Chapter 166 : Ambush?
Chapter 166: Ambush?
In a tranquil courtyard, Yu Haitang had just returned from outside. Entering her boudoir, the hot water was already prepared. Under the service of the maid, she took off her clothes and stepped into the tub to bathe.
She closed her eyes, enjoying this rare moment of relaxation, and casually asked, "Was there any big news today?"
The maid Meier, who was serving by the side, replied, "Young Master Chen moved out of the Feng Residence today."
"Oh?"
Yu Haitang showed a trace of interest. "Do you think it was Chen Ming who didn’t want to trouble Feng Siyuan and chose to move out on his own, or was it that the Feng family couldn’t bear the pressure at home and asked him to leave?"
The two maids responded in unison, "This servant cannot guess."
"Want to bet on it? I bet he chose to move out himself," Yu Haitang said. "Just watch whether they still have contact in the future and you’ll know the answer."
Meier hesitated for a moment and softly reminded, "Qin Changyuan has already spoken out; I fear he won’t let Chen Ming off. Should we…"
Yu Haitang said, "No need."
Meier was a bit puzzled. "With Qin Changyuan’s nature, he’ll likely take his life. Didn’t Master value him quite a bit? Even gave him the beloved Mingfeng Sword."
"This Chen Ming, I still can't see through him completely. Just in time to borrow Qin Changyuan’s hand to test whether he has any other forces behind him."
"This servant understands."
Yu Haitang closed her eyes again and asked, "Where is he staying now?"
"In the eastern part of the city, a place called Tianyangli."
"Tianyangli?"
Yu Haitang suddenly opened her eyes. That was where the Changqing Hall was located.
She pondered for a moment and instructed, "Send someone to watch over Chen Ming. Don’t get too close."
"Yes."
……
Elsewhere, in Tianxiang Tower, inside a luxuriously decorated loft.
Qin Changyuan, dressed in black combat attire with a beauty in his arms, was drinking with a group of friends.
Suddenly, a follower came over and whispered a few words in his ear. A satisfied smile immediately appeared on his face. He waved his hand and let the follower leave.
A friend beside him saw the smile and asked, "Brother Qin looks so pleased—did you receive good news? Share it so we can rejoice too."
Qin Changyuan laughed. "I just heard that Han Xiangcheng from the Heavenly Ultimate Sect went to challenge that kid surnamed Chen."
"Han Xiangcheng? His strength is decent, but compared to Chen Ming, he might be slightly inferior."
"Don’t forget, Han Xiangcheng has a senior brother named Lai Xiangran. The two are like brothers. If Han Xiangcheng loses, how could that Lai not stand up for him?"
"Wonderful. That Lai Xiangran is a Fourth Grade, and he has a grudge with Brother Qin. This is killing two birds with one stone."
Qin Changyuan snorted. "If it weren’t for that old bastard surnamed Lu before, I would’ve killed that Lai already. Daring to snatch a woman from me—tired of living. Now that Old Ghost Lu is dead, I’d like to see who can still protect him. If I don’t uproot the Heavenly Ultimate Sect, how can I vent this hatred?"
Everyone laughed heartily. "Brother Qin, so domineering!"
……
"Han Xiangcheng of the Heavenly Ultimate Sect has come to challenge!"
Chen Ming had just entered the door when he heard someone outside wanting to challenge him. Han Xiangcheng—the name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t recall immediately.
Qiuxiang said, "This Han Xiangcheng is also one of the most outstanding experts among the younger generation of Jiangzhou City, on par with Jiang Shihua and others. He had already qualified for the Azure Cloud Ranking competition, but for some reason, didn’t participate."
Hearing this, he remembered—there were originally eight seeded contestants, but one didn’t show up, leaving only seven.
This man dared to come challenge him, so he must be quite capable.
Chen Ming told the two maids, "You stay home and don’t go out. I’ll go meet them."
"Young Master, be careful."
With the warnings from the two maids, he carried the Mingfeng Sword and walked outside.
On the main street, he saw several young men. The leading youth wore a blue combat suit and held a uniquely shaped long saber, battle intent boiling on his face.
Their gazes clashed in the air.
"You’re Chen Ming?"
The moment Han Xiangcheng saw him, he confirmed his identity and arrogantly said, "Draw your sword. Let’s settle this. Only the victor has the right to have his name on the Azure Cloud Ranking."
Chen Ming sized him up, disappointment flashing in his eyes. This man clearly hadn’t broken through to Fourth Grade. It was a peculiar intuition.
Perhaps due to having fought too many Fifth Grade martial artists during the Azure Cloud Ranking competition.
He said, "Leave. You’re not my match."
Han Xiangcheng sneered. "Don’t think that just because you defeated Jiang Shihua and Ji Qianxing, you can look down on me. Those aristocratic youths are nothing but flashy pillows. How can they compare to me?"
Chen Ming didn’t bother arguing. "Then come."
Han Xiangcheng slowly drew his saber. The blade was black, without a trace of reflection under the night sky.
The few behind him quickly retreated to the side.
"My saber technique is called the 《Clear Moon Saber Technique》. It has eight forms. Within the same rank, no one has ever forced me to use the fourth."
His words brimmed with confidence.
As soon as he finished speaking, he attacked.
His saber was unimaginably fast. In the dark, it was nearly impossible to track its movements. Not even the sound of wind could be heard.
That saber of his was clearly a rare weapon.
Not bad at all.
Chen Ming thought, but it’s a pity—he just happened to face someone who had just made a major breakthrough.
He didn’t draw his sword, but struck with the scabbard.
Clang!
It landed precisely on Han Xiangcheng’s black saber.
Han Xiangcheng flew backward like a cannonball, slamming into the wall with a bang, and vomited a mouthful of blood on the spot.
The scene fell into utter silence.
The few who had come with Han Xiangcheng stood there stunned.
They knew Han Xiangcheng’s strength too well—yet he couldn’t even take a single strike from this man?
Was Chen Ming’s strength not terrifying?
"Come back after a few more years of training."
Chen Ming turned around. After leaving this sentence, he departed.
……
When Han Xiangcheng heard that sentence, he spat out another mouthful of blood, then lost consciousness on the spot.
"Brother Han!"
"Are you alright?"
"He’s not dead. Quick, take him back!"
Thus, a few of them lifted him up and left the place.
They carried Han Xiangcheng all the way back to the Heavenly Ultimate Sect.
The Heavenly Ultimate Sect had come to Jiangzhou City ten years ago, relying on a senior who had deep ties with the sect. They had finally found a foothold and even recruited a local disciple—Han Xiangcheng.
Last year, that senior passed away, and the sect’s situation once again became difficult.
Because the two disciples in the sect both liked to cause trouble.
One offended the Qin Family, and the other made enemies with the Ji Family.
The more gifted the youth, the prouder they became. It was inevitable for conflicts to arise.
But now, the Heavenly Ultimate Sect only had three people left and could no longer afford any more trouble. The sect leader was even considering relocating the sect elsewhere.
At this juncture, Lai Xiangran, the senior disciple of this generation of the Heavenly Ultimate Sect, saw his junior being carried back.
"What happened? Who injured him?"
Furious, he grabbed one person by the collar, eyes wide in anger, his face filled with murderous intent.
"It was… Chen… Chen Ming…" That man, intimidated by his aura, tremblingly recounted what had happened.
Chen Ming, ranked sixth on the Azure Cloud Ranking?
After hearing it all, Lai Xiangran felt both heartache and guilt.
He knew why his junior had gone to challenge Chen Ming. If he hadn’t sent him on an errand, his junior wouldn’t have missed the Azure Cloud Ranking competition and wouldn’t have taken the risk to challenge Chen Ming now.
Lai Xiangran had been in Jiangzhou City all along, and naturally knew that Chen Ming was strong—his junior was likely a notch below.
Being less skilled wasn’t something to argue about.
But that Chen Ming shouldn’t have struck so heavily to injure Xiangcheng this badly!
He had already checked. Injuries like this would take at least ten days to half a month to recover from.
Lai Xiangran let go of the person and asked in a deep voice, "How exactly did Xiangcheng lose?"
The group exchanged glances and began to stammer.
In the end, under Lai Xiangran’s pressure, they finally told the truth.
"What? Xiangcheng couldn’t even take a single strike from him? Impossible!"
Lai Xiangran declared.
He knew his junior’s strength better than anyone. Even if he was not as strong as Chen Ming, the difference wouldn’t be that big. For the two to determine a victor, at least dozens of moves would be needed. There was no reason for defeat in just one strike.
Xiangcheng must have been ambushed!
Lai Xiangran naturally arrived at this conclusion. Rage surged in his chest and rushed to his head. He grabbed that same man and shouted, "Take me to find that Chen Ming."
Daring to ambush his junior—he must avenge this grudge.
……
Qiuxiang and Dongxiang stayed home, full of worry. Who knew that in just a short while, Chen Ming had already returned and casually shut the door behind him. He then said to them, "No need to worry, it’s been resolved."
Resolved?
The two women were slightly stunned. They clearly knew Han Xiangcheng’s strength. How could it be resolved so quickly?
Seeing their expressions, Chen Ming smiled and asked, "What, you don’t believe me?"
The two women quickly nodded. "We believe."
"Then why those expressions?"
Dongxiang reminded him, "That Han Xiangcheng has a senior brother with a hot temper and a narrow mind. He cares deeply about the Heavenly Ultimate Sect’s reputation. His junior losing to Young Master’s sword—he won’t let this go easily."
Why were people in Jiangzhou City all so narrow-minded?
Chen Ming thought to himself and asked, "What cultivation level is Han Xiangcheng’s senior brother?"
"He reached Fourth Grade two years ago. He’s only twenty-eight this year and extremely talented. Five years ago, due to age limits, he didn’t participate in the Azure Cloud Ranking competition. Young Master has likely never heard of him."
Chen Ming’s eyes lit up. Fourth Grade, perfect—he had been wanting to find a Fourth Grade to spar with, to see how he truly compared to them.
Dongxiang had originally meant to warn him to be cautious, but she hadn’t expected Young Master to look excited, as if he couldn’t wait to fight Lai Xiangran.
But that was Fourth Grade!
Why wasn’t Young Master afraid at all?
She couldn’t understand.
One thing she was certain of—Young Master hadn’t broken through to Fourth Grade. She was still capable of seeing that much.
However, neither Dongxiang nor Qiuxiang were afraid. At most, it would be death. After all, their lives were given by Young Master.