Chen Ming didn’t take the carriage. The coachman was with him, and he also didn’t know the way. It was more convenient for him to walk alone.
Upon asking for directions, he found the place was quite far.
He didn’t mind; it was a rare opportunity to go out, perfect for taking a stroll around the city.
Last ti he went out, even though he had traveled through most of Jiangzhou, he was so focused on gaining experience points that he didn’t have the heart to enjoy the scenery, rely passing through.
Now he finally had the leisure to admire the scenery of this big city properly.
Chen Ming walked the entire morning and finally arrived at that street. After asking a few people, he found the place on a street paved with blue stone slabs.
"Evergreen Hall, it should be here."
He ca to the entrance of a small dical hall, glanced at the sowhat ancient plaque above, and asked inside, "Excuse , is Doctor Sun here?"
He was about to enter when he saw a man holding a long sword step out. The sharp gaze swept over him, carrying an invisible pressure.
Chen Ming instinctively retracted his foot, not stepping inside.
His heart tightened; this man was absolutely a master, likely stronger than him.
How could such a master appear in this unimposing dical hall?
He was very puzzled.
This ti, he was entrusted by Doctor Wang to co.
Chen Ming’s eyes were previously injured by Zhao Shouchang’s Sword Intent, and it was Doctor Wang who treated them. Seeing that Doctor Wang not only had high dical skills but also noble dical ethics, he deliberately befriended him.
This ti, Doctor Wang heard he was coming to Jiangzhou City and asked him to deliver so items to Doctor Sun at Evergreen Hall.
Doctor Wang said that this Doctor Sun was considered his teacher, and his entire dical skill was learned from Doctor Sun.
Chen Ming initially thought this Evergreen Hall should be well-known, given it could teach soone as outstanding as Doctor Wang. But after asking around, he found it was in a rather inconspicuous street in a civilian area, and the dical hall was very small.
The swordsman blocked the entrance and only said two words, "Wait here."
Chen Ming sowhat understood; soone inside was probably receiving treatnt, and this swordsman was the patient’s guard.
"No wonder Jiangzhou City indeed has masters everywhere. Even a random guard has a fourth-grade cultivation."
He thought in his heart and then heard footsteps from inside; a woman wearing a veil walked out. Although he couldn’t see her face, her figure and attire suggested she was quite young.
Chen Ming glanced once and then withdrew his gaze, stepping aside. Only after the woman and swordsman left, he entered the dical hall.
"Excuse , is Doctor Sun here?"
"Are you here for dicine?"
An elder with white hair and beard ca out. Although he looked very old, he was alert, making Doctor Wang appear younger.
Chen Ming said, "You must be Doctor Sun. It’s Doctor Wang Yimu who sent here to bring you sothing."
With that, he passed the bundle on his back over.
"Ah, it’s that child."
Doctor Sun’s expression softened a bit. He took the bundle and casually placed it aside.
"There is also a letter." Chen Ming took out the letter he had brought with him.
Doctor Sun asked him to sit down, then opened the envelope to read.
...
Outside on the street, a seemingly ordinary carriage was parked, with the veiled woman who had just left Evergreen Hall waiting for a while.
"Has that person not co out yet?"
The swordsman sitting next to the coachman replied, "No, Master."
"He wasn’t here for dicine. Send soone to watch him and find out his background."
"Yes."
"Head back."
The carriage then slowly drove away.
...
After a while, Doctor Sun finished reading the letter, kept it away, looked at Chen Ming again, and surveyed him twice before asking, "Are you Chen Ming?"
"Yes, Sir."
"May I check your pulse?"
"Certainly."
Chen Ming stood up, approached, and extended his hand.
Doctor Sun placed his fingers on his wrist while gently stroking his beard with the other hand.
After a mont, he released his hand, "Little Wang ntioned in the letter that you have a keen interest in the dical field."
Chen Ming said, "dicine and martial arts are inseparable. Learning more about dicine is beneficial to Martial Dao."
"Stay here for a mont."
Doctor Sun turned inside, and after a while, brought out a thick book, saying, "This is so of my insights on dicine; I’ll give it to you."
Chen Ming was startled and quickly said, "This—it’s too precious, I can’t accept it."
Doctor Sun pushed the book into his hands, "Take it. I have no disciples, no descendants. If it stays here with , it will only be buried with ."
"Thank you, senior."
"You probably won’t be returning to Qingfeng City so soon. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can co and ask ."
"Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you, senior?"
"Usually, there aren’t many people here, so you can co and keep company."
"In that case, I’ll humbly accept your offer."
...
When Chen Ming returned to Feng Siyuan’s place, he t Zhou Weihao and Gu Yuantao.
"Hey, you ca to Jiangzhou City and didn’t co to find us."
As soon as they t, Zhou Weihao complained, "We’ve been waiting for you here for half a day."
Chen Ming explained a few things.
Zhou Weihao was relentless and finally said, "You’re treating us at the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion tonight."
"Next ti, the Cyan Cloud Ranking competition is about to start..."
"Co on, do you really think you can make a ranking? Don’t think I’m looking down on you, but do you know how many young experts have erged in Jiangzhou in recent years?"
Zhou Weihao poured cold water on him, "A few years ago, the Jiangzhou Five Horses were all at the fourth rank cultivation. That’s five spots taken. In recent years, several formidable figures have erged like Jiang Shihua from the Jiang Family, Li Yuqi from the Wushan Sect, and Ji Qianxing from the Ji Family... All these are experts at the pinnacle of the fifth rank, their strength is extraordinary."
Beside him, Gu Yuantao also nodded slightly in agreent.
Both of them were at the sixth rank cultivation, a few years younger than Chen Ming. They had no hope this ti; they’d be overaged by the next. You could say they perfectly missed this grand event.
They were martial artists, so they better understood Chen Ming’s gap with Jiang Shihua, Li Yuqi, and Ji Qianxing.
Only soone like Feng Siyuan, who had failed in martial arts, would blindly have confidence in Chen Ming.
In their view, Chen Ming’s talent was certainly exceptional. Given another year, he’d definitely be a strong contender for the Cyan Cloud Ranking. But right now, he was far from it.
Look at him dominating in Qingfeng City, never having t a worthy opponent. That’s because there weren’t any decent experts in Qingfeng City.
These past two or three decades, the Martial Dao in Qingfeng City had fallen too much. Chen Ming’s achievents weren’t very convincing.
Those he’d defeated before were just weaklings stuck with no path forward, coming from humble backgrounds.
Now, those participating in the Cyan Cloud Ranking competition were all the best disciples from aristocratic families and sects, practicing top-notch cultivation techniques and martial arts.
Their strength was amongst the elites within the sa realm.
No matter how strong Chen Ming was, the ti he’d spent breaking through to the fifth rank was too short. How could he compete with those who’d been at the fifth rank for two or three years?
Finally, Zhou Weihao said, "Being able to spar with the most outstanding experts of your generation will greatly benefit your future. As for winning or losing, it’s not necessary to dwell on it."
He added, "So, you should still co with to the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion tonight. Let tell you, this year, a new courtesan has erged, surpassing all others in beauty. When I saw her last ti, I thought she was simply a celestial being—"
Suddenly, a woman’s voice ca from the side, "Brother Zhou is talking about the courtesan Mudan from the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion, right? I also want to see her for myself."
Hearing this voice, Zhou Weihao’s throat seed to be choked by sothing. He glared angrily at Feng Siyuan beside him, then turned to look at Zhao Xiyan, who was walking in from outside.
She was still dressed as a man, holding a folding fan, with her personal maid following behind. At this mont, she was looking at Zhou Weihao with an enigmatic smile.
Zhou Weihao laughed awkwardly, "Isn’t this Young Master Zhao? Long ti no see, you’re even more charming than before. By the way, I rembered I have sothing urgent at ho, so I’ll take my leave first."
Saying that, he slipped away.
Gu Yuantao said nothing, cupped his hands, and left too.
Feng Siyuan also wanted to say sothing, but seeing Zhao Xiyan gazing intently at Chen Ming, he wisely zipped his lips and left directly.
...
Chen Ming looked at Zhao Xiyan, standing in front of him, appearing more mature, her chest seemingly more ample. He felt slightly complicated, "Long ti no see."
Indeed, it had been quite a while, nearly three months.
More than two months ago, Zhao Shouchang had returned to Qingfeng City, but she stayed in Jiangzhou City. During this ti, she had written him a few letters.
However, not seeing each other for so long did make things a bit distant.
Zhao Xiyan’s eyes were a bit red, "Are you still mad at for coming to Jiangzhou City with my father?"
Chen Ming said, "How could I be mad at you? Leaving at that ti was the wisest choice. Had you stayed, Lord Admiral probably wouldn’t have let go."
The more understanding he was, the more Zhao Xiyan felt the distance between them, as if an invisible wall stood in her way, preventing her from getting closer.
Everything seed to be getting better.
Since Chen Ming broke through to the fifth rank, her father’s attitude had also changed. Although he hadn’t said it outright, he had tacitly agreed and wouldn’t obstruct her anymore.
"I stayed in Jiangzhou City because my father found a master. I ntioned it in my letters. Did you receive the letters I wrote to you?"
Chen Ming nodded, "I received all the letters you sent. I was worried about delaying your practice, so I didn’t write back. Knowing you’re doing well in Jiangzhou City makes relieved."
At this ti, a servant ca to report, "Young Master Chen, soone is seeking to et you outside."
"I understand."
Chen Ming glanced at the sky and said, "It’s getting late, you should go back. Don’t let your master scold you. I’ll visit you another day."
After saying that, he left, polite yet distant.
Zhao Xiyan watched his back, tears streaming down her face.
She couldn’t understand how things turned out this way.
PS: It’s the last two days, please vote for .
User Comments
0 comments from readers