Chapter 125: Reverse Tiangang

Outside the Chen Residence, a luxurious and unfamiliar carriage stood parked.

Anyone with a discerning eye would recognize the insignia on the carriage and know that it belonged to the Guanglong Trading Company.

Naturally, those seated inside must be from Guanglong Trading Company.

The Seven Great Trading Companies usually kept a low profile, but their influence had already penetrated all facets of civilian life.

The more ordinary the people or merchants, the more clearly they understood the power wielded by the Seven Great Trading Companies.

As Ah Ming’s cultivation grew increasingly profound, the carriages visiting the Chen Residence also became more extravagant. The surrounding residents had long become accustomed to this.

What was unusual about today's carriage was that, despite its arrival, no one got off. It seemed as though they were waiting for someone from inside to come out and greet them.

This caught some attention, and many were wondering what kind of background the person inside the carriage had to demand such airs.

Inside the carriage, Li Qingchang wore a blue training outfit. In just a few months, his demeanor had changed drastically. He exuded a strong sense of confidence, his gaze sharp—completely different from his previously low-key and silent self.

Another person sat in the carriage: Cai Zhonglin, also from the Huo Residence, looked uneasy and said, "Senior Brother Li, isn’t this a bit improper? I heard that Chen Ming is a good friend of the Third Young Master…"

"No matter."

Li Qingchang spoke indifferently, "The Master has many sons. That Third Young Master is not of much importance. This time, the Eldest Senior Brother instructed me to persuade Chen Ming not to oppose the Qi Family. If I don’t suppress his arrogance first, he might not be willing to listen."

Hearing this, Cai Zhonglin’s face twitched slightly.

He suddenly felt a bit of regret—why did he choose to side with this guy?

He used to be a staunch follower of Sun Shicai.

After Sun Shicai’s death, fortunately, Chen Ming didn’t pursue punishment for those who had served under Sun Shicai.

Even so, he had to behave with utmost caution since then.

A few months ago, he learned that Li Qingchang had become a disciple under a Third Grade Expert.

Since the two had entered the Huo Residence in the same year to learn martial arts, Cai Zhonglin used that connection to latch onto this new backer.

Cai Zhonglin decided to try dissuading him again. "Senior Brother, Chen Ming is still a Sixth Grade Martial Artist. We should at least give him some face…"

"Hmph!"

Li Qingchang said proudly, "My master is a Third Grade Expert. Why should I give him face? On the day I became a disciple, I even sent him an invitation, and he didn’t show up. He didn’t respect me—why should I hold onto past sentiments?"

Cai Zhonglin opened his mouth but said nothing in the end.

He already understood.

Li Qingchang felt that he had always been submissive in front of Chen Ming.

Now that he had become a disciple of a Third Grade Expert, he believed his status had elevated significantly.

This visit to Chen Ming was merely to reclaim his dignity.

This was an opening show of force—to let Chen Ming know that he was no longer the same Li Qingchang. He was now a direct disciple of a Third Grade Expert.

"Why did I follow such a fool?"

Cai Zhonglin sighed inwardly.

As the saying went, different positions granted access to different information.

He had long heard that the grand and fateful Disciple Recruitment Assembly that changed Li Qingchang’s life had actually been orchestrated by Chen Ming and the Third Young Master of the Feng Family.

In fact, many said Chen Ming deserved even more credit.

It was widely believed that if Chen Ming had wanted to become a disciple of either of the two Third Grade Experts, it would’ve taken just a word.

But Li Qingchang didn’t believe any of it and even scoffed at such notions.

In his view, Chen Ming merely helped out a little during the assembly. If he were really the mastermind, why didn’t he show up during the days of the competition?

As for the claim that Chen Ming didn’t want to become their disciple—it was even more ridiculous.

Those were Third Grade Experts!

Who wouldn’t want them as masters?

Chen Ming no longer had the chance.

He was already a Sixth Grade Martial Artist and had cultivated True Qi. Switching to another sect’s martial arts would be highly problematic.

Of course, this sort of “common knowledge” wasn’t something ordinary folks would understand.

That was why such absurd rumors existed.

Li Qingchang himself only learned about martial arts classifications and other “common knowledge” known to first- and second-tier martial artists after becoming a disciple.

The two waited and waited, yet no one came out to receive them.

Before they realized it, the time of one incense stick had passed.

Li Qingchang’s expression initially showed a bit of impatience, but as time dragged on, his face grew increasingly unsightly.

By the time he realized he was being deliberately left hanging, more than half an hour had gone by.

He was furious. He was already the disciple of a Third Grade Expert, yet Chen Ming still dared to ignore him!

Enraged to the extreme, he also realized that there wasn’t much he could actually do to Chen Ming.

In terms of strength, he had just broken through to Seventh Grade, while Chen Ming was Sixth Grade. He couldn’t win.

Would he go seek help from Senior Brother over such a trivial matter?

In that case, his Senior Brother would only see him as incompetent.

And if he approached his master…

If his master found out, he’d probably feel embarrassed on behalf of the sect. A beating would be the lightest punishment.

Li Qingchang was now completely stuck.

Just then, he heard voices from outside:

"Who’s in that carriage? Why’s it been parked here so long?"

"Who knows, but the people inside haven’t come out."

"Don’t tell me they’re waiting for someone from the Chen family to come out and greet them?"

"But it’s been a while, and no one from the Chen family has come out…"

"……"

Hearing the outside chatter made Li Qingchang feel even worse. He couldn’t stay, and he couldn’t leave.

He now resented Chen Ming to his very bones.

He was out of options. He could only tell Cai Zhonglin, "Go knock on the door again. Maybe the gatekeeper didn’t notify Chen Ming that I was here."

Cai Zhonglin could only brace himself, got off the carriage, and walked to the tightly shut doors of the Chen Residence.

He knocked lightly.

After a moment, the door opened. The gatekeeper peeked out and said in surprise, "Eh, you’re still here?"

Cai Zhonglin asked politely, "Excuse me…"

The gatekeeper replied impatiently, "Second Master is currently entertaining distinguished guests and is not available to meet your master. If you want to wait, go ahead."

With that, he shut the door before Cai Zhonglin could say another word.

"……"

Cai Zhonglin understood immediately—Chen Ming was deliberately leaving them hanging.

He now had only one judgment of Li Qingchang: overestimating himself and inviting humiliation.

When Cai Zhonglin relayed the gatekeeper’s words to Li Qingchang, he saw his face instantly darken, so he lowered his head and pretended not to notice.

After a long while, Cai Zhonglin heard Li Qingchang grit his teeth and squeeze out three words:

"Let’s go!"

He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. At least they wouldn’t have to suffer here any longer.

……

When Li Qingchang’s carriage left the alley, it passed by another luxurious carriage heading in the opposite direction.

This later carriage likewise stopped in front of the Chen Residence’s main gate.

Stepping out from the carriage was Feng Siyuan. He walked up and knocked on the door. When the door opened, the gatekeeper Old Li wore an unpleasant expression, as if about to curse. But upon seeing who it was, his face lit up with a smile, exclaiming with delight, "So it’s Young Master Feng! I thought it was that guy from earlier again—my apologies."

Feng Siyuan looked a little curious. "Who was that earlier?"

When he had gotten off the carriage, the coachman had already mentioned that the previous one belonged to the Guanglong Trading Company.

Old Li grumbled angrily, "Just some petty man who went wild the moment he tasted success. Forget it, better not to talk about him—what bad luck. Please, come in."

Hearing that made Feng Siyuan even more intrigued.

After entering the backyard, he happened to see Chen Ming sparring with Gu Yuantao.

With his own weak cultivation, he could only watch for fun. After greeting Zhang Mingyu who was seated nearby, he took a seat himself.

After a while, the bout finally ended with Chen Ming claiming victory by a single move.

"Thank you for yielding."

Chen Ming clasped his hands in salute. Seeing that Gu Yuantao stood frozen and unresponsive, he paid it no mind—already used to such behavior—and went over to sit at the table.

He said to Feng Siyuan, "Brother Feng, are you here to play mediator too?"

Feng Siyuan smiled. "I didn’t expect you to possess prophetic abilities. The old man from my house sent me here. You know how it is—we all do business in Qingfeng City, so there’s some connection."

Chen Ming chuckled. "The Qi Family really has a wide network."

"You don’t have to worry about us. The Qi father and son act disgracefully—it’s simply inhuman. Go ahead and deal with them however you like. I can’t help you publicly, but I’ll offer some support behind the scenes."

"Thanks."

Chen Ming personally poured him a cup of Blackbone Spirit Tea.

After finishing the main topic, Feng Siyuan asked, "By the way, did someone come earlier? Your gatekeeper didn’t let him in."

Before Chen Ming could respond, Zhang Mingyu said, "What a disgrace to the sect. It’s shameful to say—he was once a registered disciple of my master. Four months ago, during the Disciple Recruitment Assembly, he became a disciple of Senior Gold Saber. The moment he got a taste of success, he turned arrogant. Today he even came flaunting his status as a disciple of a Third Grade Expert…"

As Feng Siyuan listened, the smile vanished from his face and was replaced by anger. Finally, he slammed the table.

"Outrageous!"

He hadn’t expected that the lucky one who managed to become a disciple of a Third Grade Expert during the Disciple Recruitment Assembly would dare to come show off in front of Chen Ming.

Was this not turning the heavens upside down?

If it hadn’t been for Chen Ming, how could that assembly even have happened? How would they have had the chance to become disciples of Third Grade Experts?

And now, they didn’t even regard Chen Ming anymore.

What’s worse, that Li Qingchang had even been from the same sect as Chen Ming. One stroke of fortune, and he completely lost his mind.

The more Feng Siyuan thought about it, the angrier he became. A hint of killing intent flickered across his face.

"How could such an ungrateful person exist in this world? Alas, this shows my failure in managing my people. To cause such a mess—Brother Chen, I hope you won’t hold it against me. I will definitely give you an explanation for this!"

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