Liu Fu’s reaction was very strange, as if he had seen a sworn enemy. His eyes were bloodshot, his expression one of wanting to devour someone, as if he was ready to pounce at any moment and tear the young man to pieces.

Amidst the hatred, there was also fear, and a very peculiar emotion.

It was the first time Chen Ming had seen such complex emotions on a person’s face. He was curious about what kind of grievances existed between old Liu and this young man’s father.

The young man in fine clothes saw Liu Fu’s reaction and a playful smile appeared on his face. "Before my father left, he specially instructed me to go to Wu Martial Arts Hall in Qingfeng City and find a person named Liu Fu. He asked me to bring him a message."

"What... what message?"

Liu Fu’s voice was hoarse, his hands clenched, and his breathing was rapid, showing that he was extremely concerned about the message.

The young man said, "My father said that she died in childbirth a few years ago, so you don’t need to worry anymore."

Upon hearing such news, Liu Fu felt a whirl of dizziness and stood frozen in place.

The young man found his reaction somewhat dull and was about to leave.

"Ah——"

Seeing him about to leave, Liu Fu let out a beast-like growl, "Don’t leave..."

He suddenly lunged forward, reaching for the young man’s shoulder.

The young man in fine clothes turned his head, and the sword in his hand, still in its sheath, pierced out swiftly, striking Liu Fu’s chest. The blow was extremely strong, causing Liu Fu to spit blood and fall to the ground.

The young man was somewhat bewildered, "With your level of strength, it’s surprising you were able to beat my father back then. Quite strange indeed."

He glanced at Chen Ming standing nearby, and seeing that he had no intention of intervening, he turned and left.

...

"Old Liu."

After the two left, Chen Ming went over to help Liu Fu up and was startled to see his face ashen and his eyes tightly shut. Upon checking, he found that Liu Fu’s injuries were not too severe, only a broken chest bone.

Looking at old Liu’s listless demeanor, Chen Ming sighed inwardly.

He had heard some of old Liu’s story before.

The Wu Martial Arts Hall was originally run by Master Wu, who had only a daughter by the time it was passed to the previous generation. To avoid severing the family line, Master Wu intended to recruit Liu Fu, a talented orphaned young man, as a son-in-law.

Unfortunately, before the daughter could get married, Master Wu died mysteriously. Some said he was killed by enemies, others said he was poisoned by a disgruntled disciple.

After his death, the disciples started fighting over his Cultivation Technique, leading to chaos and departures. Only Liu Fu and his fiancée remained.

Who would have thought, just after the mourning period ended, on their wedding night, his fiancée also died mysteriously. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Facing successive blows, Liu Fu fell into deep despair, and Wu Martial Arts Hall naturally declined.

"It seems the rumors are unreliable now."

From their conversation and Liu Fu’s reaction, Chen Ming guessed there was more to the story. But given Liu Fu’s condition, he refrained from asking further questions.

He could only send someone to summon Liu Fu’s two disciples to take good care of their master and left some silver behind.

Then he left.

...

...

"Second Master, there are guests at the house, waiting in the main hall. They claim to be your fellow disciples, though I haven’t seen them before."

As soon as Chen Ming entered his home, he received a report from old Li at the gate.

Ever since he broke through to the Seventh Grade, someone started calling him Second Master, and everyone else followed suit.

He casually asked, "Oh? What’s his name?"

Old Li replied, "He said his surname is Wen."

The surname Wen?

Chen Ming felt a stir in his heart, and upon entering the guest room, he found it was indeed Wen Zehao.

Quite a rare visitor.

The last time they met was over a year ago, on the day Huo Chengkun died.

As Huo Chengkun’s last direct disciple, he didn’t attend Huo Chengkun’s funeral, thus essentially severing ties with the Huo Sect.

Of course, he also narrowly escaped with his life.

After more than a year without seeing each other, Wen Zehao looked more mature yet displayed a somewhat stiff expression when he saw him, instinctively avoiding eye contact, feeling a sense of shame.

The middle-aged man sitting next to Wen Zehao warmly stood up and greeted him, "This must be Second Young Master Chen. Truly a fine appearance, a dragon among men."

Chen Ming asked, "And you are?"

The middle-aged man wore a fawning smile, "I am Hao’er’s father, Wen Yuantao. We’ve just returned from out of town and heard that Second Young Master Chen has broken through to the Seventh Grade, so we’re here to congratulate you."

Seeing the expressions of the father and son pair, Chen Ming understood.

This scene was very much like a small-time merchant father dragging his child to visit a well-connected schoolmate, offering gifts to build ties.

No wonder Wen Zehao wore an ashamed expression, unwilling to be seen.

At the time, Wen Zehao was the most talented among that batch of trainees and was taken as a direct disciple by Huo Chengkun, engaged to Huo Qianqian, becoming the future heir of the Huo Mansion.

Back then, he was enjoying immense prestige, paying no attention to Chen Ming, who was deemed ordinary and advised to quit.

Who could have foreseen that now he was rejected by Huo Qianqian, his master died, and he had no more ties with the Huo Sect? Instead, Chen Ming, whom he had once looked down on, soared swiftly and became a Seventh Grade Martial Artist within two short years.

He remains stuck at Ninth Grade.

Today he had to be dragged by his father to offer gifts to Chen Ming. Only he knew what kind of feeling that was.

Wen Yuantao continued speaking, "I heard my son and your esteemed self entered Huo Mansion in the same year, sharing a fellowship, it would be right to draw closer..."

"Hold it."

Chen Ming interrupted him, "Your son no longer has any ties with the Huo Mansion, so there’s no need to speak of fellow disciples. Someone, escort the guest out."

He spoke without giving them a chance to respond, and left.

Wen Zehao was acknowledged as a traitor in the Huo Sect, a spy. He obviously couldn’t give the Wen family the chance to build connections; it was a matter of principle.

...

The Wen family was expelled from Chen Mansion.

Wen Zehao’s face turned sullen, while Wen Yuantao was filled with regret, "Ah, back then I thought that with Huo Chengkun dead, the Huo Sect would fall apart. Who would have thought such a figure would emerge... If only I hadn’t been so ruthless back then..."

"Hao’er, why not pay a visit to Zhang Mingyu? You were fellow disciples for several years, there ought to be some camaraderie..."

Wen Zehao resolutely said, "I will absolutely not go."

He had already lost enough face today; there was no way he could lower himself further to beg Zhang Mingyu.

He turned on his heel and left.

"Hao’er... Hao’er..." Wen Yuantao chased after him, quickly walking away.

The two just happened to pass by a carriage.

The carriage came straight to Chen Mansion’s gates, and as the occupant stepped out, old Li at the gate hurried over with a welcoming smile, "Ah, it’s Young Master Deng, come inside."

The visitor was Deng Ziyang, who asked, "What were those two doing here?"

Old Li replied, "They claimed to be fellow disciples of Second Master, waited the whole morning. As soon as Second Master returned, he had them thrown out..."

Deng Ziyang suddenly burst into laughter, "Who would’ve thought! Who would’ve thought, that he would end up like this."

He laughed heartily, experiencing such joy for the first time in nearly six months.

When Chen Ming saw him, he asked, "Why so happy? What’s the good news?"

Deng Ziyang chuckled, "Who would’ve thought, Wen Zehao actually came to seek your help. Truly, the heavens have eyes."

"You saw them?"

"Sure did. I’ve heard that half a year ago, the Wen family’s warehouse was ransacked by pirates, suffering heavy losses. Now they’ve come begging you, it seems the Wen family is barely holding on."