Chapter 21: Sworn Brothers
"Not getting married anymore?"
Chen Ming was completely stunned, his mind filled with question marks. He looked at Zhang Mingyu and saw that he didn’t seem to be joking — after all, it wasn’t something to joke about.
He then turned to Hong Mingquan and noticed his serious expression, confirming that this matter was indeed real.
Chen Ming couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.
This young lady was truly willful — suddenly saying she wouldn’t get married anymore, and choosing to inform the other party only on the day they came to propose.
He even felt a bit sorry for Wen Zehao.
For a moment, he didn’t know how to react. After a while, he muttered quietly, “How… how could this happen?”
Hong Mingquan wore a bitter expression and said, “Who knows what Junior Sister is thinking. Just a single sentence — ‘I won’t marry’ — nearly drove Master to a fit of rage. That was the first time I saw him that angry. He almost slapped her…”
Zhang Mingyu said, “I think Junior Sister might be in love with someone else.”
Hong Mingquan jumped in fright, quickly looked around, and seeing that the other students weren’t paying attention to them, he reproached, “Third Senior Brother, you can’t say things like that carelessly.”
“Oh come on, everyone knows what’s going on. Junior Sister never objected to the engagement before. We’d even tease her about it sometimes, and she’d just blush shyly. Why the sudden refusal? It must be because she has someone else she likes.”
“You can’t say that for sure. Junior Sister had a fight with Seventh Junior Brother these past few days. She’s just throwing a tantrum.”
Zhang Mingyu shook his head, “Even if Junior Sister is a bit spoiled, she’s not so immature that she’d use marriage to act out in anger.”
Hong Mingquan still didn’t believe it. “How is that possible? In terms of looks and character, few in the whole of Qingfeng City can match Seventh Junior Brother. How could Junior Sister fancy anyone else?”
“Why not? Chen Ming isn’t bad. Maybe Junior Sister likes him.”
Chen Ming was startled by his words. “Don’t joke about that — that could get someone killed.”
Zhang Mingyu laughed heartily, “Relax, just teasing you. Look how scared you got.”
“That’s not something to joke about. If Senior Brother Wen hears this, won’t he hate me forever?”
“That’s true. If Seventh Junior Brother finds out who Junior Sister likes, he might really kill someone.”
“Fifth Senior Brother, keep your voice down…”
…
“Qian’er, be honest with Grandpa — did you fall in love with someone?”
Inside Huo Qianqian’s boudoir, Huo Chengkun sat in the outer room and finally asked the question.
“No.”
Huo Qianqian was lying on the bed and answered stiffly when she heard him.
“Then why do you suddenly refuse to marry Seventh Brother?”
“I just don’t want to marry. If you force me, I’ll die to prove my resolve. If my parents were still alive, they would never have forced me… sob sob…”
Hearing his granddaughter cry, Huo Chengkun felt a headache coming on.
Even though he knew she was faking it, he still couldn’t harden his heart.
The blame lay in how he spoiled her too much when she was young, raising her to be this headstrong.
Since childhood, every time she cried and lamented about being a parentless child, his heart would soften, and he’d give in to whatever she wanted.
But this time, he wouldn’t yield so easily.
If she could be this capricious even about something as important as marriage, what would happen in the future?
While he was still alive, he could protect his granddaughter.
But what if he passed away one day?
So, he decided to toughen up and said, “Qian’er, if you don’t want to marry, fine. But you have to agree to one condition.”
The crying on the bed ceased immediately. “What condition?”
“Within one year, if you can reach the Ranked Martial Artist level, then you can decide for yourself whether you want to marry in the future. But if you can’t, then you’ll follow Grandpa’s arrangement and marry obediently.”
The beaded curtain lifted, and Huo Qianqian, her hair in disarray, stepped out from within. “I agree.”
Huo Chengkun extended his hand. “Let’s seal it with a clap.”
“Never going back on my word.”
With a solemn expression, Huo Qianqian stepped forward and clapped her hand against her grandfather’s.
…
…………
Chen Ming had spent the entire morning immersed in gossip, which brought a dash of excitement to his otherwise monotonous daily routine.
At noon, as usual, he headed to the Deng Residence.
Once he reached the backyard, he spotted Deng Ziyang’s figure.
Surprised and delighted, he called out, “Brother Deng, you’re back?”
Deng Ziyang smiled and said, “The martial examination is over. Naturally, I returned. Come, let me introduce you to two friends I made.”
He pointed to the two young men sitting nearby. “This is Guan Peng, from Guan Fortress, skilled with the broadsword.”
“This is Zhuang Xiaotian, from Guangtong, a master of throwing knives.”
“I met both of them in the provincial capital.”
“This is Chen Ming, my senior brother. We trained under Master Huo together.”
Deng Ziyang introduced the three of them to one another.
“Pleasure to meet you.”
Guan Peng and Zhuang Xiaotian responded politely, but it was clear they didn’t take Chen Ming seriously.
From Deng Ziyang’s introduction alone, they could tell Chen Ming wasn’t a martial artist, and naturally, he didn’t register on their radar. Out of respect for Deng Ziyang, they offered a few courtesies.
The three began chatting about their experiences in the provincial capital.
Chen Ming sat quietly to the side, unable to join in, simply listening.
“Only after going to the provincial capital did I realize how narrow-minded I was. Talents abound across the world. The Five Talents of Jiangzhou are all about our age and have already reached the Sixth Grade,” Guan Peng said.
Deng Ziyang replied, “No need to belittle yourself, Brother Deng. Those five are all heirs of major sects or prominent families. If we had their background, we might not lose to them.”
Zhuang Xiaotian added, “They just started ahead of us. Once we enter the Six Doors, who knows what the future holds?”
…
After listening for a while, Chen Ming understood that the so-called “Five Talents of Jiangzhou” were five outstanding young martial artists under twenty from Jiangzhou, already at the Sixth Grade.
No wonder Deng Ziyang seemed somewhat disheartened.
Comparing oneself to others could drive one to despair.
Listening to Guan Peng and Zhuang Xiaotian’s words, he also understood why Deng Ziyang would become friends with them — they were all ambitious young men.
Deng Ziyang sighed again, “Fortunately, the sons of noble families and disciples of great sects rarely take part in the martial exams. Otherwise, how would we ever stand out?”
Guan Peng laughed, “The imperial court established the Six Doors precisely to counterbalance aristocratic clans and sects, so naturally, there are restrictions. Besides, how could those pampered noble sons endure the hardships of the Six Doors?”
Zhuang Xiaotian said with emotion, “For us from humble origins, rising up is extremely difficult. Entering the Six Doors is dangerous, but it’s our only path forward.”
Suddenly, Deng Ziyang slapped the table and exclaimed passionately, “You’re right! It’s precisely because it’s hard that we must unite. Why don’t we become sworn brothers today? Once we’re in the Six Doors, we can look out for one another.”
“Excellent!”
“Just what I was thinking.”
All three were clearly fired up.
Deng Ziyang suddenly looked over at Chen Ming, seemingly wanting to include him as well.
Chen Ming quickly said, “That’s wonderful. Let me serve as witness for the three of you, how about that?”
“Good!”
“Agreed.”
Guan Peng and Zhuang Xiaotian immediately accepted, not even giving Deng Ziyang a chance to speak.
Thus, under the witness of Chen Ming and a few of Deng Ziyang’s subordinates, the three swore a blood oath and became sworn brothers.
They arranged their seniority by age: Deng Ziyang was the eldest, Guan Peng second, and Zhuang Xiaotian the youngest.
They immediately began calling each other accordingly.
In his happiness, Deng Ziyang sent someone to buy wine — they would drink to their hearts’ content.
…
Because of this commotion, Chen Ming’s sparring with them was delayed.
As the wine flowed, Qi Jun suddenly stood up, his face flushed red, and declared, “Senior Brother Chen, I truly admire your skill in unarmed combat. Today, I’d like to challenge you in saber techniques. Do you dare accept?”
As soon as the words were spoken, the crowd erupted in cheers.
“Let’s do it then.”
Naturally, Chen Ming wouldn’t refuse and agreed on the spot. With a thought, he opened his panel.
[Level: 10]
[Current Points: 964]
[Techniques: Iron Horse Stance (Fifth Level, Perfected), Three Yang Body Tempering Technique
(First Level 2/1000)]
[Martial Skills: Three Talents Fist (Proficient 27/500+), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique
(Beginner 55/100+)]
He began adding points to the Eight Trigrams Saber Technique.