I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 256 Going Home
After Chen Ming fed the little earth snake some pure earth-attribute true essence, it transmitted a feeling of fullness and satisfaction, then slowly returned to the scabbard of the "Taiyue Sword," coiled there, and began to sleep.

This little guy seems to be in his developmental stage. He eats his fill and then sleeps for the whole day. When he wakes up, he asks for more food.

It's also very picky about food; it won't eat grains or meat, only earth-elemental energy. Currently, besides the "Taiyue Sword" which can provide some earth-elemental energy, only he can sustain it.

If the little earth snake hadn't followed him and had stayed in that cave, it would most likely have starved to death.

This little snake can deceive a martial artist's spiritual sense and is incredibly fast. Keeping it by your side might come in handy sometime.

Then, Chen Ming took out the "Great Demon Transformation Technique" again, and with a burst of his inner energy, he turned it into powder. This kind of demonic technique would only cause trouble if kept.

……

Three days later, Yu Haitang came to find Chen Ming and asked, "Sect Leader Yuan wants to kill Du Rusong. Does he have any plans?"

He said, "To be honest, I have something that this person is determined to get. As soon as I leave Jiangzhou City, this person will definitely come looking for me."

Yu Haitang objected, "What if he never shows up? I can't keep following you around, can I?"

"Then let's set a three-month limit. If he doesn't show up within three months, then you've fulfilled your promise."

"Okay. When shall we set off?"

"Let's not delay, let's do it today. It just so happens that I was planning to send Qianqian and her junior brother back to Qingfeng City."

"Oh? I thought you were going to take her as your apprentice."

Chen Ming shook his head and said, "I have too much karma on my hands, so I am not suitable to take on a disciple. In the future, I hope Miss Yu will take good care of her."

Yu Haitang smiled and said, "Of course, she is my husband's junior sister."

I believe you.

Chen Ming thought to himself, with Yu Haitang's intelligence, she must have guessed that the people from Baiyu Sect would interrogate Huo Qianqian, but she did nothing. Clearly, she didn't care about Huo Qianqian's life or death.

At least, Huo Qianqian's life was less important to her than Li Jinchuan's.

Of course, on the other hand, even if she had specifically reminded her, Huo Qianqian would not sever ties with the sect just because of her reminder.

Yu Haitang changed the subject, "Actually, Huo Qianqian has an elder in her sect. If we could get his protection, neither the Baiyu Sect nor the Xiaoshui Sect would dare to bother her."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed across Chen Ming's face. "If that's the case, why has Qianqian fallen to this state? Moreover, I've never heard her mention it before."

Yu Haitang smiled and said, "Because she herself doesn't know about this elder's existence. That senior's surname is Shang, and he is currently at the Zhenhai Prince's Mansion in Qingfeng City."

……

That day, Chen Ming and Yu Haitang left Jiangzhou City in a carriage, carrying more than a dozen cartloads of goods.

Judging from her appearance, it's clear that she had been planning to travel far away for some time.

Considering the pressure on Pan Zhiyuan, she probably wanted to go out and avoid the limelight.

On a luxurious carriage.

Yu Haitang said, "Old Ghost Pan is not far from taking that step. For him, obtaining a spot and opening the Divine Treasure is the most important thing. So, he can't care about me right now."

"What if he succeeds in taking that step?"

"Then I have no choice but to obediently leave Jiangzhou."

As the two were talking, a maid's voice suddenly came from outside, "Master, Princess Mingyu's caravan is catching up behind us."

"understood."

Yu Haitang looked at Chen Ming and said meaningfully, "It seems the rumors are true. You and this Princess Mingyu really hit it off immediately. If you befriend this princess, why should you fear that first-rank purple-robed official?"

Chen Ming said, "Maybe it's just a coincidence."

Before the words were finished, Princess Mingyu's voice came over, "Is the girl in purple in the carriage?"

Yu Haitang smiled at him and replied, "Is this Princess Mingyu? Sect Leader Yuan is in my carriage."

At this point, the carriage stopped as a sign of courtesy.

Chen Ming lifted the carriage curtain and saw a luxurious carriage parked side by side on the wide official road.

Princess Mingyu had just stepped out of the carriage when she said with a hint of resentment, "Why did Sister Yuan leave without saying goodbye? Doesn't she consider me a friend?"

Chen Ming cupped his hands and said, "I have always remembered the Princess's kindness. However, I am entangled in trouble and do not want to implicate the Princess, so I have resorted to this desperate measure. I did not tell Yingxue about my departure this time."

"Then why aren't you afraid of implicating Miss Yu? Do you perhaps think I'm inferior to Miss Yu?"

That's not a good question to answer.

If you're not careful, you could offend both women.

Fortunately, Yu Haitang came to his rescue, saying, "Princess, you are mistaken. My travel with Sect Leader Yuan is merely a transaction. There is no affection between us. Sect Leader Yuan, the Princess is also heading to Qingfeng City, so why don't you travel with her? I will go ahead and wait for you in Qingfeng City."

After Yu Haitang finished speaking, she closed the carriage door, and the caravan continued on its way.

Princess Mingyu finally cheered up, "Sister Yuan, are you also going to Qingfeng City?"

"Yes, I've long heard that Qingfeng City is a prosperous commercial center with trade relations with the countries of the South China Sea. I've always wanted to go and see it for myself."

“Perfect timing, I’ll be your guide then.”

"And I."

Prince Jingyang suddenly appeared out of nowhere, staring at Chen Ming with a sly look.

He bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."

To be honest, he didn't want to get too close to Princess Mingyu. After all, she had a powerful expert at the Divine Realm by her side. If they met, he might see through her disguise, which would be awkward.

However, he had found no reason to refuse, so he got into her carriage and traveled with her.

The journey to Qingfeng City will take quite some time, so we should try not to leave the carriage to avoid running into that powerful expert at the Divine Treasure Realm.

……

When important figures like princesses and princes travel, they cannot be casual about their food and lodging; in fact, they don't spend much time traveling each day.

It took Chen Ming nearly half a month to reach Qingfeng City with them.

He ate and lived with Princess Mingyu throughout the journey.

Fortunately, at night, he would use practicing martial arts as an excuse to meditate instead of sleeping, and he didn't sleep with her.

"Yuan Ziyi's disguise must absolutely not be exposed!"

Chen Ming made up his mind.

Otherwise, he would have died directly.

Upon arriving in Qingfeng City, Princess Mingyu went to the new Zhenhai Prince's Mansion.

The old Zhenhai Prince's Mansion was occupied by Shang Jianfei. The imperial court wouldn't be so unreasonable as to forcibly take it back, so they chose another piece of land and built a new mansion.

As soon as Princess Mingyu stepped off the carriage, she pulled Chen Ming along, saying, "We've traveled such a long and dusty journey, and it's been so inconvenient. Now we can finally take a bath, sister, let's go together—"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming immediately said, "I have urgent business to discuss with Miss Yu, so I can't accompany you." Then he fled in a panic.

He could sense that Princess Mingyu had an unusual enthusiasm for him. Although it was normal for women to be intimate, bathing together was rather strange.

After leaving the Prince's Mansion, Chen Ming looked at the familiar streets and atmosphere outside, and a surge of emotions welled up in his heart.

Qingfeng City, we're finally back!

He strolled along and soon noticed that there were more pedestrians on the street speaking with strange accents and dressed differently from the locals.

Previously, there were some foreigners in Qingfeng City, who were generally short, thin, and dark-skinned.

These people looked similar to the people of the Great Jin Dynasty, except for their voices and demeanor.

Chen Ming pricked up his ears and overheard some people's conversation.

"Why are there so many people from Southern Chu this year?"

"Sigh, these people from Southern Chu are all rich and powerful, it will be even harder to do business in the future."

"These are people from Southern Chu. How dare they come to the territory of Great Jin to do business?"

"What kind of ancient history is that? The Great Jin and Southern Chu haven't fought for over a hundred years. I heard that the war in the north hasn't been going well in recent years. Two months ago, Southern Chu sent a delegation to the capital to meet the emperor and announce that the two countries would henceforth be on friendly terms. They designated several cities for trade. Qingfeng City is one of them. These people from Southern Chu, they just followed the scent..."

"..."

After listening, Chen Ming suddenly understood.

When he was in Xiazhou City, he had heard about the Southern Chu delegation, but before the matter was resolved, he was sent out.

Unexpectedly, the two countries have now reached an agreement.

This is a historic moment. Although the two countries have not been at war for more than a hundred years, they have never officially declared a ceasefire.

Now, the two countries have finally achieved peace.

For the first time in five hundred years, there has been an exchange between ordinary people.

To be honest, Chen Ming was quite curious about the Southern Chu. With only three prefectures, it was able to resist the Great Jin, which had twenty-seven prefectures, for five hundred years without being conquered. This showed that the Southern Chu was definitely not simple.

Moreover, more than a hundred years ago, the two countries fought a world-shaking war on an unprecedented scale. After that war, the two countries fell into a stalemate and never fought a proper war again.

It is said that the battle resulted in mutual destruction. The Jin Dynasty lost nearly a million elite troops, and its national strength declined from its peak, transitioning from a period of strategic expansion to a period of strategic contraction.

As a result, in recent decades, the states of the northern grasslands have repeatedly invaded the territory, and the army of the Great Jin has suffered defeat after defeat.

A few years ago, the important northern border town of Yinma fell, and 100,000 cavalrymen were wiped out, shocking the entire court. Even the emperor issued an edict of self-reproach.

This happened before Chen Ming traveled through time.

However, the northern border was too far from Jiangzhou, so no one really felt it. After the initial shock, it was quickly forgotten.

In retrospect, the impact of that war was indeed profound.

As Chen Ming pondered the situation in this world, he unknowingly arrived at the gate of the Chen residence. Looking at this magnificent gate, he felt a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex feeling of mixed emotions, often including nostalgia or reflection).

This is the new home that his older brother Chen Rui bought. It is located in the most central area of ​​Qingfeng City and is quite large.

When he went to Jiangzhou City to participate in the Qingyun Ranking competition, he hadn't moved here yet. In the blink of an eye, more than half a year has passed.

The doorman was still Old Li, who looked quite healthy, with a ruddy complexion and more energetic than before.

Seeing her outstanding appearance and extraordinary demeanor, Old Li dared not be negligent and politely asked, "This is the Chen residence. May I ask who this young lady is looking for?"

"I'm looking for... Miss Yu."

"Miss Yu?" Old Li was puzzled at first, then remembered something, "You must be Miss Yuan? The Second Madam instructed that as soon as you arrived, you should go directly to the Second Madam."

Second Madam —

Chen Ming's eye twitched. Seeing how easily Old Li addressed her, it was clear that the entire household had accepted this second wife.

The Second Madam is the wife of the Second Master.

He left home for half a year, and when he returned, he inexplicably had a wife.

Led by a servant, Chen Ming arrived at the backyard and entered his own large courtyard, where he saw Yu Haitang sitting under a big tree reading a book.

Besides her two maids, she was also served by four other maids: Chunxiang, Xiaxiang, Qiuxiang, and Dongxiang.

It's been so long since we last met, and the four little maids have all changed quite a bit; they've grown up a bit.

Chunxiang and Xiaxiang, in particular, no longer look like wild country girls; they've become much fairer and prettier. Their cultivation has also improved considerably, almost reaching the sixth rank.

It seems that neither of them slacked off.

Upon seeing her, Yu Haitang teased, "I thought you'd stay at the Prince's mansion for a few more days. You're back so soon?"

Chen Ming said, "I never expected that the beautiful and talented Miss Yu would marry into such an insignificant little family."

These words caused the four maids beside him to show their displeasure.

Yu Haitang said calmly, "So what if they come from high-ranking families? Are they really that noble? They abandon their own flesh and blood because of a single proverb. My husband may have come from a poor background, but he is a man of high moral character, far more noble than those from high-ranking families."

Is he of noble character?

Are you talking about me?
Is she biased towards me?
Chen Ming was momentarily at a loss for words. If he continued, he would lose his composure, so he changed the subject and asked, "Where are Qianqian and her junior brother?"

"She's at home too. If you want to see her, you can have someone take you there."

"No rush. Since we have come to your esteemed residence as guests, we should naturally go and see the host first, so as not to be impolite."

"My elder brother and sister-in-law have gone out and are not in the mansion at the moment."

"That's it."

"You'll see him when we eat."

So, Chen Ming went to visit Huo Qianqian and Li Jinchuan first.

Upon entering the courtyard where Li Jinchuan was staying, they found other guests inside, including Zhang Mingyu, the third senior brother of the Huo family. It had been a long time since they last met. He had grown a mustache and looked much more mature, exuding the air of a sect leader.

Zhuang Xiaotian was also there, wearing the official robes of a seventh-rank inspector. His cultivation had greatly improved, and he had entered the sixth rank.

Chen Ming greeted them as a stranger.

At this moment, Li Jinchuan also woke up, but his face was still a little pale and he didn't seem to be in a good mood.

This is understandable. The sect leader died for no reason, and the person in question became the traitor who poisoned the sect leader. Anyone would be greatly affected by such a thing.

Zhang Mingyu comforted him, "Jin Chuan, don't think too much. Just focus on recovering. You'll be safe once you get to Qingfeng City. Those White Feather Sect and Black Feather Sect will definitely not dare to cause trouble here."

Li Jinchuan's lips twitched slightly, as if in response.

"Jin Chuan, Brother Chen has always had high hopes for you. You can't let him down by being discouraged."

Upon hearing this, Li Jinchuan's body stiffened, and a glimmer of light finally appeared in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)