Azure Envoy

"He hasn't lost yet!"

Huo Qianqian pointed at Chen Ming, instantly making him the center of attention.

Zhao An, Hong Mingquan, and Zhang Mingyu naturally knew Chen Ming's strength and immediately understood the Little Junior Sister's intent, so they stayed silent.

Only Du Juan, who hadn't visited Huo Manor in a long time, didn't recognize him and looked at this man with some confusion.

On the other side, the three men and one woman turned their gazes toward this young man.

The leading man, Guo, asked, "Are you also a disciple of Uncle-Master Huo?"

"He's not."

The Blue-Robed Woman had already answered first.

Guo looked at Huo Qianqian. "Since this man isn't a disciple of Uncle-Master Huo, he naturally has no right to compete with us."

Huo Qianqian said with full confidence, "Grandfather may not have accepted him as a disciple, but what he's learned is indeed our sect's martial arts. That makes him an honorary disciple at least. How does he not have the right?"

Guo pondered for a moment, then said, "In that case, I'll make sure you admit defeat willingly. Junior Sister, you'll spar with this man."

"Fine."

The Blue-Robed Woman was delighted. She had only just fought the grand-disciple of her uncle-master, and the opponent wasn't even Ninth Rank yet. She hadn't even warmed up before it ended, and she'd been left unsatisfied.

She drew her sword and pointed it at Chen Ming, her face bright with eagerness. "Kid, remember this—my name is Zhong Shuyu!"

At that moment, Guo warned, "Junior Sister, don't be careless. This man is also at Ninth Rank cultivation."

These words shocked everyone present.

Hong Mingquan and Zhang Mingyu's first reaction was disbelief, thinking the other party had misjudged.

Zhao An and Huo Qianqian were stunned.

Du Juan was puzzled.

Chen Ming was also surprised. He hadn't expected this man to see through his true cultivation at a glance, and he wondered where he'd slipped up.

To be honest, he didn't want to fight this battle.

But life, sometimes, drags you into inexplicable whirlpools.

Chen Ming said to Hong Mingquan, "Senior Brother Hong, may I borrow your blade?"

Hong Mingquan reversed the long saber in his hand and tossed it over to him.

Chen Ming caught it, then cupped his hands toward the Blue-Robed Girl. "Please, miss, enlighten me."

"Watch my sword!"

Zhong Shuyu wasted no time and thrust her sword straight at him.

Chen Ming recognized the move—it was the same sword technique the man named Guo had used earlier—and didn't dare take it lightly. He raised the blade to block.

A sharp clang rang out.

Both of them stepped back half a pace.

At that moment, anyone could see that he was indeed at Ninth Rank cultivation.

Hong Mingquan and the others were utterly shocked.

When had he reached Ninth Rank?

How could he have reached Ninth Rank?

Even the instigator, Huo Qianqian, stood there dumbfounded. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't have imagined that Chen Ming had already broken into Ninth Rank.

Unfortunately, he seemed to have only just entered Ninth Rank. His strength was slightly inferior to the Blue-Robed Girl's, and he quickly fell into a disadvantage. After a dozen exchanges, his long saber was knocked away by a sword strike, and he was defeated.

"Your sword skills are superb, miss. I'm far from your match."

Chen Ming conceded on the spot.

You were defeated by an LV11 enemy. 50 experience points deducted.

The sudden prompt that popped up in front of him made him freeze.

You've got to be kidding me—losing costs experience points?

System, have a heart!

Chen Ming cursed inwardly, but he didn't forget his current situation. He walked over, picked up the blade, returned it to Hong Mingquan, then silently retreated behind the others, trying to hide himself as much as possible and make everyone forget he existed.

As for Zhong Shuyu, after winning this bout, her brows were full of pride.

Suddenly, the Second Senior Brother beside her whispered, "Junior Sister, that kid tricked you. He was going easy on you."

"What?"

Zhong Shuyu raised an eyebrow, about to ask for an explanation, when a loud shout came from outside: "Who dares to cause trouble here?"

A figure in blue leaped over the wall and flew into the main hall.

The man named Guo's face changed, and he blurted out, "Not good—it's an Azure Envoy from Six Doors!"

At the words "Six Doors," the three of them had already turned pale.

Hearing "Azure Envoy" only made them more cautious.

In Six Doors, rank was distinguished by the color of one's attire. Azure robes belonged to the Seventh Rank, and at minimum, a Seventh-Rank cultivation was required to hold the position.

Jianghu wanderers disliked clashing with Six Doors people. Once a feud was struck and a wanted notice was issued, moving freely through the underworld became nearly impossible.

On the other side, the Huo Manor group wore expressions of delight.

They all recognized that Azure Envoy—it was Sun Shicai, the fourth disciple.

Since he had come, these people surely wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

From the main hall came Sun Shicai's furious shout, "Don't you dare harm my Master!"

Then came the thuds and crashes of a fight.

The old woman from before said coldly, "You brought this on yourself!"

A muffled grunt followed.

After a moment, the old woman swept out of the hall, her face dark, and said to her four disciples, "Let's go."

The five of them vaulted over the wall and vanished.

"Grandfather!"

"Master!"

Huo Qianqian and the others rushed into the hall to find Huo Chengkun.

As for Chen Ming, he took the chance to slip away quietly.

In the alley behind Huo Manor, Chen Ming's family carriage was still waiting outside.

"To the Deng residence."

Guan Peng and Zhuang Xiaotian were leaving early tomorrow, and he had promised to see them off today.

Along the way, Chen Ming kept thinking about what had happened at Huo Manor.

Though he'd only caught fragments of conversation between Huo Chengkun and that old woman, he sensed deep waters beneath it all—the more he thought, the more unsettling it became.

The more he mulled it over, the more wrong it felt. Better stay away from Huo Manor for the next few days, he thought.

Even though his true cultivation level was now exposed, the Huo family probably wouldn't have time to bother with him for a while.

Soon, he arrived at Deng Manor.

Deng Ziyang and his two brothers were waiting for him. A full table of dishes sat untouched. Seeing him finally arrive, they complained, "Brother, why are you so late? The food's getting cold."

Chen Ming sat down, poured himself a cup of wine, and downed it to steady his nerves. "Don't even mention it. A big incident happened at Huo Manor today. I almost didn't make it back."

Deng Ziyang perked up with interest and refilled his cup. "Come on, tell us—what happened?"

"This morning..."

Chen Ming gave a rough account of the day's events, finishing with, "If Sun Shicai hadn't shown up in time, I don't know how that scene would have ended."

Deng Ziyang's expression turned serious. "Are you saying Sun Shicai was wearing azure robes?"

"That's right—an Azure Envoy."

Deng Ziyang sucked in a sharp breath. "I never expected Sun Shicai to rise to Azure Envoy in just a few years. That man is truly remarkable."

In Six Doors, promotion didn't come from high cultivation alone—merit was also required.

Chen Ming wasn't interested in Sun Shicai. He asked, "Brother Deng, do you know which sect Huo Chengkun belongs to?"

Deng Ziyang frowned. "That, I've never heard. He's been in Qingfeng City for over a decade, and no one's ever known his origin. Everyone just assumed he was a wandering rogue."

He slapped his thigh. "No wonder the old bastard never meddled in other businesses. A Sixth-Rank expert, living off his disciples' tributes, holed up in Huo Manor, avoiding conflict. Turns out he's carrying a big burden."

Seeing that Guan Peng and Zhuang Xiaotian weren't interested in the topic, Chen Ming shifted the conversation to Six Doors to keep them from feeling left out.

The four of them drank until the afternoon before parting ways.

Chen Ming went back to the courtyard where he'd stayed last time. He'd just brewed a pot of tea when Zhuang Xiaotian pushed the door open. "Brother Chen, am I interrupting?"

"Of course not. Come, sit."

Chen Ming poured him a cup as well. "Here, have some tea to sober up."

"Brother Chen, I'm heading back tomorrow. If I don't leave soon, my family will start worrying." Zhuang Xiaotian downed the tea in one gulp. "This past month, thanks to your guidance, my blade work and fist techniques have improved greatly."

Chen Ming smiled. "What are you saying? We trained together and improved together."

Zhuang Xiaotian said seriously, "Brother Chen treated me with sincerity, teaching me your blade techniques without holding back. I felt undeserving—I couldn't break my family's ancestral rules and teach you our fist techniques. After much thought, the only thing I have is my Flying Dagger Art, which I developed on my own. If you don't mind, I'll pass on the secrets of the flying dagger to you."

Chen Ming's eyes lit up. "That would be wonderful. To be honest, I've wanted to learn your Flying Dagger Art for a while, but I was too embarrassed to ask."

Seeing his reaction, Zhuang Xiaotian visibly relaxed. "I'm glad you like it, Brother Chen."

He owed Chen Ming too great a debt. If he didn't repay it, it would become a burden on his mind.

So he taught Chen Ming the Flying Dagger Art in detail.

"This Flying Dagger Art came from a few pages I found as a child, pieced together from a dozen or so oral formulas. Listen carefully..."