Urban Martial Saint
Chapter 496: Probing
Just when the man was wildly unleashing his animal lust on Lin Yaqing, at a corner, a pair of eyes were watching them.
The person hiding here was none other than Shen Qianyue, who had suspected there was something amiss with Lin Yaqing ever since she came to speak to him. After all, the feud between the Lin family and Ye Qing had been resolved, and no one from the Lin family knew that Ye Qing was the successor to the Li Style Bajiquan, yet she was aware of this information, which itself was quite peculiar. Lin Yaqing was not a martial artist; by rights, she should know nothing about the Li Style Bajiquan. So, it was impossible for her not to have someone backing her.
Shortly after Lin Yaqing left, Shen Qianyue followed. With his abilities, Lin Yaqing had no idea someone was tailing her, so he pretty much heard everything she said to the man clearly. Especially the threatening words that man spoke to Lin Yaqing, he memorized them all, even though he didn't know the specifics, at least he understood some of the key points.
Seeing Lin Yaqing and the man intimately entwined, a look of disdain flashed across Shen Qianyue's face. Lin Yaqing's transition from desperate resistance to a facade of rejection and eventually to fervent compliance had completely stripped the woman of any dignity in his eyes.
Watching their shameful behavior, Shen Qianyue smirked coldly, turned around, and left the place without going in to expose anything.
Back in his room, he tidied up and then went straight to the Xingyi Martial Arts School. This time, he went alone, without bringing Shen Qingyi, because he did not want Ye Qing to see Shen Qingyi again. The words Lin Yaqing said at that time had made him wary of Ye Qing as well.
Ye Qing was already waiting there, having practiced several sets of boxing techniques with Du Tianyi to warm up. Learning that Shen Qianyue had arrived, Ye Qing went to take a shower, changed his clothes, and hurried to the living room, where Tie Yongwen was sitting with Shen Qianyue, enjoying tea.
Their relationship was much better than before, as Shen Qianyue was a very modest man who showed respect for his elders and peers, making him easy to get along with. It was apparent that Tie Yongwen and Shen Qianyue's conversation was quite pleasant, with none of the anger from yesterday.
Upon seeing Ye Qing enter, Shen Qianyue immediately stood up, bowed with clasped hands, and said, "Mr. Ye!"
Ye Qing quickly returned the salute and sat down opposite Shen Qianyue. Shen Qianyue smiled lightly and said, "Mr. Ye, I still need to thank you for the incident the day before yesterday. Qingyi is young, and it was her first time going out, encountering such an event. We truly owe a great debt to Mr. Ye. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened!"
Ye Qing responded with a light smile, "Mr. Shen is too polite. Since Miss Shen's incident occurred on my premises, it's natural that I should take responsibility!"
"It's not Mr. Ye's fault. That person was actually targeting our Shen Family, and he would have acted no matter where we were. It's just that, Mr. Ye helped rescue Qingyi, and for that, we owe a great favor!" Shen Qianyue grinned slightly, and added, "Also, regarding the disrespect Bai Chuan showed Mr. Ye yesterday, I would like to apologize on his behalf. If there was any offense, I hope Mr. Ye can forgive it!"
"Alright, there's no need for you two to be so formal!" Tie Yongwen waved his hand, "Everyone is young here, if there's an issue, just talk it out. Qianyue, your brother has a bad temper and needs some serious discipline!"
Shen Qianyue said, "I will keep Uncle Tie's teachings in mind. Once I return to Shen Family Manor, I will definitely discuss the matter with the clan elders. If he fails to repent, then we will not allow him to step out of Shen Family Manor again!"
Tie Yongwen clapped his hands and laughed, "It doesn't need to be such a severe punishment. Young people are bound to make mistakes. The greatest virtue is to be able to change after recognizing one's mistakes. It's all good if he changes!"
Shen Qianyue nodded, "Regardless, the key thing is to get him to change!"
Tie Yongwen and Ye Qing exchanged glances, both obviously satisfied with Shen's words. Tie Yongwen gave Ye Qing a look, signaling him to bring out the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill.
Ye Qing had just reached into his pocket when Shen Qianyue suddenly looked at Ye Qing and said, "Oh yes, Mr. Ye, may I ask you a question?"
Ye Qing replied, "Mr. Shen, please ask your question. I shall answer anything to the best of my knowledge!"
"It's nothing big…" Shen Qianyue smiled at Tie Yongwen and continued, "I mainly wanted to ask how exactly Mr. Ye rescued Qingyi."
As soon as he said this, both Tie Yongwen and Ye Qing were taken aback, looking at each other, momentarily at a loss for words.
Shen Qianyue smiled faintly and went on, "Although I have never met Cui Yulong, I have heard about him from the elders. Not only is the man exceedingly cunning, but he's also highly skilled, and most importantly, it's very likely that the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade is in his possession. He abducted Shen Qingyi, and considering all of Shenchuan City, apart from Senior Tie personally stepping in, I doubt anyone could have rescued Qingyi from his hands!"
Shen Qianyue did not continue speaking, but his meaning was already quite clear, Ye Qing definitely did not have the strength to defeat Cui Yulong and rescue the person. So, how did Ye Qing rescue the person after all?
Ye Qing fell silent for a short moment, as it was the first time he had learned that the man's name was Cui Yulong.
Tie Yongwen furrowed his brows, looked at Shen Qianyue, and said, "Mr. Shen, by asking this, are you doubting Ye Qing?"
"Not at all," Shen Qianyue said with a smile, "I'm just asking casually. I'll be returning to Xi Hang in a couple of days, and if the clan elders ask about this matter, I'll have to have an answer, right? Mr. Ye has sparred with Cui Yulong, and if I could learn some details of their encounter, it would help the family elders assess Cui Yulong's current strength when I get back!"
Of course, Tie Yongwen didn't believe Shen Qianyue's words. He snorted coldly and said, "Ye Qing saved a member of your Shen Family, yet you doubt him time and again. In my opinion, Ye Qing shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place, to avoid all this trouble!"
Senior Tie has misunderstood; I was just asking casually. If Mr. Ye doesn't wish to answer, then pretend I never asked the question," Shen Qianyue said hastily as he got up and bowed. "However, Uncle Tie, if Mr. Ye is not willing to answer, may I have the honor of learning a few techniques from Mr. Ye? Since Mr. Ye has exchanged moves with Cui Yulong, if we spar for a few moves, I can also roughly estimate and have something to report back home!"
Having spoken to this extent, Tie Yongwen could no longer refuse and could only turn his head to look at Ye Qing.
Ye Qing slowly nodded and stood up, saying, "Please enlighten me, Mr. Shen!"
"Mr. Ye is too courteous!" said Shen Qianyue with a faint smile as he followed Ye Qing to the outside training field.
Seeing Ye Qing and Shen Qianyue come out, a crowd quickly gathered around to watch. Gao Shusen, Du Tianyi, and others stood by, knowing Ye Qing's strength. However, they were unclear about Shen Qianyue's abilities. As someone dubbed the number one among the Shen Family's younger generation, his strength must be considerable, at least surpassing Ye Qing's, or else how could he hold the title of number one?
Ye Qing and Shen Qianyue stood opposite each other, exchanged bows with hands clasped in a fist, and Shen Qianyue called out, "Forgive my boldness!" as he dashed forward a few steps heading straight for Ye Qing. He threw a punch with his right hand aimed at Ye Qing's face.
Ye Qing clenched his fists tight and countered with moves from Xingyi Quan, easily deflecting Shen Qianyue's punch. Shen Qianyue used Southern Fist techniques, characterized by quick and agile movements, and the two exchanged several blows in a blink, with swift actions.
It was fortunate that Ye Qing had sparred with Du Tianyi in the past few days, gaining a deeper understanding of Xingyi Quan, which allowed him to handle the bout with Shen Qianyue with ease. After fighting for a full five minutes without a clear victor, Shen Qianyue found an opportunity to retreat and said with a smile and a fist-clasped bow, "Mr. Ye's boxing technique is indeed exquisite; I admire it!"
In fact, neither had gained an upper hand. Ye Qing had heard of Shen Qianyue's great strength and had thought that he would be at a disadvantage. Unexpectedly, the bout ended in such a manner. He was slightly taken aback and returned the bow saying, "I've been given too much credit!"
The surrounding crowd showed looks of disappointment or scorn, knowing Shen Qianyue as the Shen Family's top member, yet surprised that after such a long fight, it ended in a draw. Especially the third-generation disciples, some of whom were discontent with Ye Qing, wanting to see Shen Qianyue defeat him, only to witness a tie, leading many to deride Shen Qianyue's reputation as not living up to his name or even speculate that the Shen Family's generation had truly declined.
However, Shen Qianyue maintained a smile, paying no attention to the crowd's disappointment or disdain, turned around with a clasped-fist bow, and said with a laugh, "I've long heard praises of the Southern Xingyi Fist's excellent techniques and variety of skills. Having witnessed it today, it truly lives up to its reputation."
Nothing travels further than flattery. Although the crowd was scornful of Shen Qianyue, they were pleased to hear him extolling the virtues of Xingyi Quan, and their impression of him improved substantially. They thought to themselves, while this Shen Family's number one may lack in strength, at least he displays humility.
Tie Yongwen stood at the doorway; he didn't say anything because he knew Shen Qianyue's capabilities best. If Shen Qianyue could fight with Huangfu Ziyu, then Ye Qing certainly wouldn't be his match. That he had just exchanged a few moves with Ye Qing without determining a winner was surely a probe of Ye Qing's martial arts. Fortunately, Ye Qing had solely used Xingyi Quan and not revealed any Li Style Bajiquan techniques, which might have given himself away.
After exchanging pleasantries with the crowd for a while, Shen Qianyue once again turned to Ye Qing and said in a loud voice, "Mr. Ye, you have done a great favor for our Shen Family by saving Qingyi, and everyone in the Shen Family Manor will keep this gratitude in our hearts. We of the Shen Family don't know how to thank you, Mr. Ye, so today, let me say this on behalf of my family!"
Shen Qianyue paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, and then said out loud, "The day before yesterday, during the opening of Mr. Ye's Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, due to our Shen Family's involvement, Mr. Ye was unable to oversee the arena, leading to some unpleasant incidents there, including minor disputes with a few gangs from Western Province."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qing's heart skipped a beat, his first thought being the bet he had made with Huangfu Ziyu.