Seeking Forgiveness

For the next several days, Chen Ming stayed home, studying that copy of the "Five Elements Saber Technique."

The more he pondered it, the more he felt there was something off about this saber art.

His "Bagua Saber Technique" had already reached major accomplishment, and he had gained a certain understanding of the saber path. The more he learned, the more he felt there were many parts of the "Five Elements Saber Technique" that simply did not add up.

Especially when paired with the internal cultivation method within it, the sense of discord became even stronger.

"Could it really be as they said? Was this actually a sword art that Huo Chengkun forcibly altered into a saber technique?"

Chen Ming could not help but grow suspicious as well.

Still, he could not be sure. Looking only at the illustrations, he could rely only on imagination. He would have to wait until Hong Mingquan returned.

Yet after waiting left and right, the Huo Family's funeral procession still had not come back.

Xiaoshui was only a little over two hundred li from Qingfeng City.

Even if they traveled slowly, they should have returned by now.

That night, Chen Ming had already gone to bed.

Suddenly hearing a noise, he turned his head and saw a pebble on the floor beside his bed, wrapped in a note.

Again?

He rolled out of bed, removed the note, and unfolded it. It was still that messy handwriting: Come to the Back Alley and fight again.

Chen Ming was delighted. As long as she did not run home to fetch reinforcements after losing, why would he refuse?

He threw on his clothes, took up his saber, and went out.

When he reached the Back Alley, she was still dressed in black nightwear. The moment she saw him emerge, she said nothing and stabbed at him with her sword, still using the "Swallow Returns Swordplay."

Chen Ming responded carefully while observing closely. Comparing it with the mnemonic formulas for the internal cultivation method in the "Five Elements Saber Technique" manual, it truly flowed much more smoothly.

"So she was telling the truth. This 'Five Elements Saber Technique' is actually a sword art."

He was somewhat certain now.

This time, the two exchanged nearly a hundred moves.

The more Chen Ming understood the "Swallow Returns Swordplay," the more effortlessly he handled it.

The instant Zhong Shuyu made a move, he could guess which technique she might use and prepare in advance, so naturally it became easier.

Whether in saber mastery or combat experience, Zhong Shuyu was still far behind him.

And so, after a little over a hundred moves—

Zhong Shuyu suddenly retreated, breaking away from the fight. She said angrily, "I'm not fighting anymore. This is no fun at all."

With that, she vaulted over the wall and vanished after several leaps.

Chen Ming felt rather regretful. He had wanted to fight her a few more times and secretly learn the authentic "Swallow Returns Swordplay" from her.

What a pity. Judging by her reaction, she probably would not come again in the future.

He waited for a while, but the notification for gaining experience points never appeared. That made him even more depressed. After all that work, he had fought for nothing.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

Hong Mingquan had still not returned, and there was not even the slightest news of him.

Communication in this era was underdeveloped, and information did not flow freely. Chen Ming had no connections either, so even finding someone to inquire for news was difficult.

He could only comfort Hong Mingquan's wife and son. "No news is good news. Perhaps something has delayed him."

Li Shi and Hong Zilin acted strong. They did not weep and wail, and still went about whatever they needed to do.

As for how they were in private, Chen Ming had no way of knowing.

On the second day, Hong Zilin had taken the initiative to ask Chen Ming to teach him martial arts. Now, every morning, he trained with the group of children and had become the "senior brother" among those little boys.

Over the past half month, the Blue-Robed Woman had not come to spar with him again.

One morning.

Chen Ming had just finished breakfast and was reading in the courtyard. He was reading a history book, cramming the historical common sense of this world into his head.

Suddenly, the maid Chunxiang came to report that a guest surnamed Zhou had come to see him.

"Here to see me?"

"Yes."

After spending over half a month in the Chen Family, Chunxiang had somehow become even darker than before.

Both she and Xiaxiang were quite ambitious. Knowing that Chen Ming was teaching others martial arts, they secretly learned from the side. When he discovered them, he allowed them to train with everyone in the mornings, on the condition that they could not neglect their proper duties.

The two sisters were naturally endlessly grateful.

They knew perfectly well that secretly stealing martial arts like this, in another household, would earn them broken hands and feet at the very least.

From then on, they became utterly devoted to this young master.

Chen Ming thought it over but could not recall having any friend surnamed Zhou. He said, "Invite him in."

Very soon, the man was shown in. He was an unfamiliar middle-aged man with a humble smile on his face. The moment he entered, he performed a great bow. "This humble one is Zhou Quan. Greetings, Minister Chen."

This left Chen Ming confused.

Still, he did not rashly step forward to help him up. For someone to perform such a grand bow upon their first meeting, there had to be a reason.

Either he had something to ask for.

Or he had come to plead guilty.

In a flash of thought, Chen Ming stepped aside rather than accept the bow. He said blandly, "I dare not accept the title of minister. Mister Zhou, why perform such a grand bow upon meeting me? Could it be that you have done something shameful?"

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Zhou Quan's face. He did not dare wipe it away and said tremblingly, "My lord sees clearly. It was all because this humble one was muddleheaded for a moment and believed a villain's slander that I committed such a bastardly deed. I came specifically to apologize and beg my lord not to hold a petty man's faults against him, and to spare this humble one."

Seeing Zhou Quan shaking like a sieve from fright, Chen Ming found it a little strange. Am I really that frightening?

He asked, "Tell me the whole story from beginning to end."

Only then did Zhou Quan stammer out what had happened.

As it turned out, Zhou Quan was a medicinal herb merchant who had worked with the Chen Family Pharmacy for many years. Even when Chen Ming's parents were still alive, they had purchased goods from him.

A little over a month ago, someone had approached him and asked him to tamper with a shipment intended for the Chen Family Pharmacy, promising him substantial profits.

Blinded by greed, he had done as that person asked.

Chen Rui had been careless for a moment. He had never expected a supplier they had worked with for so long to harm him, so he accepted the shipment.

Later, somehow, he discovered that there was a problem with the goods and went to confront Zhou Quan. Naturally, Zhou Quan refused to admit it.

Fortunately, Chen Rui later found another supplier, bought a batch of medicinal herbs at a high price, and delivered them in time, preserving the pharmacy's reputation.

Afterward, the more Zhou Quan thought about it, the more uneasy his conscience became. That was why he had brought gifts and come to apologize in person.

After hearing this, Chen Ming finally understood why his elder brother had spent several days living at the pharmacy without returning home some time ago.

Still, Chen Rui had not mentioned the matter to him, so he had pretended not to know.

Of course, he knew Zhou Quan was not telling the full truth. This talk of a conscience awakening was complete bullshit. He must have heard from somewhere that Chen Rui's younger brother had become a Ninth Rank martial artist, and had come to apologize out of fear of retaliation.

Whether Chen Ming reported him to the authorities or retaliated in private, neither was something a mere medicinal herb merchant like him could bear.

To ordinary people, a Ninth Rank martial artist was an existence they could not contend against.

Chen Ming looked at Zhou Quan, who was sprawled on the ground, crying bitterly in remorse and self-reproach. His heart remained utterly unmoved as he asked coldly, "Who was that person?"

"This humble one recognizes him... He... he is a steward... from Golden Source Commerce."

Golden Source Commerce?

Chen Ming froze.

He had nearly forgotten this enemy of the original owner. He had not expected them to jump out and make their presence known at a time like this.

"My lord... this humble one was merely muddleheaded for a moment... This humble one is willing to compensate..." Zhou Quan continued begging.

Chen Ming found it somewhat irritating to listen to him. "Go wait to the side. When my elder brother returns, we'll see whether he is willing to forgive you."

It was not until evening that Chen Rui returned home. The moment he saw Zhou Quan, anger surged into his chest. Usually refined and gentle, he nearly rushed forward to hit him. "You still have the nerve to come to my home?"

"Shopkeeper Chen, please calm your anger. I came to apologize, and I am willing to compensate all your losses..." Zhou Quan did not dare dodge, only shouting loudly.

Chen Rui was stunned upon hearing that. "You said compensation?"

He found it hard to believe. The shameless way Zhou Quan had denied everything when Chen Rui went to reason with him earlier was still fresh in his memory.

And now, he had actually taken the initiative to offer compensation?

Then he saw Zhou Quan's cringing appearance, as well as his younger brother sitting nearby and leisurely drinking tea, and suddenly understood.

It was not that he knew he had been wrong. What he feared was Chen Rui's younger brother, who had already become a Ninth Rank martial artist!

For a moment, Chen Rui's feelings were exceptionally complicated.

In the end, he still had to rely on his younger brother to clean up after him.