Nameless Technique

At dawn, the rising sun cast warm rays across the courtyard.

Chen Ming sat under the eaves, flipping through a book. Its material looked like paper but was exceptionally tough, as if made from some kind of animal hide.

The book seemed old, its pages yellowed. The script on it also differed from the mainstream characters of the current era.

The cover bore no title, but judging by the content, it was indeed a cultivation technique.

For an ordinary person, a technique of unknown origin with no name would never be taken lightly.

But Chen Ming wasn't afraid. Whether it was real or fake, he'd know once he tried cultivating it.

Before long, the maid Xiao Hong came to call him for a meal.

He put away this Nameless Technique and went to eat breakfast.

After breakfast, Chen Ming headed out to Huo Manor.

These past few days, he'd mostly recovered his condition. Yesterday's close encounter with Deng Ziyang had gone unnoticed.

Besides, staying home for days without earning a single experience point made him anxious.

Without experience points, how could he grow stronger?

Around nine in the morning, Chen Ming arrived at Huo Manor on time. He greeted the gatekeeper and entered, but Chunmei, Huo Qianqian's maid, was nowhere to be seen. Disappointment crept into his heart.

Then again, he thought, now that her fiancé was back, why would she still come spar with him?

And with her wedding approaching, she'd be even less likely to seek him out for a match.

That meant losing one source of experience points.

Chen Ming felt a pang of regret.

Soon, he reached the training ground.

"Junior Brother Chen."

Hong Mingquan's face lit up at the sight of him. "You're finally here. Those little rascals have been talking about you every day."

"Fifth Senior Brother."

Chen Ming stepped into the pavilion and explained, "I've been tied up at home these past few days. Sorry to make you worry."

Just then, Zhang Mingyu walked over. "Hey, I've heard all about it. Good news coming your way?"

Lately, Chen Ming and Zhang Mingyu had gotten along well enough. Their earlier misunderstanding was long behind them—after all, they saw each other every day, so there was no point in keeping things tense.

Hong Mingquan said, "I think you shouldn't rush into settling down. Marriage is a lifelong matter. Better to wait a few years—if you can break through that major bottleneck, then it won't be too late."

That was his advice as someone who'd been through it.

He'd been too eager to marry back then, and his wife was only average in both family background and looks. By the time he became a martial artist, it was too late for regrets.

One of the sect's rules was that one must not abandon the wife of hardship.

Zhang Mingyu disagreed. "Fifth Junior Brother, don't lead him astray. Breaking through to become a martial artist—how hard is that? Those lacking talent should keep their feet on the ground and not cling to unrealistic fantasies, only adding to their troubles."

Hong Mingquan dared not argue. "Senior Brother is right."

Chen Ming lowered his head to sip his tea, offering no judgment.

In truth, Zhang Mingyu wasn't wrong. It's just that Chen Ming wasn't ordinary.

Sensing the awkward silence, he changed the subject, asking about the famous experts who had appeared in Qingfeng City.

Both men were happy to rattle off that knowledge.

"When it comes to the most formidable expert to emerge locally, it would be the Gu Family's ancestor from two hundred years ago—a peak first-rank master. That cemented the Gu Family's position as the top clan in this Prefecture..."

As the three chatted, they suddenly spotted Wen Zehao entering the training ground and walking toward them.

Hong Mingquan and Zhang Mingyu fell silent, and the atmosphere grew awkward.

Chen Ming stood to take his leave, not wanting to be a nuisance.

"Chen Ming."

To his surprise, Wen Zehao called out to him. "You don't have to leave. Sit down and have some tea."

Chen Ming found it odd. This guy was hot and cold—did he think this was a game?

"No thanks."

He politely declined and left the pavilion.

Zhang Mingyu was puzzled. "I thought you didn't like him. Why are you suddenly being so polite?"

Wen Zehao sighed, took the tea Fifth Senior Brother poured for him, and downed it in one gulp. With a regretful look, he said, "I finally understand why Little Junior Sister was angry with me. She thought I was too petty."

Aren't you?

Zhang Mingyu and Hong Mingquan thought the same, but neither voiced it.

Wen Zehao didn't notice their expressions. His voice was bitter. "She helped Chen Ming because her close friend Zhang Xinyi came to beg her. Sigh, why didn't she just tell me sooner? Over such a small thing, Little Junior Sister still won't talk to me."

Zhang Mingyu held back a laugh, a hint of mockery in his voice. "So, you're planning to make up with Chen Ming and have him explain things to Little Junior Sister for you?"

"Mm."

"Too bad he's not exactly grateful for that."

Wen Zehao snorted. "How dare he? I've given him too much face!"

At that, Hong Mingquan cut in. "I don't think that's a good idea. Little Junior Sister is sharp as a whip—she hates it when people play mind games. Just get along with Chen Ming normally, stop clashing with him. Word will reach her, and she'll figure it out on her own."

Wen Zehao shook his head. "And how long will that take? Junior Sister's birthday is coming up soon. I need her to forgive me quickly. I'm going to find him now."

He left Zhang Mingyu and Hong Mingquan, the two fellow disciples, staring at each other in silence.

"You want me to go explain to Miss Huo that you haven't been pushing me out or trying to drive me away?"

Chen Ming stared at Wen Zehao in shock after hearing his purpose.

What kind of twisted logic led him to say something like that?

His emotional intelligence was worse than a middle schooler's.

Wen Zehao nodded. "That's right. If you go explain to Little Junior Sister, I'll give you a Qi and Blood Pill."

His tone was like he was handing out alms.

Chen Ming thought it over and said, "I can go explain to Miss Huo. But we'd better go together."

"I was thinking the same thing."

Wen Zehao was actually worried Chen Ming might badmouth him to Little Junior Sister behind his back, so he'd already decided to tag along.

He pulled a bottle from his chest and handed over the payment first.

Fifty taels in hand.

Chen Ming never turned down money. After confirming the bottle held a Qi and Blood Pill, he tucked it straight into his robe.

At Xiao Manor, a crowd of Six Doors constables had gathered since early morning.

A life had been lost here the night before.

At dawn, the manor had sent someone to report the crime.

Three constables searched the scene. The oldest among them said, "When the body was found, the door was bolted from the inside, and the windows were intact. There were no traces of a second person at the scene, and no other injuries on the victim. This is a suicide."

Another constable nodded in agreement.

Only the youngest constable, his gaze sharp, spoke in a low, firm voice. "I think this is a murder. Look at the ligature marks on the victim's neck—this isn't a hanging suicide. He was strangled."

The older constable sneered. "Since Lord Wang thinks it's a homicide, go ahead and investigate yourself. When you find evidence and catch the culprit, then come back and overturn my conclusion."

With that, he flicked his sleeve and left.

After the two constables left Xiao Manor, the younger one sneered. "Truly, a newborn calf fears no tiger."

The older constable said, "I saw long ago that he's an ambitious one. The new superior is young and bound to want some flashy achievements. That kid's banking on it—if he can score a merit, maybe he'll catch the new superior's eye."