Chapter 28: Blue-Clad Patrol Envoy
“He hasn’t lost yet!”
Huo Qianqian pointed at Chen Ming, instantly making him the center of attention.
Zhao An, Hong Mingquan, and Zhang Mingyu were naturally well aware of Chen Ming’s strength and immediately understood their junior sister’s intention, so they remained silent.
Only Du Juan, who hadn’t visited the Huo Residence in a long time, did not recognize him and was somewhat puzzled by his identity.
The group of three men and one woman on the other side turned to look at this young man.
The leading man, surnamed Guo, asked, “Are you also a disciple of Master Huo?”
“He’s not.”
The blue-clad woman quickly answered.
The Guo man looked at Huo Qianqian. “Since this person isn’t Master Huo’s disciple, he naturally has no qualification to spar with us.”
Huo Qianqian retorted righteously, “Grandfather may not have officially taken him in as a disciple, but he did learn our sect’s martial arts. That makes him a registered disciple at the very least. Why wouldn’t he be qualified?”
The man surnamed Guo pondered briefly and said, “Since that’s the case, let’s have you lose with conviction. Junior Sister, go challenge him.”
“Alright.”
The blue-clad woman was overjoyed.
Just now she had only fought the granddaughter of the elder master, who wasn’t even a Ninth Grade Martial Artist.
The match had ended before she could even warm up, leaving her unsatisfied.
She drew her sword and pointed it at Chen Ming, her face lit with excitement. “Remember this, boy. My name is Zhong Shuyu!”
At this moment, the Guo man reminded her, “Junior Sister, don’t be careless. This person also has the cultivation of Ninth Grade.”
This statement shocked everyone present.
Hong Mingquan and Zhang Mingyu’s first reaction was disbelief, thinking he must have been mistaken.
Zhao An and Huo Qianqian were stunned.
Du Juan was confused.
Even Chen Ming was surprised.
He hadn’t expected the man to see through his true cultivation at a glance.
He couldn’t tell what had given him away.
To be honest, he hadn’t wanted to fight this match.
But life had a way of pulling one into baffling whirlpools.
Chen Ming turned to Hong Mingquan and said, “Senior Brother Hong, please lend me your saber.”
Hong Mingquan reversed the long saber in his hand and tossed it over.
Chen Ming caught it, cupped his hands toward the blue-clad young woman, and said, “Please, enlighten me.”
“Take this!”
Zhong Shuyu showed no restraint and thrust her sword forward.
Chen Ming recognized the move as one of the very same sword techniques the Guo man had used earlier. He dared not be careless and raised his saber to block.
Clang!
Both of them stepped half a pace back.
From that exchange alone, anyone could see he truly had the cultivation of Ninth Grade.
Hong Mingquan and the others were utterly shocked.
When had he entered the Ninth Grade?
How could he possibly be Ninth Grade?
Even the instigator, Huo Qianqian, stood dumbfounded. She had never imagined that Chen Ming had already reached the Ninth Grade.
……
Unfortunately, he had likely just stepped into the Ninth Grade and was slightly inferior to the blue-clad young woman.
He soon fell into a disadvantage.
After a dozen or so moves, his saber was flicked from his hand by a sword strike, marking his defeat.
“Miss, your swordsmanship is excellent. I am far inferior.”
Chen Ming conceded the match.
【You were defeated by an LV11 enemy. 50 experience points deducted.】
A sudden prompt popped up before his eyes, leaving him stunned.
Seriously? You lose and still get experience points deducted?
System, could you act like a decent person for once?
Though he cursed in his heart, Chen Ming didn’t forget his current situation.
He walked over to pick up the saber, returned it to Hong Mingquan, then silently retreated behind the others, trying to keep a low profile and make others overlook his presence.
...
Zhong Shuyu, having won the match, wore an expression of smug satisfaction.
Suddenly, her second senior brother beside her whispered, “Junior Sister, that kid fooled you. He let you win on purpose.”
“What?”
Zhong Shuyu raised her eyebrows, just about to ask him clearly.
Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside, “Who dares to act so unruly here?”
A figure in green leapt over the wall and flew into the hall.
The Guo-surnamed man’s face changed dramatically. He cried out in alarm, “Not good! It’s a Green-Clad Patrol Envoy from the Six Doors!”
The moment the words “Six Doors” were heard, the three were visibly shaken.
When they also heard “Green-Clad Patrol Envoy,” they dared not take it lightly.
The Six Doors classified their officials by clothing color.
Green denoted Seventh Grade, and one needed at least the cultivation of a Seventh Grade Martial Artist to hold that rank.
People from the martial world were particularly unwilling to provoke those from the Six Doors. Once enmity was formed and their names ended up on a Six Doors wanted list, it would be hard to move even an inch in the martial world.
On the other side, the faces of those from the Huo Residence lit up with joy.
They all recognized that Green-Clad Patrol Envoy—it was none other than the fourth-ranked Sun Shicai.
Now that he had arrived, these people certainly wouldn’t dare to be reckless any longer.
Inside the hall, Sun Shicai’s angry roar echoed, “Don’t you dare harm my master!”
What followed was the thudding sound of battle.
The old woman from earlier spoke coldly, “You brought this upon yourself!”
Then came a muffled groan.
Moments later, the old woman darted out of the hall, her expression dark as she addressed her four disciples, “We’re leaving.”
The five of them leapt over the courtyard wall and vanished.
“Grandfather!”
“Master!”
Huo Qianqian and the others rushed into the hall to check on Huo Chengkun.
As for Chen Ming, he took the opportunity to quietly slip away.
...
In the alley by the back gate of the Huo Residence, Chen Ming’s carriage was still waiting.
“To the Deng Residence.”
Guan Peng and Zhuang Xiaotian were leaving first thing in the morning. He had promised to see them off today.
On the way, Chen Ming kept thinking about what had happened at the Huo Residence.
Although he had only heard fragments of Huo Chengkun’s and the old woman’s exchange, it was clear that the matter ran deep.
The more he thought about it, the more disturbing it felt.
The more he pondered, the more wrong it seemed. He thought, “In the next few days, I’d better not go to the Huo Residence.”
Although his true cultivation had already been exposed, he figured the people at the Huo Residence would have no time to worry about him for now.
Before long, he arrived at the Deng Residence.
Deng Ziyang and his two brothers were waiting for him. A table full of good dishes sat untouched. Seeing that he had finally arrived, they complained, “Senior Brother, what took you so long? The food’s getting cold.”
Chen Ming sat down, poured himself a cup of wine and downed it in one go to calm his nerves. “Don’t even mention it. Something big happened at the Huo Residence today. I almost couldn’t make it back.”
Deng Ziyang’s interest was piqued. He poured more wine for Chen Ming. “Hurry up and tell us, what happened?”
“This morning...”
Chen Ming gave a rough recount of the day’s events and ended with, “If Sun Shicai hadn’t arrived in time, I really don’t know how that situation would’ve ended.”
Deng Ziyang’s expression grew serious. “You said Sun Shicai was wearing green?”
“Yes, a Green-Clad Patrol Envoy.”
Deng Ziyang couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. “I didn’t expect Sun Shicai to become a Green-Clad Patrol Envoy in just a few short years. He’s truly impressive.”
In the Six Doors, it wasn’t just high cultivation that earned promotion—one also needed military merit.
Chen Ming wasn’t very interested in Sun Shicai and asked, “Brother Deng, do you know which sect Huo Chengkun belongs to?”
Deng Ziyang frowned. “That, I’ve never heard. He’s been in Qingfeng City for over a decade, but no one knows which sect or school he came from. Everyone just assumed he was a martial wanderer.”
As he spoke, he slapped his thigh. “No wonder that old man never got involved in other businesses. A Sixth Grade expert, only accepting tribute from his disciples, quietly guarding the Huo Residence without stirring up any conflicts. Turns out he had major troubles on his back.”
Seeing that Guan Peng and Zhuang Xiaotian weren’t very interested in this topic, Chen Ming changed the subject to the Six Doors, so they wouldn’t feel left out.
...
The four of them drank until late in the afternoon before parting ways.
Chen Ming returned to the same courtyard he had stayed at last time.
He had just brewed a pot of tea when Zhuang Xiaotian pushed the door open.
“Brother Chen, hope I’m not interrupting?”
“Of course not. Come, sit.”
Chen Ming poured him a cup of tea as well. “Here, have some tea to sober up.”
“Brother Chen, I’ll be heading back tomorrow. If I stay any longer, my family will start to worry,” Zhuang Xiaotian said, downing the tea. “Over the past month, thanks to your guidance, my saber and hand-to-hand techniques have greatly improved.”
Chen Ming smiled. “What are you saying? We’ve all been training together and improving together.”
Zhuang Xiaotian’s expression turned solemn. “Brother Chen, you’ve treated me with genuine sincerity and generously taught me saber techniques. I truly feel unworthy. As for the boxing technique passed down in my family, I cannot break the ancestral rules to pass it on to you. After much thought, the only thing I can share is my flying knife technique, which I developed on my own. If you don’t mind, I’d like to teach you the key to it.”
Chen Ming’s eyes lit up. “That would be amazing. Honestly, I’ve been wanting to ask you about your flying knife technique, but I was too embarrassed to bring it up.”
Seeing Chen Ming’s eager reaction, Zhuang Xiaotian clearly felt relieved. “I’m glad you like it, Brother Chen.”
He owed Chen Ming too much. If he didn’t repay it, he would carry a mental burden.
Thus, he began to teach Chen Ming the flying knife technique in detail.
“This flying knife technique came from a few pages I stumbled upon as a child. I derived it from a dozen lines of incantations. Listen carefully...”