Command

"Second Young Master, the Eldest Young Master asked you to come over."

At that moment, Chunxiang came to report.

After a year of recuperation, she was finally no longer as thin as before. Her complexion looked much better, though she was still dark. Chen Ming did not know whether her skin was naturally that dark or whether she had been tanned from practicing every day.

Chen Ming said to Deng Ziyang, "Excuse me for a moment."

Deng Ziyang smiled. "All right, no need to entertain us. Go take care of your business."

Only after Chen Ming followed Chunxiang out of the small courtyard did he learn that distinguished guests had arrived, and his elder brother had asked him to receive them.

The visitors were several Disciple-in-Names of Huo Chengkun.

He went over to greet them with a smile. "Senior Brother Gu, Senior Brother Wang, Senior Brother Li, your arrival truly brings splendor to this humble dwelling."

Gu Junrong, who led the group, presented a congratulatory gift. "Congratulations, Junior Brother, on moving into your new home. We came especially to offer our congratulations."

The other two also presented gifts and spoke a few auspicious words.

After thanking them, Chen Ming accepted the gifts, invited the three into the main hall, and personally kept them company.

After that, guests continued to arrive without pause. The two brothers were so busy receiving them that their smiles froze on their faces.

Over the past year, Chen Ming had indeed made friends far and wide. As the pharmacy's business grew ever larger, Chen Rui had also gained many friends in the business world. An especially large number of people came.

After bustling about all day, they finally saw all the guests off after night fell.

Only those few "fellow disciples" remained.

Chen Ming still had to go over and keep them company. "Three Senior Brothers, I truly apologize for neglecting you."

Gu Junrong smiled. "We are fellow disciples. Why say such things?"

Wang Mingkai gave a "heh" and said in a strange tone, "Didn't Senior Brother Sun send anyone over to offer congratulations?"

Chen Ming knew he meant Sun Shicai. Unconcerned, he said, "Senior Brother Sun is a busy man of importance."

In any case, he had sent the invitation. He had already fulfilled the proper courtesies.

By now, the Disciple-in-Names of Huo Manor had split into two factions. One was led by Sun Shicai, while the other was led by Zhang Mingyu.

Among Huo Chengkun's personal disciples, only his third disciple Zhang Mingyu, fourth disciple Sun Shicai, and seventh disciple Wen Zehao were still alive.

Wen Zehao had not followed them to Xiaoshui that day. In many people's eyes, that was unfilial, and no one recognized him as part of Huo Manor anymore.

Of course, he had also saved his own life because of it.

Sun Shicai had not gone either, but he had an excuse: he had been injured at the time. On top of that, he was a Patrol Envoy of the Six Doors, so naturally many people wanted to curry favor with him.

Quite a few people also disliked Sun Shicai, so they naturally gathered around Zhang Mingyu instead. Though Zhang Mingyu, as the senior brother, was less skilled than Sun Shicai and held no official position, he had righteousness on his side!

By the order of succession, Zhang Mingyu naturally became the heir to Huo Chengkun's legacy in the martial world.

Because of his good deed in supporting and protecting Hong Mingquan's widow and son, Chen Ming had won the favor of many people. His relationship with Zhang Mingyu was also quite good, so he naturally leaned closer to Zhang's faction.

Of course, he would not offend Sun Shicai either. He never neglected any courtesy that ought to be observed.

Though Huo Manor had split into two factions, there had been no direct conflict between them, nor had they torn off all pretense of civility. On the surface, everything remained harmonious.

Chen Ming quickly changed the subject and began discussing martial arts instead.

Gu Junrong and the other two all focused intently. Each raised questions they had encountered in their daily practice, and Chen Ming shared his own experience and views.

Calling it a discussion was less accurate than calling it instruction.

He only called it an exchange to save the three men's face.

After their discussion of martial arts and the Way, all three felt they had gained greatly, and the doubts in their hearts were swept away.

Gu Junrong said with feeling, "Junior Brother Chen's talent in martial arts is likely no less than Senior Brother Sun's. What a pity. Even Master had moments when his eye failed him. He actually overlooked a prodigy like you."

His tone carried considerable regret.

Wang Mingkai gave a "heh" and laughed at himself. "Junior Brother has held nothing back from us. Yet as senior brothers, we actually need our junior brother to instruct us. It truly makes us ashamed."

At his words, Gu Junrong and Li Qingchang both flushed red, shame written across their faces.

Chen Ming said seriously, "We are fellow disciples. Why be so distant? Now that Master is gone, we should unite our hearts and strive forward together. Only then can we avoid tarnishing our master's reputation."

All three were somewhat shaken by his words.

Wang Mingkai felt rather ashamed. "Heh, Junior Brother is right to reprimand me. I was narrow-minded and spoke wrongly. I'll punish myself with three cups."

After speaking, he drained three cups in a row.

Chen Ming drank along with him.

Among Huo Chengkun's many disciples, these three "senior brothers" had the best relationship with him. Unfortunately, they put on the airs of senior brothers and had always refused to spar with him.

To put it bluntly, they were afraid of losing and being unable to save face.

From them, Chen Ming came to understand what it meant for people to live for their face.

Having mixed about in the martial world, they were no longer as pure as Deng Ziyang and the other three young men. They had too many misgivings and would not casually fight others.

Because once they lost, their reputation would suffer greatly, and even their worth would be gone.

The three of them were now Guard Captains for Merchant Guilds, each commanding more than a dozen men. If word got out that they had been defeated by their junior brother, who would still hire them as guards?

Chen Ming was helpless too. Over these past ten months, there had been very few martial artists willing to spar with him.

It seemed that the path of making friends far and wide would not work after all.

The four were drinking deeply when Chunxiang's anxious voice suddenly came from outside. "...Young Master, please allow this servant to go announce you first..."

From the commotion, it sounded as though someone had forced their way in.

Wang Mingkai had always been hot-tempered, and with alcohol in him, he flew into a rage at once. "Which blind fool is running wild here?"

At that moment, the visitor barged into the courtyard as well.

Chen Ming recognized him at a glance and said in surprise, "Senior Brother Cai?"

Chunxiang said with a wronged expression, "Second Young Master, he..."

He waved his hand, signaling for her to withdraw.

When Wang Mingkai saw that the newcomer was Cai Zhonglin, his face filled with disgust. "Oh, isn't this Cai somebody at Senior Brother Sun's side? What a rare guest."

Seeing Wang Mingkai, this mad dog, Cai Zhonglin also looked thoroughly unlucky, but he did not wish to waste words with him. Trading insults with him would lower his status.

He turned to Chen Ming and said, "Chen Ming, I came specifically to find you. Fourth Senior Brother asked me to bring you a message."

Chen Ming was quite curious. What had Sun Shicai sent him here for so late at night?

He asked politely, "What instructions does Senior Brother Sun have?"

Cai Zhonglin's gaze swept over Wang Mingkai and the other two beside him.

"Speak freely. They are all fellow disciples, so there is no need to hide anything from them."

Cai Zhonglin cleared his throat and said, "Today, people from the Martial Hall Guild went to Fourth Senior Brother to lodge a complaint. They said you opened a hall and accepted disciples without their approval. Is that true?"

So he had come over this matter.

Chen Ming understood. Neither servile nor overbearing, he said, "I merely gave some ten-year-old children a basic introduction to martial arts. I did not open a martial hall..."

"Then you did!" Cai Zhonglin impatiently cut him off. "Dismiss them all immediately, and you are not allowed to accept disciples again in the future. This is Fourth Senior Brother's command—"

Wang Mingkai gave a "heh." "Senior Brother Sun really has such imposing official authority, issuing commands and all. In what capacity is he ordering Junior Brother Chen around? A Patrol Envoy of the Six Doors has no authority over this. Don't wave a chicken feather as though it were an imperial arrow."

"You—"

Seeing him insult Fourth Senior Brother, Cai Zhonglin's face filled with fury, but he still forcibly restrained himself. Instead, he glared angrily at Chen Ming. "Chen Ming, think this through. If you refuse to obey, then if you stir up any trouble later, Fourth Senior Brother will not care whether you live or die."

Chen Ming said blandly, "There is no need to trouble Senior Brother Sun over that. Are you finished?"

"Hmph! You do not know life from death."

Seeing his attitude, Cai Zhonglin immediately flicked his sleeves and left.

"Hahaha... Satisfying!"

Wang Mingkai laughed heartily. "Junior Brother Chen looks refined and gentle, but I never expected him to be a man of unbending backbone inside. He suits my taste perfectly."

Gu Junrong could not help complaining, "That rotten mouth of yours, do you not know how to restrain it even a little? You made Junior Brother Chen offend Cai Zhonglin. Won't he go back and add fuel to the flames before Sun Shicai? You have thoroughly offended him."

Li Qingchang also worried, "The Martial Hall Guild is not easy to provoke. They have never been merciful toward those who privately open martial halls. They either beat them to death or cripple them. They only did not come directly to the door out of respect for Senior Brother Sun. If Senior Brother Sun washes his hands of this, Junior Brother, you will be in trouble."

Wang Mingkai also fell silent. Naturally, he understood the stakes.

Chen Ming smiled. "Do not worry. I have my own way of dealing with it."

He glanced at the panel, confidence filling his heart.

Level: 20

Current Points: 3923

Cultivation Art: "Iron Horse Stance" (Fifth Layer Perfected), "Three Yang Body Forging Art" (fourth layer 4/10000)

Martial Skills: "Three Powers Fist" (Mastery 55/500+), Bagua Saber Technique (Great Mastery), Zhuang Family Flying Daggers (Great Mastery), Swallow Returns Swordplay (Mastery 55/10000)

At this point, he had already reached Eighth Rank cultivation!