I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 40 Do you regret it?

"Who dares to detain people from our Fenglei Martial Arts School?"

Just then, a fiery voice rang out, and with a bang, a man with a full beard stormed in, shouting furiously, "Master, give the order immediately! I'll take my men and wipe him out! How dare an eighth-rank martial artist be so insolent!"

Lei Yucheng quickly reassured him, "Master Li, please calm down, this matter still needs to be discussed..."

"What's there to discuss? That kid's already riding on our necks, I'm not going to put up with this."

Master Li was arrogant and unfriendly towards him.

Lei Yucheng's expression turned somewhat unpleasant when he saw that Lei Yucheng didn't take him seriously at all.

However, he also knew that Li Xiangrong was his most valued nephew, and now that he was being held captive, he was naturally anxious.

At this moment, Lei Zhenguang, who had been sitting there the whole time, spoke up and scolded, "Old Li, why do you still have such a fiery temper?"

Master Li dared not lose his temper in front of him, and tearfully pleaded, "Old Master, I, Li Ankun, only have this one nephew. If anything happens to him, how can I face my deceased elder brother?"

Lei Zhenguang scolded, "Don't you even think before you speak? You brought men to his doorstep and cornered him. Wouldn't that be killing your nephew?"

Li Ankui roared, "He dares?"

"Hmph, even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Let alone a twenty-year-old boy with an eighth-grade cultivation level."

"Then, old master, what do you suggest we do?"

"Ask them first. Yucheng, bring the person who came back with the message over here."

"Yes."

……

A short while later, the person Chen Ming had released recounted the entire incident.

Before Li Ankun could finish listening, he became furious again, "A mere eighth-rank official dares to make us apologize to him? Who does he think he is?"

After listening to the man recount the events, Lei Zhenguang was certain that Chen Ming had probably indeed broken through to the eighth rank.

A twenty-year-old eighth-rank official...

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Xiang Rong has acted somewhat recklessly."

One sentence set the tone.

Hearing this, Li Ankun knew that his nephew had suffered a loss for nothing, and the old master wouldn't stand up for him. He had truly lost face.

Although he was unwilling, he dared not object under Lei Zhenguang's formidable influence.

Lei Zhenguang continued, "Smashing someone's gate is no different from smashing their signboard. We are in the wrong here. Yucheng, send Yue Bin over to repair the gate of the Chen residence and compensate them with five hundred taels of silver. Bring Xiang Rong and the others back."

"Yes."

Lei Yucheng left immediately.

Li Ankun finally couldn't help but complain, "Old Master, what about the reputation of our Fenglei Martial Arts School? People who don't know any better would think that the old master is afraid of him."

"You always care too much about those pointless squabbles. A little pride is no big deal. Our Fenglei Martial Arts School is still the number one martial arts school in Qingfeng City."

Seeing his defiant expression, Lei Zhenguang knew he wouldn't listen, so he stopped talking and waved him away.

……

Half an hour later, everything was arranged.

In the study, only Lei Zhenguang and his grandson Lei Yucheng remained.

"Grandpa, even if Chen Ming is an eighth-rank martial artist, our Fenglei Martial Arts School doesn't need to be afraid of him, right? Why should we settle things peacefully?" Lei Yucheng asked again, addressing his question.

Within the Fenglei Martial Arts School, there are three individuals at the eighth rank. Not to mention his grandfather, who is a true seventh rank.

Lei Zhenguang asked him, "How long did it take you to break through from the ninth rank to the eighth rank?"

"Four years."

"This Chen Ming only took a year."

A glint flashed in Lei Yucheng's eyes. "This boy performed only so-so under Huo Chengkun. But in the past year, he has made rapid progress, breaking through two realms in a row. He must have a secret."

"If you think this way, don't you think others think the same way?"

"Grandpa, what do you mean?"

"Qingfeng City is full of hidden talents. There are many people stronger than your grandfather. Once everyone knows a secret, do you think it will be our turn?"

Lei Yucheng paused for a moment, a bitter smile appeared on his face, and he sighed, "I understand, Grandpa."

Lei Zhenguang said with some relief, "I knew I hadn't misjudged you. In this world, if you want to live a long life, you must restrain your greed."

"Grandpa, what's next? How should we deal with Chen Ming?"

"Just follow the rules. If he wants to continue running the school and taking on apprentices, then let him try the challenge."

……

In a large mansion on Xiushui Street, separated from the Chen family mansion by two alleys, a young girl was embroidering in a pavilion in the backyard. She was wearing a light yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and had a beautiful appearance; she was about sixteen or seventeen years old.

She was embroidering a picture of mandarin ducks playing in the water, which was used by women when they got married.

"Miss, miss, I heard there's a fight outside."

"Oh."

Zhang Xinyi was not interested in this and continued to focus on embroidery.

However, her personal maid, upon hearing of the commotion, began chattering excitedly.

"I heard it's a new family that moved in..."

"His surname is Chen..."

"Owns a pharmacy..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xinyi suddenly lost her focus, her finger stung, and she accidentally pricked herself with the needle. Blood quickly welled up and dripped onto the embroidery surface, spreading rapidly.

The maid suddenly realized what had happened, slapped the other maid, and scolded, "You've ruined the embroidery that Miss spent half a month embroidering!"

His surname is Chen, and he owns a pharmacy. Isn't that Miss's former fiancé?

Although it may not necessarily be true.

But the young lady must have been thinking of that person.

The maid was somewhat confused, not knowing what she had done wrong.

Zhang Xinyi suddenly asked, "How did they start fighting?"

The maid looked at her, then at the other maid beside her, unsure whether to speak or not.

The maid slapped her angrily, "Miss is asking you a question, hurry up and answer!"

The maid then said, "It seems they've offended some martial arts guild, and they're here to demand an explanation..." She vividly recounted the events that had transpired.

When she heard the martial arts guild members arrogantly announcing how they were going to deal with Chen's second son, Zhang Xinyi's heart tightened, and she asked nervously, "Is he... alright?"

he?
The maidservant looked bewildered, not knowing who her mistress was asking.

Seeing how stupid she was, the maid kicked her and said angrily, "It's that Chen family's second son."

The maid then realized, "He's perfectly fine. Miss, you have no idea how powerful he is. He took down more than a dozen people in one go."

Zhang Xinyi was taken aback. "He's actually this amazing?"

"Of course he's amazing. I heard he's an eighth-rank martial artist, incredibly powerful."

Eighth grade?

Zhang Xinyi was taken aback.

Even if she doesn't care much about martial arts, she knows the significance of an eighth-rank martial artist.

Could it be him?
Her former fiancé was said to be of mediocre talent, and he even gave up learning martial arts at one point. If he had been any more talented, her family wouldn't have considered breaking off the engagement.

As far as I can remember, he wasn't even a martial artist.

Zhang Xinyi hadn't heard from him in a long time and knew nothing about his current situation. She only overheard her brother mention once that the Chen family's pharmacy was doing increasingly well.

The maid also found it strange, "What's the name of this second son of the Chen family you're talking about?"

"That's not clear."

"Why don't you go and find out?"

"Yes."

After a while, the maid returned, looking regretful. After finding out the name of the second son of the Chen family, she finally understood why her young mistress was behaving so strangely.

So it turns out it was the second son of the Chen family who was jilted by the young lady!

No one used to call Chen Ming that.

The master had given a strict order not to mention this person in front of the young lady. I had unintentionally made such a grave mistake.

The maid asked impatiently, "Is it him?"

The maidservant stammered, "Yes."

It really was him?

Zhang Xinyi was overwhelmed with emotion and found it difficult to calm down for a long time.

Suddenly, she remembered what Huo Qianqian had said.

An uncontrollable thought popped into his mind: "Are my uncle and father regretting it now?"

(End of this chapter)