Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 322 Kong Qifeng: You don't want Pei Qingming to have all the glory before you?
If it had only happened once, Dai Yuxi wouldn't have thought it was a coincidence.

This is the third time, and with someone else wanting to buy her family's pharmacy, she can't help but suspect that someone is deliberately targeting her family's pharmacy.

The goal, of course, was to make the pharmacy unable to continue operating and forced to sell it.

This pharmacy was left by my grandfather before his death. It has been in business for thirty years and is the foundation of the Dai family's presence in the capital. How could we possibly sell it?

Once the property is sold, the Dai family will find it difficult to continue living in Kyoto, and it won't be long before they have to leave the city.

Kyoto is big, and it's not easy to live there.

When my grandfather was still alive, the Dai family was doing quite well. However, after my grandfather passed away, the Dai family lost a mid-level martial artist to lead them. My father and several uncles spent a lot of the family's surplus money but failed to break through to the mid-level, and the family gradually declined.

Fortunately, the pharmacy was there. Thanks to its thirty-year reputation, the monthly income, although not as high as it was at its peak, was still enough to cover the family's expenses and the training needs of the younger generation.

A pharmacy is absolutely forbidden to sell.

"Miss, what should we do about this? I'm afraid the young master can't handle it. Should we report it to the authorities?"

The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger, which was not a good thing for the pharmacy. The first time this happened, the people gathered around would not be affected by the pharmacy's long-standing reputation. However, as this happened one after another, it would inevitably cause the martial artists in the city to question the pharmacy.

Dai Yuxi frowned as well, the most difficult part of this matter was how to prove the pharmacy's innocence.

The pharmacy reported the incident to the authorities the first two times. Although the officials took the people away, they did not clear the pharmacy's name. There were even rumors that the pharmacy had used its connections to drive these troublemakers out of the capital.

"If Lord Dai were still alive, how could he tolerate these people acting so recklessly?"

“My grandfather has been gone for almost ten years, and the Dai family doesn’t have many connections in the government anymore.”

Dai Yuxi's eyes held a hint of helplessness. No matter how just the Kyoto government was, many things happened in Kyoto every day, including fights between martial artists. The officials were extremely busy every day. To clear the pharmacy's name, they needed to thoroughly investigate the troublemakers. Not to mention that if the other party dared to do this, they must have connections in the government.

A few years before my grandfather passed away, he still had some connections, but after his death, as my father and several uncles failed to break through to the middle level, many relationships faded away.

"I'll go and handle it."

Dai Yuxi came down from the second floor, glanced at everyone present, and then said, "Everyone, my Dai family pharmacy has been in business for decades and has never had the problem of selling inferior goods as superior ones. My grandfather once said that the reason why the pharmacy was named Dai Family Pharmacy was to tell future generations that if the pharmacy were to cheat, it would be condemned by the world, and my grandfather Dai Jingfeng's name would be cursed."

After speaking, Dai Yuxi looked at the plaque above the shop entrance. Below the Dai Family Pharmacy, there was an engraving with the two characters "Jingfeng".

Lin Chen, who was watching from the crowd, paused when he heard the name Dai Jingfeng. Although he had never met the owner of this name, he had always kept it in his mind.

[In the 275th year of the Great Liang calendar, on my fiftieth birthday, the elders of my hometown came with gifts. Reflecting on the past, I specially left behind a scroll of martial arts will. The elders of my hometown should take it back to their homeland and pass it on to future generations. After this scroll is opened, you must press your palm with your inner energy on this scroll within ten breaths, and the martial arts will appear on its own. Do not miss it... Dai Jingfeng!]

Back then, he found the martial arts will left behind by the senior Dai Jingfeng in Zhou San's house. It was with this martial arts will that he was able to perfect the Qingfeng Palm and finally win the championship in the martial arts competition.

Although we never met, I received his kindness.

Although this senior Dai did not prepare the "martial arts will" for himself, he ultimately fulfilled his own destiny.

He wouldn't actively seek out this Senior Dai, but if he did encounter Senior Dai or his descendants, he would still be willing to repay the favor.

But is this Dai Jingfeng from the Dai Family Pharmacy the same person as that Senior Dai?

It's not uncommon for people to share the same name.

It is now the year 300 of the Great Liang calendar. According to calculations, this Senior Dai should be seventy-five years old. For a mid-level martial artist, although his blood and qi have begun to decline at this age, it is not yet the end of his life.

The average lifespan of a mid-level martial artist is in their early eighties, and many even live to be ninety or a hundred years old.

However, judging from his granddaughter's words, Dai Jingfeng, the owner of the Dai family pharmacy, should have already passed away.

"Let's go to the Ministry of Military Affairs first."

Whether the two Dai Jingfengs are the same person, he will ask after he meets Lord Kong at the Ministry of Military Affairs. He also needs to find out if this descendant of the Dai family is indeed selling inferior medicines in the pharmacy. If his character is not good, then this "destiny" will end here.

……

……

After taking a deep look at Dai Yuxi and the plaque, Lin Chen stopped joining the crowd and continued walking towards the Ministry of Military Affairs. This time, he didn't stroll around leisurely but went straight to his destination.

Standing in front of the Ministry of Military Affairs, Lin Chen's attention was drawn to the words on the red walls on both sides.

Left side: The martial arts of the Great Liang Dynasty flourished.

Right side: Every citizen is like a dragon.

The two lines of characters were vigorous and powerful. Because he had been copying the "Happy Ascension to Heaven" calligraphy, Lin Chen had some understanding of calligraphy. Just looking at these two lines of characters made his blood and qi circulate involuntarily.

passionate!

The calligraphy of these two lines was done by a master calligrapher, and the calligraphy can influence martial artists.

"Lord Su and Lord He once said that after the establishment of the Ministry of Military Affairs, the founding emperor personally wrote a calligraphy, wishing that all the people of Great Liang would be like dragons and that the martial arts of Great Liang would flourish. Could these two lines have been left by the founding emperor?"

Lin Chen quietly observed the two lines of text. His internal energy circulated on its own, continuously tempering the acupoints throughout his body, and finally all of it surged towards his dantian.

In front of the military administration department, several martial artists on guard saw Lin Chen standing motionless in the square in front of the gate. Two of them exchanged a glance and walked towards Lin Chen, about to ask him a question.

"stop!"

The two had only taken a few steps when they heard a voice behind them. When they saw the middle-aged man walking out of the main gate, they quickly bowed and said, "Lord Chu."

"Don't disturb him."

Chu Zining's eyes lit up when he saw the boy standing motionless in the square. He had already received news that Lin Chen had come to the capital with the disciples of the Kyoto Martial Academy and the Qingyun Martial Academy, and had also been informed when the group's ships arrived at the dock.

He figured Lin Chen was almost at the Ministry of Military Affairs, so he waited for him at the entrance.

As a close associate of Lord Kong of the Ministry of Martial Affairs, and being a mid-level martial artist himself, he was the only one in the entire Ministry of Martial Affairs who, apart from the Martial Affairs Lord of Xingdao, would personally greet these high-level martial artists at the door. No one else had that privilege.

But now, he personally came out to greet Lin Chen. This was not at Lord Kong's request, but a decision he made himself.

Lin Chen deserves to do this.

In this martial arts ranking competition of Yan Kingdom, Lin Chen brought glory to Daliang. Lin Chen's battles in Daliang have spread throughout the entire country. Now, as Daliang and Han Kingdom are about to go to war, Lin Chen has overpowered Han Kingdom's genius and won the first place on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, which has greatly boosted the morale of Daliang.

Han Kingdom has been the leader of the nine kingdoms for many years.

Although many in the court did not openly express their opinions, many privately felt that Great Liang should not go to war with Han. It wasn't that these officials were afraid of death, but rather that they were worried about Han's formidable strength. Over the past thousand years, other countries had challenged Han, but without exception, they all failed, and all of them lost without even engaging in direct combat with Han.

This long-held belief has instilled a fear of the cold in many martial artists. Lin Chen's battles in the ranking tournament have shown everyone that the Cold Country is not so scary, and that he can easily crush the young generation of geniuses.

Furthermore, Pei Qingming's recent appearance in Yan Kingdom, where he fought against a first-rank martial artist and held his own, greatly boosted the morale of the Liang Kingdom's martial artists. Now, the political climate in the court regarding the war with Han Kingdom has shifted dramatically.

"This person has been inspired by the words left by the founding emperor. Please do not disturb them."

Seeing the puzzled looks in the eyes of the two guards, Chu Zining explained in a low voice.

"Has something been realized?"

The two martial artists were stunned. They read the two lines of words from the founding emperor every day. At first, they were excited when they read them, but later they got used to it. How could reading a few words really give them any insights into martial arts?

Chu Zining could guess what the two were thinking from their expressions. To be honest, he was also shocked just now. According to the secret letter that Lord Hou sent back to the Ministry of Military Affairs, Lin Chen actually broke through from the ninth rank to the seventh rank when he was in Yan Kingdom.

He was stunned when he saw the secret letter, having crossed two realms in such a short time.

It's only been a few days, and you've already gained some insights?
Improving one's martial arts skills is as easy as drinking water.

"Lord Chu, who is this?"

The two martial artists stared at Lin Chen curiously. They now understood that Lord Chu had not come out by chance, but had come to the gate specifically for this young man.

In the past, only high-ranking martial artists could be personally greeted by Lord Chu at the gate. Who is this young man that Lord Chu would personally welcome him?
"This is the number one genius of the younger generation in our Great Liang, the number one on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. Can you guess who it is?"

The two martial artists rolled their eyes inwardly, but their gazes toward Lin Chen were filled with fervor and curiosity.

Do I need to guess?
Besides Lin Chen from Jiangnan Road, who else could have these two titles?

The Hidden Dragon Ranking was updated yesterday, and Lin Chen is prominently listed at the top of the Heavenly Ranking.

The two finally understood why Lord Chu had personally come out to greet a young man; given his potential, he certainly deserved Lord Chu's personal welcome.

A quarter of an hour later, Lin Chen was enveloped in a red light, and his powerful aura swept outwards, after which his expression returned to clarity.

"Lin Chen, what did you find?"

Hearing someone ask a question, Lin Chen looked towards the door and saw the smile on Chu Zining's face. He nodded and said, "This disciple has gained some insight."

Indeed, it was a little. Observing the two lines of words written by Emperor Taizu actually made some progress in his Zhenyue Manual, and his Body Tempering also reached 4.5, an increase of 0.2.

"Come with me, Lord Kong is already waiting for you."

Chu Zining didn't ask any further questions, as this wasn't the place to talk. He led Lin Chen straight into the martial arts academy gate and finally stopped in front of a courtyard.

"My lord, Lin Chen has arrived."

"Well, come in."

Kong Qifeng's gentle voice came from the courtyard, and Chu Zining led Lin Chen to push open the courtyard gate and step inside.

"Master Kong."

Looking at Kong Qifeng standing in the courtyard, Lin Chen smiled and spoke.

"This trip to the State of Yan was very good."

Kong Qifeng had a smile on his face. Lin Chen's trip to Yan Kingdom was not only very good, but it made him extremely satisfied.

"My lord, you don't know, Lin Chen just had some insights while looking at the calligraphy left by the founding emperor at the gate of the Ministry of Military Affairs."

Chu Zining then recounted Lin Chen's recent opportunity.

"Oh, is that so? When Pei Qingming first came to the Ministry of Military Affairs, he also had some insights. You really don't want your older brother Pei to have all the glory."

Kong Qifeng recalled what Pei Qingming had said when he visited the Ministry of Military Affairs not long ago and talked about Lin Chen.

"The higher Junior Brother Lin's talent in martial arts is, the more gratified I am. It's just that Junior Brother Lin is specifically trying to break the record I set back then. The younger generation is pushing the older generation forward, and he's going to crush me, the older generation, on the beach."

Kong Qifeng knew that Pei Qingming was joking, but thinking that Lin Chen had even taken away the only title that Pei Qingming had gained in front of the military and political departments, he suddenly wondered what kind of helpless expression Pei Qingming would have when he returned and found out about this.

"I still have a long way to go to catch up with Brother Pei," Lin Chen explained, scratching his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Chu Zining's lips twitched slightly. There was a big difference?
If this gap refers to current strength, then it is indeed true. Lin Chen is only at the seventh rank, while Pei Qingming is already comparable to the first rank. But if we are comparing potential, then it is really hard to say who is better than whom.

At least Pei Qingming doesn't have the strength of a seventh-grade martial artist at his age.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Kong Qifeng asked seriously, "Have you considered staying in Kyoto next?"

"Is Your Excellency worried about my safety?"

"Safety is secondary; the main thing is that I can broaden my knowledge of martial arts in Kyoto."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen pondered for a moment. The capital was the second most prosperous city in Daliang after Lingxiao City, and it also had a rich history that Lingxiao City lacked. However, he did not really want to stay in the capital.

As for broadening one's knowledge of martial arts, with Martial Arts Mountain present, the martial arts geniuses of the Yan Dynasty possess extremely exquisite martial arts techniques that are far superior to those of the Nine Kingdoms.

"My lord, unless there is something important, I plan to return to Canglan Martial Academy or Poyang County."

"it is good."

Kong Qifeng agreed without any surprise on his face, as if he had expected Lin Chen's choice.

"However, you will be staying in the capital for a while. Besides me, there are several other people who want to meet you, the genius of the Great Liang. Finally, you will also have to go to the palace to see His Majesty."

Speaking of seeing His Majesty, Kong Qifeng suddenly blinked his old eyes: "In this respect, you have surpassed Pei Qingming again. When Pei Qingming first came to the capital, he was not summoned by His Majesty."

Lin Chen: ...

Lin Chen never expected that Lord Kong would also make fun of him and Brother Pei.

As for His Majesty wanting to see me, it must be because I cultivate the same technique as the founding emperor. The Liang royal family holds a transcendent position and rarely receives outsiders except for a few first-rank officials.

(End of this chapter)