I Only Stomp on Weaklings

"Haha–"

The old woman’s manic laughter suddenly stopped, as if abruptly cut off.

Chen Ming stood there for a while, without hearing any further sounds.

There are two possibilities: the old woman was silenced.

Or Elder Shang blocked the sound, preventing anyone from hearing.

"Should I go? Or should I go?"

Chen Ming contemplated for a moment, deciding to carry on with his own business.

If Elder Shang wanted to kill him to silence him, he wouldn’t be able to escape anyway. So he might as well face it calmly.

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

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

Elder Shang sat under the tree as usual, holding a wooden carving, staring at it blankly. He didn’t react at all to Chen Ming’s arrival.

No one knows if the old woman had turned into flower fertilizer.

Chen Ming put down the hoe and withdrew.

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

He got on the carriage and told the driver, "To the Zhuang Family."

"Yes."

...

Zhuang Xiaotian lived at Zhuyu Fang near Xiushui Street, not too far away.

By the time the carriage reached the Zhuang Family’s door, it was already dark.

Chen Ming went over to knock on the door, it was opened by Zhuang Xiaotian’s wife, Mrs. Li. They were married two months ago, and she was quite beautiful, born into a wealthy merchant family, well-educated and courteous. Knowing that Chen Ming was a distinguished guest, she welcomed him inside.

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

Just as she spoke, Zhuang Xiaotian returned, happily saying, "What wind blew you here today? I saw your carriage at the door."

Chen Ming asked, "Why did you return so late?"

"Don’t mention it, something big happened yesterday. I was called up in the middle of the night to work and only managed to return now."

As Zhuang Xiaotian spoke, he instructed his wife to prepare wine and meat, intending to have a good drink with Chen Ming.

Chen Ming initially came for business, but hearing this, he became curious and asked, "What happened?"

Zhuang Xiaotian waited for his wife to leave before lowering his voice to say, "Last night, someone broke into the Great Prison and rescued several prisoners."

"What?"

Chen Ming was startled, that really was a big incident, "Who could dare to rescue people right under Admiral Zhao’s nose?"

The Admiral’s Mansion is not far from the Six Gates Government Office, with the speed of a Third Grade strongman, news could reach instantly.

Zhuang Xiaotian smiled wryly, "If Lord Admiral were here, who would dare raid the prison? Recently, Lord Admiral hasn’t been in the city but went out to sea to negotiate with the Red Sea Monarch. This matter is extremely secretive; very few within Six Gates are aware..."

Meaning, is there a mole?

Chen Ming pondered.

The negotiations between Zhao Shouchang and the pirates are normal too. More communication can prevent misunderstandings, once both sides agree on mutually acceptable conditions, it helps establish a lasting relationship.

Once agreed, both sides can coexist peacefully.

Pirates can collect taxes at sea without risking their lives.

Zhao Shouchang doesn’t need to worry about pirates causing trouble in Qingfeng City again, it’s a win-win.

However, if word got out, it would damage the court’s reputation. Naturally, such matters need to be handled secretly.

Instead, the house got robbed.

Chen Ming asked, "Who were rescued?"

This was the key.

Zhuang Xiaotian whispered, "Among them were two demons from the Longevity Sect. Originally, they were to be sent to the Capital City in a few days, but now, I’m afraid our Lord Admiral is in trouble."

"Was it done by people from the Longevity Sect?"

Zhuang Xiaotian chuckled, "The demons from the Longevity Sect are selfish and often turn on each other, why would they risk their lives to save others? Two more people were also rescued, guess who?"

Chen Ming said, "I can’t guess, stop keeping me in suspense."

"One was Sand Sea General, one of the five Sea Generals under the Red Sea Monarch."

So that’s it.

Chen Ming suddenly understood.

He almost forgot about this person, back when Qingfeng City was turned upside down by the Jiao Kings, even the Gu Family was nearly wiped out. The Red Sea Monarch sent two Sea Generals over to help eliminate those Jiao Kings.

In the end, they were backstabbed by Yu Xiuming, one died, and one was captured.

In terms of this matter, Yu Xiuming really acted unscrupulously, disregarding Jianghu ethics.

So, it’s hardly surprising they struck back.

Clearly, this prison raid was likely orchestrated by the Red Sea Monarch, negotiating with Zhao Shouchang on one hand while sending people to sneak behind to rescue his subordinate, while also freeing the Longevity Sect members. A real blow to Zhao Shouchang.

If not handled properly, Zhao Shouchang could lose his position.

Chen Ming praised, "Smart move."

Zhuang Xiaotian said, "This Red Sea Monarch is always one to avoid losses. However, with such a commotion, there will be more troubles in Qingfeng City in the future."

Chen Ming replied, "Such major issues are beyond our control."

"Indeed."

At this moment, Mrs. Li brought over the food and drinks, laid them down, and left again.

Chen Ming asked, "By the way, who else was kidnapped?"

"Someone named Fu Zhengyang. He was caught for a minor offense and imprisoned for a few months. It’s unclear why he was taken away too."

Fu Zhengyang?

Upon hearing this name, Chen Ming felt a tingle on his scalp.

Isn’t he the one pretending to be a Seventh Grade but actually a Sixth Grade Martial Artist?

No wonder, he likely has something to do with the prison break. Goodness, he was lurking in the prison for months just to facilitate a breakout?

However, this is none of his concern.

Chen Ming finally brought up the main issue, "I need your help to investigate someone."

Zhuang Xiaotian instinctively straightened his posture and asked, "Who?"

"Shang Jianfei, a Jiangzhou native. If he’s still around, he should be about sixty years old. This person is exceptionally talented and was quite famous a few decades ago, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find information. I’d like you to gather detailed information about him."

"Sure, it’s not a difficult task."

Zhuang Xiaotian immediately agreed.

...

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

In the biting wind, as he sat in the carriage, he inexplicably felt a chill.

With such a big incident, negotiations between the pirates and the government are bound to collapse. These pirates can stir up trouble at sea, but they’re not formidable on land.

No matter how powerful the Red Sea Monarch is, he is merely at Second Grade Cultivation, while the Great Jin Court has more First Grade powerhouses than can be counted on two hands.

The issue is, will these pirates collude with the demon cultists of the Longevity Sect?

This is the most terrifying possibility.

Back then, despite his great skills, it took the Sea Suppression King seven or eight years to wipe out a Pirate King. It’s worth noting that at that time, under the Sea Suppression King, there were five powerhouses above Third Grade, and he himself was at First Grade Cultivation.

But will the Seven Sea Merchants Association allow another Sea Suppression King to emerge?

Chen Ming thought about it and frowned. He had a premonition that Qingfeng City might become increasingly chaotic in the coming years.

His heart stirred, and he opened the panel.

[Level: 39]

[Current Points: 15432]

[Cultivation Technique: "Iron Horse Stance" (Fifth Level Perfection), "Three Yang Body Refining Skill" (Level Nine 80000/100000)]

[Martial Skill: "Three Talents Fist" (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang’s Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Returning Sword Technique (Mastery)]

"Still short of 4600 points."

In about ten days, he can accumulate enough.

However, Chen Ming decided to accelerate the point gathering to quickly break through to Sixth Grade, to cope with the increasingly complex situation.

Starting tomorrow, visit those old seniors more often.

...

Over the next two days, Chen Ming visited numerous individuals, tracking down all those Seventh Grade "esteemed seniors" willing to spar with him, finally gathering the remaining 4600 experience points.

In the evening, as Chen Ming was about to retreat for upgrading, Zhuang Xiaotian came to find him. He had no choice but to postpone the upgrade and meet with him first.

"I’ve thoroughly investigated the person you asked about. This Shang Jianfei is quite remarkable, a genius in the Sword Dao."

Zhuang Xiaotian entered, picked up the tea on the table and drank, his eyes lit up, "What tea is this? It’s refreshing, with a lingering taste. Truly excellent tea."

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

"How could I possibly accept that?"

Zhuang Xiaotian, despite his words, smiled broadly. Although Six Gates offers a decent living, his training expenses are high, especially after getting married and purchasing property, leaving him not very affluent, continuously in need of money.

Chen Ming evidently saw through this. Whenever he had something good, he’d share it with him, rather than giving direct monetary aid, thus offering tangible benefits while preserving Zhuang’s dignity. Such friendships are hard to find.

Chen Ming laughed, "They were gifts from others, I can’t finish it all. Good things should naturally be shared among friends, don’t be considerate."

"Then I will graciously accept."

Zhuang Xiaotian then detailed Shang Jianfei’s life story, "He came from humble beginnings. In his youth, he demonstrated extraordinary talent in the Sword Dao. At the age of twenty, he used a Seventh Grade cultivation to defeat a Sixth Grade martial artist. Gaining the Sect Leader’s favor from the Qinghe Sword Sect, he was admitted into the sect as a Sect Leader’s Disciple... Within a decade, he advanced to Third Grade, becoming renowned and seen as a Sword Saint candidate..."

"Who would have thought, Shang Jianfei suddenly vanished without a trace, and his news ceased. Several years later, the Qinghe Sword Sect was annihilated overnight..."

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

PS: Just hit 200,000 words, marking the milestone, requesting monthly votes.