Making Friends

Guan Peng held the long saber reversed, letting the tip drag along the ground. He lowered his head, staring at the slit cut open on his chest, and said hoarsely, "I lost. Thank you for holding back."

With that, he turned and walked away, clearly too ashamed to stay any longer.

"Second Brother."

Deng Ziyang was worried and wanted to chase after him, but Zhuang Xiaotian grabbed him. "Eldest Brother, let him go. Give him some time alone."

"This... ah."

Deng Ziyang could only sigh.

Zhuang Xiaotian looked at Chen Ming, still standing in the arena, his gaze solemn.

This man's strength was certainly surprising, but what impressed him most was that earlier, when he and Guan Peng had treated him lightly, Chen Ming had remained composed, unbothered.

That kind of depth was the most terrifying thing.

If it were him, possessing such a brilliant saber technique, anyone who dared to slight him would have been dealt with on the spot.

He remarked, "This senior brother of yours truly hides his skill well."

Deng Ziyang smiled bitterly. "You might not believe it, but I really didn't know he had this kind of strength. Otherwise, I wouldn't have kept it from you earlier."

You defeated a Level 11 enemy and gained 100 experience points.

Chen Ming saw the prompt finally appear and felt a surge of joy—a full hundred points.

He hadn't expected that the man was actually a level higher than him.

"Looks like focusing on skill proficiency was the right path."

As he was thinking, he suddenly heard Deng Ziyang's half-serious, half-joking complaint. "Senior Brother, you really kept me in the dark. When did you break through?"

Chen Ming explained with a smile, "Brother Deng, you're blaming me unfairly. I only broke through half a month ago, and today's the first time I've seen you since then. I hadn't found the chance to mention it."

With that explanation, it really wasn't his fault.

Deng Ziyang relaxed and said, "Congratulations, Senior Brother. You've finally become a martial artist."

Hearing the sincerity in his tone, Chen Ming nodded seriously. "Thank you."

Zhuang Xiaotian seized the moment to clasp his hands in apology. "I was blind earlier and treated you poorly, Brother Chen. I hope you'll forgive me."

Chen Ming stepped forward and helped him up. "Brother Zhuang, you're being too harsh. I was the one who kept it from you first. I should be the one apologizing. Here, I'll drink a cup as penance."

"Brother Chen is magnanimous. I'm the one who should be punished." Zhuang Xiaotian downed three cups in a row to show his sincerity.

Deng Ziyang called out, "I think you two just want an excuse to drink up all my good wine!"

With the matter out in the open, the small rift between them was smoothed over.

The three sat down to drink again, the atmosphere different from before as they began discussing martial arts.

They talked more and more congenially, and even as night fell, none of them wanted to leave.

Chen Ming had intended to go home, but Deng Ziyang insisted he stay, sending word to the Chen family, and kept him overnight.

After nightfall, in the backyard.

"This Bagua Saber Technique seems simple, but it actually contains many variations, like this move, Galaxy Inversion..."

Chen Ming spoke while demonstrating with his saber.

Deng Ziyang and Zhuang Xiaotian sat there, focused intently as he broke down each variation, explaining them thoroughly.

Deng Ziyang, who had studied the Bagua Saber Technique, naturally gained a lot.

Zhuang Xiaotian, though unfamiliar with this technique, found it enlightening for other aspects, resolving many doubts he had about combat, so he listened just as attentively.

This was why they both enjoyed discussing martial arts with Chen Ming.

When he had something to teach, he truly taught it.

They talked late into the night before finally parting.

Zhuang Xiaotian suddenly bowed to Chen Ming. "I'm grateful for your guidance today, Brother Chen. It cleared up many of my doubts."

"No need for that."

Chen Ming steadied him and said, "It's not guidance, just mutual exchange. If you're willing, Brother Zhuang, we can spar another day. Since you'll be joining Six Doors soon, you'll inevitably face opponents—more combat experience will serve you well."

Zhuang Xiaotian's heart stirred. "That's exactly what I wish."

Deng Ziyang chimed in, "Count me in. It'd be best if we could get Second Brother to join too."

Chen Ming agreed immediately. "It's settled then. Tomorrow afternoon."

He had put in so much effort to befriend Zhuang Xiaotian precisely for this. Now, he had finally achieved his goal.

One win gave him a hundred experience points. If he could spar once a day, he'd probably get a few dozen points. It was worth the effort.

Early morning, before the sky was fully bright.

Deng Ziyang arrived outside the courtyard where Guan Peng was staying. Hearing the sound of a blade cutting through the air from within, he knew the other man was practicing his saber.

Ever since his defeat at Chen Ming's hands the day before, Guan Peng had been training in the courtyard, not stopping until late into the night.

Clearly, that loss had hit him hard.

Deng Ziyang stood outside for a while, waiting until Guan Peng finished his practice before pushing open the door and walking in. "Second Brother, good morning."

Guan Peng was sitting cross-legged on a stone stool, his large saber resting across his lap. At the sound of the voice, he opened his eyes and looked over. "Eldest Brother."

Deng Ziyang tried to console him. "Victory and defeat are common in battle. Don't take it too much to heart."

"I've worried you, Eldest Brother. After yesterday's fight, I deeply feel my saber technique is lacking. If I enter Six Doors later, I'm afraid I won't be able to stand firm."

Seeing that Guan Peng wasn't brooding over losing to Chen Ming, Deng Ziyang felt relieved and continued, "Second Brother, training behind closed doors like this won't yield much result. Third Brother and I have arranged to spar with Senior Brother Chen this afternoon. Do you want to join us?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Guan Peng's face as he recalled the humiliation of being defeated by Chen Ming's blade.

Back in his hometown, he had been a prodigy—none of his peers could match him. Yesterday was the first time he had lost to someone his own age, and it had brought him a crushing sense of failure.

That feeling, he didn't want to experience a second time.

Gritting his teeth, Guan Peng made his decision. "Count me in!"

Losing to Chen Ming's saber had indeed been deeply discouraging.

But it had also shown him the flaws in his own saber technique and pointed him toward a path of improvement. For him, that was a huge benefit.

Opportunities like this didn't come often.

Deng Ziyang beamed. "That's great."

As long as they spent more time together, Second Brother would naturally let go of his grudge and resentment toward Chen Ming.

On one side were his sworn brothers, on the other a close senior brother—he hoped the two could get along.

Deng Ziyang left Guan Peng's place and went to find Chen Ming.

Chen Ming had just gotten up and wasn't training. He was sitting leisurely in the courtyard, admiring the flowers.

"Senior Brother, you're in a fine mood."

"Morning."

Chen Ming smiled. "The scenery here is really beautiful. Waking up to a view like this puts the heart at ease."

Deng Ziyang said, "With your current strength, Senior Brother, if you wanted, you could live in a place like this before long."

That wasn't false. For a Ninth Rank martial artist, making money wasn't too difficult.

But Chen Ming didn't have much need for wealth and didn't want to spend too much effort chasing it. That was something he could leave to his Eldest Brother.

He said, "There's something I'd like to ask Brother Deng for advice."

"What is it?"

Chen Ming recounted in detail how Detective Wang from Six Doors had come looking for him, then asked, "I have no grudge against that man. Why would he come after me? If I hadn't happened to break through to Ninth Rank, I'd have been lucky to escape with my life, let alone without serious injury."

Deng Ziyang didn't answer right away. His fingers tapped lightly on the stone table as he thought.

Chen Ming wasn't in a hurry either. He picked up his cup and took a sip.

After a moment, Deng Ziyang said, "If I'm not mistaken, he wasn't targeting you specifically."

"Then who?"

"Because you're a sparring partner at Huo Manor, not Huo Chengkun's disciple. Going after you wouldn't offend Huo Chengkun too much, but it would still damage Huo Manor's reputation, letting him establish his authority."

Hearing that, Chen Ming more or less understood, though he was still puzzled. "What does he gain from that?"

"Because in Six Doors, only by earning merits can you gain achievements. With enough merits, you can enter Six Doors' Martial Repository and learn advanced martial arts."

"For the sake of merits, even if it were Huo Chengkun—or even the Gu Family—if the opportunity arose, they'd dare to take a shot."