I Only Stomp on Weaklings

On the rooftop, Zhao Xiyan saw that Chen Ming easily killed the former Seventh-Grade Patrol Envoy Sun Shicai, her pretty face filled with surprise and joy. "As expected of someone I’ve taken a liking to, his saber technique is truly remarkable."

Even Sun Shicai, who fought his way up from the bottom, was not his match. This person is undoubtedly a natural swordsman with an astonishing battle talent.

Such a person, once grown, is bound to become illustrious in one area.

If he can be roped in, he will be of great use in the future.

Beside her, Zhao Daxian said quietly, "You were still doubting him earlier, saying he wasn’t a match for Sun Shicai... Ow—"

He got smacked on the back of his head again and pouted, not daring to speak further.

After scolding her back-talking brother, Zhao Xiyan began pondering how to win over this Chen Ming.

After a while, Zhao Daxian couldn’t help but speak, "Sister, are you thinking about how to win him over?"

She ignored him.

Zhao Daxian continued, "If you want to win people’s hearts, it’s nothing more than two points: one is respecting and elevating the virtuous, and the other is appealing to their interests. Look at that Miss Xiao. She treats everyone courteously, making people feel like spring breeze. But precisely because of this, the real talents will never work for her."

Zhao Xiyan was intrigued and asked, "Why?"

"The more genius someone is, the more proud they are. If you treat him like you do those mediocrities, it’s an insult to him. You have to regard him in a different light."

Zhao Xiyan was somewhat surprised, beginning to see her brother in a different light.

Then, she saw him looking smug, "Do you think what I said makes sense?"

She replied lightly, "Your umbrella is crooked."

"Oh."

Zhao Daxian obediently straightened the umbrella.

...

...

At the gate of the Admiral’s Mansion, many disciples of the Huo Sect, having received the news, rushed over to join the ranks paying respects to the memorial tablets of Huo Chengkun and others.

Suddenly, someone shouted angrily, "Hu Yongxing, you, a lackey of Sun Shicai, dare to come and pay respects to the master?"

For a moment, everyone was filled with righteous indignation, grabbing Hu Yongxing, intending to execute him on the spot to offer to the master.

Hu Yongxing was scared out of his wits, crying loudly in defense, "How could I know that Sun scoundrel was such a rebellious and immoral person... I... I have important information to report, that Sun scoundrel intends to harm Senior Brother Chen’s family..."

Hearing this, everyone dared not delay and hurried to bring him before Chen Ming.

At this point, Chen Ming’s prestige had surpassed Zhang Mingyu, and no one dared to call him "junior brother" anymore.

When Hu Yongxing saw Chen Ming, he fully disclosed the matter of Sun Shicai ordering him to find someone to frame Chunhe Hall last night.

This immediately provoked a series of curses; Sun Shicai was indeed despicable, shameless, and insidious, intending to use such a deceitful plan against Senior Brother Chen’s family.

Chen Ming felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, he took action decisively today, otherwise, his elder brother would have been in danger, facing inevitable suffering in prison.

You truly can’t show the slightest bit of compassion towards enemies, or it would only harm yourself.

"Senior Brother Chen, I merely pretended to go along with that scoundrel, I had no intention of harming your family... I was deceived by him, had I known he committed such heinous acts, I’d never have followed him..."

Hu Yongxing knelt on the ground, crying his heart out.

Chen Ming spoke, "Everyone, listen to me. The matter of Sun Shicai’s betrayal must not be known to anyone outside. Those who followed him were not aware of the truth. Since this villain has already been executed, let’s not implicate others, after all, they’re our fellow disciples, give them a chance to reform."

Zhang Mingyu was the first to stand up in agreement, "Junior Brother is right, we are all fellow disciples, from now on we should unite, share honor and disgrace, advance and retreat together, we must not kill each other."

With these two authoritative figures speaking, naturally, others had no objections.

Hu Yongxing was full of gratitude and thanks.

After a while, everyone dispersed.

Chen Ming was still a bit worried about his elder brother, deciding to visit the pharmacy.

...

"Er Lang, what brings you here?"

Chunhe Hall was bustling with customers. Chen Rui, busy behind the counter, saw his younger brother, immediately delegating his tasks to the shop’s assistant and leading him to the back hall to talk.

Seeing everything was peaceful here, Chen Ming relaxed and said, "I was just passing by, so I thought I’d stop in. The shop seems to be doing well."

"Who doesn’t know now, that Chunhe Hall has produced a young hero, Chen Erlang, who became a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist at a young age. The more famous you become, the better our pharmacy’s business gets."

"That’s because of your excellent management, big brother."

The two brothers complimented each other.

Chen Rui brought up business, "Just in time, there’s something I want to discuss with you. Recently, we took on some large orders, the volume is too great, and the warehouse is insufficient, we might need to rent two more rooms."

Chen Ming said, "Business matters are your call, no need to ask me. I’m not familiar with these matters."

He wasn’t the kind of person who had to interfere in everything, craving for power.

With his elder brother able to handle the pharmacy well, he was more than happy to enjoy leisure.

Chen Rui also had his principles, "This is a significant expense, naturally, it should be discussed with you."

"Alright, I agree." Chen Ming didn’t mind much, then asked, "Recently, has that Zhengren Hall come to cause you any trouble?"

Chen Rui laughed, "They wouldn’t dare? Last time they warned me once, and within days, you broke through to Seventh-Grade. Then their boss specifically invited me for a meal, to apologize, and even mentioned recommending Chunhe Hall to become a member of the Medical Guild as a director in the second half of the year."

As he spoke, his eyes were a bit moist, "If father were still alive, knowing you, Erlang, have achieved so much, he would be so happy."

Becoming a director of the Medical Guild signifies the pharmacy holding a significant position in the industry.

And all of this was brought by Chen Ming.

Truly exemplifying what it means for one person to achieve greatness, lifting the entire family to greater heights.

A family having a Martial Dao prodigy was capable of elevating the entire clan.

In the past two years, Chen Ming’s strength has advanced by leaps and bounds, and the Chen Family’s wealth and social status have also jumped several levels, reaching a point that Chen Rui never even dared to imagine before.

...

Chen Ming sat for a while, saw there was nothing going on in the shop, and then left. Staying here would only disturb the business of the pharmacy.

He had just gotten into the carriage when he saw Zhuang Xiaotian, dressed in a black official uniform, running over and getting into the carriage as well.

"I heard you killed Sun Shicai at the gate of the Admiral’s Mansion?"

Zhuang Xiaotian’s eyes were filled with shock and admiration. "I was on patrol in the street today, and when I heard this news, I couldn’t believe it. Sun Shicai’s saber technique was among the best among the patrol envoys. It’s said that he already achieved Qi Blood Mastery, just one step away from the sixth grade, yet you managed to kill him..."

He lamented for a while and saw Chen Ming only smiling silently, then suddenly sighed, "Do you remember three years ago, when the four of us discussed Martial Dao? Now, less than two years later, you have left all of us behind."

Chen Ming asked him, "Is there any news from Brother Deng?"

Zhuang Xiaotian shook his head, "I asked someone to inquire, but there’s been no news."

"What about Brother Guan?"

"A few days ago, he went out to sea again."

Zhuang Xiaotian couldn’t help but sigh again when mentioning these two sworn brothers.

After a while, he remembered something and said, "By the way, last night, something big happened outside the city. I fear Qingfeng City will be unstable again. You had better be careful and not leave the city anytime soon."

Chen Ming was curious, "What happened?"

Zhuang Xiaotian whispered, "It’s said that those noble sons from the families who came to participate in the Martial Arts Gathering have been leaving in recent days, and shortly after leaving the city, they were ambushed and killed. It’s reported that several of them are missing."

Chen Ming’s expression immediately turned serious, "Is the information accurate?"

Zhuang Xiaotian nodded, but did not reveal the source of the information.

If it is true, then it is indeed a matter of great importance.

Those noble sons who came to participate in the Martial Arts Gathering were all local power figures from various counties in Jiangzhou. Who dares to make a move against them?

Even those lawless pirates wouldn’t erect so many formidable enemies for no reason, right?

He asked, "Who did it?"

Zhuang Xiaotian leaned closer and whispered, "Some suspect it’s the Longevity Evil Cult rising from the ashes."

Longevity Evil Cult?

Chen Ming was slightly startled.

This name he had only seen in history books. According to historical records, every time there was chaos, the Longevity Sect would come out to stir trouble.

The last mention of this sect was three hundred years ago, when a tyrant from the previous dynasty wreaked havoc, causing the people to suffer, and the Longevity Sect seized the opportunity to rise, ultimately leading to the previous dynasty’s demise.

When the new dynasty was established, the Longevity Sect was swept into the dustbin of history, never to appear in the chronicles again.

For people now, this name is somewhat distant.

Even common folks rarely have legends about them.

Chen Ming felt even more burdened in his heart. If the Longevity Sect reappears, could the world be thrown into chaos again?

"Is this confirmed?"

Zhuang Xiaotian said, "Who knows? Anyway, some people speculate this way."

Chen Ming asked him, "What kind of force is this Longevity Sect exactly?"

"I have actually checked the records. This sect originated from the Longevity Immortal Dynasty eight thousand years ago. Legend has it that the Emperor of Eternal Life established a Longevity Palace in pursuit of the secrets of longevity, recruiting many talented individuals. Later, the Emperor faced heavenly punishment, the Immortal Dynasty collapsed, but the Longevity Palace survived and transformed into the Longevity Sect, continuing to seek longevity’s secret."

"People of the Longevity Sect are obsessed with pursuing longevity by any means necessary, committing numerous heinous acts condemned by gods and men alike, making them intolerable in the world. Over time, they became an evil cult. Whenever they appear, they become the world’s enemy. But this sect has deep roots. Every time they are exterminated, they always spring back to life after a few hundred years."

Zhuang Xiaotian spoke with a face full of regret and said, "Unfortunately, that’s all the information Six Gates has. More detailed records probably require higher grades to access."

Chen Ming felt a headache getting worse.

Longevity Immortal Dynasty, Emperor of Eternal Life, these are all mythical figures.

Although mentioned in history books, they are no different from myths and legends, making it hard to discern the truth.

According to historical records, this Emperor of Eternal Life lived for a thousand years and finally died from heavenly punishment.

If this is true, wouldn’t this place become a world of immortal cultivation?

But besides this Emperor of Eternal Life, no character who lived over a thousand years has appeared since.

Occasionally, there are records of old monsters living for hundreds of years, but they eventually die and return to dust.

...

After the carriage arrived at the entrance of the Chen Mansion, Zhuang Xiaotian got off and left, as he had to continue his patrol.

Chen Ming entered the house alone and went straight back to his little courtyard.

He pushed open the courtyard door and suddenly paused, not entering the house but sat down by the stone table in the yard.

He spoke to Chunxiang and Xiaxiang, "Tonight I need to entertain friends. Both of you go separately to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion to buy a jar of Hundred Flowers Drunk, and to Xianglan Pavilion to get ten boxes of snacks. Go now."

"Yes."

Chunxiang and Xiaxiang went off immediately.

After they left, Chen Ming said towards the inside of the house, "No need to hide, friends inside. Come out."

A few seconds later, a voice as cold as a venomous snake came from inside, "How did you discover us?"

Chen Ming grasped the saber handle and said, "The smell of the sea on you is too strong. I could smell it from several meters away. You’re friends from the sea, I presume. May I know what brings you to seek me?"

With a bang, the door was pushed open, and three masked silhouettes walked out, with the leading one speaking in a sinister voice, "We’re here to kill you!"

PS: Second update, asking for monthly votes. Next update will be around eleven o’clock at night.