Chapter 169: Chapter 161: Secret Truths (Part 2)

Yu Haitang shook her head and said, "I don’t know who obtained it initially. But I know where these Longevity Techniques are located."

"Where?"

"With several Demon Venerables of the Longevity Sect." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Ah?"

This answer was too unexpected. Chen Ming couldn’t help but pause for a moment.

So it’s the Longevity Sect?

Yu Haitang seemed to enjoy watching his shocked expression; her eyes curved into a smile, "Otherwise, where do you think the name ’Longevity Sect’ came from? The Longevity Sect was established by the one who first opened the Emperor of Eternal Life’s burial and obtained the Longevity Technique. It was meant to perfect that technique.

"Since then, whenever a burial is opened, it draws countless powerful figures competing to claim the Longevity Technique, and those who succeed invariably join the Longevity Sect. The Longevity Sect gains another Demon Venerable.

"For thousands of years, those Demon Venerables of the Longevity Sect have been either suppressed or slain. Yet they never truly die; every few centuries, another Demon Venerable emerges anew. That’s precisely why those ancient ones place such importance on burials. As soon as one appears, they fight to seize it, all in pursuit of immortality."

Good heavens.

So in the end, the Longevity Sect is universally seen as the enemy because they hold the Longevity Techniques, coveted by others wanting to snatch it from them, hence they’ve been labeled as a demon sect, condemned by all.

Of course, the Longevity Sect itself isn’t innocent, with factions like the Blood Demon Sect within it, it’s not entirely unwarranted to call them a cult.

It seems some of the Longevity Techniques within the Longevity Sect are truly sinister.

Judging by the Cultivation Techniques of the Blood Demon Sect, it’s clearly a man-eating method of immortality, likely the others aren’t much better. No wonder the Emperor of Eternal Life sealed these Longevity Techniques away initially.

Learning so many secrets today was worth coming here.

Chen Ming looked at the dazzlingly beautiful woman before him, asked, "Thank you for telling me all this. What do you wish for me to do, miss?"

Yu Haitang sipped her tea and smiled, "I don’t need you to do anything for me, just inform me before you reach the Fourth Grade."

"Just that?"

"Just that."

"Alright."

Chen Ming agreed immediately, earnestly saying, "I will definitely inform you ahead of time."

Yu Haitang set down her teacup and said, "The tea has gone cold."

Chen Ming drank the tea in one go, stood up, and took his leave.

...

After Chen Ming left, Yu Haitang remained seated in the courtyard, seemingly waiting for someone.

After a moment, a woman in a veiled hat gracefully approached and stood beside her, "Aren’t you afraid he’ll betray you after telling him all this?"

Yu Haitang smiled, "He won’t."

"Why are you so sure?"

"He’s different from you all; he’s a good man."

The woman in the veiled hat was taken aback, "A good man?"

The reason was too unbelievable.

Yu Haitang said softly, "In this world, good men like him, who are kind-hearted, who repay even a drop of kindness with a torrent, are rare. I also want to see if such a good man can continue being a good man even in a deadly predicament..."

...

When Chen Ming returned to Feng Mansion, Feng Siyuan was already home, drinking lotus seed soup. Seeing him return, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "I heard from the steward that you came back last night. Were you afraid Miss Zhao would be displeased?"

He didn’t want to engage in this topic, and asked, "Where are Brother Zhou and Brother Gu?"

"They left a while ago. Unlike me, they are relied upon by their families and came here with their elders, so they couldn’t dare to spend the night at a brothel."

Chen Ming continued asking, "When do you plan to return?"

Feng Siyuan scratched his ear, "Didn’t I tell you? I’m not going back this time; my father wants me to oversee the affairs of Jiangzhou City. Alongside, he wants the marriage settled."

"Marriage?"

"For someone like me, a marriage agreement is made early on. We set the wedding date last year, and it’s six months from now. By then, you have to come for a drink."

"Of course."

After finishing the lotus seed soup, Feng Siyuan yawned, stood up, patted Chen Ming’s shoulder with a mischievous smile, "Brother Chen, the news of you spending last night at Guose Garden has probably spread throughout Jiangzhou City. Such romantic escapades cannot be concealed. Better think of how to apologize to Miss Zhao. I need to sleep, won’t be accompanying you."

With that, he dashed off.

Chen Ming paid no mind to this and was about to return to the courtyard to read when the steward approached him, "Young Master Chen, several guests arrived early and have been waiting in the front hall."

"Who are they?"

"Leading the group is a woman surnamed Xiao, claiming to be a disciple of the Xiaoshui Sect."

Xiaoshui Sect; indeed old acquaintances.

He smiled and said, "Indeed old acquaintances; invite them in."

...

In the front hall of Feng Mansion, several young and beautiful female disciples were seated there.

The tea had been replaced several times already.

One of the female disciples became impatient, "Why is it taking so long? His manners are too lofty, isn’t he? Senior Sister Huo, aren’t you familiar with this Chen Ming?"

This young female disciple had just joined, surnamed Sun, coming from a connected family, raised to wield power from a young age, unchanged even after entering the sect.

Before Huo Qianqian could speak, Lu Minzhi, who was usually close to her, spoke up, "Junior Sister Sun, don’t be impatient. Young Master Chen is now on the Cyan Cloud Ranking; he’s far from what he used to be. Wait patiently."

Sun murmured something under her breath and fell silent.

Lu Minzhi raised an eyebrow, such lack of decorum. She couldn’t help but glance at the senior sister seated at the head, noticing her absent-minded demeanor.

Usually, during such times, the senior sister would have already reprimanded this unruly junior sister, but today was quite abnormal.

Lu Minzhi sighed internally. In truth, ever since the senior sister arrived in Jiangzhou City, she’d been in such a state.

As for the reasons, Lu Minzhi understood them well.

Initially, she accompanied the senior sister to Qingfeng City, witnessing firsthand the interactions between her senior sister and Chen Ming.

The senior sister initially held high regard for Chen Ming, despite his ordinary background, excellent talent, and decent reputation. The problem was that Admiral Zhao’s daughter also took a liking to him.

Lu Minzhi knew that when the senior sister gave up on him, she was conflicted internally. But there was no other choice; how could she compete with Zhao Xiyan?

Who could have predicted, in just over a year, the once relatively well-known Chen Ming in Qinghe City would now be ranked sixth on the Cyan Cloud Ranking, famous in Jiangzhou City.

On their journey from Yujie Commandery, they encountered some incidents and missed the Cyan Cloud Ranking competition.

Along the way, they heard fragmented news mentioning Chen Ming in the Cyan Cloud Ranking competition, initially thinking it was just a namesake.

Yet as they got closer to Jiangzhou City, hearing more and more, they realized this formidable presence in the Cyan Cloud Ranking was indeed the Chen Ming they knew.

Yesterday, they finally arrived in Jiangzhou City, and also saw the latest Cyan Cloud Ranking with their own eyes, where Chen Ming’s name prominently occupied the sixth spot.

Those who accompanied to Qinghe City were all utterly shocked.

Lu Minzhi didn’t know what the senior sister felt at that moment, whether she regretted choosing to give up on that man.

She only knew that when their master heard the news, they were immediately instructed to visit Chen Ming, and at that moment, the senior sister’s face was pale, devoid of any color.

The senior sister’s current feelings must be incredibly tough, right?

Lu Minzhi glanced again at Huo Qianqian beside her, another sigh escaping her heart.

Others might not know, but she was closest to this junior sister and could easily guess Junior Sister Huo’s thoughts?

But now, Chen Ming had already soared to great heights, becoming someone they could only look up to, someone even the courtesan at Celestial Fragrance Pavilion had feelings for...

"My apologies for the delay, Chen has arrived late."

As a clear voice rang from outside the door, Chen Ming’s tall figure appeared at the entrance, wearing a gentle smile, just like before.