Chapter 106: No Future

On the open space by the riverbank, next to the arena, many sheds had been set up. These sheds were prepared for the prominent figures of the city.

Naturally, these bigwigs were unwilling to squeeze in with others, and such arrangements were naturally very well received.

For a time, being invited into a shed to watch the martial contest had become a symbol of status.

Inside one of the sheds, there were only a few people.

At the very front, a woman in red clothes watched the match on the arena—noobs pecking at each other—and seemed to murmur to herself, "Truly unexpected, he actually managed to stir up such a storm. Yuer, your judgment isn’t bad."

A woman behind her trembled upon hearing this, "Miss……"

The others became as silent as cicadas in winter.

They were all well aware of the temper of the woman in red. Whenever she began talking to herself, it meant she was angry.

And when she praised someone beside her, it was an even clearer sign that she had killing intent.

The woman in red sneered, "What are you afraid of? Afraid I’ll kill him?"

The woman in green behind her dropped to her knees with a thud and pleaded, "Miss, I beg you to spare his life——"

A trace of anger flashed in the eyes of the woman in red. "Spineless. You’re actually begging me for a man?"

The woman in green wept even more bitterly, "Miss, you promised not to kill him……"

"Get up!"

The woman in red looked like she hated iron for not becoming steel, and scolded, "When did I ever say I’d kill him? Look at yourself now. Just what kind of spell has he cast on you?"

The woman in green finally stood up, remained silent, lowered her head, and quietly wiped away her tears.

She knew that when Miss gave her word, she would never go back on it.

Since she said she wouldn’t kill Chen Ming, then she definitely wouldn’t make a move.

At this moment, a middle-aged man in the garb of a scholar tried to smooth things over, "Master, this boy’s strength is meager, it poses no threat to the bigger picture. What needs to be considered now is that failing to drive Zhao Shouchang away this time, it might become even harder in the future."

The woman in red snorted and said with a gloomy expression, "The Blood Demon Sect is full of idiots. No wonder that for thousands of years, every time the Cult of Eternal Life stirred up such grand momentum, they still failed to accomplish anything. They can’t even keep their own subordinates in line."

"Now, I fear that the Demon Heir has already been targeted by Zhao Shouchang. Should we……"

"Such a fool isn’t worth the effort to save."

"But if things go this way, Zhao Shouchang might earn more merits again, and it’ll be even harder to drive him away."

"Let him earn merits then. I only fear his contribution won’t be enough."

"Master means to say…… Brilliant!" The middle-aged scholar slapped the table in admiration. "Since we can’t get him demoted, then let him get promoted and transferred. Master’s plan is superb. Could it be that the whereabouts of that Demon Heir was also orchestrated by you……"

The woman in red scowled, "Would I betray an ally? He’s just an idiot—his subordinates got caught and he still doesn’t know."

At this point, the winner of the arena match had already been decided.

The woman in red suddenly let out a sigh.

No one else knew why she sighed.

Only that middle-aged scholar seemed to guess something and asked, "Master, are you perhaps worried that the Seven Great Maritime Traders will absorb so many talents and grow vastly in strength?"

The woman in red shook her head, then said somewhat ruefully, "I’m just wondering—why hadn’t anyone thought of such a simple method before?"

The middle-aged scholar pondered, "It seems Master values that Chen Ming quite a bit. Do you wish to recruit him under your banner?"

"Do you have a plan, sir?"

"There are three plans—upper, middle, and lower. Which one would Master like to hear first?"

The woman in red frowned slightly, as if recalling some unpleasant memory, and said, "Let’s hear the lower plan first."

The scholar replied, "Master personally makes a move, abducts him and brings him aboard the ship, then threatens him with his family’s lives. That way, he won’t dare disobey."

Without hesitation, the woman in red said, "Speak of the middle plan."

"Find an intermediary to conduct a few transactions with the Chen Family’s medicine shop. Then report to the Six Doors Authority claiming that the Chen Family is colluding with pirates. Once he’s arrested, we find a way to rescue him. By then, Chen Ming would no longer have a foothold in Qingfeng City……"

The woman in red was visibly tempted, but still shook her head, "His relationship with Zhao Shouchang’s daughter is far from ordinary. This plan might not work. What about the upper plan?"

The scholar replied, "The upper plan is to have Master use a honey trap——"

"Impudent!"

Before he could finish, someone beside them shouted angrily, so furious it seemed like they might tear him apart.

The scholar, however, remained unfazed. He merely offered strategies—whether or not to accept them was up to the Master.

The woman in red glanced sideways at him and said indifferently, "He is not worthy yet."

The middle-aged scholar said, "This subordinate can only come up with these three plans."

In the end, the woman in red shook her head and said, "Forget it."

She no longer brought up the matter.

To her, a person like Chen Ming wasn’t worth exhausting her mind and resources to recruit.

……

In the afternoon, at the Gu Residence.

It was Chen Ming’s first time visiting the top aristocratic family of Qingfeng City.

After entering through the main gate, he found the place empty and deserted, looking even more dilapidated than the Sea-Calming King’s Mansion.

"What are you doing here?"

Zhou Weihao saw him arrive and wore a stern face, obviously still angry over what happened a few days ago.

Chen Ming held a jar of wine and smiled, "I’ve been busy with the martial competition these past few days and couldn’t visit Brother Weihao. Please forgive me."

"I, Zhou, dare not accept such courtesy."

"Looks like Brother Weihao really is angry. I’ll punish myself with three cups first."

Three cups weren’t enough, so he drank three more.

Zhou Weihao couldn’t bear to watch any longer and snatched the wine from his hands. "This wine is for me. Don’t drink it all yourself."

"There’s plenty of wine. I’ll bring you a few more jars next time."

After a few cups, the two resolved their past grievances.

Zhou Weihao said, "So, that disciple recruitment gathering was your doing. This matter caused a great stir throughout Jiangzhou. Even many of the guards in my household wanted to try their luck."

Chen Ming laughed, "I’m not that capable. I only borrowed the influence of the Guanglong Trading Company. That Guanglong Trading Company is truly something—effortlessly bringing in two Third Grade Experts."

"The Seven Great Maritime Traders have kept a low profile for over twenty years, but their hidden strength is unfathomable. The number of Third Grade Experts they can mobilize surpasses even the Four Great Sects. If not for Senior Shang’s oath back then, the martial artists in Qingfeng City would not be in such decline now."

Chen Ming asked, "Did you visit Senior Shang this time around?"

At the mention of this, Zhou Weihao’s expression turned solemn. "I did, but Senior Shang wouldn’t let me in. Has something happened during the time I’ve been away?"

Chen Ming frowned. "Something did happen—two months ago……"

He explained the matter of Zhao Shouchang and the woman in red seeking out Shang Jianfei but omitted the part where Shang Jianfei passed him the 《Vermilion Bird Sword Technique》.

"Before that, Senior Shang had already told me not to go to him anymore."

After hearing this, Zhou Weihao said with concern, "That’s bad. I fear the Six Doors Authority finally has the resources to make a move against Senior Shang."

Chen Ming quickly asked, "Why do you say that?"

Zhou Weihao said, "According to my elders, the death of the Sea-Calming King must conceal a tremendous secret. He was the former emperor’s younger brother, of royal blood. His sudden death was hastily ruled by the Six Doors Authority as illness. Who would believe a First Grade Expert died of illness? Yet the former emperor accepted this explanation. After that, the Sea-Calming King's subordinates were either captured or killed by the Six Doors Authority, until they finally suffered a major loss at the hands of Senior Shang."

He continued, growing more uneasy, "Senior Shang has been in seclusion at the Sea-Calming King’s Mansion for years. The Six Doors Authority surely knows this. The reason they haven’t acted is because they weren’t confident. Three years ago, another of their First Grade Experts broke through to the Divine Repository Realm. Now, I fear they’ll make a move."

Chen Ming asked curiously, "Just what kind of secret could cause the death of a figure as prominent as the Sea-Calming King?"

A secret even a First Grade royal descendant couldn’t protect—what could it be?

Zhou Weihao looked around, then whispered so only he could hear, "It’s said that when the Sea-Calming King killed that Pirate King, he obtained something—an artifact of the Eternal Life Emperor, the key to opening his tomb."

Chen Ming was shocked.

The Eternal Life Emperor was a being clearly recorded in historical texts, said to have lived over a thousand years. Moreover, he didn’t die a natural death.

After his passing, everyone searched for his tomb, for it was rumored that the secret to eternal life lay within it.

For thousands of years, the world sought his tomb. To this day, there are claims that six tombs have been unearthed—but all turned out to be decoys.

Legend had it that the Eternal Life Emperor built nine false tombs while alive, and only one was real.

Each time one emerged, it led to a bloody storm.

If the Sea-Calming King had obtained the secret to the Eternal Life Emperor’s tomb, then his sudden death would indeed make sense.

How could even a First Grade expert guard such a secret?

So, not only did the Sea-Calming King die, his trusted aides perished as well. Even a peak powerhouse like Shang Jianfei, above First Grade, had to hide in the Sea-Calming King’s Mansion.

In the end, even his sect was destroyed.

No wonder Shang Jianfei wouldn’t teach him the techniques of the Qinghe Sword Sect, and even told him never to visit again.

This was a secret that doomed all who touched it.

Zhou Weihao warned, "Don’t go looking for Senior Shang again. If I’m right, there will be people from the Six Doors Authority watching."

Chen Ming grew concerned for him. "Then wouldn’t you be……"

"No need to worry. My family’s deep ties with Senior Shang are well known to the Six Doors Authority."

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