other requirements, just hope that the family’s legacy can be entrusted to a worthy successor. Mr. Ye, you were personally appointed by the Eighth Master, and you are also a savior of our Yelu Family. Rarely have the two elders chosen you; you should not refuse. Though the Yelu Family is withered, we were once part of the Imperial Family, and the things buried in the ancestral tomb are still remarkable.”

”Mr. Wu, you misunderstand,” Ye Qing said. ”Whatever lies within the Yelu Family Ancestral Tomb, it belongs to the Yelu Family, and it has nothing to do with me. I promised to help rescue Miss Yelu, and I won’t break that promise. As for the Yelu Family’s inheritance, I believe it should be handed over to the Yelu Family members. After all, I am an outsider; how can I accept such precious things?”

”Mr. Ye, if the eldest daughter could inherit this legacy, we wouldn’t be so worried,” Wu Changming sighed and said, ”All the male descendants of the family have been killed. Now this inheritance can only be handed over to an outsider. Mr. Ye, entrusting it to anyone else, I wouldn’t be assured. Only with you taking over can we have peace of mind. I believe you would never disgrace the Yelu Family’s inheritance!”

”Oh, young Ye, stop declining!” Old Wang Ba chimed in, ”I was most worried before that these two old fellows wouldn’t see you as fit. Now that they’ve decided to entrust the Yelu Family legacy to you, you are the one being squeamish and refusing. You, really, holding the Yelu Family’s legacy, can only be beneficial to you!”

”This isn’t about benefits; the point is, it’s the Yelu Family’s property—how can I accept it?” Ye Qing replied wryly.

”Of course, you won’t accept these things for free,” the elder interjected, ”To inherit the Yelu Family’s legacy, you must do three things.”

”See, see? I said it wasn’t for free,” Old Wang Ba said, ”Now, there’s a condition—well, do you accept or not?”

”I...” Ye Qing was about to refuse when Wu Changming suddenly clutched onto the car window, struggled to get up, then dropped forward, kneeling with one leg on the ground, ”Mr. Ye, I beg you. If you don’t accept the Yelu Family’s legacy, it will definitely be snatched by those with malicious intent. By then, it truly would spell disaster for the Yelu Family. Mr. Ye, please save the Yelu Family!”

Ye Qing didn’t expect Wu Changming to kneel for him in this manner, and hurriedly tried to help him up. But the car was too crowded, he simply couldn’t reach him.

”Oh, young Ye, enough with the dithering. I’ll agree on your behalf!” Old Wang Ba said to the two elders, ”It’s decided then, this matter is settled. The Yelu Family’s legacy is entrusted to the lad!”

The two elders looked at him, then at Ye Qing, shaking their heads, ”No, he must assent verbally himself. Moreover, he must swear; to inherit the Yelu Family legacy, he must carry out three tasks!”

Old Wang Ba was immediately displeased, ”Damn it, isn’t my word as good as gold? Does he still need to swear?”

The two elders ignored Old Wang Ba, only looking at Ye Qing, awaiting his answer.

On the other hand, Ye Qing was caught in a dilemma. Before coming here, he didn’t expect such an incident. If he were asked just to rescue Yelu Ying, that would be fine. But now, to inherit the Yelu Family’s legacy, that would be immensely stressful. Moreover, he felt at heart that the Yelu Family’s legacy ought to be the Yelu Family’s property, how could an outsider accept it?

Yet, with Wu Changming kneeling here pleading, and Old Wang Ba continually urging from the side, if he refused again, it would be hard to justify.

After hesitating for a moment, he nodded heavily and said, ”Alright then, Mr. Wu, I promise you. I will take on the Yelu Family’s legacy for now. But once the Yelu Family member is rescued, I’ll return it to the rightful owners; is that acceptable? Would that not violate the ancestral teachings of the Yelu Family?”

The two elders exchanged a glance, and one nodded, saying, ”Once you inherit the Yelu Family legacy, you become the master of this legacy. Whatever you decide thereafter is your concern; we have no control.”

”That’s relieving!” Ye Qing nodded and said, ”If that’s the case, I’ll temporarily hold it in safekeeping. When this situation is resolved, I’ll return the Yelu Family’s legacy to its rightful owners.”

”So, are you agreeing?” The elder asked.

”Yes!” Ye Qing nodded.

”Good, now make an oath,” the elder said, ”After inheriting the Yelu Family legacy, you will help the Yelu Family with three tasks!”

”What tasks?” Ye Qing asked.

”Make the oath first,” the elder replied.

”This...” Ye Qing was speechless, how could he swear without knowing the tasks? If he made an oath and later encountered something impossible to accomplish, wouldn’t he be trapped?

”Swear, won’t the Eighth Master here let you suffer?” Old Wang Ba mumbled beside.

”Well...alright,” Ye Qing hesitantly made an oath. In truth, he was all the more worried. Old Wang Ba was particularly unreliable, and with him here, Ye Qing feared he might indeed be at a disadvantage.

After hearing Ye Qing’s oath, the two elders nodded slowly, ”Very well, from now on, you are the master of the Yelu Family Ancestral Tomb.”

”So what are the three tasks, exactly?” Ye Qing asked.

”Let me tell you about the Yelu Family Ancestral Tomb first,” one elder said, ”First, I’ll explain how to open the Yelu Family Ancestral Tomb. The tomb is sealed by bloodline inheritance, meaning it requires Yelu Family blood to unlock the Yelu Family Ancestral Tomb!”

”Is this really a thing?” Ye Qing turned in surprise to look at Old Wang Ba. He hadn’t heard of such a feature before. Heaven Earth Man Three Gates uses seven famed instruments as keys, yet the Yelu Family Ancestral Tomb uses blood as a key—this is quite peculiar!