Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing had heard before that Shijia and Wuji had made an agreement with people from the Sword Saint Sect. During the battle in Shenchuan City last time, Shijia and Wuji saw two Beyond The Pinnacle Masters from the Sword Saint Sect, both sides just sat in silence without fighting, supposedly due to this agreement.

Ye Qing also didn’t know what this agreement was about, and he had been puzzled by it. Now, hearing Old Wang Ba mention this matter, he immediately asked, ”What exactly is their agreement?”

”I’m not too clear on the specifics of it.” Old Wang Ba thought for a moment and said, ”Anyway, it’s said that the Knife Saint knows some kind of secret, and he uses this secret to threaten Shijia and Wuji. As long as Shijia and Wuji don’t go against people from the Sword Saint Sect, he will keep this secret forever. That’s why Shijia and Wuji won’t fight when they see people from the Sword Saint Sect!”

”Is there something like this?” Ye Qing was even more surprised and asked, ”Then what exactly is this secret?”

Old Wang Ba pursed his lips and said, ”Nonsense, how can I know such a secret? Even the Knife Saint doesn’t dare to speak out, so would I dare to ask?”

Ye Qing thought about it and it indeed made sense. If people like Shijia and Wuji can be threatened by this secret, it shows how crucial this secret must be.

”With the power of the Sword Saint Sect, they can completely defeat Shijia and Wuji, why would they make such an agreement?” Ye Qing asked in puzzlement, ”Could it be that the Sword Saint Sect also fears Shijia and Wuji?”

”How should I know what’s happening here!” Old Wang Ba waved his hand and said, ”That’s why I called you both here, to let you go and see if the Knife Saint is really dead. If possible, also check out what this secret is. Why would the Sword Saint Sect fear Shijia and Wuji, and why are Shijia and Wuji threatened by this secret?”

Ye Qing looked at Old Wang Ba, this guy was even more curious than he was. However, it must be said, this matter indeed makes people puzzled. What exactly happened between Shijia Wuji and the Sword Saint Sect? Also, is the Knife Saint really still alive?

It seemed that Old Wang Ba didn’t know much about the matter, so Ye Qing didn’t ask anymore. Together with Fat Wang, they memorized the map Old Wang Ba had. According to the map, there are two routes into the Sword Saint Sect. One route is entering through the main gate, leading directly to the main hall of the Sword Saint Sect. The other route is through a cave, entering from the mountain belly, which leads to the ancestral tombs of past generations of the Sword Saint Sect, including the Knife Saint’s tomb.

After memorizing the map, Ye Qing turned to Old Wang Ba and asked, ”Eighth Master, are you suggesting we enter directly into the ancestral tombs of the past generations of the Sword Saint Sect through this cave?”

”You got it right!” Old Wang Ba nodded and said, ”The main gate over there is the battlefield for the Wanyan Family and the Sword Saint Sect’s decisive battle. If you enter from there, you might be caught by the Wanyan Family before you even reach the Sword Saint Sect. Besides, you only need to find the Knife Saint’s tomb, nothing else is key. So, the back route is most suitable!”

”How did this route come about?” Ye Qing asked, ”The ancestral tombs of the past generations of the Sword Saint Sect must be the most crucial place. This place should be full of mechanisms and heavily guarded. Under such circumstances, why is there a cave that directly leads to the ancestral tombs of the Sword Saint Sect?”

Fat Wang interjected, ”Could it be that the Sword Saint Sect people don’t know about this route?”

”That’s definitely not the case!” Old Wang Ba shook his head and said, ”You are wrong, the Sword Saint Sect people know about this route!”

”Then this route must be even more dangerous than the front main gate route!” Fat Wang frowned.

”Dangerous? Not exactly...” Old Wang Ba said, ”The most crucial thing is whether you can get inside!”

”What do you mean?” Ye Qing and Fat Wang asked in unison.

Old Wang Ba looked at the two and said, ”This cave has actually existed for a long time, it was personally left by the Knife Saint, meant to leave an escape route for the Sword Saint Sect people. After all, the Sword Saint Sect is holed up in this valley, if someone blocks the gate, they can’t even run. This route is the escape route for the Sword Saint Sect!”

”Then surely the Sword Saint Sect people are guarding it?” Fat Wang said, ”In such a situation, it’s not easy for us to get in, right?”

”There is no one guarding this place!” Old Wang Ba shook his head again and said, ”Because, this cave can only let you out, but not in!”

”What do you mean?” Fat Wang’s eyes widened, and Ye Qing was also astonished, not understanding what Old Wang Ba meant.

Old Wang Ba said, ”Because the Knife Saint set up one hundred and eight great formations here, almost sealing the entire cave. The mechanics are all oriented outwards, so people inside can easily walk through the formations when going out. But for outsiders who want to enter, they’d have to break through all the formations. Today, besides Taoist Wuji, no one can walk through this cave!”

”Ah?” Fat Wang gasped, ”Then what does it mean for you to let me and Young Ye go this way?”

Old Wang Ba said, ”Because Ye Qing can pass through this passage!”

”How do you figure?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

Old Wang Ba smiled faintly, reached out, and patted Ye Qing’s wrist without saying much. Ye Qing’s heart was moved because the place Old Wang Ba patted was exactly where he wore the Daoist Sovereign bracelet on his wrist. Could it be that entering this cave has something to do with the Daoist Sovereign?

Ye Qing said, ”If that’s the case, I can go in alone. Why should we let Fat Wang take the risk along?”

”Firstly, this doesn’t count as a risk!” Old Wang Ba paused and continued, ”Moreover, I haven’t finished my words yet. Originally, this cave only had one hundred and eight great formations, but the descendants of the Sword Saint Sect added many mechanisms inside to make the passage safer. These mechanisms need Fat Wang to solve them. You definitely can’t break them alone!”

”I see now!” Fat Wang suddenly understood, clapped his hands, and said, ”I just knew it; my role is certainly irreplaceable. Solving mechanisms is too simple for me. My nickname, Master of Mechanisms, isn’t called for nothing!”

Upon hearing Old Wang Ba’s explanation, Ye Qing didn’t say much. He asked some questions about the map again, and once everything was understood, the sky had already brightened—just like that, a night’s time had passed.

”Alright, everything is decided. I wish you triumph!” Old Wang Ba looked at Ye Qing and Fat Wang, saying, ”Later, I’ll first find a place to hide with the people from the Yelu family. When you’re back, I’ll contact you!”

”Don’t get caught by the Koga-ryu people again!” Ye Qing urged.

Old Wang Ba said, ”That won’t happen; I’m not an idiot. How could I trip in the same place twice?”

Walking out of the room, going to the first floor, Huangfu Ziyu had been sitting downstairs already. It was evident that she had also stayed awake all night. When she saw Ye Qing come out, she immediately came to greet him.

”I prepared breakfast, have a little first.” Huangfu Ziyu said softly, standing beside Ye Qing, devoid of the East State Poisonous Mantis’s aura, like a little woman.

Seeing Huangfu Ziyu’s slightly haggard appearance, Ye Qing felt a bit sorrowful inside. He grabbed Huangfu Ziyu’s hand, nodded lightly, and together they walked towards the kitchen.

As soon as they entered, Ye Qing heard the sound of chewing coming from the kitchen. Upon a closer look, Old Chen was still sitting in the dining area, chewing on a drumstick.

When he saw Ye Qing and the others, Old Chen, with a drumstick in his mouth, greeted in a muffled voice, ”Morning!”

”Eating such greasy food early in the morning, aren’t you afraid of getting high blood pressure?” Fat Wang muttered softly, not daring to speak loudly. He had argued with Old Chen several times before, but every time he lost to Old Chen’s lengthy arguments, so even Fat Wang with his bad temper dared not provoke Old Chen now.

Ye Qing directly ignored Old Chen, walked over, and sat by the dining table. Huangfu Ziyu served a bowl of porridge and brought it to Ye Qing, along with some side dishes and pastries. Although breakfast couldn’t be considered rich, it showed how much heart Huangfu Ziyu put into preparing these things.

Accompanying Huangfu Ziyu for breakfast, although neither of them said a word, they both understood each other’s intentions. After eating breakfast, Huangfu Ziyu handed Ye Qing a coat to wear, held his hand, and said softly, ”I’ll wait for you to come back!”

Ye Qing felt relieved inside; Huangfu Ziyu wasn’t insisting on going to the Sword Saint Sect, which was much better. If Huangfu Ziyu really wanted to go together, he wouldn’t know how to handle it, given that the Sword Saint Sect was too dangerous now. A top-level master surely couldn’t protect themselves.

”Rest assured, I’ll be back soon!” Ye Qing stretched out his hand, gently smoothing the strands of hair beside Huangfu Ziyu’s ear, speaking softly, ”Wait for me!”

”Mhm!” Huangfu Ziyu nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly red but she didn’t say anything more.

Ye Qing took a deep breath, turned around and went with Fat Wang and Old Wang Ba to the main building, joining the Nalan family to prepare to attack the Sword Saint Sect.

By the time they arrived, the Nalan family was already gathered, and Nalan Jingwei was sitting energetically in the main seat. Seeing Ye Qing and the others coming, Nalan Jingwei quickly stood up and said with a smile, ”Alright, Alliance Leader Ye is here. Everyone’s gathered, so we can begin discussing serious matters!”

Once the crowd sat down, Nalan Jingwei said loudly, ”We’ll stick to the results of yesterday’s discussion. Today, we’re heading to the Sword Saint Sect and preparing to group with the Sword Saint Sect to attack the Wanyan Family. Does anyone have any objections? If not, let’s get ready to set off?”

The crowd looked at one another; the Nalan family certainly had no objections. As for the others, the focus was mainly on Helian Tiehua and Ye Qing since these two were leading the way.