Chapter 63: Martial Gathering
The tenth day of the fifth month was an auspicious day—suitable for travel, gatherings, forming alliances, and moving into a new house.
That day, the sky was clear, not a single cloud in sight—a rare fine day.
Chen Ming wore a brand-new blue fitted martial outfit, a long saber hanging at his waist, looking exceptionally valiant.
Exiting the main gate, he waved to his elder brother and sister-in-law inside, signaling them not to see him off, and boarded the horse-drawn carriage that had come to pick him up.
Inside the carriage sat one person—it was Zhang Mingyu.
“Senior Brother.”
He greeted and sat across from him.
Zhang Mingyu looked him over and praised, “Junior Brother is becoming more and more heroic.”
“Senior Brother is also growing more imposing.”
Chen Ming politely returned the compliment.
Mutual flattery in business—it was a social custom.
Zhang Mingyu said, “Junior Brother, did you know? Little Junior Sister returned a few days ago.”
“I heard. She's now a disciple of the Xiaoshui Sect?”
“That's right. Mistress originally came from the Xiaoshui Sect. Thanks to that connection, Little Junior Sister naturally entered the sect and is now a direct disciple of the sect leader,” Zhang Mingyu said, not without some envy in his tone.
Chen Ming asked curiously, “I heard the Xiaoshui Sect is mainly composed of women—is that true?”
Zhang Mingyu nodded. “Yes. It's said the sect's founding ancestor was a woman, and the cultivation techniques are yin-based, making them more suitable for women. They have always only accepted female disciples. However, the sect doesn’t prohibit marriage. Didn't Mistress marry Master?”
“How powerful is the Xiaoshui Sect?”
“It’s a first-rate sect.”
Chen Ming was startled.
A first-rate sect meant that across several generations, it had produced experts of Third Grade or higher.
The Xiaoshui Sect's strength suddenly became clear to him.
Zhang Mingyu recalled something and added, “Speaking of sects dominated by women, the most famous in the world has to be the Phoenix Cry Palace of Ruzhou. That sect has stood in Ruzhou for over a thousand years and has always been one of the most elite sects. Today, it's ranked among the Nine Great Sects.”
“It’s said that the Phoenix Cry Palace accepts only female disciples and places women above men. Due to their influence, within Ruzhou, men are even forbidden to practice martial arts—a complete reversal of the natural order. If you ever roam the jianghu, don’t set foot in Ruzhou.”
Chen Ming exclaimed in surprise, “Ruzhou—isn’t that the legendary 'Women’s Province'?”
Zhang Mingyu nodded. “Exactly. Since women are held in highest regard there, many people call it the 'Women’s Province.'”
Chen Ming had heard of this “Women’s Province” before and had always thought it was a legend. He hadn’t expected it to be real.
But then again, for an all-female sect to possess such great strength, their extreme rules didn’t seem so surprising after all.
……
As the two chatted, time passed without them noticing, and they soon arrived at the Governor-General’s Office.
Getting off the carriage, Chen Ming saw an incredibly grand entrance gate, with two stone lions over two meters tall standing guard at either side—both appearing extremely majestic.
Above the gate was a plaque inscribed with the characters “Governor-General’s Office,” in iron brush strokes with silver hooks.
Each stroke and character exuded a distinct artistic aura.
Chen Ming couldn’t help but look a few more times, and suddenly, he felt a wave of dizziness hit his head.
At that moment, Zhang Mingyu reminded him from the side, “Don’t look at it—that was written by someone who has condensed ‘Intent.’ Staring too long harms the spirit.”
Chen Ming dared not look again. He closed his eyes and rested for a while before recovering.
Suddenly, a mocking voice came from the side. “Where did this country bumpkin come from? Doesn’t even know about Intent, and dares show up at the Martial Gathering?”
The speaker was a young man around twenty, dressed in luxurious clothing.
The sword in his hand was inlaid with a sapphire the size of a pigeon egg—clearly an extravagant piece.
The nobleman’s face was full of ridicule.
Zhang Mingyu frowned, about to speak, but Chen Ming had already said, “I am ignorant and inexperienced. Forgive me for being a laughingstock, young master.”
The nobleman raised his eyebrows and said, “At least you know your place,” then entered the Governor-General’s Office with his companions ahead of them.
What could have escalated into a confrontation dissipated like smoke.
Zhang Mingyu looked at him in surprise, increasingly unable to understand his junior brother.
On such an important occasion, being called a country bumpkin—and yet he endured it.
Was this really the same Chen Ming who had dared to challenge the Martial Arts School Guild right after breaking through to the Eighth Grade?
Chen Ming simply said, “Let’s go.”
He wore a calm and indifferent expression, as if the earlier incident hadn’t left the slightest mark on his heart.
Zhang Mingyu still couldn't help but say, “This is the Governor-General’s Office. No matter who it is, they wouldn’t dare to cause trouble here. Why be afraid of him?”
Chen Ming smiled and said, “Why bother stooping to his level? Come on, we’ll be late.”
With that, he pulled Zhang Mingyu along and entered through the gates of the Governor-General’s Office.
……
Not far away, inside an unassuming carriage, a young nobleman in white chuckled and said, “So that’s Qingfeng City’s youngest Seventh Grade martial artist? What a coward.”
Seated across from him was a young man in black with a cold, stern face, completely ignoring the comment.
The young nobleman in white shook his head and said, “It seems that ever since that great upheaval thirty years ago, your Qingfeng City still hasn’t recovered. Among the younger generation, aside from you, there are barely any decent ones. Just look at that guy—tells you everything.”
The black-clad youth remained silent, his hand gently pressing down on the sword laid across his knees. His gaze grew even deeper.
The young man in white was surnamed Zhou, named Zhou Weihao.
He came from the Zhou Family of neighboring Qinglin County.
He and the black-clad youth were cousins.
The cold-faced young man in black was surnamed Gu, named Gu Yuantao. He was one of the surviving members of Qingfeng City’s top family—the Gu Family.
Half a year ago, the Gu Family was nearly wiped out by pirates.
Not long after, even the Gu Family’s Fourth Grade expert succumbed to his injuries.
Now, only two of the direct bloodline remained, both of whom had survived because they had been away at the time.
After this devastating event, Gu Yuantao became reticent and withdrawn.
Even in front of his cousin, he rarely spoke.
Zhou Weihao was quite worried about his cousin’s condition. He would sometimes deliberately provoke him into speaking, but it rarely worked.
At that moment, he suddenly spotted a familiar carriage and quickly said, “Look, it’s the Xiaoshui Sect’s carriage. Miss Xiao must be here.”
He clearly saw a trace of emotion flicker in Gu Yuantao’s eyes—but still, he didn’t speak or lift his head.
It’s over… Even Xiao Zhuyun couldn’t spark his interest…
Zhou Weihao grew more anxious inside. Just then, the Xiaoshui Sect’s carriage approached.
The curtain was lifted, revealing a strikingly beautiful face, with skin like congealed cream and a gentle fragrance like orchids.
The girl appeared to be in her early twenties, a soft expression tinged with worry on her face. “Is Brother Gu in the carriage?”
Zhou Weihao quickly lifted the curtain a bit more and replied, “Greetings, Miss Xiao. My cousin is inside.”
Xiao Zhuyun looked apologetic. “I was shocked to hear of the Gu Family’s tragedy. I regret not being able to visit Qingfeng City to offer my condolences. I hope Brother Gu will forgive me.”
A faint ripple of emotion crossed Gu Yuantao’s stern face. Still restraining himself, he finally opened his mouth. “Miss Xiao, you are most kind.”
Xiao Zhuyun said, “Seeing that Brother Gu is safe eases my heart. My deepest sympathies.”
“Thank you.”
Gu Yuantao then turned to his cousin and said, “Let’s go in.”
Xiao Zhuyun looked like she wanted to say more, but just then someone caught up to her and called out, “Miss Xiao…”
……
Zhou Weihao turned to look and saw that Xiao Zhuyun was being surrounded by several noble youths from Jiangzhou.
He asked his cousin Gu Yuantao, “Cousin, why do you do this to yourself?”
Gu Yuantao’s face remained as calm as still water, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.