I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 210 Don't Follow in My Footsteps
"Does your twin brother look exactly like you? Logically, fraternal twins (male and female) should look different—"

Chen Ming was halfway through his sentence when he saw Xia Mudan staring at him blankly with a look of confusion in her eyes. He shook his head and said, "Never mind, forget I said anything."

This is another world with extraordinary powers, so what if twins look exactly alike?

"I'm all right."

Xia Mudan said somewhat shyly, clearly feeling a little uncomfortable being so close to her.

Chen Ming then let go of her hand and sat back down on the brocade stool beside the bed.

She breathed a slight sigh of relief and smoothed her hair behind her ear. "My brother and I do look somewhat alike."

He asked, "Is the person you want to kill the same person who killed your brother?"

"Hmm." Mentioning her enemy, hatred showed on her face. "I didn't expect that thief to be so prepared. He hired a second-rank expert to protect him. I was caught off guard and suffered a great loss."

So, her enemy must be a formidable figure.

Chen Ming asked, "What is the cultivation level of your enemy?"

"Just an ordinary third-grade item."

The term "ordinary third rank" refers to someone around level 75 who hasn't yet mastered the "intention" and represents the average strength of a third rank.

Chen Ming assessed the approximate strength of her enemy and, having a general idea of ​​his abilities, asked, "What kind of person is he?"

Xia Mudan glanced at him, a hint of hesitation clearly flashing in her eyes.

He laughed and said, "I was being presumptuous; I shouldn't have asked that."

"That's not what I meant, Brother Gu." She became anxious, afraid that he would misunderstand. "That person is a third-rank admiral from the Six Doors."

"Oh!"

Chen Ming suddenly realized why she wanted to travel with him to Xiazhou City and even invited him to stay with her. It was because he was also a member of the Six Doors.

From the beginning, Xia Mudan probably wanted to use his identity as a member of the Six Doors as a cover.

He asked, "Which one?"

In Xia Prefecture's Six Doors, there are three First-Rank Commanders, each with at least three Third-Rank subordinates, totaling nine.

"It's Zhu Wanlin!"

Xia Mudan spoke of this name with a hint of gritted teeth.

Chen Ming did indeed know this person; he was the youngest third-rank military commander in Xiazhou City. This man had risen through the ranks extremely quickly, possessing ambition, ability, and exceptional talent. He was ruthless and merciless, a true tyrant.

"Does he have a grudge against the Jiang family?"

"No, I've checked. This person has no connection with the Jiang family. Originally, I wasn't entirely sure that this person was the murderer of my brother. That day, when I went to his residence to investigate, I fell into a trap and was ambushed. I'm now certain that this person is undoubtedly the murderer."

"And who hurt you?"

"Zhou Wentao of the Eight Righteousness Sect is the most outstanding disciple of the Righteousness lineage. He is at the peak of the second rank and wields the peerless divine weapon, the Heartless Sword."

They are loyal and sentimental, believing in repaying all debts of gratitude and revenge. They are notorious for prioritizing personal relationships over justice.

This is the most popular branch of the Eight Righteous Men. However, because they owe favors to others, they've also done many foolish things.

It's probably because Zhou Wentao owes Zhu Wanlin a favor.

Seeing that she was a little tired after talking so much, Chen Ming said, "You should get some rest."

He returned to his small courtyard and began to think.

This matter originally had nothing to do with him. However, she was still a woman he had gone through the wedding ceremony with, and he couldn't just stand by and watch her die.

Considering the visualization diagram her father gave her, it wasn't right to ignore her.

As things stand, staying in Xiazhou City is safe. Zhou Wentao, also a member of the Eight Righteous Men, didn't kill them either, clearly out of consideration for the rules governing the Righteous Men.

Xia Mudan's injuries are currently stable, so she'll stay here and focus on improving her strength. Once Xia Shaowen breaks through to the Divine Treasure Realm, this little trouble will be nothing.

With this thought in mind, Chen Ming felt relieved and took out the visualization diagram to study it.

……

The next morning, as soon as Chen Ming arrived at the Six Doors, his subordinate Zhang Dingce rushed over, "Sir, Lord Ruan has arrived and is waiting for you."

Lord Ruan is the warden, his superior.

Chen Ming quickly followed.

Before long, they arrived at the attic where the warden's office was located.

"Enter."

A deep voice came.

Chen Ming went inside and met the warden, Ruan Caixiong, a man in his thirties who was quite handsome. Although he was wearing a purple robe that represented a first-rank governor, he had a rather cynical air about him.

"Your subordinate, Gu Xianyu, pays his respects to Lord Ruan."

Just as he was about to bow, his hand was held up.

Ruan Caixiong laughed loudly, "I just heard yesterday that a young master from the capital has come to Xiazhou City. His talent is so outstanding that it is rare in the world. I never expected that you would become my subordinate. It's wonderful. Come, come, sit down and have a drink."

"Sir, this..."

"Don't call me 'sir,' it's too formal. Although I haven't had any dealings with the Gu family before, I have met your father a few times. If you don't mind, you can call me 'brother.'"

Ruan Caixiong's enthusiasm at this moment reflects the simple and genuine feelings of fellow villagers meeting each other.

As he spoke, he pulled Chen Ming to sit down in a chair, poured two glasses of wine for him, and said excitedly, "It's been so many years since I've been back to the capital. I wonder how it's doing now. Tell me, before you came, was that sword outside the Celestial Master's Mansion taken away?"

"Is the guardian beast of Beigong still roaring every day at midnight?" "Where has that strange man carrying the Heavenly Dao Alliance gotten to?"

"..."

Chen Ming was stumped by these questions. He had never been to the capital, so how could he know these things?

Finally, he could only apologize, "To be honest, I rarely went out when I was at home. No one else would tell me these things. So, I really didn't know about these matters."

Ruan Caixiong looked at him in surprise and said with some regret, "So you're the martial arts fanatic. You've really missed out on a lot of good things. You'll find out later that there are many other wonderful things in life besides martial arts."

Chen Ming didn't know how to respond to that.

Ruan Caixiong's story is quite famous. The Ruan family is also a top-tier family, but they are not noble families and are not in the same circle as the Gu family.

It is said that he was cynical and irresponsible in his youth, and did many outrageous things. After making a mistake once, he was demoted to Xiazhou City, where he was to reflect on his actions.

But he fell in love with a woman at first sight and insisted on marrying her. For her sake, he was even willing to break with his family. His father was so angry that he almost kicked him out of the house.

After that, Ruan Caixiong stayed in Xiazhou City.

Such a man would have been called a romantic in ancient times.

In modern terms, it's called being love-struck.

This happened more than ten years ago. I wonder if he ever regretted marrying that woman.

It's clear that Ruan Caixiong really misses Beijing, which is why he's so enthusiastic when he meets his fellow townsman.

After a few rounds of drinks, Ruan Caixiong was slightly tipsy and finally changed the subject, "Brother, I heard that you and Xia Mudan have already tied the knot. Does the Gu family know about this?"

Chen Ming finished his drink with him and said, "I don't know yet, but I guess it'll be soon."

Gu Yuyin was accompanied by quite a few guards from the Gu family, so she would definitely report such a big matter to the Gu family.

"You'd better handle this carefully, or you'll end up like me."

You could tell there was some regret in his voice.

Chen Ming sighed and said, "Brother, you don't know this, but my situation isn't much better than yours."

Ruan Caixiong seemed thoughtful. "It seems there's more to this than meets the eye. Indeed, Xia Shaowen's sudden martial arts contest to find a husband is quite unusual. However, given the prestige of your Duke Qin's mansion, a little trouble is nothing to fear."

That's not just "a little trouble," it's stealing the emperor's woman!

Chen Ming shook his head and didn't mention the matter again.

Anyway, he needs to accumulate enough experience points before the emperor causes him trouble. If all else fails, he'll abandon this disguise.

……

In the afternoon, Chen Ming finally found an excuse to leave. He then went to the prison and brought the nine third-rank prisoners to the torture chamber one by one for a confrontation.

You have defeated another level 76 opponent, gaining 2.4 experience points.

As before, defeating the same person a second time only yielded half the original experience points.

After fighting nine battles, I finally gained 200,000 experience points.

As he left the prison, he opened the panel.

【Level: 70】

Current points: 769875

[Techniques: Iron Horse Stake (Fifth Level Completed), Five Elements True Skill (Missing) (Seventh Level 203324/10000000)]

Martial Arts: Three Talents Fist (Mastery), Eight Trigrams Saber Technique (Mastery), Zhuang Family Flying Knife (Mastery), Swallow Return Sword Technique (Mastery), Vermilion Bird Sword Technique (Mastery), Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens (Fourth Level 3543/400000), Heaven and Earth Lone Goose (Second Level 23781/2000000)

[Secret Technique: The Art of Disguise (Mastery)]

……

That evening, Ruan Caixiong booked a table for a banquet to entertain Chen Ming, his fellow townsman. The two of them changed into casual clothes, booked a private room, and drank alone; there was no one else to keep them company.

Emboldened by the alcohol, Chen Ming inquired, "Brother, you've been in Xiazhou City for so many years, do you know anything about the Eight Righteous Men?"

Ruan Caixiong cautioned, "There isn't a single normal person in the Eight Righteous Men; it's best to avoid dealing with them."

He asked, "What do you mean?"

Just as Ruan Caixiong was about to speak, he suddenly stood up.

Just as Chen Ming was wondering what was going on, he heard footsteps outside. They came very quickly, and with a bang, the door was pushed open.

The woman who arrived was an exceptionally beautiful young woman, dressed in a long red dress, exuding a unique charm. However, she seemed rather aggressive at the moment.

Ruan Caixiong looked surprised. "Madam, what brings you here?"

So this was his wife, the woman for whom he was willing to break with his family.

She is indeed very beautiful and charming.

Madam Ruan turned her gaze and smiled, "I heard that my husband is hosting distinguished guests here, so I thought I'd come and offer a toast."

Chen Ming's lips twitched slightly.

Judging from the aggressive way she came in, she probably came to catch her cheating.

It's hard to believe that Ruan Caixiong is henpecked.

P.S.: It's the last day of the month, please vote with your monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)