He Had No Say in the Matter

"Erlang, the Second Daughter of the Wang Family is not only beautiful and polite, but also an excellent cook. Everyone who has met her sings her praises. Are you really not going to consider it?"

After breakfast, Wei Shi asked him this.

Chen Ming shook his head. "My heart is set on martial arts. I have no plans to marry for now. Sister-in-law, please turn them all down for me."

Seeing how resolute he was, Wei Shi did not bring it up again. Still, she could not help feeling somewhat regretful. This Second Daughter of the Wang Family suited her temperament quite well. If she could become her sister-in-law, that would be ideal.

What a pity.

These past few days, matchmakers had practically worn down the Chen Family's threshold.

Before this, those people had despised Chen Ming so much that they used him as a negative example to lecture their children. Almost overnight, his reputation had completely turned around, and he had become the child from someone else's family whom everyone praised.

Not to mention that he had no intention of getting married. Even if he did, he would never choose people who fawned on the powerful and trampled the weak.

Becoming in-laws with such a family would mean who knew how many troubles he would have to deal with in the future.

Just then, the maid Xiao Hong came to report, "Second Young Master, a young master surnamed Deng has arrived outside. He says he is your friend."

Chen Ming hurriedly asked, "Where is he now?"

"He is in the main hall."

Chen Ming put down his chopsticks and went out. When he reached the hall, he saw Deng Ziyang in a green robe standing before the wall with his hands clasped behind his back. "Brother Deng, what brings you here?"

Deng Ziyang turned around and smiled. "I heard you had not gone to Huo Manor these past few days. I was a little worried, so I came to check on you."

"I made Brother Deng worry."

Before long, the maid Xiao Hong brought over tea.

Chen Ming and Deng Ziyang sat down and chatted.

Deng Ziyang did not mention Wanli Gambling House coming to collect its debt. He believed that with Chen Ming's abilities, resolving the matter would be as easy as turning over his hand.

If he brought it up first, it would instead look as though he were deliberately trying to curry favor, lowering himself in the process.

After exchanging pleasantries, Deng Ziyang finally got to the main matter. "I plan to take the martial examination and enter the Six Doors. I will set off tomorrow."

Chen Ming was somewhat surprised. "Will your old man agree to that?"

Deng Ziyang smiled. "He has no say in the matter."

Though he smiled, a fierce glint showed in his eyes. "The old man already has four sons and refuses to pass his martial arts on to me. Old Ghost Huo does not dare take me as a disciple either. And I refuse to muddle through life in mediocrity. So the martial examination is my only choice!"

Chen Ming could sense the unwillingness in his heart, as well as his thirst for martial arts.

He raised his teacup in place of wine and said solemnly, "May everything go smoothly for Brother Deng on this journey."

Deng Ziyang also raised his cup and clinked it against his, laughing heartily. "I will borrow your auspicious words."

After finishing his tea, he added, "Once I leave, the ones I worry about most are my brothers. When the time comes, help me look after them."

Chen Ming shook his head. "I cannot do that. They will not listen to me. Only Brother Deng can keep them in line. So Brother Deng should come back early instead."

Deng Ziyang smiled. "You are wrong about that. They may not say it aloud, but they actually respect you quite a bit. Over the past half month or so, they have sparred with you every day, and their skills have all improved considerably."

"Oh, right. Teach them more about saber techniques in the future. Once I enter the Six Doors, I will inevitably have to wield blades and weapons."

Saber techniques.

Chen Ming thought of his Eight Trigrams Saber, which he had only just begun learning, and could only say, "I will try."

With the serious matter settled, they moved on to idle chatter.

"I heard Wen Zehao has returned. The Wen Family has prepared a lavish betrothal gift and will go to the Huo Family to propose marriage in a few days. How is that kid's luck so good? Once he becomes Huo Chengkun's grandson-in-law, his path in martial arts will be smooth and broad."

Deng Ziyang's tone carried a touch of bitterness as he lamented how different people's fates could be.

He considered his aptitude and character no worse than Wen Zehao's. Yet simply because he was the illegitimate son of the Giant Tiger Gang's leader, such good fortune would never fall upon his head.

Chen Ming recalled a saying and said, "Every gift bestowed by fate has already had its price secretly marked. I dare say that his future achievements will certainly fall far short of Brother Deng's."

Deng Ziyang savored those words over and over. The more he did, the more flavor he found in them. His eyes gradually lit up, and suddenly he cupped his hands in salute. "Senior Brother Chen, I have been enlightened."

Chen Ming hurriedly stopped him. "Brother Deng, what are you doing? You are praising me too highly."

"Senior Brother, farewell."

Deng Ziyang soon took his leave.

Chen Ming escorted him all the way to the gate and watched him depart. He silently thought, Six Doors.

In order to better control the local levels, the Great Jin Dynasty had established a dual-track system: the Yamen for civil matters, and the Six Doors for martial matters.

Naturally, the imperial examinations were divided into civil examinations and martial examinations as well.

The smaller the place, the greater the Six Doors' authority.

Even in a great city like Qingfeng City, it was tacitly accepted in official circles that the chief of the Six Doors took precedence, while civil officials played a supporting role.

If one could pass the martial examination and join the Six Doors, one would naturally have the chance to learn profound martial arts. But likewise, one had to pay for it with one's freedom.

The Six Doors was both a super sect and an official institution. In such a great dyeing vat, anyone without a background could be swept into some vortex at any moment and die without even knowing how.

Unless he truly had no road left to take, Chen Ming would never choose this path.

In the latter half of the night, once midnight had passed, all of Qingfeng City grew quiet.

Chen Estate.

A black shadow silently vaulted out from inside the wall. It moved through the shadows, avoiding the night watchmen and those collecting chamber pots. Half an hour later, the figure arrived before a secluded residence.

The black shadow climbed over the high wall, only to suddenly hear a dog bark.

Whoosh!

A pebble shot out. The dog in the courtyard whimpered once and dropped dead on the spot.

The black shadow crossed the courtyard and reached the inner residence. Taking out a thin, short blade, it slipped it into the crack of the door and gently picked at it a few times. The bolt opened.

"Who is it?"

A vigilant voice came from inside the room.

In a flash, the man in black had entered the inner chamber. He pointed the short blade in his hand at Old Ghost Xiao on the bed and said in a hoarse voice, "If you do not want your entire family to be wiped out, shut up."

The moment Old Ghost Xiao saw the movement technique the other man had displayed, his heart filled with horror, and all thought of resistance vanished.

This was clearly a martial artist who had entered the ranks.

He forcibly steadied himself and said, "Good sir, let us talk this over. The money is in the chest beneath my bed. I will fetch it for you. I only ask that you spare my family's lives."

"I am here for money. Blame only your bad luck. If you cooperate obediently, I can spare your family."

As the man in black spoke, he casually grabbed the belt beside the bed and looped it around Old Ghost Xiao's neck.

Old Ghost Xiao was terrified out of his wits. Just then, with the man so close, he saw the pair of exposed eyes in the darkness clearly. They were unmistakably the eyes of a young man.

A thought suddenly stirred in his heart, and he cried out a name. "Second Young Master Chen, spare my life..."

The black-clad man's movements paused.

Old Ghost Xiao immediately knew he had guessed correctly. Racking his brains, he sought a sliver of survival. "I truly had no intention of offending your elder brother. It was all my subordinates acting on their own initiative..."

Seeing the man in black wrap the belt around his neck, he was so frightened that his soul nearly left his body. Yet with his entire family's lives at stake, he did not dare resist and could only beg, "I am willing to offer up a martial arts manual. I only ask that Young Master spare my life..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately felt the strap around his neck loosen slightly.

The man in black still asked in that hoarse voice, "You have a martial arts manual?"

"Absolutely true."

Old Ghost Xiao seemed to have seized a lifesaving straw. "I obtained it several years ago from a destitute man. One of that man's ancestors had once been a fifth-rank expert... If Young Master does not believe me, I can retrieve it for Young Master to inspect."

"Where is it?"

"Under the bed board. The one in the middle has a hidden compartment—ugh—"

The instant Old Ghost Xiao finished speaking, he felt the strap around his neck suddenly tighten. He struggled desperately, his eyes bulging. After a while, his body stiffened and went still, his eyes remaining open in death.

The man in black then hung him from the beam, making it look as though he had committed suicide.

Then he lifted the bedding and searched around. Sure enough, he found a hidden compartment in one of the bed boards. He took out the item inside: a book wrapped in oilcloth.

He did not inspect it closely. After wrapping it in cloth, he left the room and used fishing line to pull the door bolt shut again. Only then did he drift away.

Under the cover of night, no one knew that a murder had just taken place here.