I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 137 Azure Gate

Chen Ming had two maids settle Zhong Shuyu in, then returned to his room and found the dozen or so pages of paper that Zhuang Xiaotian had given him.

Zhuang Xiaotian's flying knife technique was learned from these dozen or so pages of paper.

The "rain of rain" technique he just used also came from one of those pages, and it is the only complete advanced technique.

This move, "Rain of Flying Qi," can only be fully unleashed by those at the fifth rank or higher, possessing incredibly powerful true qi. It's specifically designed for group battles.

This was also the first time he had used this move in a battle, and its power was even more astonishing than expected.

"Where did you learn the Soul-Hooking Blade technique?"

Suddenly, Su Zhining's voice rang in his ears.

Chen Ming asked curiously, "The Soul-Hooking Blade?"

The door creaked open, and Su Zhining, dressed in white, walked in. She had been traveling with him for half the night, enduring the sea breeze for half the night, yet her hairstyle was perfectly intact, and not a single strand of dew had touched her hair.

Chen Ming was amazed, wondering if she was overly concerned about her image or had severe mysophobia.

Seeing that his expression seemed genuine, Su Zhining said, "Back then, the Biluo Sect was skilled in hidden weapons, possessing three renowned techniques: the Soul-Hooking Blade, the Jade Blood Pearl, and the Falling God Nail. Its members roamed the world, and no one dared to provoke them. Later, the Biluo Sect was destroyed, and these three hidden weapon techniques were lost."

"Since it's been lost to time, how do you know that I just used the Soul-Hooking Blade of the Azure Heaven Sect?"

"Our sect has records about the Soul-Hooking Hand."

Chen Ming said, "I've never heard of any Biluo Sect or Soul-Hooking Blade. I learned how to throw knives from them."

As he spoke, he handed over the papers in his hand.

Su Zhining's gaze fell on the paper. After a slight hesitation, she took it and carefully examined it.

She read very slowly, taking the full time it takes to burn an incense stick to read those dozen or so pages.

Finally, she finished reading the last page, closed it, and looked up at him. "You learned that Soul-Snatching Blade technique from these incomplete pages?"

Chen Ming retrieved the dozen or so pages and said with a smile, "It was just my own wild guessing."

Su Zhining's gaze became somewhat complicated, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

She understood this man less and less. Last time she taught him movement techniques, he acted like a complete idiot. Yet he managed to master excellent swordsmanship and even forged the Soul-Hooking Blade, a weapon that once struck fear into the hearts of countless people, from just a dozen or so incomplete pages of paper.

……

At daybreak, Zhuang Xiaotian went to the Six Doors office for his shift as usual. When he arrived, he found that his superior was not there. Upon asking, he learned that his boss had been injured.

He learned from his colleagues that there had been a secret mission the previous night, led by Commandant Li himself, with a dozen skilled men to arrest someone. Among them was his superior.

It is said that the battle last night was extremely fierce, and everyone from Li Duwei down was wounded.

Upon hearing that his superior was still in the yamen and being treated by a doctor, Zhuang Xiaotian went to visit him with several colleagues.

Inside the Six Doors was a clinic that was usually empty, but today it was packed with people.

Peng Xin, lying in the corner, saw several of his men approaching and asked, "Why are you here?"

One of his men said with concern, "Boss, we were all very worried when we heard you were injured."

"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

The throwing knife was still stuck in Peng Xin's body.

There was only one doctor in the clinic, and he was too busy to see everyone; it wasn't his turn yet.

When Zhuang Xiaotian saw the throwing knife on Peng Xin's shoulder, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

One of his men asked, "Boss, were you ambushed?"

They were all puzzled. How could their leader, with his martial arts skills, be injured by a flying knife?

Peng Xin explained to his men, "That thief's skill with hidden weapons is extraordinary. More than a dozen of us were injured by his throwing knives."

Zhuang Xiaotian and the others turned to look and discovered that several inspectors inside the clinic had the same throwing knives stuck in their bodies. They were immediately horrified.

"There are such skilled hidden weapon experts in Qingfeng City?"

"Moreover, they used throwing knives."

It's important to understand that throwing knives are relatively large concealed weapons, unlike needles or poison darts which are much more difficult to hide. Therefore, not many people use throwing knives as concealed weapons.

At this moment, someone said, "Xiaotian, you're also skilled in throwing knives. Do you know of any masters of throwing knives in Jiangzhou?" Zhuang Xiaotian shook his head and said, "Boss, I just tinkered with throwing knives when I was a kid. They're fine for shooting birds, but they're useless against enemies. How could I know something that even you, Boss, don't know?"

Peng Xin had only asked casually, and upon hearing his response, he didn't take it seriously. He then went on to recount his encounter with the man in black the previous night.

Zhuang Xiaotian felt increasingly uneasy as he listened, especially when Peng Xin mentioned the technique of throwing knives. His heart skipped a beat; wasn't that the "rain of flying knives" recorded in the manual?

The man in black who injured nine experts from the Six Doors last night and rescued them, could he be...?

He didn't dare to continue thinking about it.

Peng Xin concluded by saying, "Since you're all here, keep an eye out for a woman. The portraits will be distributed later, so if you see someone who looks similar, report it immediately."

"Yes."

Then, several of his subordinates left.

……

In the afternoon, it was Zhuang Xiaotian's turn to patrol the streets. Just as he was pondering whether or not to go find Chen Ming, a servant from the Chen residence approached him.

"Lord Zhuang, my second master invites you over for a drink."

"Okay."

This was exactly what Zhuang Xiaotian wanted, so he told his men and left.

After reaching the eighth rank, he became a minor leader with several subordinates at his disposal. Tasks like patrolling the streets no longer required his personal involvement.

Zhuang Xiaotian followed the servant to the Chen residence, where he saw a disheveled middle-aged man standing outside the gate, with a long sword hanging from one side of his waist and a wine gourd hanging from the other.

He looks like a low-level martial artist wandering the martial arts world.

He casually asked, "Who is this person?"

The servant replied, "This man has been standing at the door all day, saying he received a favor from the Second Master and wants to thank him in person. No matter how we try to get rid of him, he won't leave."

Just then, a maid came out from inside and invited the middle-aged man inside.

Zhuang Xiaotian recognized her as Chunxiang, Chen Ming's personal maid.

So I followed her inside.

……

Chen Ming didn't leave the house all day, waiting for the woman in red to appear, but after waiting all afternoon, she didn't show up.

He sent someone to invite Zhuang Xiaotian. Just as he was getting bored while waiting, Chunxiang told him that someone outside the door wanted to see him and had been waiting for a whole day.

With nothing else to do, he had Chunxiang lead the person in.

When Chen Ming saw the person, he was surprised. He recognized him. It was the unkempt middle-aged man he had seen outside the city a few days ago when he returned to the city.

At that time, the middle-aged man was looking for Ding Nanguang.

"What did he come to see me for?"

Chen Ming was puzzled when he saw the middle-aged man bow deeply to him. "My name is Ding Guangsheng. Last year, my nephew Ding Nanguang was murdered. Thanks to you, young master, you arranged for my nephew's body to be collected and buried, instead of leaving him to rot in the wilderness. You are very righteous, young master. Please accept my bow."

Chen Ming quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Mr. Ding, there's no need for that. I deeply admire your nephew's righteous act. I only regret that my abilities are limited, and this is all I can do."

Seeing this, Zhuang Xiaotian, who was following behind, felt that the name Ding Guangnan sounded familiar. After a moment's thought, he finally remembered: Ding Guangnan was the young man who had killed the illegitimate son of the owner of the Sihai Trading Company and was sentenced to be executed in the autumn. He had been beheaded last year.

Unexpectedly, it was Chen Ming who collected his body.

After thanking him, Ding Guangsheng took his leave.

After he left, Zhuang Xiaotian entered the courtyard and asked, "Why did you come to see me in such a hurry? Is something the matter?"

He didn't ask about what happened last night. The less he knew about such things, the better. Whether Chen Ming did it or not, what did it have to do with him?
Chen Ming asked him to sit down and said, "I asked you to come here because I need your help. Can you help me get a legal identity?"

Zhuang Xiaotian's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face. He simply asked, "Is it a man or a woman? How old?"

"It's a woman, twenty years old."

Hearing this, Zhuang Xiaotian knew he was doomed. He swallowed hard and said, "Okay, I'll take care of it."

(End of this chapter)