Chapter 185 : Thousand Mile Transmission
Chapter 185: Thousand Mile Transmission
Lady Yu did not give Chen Ming the chance to refuse at all. After she finished speaking, she gave Yu Haitang a few more instructions, then left directly.
He asked Yu Haitang in confusion, “Why does your aunt insist on marrying you to me? With your qualities, even marrying a royal prince wouldn’t be an issue.”
Yu Haitang replied softly, “You’ve probably heard that when I was born, a half-immortal divined my fate and gave a prophecy about the Seven-Star Begonia, haven’t you?”
“Just because of that?”
Seeing his reaction, Yu Haitang realized he had no idea how significant that half-immortal was.
She said in a calm tone, “Since I could remember, any man who got too close to me would soon encounter misfortune.”
Chen Ming immediately became curious, “What kind of misfortune? Death? How close is considered too close? How long does it take to trigger?”
A string of questions left Yu Haitang stunned. She stared blankly at him, “You… you’re not afraid?”
“Of course I’m afraid,” Chen Ming replied seriously. “That’s why I need to figure out how this misfortune is triggered, so I can find a way to avoid it.”
Curses like this were the hardest to guard against. Claiming not to be afraid would be a lie.
Then he recalled something. “Right, that Ji Qianxing follows you around often. Why hasn’t anything happened to him?”
Yu Haitang sneered, “Because he never comes within three feet of me. As for you, the fact that you’re still alive is already surprising. Aunt must think you have a tough life, that’s why she insists on you marrying me.”
When Chen Ming thought about it, it did seem true. Every time he saw Ji Qianxing, the man always kept a certain distance from her. He had thought it was out of reverence, but it turned out this was the real reason.
Even her former personal maids never got too close to her.
As for him—if not for the System, he would’ve died long ago from depleted Gang Qi. Even if he survived, if Yu Haitang died, he wouldn’t have escaped death either.
This curse… was no joke.
Chen Ming asked again, “How long does it take for the effect to occur? A quarter of an hour? Or does a single moment count?”
He continued asking a few more questions, but Yu Haitang turned her back to him and ignored him.
It felt like she was a little angry. He didn’t know which question might have triggered her.
Next, Chen Ming called Qiuxiang over and instructed, “Go and bring Hong Zilin here.”
“Yes.”
……
These past few days, Hong Zilin had been frequently going to the Chen Residence, feeling uneasy.
The vast Chen Residence—his lord didn’t know martial arts; the guard Gu Junrong was just a mere guard; the strongest ones, Wu and Liu, were ignorant of worldly matters; and Chunxiang and Xiaxiang were merely womenfolk…
In the end, only he could worry about these things.
When Hong Zilin was informed and saw a charming maid, he immediately recognized her as someone from the neighboring house. He asked cautiously, “Young lady, what business do you have with me?”
The maid replied, “My young master has something to discuss with you.”
This played right into Hong Zilin’s hands—an excellent chance to probe into the mysterious household. He agreed immediately.
He had looked into them before and found that the family next door also had the surname Chen and came from Jiangzhou City. But nothing else was known—since moving in, they had never left the residence, appearing extremely secretive.
In contrast, the grandfather and grandson next door on the other side were much more normal.
Soon, Hong Zilin followed the charming maid into the house next door and asked, “May I know your name, young lady?”
“Your servant Qiuxiang.”
He smiled, “What a coincidence. I know two ladies whose names are very similar—Chunxiang and Xiaxiang.”
“Is that so?” Qiuxiang covered her mouth and laughed.
Seizing the chance, Hong Zilin asked, “May I know what your young master wants from me?”
“You’ll know when you meet him—here we are.”
Qiuxiang led him into a courtyard in the rear residence and announced from outside the door, “Young master, he’s here.”
A voice came from the room, “Mm, you may leave now.”
Hong Zilin’s first reaction was—why did this voice sound so familiar? Then he heard a familiar call, “Zilin, why are you still standing there? Come in.”
Hong Zilin was overwhelmed with surprise and blurted out, “Martial Uncle?”
He stepped forward and pushed open the door, only to see his Martial Uncle Chen Ming sitting inside. Overcome with emotion, he exclaimed, “It really is you! Martial Uncle, why didn’t you go home when you returned?”
After the excitement came confusion.
As soon as he asked, he sensed something was off—there were others in the room.
Chen Ming was sitting beside a curtain, his left hand reaching inside it. Someone was clearly sitting beside him. Though only a faint silhouette was visible, Hong Zilin could tell it was a woman.
He was dumbfounded. “Martial Uncle, this is…”
Chen Ming said, “It’s a long story. I’ll explain it to you later. I called you here because I need you to do something.”
Sensing the seriousness, Hong Zilin suppressed his questions. “Martial Uncle, please instruct me.”
Chen Ming began instructing, “I’ll give you a letter. After returning, deliver it to my elder brother…”
……
The letter was simple. It stated that Chen Ming had consulted an expert in Jiangzhou City, who advised that the ancestral grave needed to be renovated this year. Moreover, his elder brother’s whole family must be present.
As expected, early the next morning, Chen Rui left Qingfeng City with his entire family and returned to their hometown.
Just as they exited the city gate, they encountered a squad of Six Doors Authority constables. Traveling together, they escorted the family all the way home.
……
At the same time, Chen Ming sent Qiuxiang with the token to Shang’an Trading Company.
Soon after, a middle-aged woman returned with Qiuxiang. Upon seeing Su Zhi Ning’s condition, a murderous glint flashed in her eyes. “Who hurt her?”
The killing intent made Chen Ming’s heart race. He quickly explained, “It’s a long story…”
Then, as her icy gaze swept over him, he felt a chill scalp-deep. “A Third Grade expert tried to kill me. She forcibly broke through and her Gang Origin spiraled out of control, causing her meridians to rupture.”
Just from his brief explanation, the woman grasped the severity of the situation. With a trace of emotion, she said, “She’s still alive after sustaining such a heavy injury?”
《Awakening Spring Art》 was indeed an extraordinary secret art, but it had its limits. With ruptured meridians, it couldn’t be activated.
Logically, she should have been beyond saving.
Chen Ming said, “This junior had no choice but to trouble Senior to come. I beg you to take good care of her.”
The woman gave him a deep look and said no more, then left with Su Zhi Ning.
Once Su Zhi Ning was gone, only Chen Ming and Yu Haitang remained in the room.
He said, “Since you know so many secrets, you should understand what I’m about to face. You don’t seem worried at all?”
Yu Haitang replied lazily, “What’s the use of worrying?”
He said, “I won’t last much longer.”
“Don’t you have that 《Blood Ignition Art》?”
He sighed, “To be honest with you, my lifespan is already overdrawn. I have less than ten years left. I can’t use that secret art anymore.”
“You think I’ll believe that?”
“If the young lady doesn’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do—”
At that moment, a thunderous voice echoed like a clap of thunder from the sky, growing clearer with every word, “Chen—Ming—come—quickly—”
“This is—”
Chen Ming looked up.
A gleam of excitement flashed in Yu Haitang’s eyes. “This is the Thousand Mile Transmission Art. Only those at the Divine Repository Realm can use it.”
He took a deep breath and said, “It’s Senior Shang. I must go.”
Yu Haitang looked at him and said calmly, “If you let go of me now, I’ll die.”
Chen Ming said, “You should know how dangerous that place is.”
Yu Haitang said, “The longer you delay, the more danger your family and friends will be in. Those people will stop at nothing to find you. If they can’t find you, they’ll go after your family, your friends…”
Chen Ming knew she was right. Senior Shang’s roar had thrust him straight into the spotlight.
He wasted no more time. Saying, “Pardon me,” he carried Yu Haitang in his arms, grabbed the “Mingfeng Sword” with his other hand, and leapt out the window.
“Master Chen!”
Behind him, came the voice of that Mister Wang.
Chen Ming gave no reply. Activating 《Phoenix Dances Across the Nine Heavens》, he flew gracefully over the rooftops, vanishing from Mister Wang’s sight in a blink.
……
Yu Haitang wrapped both arms around Chen Ming’s neck. Her bright, deep eyes stared at his face, filled with complex emotions.
At first, she hadn’t believed that 《Blood Ignition Art》 nonsense. Sacrificing ten years of lifespan to instantly restore True Qi and return to peak state? It sounded absurd.
But now, she was shocked to discover that Chen Ming’s cultivation was incredibly profound, nothing like someone who had just broken through to Fourth Grade.
His Gang Qi cultivation was on par with hers.
That sent a chill through Yu Haitang’s heart.
Chen Ming had just broken through to Fourth Grade, and since then, had spent his time healing Su Zhi Ning and her—without time to cultivate. Yet his strength had surged?
It made no sense.
She had been at Fourth Grade for three years, refining her Gang Qi to its peak.
Chen Ming only took half a month.
There was only one possibility: he had told the truth.
The true effect of 《Blood Ignition Art》 was to exchange lifespan for cultivation.
No wonder his strength increased so rapidly.
No wonder he seemed to have no bottlenecks…
In an instant, Yu Haitang understood many things.
“Chen—Ming—”
Once again, the thunderous voice echoed across the sky, majestic and soul-shaking, drawing countless people into the streets, searching for its source.
Many knowledgeable martial artists realized what was happening and rushed toward the voice.
Along the way, Chen Ming saw many martial artists—nearly all of them Fourth Grade and above.
Fourth Grade ones, like him, leapt from rooftop to rooftop.
Those above Third Grade flew as if riding the wind, feet not touching the ground.
Before long, the Sea-Calming King’s Mansion was already in sight. Many people had stopped outside, seemingly blocked from proceeding further.