Chapter 148: Chapter 144: Most Men in the World Are Unfaithful

"Brother Chen!"

Chen Ming entered the hall and saw a handsome young man who had grown into an adult, yet still retained traces of his former self.

He warmly said, "Xiaochuan, you’ve grown so tall. It’s been more than a year since we last met."

This young man was Li Jinchuan, who had previously stayed at his home for almost a year. Last year, he left Qingfeng City and came to Jiangzhou City.

In the morning, when he went out, he instructed the coachman to notify Zhou Weihao and Li Jinchuan that he had arrived in Jiangzhou.

He did not inform Zhao Xiyan; the gates of the Governor’s Mansion are not open to just anyone. It must be said, her intelligence is indeed sharp.

Previously, Zhao Xiyan mentioned in a letter she wrote to him that she was staying at the Governor’s Mansion.

A First Grade Purple-Clad Governor of the Six Gates, the highest Chief Officer appointed by the court in a region, a true border official.

Zhao Xiyan’s master is the wife of the Jiangzhou Governor, a Second Grade expert.

Chen Ming did not hold any resentment towards Zhao Xiyan. To be fair, she treated him really well. As a young woman of a prestigious family, to be able to reach this level is truly extraordinary.

The premise, of course, was as friends.

As for anything further, it was no longer possible.

What Chen Ming wanted was not the weighing of pros and cons.

The moment Zhao Xiyan chose to go to Jiangzhou with her father, their relationship could only stop there, at most, they could be good friends.

Of course, Chen Ming would always remember Zhao Xiyan’s kindness.

...

"Brother, congratulations on breaking through to the Fifth Grade."

Li Jinchuan’s eyes held some excitement, filled with admiration.

He had witnessed Chen Ming rise from humble beginnings. He still remembered when they first met, their cultivation levels were not far apart. In just four short years, Chen Ming was already Fifth Grade.

While he had just broken through to the Seventh Grade, even so, the Sect Leader had praised him as the most talented disciple in the sect in twenty years.

Because of having Chen Ming as a role model, Li Jinchuan never thought his talent was exceptional.

"Thank you, I heard you also reached the Seventh Grade. Congratulations."

Chen Ming heard it from Hong Zilin. Although the two were a few years apart, they got along very well and often exchanged letters. Hong Zilin also consistently looked up to Li Jinchuan as a role model.

"Still far from you, brother."

After Li Jinchuan became an apprentice, it became inconvenient to call him ’senior brother,’ so he changed to calling him ’brother,’ which didn’t seem awkward.

Then, Chen Ming asked a lot of questions, like "How is your master treating you?" "Are you comfortable living in the sect? Is anyone bullying you?"

Li Jinchuan joined the White Feather Sect, which was quite famous in Jiangzhou. The sect had a First Grade expert. Its strength and heritage rank in the second tier in Jiangzhou.

He is currently a True Disciple of the White Feather Sect, with great potential.

That night, Li Jinchuan stayed over and seized the opportunity to consult Chen Ming on many Martial Dao questions.

His current master was Fourth Grade, whose cultivation was higher than Chen Ming’s. Yet, he always felt his master was not skilled at teaching; every time, it was the same few phrases. It was far less straightforward and insightful than when Chen Ming guided him.

Indeed, that night, many things he couldn’t understand were enlightened by Chen Ming, and he felt he greatly benefited.

The next day, when Li Jinchuan bid farewell to Chen Ming, he regretfully thought about how wonderful it would be if Chen Ming could be his master.

...

"Miss Su, are you there?"

After Li Jinchuan left, Chen Ming returned to the courtyard and asked again.

"What’s the matter?"

This time, there was an immediate response.

Chen Ming breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Finally, I’ve been calling you these past few days with no response. I thought you left me and ran away alone."

Su Zhining was silent for a moment and then explained, "I went to take care of something."

As for what she was handling, since she didn’t say, Chen Ming naturally wouldn’t ask.

He asked about the important matter, "Your Celestial Dao Alliance must have some external forces in Jiangzhou City, right? Can you ask them for some help?"

"No, my master’s token only works for the outer disciples in Qingfeng Commandery."

The token’s effectiveness is region-specific?

Is the Celestial Dao Alliance’s management level really that high?

Chen Ming suspected she was lying, just without proof.

Actually, he also knew that without the token, it wouldn’t be useful. Without Su Zhining’s cooperation, he couldn’t command the external forces of the Celestial Dao Alliance at all.

Simply put, the Shang’an Trading Company wasn’t following his orders but Su Zhining’s.

He said, "Can you do me a favor?"

After waiting for a while, without hearing her reply.

Chen Ming took her silence as acquiescence and said, "I want to know the detailed information about Doctor Sun from a place called Evergreen Hall on Divine Stone Street, in the east of the city. Can you check for me?"

After a long while, just when he thought Su Zhining had already left, her voice came through, "Alright."

"Thanks."

"But you have to answer one question for me."

"Go ahead."

"Why do you treat Miss Zhao like that?"

Chen Ming detected a questioning tone in her words.

It turned out she had returned yesterday and had witnessed his conversation with Zhao Xiyan.

"Why does Miss Su say this? Miss Zhao and I are friends, have been and always will be. I have always treated her with respect."

After a while, Su Zhining’s faint voice came through, "Master is right, men in this world are often fickle..."

"..."

...

After dinner, Chen Ming returned to the courtyard. Upon opening the door, he found a piece of paper on the table.

He picked it up and saw the neat handwriting describing the deeds of Doctor Sun from the Evergreen Hall.

After reading it, Chen Ming fell into deep thought.

Evergreen Hall has been open for many years, an exact number is elusive, but it’s been over fifty years at least. Doctor Sun has always been there, never married, nor had children.

Sometimes he’s alone, other times he takes on one or two apprentices.

Doctor Sun’s age is unknown. According to some elderly people in their sixties or seventies, when they were young, Doctor Sun was already quite old, likely over ninety now.

No one knows his real name; everyone just calls him Doctor Sun.

Doctor Sun is highly skilled in medicine, but with an odd temperament, reluctant to make house calls, and exorbitantly priced, so few go to him for treatment.

Other than that, there’s nothing particularly special about him.

The note also mentioned that over the decades, Doctor Sun has never displayed any martial arts skills. However, it’s presumed he practiced a Health Cultivation Method, as at over ninety, he’s still in robust health.

"Doesn’t seem like there’s any issue. Could it be that I’m overthinking this?"

Chen Ming twisted his True Qi, shattering the paper in his hand.

Maybe that swordsman holding a sword and the woman just went to see Doctor Sun for a consultation.

He picked up the medical book Doctor Sun had given him and began to read.

Surprisingly, this medical book was written in a way that was simple and easy to understand, much more readable than those classic medical texts.

...

At dawn, Chen Ming rode on Feng Siyuan’s carriage as they set off.

Today, they were heading to the World’s First Pavilion to register and obtain a spot in the competition.

The Cyan Cloud Ranking competition is not something any common person can participate in; it requires recognition from the World’s First Pavilion.

Chen Ming suddenly asked, "What kind of power is the World’s First Pavilion?"

Feng Siyuan leisurely replied, "If you must say, the World’s First Pavilion could be considered a Martial Arts Holy Land."

"Martial Arts Holy Land?"

Chen Ming became interested.

"It’s like those sects with a long history, transcending the mundane world. They don’t engage in worldly disputes and remain aloof. Only when their disciples occasionally enter the world, do people become aware of their existence."

"In that case, the World’s First Pavilion doesn’t quite fit."

The World’s First Pavilion not only involves itself in worldly disputes but practically instigates countless conflicts single-handedly. Just the Cyan Cloud Ranking alone is enough to make young heroes from all over the world compete fiercely.

Feng Siyuan laughed, "A Martial Arts Holy Land is defined by strength. The fact that the World’s First Pavilion has stood for a thousand years and its published rankings are accepted worldwide demonstrates its power."

When put that way, it does make sense.

The ones listed on the Celestial List are all supreme experts above First Grade.

For those supreme experts, daring to rank them? What’s your capability? If the World’s First Pavilion’s strength were even slightly weaker, it would have been torn down by those supreme experts long ago.

Feng Siyuan continued, "Moreover, apart from compiling various rankings, the World’s First Pavilion never meddles in worldly disputes."

Chen Ming suddenly thought of Ding Guangsheng. "Big Sister Hong" once mentioned that Ding Guangsheng used to be a disciple of the World’s First Pavilion, but was expelled after breaking the sect’s rules.

So he asked, "What about the disciples of the World’s First Pavilion? For it to continue to this day, it must have disciples, right?"

Feng Siyuan proudly said, "I have actually inquired about this. It is said that to join the World’s First Pavilion, one must sever all worldly ties and avoid participating in Jianghu conflicts. Moreover, they can never appear on the lists created by the World’s First Pavilion. Therefore, they often take in orphans with no attachments as disciples."

"If their disciples violate the sect’s rules?"

"Naturally, their cultivation is abolished, and they are expelled."

Abolish their cultivation?

Chen Ming thought of Ding Guangsheng, who with his Second Grade cultivation, nearly dismantled the Four Seas Trading Company. How was his cultivation not abolished?

As the two chatted, the carriage suddenly stopped.

It turned out there were too many people, blocking the road.

Chen Ming looked outside and saw the street packed with people and vehicles, completely unable to move, and said, "We can only walk from here, let’s go."

After Feng Siyuan got off the carriage, he looked ahead and lamented, "It’s still quite a distance to the World’s First Pavilion."

As Chen Ming walked forward, those around him felt an invisible force pushing them aside.

The people of Jiangzhou City were knowledgeable and realized he was a True Qi expert. Though displeased by being pushed, they dared not voice their complaints.

After walking for a while, Chen Ming finally saw at the end of the street a pagoda towering into the clouds, estimated to be several hundred meters high.

In this era of limited production capabilities, building such a tall structure must have required an incredible amount of manpower and resources.

It was evident the World’s First Pavilion was indeed extraordinary.

As Chen Ming walked all the way there, it took him about half a stick of incense’s time to reach the base of the tall tower. In front, there was a wall, and at the gate, lined a long queue.

PS: Went out to take care of some matters in the morning, so there are only two updates today. Twenty-ninth, requesting monthly tickets.