Urban Martial Saint

Upon hearing her daughter’s question, Wen’er’s mother sighed softly and said, ”All these years in Iga-ryu, how do you think I’ve managed to receive such good treatment? Over the years, I’ve been helping them in tomb-robbing, which is why I’ve garnered their attention. The tombs I’ve entered and the things I’ve learned far exceed those your father and they have seen over so many years. I saw this White Water Ghost in an ancient tomb. As for the Octopus Snake Turtle, I read about it in some ancient texts!”

So that’s it, Ye Qing and Wen’er suddenly realized. No wonder Wen’er’s mother is so knowledgeable; it’s due to her long-term involvement in tomb-robbing.

”What exactly is the difference between the Octopus Snake Turtle and the Eight-clawed Dragon Turtle?” Ye Qing asked the question weighing on his mind.

”The difference is vast!” Wen’er’s mother said, ”Have you heard of a snake transforming into a jiao?”

”I’ve heard of it!” Ye Qing immediately nodded, not only heard but actually seen it before. Wasn’t the fat jiao in Mount Wendao a transformed snake?

”The difference between the Octopus Snake Turtle and the Eight-clawed Dragon Turtle is the difference between a snake and a jiao!” Wen’er’s mother said, ”When the snake head of the Octopus Snake Turtle transforms into a jiao, it becomes the Eight-clawed Dragon Turtle!”

Ye Qing drew in a sharp breath and said, ”If it becomes an Eight-clawed Dragon Turtle, wouldn’t its battle power become terrifying?”

”Of course it would!” Wen’er’s mother said, ”The Octopus Snake Turtle has, at most, the strength of a Peak Master. But the power of the Eight-clawed Dragon Turtle surpasses the peak; they are on completely different levels!”

”Then... compared to a jiao, who is stronger in terms of combat, the Eight-clawed Dragon Turtle or a jiao?” Ye Qing asked, wanting to study the battle power of the fat jiao of Mount Wendao.

”Well...” Wen’er’s mother scratched her head, having never pondered this question before.

”It’s impossible to determine exactly who is stronger. However, the jiao’s potential for development is much greater, far exceeding that of the Eight-clawed Dragon Turtle!” Wen’er’s mother said.

”Why?” Ye Qing quickly asked, feeling some joy in his heart. Does this mean the fat jiao of Mount Wendao has significant potential for growth?

”As they say, ’a snake transforms into a jiao in five hundred years, a jiao transforms into a dragon in a thousand years!’ Whether dragons exist or not is not the point, but it is certain that after a thousand years, a jiao’s strength will ascend to another level. Whereas the Octopus Snake Turtle’s evolution to the Eight-clawed Dragon Turtle is its limit, it can’t advance any further. Hence, the jiao’s potential is definitely greater than that of the Eight-clawed Dragon Turtle!” Wen’er’s mother said.

”I see!” Ye Qing nodded slowly, pondering the fat jiao in Mount Wendao, wondering just how many years it has existed. According to Ancestor Chen Tuan, when he was at Mount Wendao, this fat jiao was already there, already considered a jiao. Since Ancestor Chen Tuan’s era is nearly a millennium from the present, could this fat jiao be nearing a thousand years old too? If so, will its power elevate to another level? And after another level elevation, how strong will its power become?

The current battle power of the fat jiao has already reached beyond the level of a Beyond The Pinnacle master. If its strength rises another level, even though Ye Qing doesn’t know exactly how strong it will get, dealing with an existence like the Corpse Ghost Dragon shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

Wen’er’s mother didn’t know that Ye Qing had encountered a jiao, nor did she pay attention to Ye Qing’s expression as she pointed to the Stone Chamber and said: ”I heard from Wen’er that you saw a human sculpture in this stone chamber with a water ghost. And atop that sculpture, there was a black stele, right?”

Everyone saw the sculpture and stele in the cave back then, and Ye Qing did not conceal this matter. After all, the most crucial things in the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master were the secrets left by Guiguzi, and other matters were not important. So, when Wen’er’s mother mentioned the stele, Ye Qing did not deny it but nodded in response.

”Do you know what this black stele is?” Wen’er’s mother continued to ask.

Upon hearing this, something stirred in Ye Qing’s heart. Of course, Ye Qing knew what this black stele was—it’s the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal. But few people knew about the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal. Since Wen’er’s mother asked, could it be she also knew about the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal?

”Auntie, do you know what this black stele is?” Ye Qing countered.

”Hehe...” Wen’er’s mother chuckled and said, ”Not only do I know, but eight years ago, I personally saw one of these steles myself!”

”Ah?” Ye Qing was shocked. Wen’er’s mother had also seen an Immovable Bodhisattva Seal? Putting that together with what Fu Qingping mentioned and the one outside the secret chamber where Patriarch Bodhidharma passed away, there are a total of four such steles. Come to think of it, how many of these steles did the Immovable King Supreme Bodhisattva truly leave behind back then? Or is it possible that the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal Wen’er’s mother saw is one of the three he knows of?

”Eight years ago, I saw one of these steles in an ancient tomb in Beiliang!” Wen’er’s mother shared the origin of the stele, immediately confirming for Ye Qing that this stele was not one of the three he was aware of. Meaning, there truly is a fourth Immovable Bodhisattva Seal!

”Later, I found out that this stele is called the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal. It is the unique skill of the Immovable King Supreme Bodhisattva, used as a seal to suppress evil demons!” Wen’er’s mother took a deep breath, looking at Ye Qing, and said, ”In that cave, I also saw a human-shaped sculpture!”

With the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal, there must be suppressed evil demons, that’s for sure. Wen’er’s mother mentioned this point, and Ye Qing wasn’t surprised, as the three Immovable Bodhisattva Seals he knew of all had sculptures present.

”Seeing your expression, you must know the origin of this black stele!” Wen’er’s mother asked.

”Yes!” Ye Qing nodded, recounting to Wen’er’s mother the three Immovable Bodhisattva Seals he knew of.

Upon hearing Ye Qing’s words, Wen’er’s mother was visibly shocked too. After a moment of silence, she took another deep breath and said, ”It seems that regarding the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal, you know more than I do. I never thought there were actually two more Immovable Bodhisattva Seals. How many evil demons has this Immovable King Supreme Bodhisattva suppressed?”

This question was indeed a puzzle for Ye Qing, and naturally, he couldn’t answer it. The two of them remained silent for a while. Wen’er’s mother waved her hand, pointing at the pattern on the table, and continued, ”Never mind, let’s continue. In this stone chamber, you encountered the White Water Ghost and the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal, along with the sculpture suppressed by the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal. And in the adjacent stone chamber, you found the Octopus Snake Turtle. However, inside the Octopus Snake Turtle’s stone chamber, there was neither an Immovable Bodhisattva Seal nor a sculpture. Don’t you find this strange?”

”What’s strange about it?” Ye Qing grew curious, unsure of what Wen’er’s mother was about to say.

Wen’er’s mother asked, ”After battling those water monsters, what do you think: is the Octopus Snake Turtle more powerful, or the White Water Ghost?”

”Definitely the Octopus Snake Turtle!” Ye Qing replied instantly, without hesitation. The combat power of the White Water Ghost was nowhere near the giant Octopus Snake Turtle’s level.

”That’s the key issue...” Wen’er’s mother took a deep breath and said, ”From what Wen’er mentioned, you have entered some ancient tombs, and the person by your side called Handsome Fatty Wang is also considered a master tomb robber. You should know that in ancient tombs, it’s usually the more important items that have tomb guardian beasts to guard them, correct?”

Ye Qing nodded, acknowledging it as a certainty.

Wen’er’s mother continued, ”Now, in these two last caves, there are tomb guardian beasts, the White Water Ghost and the Octopus Snake Turtle. In the White Water Ghost’s cave, there is a sculpture and the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal. But why is there nothing to guard in the more powerful Octopus Snake Turtle’s cave?”

Upon hearing this, Ye Qing’s heart skipped a beat. This was indeed a question worth investigating. He had carefully searched the Octopus Snake Turtle’s cave but found nothing. According to Wen’er’s mother’s hypothesis, it did defy logic. The Octopus Snake Turtle’s power was stronger; logically, what they guarded should be of greater value. But why was there absolutely nothing in its cave?

Or could it be that there is something in the cave that he simply does not know about?

Thinking of this, Ye Qing suddenly recalled the Honored Buddha he carried in his pocket. Did this Honored Buddha count as something obtained in the Octopus Snake Turtle’s cave? It was acquired deep beneath the underground river under the cave. Could it be considered as what those Octopus Snake Turtles guarded?

Wen’er’s mother was unaware of the Honored Buddha matter, observing Ye Qing’s puzzled expression, she assumed he was equally confused by this affair. Thus, she continued, ”Mr. Ye, let me ask you another question: do you know why Iga-ryu places such importance on the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master?”

”They think the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master hides the Taoist Sect’s top secret manuals and the grand secrets of Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. The Iga Ryu Ninjas have great ambitions, wanting to control the Taoist Sect’s secrets!” Ye Qing replied.

”I knew you would answer that way!” Wen’er’s mother shook her head and said, ”But in fact, it’s not that simple.”

”Ah?” Ye Qing was once more shocked, asking, ”Then, why?”

Wen’er’s mother did not directly answer but instead asked, ”Have you ever studied the history of Iga-ryu?”

”Iga-ryu’s history?” Ye Qing shook his head. In fact, he had only recently learned of the existence of these Wo Country’s Ninjas, barely having time to explore their history.

”Then, have you heard about the source of power of Iga-ryu?” Wen’er’s mother asked again.