Everything Was Looking Up

"Hong Ming?"

Chen Yao stopped abruptly as she returned to the residence.

She asked in disbelief, "Big brother, are you sure Hong Ming was the one who brought the Treasure Fish?"

"Little sister, you're back?" Chen Hong noticed Chen Yao's return. He couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. "How could I possibly mistake him?"

Father Chen noticed something was off with Chen Yao and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." Chen Yao shook her head lightly.

But inwardly, she wondered if Zhou Yao had been lying to her earlier. Had Hong Ming really not sold the Treasure Fish to her?

Or had Hong Ming caught another Treasure Fish?

Thoughts chased one another through her mind, eventually giving way to a profound gratitude she could hardly put into words.

Though she didn't know how Hong Ming had learned of her family's circumstances, his gesture had undoubtedly come at just the right time.

It had completely resolved her family's pressing crisis!

"By the way, little sister, are you still going to see that friend of yours? I can go with you."

With the Chen Family's crisis over, Chen Jue suddenly asked Chen Yao.

"No!"

The sun sank toward the western mountains, its fading light stretching across the sky.

Its glow spilled over the entire Military Town, laying layer upon layer of sheen across the road beneath Huang Chun's feet.

After finishing his errands, he headed straight for the Third Team's barracks. He wanted to settle his concerns as soon as possible, before the situation could grow more complicated.

When he arrived, he explained his reason for coming. The gate guard soon returned to report the result.

"Han Ming isn't here?"

Huang Chun frowned slightly, his expression turning grim.

He knew that after the fish tide, all the Squad Leaders were busy, so he had made inquiries before coming.

Han Ming had already returned to camp, yet now that he knew Huang Chun was visiting, he'd claimed to be absent.

There was no way Han Ming didn't know why he'd come. And yet he'd still done this. The meaning behind it was obvious.

He was clearly turning down Huang Chun's earlier request!

"But why?"

Huang Chun couldn't make sense of it. He'd clearly seen Han Ming waver before.

By that logic, Han Ming had no reason to refuse, much less offend the Huang Family for Hong Ming's sake.

Something must have happened that Huang Chun didn't know about!

Huang Chun's thoughts raced, but he couldn't make head or tail of it. In the end, he had no choice but to grit his teeth, swallow his frustration, and head home.

At the pavilion in the Zhou Family estate.

A light breeze carried wisps of chill, slipping through every crack as it swept into the maids and servants passing by.

Zhou Min sat motionless, dressed in a thin garment as if she felt nothing.

She held a book in her hands, but her lovely eyes kept lifting now and then as she craned her neck expectantly, as though waiting for someone.

"Still hasn't come?"

Zhou Min set down her book and gazed toward the horizon.

Watching the sun slowly sink, she knitted her brows. A nagging unease stirred in her heart, as if something were slipping out of her control.

Yet she also felt she might just be overthinking it.

She had already taken care of everything that needed handling regarding Chen Yao, and guarded against everything that needed guarding against.

By all rights, under the Wang Family's pressure, Chen Yao should have been left with no way out but to yield.

Yet even now, Chen Yao was nowhere to be seen.

"Could she have learned the truth?" Zhou Min wondered.

After all, it had been a hastily devised plan, and some oversight was inevitable.

Though she'd done everything she could to patch things up afterward, if Chen Yao had run into Hong Ming and he hadn't sold the Treasure Fish, there was a good chance the truth would come out.

"Miss."

As Zhou Min fretted, the maid she'd sent to investigate returned.

"How did it go?" Zhou Min hurried to her feet and asked.

The maid was panting like an ox. She briefly explained, "Miss, word came from the Wang Family. The Chen Family has managed to gather all the Treasure Fish they need."

"They have? How is that possible?"

Zhou Min's expression changed abruptly. She pressed, "How did they manage it?"

"I heard that a friend of Chen Yao's from the Water Army gave them to her."

The maid had already made inquiries, but not in much detail. She didn't know who Chen Yao's friend was.

Zhou Min, however, immediately guessed.

Chen Yao didn't have many friends to begin with, and there were even fewer among the Water Army.

It couldn't be Wen Xin. Zhou Min had already taken precautions against her.

That left only one possibility.

"Hong Ming!"

Realizing that Hong Ming had ruined her plans, Zhou Min's face darkened.

The very outcome she'd dreaded most had come to pass.

Not only had Chen Yao met with Hong Ming, she'd even received the Treasure Fish from him.

Anger flickered in Zhou Min's eyes as she ground the words out through clenched teeth. "Damn it!"

Hong Ming had no idea that the matter implicated both the Chen and Zhou Families.

After giving away the Treasure Fish, he raced the vast sky for the last traces of light and hurried back to the Water Army camp.

He found Han Ming and explained the situation, then headed straight to the General Affairs Department to pay his commission.

Chen Hong had forced the money on him, insisting that bringing over the Treasure Fish was already more than enough, and that Hong Ming absolutely couldn't take advantage of them any further.

Hong Ming couldn't argue him out of it, so he had no choice but to accept.

With the money, he also bought ten Force-Nourishing Pills.

With these pills, and the assistance of his various Traits, his cultivation efficiency would improve.

Before beginning his cultivation, Hong Ming checked the progress of each martial art:

[Coiling Dragon Stake (Minor Mastery 489/1000)]

[Piercing Willow Archery (Minor Mastery 211/1000)]

[Frost Sky Fist (Beginner 409/500)]

There was nothing more to say about the Coiling Dragon Stake and Piercing Willow Archery. They were still far from breaking through.

But Frost Sky Fist gave Hong Ming hope.

"I'm less than a hundred points away. If I put in a little more time, I reckon I can break through in five or six days!"

Hong Ming did a quick calculation and made up his mind.

With Frost Sky Fist on the verge of a breakthrough, he naturally meant to keep pressing forward. He decided to practice the fist technique first.

As the thought took shape, Hong Ming immediately assumed a fighting stance and began demonstrating the various moves.

The experience for Frost Sky Fist slowly climbed as sweat poured from him.

Several days later, at the training grounds.

The men were no longer simply practicing on their own as before. Things had changed.

Instructor Lin Zhen gathered everyone and made new arrangements for their fist training. "You've been practicing your fists for a while now. I expect you've all committed the various moves to memory. From here on, you don't need to bury yourselves in more drills. Instead, turn those moves into routines and make them second nature. Going forward, find partners and spar with one another to improve your combat skills!"

Every martial art had to be practiced before it could be used in a fight. Without actual fighting, no matter how well one trained, it was all just empty forms—show without substance.

As usual, Lin Zhen made no further changes. After making the announcement, he handed things back to the men.

Everyone took his instructions to heart and began looking for sparring partners.

After spending all this time together, the members of the various circles had already grown familiar with one another.

Before long, pairs had formed. They traded moves, the sounds of fists and feet colliding rising and falling without end.

Hong Ming wasn't affected in the slightest. He seemed to be in a world of his own.

He glanced at the experience bar, which was less than thirty points from full, and didn't follow the crowd.

Finding someone to spar with was less useful to him than training alone. He also had no need to deliberately hone his fist technique in actual combat.

He only had to steadily fill his progress bar, and he would naturally reach the corresponding level.

Lin Zhen's appearance was just a brief interruption for Hong Ming. It didn't change his established training plan.

He deliberately chose a secluded corner and was about to practice his fist technique in peace when he saw Wang Heng's tall, burly figure striding toward him at an unhurried pace.

A faint air of hostility seemed to rush toward him!

Wang Heng stopped in front of Hong Ming, smiling affably as he asked in a mild voice, "Hong Ming, practicing alone is no fun. Why don't we spar a little?"