I Only Stomp on Weaklings

Chapter 226: Chapter 209: Seeking Forgiveness

After Lei Chun and the others left the punishment room, they walked a certain distance before stopping. The officer wanted to interrogate alone, and as subordinates, they naturally had to be sensible and stand farther away, showing that they had no intention of eavesdropping.

"Our Lord is still young." Liu Yan, who had just turned forty this year, shook his head and said, "If it were that easy to extract the cultivation techniques from these prisoners, the position of warden wouldn’t have been vacant for so long."

Those who could cultivate to the Third Grade were people of resilient will. Moreover, with such cultivation, any form of torture was useless against them.

Even if one managed to extract the cultivation technique, no one could guarantee its accuracy. Verifying its authenticity was extremely difficult—who would dare to practice it?

If one of our own practiced it and there was a problem, it could ruin a lifetime.

If someone else practiced it, it would take decades to see results. Even if it turned out to be fake later, improving it would be difficult.

Another man named Zhang Dingce said, "I heard this Lord of ours just turned twenty and he’s already Fourth Grade. With such talent, why would he join the Six Gates?"

Liu Yan lowered his voice, "It’s said that Lord Gu was an illegitimate child and grew up among the common folk. He was only brought back to the family in his teens and, because of his exceptional talents, faced exclusion from his brothers..."

"I see."

The others suddenly understood.

While talking, Liu Dingce glanced at Qi Hong, who seemed distracted, and teased, "What’s wrong? Did you go fool around at the Shuiyue Building again last night? It’s early morning, and you look so out of it."

Lei Chun added, "I say, why don’t you just marry Girl Wen’er? All your salary ends up going to the Shuiyue Building."

Qi Hong looked up at his four colleagues, appearing somewhat solemn.

The four were puzzled by his serious expression and found it strange that he didn’t retort in jest, as he usually would.

The smile on Liu Yan’s face disappeared as he said seriously, "Did something happen at your home? If there’s really something, just tell us so we can think of a solution together."

Qi Hong shook his head, his expression a bit odd, "Last night, I heard a rumor about our Lord."

Deng Wei, who had remained silent, asked, "What rumor?"

Qi Hong said, "Do you remember a few days ago, when the Money Gang in Ten Thousand Thunder City held a martial arts competition to find a suitor?"

"Of course, I remember that. Just within Xiazhou City, all those known as young masters went there. Imagine what a grand event that must have been. It’s a pity we were on duty; otherwise, I would’ve gone off to see it."

"You just want to see that Rich and Noble Flower from the Beauty List, don’t you?"

"Naturally, I’ve never seen a woman from the Beauty List in my life. I’d love to see her unparalleled beauty."

Lei Chun asked, "Has a result come out? Who won in the end?"

Liu Yan said, "Do we even need to ask? Surely it was that Invincible Young Master."

Qi Hong shook his head, "It wasn’t the Invincible Young Master."

The four were very surprised, "Then who?"

"It’s said that a young master from the Capital City defeated the Invincible Young Master." At this point, Qi Hong paused, looked at his four colleagues, and said, "Coincidentally, that young master from the Capital City has the surname Gu, the same as our Lord."

The four looked at each other.

"Pfft, haha—" Suddenly, Liu Yan burst into laughter, "You’re trying to fool us, aren’t you?"

Liu Dingce also said, "Kid, at least make your stories believable. That Invincible Young Master’s cultivation is at Third Grade! Lord Gu is only twenty. How could this be possible?"

As they spoke, the five of them suddenly turned, startled, looking towards the direction of the punishment room, as a terrifying aura erupted from there.

It’s a Third Grade expert!

Lei Chun’s expression changed dramatically, "No, the Dragon Sealing Needle has been pulled out!"

"Quickly notify the outside guards, seal the storehouse door!"

A Third Grade expert is extremely terrifying. Only by using the Dragon Sealing Needle to seal their cultivation can they be detained.

Once the Dragon Sealing Needle is pulled, it’s like a dragon returning to the sea.

Each time a Third Grade level prisoner restores their cultivation, the prison would be turned upside down, causing many deaths.

Just as the five thought they would die there, another icy aura erupted, also of Third Grade level.

Lei Chun exclaimed, "This is—"

The five exchanged looks and saw shock and disbelief in each other’s eyes, along with deep relief.

Qi Hong’s words were true!

Lord Gu really is a Third Grade.

A twenty-year-old Third Grade!

He defeated the Invincible Young Master, who was considered unbeatable among Xiazhou’s younger generation!

...

A moment later, the two Third Grade auras subsided, as if nothing had happened.

"Someone, come in."

Inside the punishment room, Lord Gu’s voice was heard.

The five stepped forward quickly and respectfully asked, "Lord, do you have any instructions?"

Earlier, their respect was only superficial. Now, facing this direct superior who was just twenty and a Third Grade, their attitude was completely different, filled with deep reverence!

"Take this person back and bring in another Third Grade prisoner."

"Yes!"

They entered the torture chamber and took away the Third Grade criminal whose cultivation had been sealed and was languishing on the ground.

Once they delivered the new Third Grade criminal to the torture chamber, Lord Gu had them wait outside again.

Soon after, the power of two Third Grade experts exploded again within the chamber.

This time, they naturally guessed what Lord Gu was doing—he was using these Third Grade criminals to hone his martial skills.

The five of them were all quite impressed. This kind of endeavor was extremely risky; without absolute confidence in one’s own strength, no one would dare attempt it.

However, this time none of them spoke a word.

The proximity was such that it wouldn’t escape the ears of a Third Grade expert. It was one thing not to know before, but now that they knew their lord was Third Grade, how could they dare to speak recklessly?

Eventually, Lord Gu had sparred with all the Third Grade criminals and left, satisfied.

...

"This trip was worth it."

Chen Ming was in a very good mood as he left the prison.

The nine Third Grade criminals had contributed over four hundred thousand points of experience to him.

Most of these people were above level 75, with each providing more than forty thousand experience points. Two were even at level 79, the peak of the Third Grade.

If they hadn’t been imprisoned and had their cultivation sealed by the "Dragon Sealing Needle," and if they hadn’t been injured, he might not have been their match.

"Lord Gu."

"Greetings, Lord Gu."

"..."

As he walked along, he encountered people who greeted him warmly or respectfully. Their attitude was very different from before.

Chen Ming naturally knew the reason. He had overheard the discussion among his five subordinates earlier. So many days had passed, and the news from Ten Thousand Thunder City had finally reached Xiazhou City.

There’s no denying it; the speed of news transmission in Xiazhou was far inferior to Jiangzhou.

Third Grade is a watershed. Upon reaching the Third Grade, one becomes a top expert in the martial world, a strongman worthy of respect.

No matter where they are, Third Grade experts receive the respect they deserve.

Moreover, being such a young Third Grade, and from a top family, even a fool would know that this Lord Gu had boundless prospects and that reaching the Divine Treasure Realm was merely a matter of time.

"Lord Gu!"

When Chen Ming returned to his office, he found Elder Zhang waiting outside. Upon seeing him, Elder Zhang bowed deeply.

With a smile, he asked, "Elder Zhang, what’s the matter?"

"Lord Gu, forgive me. It is this old man who was blind and dared to presume in front of you. Please pardon me. In the future, just call me Old Zhang." Elder Zhang appeared both humble and frightened, specially there to apologize.

Chen Ming, knowing that he was mostly acting, naturally did not hold it against him. He patted his shoulder, "Don’t worry, I’m not a petty person. We are colleagues; there’s no need for this."

Elder Zhang flattered him, "Lord Gu, you have a broad mind, as vast as the ocean!"

"Alright then, I’m leaving now, I’ll leave this place to you."

...

Chen Ming returned to his residence and first went to check on Xia Mudan, finding that she had already awakened and seemed much better than the night before.

Moreover, she had resumed dressing like a woman and was no longer disguised as the Unsurpassed Young Master.

This indicated that the people around her were trustworthy.

Chen Ming sat by the bedside, reached out to check her pulse, and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you for your concern, Brother Gu." Xia Mudan gazed at him without blinking, and when he looked over, her eyes lowered, and a blush rose on her face.

This shy and coy demeanor caused a slight flutter in his heart.

Chen Ming swallowed, released her hand, coughed lightly, and said, "The sword intent in your body has only been temporarily suppressed, and it could flare up at any moment. The best course of action is still to find someone trustworthy to eliminate this sword intent."

She nodded gently, "Mm."

He pondered for a moment and then asked a question, "What’s the story with the Unsurpassed Young Master? How did you come to have such an identity?"

He had inquired; there indeed was a Jiang Family in Xiazhou, quite distant from Ten Thousand Thunder City, and the Unsurpassed Young Master didn’t just emerge in recent years but had been well-known for nearly a decade.

Chen Ming was very curious about how she managed to maintain this identity without any suspicion.

Xia Mudan said, "This is related to a secret of my family. My grandmother’s maiden name was Jiang, and she eloped with my grandfather. After giving birth to my father, the Jiang family came to take him away. But my grandfather was also the only descendant of his line, so my grandmother fiercely resisted. In the end, my grandfather reached an agreement with the Jiang family that if the Xia family had any more sons, they would take the Jiang’s surname in the future.

"Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away soon after. Until my parents married, and had a pair of twins, my father honored the agreement by sending my brother to the Jiang family. Because of this, my mother grew to resent my father...

"When I was thirteen, my brother was murdered under mysterious circumstances. The Jiang family and my father, wanting to avenge him, devised a plan for me to impersonate my brother, to draw out our enemies. As the Unsurpassed Young Master’s reputation grew, the person who harmed my brother finally couldn’t resist any longer and planned to attack me, thus exposing their trail..."

As Xia Mudan recounted her story, she became somewhat breathless with excitement.

Chen Ming sat on the edge of the bed and gently patted her back to help her breathe.

She shyly bowed her head and softly said, "Thank you, Brother Gu."