Urban Martial Saint

”Where are we going?” Ye Qing was even more surprised, not understanding why these three children were so active in the middle of the night. Where could they be taking him at this late hour? Of course, if they were taking him somewhere with people, that would be even better. Ye Qing could contact the folks over in Shenchuan City.

The three children couldn’t understand Ye Qing’s words, and Ye Qing couldn’t understand their gestures, so they simply ignored him and left with the little cart, departing from the abandoned trash heap.

As it turned out, Ye Qing was overthinking it. They were not heading towards a crowded place but rather to a more isolated riverside. The three children placed the cart by the river and then sat quietly, observing the water, as if waiting for something.

It was already late at night, and the riverside was still somewhat chilly. The three children were lightly dressed and shivered from the cold as they sat there.

Seeing their condition, Ye Qing took off his jacket, called the three children over, and wrapped them in the jacket. This made the children a bit warmer, and they stopped shivering.

This act from Ye Qing softened the attitude of the previously hostile older boy towards Ye Qing, his gaze becoming more amicable.

The four of them waited by the river for about an hour when Ye Qing, feeling sleepy, was suddenly startled awake by the older boy jumping to his feet. Ye Qing saw the boy looking excitedly at the distant river surface, while the two girls clapped their hands in excitement, though Ye Qing didn’t know what they were seeing.

Following their gaze, Ye Qing looked over and saw a small black dot moving towards the shore from the distant river. Despite the large waves tossing it around, the dot moved steadily towards them.

As it got closer, Ye Qing finally saw clearly—it wasn’t just a small black dot but the three children’s mongrel dog, the very one that had brought Ye Qing to the shore. It was struggling as it swam, holding something in its mouth, though it wasn’t clear what it was. It was obvious that the dog was very tired from swimming, yet it used all its strength to swim towards them.

Ye Qing was puzzled, unable to understand why the dog was swimming in the river in the middle of the night. However, seeing the children’s excitement and how familiar they seemed with this, it was probably not the dog’s first time crossing the river late at night.

This reminded Ye Qing of his previous rescue, making him wonder if it was also due to the dog crossing the river that he was saved last time. Thankfully, the dog crossed at night; otherwise, Ye Qing might not even know his current situation, probably having drowned in the river by now.

After about five more minutes, the dog finally reached the riverside where the children were waiting. As soon as the dog came ashore, the older boy hurried over to help it up.

The dog was clearly exhausted, flopping to the ground and panting heavily. Observing its state, if it had been any later getting ashore, it might not have had the strength to continue swimming and would likely have drowned.

The older boy gently petted the dog’s back, and it responded affectionately, licking the boy’s arm. This dog was as close to the three children as family, exhibiting a warm bond.

Sitting nearby, Ye Qing finally got a good look at what the dog was carrying in its mouth. It was a bag of beef, tightly wrapped and likely meant for shipping. By the riverside was a dock used for loading and unloading goods from Shenchuan City, with food transport ships frequently passing through.

Seeing the bagged beef, Ye Qing realized why the dog was crossing the river at night. Undoubtedly, the dog must have gone over to the dock to steal food from the shipments. Remembering the bone stick the dog brought back at noon, Ye Qing’s eyes welled up—this dog was clearly stealing food to feed the three children.

Ye Qing, who had raised dogs in the military, understood their loyalty to humans well. Their service dogs would hunt in the mountains to bring back food for their handlers when rations ran low, showcasing great loyalty. However, Ye Qing couldn’t have imagined that even without training, this mongrel could do such things. Despite its small size and limited strength, crossing the river was already challenging for it. Carrying beef across as well was even harder. The dog’s loyalty to the children deeply moved Ye Qing.

The older girl picked up the beef, patting the dog’s head affectionately, while the younger girl hugged the dog with a bright smile. Though they were like mutes unable to speak, the children’s pure bond with the dog tugged at Ye Qing’s heart.

The little girl hugged the dog, took the beef, and ran to Ye Qing, holding the beef high and pointing at the dog as if praising it.

Ye Qing smiled lightly and patted the little girl’s head, unsure if he felt moved or saddened. This scene deeply touched him!

After receiving the dog, the children then pushed Ye Qing back to their shelter. The older boy set up a pot and cooked the beef, adding some noodles like those Ye Qing had for lunch. Soon, the aroma filled the air once more.

Because they hadn’t had enough to eat earlier, even Ye Qing’s stomach growled at the smell. As for the two girls, they had been waiting by the side, suggesting they were used to having supper, with the dog frequently crossing the river to fetch their food.

Once the food was done, the older boy served half of the beef to the dog first. Only then did they share the rest with Ye Qing.

The three puppies were now crowding around the dog, trying to nurse. Having used all its strength to cross the river, the dog lay on the ground, too lazy to move. It rested for a long while, until the food cooled, before getting up to eat. Then it returned to its spot, curled up with the three little ones, and fell asleep.

Once the three children had eaten, they also lay down to sleep. However, Ye Qing at this moment found it hard to sleep. The children’s bond with the dog and the body lying in the shack deeply pierced Ye Qing’s heart. Although he had built a large orphanage in Shenchuan City, hoping to provide a place for homeless children, he now realized that many children were still struggling to survive. Even right beside Shenchuan City, these children lived such heart-wrenching lives!

Lying beside the children, Ye Qing’s heart couldn’t calm down. After the Corpse Ghost Dragon incident, he nearly lost his purpose. Aside from finding his younger brother Ye Jun, he had no other goals. But now, it seemed he still had much to do. Building just one orphanage in Shenchuan City was far from enough!

Reflecting for a long time, Ye Qing looked at the three children sleeping soundly beside him, sighing softly. He reached out and gently patted their heads, whispering, ”Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you live normal lives, just like any other children, without needing to worry about survival!”

The three children naturally didn’t hear Ye Qing’s words, exhausted from the day, sleeping deeply.

Unable to sleep, Ye Qing slowly sat up, raising his right hand to closely examine the sphere in his palm. He previously speculated that the sphere was a Buddha’s Relic, but if it really were such, then how did it get inside his hand? There wasn’t a single scar on his hand, and the sphere almost seemed to have grown into it. How could that be? Had the Buddha’s Relic grown into his flesh?

Moreover, with the sphere in his palm, Ye Qing didn’t feel any power at all, which wasn’t characteristic of a Buddha’s Relic. However, if it wasn’t a Buddha’s Relic, then what was this sphere?

Unable to figure it out, Ye Qing finally shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. He focused on his left hand and feet, which had been completely paralyzed. Thankfully, his left hand and feet were slowly regaining feeling, giving Ye Qing a glimmer of hope.

Even without strength, becoming a person without martial arts skills, as long as he could still stand, as long as his body wasn’t disabled, there was hope for him to accomplish many things. At worst, he would refrain from getting involved in the martial arts world and focus on his own pursuits instead.

Ye Qing’s left hand and feet were in much better condition than before. During the day, he only had subtle sensation instead of numbness. But now, he could slightly move his fingers, and his feet could slowly shift, recovering swiftly. If it continued like this, within a few days, Ye Qing might be able to move again, at least no longer being handicapped!

Feeling his recovering left hand and feet, Ye Qing was overjoyed. He attempted to press his left hand against the ground, but while his fingers moved, his hand lacked strength. His feet were equally unable to support his body, leaving only his right hand capable of movement.

Even so, Ye Qing was thrilled, knowing there was a significant difference between recovery and being permanently disabled. Since he was recovering, he still had hope. Complete disability, however, would mean total despair!