NOVEL WEB Ch. 77
Chapter 77: Unexpected Visitor
"Here to kill you!"
Three masked men wielding short blades spoke with icy tones, and a chilling murderous aura enveloped the entire courtyard.
Chen Ming’s gaze sharpened. In his mind, he silently recited the command, and the panel quietly opened.
【Level: 30】
【Current Points: 7500】
【Cultivation Methods: 《Iron Horse Stance》 (Fifth Level Perfected), 《Three Suns Body Tempering》 (Seventh Level 101/50000)】
【Martial Techniques: 《Three Talents Fist》 (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returns Sword Technique (Proficient 4884/10000)】
"Add points!"
In one breath, he raised the Swallow Returns Sword Technique to Mastery.
All remaining points were then allocated to Three Suns Body Tempering.
Instantly, the values on the panel changed.
【Level: 30】
【Current Points: 0】
【Cultivation Methods: 《Iron Horse Stance》 (Fifth Level Perfected), 《Three Suns Body Tempering》 (Seventh Level 2485/50000)】
【Martial Techniques: 《Three Talents Fist》 (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returns Sword Technique (Mastery)】
In an instant, a booming sensation erupted in his mind, spontaneously bringing forth countless realizations.
At the same time, a surge of heat spread rapidly through his limbs and bones.
Just then, the tallest masked man suddenly spoke, "Blade Bro, you forgot—Seventh Bro said to catch him alive, not kill him."
"……"
The one addressed as Blade Bro visibly twitched with bulging veins on his forehead and snapped, "If you don’t speak, no one would think you’re mute."
The man spoke a little aggrievedly, "But Seventh Bro clearly said to catch him alive..."
"Enough, say no more." Another one tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to shut up.
Clearly, this big guy wasn’t too bright.
As his companions, they knew well enough to endure it.
Because of the disruption, Chen Ming had recovered, and a bit of confidence returned to his heart.
Pirates were cutthroat desperadoes who licked blood off their blades—not to be compared to those pampered noble heirs.
At lower cultivation levels, especially among martial artists of the same rank, cultivation alone often wasn’t the deciding factor in a battle.
First came mastery of techniques, second was adaptability, and third was courage.
Therefore, bloodthirsty pirates were far more dangerous than typical martial artists.
These three were probably even more troublesome than Sun Shicai.
Chen Ming had been able to kill Sun Shicai easily because he was intimately familiar with the Five Elements Saber Technique and clearly understood every variation in Sun Shicai’s moves, allowing him to prepare in advance.
But he knew nothing about what these three specialized in.
……
At that moment, Blade Bro said with a sinister grin, "You heard him. Will you come with us obediently, or should we break your arms and legs before taking you away?"
Chen Ming gently stroked the hilt of his blade and gave the three of them a glance. "Will you come one by one, or all at once?"
The big guy barked, "Oh yeah? Looking down on us? Let’s see what you’ve got."
Enraged, he charged forward.
Blade Bro’s temples throbbed with fury—Why did they bring this idiot along?
His companion was also helpless—If they hadn’t brought him, who knows what kind of chaos he would’ve caused?
While the two exchanged glances, the “idiot” had already engaged Chen Ming.
Though the man wasn’t very bright, his martial skills were solid. His moves were erratic and unorthodox, launching one odd technique after another, throwing Chen Ming into disarray.
"Seventh Grade!"
Upon clashing, Chen Ming immediately assessed his opponent’s cultivation level. While relieved, he still had to deal with the strange attacks and simultaneously keep part of his focus on the other two.
In a blink, the two had exchanged over ten moves.
"Why is it this move again?"
Chen Ming noticed that this big guy was using the same technique for the third time, and a bold guess came to mind—Could it be that he only knew a few moves?
Though bizarre, once seen, those odd techniques became easier to counter.
Sure enough, in the next exchange, the opponent repeated the same move.
Chen Ming immediately switched from defense to offense. With a twist of his long blade, he executed “Milky Way Reverses,” breaking the attack with ease. As the blade turned, it slashed toward the opponent’s wrist.
"Ouch!"
The big guy reacted quickly, discarding his blade and pulling back his hand, retreating rapidly to his companions. Startled, he exclaimed, "Blade Bro, this guy’s saber technique is too good—I can’t beat him."
【You defeated an LV38 opponent. Gained 1000 experience points】
Chen Ming was quite surprised—He actually surrendered?
The system determined victory by either knocking the opponent down or the opponent surrendering outright—even verbally counted.
So, theoretically, the system could be exploited.
However, finding someone of much higher cultivation willing to surrender to him was far too difficult.
……
Blade Bro’s gaze toward Chen Ming grew solemn, and he shouted, "Tough one, attack together!"
Though the big guy was dim-witted, his few strange moves were no joke.
Even when Blade Bro first faced him, he’d nearly been embarrassed.
Both of them struck simultaneously, launching an attack at Chen Ming.
They too were Seventh Grade martial artists.
Chen Ming defended flawlessly with his long saber and said, "If I’m not mistaken, you were sent by Sun Shicai, weren’t you?"
"What Sun Shicai, who cares about that guy—I don’t know him. This brat ain’t as strong as us, Stone, clash with him head-on!"
Blade Bro was indeed battle-hardened. He quickly realized that although Chen Ming’s saber techniques were exquisite, they had weaknesses.
The two coordinated perfectly, attacking from the front and rear, forcing him into a fluster.
The pressure on Chen Ming mounted—worst of all, there was still a third opponent nearby.
If he hadn’t raised Swallow Returns Sword Technique to Mastery, there’d be no way to handle this situation.
These two were only slightly weaker than Sun Shicai, yet far more dangerous to him.
Chen Ming continued, "Sun Shicai is already dead. There’s no point in capturing me now. If you don’t believe it, you can go back and ask your boss..."
As he spoke, the two men's attacks grew fiercer.
Every move aimed for his vital points—vicious and relentless, completely unaffected by what he said.
Dang!
Dang!
Several times, when dodging was impossible, Chen Ming had no choice but to block directly.
After a few exchanges, his arms went numb, and his tiger’s mouth throbbed in pain—he could barely hold his blade.
One of the attackers noticed the opening and exclaimed with joy, "He’s almost done for!"
He lunged forward, stabbing his short blade toward Chen Ming’s shoulder.
Just as he was about to strike, his eyes caught a flash of white light.
Not good!
Startled, he only managed to twist his body slightly—pain shot through his chest as he cried out and rolled to the ground.
This sudden turn of events had caught everyone completely off guard.
Blade Bro cried out in shock and rage, "Stone!"
Instead of retreating, he advanced, slashing down at Chen Ming’s head.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A sound of tearing air followed—three streaks of white light shot toward his chest.
With rapid motions of his short blade, he deflected the three flying knives. Just as he was about to finish off Chen Ming, a sudden sharp pain struck his abdomen—startling him to no end.
"When did I get stabbed?"
There had clearly been only three knives earlier, so how did a fourth one appear out of nowhere?
He suddenly felt a cold dread wash over him and shouted, "Wind’s up, let’s scram!"
He leapt over the wall and vanished without a trace.
The other two acted just as quickly. The big guy grabbed the wounded Stone and fled with him.
Chen Ming exhaled in relief, though a trace of regret lingered—he hadn’t managed to kill the two of them. Their reaction had been too fast.
At the critical moment, they’d avoided fatal strikes, preventing a clean kill.
【You defeated an LV39 enemy. Gained 1100 experience points.】
【You defeated an LV37 enemy. Gained 900 experience points.】
Still, earning a total of three thousand experience points wasn’t a bad consolation.
This Flying Knife Technique had been used in actual combat for the first time—and it had proven remarkably effective.
In a moment of crisis, he’d turned the tide. If not for it, he might not have survived today’s ambush.
He thought to himself with some relief, "That Sun Shicai was truly insidious—on one hand plotting against my brother, and on the other sending pirates to ambush me. Good thing I struck first and killed him."
……
Chen Ming walked out through the front gate, blade in hand, and soon spotted Chunxiang and Xiaxiang across the street, both looking anxious.
"Second Master!"
The two maids ran over quickly upon seeing him, eyes red, "Are you alright?"
Chen Ming replied, "I’m fine. Where are Sister-in-law and Lide, Lirong?"
"As you instructed earlier, we sent them straight to the medicine hall."
"Good."
Only then did Chen Ming feel truly at ease.
Since he had anticipated Sun Shicai’s attempt against him, he had made preparations.
The words he’d spoken earlier to Chunxiang and Xiaxiang had actually been a prearranged signal.
It meant danger was present at home, telling them to take Madam Wei and his nephew and niece away from the Chen Residence to safety.
Chunxiang asked, "Second Master, should we move back to the old residence this time?"
"No need."
Qingfeng City would likely enter a state of lockdown soon. If those pirates dared show themselves again, they would be killed without mercy.
That evening, when his elder brother and sister-in-law returned home, naturally, further explanation followed.
……
Night fell with a hazy calm.
From outside came the occasional sound of uniform footsteps—rushing in, then rushing away.
Chen Ming sat in the courtyard. His right hand was being treated with medicine by Chunxiang.
The skin of his tiger’s mouth was torn—though only a minor injury, it would take three to five days to heal.
"The Six Doors Authority really did respond quickly."
So he thought to himself.
Clearly, news of the noble scions being attacked had already reached Zhao Shouchang, and the city had begun a thorough investigation.
As he pondered this, Xiaxiang hurried in, "Second Master, there’s a man outside surnamed Zhao asking to see you."
Surnamed Zhao?
Chen Ming felt puzzled. Among the people he knew, there were indeed some surnamed Zhao, but Xiaxiang knew them too.
The way she spoke made it clear this man was a stranger to her.
In the middle of the night—while the city was under lockdown...
He said, "Invite him in."
Xiaxiang hesitated a bit and quietly asked, "Bring him here?"
"Yes."
A while later, Xiaxiang returned with the guest, and Chen Ming immediately understood her hesitation. He stood up abruptly, surprised. "Miss Zhao? You… why are you here?"
The visitor was none other than the daughter of Inspector Zhao Shouchang. Though dressed in men’s attire, anyone observant could easily tell her true gender.
She had only brought one maid with her and was gently fanning herself. A mischievous smile graced her face. Seeing Chen Ming’s startled expression seemed to delight her.
"Brother Chen, how have you been?"