I Only Stomp on Weaklings

After Chen Ming left the Wu Martial Arts Hall, he made a trip to the Huo Mansion to find Zhang Mingyu.

"Why has Junior Brother come?"

Zhang Mingyu was explaining the "Five Elements Saber Technique" to several junior brothers, all old acquaintances. After greeting them, he left Gu Junrong and the others to practice by themselves and took Chen Ming to the pavilion for tea.

Previously, there was a period when the two of them, along with Hong Mingquan, would sit here every day, drinking tea and chatting.

Now, the tea set is the same, but the people are gone.

Feeling a bit nostalgic, Chen Ming took a sip of tea and said, "I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I’d come to Senior Brother’s place for a cup of tea."

Zhang Mingyu laughed heartily, "Nothing else here, but there’s plenty of Alpine tea. I’ve been eagerly waiting for Junior Brother to come over every day."

For the past month, he sparred with Chen Ming every couple of days.

After sparring, Chen Ming would also review the session with him. He felt his saber technique had improved. Naturally, he wished Chen Ming would come more often.

Chen Ming said, "I’m just glad Senior Brother doesn’t find me bothersome."

"How could that be!"

After some idle talk, Chen Ming brought up a serious matter, "Speaking of which, early today, a Black-robed Constable from the Six Gates came looking for me..."

He briefly recapped the situation.

Upon hearing that the constable mentioned the old sixth, Zhang Mingyu instantly became tense, "You didn’t tell him, did you?"

Chen Ming earnestly said, "No, since I’ve promised Senior Brother, I naturally won’t tell anyone about this."

"That’s good."

Zhang Mingyu finally felt relieved. He glanced at the junior brothers practicing their saber techniques not far away and whispered, "Actually, the sixth junior brother..."

"I’m not interested in probing into this matter. I just felt I should inform Senior Brother. It’s getting late, so I’ll head back."

Knowing Bi Haibo’s story might drag him into the cause and effect. He wouldn’t get involved in such matters that had no benefits.

After speaking, he directly took his leave.

...

Chen Ming returned home, it was almost evening, just in time for dinner. At the table, he noticed his sister-in-law was absent, and his elder brother Chen Rui had already announced that they could start eating.

He asked, "Aren’t we waiting for the sister-in-law?"

"She’s feeling unwell, and I’ve already asked Xiaohong to send the meal to her room."

Unwell?

She probably feels socially dead in front of him?

Chen Ming found it somewhat amusing; her face is really thin.

His elder brother Chen Rui suddenly asked, "Er Lang, do you have a woman you fancy?"

"No," he shook his head and said, "You don’t need to worry about my marriage, Brother. I don’t have any thoughts of marriage for now."

Seeing his determined attitude, Chen Rui seemed like he wanted to say something but held back.

After dinner, he went to find his wife, Madam Wei, "Wife, do you think Er Lang might still be infatuated with that Zhang family’s girl?"

"Why mention this suddenly?"

"Er Lang is already twenty-one, yet has no thoughts of marriage. When I was his age, Ade was already born." Chen Rui was frowning slightly.

An elder brother is like a father, and with their parents gone, it’s naturally up to him as the eldest brother to worry about his younger brother’s marriage.

Men marrying when they come of age is heaven’s law and earth’s principle.

Yet Er Lang always refuses to take a wife, which isn’t normal.

It’s just getting married; how would it interfere with martial arts practice?

In his view, this is merely an excuse.

Thinking it over, Chen Rui seemed to come to only this possibility.

Madam Wei, upon hearing this, became worried, "What to do then? That girl is soon to be married off to someone else."

"That Zhang Family is so mercenary; she’s certainly not a good match. Even if she doesn’t marry someone else, Er Lang can’t marry her; otherwise, the household will never be peaceful. We must come up with another plan."

That night, Chen Rui didn’t sleep, pondering over this matter all night.

...

The next day, Li Jinchuan indeed brought a guardian to visit, a man in his forties, looking ordinary and dressed in simple cloth.

Li Jinchuan introduced, "This is Uncle Rui. Uncle Rui, this is Senior Brother Chen."

Uncle Rui bowed, "Hu Guangrui greets Second Young Master Chen."

"No need for such formality, Sir Hu." Chen Ming couldn’t quite figure out their relationship; it felt more like master and servant than guardian. "I wonder what brings you here, Sir?"

"I wouldn’t dare; I’m here to request a favor."

"Feel free to speak your mind."

"I need to leave Qingfeng City soon, but I’m worried that no one will be able to take care of Chuan’er. Could he stay at your residence for a month? At most, I will be back by then."

Chen Ming laughed, "I wondered what it was; it’s a small matter, he can stay as long as he likes."

Hu Guangrui was delighted, "Thank you, Young Master Chen. If possible, he could stay over tonight. I’m leaving early tomorrow."

"Alright."

Thus, Li Jinchuan moved into the Chen Mansion.

As a result, many students heard about it and clamored to move in too.

Chen Ming’s face turned stern, and they quieted down.

...

A few nights later, while Chen Ming was reading in his room, he suddenly heard a scream coming from afar.

Judging by the sound, it should have come from a few hundred meters away.

"Has something happened?"

As he pondered, he heard another scream, this time much closer.

Feeling tense, Chen Ming set down the book, grabbed the long saber by his bed, and rushed out towards his elder brother’s courtyard, shouting, "Brother."

Soon, Chen Rui emerged, draped in an outer garment, asking nervously, "What happened?"

Chen Ming said gravely, "Still not clear. You should go back indoors and look after Sister-in-law and Lide. I’ll guard outside."

"Alright."

Without delay, Chen Rui returned to reassure his wife and children.

Chen Ming then asked Chunxiang and Xiaxiang to awaken everyone in the mansion and gather them in this courtyard.

He heard several more screams. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Then, everything fell silent.

Chen Ming didn’t dare relax and stood guard in the courtyard until dawn.

No one slept well that night.

At daybreak, Chen Ming sent people out to gather information, and they returned quickly.

With a pale face, the informer reported, "First Young Master, Second Young Master, last night a gang of bandits broke into a family named Jiang in the east, killing twelve family members and then looting their wealth. Now, the Six Gates people have arrived..."

Upon hearing of such a tragic event, Chen Rui exclaimed in shock and anger, "It’s truly lawless! Who could commit such heinous acts? Robbing would be one thing, but to murder..."

"It’s said... a group of pirates did it. These maritime traders have no morals. When they raid merchant ships, they often leave no survivors..."

Chen Ming frowned deeply, realizing Wang Yangming’s concerns seemed justified. These pirates acted with no scruples; it’s just been a few days, and they’ve committed such a massacre.

If last night they had targeted his home, he alone might not have been able to protect the family.

It seems it’s urgent to enhance his skills.

It can be foreseen that with Dragon King Zheng dead and his pirates unrestrained, Qingfeng City may fall into chaos for a while.

It’s known that the overall strength of Qingfeng City is far below that of Zheng’s pirate band.

In Qingfeng City, there’s only a fourth-tier master from the Gu Family. Then there are a fifth-tier guardian from the Six Gates, along with two fifth-tier renowned experts.

On the pirate side, while Dragon King Zheng is dead, his nine adopted sons are all of fourth or fifth-tier strength. If they all come to Qingfeng City to raid, it’ll be impossible to resist.