I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 28 The Blue-Clad Inspector
"He hasn't lost yet!"

Huo Qianqian pointed at Chen Ming, instantly making him the center of attention.

Zhao An, Hong Mingquan, and Zhang Mingyu were well aware of Chen Ming's strength and immediately understood their junior sister's intentions, so they remained silent.

Only Du Juan, who hadn't visited the Huo residence in a long time, didn't recognize him and was somewhat puzzled by his identity.

The three men and one woman on the other side looked at the young man.

The man surnamed Guo, who was in the lead, asked, "Are you also a disciple of Master Huo?"

"He is not."

The woman in blue answered quickly.

The man surnamed Guo looked at Huo Qianqian and said, "Since this person is not a disciple of Master Huo, he is naturally not qualified to compete with us."

Huo Qianqian said confidently, "Although Grandpa didn't accept him as a disciple, he did learn the martial arts of our sect, so he can be considered a disciple in name only. How can he not be qualified?"

After a moment's thought, the man surnamed Guo said, "Since that's the case, I'll make you admit defeat wholeheartedly. Junior sister, why don't you go and meet this person?"

"it is good."

The woman in blue was overjoyed. She had only fought one battle with her granddaughter, who wasn't even a ninth-rank cultivator. The battle was over before she could even warm up. She was feeling unsatisfied.

She drew her sword, pointed it at Chen Ming, and said excitedly, "Kid, remember this, my name is Zhong Shuyu!"

At this moment, the man surnamed Guo reminded her, "Junior sister, you must not be careless. This person also has the cultivation of the ninth rank."

Everyone present was taken aback by these words.

Hong Mingquan and Zhang Mingyu's first reaction was disbelief, thinking that the other party had misjudged them.

Zhao An and Huo Qianqian were shocked.

Du Juan was puzzled.

Chen Ming was also surprised. He didn't expect this person to see through his true cultivation level at a glance. He didn't know where he had given himself away.

To be honest, he didn't want to fight.

But life is like that; sometimes you just get caught up in some inexplicable whirlpool.

Chen Ming said to Hong Mingquan, "Senior Brother Hong, please lend me your sword."

Hong Mingquan turned the long knife in his hand upside down and threw it at him.

After accepting the gift, Chen Ming bowed to the girl in blue and said, "Please enlighten me, young lady."

"Look at the sword!"

Zhong Shuyu didn't hold back and thrust her sword forward.

Chen Ming recognized that the sword move she used was the same one that the man surnamed Guo had used earlier, and dared not be careless, raising his knife to parry.

With a clang.

The two men each took half a step back.

Now, everyone could see that he was indeed a ninth-grade cultivator.

Hong Mingquan and the others were extremely shocked.

When did he become a ninth-rank official?
How could he possibly be a ninth-rank official?
Even Huo Qianqian, the instigator, was stunned. She never imagined that Chen Ming had already reached the ninth rank.

……

Unfortunately, he was probably a beginner at the ninth rank, and his strength was slightly inferior to that of the girl in blue. He quickly fell into a disadvantageous position. After about ten moves, his long sword was knocked away by a sword, and he was defeated.

"Your swordsmanship is superb, far surpassing mine."

Chen Ming then conceded defeat.

You were defeated by a level 11 enemy, deducting 50 experience points.

The notification that suddenly popped up in front of him startled him for a moment.

Seriously? You lose experience points for losing?
System, have some decency!
Despite cursing inwardly, Chen Ming didn't forget his current situation. He picked up the knife and returned it to Hong Mingquan, then silently retreated behind the crowd, trying his best to hide himself and make others ignore his presence.

……

Meanwhile, Zhong Shuyu, having won the battle, beamed with pride.

Suddenly, her second senior brother whispered, "Junior sister, you've been fooled by that kid. He's deliberately letting you win."

"what?"

Zhong Shuyu raised an eyebrow, about to ask for clarification. Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside, "Who dares to be so insolent here?"

A figure in blue leaped in from outside the wall and flew into the hall.

The man surnamed Guo's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Oh no, it's the Blue-Clad Inspector from the Six Doors!"

Upon hearing the words "Six Doors," the three men's expressions changed drastically.

Upon hearing the name of the patrol officer in blue robes, they dared not let their guard down.

The Six Doors distinguished official ranks according to the color of their clothing. Those dressed in blue were of the seventh rank, and one needed at least a seventh-rank cultivation level to hold such a position.

People in the martial arts world dislike conflict with the Six Doors (a powerful organization in China). Once a feud is formed and someone is wanted by the Six Doors, it becomes extremely difficult to move an inch in the martial arts world. On the other hand, the Huo family members showed joy on their faces.

They all recognized the patrolman in blue robes; he was none other than Sun Shicai, the fourth son in his family.

Now that he has arrived, these people will certainly not dare to act recklessly anymore.

All that could be heard from inside the hall was Sun Shicai's angry shout, "Don't you dare hurt my master!"

Then came the sounds of fighting, bang bang bang.

The old woman said coldly, "You asked for this!"

Accompanied by a muffled groan.

A moment later, the old woman emerged from the hall and said to her four apprentices with a grim expression, "Let's go."

The five people climbed over the wall and disappeared.

"grandfather!"

"Master!"

Huo Qianqian and the others rushed into the hall to find Huo Chengkun.

As for Chen Ming, he took this opportunity to slip away quietly.

……

In the alley behind the Huo residence, Chen Ming's carriage was still waiting outside.

"Go to the Deng family's house."

Guan Peng and Zhuang Xiaotian are leaving early tomorrow morning, and he said he would give them a farewell dinner today.

On the way, Chen Ming kept thinking about what had happened at the Huo residence that day.

Although I only overheard snippets of conversation between Huo Chengkun and the old woman, I sensed that there was more to this than met the eye. It was chilling to think about.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He thought to himself, "I'd better not go to the Huo residence for the next few days."

Although his true cultivation level has now been exposed, it seems that the Huo family is too preoccupied to care about him at the moment.

Before long, they arrived at the Deng residence.

The three Deng brothers were waiting for him. A table full of delicious food was laid out, but no one had touched it. When he finally arrived, they complained, "Why are you so late, senior brother? The food is getting cold."

As soon as Chen Ming sat down, he poured himself a glass of wine and drank it to calm his nerves. "Don't even mention it. A major incident happened at the Huo residence today. I almost didn't make it back."

Deng Ziyang became interested upon hearing this and offered to pour him a drink. "Tell me quickly, what happened?"

"This morning..."

Chen Ming gave a brief account of what happened today, and concluded by saying, "If Sun Shicai hadn't arrived in time, I really don't know how the situation would have ended."

Deng Ziyang's expression hardened. "You mean, Sun Shicai was wearing a blue robe?"

"Yes, it's the Inspector in Blue Robes."

Deng Ziyang couldn't help but gasp. "I never expected that Sun Shicai would rise to the rank of Inspector in just a few years. This man is truly remarkable."

In the Six Doors, promotion isn't just about having high cultivation levels; you also need to have meritorious service.

Chen Ming wasn't interested in Sun Shicai, so he asked, "Brother Deng, do you know what sect Huo Chengkun belongs to?"

Deng Ziyang frowned and said, "I've never heard of that. He's been in Qingfeng City for over ten years. No one knows which sect or school he comes from. They just think he's a wandering martial artist."

As he spoke, he slapped his thigh and said, "No wonder this old ghost never gets involved in other businesses. A sixth-rank expert, he only accepts some tributes from his disciples, stays in the Huo mansion, and doesn't get into conflicts with others. It turns out he has a lot of trouble on his hands."

At this point, Chen Ming noticed that Guan Peng and Zhuang Xiaotian weren't very interested in the topic, so he changed the subject and brought up the Six Doors (a government agency). This was to avoid neglecting the two.

……

The four of them drank until the afternoon before parting ways.

Chen Ming went to the same courtyard where he had stayed the previous night. He had just brewed a pot of tea when Zhuang Xiaotian pushed open the door and came in. "Brother Chen, am I disturbing you?"

"Of course not, come and sit down."

Chen Ming poured him a cup of tea as well, "Here, have a cup of tea to sober up."

“Brother Chen, I’m going back tomorrow. If I don’t leave soon, my family will worry.” Zhuang Xiaotian finished his tea in one gulp and said, “In the past month, thanks to Brother Chen’s guidance, my swordsmanship and fist techniques have greatly improved.”

Chen Ming laughed and said, "What are you saying? Let's learn from each other and improve together."

Zhuang Xiaotian said solemnly, “Brother Chen has treated me with sincerity and has taught me all his sword techniques. I feel unworthy of such kindness. I dare not pass on my family’s boxing techniques to Brother Chen in violation of our ancestral teachings. After much thought, the only technique I can think of is the throwing knife, which I have figured out on my own. If Brother Chen does not mind, I will pass on the secrets of this throwing knife to you.”

Chen Ming's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful. To be honest, I've wanted to ask you about the art of throwing knives for a long time, but I was too embarrassed to ask."

Seeing his reaction, Zhuang Xiaotian visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad Brother Chen likes it."

He owes Chen Ming a huge favor, and if he doesn't repay it, he'll have a grudge against him.

So he taught Chen Ming the throwing knife technique in detail.

"This throwing knife technique was learned from a few pages of paper I accidentally obtained when I was a child, and I gleaned it from a dozen or so lines of incantation. Listen carefully..."

(End of this chapter)