Huo Chengkun was truly dead!
After Chen Ming saw Deng Ziyang back to his family's carriage, he went to Huo Manor and found the grief-stricken gatekeeper to ask. He was told that Huo Chengkun had fallen suddenly ill the previous night. Several doctors had been summoned overnight, but none had been able to save him.
He had passed away in the night.
A sudden illness?
Who would believe that?
A Sixth Rank martial artist had actually died of a sudden illness?
That might fool no one but themselves.
Huo Chengkun had died just like that...
Chen Ming's feelings were complicated.
Since transmigrating here, he had only met Huo Chengkun three times. Come to think of it, he ought to thank him for being willing to keep him here as a sparring partner.
Otherwise, he likely would not have become a martial artist so quickly.
Chen Ming did not go inside and simply left.
He was not Huo Chengkun's disciple. As an outsider, it was not appropriate for him to enter at a time like this.
As he left Huo Manor, it suddenly began to rain. The icy rain struck his face, carrying a bone-piercing chill.
"It's finally done!"
Three mornings later, in the courtyard.
Chen Ming flicked out two flying daggers. With two dull thunks, they embedded themselves in the bullseyes of a wooden target over ten meters away. A flicker of insight rose naturally within him, and when he opened his panel to look—
Level: 10 Current Points: 4401 Cultivation Arts: "Iron Horse Stance" (Fifth Layer Perfected), "Three Yang Body Forging Art" (First Layer 4/1000) Martial Techniques: "Three Powers Fist" (Proficient 55/500+), Bagua Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang Family Flying Daggers (Beginner 1/500)
A new martial technique had appeared on the panel: Zhuang Family Flying Daggers.
The flying dagger technique Zhuang Xiaotian had taught him being named Zhuang Family Flying Daggers was perfectly reasonable.
It took five hundred experience points just to reach Beginner, five times more than the Bagua Saber Technique. That proved this martial technique was of a higher grade, didn't it?
"Young Master is amazing."
"Young Master, you mastered it!"
At the side, two girls of thirteen or fourteen clapped and cheered. They ran over with a patter of footsteps, pulled the flying daggers from the wooden target, then ran back and placed them on the table beside him.
These two girls were the maidservants his sister-in-law had bought for him. They were dark and skinny, but their hands and feet were quick, and they had cheerful dispositions.
It was said that they were daughters of rural farmers. Last year's famine had forced their families to borrow usurious loans. Unable to repay them, they had been sold to human traffickers to settle the debt.
The wealthy households in the city had already picked through them once. No one wanted the two girls, so they were sold cheaply.
Wei Shi saw that although they were skinny, they were strong and hardworking. Thinking she had picked up a bargain, she was immensely pleased with herself.
To her, beauty did not matter. A maidservant who could work was a good maidservant.
When Chen Ming saw the two of them, his beautiful-maidens-at-his-side dream, red sleeves adding fragrance, had shattered.
He gave them names. One was called Chunxiang, and the other Xiaxiang.
"Add points!"
Chen Ming did not hesitate and added five hundred points.
Zhuang Family Flying Daggers (Proficient 1/1000)
In an instant, his mind gained countless insights into flying dagger techniques.
At the same time, both his hands went slightly numb and sore, while his nerves underwent some minute change.
It was as though he had practiced for several years already.
"Again."
He added another thousand points.
Zhuang Family Flying Daggers (Mastery 1/2000)
A massive tide of memories and insights surged into his mind again.
At this level, he could use those intermediate techniques as casually as picking something up. He also had some confidence in the advanced techniques.
"But it's still not enough!"
Chen Ming gritted his teeth and added another two thousand points.
Zhuang Family Flying Daggers (Grandmastery)! Level: 10 Current Points: 901 Cultivation Arts: "Iron Horse Stance" (Fifth Layer Perfected), "Three Yang Body Forging Art" (First Layer 4/1000) Martial Techniques: "Three Powers Fist" (Proficient 55/500+), Bagua Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang Family Flying Daggers (Grandmastery)
"Young Master, what's wrong?"
Seeing Chen Ming suddenly close his eyes and stand motionless, Chunxiang grew frightened. She called softly, but when he still did not react, she was so scared that she did not know what to do and began to cry. "It's over, we've killed another master... We need to run..."
"Don't talk nonsense..."
Xiaxiang was also flustered, but she was calmer. She reached out to check Chen Ming's breathing. The moment she did, she nearly burst into tears as well. "It's over, it's over, he really isn't breathing..."
At that moment, Chen Ming suddenly opened his eyes. Looking at the two little maidservants crying their hearts out, he could not help laughing.
"Corpse fraud—"
The two maidservants were so frightened they nearly wet themselves. They screamed and turned to run.
"Ha ha ha..."
Only when they heard Chen Ming's laughter did they realize what had happened. They said resentfully, "Young Master, you actually scared us..."
"Young Master, you nearly scared us to death..."
Chen Ming casually picked up two flying daggers and, without even looking, flicked them behind him. The two daggers collided in midair, bounced apart, and separately struck the bullseyes of two wooden targets.
This technique was called Chasing Stars and Moon. It could cause an enemy to misjudge, leaving them unable to guard against it.
After reaching Grandmastery in Zhuang Family Flying Daggers, he was no longer bound by the method Zhuang Xiaotian had taught him. He could combine techniques freely, with no fixed forms.
Chen Ming said, "What did you mean just now by 'killed another'?"
Chunxiang's face stiffened.
Xiaxiang stammered, "Y-Young Master, we were just... talking nonsense. Please don't take it to heart..."
Chen Ming said mildly, "Then how about I go ask the trafficker?"
Chunxiang and Xiaxiang's faces turned pale. At last, unable to bear it any longer, they confessed.
As it turned out, it was not that no one had wanted them. It was simply that they were unlucky. Not long after someone bought them, the master they served would die an unnatural death.
Naturally, the two girls were branded as ill-omened jinxes. They were then returned to the trafficker.
"Young Master, please don't send us away... The trafficker said that if we get returned again, he'll sell us to a brothel..."
"We don't want to go to a brothel..."
"Please... We don't need wages..."
"That's right, as long as we have food to eat..."
"Please don't send us away..."
Chen Ming saw the two girls kneeling on the ground, begging through tears and snot. He could not quite bear it and said, "All right, get up."
"Young Master..."
Two dark little faces lifted toward him, tears hanging from them.
Yet he could not squeeze out the slightest trace of pity. If they had been pretty maidservants, this would have been pear blossoms drenched in rain.
Forget it. He could not afford pretty maidservants yet anyway.
They were a little dark, but they were efficient workers.
"We'll see how you behave."
Chen Ming did not make any promises.
The two maidservants were already overflowing with gratitude and began kowtowing.
"All right. If you keep kowtowing like that, are you trying to shorten my lifespan?"
He pulled them up and reminded them, "Do not let anyone else know about this. Otherwise, if my sister-in-law finds out and wants to send you away, I will not be able to keep you either."
The two maidservants nodded like chickens pecking at grain.
"All right, prepare a set of clothes for me. I'm going out."
Today was the day of Huo Chengkun's funeral.
Chen Ming had learned martial arts at Huo Manor, so naturally he had to attend.
Dressed in black, he took a carriage to the entrance of Huo Manor. Today, Huo Manor was exceptionally bustling.
Huo Chengkun had been here for more than ten years. He had over a hundred Disciples-in-Name alone, not to mention the friends he had made while alive.
There were even more people like Chen Ming, who were not Disciples-in-Name but had still learned martial arts at Huo Manor. That was why so many people had come.
After entering Huo Manor, Chen Ming could tell each person's relationship to Huo Chengkun from their clothing.
Those dressed in mourning hemp and filial white were his personal disciples and his granddaughter, Huo Qianqian.
Those with white cloth wrapped around their arms were Disciples-in-Name.
The rest were more distantly connected.
Chen Ming finally ran into an acquaintance: Hong Mingquan.
"You came."
Hong Mingquan's expression was somewhat numb. When he saw Chen Ming, a trace of light finally returned to his vacant eyes.
"Fifth Senior Brother."
Chen Ming called out, then asked sorrowfully, "How could it have happened so suddenly? Old Huo... What exactly happened that day?"
Only after seeing that no one nearby was paying attention did he ask this question.
Hong Mingquan shook his head, avoiding the subject. He only said, "Can you come by tonight? I have a favor to ask."
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