Urban Martial Saint

After breakfast, Ye Qing felt much warmer. Moreover, it was a sunny day, so he leaned against the stone wall nearby, quietly basking in the sun here. Given the current circumstances, there was little hope in directly contacting Shenchuan City; better to first take care of his health before addressing other matters.

The local dog was no longer here, and judging by yesterday’s situation, it must have gone out in search of food again. Meanwhile, the three puppies were still here, playfully revolving around the little girl, frolicking with her, which was very amusing.

Ye Qing sat for about an hour, basking in the warm sun to the point of becoming drowsy. Suddenly, the three puppies started barking rapidly, startling Ye Qing awake. He looked up to see the little girl had collapsed on the ground, her body convulsing continuously with foam frothing from her mouth, looking quite terrifying.

Ye Qing was taken aback; it appeared the little girl was having an epileptic seizure. Ye Qing quickly supported himself with the small cart and rushed to the little girl’s side, reaching out to check her pulse. Everything was as he suspected; the little girl indeed was having an epileptic seizure. Moreover, complicating matters was her congenital heart disease. While epilepsy was not difficult for Ye Qing to manage, her congenital heart disease was problematic. Epileptic seizures could easily trigger a heart attack, which was extremely dangerous. In fact, heart attacks could also cause epileptic seizures. So, when these two ailments occur simultaneously, they are very difficult to treat.

If Ye Qing were in good health, supported by various precious medications, the little girl’s illness wouldn’t be difficult to treat. Even Ning Qianshu or Bai Li Xi, either one of them here, could easily cure the little girl’s ailment. Though congenital heart disease isn’t curable, the medical skills left behind by Divine Doctor An Shiping contain methods to completely suppress heart attacks.

However, under the current circumstances, Ye Qing only had his right arm available, and he didn’t have any Inner Strength. Most crucially, he was without life-saving medicine, unable to treat the little girl’s condition. The only option was to use his hand to press on the acupoints on her head to temporarily suppress the epilepsy symptoms, alleviating her condition.

Fortunately, this method was quite effective, and the little girl’s heart disease did not flare up. So, Ye Qing pressed for a while and the girl’s convulsions gradually ceased, allowing her to finally return to normal.

Heaving a sigh of relief, the little girl slowly climbed up from the ground, glanced at Ye Qing beside her, showing she didn’t realize Ye Qing had helped suppress her illness. Yet, the girl was optimistic enough to smile at Ye Qing after getting up. Tracing the dust off her clothes, she ran over again to play with the three little ones.

Seeing the girl was fine, Ye Qing breathed out in relief and lay back down in his original spot. However, this time he dared not sleep again, instead keeping a steady watch on the little girl, fearing that her condition might suddenly relapse. Especially with heart disease, if it flares up and isn’t quickly contained, it could be fatal.

Luckily, the girl’s condition did not relapse, and around eleven, the older boy and girl returned. Each carrying a large sack filled with the scrap they had collected outside, their main job daily is collecting scrap to sell and make money.

Seeing them return excited the little girl, who promptly rushed over to affectionately hug them both. The older boy showed a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, reaching out to stroke the little girl’s hair, then pulled from his bag a small green apple, handing it to the girl.

The sight of the apple brought a cheer, and it seemed to greatly excite the girl. Though the apple was rather small and unusually tart, clearly yet to ripen, it seemed like the best gift to the little girl. Hugging the apple in delight, she called out to the older boy, hugged the older girl, bounced a few times, and then ran over to Ye Qing displaying the apple excitedly.

Ye Qing smiled softly, though these three children lived in hardship, their attitude towards life was exceedingly optimistic. Especially the little girl, carrying such severe illness, yet maintaining such optimism was truly commendable.

The older boy and girl watched the little girl with a gentle smile, despite not being much older, they acted like little adults, sorting and gathering the scraps.

After cleaning everything up, they pulled a heap of loose change from their pockets. From afar, Ye Qing observed clearly; their combined money was less than ten yuan, but they pulled out five yuan, hiding it in a concrete pipe behind the shack.

As the older boy stashed the money, he didn’t guard against Ye Qing this time, evidently trusting him more. When he noticed Ye Qing watching, he smiled slightly, pointing to the little girl, mouthing ’illness...’ at length, until he finally managed the word.

If it weren’t for the girl’s condition that morning, Ye Qing might not have understood the older boy’s intention. Now, he comprehended; it seems the money the older boy hid is earmarked for the girl’s treatment. Despite daily earnings of less than ten yuan, they save five yuan for the girl’s medical needs, even refraining from spending the rest on necessities; all they eat and wear is picked from waste.

Ye Qing’s eyes became moist again; the care this older boy provided for his sister was practically meticulous.

Once the money was hidden, the older boy proceeded to the table to arrange food, with the older girl helping aside, while the little girl sat at the trash pile’s entrance eagerly gazing afar. Ye Qing knew she awaited the local dog’s return.

Usually gone in the morning, the local dog would bring food back by noon, leaving post four p.m. to cross the river, seeking food at the dock, returning in the evening. Nearing noon now, the dog typically returned by then, but today it was tardy, worrying the little girl.

Caring not only for the children but for Ye Qing too, because to them, this dog was like family. Usually so prompt in its return, today it was yet to show, invoking concern from everyone.

Embracing the older boy’s arm, the little girl muttered indistinctly, though clearly anxious. The boy continued to stroke her hair softly, seemingly comforting her, though Ye Qing couldn’t comprehend.

After another half an hour, a distant barking finally sounded; everyone perked up. Especially the older boy, who rushed around the corner, calling loudly for the dog to return.

Ye Qing craned his neck, relieved that the dog finally returned.

Soon, the dog rounded the corner, appearing before them. Yet seeing the dog’s state, Ye Qing’s expression changed involuntarily. Its front leg limped, the bone was bent sideways conspicuously broken by something. Head injured, body bearing numerous wounds fitting the scenario, undoubtedly beaten. Struggling even to walk, empty-mouthed, upon spotting everyone, it whimpered softly, then abruptly collapsed mid-run.

The sight startled the girl, who rushed over, clutching the dog anxiously. The older boy and girl likewise alarmed, hurried over, scrambling to check the dog’s condition.

Ye Qing too grew tense, pushing the small cart over, urged, ”Move aside, let me check it out.”

Though the kids didn’t grasp his words, with Ye Qing being the only adult, they were indeed helpless. Thus upon Ye Qing’s approach, they promptly cleared space letting him inspect the dog.

Upon arriving by the dog, viewing its plight indicated it had been beaten, subsequently ran far, thus merely exhausted—not grievously injured thus not life threatening.

”Relieve yourselves, it’s okay, it’s just very tired,” Ye Qing softly comforted the three kids, understanding their foremost worry was the dog’s ordeal.

Whether they understood Ye Qing’s assurance or gauged his facial cues, their expressions visibly calmed down. However, the dog’s twisted leg remained their concern.

Gently reaching over, Ye Qing grasped the hurt leg discovering the fracture wasn’t entirely felt before the dog barked out in pain, startling Ye Qing.

Seeing this, the older boy hurriedly approached, hugging the dog, softly soothing it, appeasing the dog to calm down.

The older boy gazed at Ye Qing, signaling him to continue. Not daring to exert force, Ye Qing gingerly examined the injured position, ascertaining the fracture status, mentally formulating the treatment plan.

”Hold it still, don’t let it move; I’m going to set its bone,” Ye Qing instructed the older boy, gesturing re-alignment.

The boy caught on, nodding vigorously, holding the dog securely. The dog nestled in its owner’s arms didn’t struggle but showed affection. After all, the older boy was its master; despite the leg’s pain, loyalty prevailed.

Ye Qing seized the moment, gripping the leg, suddenly twisted with a pull. A sharp crack resounded, followed swiftly by the dog’s sharp cry; the broken leg was set by Ye Qing.