The Sky Is About to Change

Finally, Wei Shi dropped the broom and fled, covering her face, utterly unable to face anyone.

Erlang was usually already out the door by this hour—why was he still home today?

Ah, how mortifying.

Chen Ming gave a faint smile and said to Old Li, "Just chase them out. Mind your image."

Old Li puffed out his chest. "Yes, Second Young Master."

Chen Ming left the house, boarded his carriage, and was soon out of sight.

At the Wu Martial Hall, Chen Ming walked through the main gate carrying a jar of wine. Seeing two youths—one stout, one lean—sweeping the grounds, he asked, "Where's Hall Master Liu?"

The two youths replied respectfully, "Master is inside, waiting for you."

These two were Hall Master Liu's disciples. The entire martial hall had only these two students—it was practically on the verge of shutting down.

"Young Master, we're about to head out for work. When you leave, just close the main gate for us, please."

"Alright."

Chen Ming knew they were going to do odd jobs. With no students enrolling, the hall had no income. Both youths were orphans, and the hall was their home. They scraped by on the money they earned from labor, barely keeping the master and themselves from starving.

Ever since he learned of their situation, he always brought wine, roast chicken, and roast duck whenever he visited.

"That smells amazing—is that braised pork knuckle from Fu Ju Restaurant?"

As Chen Ming stepped into the back courtyard, he heard the sound of someone swallowing saliva. He chuckled, "Hall Master Liu's nose is truly sharp."

Hall Master Liu was an old man with graying hair and a scruffy beard, looking rather unkempt—like a doddering elder. In truth, he was only in his fifties, about the same age as Shangguan Hong.

Chen Ming set out the wine and braised pork knuckle on the stone table. Hall Master Liu grabbed it with his bare hands and dug in, his beard smeared with grease, but he couldn't care less.

Soon, a large plate of knuckle had vanished into his stomach. Sucking his fingers, still craving more, he commented, "When it comes to braised meat, you can't beat Wang-Li's in Jiangzhou City. If you ever go there, you have to try it."

Chen Ming replied, "If it earns such praise from Hall Master Liu, I certainly can't miss it."

Hall Master Liu picked up his cup, took a sip of wine, and said lazily, "Alright, what do you want to know today?"

He never freeloaded off Chen Ming's offerings. After every meal, he answered a few questions in return.

And truth be told, he knew quite a lot.

Chen Ming asked, "Hall Master, do you know anything about Dragon King Zheng and the Red Sea Lord?"

Hall Master Liu paused mid-drink, eyeing him oddly. "What, are you thinking of joining them too?"

"You jest, Hall Master. I'm just curious because I heard those two pirate bands are clashing."

"Fighting again? Makes sense—the East Sea can only have one king."

Hall Master Liu took another sip before continuing. "As for Dragon King Zheng, he was the adopted son of the previous Pirate King. Thirty years ago, King Zhenhai wiped them out. Dragon King Zheng fled the deep seas with his remnants. Once King Zhenhai was gone, he crawled back out to stir up trouble."

"Dragon King Zheng practices the 'Overturning Seas Divine Art' and was already at the Third Rank ten years ago. He has nine adopted sons, each at the Fourth or Fifth Rank. He commands over a thousand ships and controls the southern shipping route. Every merchant vessel heading south has to pay him tribute. Those who pay get a special flag and safe passage. Those who don't get plundered."

"Just from that, Dragon King Zheng rakes in millions in profit every year."

Hall Master Liu paused to wet his throat with another drink. "As for the Red Sea Lord, he's quite mysterious—no one knows his origins. He rose suddenly ten years ago, wiped out several pirate bands, and quickly became the second-largest pirate lord after Dragon King Zheng, seizing control of the eastern route. In recent years, he's clashed with Dragon King Zheng a few times and even gained the upper hand."

"They say the Red Sea Lord has a Second Rank cultivation, with five Great Generals under him, all Fourth Rank experts, commanding over six hundred ships. But he lacks deep pockets and can't match Dragon King Zheng's wealth—so the fight's still on."

At that moment, a sharp glint flashed in Hall Master Liu's murky eyes, finally showing a hint of the hall master's bearing.

Chen Ming cleared his throat and said, "I just heard some news—Dragon King Zheng was killed by the Red Sea Lord. Now the entire East Sea belongs to the Red Sea Lord."

"What?"

Hall Master Liu exclaimed, nearly yanking his beard off in shock. "That... how is that possible?"

By his reckoning, the two couldn't settle things for at least another decade. Dragon King Zheng was cunning—if he knew he couldn't beat the Red Sea Lord, he'd avoid a direct confrontation. The sea was vast; if he chose to evade, the Red Sea Lord would have a hard time catching him.

"Where did you hear this?"

"From Six Doors."

At that, Hall Master Liu had no choice but to believe it. If Six Doors said so, it was likely true.

He suddenly let out a sly chuckle. "Well then, the Seven Sea Merchants are probably in for a headache. King Zhenhai is gone—I wonder if the court can produce another King Zhenhai."

Chen Ming nodded. Now that the sea routes were monopolized by one man, the Red Sea Lord called all the shots. No matter how harsh the rules, anyone wanting to profit from maritime trade would have to grit their teeth and accept it.

Qingfeng City was truly about to see a change.

The two talked about this matter for a long time.

Around noon, Chunxiang and Xiaxiang brought over food, and they ate while chatting.

In the afternoon, they sparred again.

You have defeated a LV30 enemy. Gained 200 experience points.

Chen Ming wasn't surprised by the notification.

That's right—Hall Master Liu was at the Seventh Rank. He was holding back, never showing his true skill.

Hall Master Liu sighed. "Ah, next time you want to learn some martial art, just ask me directly. Don't go putting this old bones of mine through the wringer—every time you come looking for a fight, I feel like my skeleton's about to fall apart."

Chen Ming naturally wouldn't agree. "Hall Master, you're mistaken. I've always believed in the unity of knowledge and action—once I learn a blade technique, I have to put it into practice in real combat, or else it's just empty show. So whenever I get the chance, I want to spar with every martial artist I meet."

Hall Master Liu froze, not even noticing the wine spilling from his hand as he poured.

After a moment, he let out a sigh. "A fine 'unity of knowledge and action' indeed. If I'd understood this principle when I was young..." He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "No wonder you've honed your blade technique to such a level. You're a true martial maniac."

With that, he tipped his head back and downed a cup of wine.

Half an hour later, seeing that the sky was growing late, Chen Ming rose to take his leave.

"Kid."

Hall Master Liu, already a bit drunk, suddenly called out to him, bleary-eyed. "You'd best not let others know what cultivation art you're practicing. Otherwise, you'll easily bring trouble upon yourself."

"What do you mean by that, Hall Master?"

Chen Ming wanted to ask further, but the man had already slumped onto the table, unresponsive, soon snoring loudly.

Though doubts lingered in his mind, seeing Hall Master Liu in this state, he didn't press further and simply left.

"Is he referring to the Three Yang Body Forging Art?"

Ever since he'd reached the Fourth Layer of this art, he'd been able to sense its peculiar qualities. His repeated victories against stronger opponents weren't solely due to his superior blade technique.

This art gave him greater strength than others at the same cultivation level, better endurance, and more explosive power.

His current physical strength was no less than that of an opponent five levels above him.

This was certainly no ordinary art.