NOVEL WEB Ch. 20
Chapter 20: This Matter Must Be Strange
“Killing someone?”
Chen Ming froze for a moment upon hearing it, then hurriedly said, “You can’t just say that without evidence. I’m a law-abiding citizen. You can’t falsely accuse a good person.”
“Law-abiding?”
Wang Mingyang sneered. “Just over a month ago, you committed a crime and were sent to prison, and you still claim to be a good citizen? I say you’re a repeat offender.”
Chen Ming shook his head vigorously. “I was framed. Sir, if you just investigate a little, you’ll see the truth.”
Wang Mingyang shouted sternly, “Today, this official is investigating your murder of Xiao Lin. Confess honestly! Otherwise, you’ll be confessing in the prison of the Six Doors.”
Chen Ming’s expression changed. “Looks like you’ve already decided to pin this crime on me. You and I have no past grievances—why are you framing me? Do you think I’m easy to bully?”
Wang Mingyang’s face turned stern. “This official targets no one unjustly. Whether you committed murder, you know best in your heart. If you confess, you’ll suffer less. In the prison, those people won’t be as easygoing as I am.”
In the past half-month, he hadn’t found many useful clues. But relying on experience and instinct, he was sure the murderer had to be this Chen Ming.
It was a simple deduction—if it had been one of Xiao Lin’s other enemies, they would’ve made it clear they’d taken revenge, leaving their name behind.
Not disguised it as a suicide.
Among those with such motive, who had recently developed enmity with Xiao Lin and possessed the strength to kill him, only Chen Ming fit.
Unfortunately, the other party had cleaned up too well.
Wang Mingyang couldn’t find any evidence.
Since that was the case, he simply came in person, determined to take him down no matter what today.
As long as he confessed, no one could find fault.
Wang Mingyang believed that Lord Zhao would be very pleased with this gift.
Lord Zhao had just arrived and needed to establish his authority.
Huo Chengkun, being a long-standing elder of the city, well-respected and with many disciples, never opposed the Six Doors.
He was the perfect person to use for establishing authority.
He had inquired—this Chen Ming worked at the Huo Residence as a sparring partner for Huo’s disciples and was not a personal disciple of Huo Chengkun.
Dealing with this man wouldn’t incur too much hatred from Huo Chengkun.
But in the eyes of outsiders, Chen Ming was still an instructor at the Huo Residence.
Taking him down would also be a slap in the face to the Huo Residence.
It would serve the purpose of establishing authority without overly offending Huo Chengkun.
Truly the perfect choice for making a statement!
……
“My lord!”
At that moment, Chen Rui, who had been eavesdropping outside, rushed in and spoke anxiously, “There must be some misunderstanding here. I swear on my life—my younger brother would never commit murder!”
Wang Mingyang didn’t even glance at him. He just stared at Chen Ming, lifted his chin, and said coldly, “You hear that? Your brother wants to shield you. I’ll have to arrest him too. If you don’t want to drag your family into this, you’d best confess now. I’ll let him go.”
“You—”
Chen Rui had never imagined that a constable of the Six Doors would use him to threaten his brother.
He was both shocked and furious, momentarily speechless.
Chen Ming slowly straightened his slightly hunched back and stared directly at the Six Doors constable, his gaze growing sharper. “Are you sure you want to burn this bridge with me?”
Wang Mingyang looked dismissive—until he heard a “crack-crack-crack” sound from Chen Ming’s body. His expression suddenly changed, and he blurted out, “Tendons and bones resonating? You reached the Ninth Grade?”
How could this be?
He was so shocked he couldn’t control his facial expression.
In an instant, his face turned extremely ugly.
What?
Second Brother reached the Ninth Grade?
Still in shock and anger, Chen Rui was stunned when he heard this, staring at his brother in disbelief.
……
Wang Mingyang struggled internally for a moment, but in the end, he chose to leave.
He was also a Ninth Grade martial artist, and he believed that with his own strength, he could subdue Chen Ming.
However, before fully understanding the opponent’s background, it would be unwise to forge a deadly enmity recklessly.
“Strange. Wasn’t it said that this boy had mediocre talent and couldn’t even stay in the Huo Residence? How did he suddenly become a Ninth Grade Martial Artist?”
What was even stranger was—if he had that level of strength, how could he have been imprisoned over a month ago?
If he had shown his cultivation, would Jinyuan Prosperity's boss have dared to treat him like that?
The more Wang Mingyang thought about it, the more wrong it seemed.
There was definitely something suspicious about this.
……
At the Chen Residence, inside the main hall.
Chen Rui looked at Chen Ming and asked haltingly, “Did you really… reach… Ninth Grade?”
“Brother, don’t spread this around for now.”
Chen Rui’s breathing grew rapid, and he stammered, “You… mean… you really are… Ninth Grade?”
“Yes.”
Hearing the confirmation, Chen Rui’s eyes grew moist. “Before the ancestors in heaven, our Chen family… finally has a martial artist…”
As he spoke, he stumbled toward the back courtyard.
Judging by his behavior, he was likely going to the ancestral hall to offer this news to their parents and ancestors in the afterlife.
Chen Ming had wanted to say a few more words, but seeing him like that, he could only shake his head silently and let him go.
Only then did he have time to reflect on today’s events.
“Logically, the Six Doors normally don’t intervene in grudges between people in the martial world. Old Ghost Xiao was a loan shark, the scum of the streets—so what if he died? Why is this man surnamed Wang clinging to it like a dog with a bone?”
He rifled through the original host’s memories.
He didn’t know this Wang constable at all, hadn’t even heard of him, let alone borne a grudge.
There had to be something fishy going on here.
Chen Ming felt a growing sense of urgency in his heart. “This man surnamed Wang is definitely a hidden threat.”
……
When Chen Ming arrived at the Huo Residence, he was two quarters of an hour later than usual.
Today, the entire Huo Residence was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Smiles lit the faces of every servant.
Only then did he remember—today was the day Wen Zehao came to the Huo Residence to present the betrothal gifts.
A few days ago, Huo Qianqian had just celebrated her sixteenth birthday, and according to tradition, she was now of marriageable age.
It was said that on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, the Huo Residence was very lively and many guests had been invited.
But it had nothing to do with him.
That day, just like usual, he had gone to the Deng Residence in the afternoon and hadn’t attended the ceremony.
When he arrived at the training grounds, only the students were practicing on their own.
Fifth Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother were nowhere to be seen.
Of course—since the groom’s side was coming to propose marriage, as part of the bride’s household, they naturally had to be present.
Originally, the students had been lazily going through the motions. Without supervision, many were just slacking off, putting on a show.
But as soon as Chen Ming appeared, they all snapped to attention.
One by one, they trained with fervor and energy, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
By now, his authority among the students had already been firmly established.
It was earned through strength—no one could dispute it.
He didn’t waste any time and said, “Who’s up first today?”
The students immediately began clamoring.
“Senior Brother Chen, it’s such a joyful day today—do we still have to train?”
“Exactly, Seventh Senior Brother is getting engaged. Don’t you want to go watch the fun and soak up some good luck?”
“Senior Brother Chen, when are you getting married?”
……
“Quiet, all of you.”
Chen Ming gave a loud shout, suppressing their chatter. “As the saying goes—'A fist must never leave the hand, a song must never leave the mouth.' Skip one day and your reflexes slow. Skip two, and you lose half your skill. A martial artist must never slack off for even a single day.”
Seeing how strict he was, the students didn’t dare argue further.
They quieted down and, just like usual, took turns sparring with him.
……
After the sparring ended, around midday,
Chen Ming still hadn’t seen Hong Mingquan, so he left first.
He figured he could ask tomorrow.
That afternoon, he again went to the Deng Residence to serve as a sparring partner for Deng Ziyang’s gang of younger brothers.
And just like that, the day passed.
……
The next morning.
At 9 a.m., Chen Ming arrived at the Huo Residence on time, but immediately noticed something strange—the usual cheer was gone from the servants’ faces.
He didn’t dwell on it and went to the training grounds, where he found Hong Mingquan and Zhang Mingyu sitting in the pavilion, drinking tea as usual.
Only today, both of their expressions looked rather grim.
His gut told him—something had happened.
Chen Ming hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should approach, but then saw Zhang Mingyu wave him over.
He walked over and sat down. Before he could even speak, Zhang Mingyu sighed and said, “You weren’t here yesterday—something major happened at the residence.”
He asked cautiously, “What happened?”
“Little Junior Sister—she called off the engagement.”