Chapter 191: Chapter 180: Swallowing a Bitter Loss
"So he is the seventh son of the Jiang Family, no wonder he hates Chen Ming to the bone."
Fang’Er heard the man at the next table and smelled gossip, her curiosity piqued. She hurriedly asked, "Big brother, does Jiang Shihua have a feud with Chen Ming?"
"It’s more than a feud! It’s a vendetta of a stolen bride..."
Being called big brother pleased the man greatly, and he spoke endlessly about the grudge between the two.
At this moment, a beautiful maid came in from outside and approached Zhuang Xiaotian, "Young Master Zhuang, how is your injury? Is it serious?"
Zhuang Xiaotian was helped up by several of his men. Hearing this, he shook off their hands and said, "I’m fine. That Jiang fellow wouldn’t dare really harm me."
Jiang Shihua spoke harshly but was actually very measured in his actions. His main aim was to embarrass him, not to seriously injure him. That would be difficult to clean up.
However, the last strike was out of genuine anger, and he struck with lethal intent. If it weren’t for the people outside who intervened, Zhuang Xiaotian would have been severely injured, if not dead.
The beautiful maid said, "That’s good. My young master is outside, it’s not convenient for him to come in at the moment."
"Has Brother Chen really come?"
Zhuang Xiaotian said with a face full of surprise. He had just heard what sounded like Chen Ming’s voice, but he couldn’t quite confirm it.
The beautiful maid replied, "Yes."
Zhuang Xiaotian dusted off his clothes as he walked outside.
"Brother Chen, is it really you who’s come?" At this time, Jiang Yingxue saw that Jiang Shihua was not seriously injured and left him, running out of the door.
Jiang Shihua wasn’t heavily injured at first, but upon seeing this scene, he was so furious that he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted on the spot.
...
The people in the inn began to whisper.
"How is this possible? In four years, he went from Ninth Grade to Fifth Grade?"
Fang’Er suddenly exclaimed halfway through hearing this, expressing serious doubt.
The man laughed heartily and said, "It’s normal for the young lady not to believe it, I didn’t believe it at first either. Whether it’s true or not, the fact remains that he dominated the Cyan Cloud Ranking battle. He took sixth place, this can’t be false."
Fang’Er didn’t dwell on it and praised, "That Zhao girl truly has an eye for people, choosing Chen Erlang before he rose to prominence. Ultimately, she proved her own judgment."
It’s undeniable, her perspective is indeed unique.
The man sighed, "It’s a pity that Zhao girl’s master separated the pair, confining her at home because he offended the Qin Family."
"The Qin Family?"
Fang’Er’s eyes sharpened. Her knowledge of Jiangzhou included only the Qin Family and a few others like the Golden Jade Hall.
The man replied, "Yes, Qin Changyuan is truly odious. Just because Chen Ming caught the eye of the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion’s courtesan, he grew jealous and made threats to trouble Chen Ming. Ultimately, isn’t it just because Chen Ming is unaffiliated and easy to bully?"
Fang’Er began to doubt, "Isn’t Chen Ming just a flirtatious, flirt-loving person?"
The man laughed and said, "It’s said that Chen Ming is exceptionally handsome, and for someone like him, women inevitably flock to him, so it’s hard to blame him."
Fang’Er scoffed at this and didn’t want to talk more with him.
...
Meanwhile, Zhuang Xiaotian left the inn and saw a luxurious carriage.
He heard Chen Ming’s voice from inside the carriage, "Brother Zhuang, come on board to talk."
The beautiful maid opened the carriage door.
Zhuang Xiaotian was a bit puzzled. The Chen Ming he knew was always easy-going and never put on airs—once he got into the carriage and saw the interior, he was taken aback.
Chen Ming sat in the center of the carriage, holding a palm against the back of a woman. Both women wore veils, making it hard to see their faces.
"Brother Chen, what is this—"
Zhuang Xiaotian was somewhat confused.
"It’s a long story."
Chen Ming shook his head, didn’t elaborate, but said, "Looks like you’ve been promoted, congratulations."
Zhuang Xiaotian saw that he didn’t want to say more, so naturally, he didn’t press further, "It’s all thanks to you. Right after your name topped the Cyan Cloud Ranking, Lord Du summoned me and asked some casual questions. The next day, I was promoted to Seventh-Grade Patrol Envoy."
"That’s also because your cultivation is sufficient. If you hadn’t broken through to Seventh Grade, Lord Du wouldn’t have been able to promote you even if he wanted to."
Zhuang Xiaotian saw his sincere expression and felt comforted.
Even though he helped, he never claimed credit, unlike those big shots he’s seen before. Those like the Six Gates officers, to speak a few extra words with him would be considered a great favor.
He said, "I haven’t congratulated you yet on securing sixth place on the Cyan Cloud Ranking. You don’t know how much of a stir it caused in the city when the news came out. My brother was so excited he almost fainted, and he’s been shouting about repairing our ancestral tomb once you return."
Chen Ming laughed slightly, this really was typical of his brother. This time it could be considered bringing honor to the family; the first thought was to repair the ancestral tomb.
He asked, "While I haven’t been around these months, is everything alright at home?"
"Everything’s fine. Oh, and my brother bought a new mansion ten times bigger than before, near the Admiral’s Mansion."
"That’s good."
"Lord Admiral even personally visited your home and presented a plaque with the words ’Rising Cyan Cloud.’ It’s written by Lord Admiral himself. With this plaque, no one will dare offend your family anymore."
Chen Ming nodded, "My brother mentioned this in his letters to me."
He then asked about the well-being of some acquaintances, like Zhang Mingyu.
In the end, Zhuang Xiaotian suddenly lowered his voice, "Have you heard about the rumor?"
"Longevity Mysterious Tomb?"
Zhuang Xiaotian saw that he indeed knew, and said gravely, "Recently, a large batch of martial artists from various places have flocked to Qingfeng City. Even strong fighters above Third Grade have come, at least two. If this continues, something big is bound to happen."
Chen Ming nodded. He had already anticipated this situation, which is why he was in such a hurry to return to Qingfeng City.
"Why are you here?"
This place was still about fifty miles away from Qingfeng City.
Zhuang Xiaotian said, "I was sent here to investigate a murder case."
Chen Ming asked curiously, "At a time like this, even if there’s a murder case, it’s just Jianghu grudges. Is it necessary to send so many people?"
"The deceased was an official person."
"Who was it?"
"Have you heard of Princess Mingyu?"
...
When Jiang Shihua woke up, he found himself in a carriage, with his sister Jiang Yinghua sitting beside him, looking sullen. He twitched his face and angrily said, "Uncle Fu, why didn’t you step in just now?"
After a while, Uncle Fu’s voice came, "On the other side, there was a First Grade."
What?
Jiang Shihua was incredulous, "How could there be a First Grade expert by his side?"
"If this old man isn’t mistaken, that’s Old Ghost Yang from Cangyue Sect. I didn’t expect he’s not dead yet..."
Cangyue Sect?
How could that scoundrel be connected to Cangyue Sect?
Jiang Shihua had been away from Jiangzhou City for some time, and the matters between Chen Ming and Yu Haitang hadn’t reached here yet.
He naturally knew that this mute loss had to be swallowed.
"Just you wait for me!"
He vowed fiercely in his heart.
...
"Your friend has impure intentions."
After Zhuang Xiaotian left, Yu Haitang suddenly said, "Just now, he was eloquent in front of Jiang Shihua, wanting to seek justice for you because he knew Jiang Shihua wouldn’t dare kill him."
The greater the family or sect, the less likely they are to take action against someone from Six Gates, let alone kill them; even severely injuring one would give Six Gates a massive hold over them.
Chen Ming said, "This is only human nature."
"Aren’t you afraid keeping such a person by your side might become trouble?"
"I’m quite impressed by the lady’s methods of managing her subordinates. However, I’m different from the lady. I’ve always been a lone wolf and don’t need loyal subordinates or brothers who share life and death with me. If we get along, we can be friends. If one day fate ends our friendship, so be it."
Yu Haitang was silent for a while before saying, "When you speak, you don’t sound like a young person. More like someone in his seventies or eighties, with a sense of ennui."
Chen Ming laughed, "I’ll take that as a compliment from you."
Yu Haitang teased, "What about with this lady here? You once said you’d rather die than abandon her, wishing to be fateful lovebirds together."
This was the first time she mentioned Su Zhining.
All along, she acted as if Su Zhining didn’t exist, neither hearing nor asking.
Su Zhining didn’t speak either after she arrived.
Chen Ming calmly said, "Because I knew I couldn’t escape alone. I initially wanted to speak righteously to arouse the sympathy of Old Sun, but unexpectedly, he remained unmoved."
Yu Haitang said softly, "How do you know he wasn’t moved?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Who do you think told my aunt you could save me?"
Chen Ming couldn’t help but be stunned.
That means it was Old Sun who directed Lady Yu over, and coincidentally saved him.
He quietly asked, "Who exactly is Old Sun? For you to respect him so much?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"C’mon, tell me."
"Unless you tell me, why is your Gang Qi so profound?"
This was already the fifth day since leaving Jiangzhou City.
Chen Ming, alone, protected both her and the Celestial Dao Alliance’s female disciple’s heart meridians, with Gang Qi seemingly endless. It was truly incredible.
Chen Ming said, "Of course, it’s all thanks to the Jade Dragon Pill given by Lady Yu."
Yu Haitang snorted, "If you don’t want to say it, then forget it."
She knew the effects of the Jade Dragon Pill too well, and it was absolutely impossible to have such an effect.
Therefore, he must have a secret.
Someday, she would uncover all his secrets.
Chen Ming changed the topic, "By the way, who exactly is this Princess Mingyu?"
At this moment, Qiuxiang beside him said, "Young Master, after the mysterious death of the Sea Suppression King back then, his wife and children were all killed. To prevent the lineage of the Sea Suppression King from ending, the late emperor adopted a son and a daughter from the royal family to carry on his bloodline. They are the current Sea Suppression King and Princess Mingyu. However, they have always been in the Capital City and have never been to Jiangzhou."
Chen Ming was very surprised, "Could her visit to Jiangzhou have something to do with the Longevity Mysterious Tomb?"
