Urban Martial Saint

Since Ye Qing had lost his martial arts abilities, he didn’t participate in the affairs of the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance. Meanwhile, to avoid retaliations from enemies, Ye Qing had to stay within the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance. Originally, Ye Qing lived in the same courtyard as Huangfu Ziyu, but in recent days Huangfu Ziyu took members of the Seven Families and left Shenchuan City, heading to guard the Human Fourth Hall among the Twelve Green Halls, leaving Ye Qing alone in the courtyard.

Therefore, Ye Qing decided to move from his own courtyard to the courtyard where the three children lived, so he could accompany the three children here every day.

The main activity of the three children every day was learning to speak with their teacher. Initially, they weren’t accustomed to being here and felt no sense of belonging. However, with Ye Qing’s companionship, the three children gradually adapted to life here, and they were quite happy to be with Ye Qing every day. Even though their older age made learning to speak slower than younger children, Ye Qing was comforted by the fact that they would eventually be able to speak.

The wounds of the mutt healed quickly. In a few days, the bandages on its body were removed, the burned skin had healed, and even the fur was slowly growing back. The effects of the Devouring Demon Flower were indeed quite wonderful. Not only did the mutt’s wounds heal quickly, but it also gained considerable benefits; its size was increasing, and its speed and strength had improved significantly. If it didn’t look like a mutt, people might mistake it for a well-trained military dog.

If someone tried to provoke this mutt now, being bitten by it would not be a simple matter. The mutt currently resembled a wolf, capable of breaking bones with its bite.

Despite its growing size, the mutt remained very friendly, wagging its tail at everyone. Ye Qing understood the mutt’s temperament; as long as no one bullied its three young owners, it would not get angry. Therefore, the mutt was quite liked within the estate.

On this particular afternoon, Ye Qing, having just finished his meal, took the mutt for a run around the courtyard. His body was now mostly back to normal, although he no longer possessed his previous strength. At least he had regained the state of a normal person, albeit without inner strength, similar to when he had first returned from the army. Of course, without inner strength, his current strength differed from that time, but he could likely handle three to five people.

Unable to practice martial arts, Ye Qing resumed his military training; even without martial arts, one must maintain a fit physique. Ye Qing engaged in rigorous physical training within the courtyard every day to restore his body and maintain his stamina.

The courtyard wasn’t large. After running around it twice and barely warming up, Ye Qing saw Zhao Chengshuang approaching from a distance.

”Old Zhao, you don’t have work today?” Ye Qing greeted him from afar, but Zhao Chengshuang seemed troubled. Ye Qing was slightly surprised, stopping to wait for Zhao Chengshuang to reach him and asked, ”What’s going on?”

Zhao Chengshuang sighed, speaking softly, ”Ye Zi, Black Bear... We still haven’t been able to contact Black Bear.”

Ye Qing frowned. Black Bear was supposed to be in the Western Province, previously having found news of Ye Jun. Ye Qing asked Zhao Chengshuang to request Black Bear to bring Ye Jun back. However, days had passed, and not only had Black Bear not returned with Ye Jun, but Zhao Chengshuang also couldn’t contact Black Bear, causing Ye Qing to worry. Ye Qing understood Black Bear’s character well; if there wasn’t a problem on his end, he wouldn’t fail to communicate. Could it be that Black Bear encountered danger?

”Do you know where he is now?” Ye Qing asked gravely.

”He should still be in Xifu City, but his exact location is unclear,” Zhao Chengshuang hesitated. ”I’ve already arranged for someone to investigate the last call position of Black Bear, but due to the time lapse, the position isn’t precise, only a rough range, probably in the East City District of Xifu City.”

”Can we track Black Bear’s cellphone?” Ye Qing asked.

”No.” Zhao Chengshuang shook his head. ”I’ve tried several times, but there’s no response from Black Bear’s phone. So I suspect there must be a problem where he is. Our tracking system can usually locate a phone unless the battery is removed. If Black Bear wasn’t facing significant trouble, he wouldn’t remove the battery!”

Ye Qing’s frown deepened; this was precisely his greatest worry. If something happened to Black Bear, then Ye Jun’s situation wouldn’t be good either.

The Western Province was initially Wang Tian’an’s territory, but after several confrontations, Ye Qing had decimated Wang Tian’an’s forces, leading to their collapse. Later, Wang Tian’an fled to Tai Island to hide; there were no remarkable forces left in the Western Province. Additionally, when Ye Qing sent Black Bear to find Ye Jun, he specifically instructed him to go incognito. Under these circumstances, if Black Bear encountered danger, the situation would be more problematic. It’s evident someone in the Western Province wants to target Ye Qing, but who could it be?

If it were before, upon receiving such news, Ye Qing would immediately head to the Western Province to find his brother Ye Jun himself. However, now that he’s lost his cultivation power and inner strength, it’s difficult to even protect himself, let alone rescue others. So, after contemplating for a while, he looked at Zhao Chengshuang and said, ”Help me contact Liu Mubai, have him go to the Western Province for a visit.”

After Ye Qing rescued Liu Mubai in Humeng City, Liu Mubai stayed in Shenchuan City without leaving. Now, with Ye Qing’s lost cultivation power, he couldn’t go to the Western Province himself, so he had to find a master to help investigate the situation. Liu Mubai’s abilities, even among the younger generation, were top-level, making him the ideal candidate to investigate on Ye Qing’s behalf.

”Alright.” Zhao Chengshuang nodded, but he didn’t leave immediately, still frowning.

”Is there anything else?” Ye Qing asked, puzzled.

”It’s...” Zhao Chengshuang scratched his head and murmured, ”Ye Zi, do you remember the matter I told you about last time?”

”What matter?” Ye Qing asked, puzzled.

”It’s about those kids,” Zhao Chengshuang said. ”Remember, you rescued those children from the monks, but after sending them back, some were mysteriously killed.”

”Right, how’s that matter now?” Ye Qing immediately came to his senses and asked urgently, ”Are the assassins still active?”

”The assassins have stopped, but...” Zhao Chengshuang scratched his head, hesitated for a while, and then said softly, ”Our orphanage is experiencing some unusual issues lately.”

”What’s unusual?” Ye Qing immediately frowned. Could someone be causing trouble at the orphanage?

”Several employees in the orphanage have gone missing recently,” Zhao Chengshuang paused and spoke softly, ”Moreover, the missing employees were either directly or indirectly involved in returning those children home.”

Ye Qing’s frown deepened; he hadn’t expected the matter to end up affecting his orphanage. Moreover, someone abducted his staff, which was infuriating. These employees were ordinary people, unrelated to the martial arts world. Who is behind their abductions?

”Have the missing employees been found?” Ye Qing asked gravely.

”At the moment... no,” Zhao Chengshuang said softly. ”After several employees went missing, there’s been panic in the orphanage. Recently, one-third of the staff are too afraid to come to work, worried that they might be the next to disappear. The situation in the orphanage isn’t good!”

Ye Qing’s face grew colder; the orphanage was his hard-won creation, intended as a safe haven for the children. Unexpectedly, someone dared to cause trouble there, challenging Ye Qing’s limits.

”Have you identified who’s responsible?” Ye Qing asked with a serious tone.

”Well...” Zhao Chengshuang scratched his head and said helplessly to Ye Qing, ”I sent people to investigate, but the attackers seem to be skilled martial artists, leaving no trace.”

”Aren’t there sect leaders from several sects seated at the orphanage in Shenchuan City? Didn’t they see anything?” Ye Qing asked.

”How should I put it?” Zhao Chengshuang said awkwardly, ”Two sect leaders did confront them, but didn’t see their faces before getting knocked out cold. It’s as if they saw nothing at all. The sect leaders said the attackers were top-level masters, far beyond their capabilities. So, they suggested I come to you for solutions!”

Ye Qing furrowed his brow again; those sect leaders were skilled too. If they described the attackers as top-level masters, the attackers must be highly formidable. Which top-level master would stoop to attacking the employees of his orphanage who can’t fight?

”My uncle is living there too; hasn’t he seen the attackers?” Ye Qing suddenly remembered Li Changqing’s brother, Li Changshan, was at the orphanage. With his skills, he should see the attackers even if they were top-level masters.

”Your uncle hasn’t been at the orphanage these days,” Zhao Chengshuang replied.

”Not at the orphanage? Where did he go?” Ye Qing asked puzzled.

”I think he’s visiting friends; anyway, he hasn’t been seen these days,” Zhao Chengshuang paused, whispered, ”Oh, speaking of this, I suddenly wonder. Your uncle hasn’t been seen for days; could he have also been kidnapped by those people?”