I Only Know How to Bully Noobs

Chapter 94: Lobbyists

"What are your plans for the future?"

This was already the second time someone had asked Chen Ming this question.

The implied meaning was whether he would leave Qingfeng City.

Because Qingfeng City didn’t have any respectable sects, and the only noble family, the Gu Family, had long declined.

If one wanted to obtain a martial inheritance, aside from the Six Doors Authority, there were only the Seven Great Maritime Merchants.

Therefore, whenever a talented young person emerged in Qingfeng City, they would always leave—most often heading to Jiangzhou City.

Within the Jiangzhou region were the Four Great Sects, three of which were near Jiangzhou City, making it the top choice for young martial artists.

There were also the Three Major Gangs, two of which were based in Jiangzhou City—making them the second-best option.

Apart from these, Jiangzhou City also housed various other factions and many renowned experts.

Opportunities were far more abundant there than in Qingfeng City.

In truth, Qingfeng City used to have noble families and sects, and even had several Third Grade Experts.

That was until the arrival of the Sea-Calming King, who wiped them out in one stroke.

Then there was Shang Jianfei, suspected to be a peak expert, who hid himself in the Sea-Calming King’s Mansion and publicly declared a ban on any Third Grade Expert from entering Qingfeng City.

After more than twenty years, it was only natural that Qingfeng City declined further and further.

Not to mention being compared to Jiangzhou City—even among the dozen or so prefectures, it was at the very bottom.

This could only be chalked up to historical remnants.

Chen Ming said, "I haven’t decided yet. For now, I’ll settle matters at home first."

Zhang Mingyu couldn’t help but advise, "Junior Brother, the matters at home, leave them to us. We will take care of your elder brother’s family. If you wish to progress further in martial arts, you must make plans early. Do not hesitate and waste your unparalleled talent."

Chen Ming knew he meant well.

He patted his shoulder and said, "I know what I’m doing."

Seeing this, Zhang Mingyu knew it wasn’t his place to push further. With a tinge of melancholy, he said, "I used to be full of unwillingness, always dreaming of going out to explore, to see the more exciting world outside… Now, I no longer have that ambition. I only hope that you can leave early and let the world know that Qingfeng City, too, has martial geniuses."

He had clearly drunk a bit too much to be voicing such heartfelt words.

Chen Ming looked at him and said, "I see that Senior Brother is blessed with good fortune lately—surely some great event is about to happen."

"Then I’ll take your words as a good omen."

Zhang Mingyu thought Chen Ming was just trying to change the subject and didn’t take it to heart.

……

That night, Zhang Mingyu and the others stayed at the Chen Residence.

The next morning, after waking up and eating breakfast, they finally departed.

As usual, Chen Ming lectured over fifty students, had breakfast, saw Zhang Mingyu and the rest off, then headed out himself.

His first destination was the Governor’s Residence.

As soon as the carriage stopped, a young maid ran out from the residence, rushed up to him, and said, "Young Master Chen, the young lady isn’t feeling well today and can’t come out. She specifically ordered me to wait at the door to avoid keeping you waiting."

Chen Ming said, "Please go back and tell your young lady to rest well. Her health comes first."

The maid gave a curtsey. "Then I shall report back to the young lady."

Chen Ming waited until she went inside before returning to the carriage and instructing the coachman to leave.

He wore a calm expression.

Zhao Xiyan’s reaction wasn’t beyond his expectations.

After all, this wasn’t something honorable.

She was a noble young lady; it was only normal that she wouldn’t want to embarrass herself alongside him.

The next destination was the east of the city.

Qingfeng City was large, with a permanent population of over two hundred thousand, a sizable number for this era.

Usually, Chen Ming stayed in the western part of the city, the old town area.

This included the Huo Residence, the Gu Family, and nearly all his friends—most lived in this district.

The Governor’s Residence was located in the central district, not far from his home.

But going to the east of the city was a bit far.

He had to cross a large bridge, and for most residents of the west, going to the east side felt no different than leaving the city entirely.

The east side was the trade zone.

Qingfeng City had two docks, one of which was located here, making it rather bustling with endless traffic.

As such, there were many small gangs and factions in the east, and even some Seventh Grade Martial Artists.

When Chen Ming had just broken through to the Seventh Grade, he had visited this area a few times to pay respects to local Seventh Grade Martial Artists. But it bore little fruit.

Some accepted his gifts and sent him away after barely sitting down, while others simply refused to see him.

After hitting a wall three times, he stopped coming.

Now, on his fourth visit to the east side, he followed the same order as his first trip—challenging each one door-to-door, fighting his way through.

This was known as courtesy before force.

By the end of the day, Chen Ming had challenged over forty individuals, achieving even more than the previous day. He only returned home after nightfall.

Over the next two days, he challenged everyone in both the south and north districts.

As long as he knew the name of a Seventh Grade, he sought them out directly.

In just one hour, all the Seventh Grade Martial Artists in Qingfeng City were on edge.

Many went into hiding in advance, causing Chen Ming to often come up empty, unable to find anyone.

And his behavior of bullying the weak with strength naturally incurred public outrage.

It was well known that martial artists didn’t appear out of thin air—they had lineages and always had connections to stronger experts.

Unable to swallow such humiliation, many went to seek out renowned experts in the city, hoping they would come forward to uphold justice.

However, these well-known experts weren’t fools.

Upon learning of Chen Ming’s close relationship with the daughter of Governor Zhao, none were willing to stick their necks out.

……

That very night, after Chen Ming had challenged many Seventh Grade Martial Artists in the northern district, he returned home only to see Zhang Mingyu’s helpless expression.

Before Zhang Mingyu could speak, Chen Ming asked, "You’ve come to be a persuader?"

"Junior Brother, I truly don’t know what to say about you." Zhang Mingyu was genuinely exasperated.

He used to think this Junior Brother Chen was too kind, too refined, lacking the fiery spirit of youth.

Never did he imagine that once Junior Brother Chen snapped, he could turn all of Qingfeng City upside down.

"Since early this morning, all kinds of people have come to me complaining, accusing you of bullying the weak with strength. They questioned whether the Huo Residence plans to become their enemy."

Zhang Mingyu smiled bitterly. "Junior Brother, I don’t know who made you so angry. But now that you’ve beaten up so many people, surely your anger should be gone, right?"

To others, Chen Ming going berserk and picking fights with those Seventh Grade Martial Artists must have been for revenge. As for the reason, many speculations arose.

Seeing Zhang Mingyu’s look, Chen Ming knew he had been under a lot of pressure. Feeling a bit apologetic, he said, "I acted rashly and troubled you, Senior Brother."

Zhang Mingyu shook his head. "I’m not worried for myself. I’m concerned the other junior brothers may not be able to handle it."

This time, Chen Ming had truly made too many enemies. If things went wrong, those registered disciples of the Huo Residence would definitely suffer retaliation.

Chen Ming said, "Alright, I won’t trouble those people again."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mingyu finally felt a great burden lifted.

He had truly been afraid that Chen Ming would act stubbornly and continue offending more people. If that happened, everyone from the Huo Residence would be driven out of the city.

He let out a sigh of relief and said, "That’s good."

In truth, Chen Ming also knew this sort of thing could not be repeated. Not only because of the offense it caused—many Seventh Grade Martial Artists were now hiding, and he couldn’t even find them.

Even if Zhang Mingyu hadn’t come to talk, he wouldn’t have continued.

Now was the perfect opportunity to give Zhang Mingyu some face.

……

Just after sending Zhang Mingyu off, Chen Ming saw his elder brother Chen Rui coming to him.

Judging from his expression, he clearly had something to say. Chen Ming couldn’t help but smile, "Big Brother, are you here to be another persuader?"

But Chen Rui didn’t smile. He seriously said, "Ah Ming, do whatever you want. Even if you offend countless people, it doesn’t matter. At worst, our whole family can leave Qingfeng City."

Chen Ming felt warmth in his heart.

In this world, there truly was someone who, no matter what he wanted to do, would always stand by his side in support.

"I have no intention of leaving Qingfeng City. I know what I’m doing."

Hearing this, Chen Rui was relieved. "Actually, a few days ago, when you hired two Eighth Grade Martial Artists to guard the medicine shop and our residence, I already knew you were planning something big."

Chen Ming laughed. "Big Brother always understands me best."

Chen Rui continued, "One more thing—today, the young master of Guangtai Trading Company delivered an invitation. He’d like to invite you to a banquet tomorrow."

As he spoke, he pulled out a gold-embossed invitation and handed it over.

Guangtai Trading Company was also one of the Seven Great Maritime Merchants.

Chen Ming accepted it. Just as well—it was time to start making contact with the Seven Great Trading Companies.