I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 178 The curtain opens
In a quiet courtyard in the back of the Governor's Mansion, a graceful figure appeared and disappeared, her sword flashing as she practiced her swordsmanship.

"Junior sister, you've been practicing for two hours now. It's time to take a break."

A man dressed in blue stood outside the courtyard and softly offered a word of advice.

Those inside the courtyard remained silent, focusing solely on wielding their swords with increasing speed and sharpness.

Pan Dingren couldn't help but sigh, "I know you have resentment in your heart, but your mother is doing this for your own good."

In the courtyard, the sword light suddenly stopped, and the figure appeared—it was Zhao Xiyan, who was covered in sweat. She said softly, "How could I blame my master? I only blame myself for not working hard enough before, for being too weak to help him..."

Ever since the rumors of Qin Changyuan's revenge against Chen Ming spread, Zhao Xiyan has been locked in the courtyard by her master and not allowed to step out of the room.

It has been more than a month now.

Seeing her like this, Pan Dingren became furious. "Junior sister, with your family background and looks, why would you worry about not finding a good match? Why do you have to debase yourself like this? Do you know—"

Zhao Xiyan looked somewhat distressed. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I know he doesn't want me anymore, but I still can't forget him. Senior brother, please teach me, what should I do?"

Upon hearing her words, Pan Dingren's anger flared even more, and the words he had just swallowed slipped out: "He's getting married."

Zhao Xiyan stared blankly, as if she had turned into a wooden sculpture.

Pan Dingren couldn't bear to see her like this, and sighed, "It's Yu Haitang, who's third on the list of beauties. Just give up on that idea."

Zhao Xiyan murmured, "No, it's impossible. I don't believe it..."

"This was said by Madam Yu, Yu Haitang's aunt, and it has spread throughout the city. If you don't believe me, you can ask my elder brother."

"impossible……"

Seeing her distraught state, Pan Dingren thought it was better to end it sooner rather than later. He steeled himself and said, "He's about to marry someone else. Why are you still thinking about him? Just give up on him as soon as possible."

……

Tuk-tuk-tuk.

Chen Ming had just finished eating and, feeling rather bored, began comparing the differences between Su Zhining's and Yu Haitang's meridians when he heard a knock on the door.

It's Qiu Xiang again.

He asked, "What's wrong?"

Qiu Xiang said, "Young Master Feng has arrived. He also brought two other people with him, one surnamed Zhou and the other surnamed Gu."

He asked curiously, "What are they doing here?"

"Shall we let them in?"

"Let them go—or rather, let them in."

Now that Madam Yu has stepped in, Qin Changyuan probably won't dare to cause any more trouble. The crisis is temporarily over, and there's no need to drive them away.

Moreover, he was indeed incredibly bored.

Su Zhining and Yu Haitang mostly kept their eyes closed and rested, and did not speak to him.

After a while, Feng Siyuan's loud voice could be heard, "Brother Chen, I heard you've become the son-in-law of the Yu family. What's wrong? You've gotten too arrogant, actually hiding in your room to receive us?"

Chen Ming said, "It's not that I don't want to invite you in, it's just not convenient."

Feng Siyuan exclaimed, "What's inconvenient about it? Does Brother Chen have a beauty hidden in his room?"

"Ahem... Brother Chen has his reasons for not letting us in. We'll just sit outside." Zhou Weihao came to his rescue.

Clearly, he had discovered that there were other people in the room.

At this moment, Gu Yuantao, who was usually taciturn, suddenly spoke up, "Is that rumor true?"

Feng Siyuan and Zhou Weihao were surprised that he asked so directly and remained silent for a moment.

Chen Ming asked, "What rumors?"

Gu Yuantao said, "Rumor has it that Miss Yu is seriously injured and will not live much longer. Madam Yu betrothed her to you to bring her good luck. After you get married, once she dies, Madam Yu will kill you and send you down to join her."

"..."

Chen Ming thought to himself that although the rumor was a bit far-fetched, upon closer inspection, it really did seem to be the way that Madam Yu acted.

If Yu Haitang really dies, his fate will be pretty much the same.

Yu Haitang suddenly opened her eyes and asked, "Who is gossiping about my aunt?"

Upon hearing this, the three people outside were all taken aback.

It was like talking badly about someone behind their back, only to be caught red-handed by the person in question. Gu Yuantao felt his face burning and was speechless for a moment.

Who would have thought that Yu Haitang, this incredibly mysterious woman who ranks third on the list of beauties and is coveted by countless men, would be in Chen Ming's room in broad daylight?

Feng Siyuan stammered, "Miss...Miss Yu?"

Zhou Weihai reacted quickly, saying, "That's just a rumor. I didn't expect Miss Yu to be here. I'm truly sorry."

Yu Haitang warned, "Chen Ming is just treating my injuries. All those rumors about my aunt betrothing me to him are just that—rumors."

"Yes Yes."

That was the only response the three men outside could give.

As for what they are really thinking, only they themselves know.

After that, Yu Haitang stopped speaking.

The three people outside were also extremely uncomfortable, unsure of what to say. Chen Ming, however, had seen it all and spoke calmly, "You didn't come here just to laugh at me, did you?"

“There is something,” Zhou Weihao quickly interjected. “Recently, a rumor has been circulating about the secret of the death of the King of Zhenhai more than twenty years ago.”

He subconsciously lowered his voice, "So, the reason why the King of Zhenhai died under mysterious circumstances was because he possessed the secret of the Tomb of Immortality, which led to his death."

"Is this really true?" Chen Ming was somewhat surprised. Yu Haitang's actions were too swift.

She's injured so badly, yet she still insists on spreading the news. She's incredibly persistent.

Feng Siyuan chimed in, "We didn't believe it at first either, but the news has spread like wildfire. It's all very detailed and convincing, so it's probably not just a rumor."

Chen Ming said, "Tell me in detail."

Zhou Weihao said, "It is said that this Tomb of Immortality is guarded by five families, and each of these five families guards a key. Only by collecting all five keys can the Tomb of Immortality be opened."

"Over thousands of years, three families disappeared into the annals of history. The key they guarded vanished without a trace. Until about twenty years ago, the Prince of Zhenhai obtained one of the keys and learned the secret of the Immortal Tomb. Unfortunately, his actions were not discreet, and he was betrayed by his trusted confidants, causing the secret to be leaked. On his way back to the capital, the Prince of Zhenhai was assassinated, and his wife and children all perished. Afterwards, even his most trusted subordinates were all exterminated."

"However, the person behind the scenes tried everything but failed to find the key. The key disappeared again with the death of the King of Zhenhai."

"Until recently, there were rumors that the key was in the hands of Shang Jianfei, a former member of the Qinghe Sword Sect!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming asked in confusion, "So, what exactly is that key?"

Zhou Weihao said, "Nobody knows. But many people believe that as long as we find Shang Jianfei, we'll find out."

Chen Ming said, "Even if we get the key that Shang Jianfei has, there are still four other keys. Where are we going to find them? It would be as difficult as climbing to the sky to collect all the keys."

"That being said, since it concerns the secret of immortality, many people are still drawn to it. I've heard that even the Six Doors are investigating the files on the Qinghe Sword Sect's massacre."

He then asked, "Where is Shang Jianfei now?"

Zhou Weihao said, "Some people say that he has been hiding in Qingfeng City."

……

"Miss Su, Miss Yu, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

After Chen Ming and the other two left, he spoke to Su Zhining and Yu Haitang.

"What is it?" Yu Haitang asked.

Su Zhining didn't speak, but she opened her eyes and looked at him.

Chen Ming said, "I'm going back to Qingfeng City. I'll have to trouble you two to accompany me."

"Given the current situation, it's not advisable to set off..."

"I will have a carriage prepared and inform Madam Yu as well."

Yu Haitang was slightly taken aback when she heard his words, realizing that he wasn't discussing it with them, but rather informing them. A hint of anger flashed in her eyes, but she remained silent.

Now her life and death are in Chen Ming's hands, and she has no power to stop him from doing whatever he wants.

This feeling of not being able to control one's own destiny is truly awful.

……

Soon after, Madam Yu arrived, pushed open the door, and asked, "Why do you suddenly want to go to Qingfeng City at this time?"

Her face revealed neither joy nor anger, yet it possessed an inherent air of authority.

Chen Ming said calmly, "I'm afraid Qingfeng City will be in chaos lately, and I'm worried about my family."

Lady Yu looked directly into his eyes and said, "I can send someone to bring them to Jiangzhou, and I can guarantee their safety."

"Thank you for your kindness, Madam. However, the Chen family has lived in Qingfeng County for generations, and it is hard to leave our homeland."

"In that case, I can send experts to protect them."

"No need. I will naturally protect my family myself."

Chen Ming met her gaze without backing down.

"it is good."

Madam Yu finally conceded and asked, "When are we leaving?"

"tonight."

……

That night, a huge carriage drove into the courtyard. Because the gate was too small to fit through, they simply dismantled it.

Chen Ming helped Su Zhining and Yu Haitang into the carriage. Qiu Xiang, Dong Xiang, Mei'er, and Ju'er accompanied them. Madam Yu had another middle-aged man as a guard, and an elderly man was in charge of driving the carriage.

And so, the carriage drove out of Jiangzhou City overnight, heading towards Qingfeng City.

Yu Haitang seemed to be in better spirits and suddenly said, "I'm quite curious, you're willing to offend me and my aunt to bring us back to Qingfeng City. What kind of family do you want to protect?"

Chen Ming said, "You'll see him soon."

His sudden decision to return to Qingfeng City was not a spur-of-the-moment idea.

With the news of the imminent emergence of the Tomb of Immortality spreading, many martial artists will surely flock to Qingfeng City. He is worried that someone will take advantage of this and send people to deal with his family.

This is something we must be wary of.

P.S.: Requesting monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)