NOVEL WEB Ch. 70
Chapter 70: You Are Already in Grave Danger
Xiao Zhuyun glanced at the two dark-skinned maids behind Chen Ming and said, “This concerns a confidential matter. May I ask you to dismiss your attendants, Young Master?”
Oh?
Chen Ming first looked at Zhang Mingyu.
Seeing no reaction from him, his curiosity only grew.
He waved his hand, instructing Chunxiang and Xiaxiang to guard outside and not let anyone approach the parlor.
Xiao Zhuyun spoke startlingly, “Young Master, do you know that you are already in grave danger?”
Such tricks naturally couldn’t scare Chen Ming. He replied with a sincere expression, “Please enlighten me, Miss.”
Seeing how calm he remained, Xiao Zhuyun couldn't help but regard him with more respect and said, “Sun Shicai is already convinced that Uncle-Master Huo passed the Sword Manual’ to you. That man is utterly deranged and killed his own master for it. Do you think he would spare you?”
Killed his master?
Chen Ming’s expression changed. He instinctively looked at Huo Qianqian and Zhang Mingyu.
Seeing the sorrowful look on their faces, he gasped.
In an instant, the death of Huo Chengkun and all the subsequent events suddenly connected in his mind.
That day, Huo Chengkun hadn’t seemed injured.
That old woman and her disciple hadn’t hurt anyone from start to finish. Yet that very night, he suddenly died.
Then, on the way to the funeral, Huo Qianqian and the others were attacked.
Before they departed, Hong Mingquan had a sense of foreboding and entrusted his wife and child to him.
And Huo Qianqian hadn’t returned home but instead stayed at the Xiaoshui Sect.
After Zhang Mingyu came back, he stopped associating with Sun Shicai entirely.
Moreover, he never mentioned him again in front of Chen Ming...
So that’s how it was!
It turned out to be like this!
Chen Ming truly hadn’t expected such circumstances behind Huo Chengkun’s death.
He now understood why the three of them had come to see him — they wanted him to join forces with them to take down Sun Shicai.
He said in a low voice, “He is a Patrol Envoy of the Six Doors!”
Was a Seventh Grade Patrol Envoy of the Six Doors that easy to kill?
If discovered, they’d end up on the Six Doors’ wanted list.
There would be no place for them in the Great Jin Dynasty.
They’d have no choice but to turn outlaw and flee to the underworld.
To risk so much just to avenge Huo Chengkun — it didn’t seem worth it to him.
Xiao Zhuyun's expression grew solemn. “That’s exactly what makes it even more dangerous. He’s ruthless in achieving his goals. Since he’s convinced the Sword Manual’ is with you, he’ll stop at nothing to extract your secrets.”
At this moment, Zhang Mingyu spoke up. “Junior Brother, although everyone believes you were Master’s disciple, I know very well that he never taught you martial arts. You have no obligation to avenge him. If that bastard hadn’t set his sights on you yesterday, I wouldn’t have told you any of this. Now, that scoundrel is our common enemy.”
Chen Ming turned to Xiao Zhuyun and asked, “And you? Why are you helping them deal with Sun Shicai?”
She was merely Huo Qianqian’s senior sister. To go so far to help her junior sister seek revenge, even risking herself, was highly unusual.
Xiao Zhuyun hesitated briefly before replying, “To be frank, Young Master, after killing Uncle-Master Huo, Sun Shicai took something — a relic of our sect’s uncle-masters. It contains the Xiaoshui Sect’s inheritance. That object must never fall into the hands of outsiders.”
So that was it.
Chen Ming dismissed the last traces of doubt in his heart and asked, “Do you have a detailed plan?”
This time, it was Zhang Mingyu who answered, “Since that scoundrel already has his eyes on you, why not turn his plans against him? You lure him to a deserted place, and we’ll join forces to kill him.”
That’s it?
Chen Ming nearly rolled his eyes — that was far too crude!
He shook his head. “Not wise. Too many uncertainties. What if Sun Shicai doesn’t fall for it? If I were him, I’d use my authority in the Six Doors to fabricate a charge and imprison my whole family, then force me into submission.”
Xiao Zhuyun asked, “Then what do you propose, Young Master Chen?”
Chen Ming thought for a moment and said, “How about this — you all go back and think carefully. Each of you come up with a plan. Tonight, we’ll discuss it.”
Zhang Mingyu frowned. “Why wait until tonight?”
“Coincidentally, I’m expecting an important guest today. We had arranged to meet — they should be arriving soon.”
“Huh?”
Zhang Mingyu was momentarily stunned before he realized, “So you were waiting for someone earlier?”
…
After Zhang Mingyu and the others left, another half hour passed before Gu Yuantao and his cousin Zhou Weihao finally arrived.
Chen Ming personally went to the door to greet them, showing his respect.
Gu Yuantao introduced, “This is my cousin, Zhou Weihao. You saw him at the Martial Gathering.”
Chen Ming said, “Young Master Zhou’s ‘Tianxuan Sword Technique’ at the Martial Gathering was exceptionally refined—quite memorable.”
Zhou Weihao looked at him with a half-smile, half-smirk. “I wonder how it compares to your saber technique?”
“That can only be known after a match.”
“You want to compete with me? Beat my cousin first,” Zhou Weihao replied, clearly confident in his own swordsmanship.
In fact, he had volunteered to come along yesterday precisely because he wasn’t convinced by Chen Ming’s reputation. Why was it that during the Martial Gathering, Lord Zhao only praised that guy’s saber technique?
He believed his swordsmanship was second to none among all who competed at the Martial Gathering.
“Very well.”
Chen Ming agreed to another duel, feeling pleased.
At the Martial Gathering, he had seen Zhou Weihao’s swordplay — much stronger than Tian Qiming’s, though still not on par with Qin Jinlin.
Chen Ming led the two into the backyard, the place where he usually trained his students. The ground was paved with stone tiles, very even, and spacious enough.
He didn’t bother with formalities and said, “Brother Gu is a straightforward person, so I’ll skip the pleasantries. Let’s get straight to it.”
That was exactly what Gu Yuantao wanted. He stepped into the center, gripping his longsword, eyes filled with battle intent. “My family’s ‘Fufeng Sword Technique’ draws on the essence of the wind—its variations are many and ever-changing. You best be cautious.”
Chen Ming knew he wasn’t trying to gain an unfair advantage.
At the Martial Gathering, they had fought three bouts, so Gu Yuantao was already familiar with his saber style.
Voluntarily revealing his own sword technique’s traits was a sign of fairness.
“This man is quite magnanimous.”
Chen Ming held his saber, as if it and he were one.
Over the past half-year, his adaptation of the Swallow Returns Sword Technique to a saber form had become seamless, leaving no visible flaws.
His thinking was simple: since Huo Chengkun had converted the sword technique into a saber form, it must have been for a reason—likely to keep it hidden from others.
Which also meant, if someone identified his style as the Swallow Returns Sword Technique, it could bring serious trouble.
Thus, he continued to use the Five Elements Saber Technique.
Gu Yuantao said, “Please.”
He let Chen Ming make the first move.
Chen Ming obliged, performing “Pine Greets the Guest” as a courteous opening move.
Watching from the side, Zhou Weihao frowned with impatience. “So slow and tedious.”
Yet despite his words, he watched intensely, not wanting to miss a single detail.
After only a few exchanges, he couldn’t help but be moved. “In just half a year, Brother Tao’s sword technique has reached this level?”
The sword strikes were sharp and precise, full of discipline and form.
Clearly, he was close to achieving true mastery.
Zhou Weihao was truly astonished. Just over a year ago, he and Gu Yuantao had sparred privately, both still at the Eighth Grade.
Back then, Gu Yuantao’s swordplay had been slightly inferior to his own.
Now, with such marked improvement, Zhou Weihao instinctively felt he might no longer be able to match him.
A sense of crisis welled up in his heart.
Chen Ming’s saber technique, meanwhile, was watertight.
The saber, though heavier in appearance, moved with exceptional lightness in his hands — a perfect blend of strength and finesse.
Sometimes, Zhou Weihao even thought he was watching someone wielding a sword, not a saber.
In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over forty moves, seemingly evenly matched—
“No, something’s off!”
Zhou Weihao sensed instinctively that Chen Ming wasn’t going all out — there was an ease and fluidity to his movements. In contrast, his cousin was already giving it his all.
That was the real gap between them.
As expected, things developed exactly as he had feared.
After eighty moves, his cousin began to fall behind.
Finally, Chen Ming executed a masterstroke — slicing off a section of Gu Yuantao’s sleeve and winning the bout by a single move.
“Thank you for letting me win.”
【You defeated an LV38 opponent and gained 1,000 experience points.】
A full one thousand points.