I Only Know How to Bully Noobs

Chapter 88: Stealing Home

"Hahaha——"

The mad laughter of the old woman came to an abrupt halt, as if it had been forcibly cut off.

Chen Ming stood in place for a while, no longer hearing any sound.

There were two possibilities: one, that old woman had been dealt with.

Two, that Senior Shang had blocked out the sound, preventing others from hearing.

"Should I leave? Or should I leave?"

Chen Ming thought for a moment and decided to just do what he needed to do.

If Senior Shang wanted to silence him, he wouldn’t be able to escape anyway. Might as well face it calmly.

So, he spent another hour cleaning up the surroundings, then as usual, took the hoe back to that courtyard and returned it.

He glanced into the courtyard but did not see the old woman’s figure.

Senior Shang was sitting under the tree as usual, holding a piece of wood carving, staring at it blankly.

He didn’t react at all to Chen Ming’s arrival.

It was unknown whether that old woman had become flower fertilizer.

Chen Ming put down the hoe and retreated.

As he exited the main gate, the family carriage was already waiting there.

He got on the carriage and said to the coachman, "To the Zhuang Residence."

"Yes."

……

Zhuang Xiaotian lived at Zhuyufang beside Xiushui Street, not very far.

By the time the carriage reached the entrance of the Zhuang Residence, it was already dark.

Chen Ming went up to knock on the door. It was Zhuang Xiaotian’s wife, Madam Li, who opened it. They had gotten married two months ago.

Madam Li was quite pretty, born into a wealthy merchant family, educated and courteous.

Knowing that Chen Ming was an honored guest, she immediately welcomed him inside.

"My husband hasn’t returned yet, please wait a moment."

As she was speaking, Zhuang Xiaotian returned and happily said, "What wind blew you here today? I saw your carriage at the gate."

Chen Ming asked, "Why are you back so late?"

"Don’t mention it. A major incident happened yesterday. I was summoned in the middle of the night and had to go on duty. I’ve only just returned now."

While speaking, Zhuang Xiaotian instructed his wife to prepare wine and meat, planning to have a good drink with Chen Ming.

Chen Ming originally came with business, but upon hearing this, his curiosity was piqued. He asked, "What happened?"

Zhuang Xiaotian waited for his wife to leave, then lowered his voice and said, "Last night, someone broke into the prison and rescued several prisoners."

"What?"

Chen Ming was startled.

That really was a big deal. "Who could possibly snatch people right under the eyes of the Governor?"

The Governor’s Office wasn’t far from the Six Doors Authority’s main office.

At the speed of a Third Grade expert, he could arrive instantly upon receiving the news.

Zhuang Xiaotian gave a bitter smile and said, "If the Governor were in town, who would dare to break into the prison? These past few days, the Governor has been away at sea, negotiating with the Red Sea Lord. This matter was supposed to be extremely secret. Even within the Six Doors Authority, only a handful knew..."

So, there was a mole?

Chen Ming was deep in thought.

As for Zhao Shouchang negotiating with pirates, that was normal.

More communication meant fewer misunderstandings. If both sides could settle on mutually acceptable terms, it would help establish a long-term relationship.

Once agreed, both sides could coexist peacefully.

Pirates could collect taxes at sea, no longer needing to risk their lives.

Zhao Shouchang wouldn’t have to worry about pirates causing trouble in Qingfeng City again.

A win-win situation.

Only, if such things got out, it would tarnish the imperial court’s reputation.

Naturally, it had to be done in secret.

But in the end, someone had stolen home.

Chen Ming asked, "Who were the ones rescued?"

That was the key.

Zhuang Xiaotian whispered, "Among them were two demonic members of the Cult of Eternal Life. They were supposed to be escorted to the capital in a few days. Now, I fear our Governor might be in trouble."

"Was it done by the Cult of Eternal Life?"

Zhuang Xiaotian chuckled, "The demonic members of the Cult of Eternal Life are all selfish and self-serving. Infighting among them is nothing new. How could they risk their lives to save others? This time, two more people were taken. Guess who?"

Chen Ming said, "I have no idea. Stop keeping me in suspense."

"It was the Sand Sea General, one of the five Sea Generals under the Red Sea Lord."

So that was it.

Chen Ming suddenly understood.

He had almost forgotten about this person.

Back when Qingfeng City was thrown into chaos by several Flood Kings, even the Gu Family had nearly been wiped out.

The Red Sea Lord had sent two Sea Generals to help eliminate those Flood Kings.

In the end, they were betrayed by Yu Xiuming—one was killed, and the other was captured.

To be honest, Yu Xiuming had acted in a completely dishonorable way, disregarding all codes of the martial world.

So now, it was no surprise they’d make such a move in return.

Clearly, this prison break was most likely orchestrated by the Red Sea Lord.

On one hand, he was negotiating with Zhao Shouchang; on the other, he had someone sneak behind and steal home—rescuing his own subordinate, and conveniently also taking the Cult of Eternal Life members.

He thoroughly screwed over Zhao Shouchang.

If things weren’t handled well, Zhao Shouchang could lose his position.

Chen Ming praised, "What a clever tactic."

Zhuang Xiaotian said, "This Red Sea Lord never takes a loss. But causing such a commotion means Qingfeng City will be troubled in the future."

Chen Ming replied, "This sort of major affair is beyond our concern."

"True."

At that moment, Madam Li brought over the wine and dishes, placed them down, and then left.

Chen Ming asked, "Right, who was the other person taken?"

"A man named Fu Zhengyang. He was imprisoned a few months ago for a minor offense. No one knows why they bothered to rescue him too."

Fu Zhengyang?

Hearing that name, Chen Ming’s scalp tingled.

Wasn’t that the one who disguised himself as a Seventh Grade but was actually a Sixth Grade Martial Artist?

No wonder—he probably had something to do with the prison break.

This guy had been lying in wait for months inside the prison just to pull this off?

Still, this had nothing to do with him.

Chen Ming finally brought up the real issue. "I want you to look into someone for me."

Zhuang Xiaotian instinctively straightened up and asked, "Who?"

"Shang Jianfei, a man from Jiangzhou. If he’s still alive, he should be around sixty years old. He was extremely talented and quite well-known decades ago. He shouldn’t be hard to track down. Help me find detailed information on this person."

"Alright, that’s no problem."

Zhuang Xiaotian agreed without hesitation.

……

When Chen Ming left the Zhuang Residence, it was already quite late.

The cold wind was biting.

Sitting inside the carriage, he felt an inexplicable chill.

With something this major, the negotiations between the pirates and the authorities were bound to fall apart.

Of course, these pirates could stir up waves at sea, but they were no match on land.

No matter how formidable the Red Sea Lord was, he was only a Second Grade cultivator.

The Great Jin Dynasty had so many First Grade experts they couldn’t be counted on two hands.

The real problem was—would these pirates collude with the demonic members of the Cult of Eternal Life?

That was the truly terrifying possibility.

If the Cult of Eternal Life began ambushing martial artists everywhere and then fled to sea afterward, it would become nearly impossible to eradicate them.

Back in the day, even the Sea-Calming King, with all his prowess, had spent seven or eight years just to eliminate one pirate king.

And he had five experts above Third Grade under him, not to mention that he himself was a First Grade.

But would the Seven Great Maritime Trading Guilds allow another Sea-Calming King to rise?

Chen Ming pondered this, his brows furrowing.

He had a premonition that the next few years in Qingfeng City would only grow more chaotic.

A thought struck him, and he opened the system panel.

【Level: 39】

【Current Points: 15432】

【Cultivation Techniques: 《Iron Horse Stance》(Fifth Level Complete), 《Three Suns Body Tempering》(Ninth Level 80000/100000)】

【Martial Skills: 《Three Talents Fist》(Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returns Sword Technique (Mastery)】

"Still short 4600 points."

At most ten more days, and he’d have enough.

However, Chen Ming decided to speed things up and break through to Sixth Grade as soon as possible, in order to cope with the increasingly complex situation.

Starting tomorrow, he would visit the old seniors more frequently.

……

So, over the next two days, Chen Ming went around visiting, meeting every one of the Seventh Grade “Elders” willing to spar with him.

At last, he managed to gather the four thousand-plus experience points he needed.

That night, just as Chen Ming was about to enter seclusion to level up, Zhuang Xiaotian came looking for him.

He had no choice but to delay the upgrade and go meet him.

"That person you asked me to look into—I’ve got all the information. This Shang Jianfei is truly extraordinary, a genius of the sword path."

As soon as Zhuang Xiaotian entered, he picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. His eyes lit up. "What tea is this? So refreshing and mellow. Truly excellent tea."

"Chunxiang, pack two taels of Yunshan Maofeng for Brother Zhuang to take home."

"How could I accept that?"

Although Zhuang Xiaotian said that, his face lit up with joy. While the benefits at the Six Doors Authority weren’t bad, his training expenses were high.

On top of marrying and buying a house, his family wasn’t wealthy—he was indeed short on money.

Chen Ming could naturally see this.

Whenever he had something good, he always shared a portion with him.

It wasn’t the same as giving money directly—it was both generous and respectful of his pride.

Where else could one find a friend like this?

Chen Ming smiled. "These were gifts from others. I can’t finish them all. Good things are meant to be shared with friends. Don’t be polite."

"Then I shall accept graciously."

Zhuang Xiaotian continued sharing Shang Jianfei’s background. "He came from an ordinary background, but from a young age, he displayed remarkable talent in swordsmanship. At twenty, with just Seventh Grade cultivation, he beheaded a Sixth Grade Martial Artist. He gained the admiration of the sect master of the Qinghe Sword Sect and was accepted as his disciple... In just ten years, he reached Third Grade and gained national fame, regarded as a candidate for Sword Saint..."

"But then, Shang Jianfei suddenly vanished without a trace. Not a word was heard from him again—until a few years later, when the Qinghe Sword Sect was exterminated overnight..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming’s pupils contracted slightly.