There Must Be Something Strange About This Matter

"Murder?"

Chen Ming was taken aback. "You can't just say things like that. I'm a law-abiding citizen. Don't slander an innocent man."

"Law-abiding?"

Wang Yangming sneered. "You got yourself thrown into jail for a crime just over a month ago, and you still claim to be a good citizen? I'd say you're a repeat offender."

Chen Ming shook his head vigorously. "I was framed. My Lord only needs to investigate to find the truth."

Wang Yangming barked, "Today, I'm investigating your murder of Xiao Lin. Confess honestly! Otherwise, you'll have to confess in the Six Doors' torture chambers."

Chen Ming's face darkened. "It seems you're set on pinning this crime on me. We have no grudges—why frame me? Do you think I'm easy to bully?"

Wang Yangming stiffened his expression. "I'm not targeting anyone. You know in your heart whether you killed him. Confess now, and spare yourself the pain. Once you're in the torture chambers, those men won't be as easygoing as I am."

Over the past half-month, he hadn't found many useful leads. But based on experience and instinct, he knew the killer had to be this Chen Ming.

Simple reasoning: if it were one of Xiao Lin's other enemies, they'd have left their name after killing him, proclaiming their revenge fulfilled.

Not disguised it as suicide.

Only Chen Ming had the motive, a recent grudge with Xiao Lin, and the strength to kill him.

Unfortunately, the other party had cleaned up too thoroughly.

Wang Yangming couldn't find any evidence. So, he decided to come directly. He was determined to take him down today, no matter what.

As long as he confessed, no one could find fault.

Wang Yangming believed Lord Zhao would be very pleased with this gift.

Lord Zhao had just arrived and needed to establish his authority.

Huo Chengkun, as a city elder, was highly respected and had many disciples. He never opposed Six Doors, making him a perfect target for intimidation.

He'd inquired: this Chen Ming worked as a sparring partner for Huo's disciples at Huo Manor. He wasn't Huo Chengkun's personal disciple.

Going after him wouldn't incur too much hatred from Huo Chengkun.

But to outsiders, Chen Ming was still a Huo Manor instructor. Taking him down would also tarnish Huo Manor's face.

It would achieve the goal of establishing authority without offending Huo Chengkun too much.

A perfect choice for intimidation!

"My Lord!"

At that moment, Chen Rui, who had been eavesdropping outside, burst in and said excitedly, "There must be some misunderstanding. I swear on my life—my brother would never kill anyone!"

Wang Yangming didn't even glance at him. He just stared at Chen Ming, chin raised, voice icy. "Hear that? Your brother wants to shield you. I'll have to arrest him too. If you don't want to drag your family down, confess now. I'll let him off."

"You—"

Chen Rui never expected this Six Doors constable to use him to threaten his brother. Shocked and furious, he couldn't speak for a long time.

Chen Ming slowly straightened his slightly hunched back, staring directly at the Six Doors constable, his gaze gradually sharpening. "Are you sure you want to burn this bridge?"

Wang Yangming looked disdainful—until he heard a series of cracking sounds from Chen Ming's body. His face changed abruptly, and he blurted out, "Sinews and bones singing? You've reached Ninth Rank?"

How was this possible?

Too shocked to control his expression, his face turned extremely ugly in an instant.

What?

Erlang had reached Ninth Rank?

Chen Rui, still seething with shock and anger, froze at his words, staring at his brother in disbelief.

Wang Yangming struggled inwardly but ultimately chose to leave.

He was also at Ninth Rank and believed his strength was enough to take Chen Ming down.

But without understanding the other party's background, it wasn't wise to rashly forge a deadly enmity.

"Strange. Wasn't this kid said to be mediocre, unable to even stay at Huo Manor? How did he suddenly become a Ninth Rank martial artist?"

Even stranger: if he had such strength, how had he ended up in jail over a month ago?

If he'd revealed his cultivation, would the owner of Golden Source Commerce have dared to treat him like that?

The more Wang Yangming thought about it, the more wrong it felt.

There was definitely something odd here.

Chen Estate, main hall.

Chen Rui looked at Chen Ming, stammering, "Did you really... reach... Ninth Rank?"

"Brother, don't spread this around for now."

Chen Rui's breathing grew rapid, and he trembled as he asked, "You... mean... you really are Ninth Rank...?"

"Yes."

Upon receiving the affirmative answer, Chen Rui's eyes grew moist. "Ancestors above, our Chen family has finally produced a martial artist..."

With that, he stumbled toward the back courtyard. Judging by his manner, he was heading to the ancestral hall to report this news to the spirits of his parents and forebears.

Chen Ming had originally wanted to give him a few more words of advice, but seeing him like this, he could only shake his head silently and let him be.

Only then did he have time to ponder the day's events.

"Normally, Six Doors wouldn't bother with vendettas in the underworld. Old Ghost Xiao was a lowlife loan shark—dead is dead. Why is this Wang so fixated on it?"

He scoured the original owner's memories. He had never known this Wang the constable before, never even heard of him, let alone held a grudge.

There had to be something off about this.

A sense of urgency rose in Chen Ming's heart. "This Wang is a ticking time bomb, after all."

By the time Chen Ming arrived at Huo Manor, he was half an hour later than usual.

Today, the manor was brimming with joy, every servant's face lit up with delight.

Only then did he remember—today was the day Wen Zehao came to present the betrothal gifts.

Two days ago, Huo Qianqian had just turned sixteen. By custom, she was now of marriageable age.

Rumor had it that on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, Huo Manor was bustling with guests.

But that had nothing to do with him. That day, as usual, he had gone to Deng Manor in the afternoon and skipped the ceremony.

When he reached the training grounds, only the students were practicing on their own. Fifth Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother were both absent.

Right—since the groom's side was coming to present the betrothal gifts, they, as members of the bride's family, naturally had to be present.

Originally, the students had been training lazily. Without supervision, many were just going through the motions.

The moment Chen Ming arrived, they snapped to attention, each one training with fierce vigor, not daring to slack off.

Over this period, he had built up his authority among the students. It was earned through sheer strength, and no one disputed it.

He didn't waste time. "Who's first today?"

The students immediately stirred. "Senior Brother Chen, on such a happy day, you're still making us train?"

"Yeah, Seventh Senior Brother is here to propose. Don't you want to go watch and soak up some good fortune?"

"Senior Brother Chen, when are you getting married?"

"All of you, shut up."

Chen Ming barked, silencing them. "As the old saying goes, the fist never leaves the hand, the song never leaves the mouth. Skip a day, and your hands slow down; skip two, and you lose half your skill. A martial artist must never slack off for a single day."

Seeing how stern he was, the students dared not chatter further. They quieted down and, as usual, took turns stepping up to spar with him.

By the time the sparring ended at noon, Chen Ming still hadn't seen Hong Mingquan, so he left first. He could ask tomorrow.

In the afternoon, he went to Deng Manor as usual to serve as a sparring partner for Deng Ziyang and his crew.

Soon, the day passed.

The next morning.

At nine o'clock, Chen Ming arrived at Huo Manor on time, only to find the atmosphere strange. The servants' faces no longer held any joy.

He didn't dwell on it. When he reached the training grounds, he saw Hong Mingquan and Zhang Mingyu sitting in the pavilion drinking tea as usual. But both wore grim expressions.

His instincts told him something had happened.

Chen Ming hesitated, wondering whether to approach, when Zhang Mingyu waved him over.

He sat down, and before he could ask, Zhang Mingyu sighed. "You weren't here yesterday. A big thing happened in the manor."

Chen Ming asked cautiously, "What big thing?"

"Little Junior Sister—she's not getting married anymore."