I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 79 Gives You Two Choices
The next morning, Gu Yuantao visited again. Upon seeing Chen Ming, he asked with a cold expression, "Have you been giving in to me all this time?"

Chen Ming hadn't expected him to ask that, and said, "It depends on how you interpret this matter."

Gu Yuantao stared into his eyes. "I just want to know why you did this."

He was shocked to hear yesterday that Chen Ming had executed Sun Shicai at the governor's mansion.

Several years ago, his elder brother had fought Sun Shicai to a draw. This shows how strong Sun Shicai was.

And to this day, he has never reached the heights his brother once achieved.

Upon comparing the two, he realized that Chen Ming had always been letting him win when they sparred.

"sit."

When the two arrived at his courtyard, Chen Ming invited him to sit down. After organizing his thoughts, he said, "Brother Gu comes from a prestigious family, so naturally he cannot understand a martial artist like me who has no lineage. For me, constantly sparring with others, seeing all kinds of different martial arts, and learning from the strengths of various schools are the only ways to continuously improve my swordsmanship. Brother Gu's swordsmanship is refined through countless trials and is extremely classic. Every time I spar with Brother Gu, I gain some insights."

Gu Yuantao seemed to accept this explanation and did not bring up the matter again. Instead, he made a request: "I want to know how big the gap is between me and Brother Chen, so I hope Brother Chen will not hold back."

Chen Ming looked at him and, seeing the determination in his eyes, agreed, "Okay."

This is a true martial arts fanatic, actually deliberately seeking out torture.

……

A moment later.

With a clang, the longsword in Gu Yuantao's hand flew out, spun a few times in the air, and stuck into the gap in the stone slab.

He stood there, motionless, for a long time.

Three strokes!

He couldn't even withstand three moves from Chen Ming.

Moreover, Chen Ming's right hand was injured, so he was using his left hand.

The difference is really that big?

After a long while, Gu Yuantao's eyes finally lit up again. He silently walked over, pulled out the sword from the ground, bowed to Chen Ming, and turned to leave.

Looking at his desolate figure, Chen Ming felt a pang of regret, thinking that after such a blow, he probably wouldn't come again.
……

In the following days, the Six Doors began to take action, arresting people everywhere and strictly investigating those of unknown origin, with fights breaking out from time to time.

Chen Ming naturally stayed indoors, only sending people out to inquire about news.

Zhuang Xiaotian came a few times when he had free time to tell Chen Ming what he knew.

Currently, it has been confirmed that eight members of prominent families have gone missing.

Four others were also attacked, but escaped because they were protected by skilled fighters.

Among the eight missing people were Tian Qiming and Wang Ruisheng, whom Chen Ming knew and had fought against at the martial arts tournament. There was also the young master of the He family from Gu County who had once visited the Wu Family Martial Arts School to "pay his respects" to Old Liu.

That is, the son of Lao Liu's enemy.

When Chen Ming heard this name, he even suspected that Lao Liu was behind it.

……

Five days after Chen Ming killed Sun Shicai, in the morning, a seventh-rank inspector from the Six Doors came to the door, specifically requesting to see Chen Ming.

Upon receiving the news, Chen Ming hurriedly came out to greet the man, who was in his thirties and dressed in a blue official robe. He bowed and said, "Sir, may I ask what brings you here to see me..."

The inspector laughed heartily and said warmly, "Young Master Chen is indeed as handsome and dashing as the rumors say. My name is Chen Yong, and we are actually from the same clan."

"You flatter me, Lord Chen."

Chen Ming was a little confused; he didn't know this person. Was this person being overly enthusiastic?
Chen Yong said, "A few days ago, wasn't Young Master Chen attacked by thieves? According to your description, we captured three people and have come to invite you to come and identify them."

"this--"

Chen Ming was already thinking about how to refuse.

How could a seventh-rank inspector personally come to our door for something like this?

He smelled a conspiracy.

At this moment, Chen Yong whispered, "Miss instructed me to come, saying that I'm here to fulfill a promise."

Miss?

Chen Ming's heart skipped a beat. "The young lady you're referring to, Lord Chen?"

Chen Yong laughed, "I was originally a servant in the Admiral's household. I'm used to calling you 'Miss'."

So it was Zhao Xiyan who sent them.

Chen Ming remembered that a few nights ago, she had said she would help him find a place where he could spar with others. He thought she was too busy with important matters and had forgotten.

He said, "I didn't expect you to be a confidant of the Admiral. My apologies. In that case, let's go."

……

Chen Ming followed Chen Yong to the prison of the Six Doors government office.

This is not the place where Chen Ming was imprisoned before. Back then, he was just an ordinary person and did not have the qualifications to be imprisoned here.

The Six Doors' prison is filled with martial artists.

The area is heavily guarded, staffed by fully armed soldiers.

The prison gate was made entirely of steel; once closed, even a third-rank expert could not break it.

Only after Chen Yong received the warrant was he able to successfully lead Chen Ming inside.

When the door opened, there was a clicking sound, like the sound of gears.

After they were taken to prison, the gates were closed again.

Chen Ming felt the temperature around him drop a few degrees.

Chen Yong explained to him, "This place is divided into three levels. Those below the seventh rank are all imprisoned on the first level. Cell A holds the ninth and eighth ranks, while all the seventh-rank prisoners are in cell B. Just go through that door."

As Chen Ming walked along, he saw many prisoners in the cell, stretched out his hand, and shouted loudly that he was innocent.

He asked, "Were they all arrested recently?"

Recently, the Six Doors have been arresting people everywhere. Whether they can catch the murderers who attacked the scions of aristocratic families is hard to say, but one thing is certain: the security situation in Qingfeng City will improve significantly in the next year or two.

"Yes, they are all people of unknown origin. Among them are many spies for pirates and secret agents for enemy countries. Of course, there are also innocent people. However, they cannot prove their innocence and can only accept their bad luck."

"Yeah, when there's a crackdown, how can you not be unlucky?"

As they talked, the two finally passed through the middle door and entered cell number B.

The temperature inside had dropped a few degrees.

The number of prisoners in cell B was significantly less. "This man is here to assist me in interrogating the prisoners."

Chen Yong introduced Chen Ming's identity to the prison guards in this way. With the warrant in hand, whatever he said was law. The prison guards wouldn't ask any more questions, just to avoid making a fool of themselves.

Soon, the jailer led the two men to a cell. "These are the three men we just arrested yesterday. They reek of the sea; you don't even need to interrogate them to know they make a living at sea."

Chen Yong asked Chen Ming, "Are they the three of them?"

"Correct."

Chen Ming recognized the three guys inside at a glance as the ones who had ambushed him at his home a few days ago.

Chen Yong ordered the jailer, "Open the door."

After the jailer opened the door, he patted Chen Ming on the shoulder and said, "Go ahead. As long as you don't kill them, you can do whatever you want with them."

So, the place Zhao Xiyan was talking about where she could freely spar with anyone and no one would refuse her, was the Six Doors' prison?

I must say, she has quite a few ideas.

Chen Ming's eyes lit up, and he suddenly grabbed Chen Yong, who was about to leave, and asked, "Can all the prisoners here be here?"

Chen Yong smiled and said, "Of course. However, it's best not to kill anyone, otherwise it will be more troublesome."

It's just "a bit troublesome," the subtext being that killing one or two wouldn't be a big problem.

Chen Ming was genuinely surprised that the daughter of an admiral possessed such great power.

This small example illustrates just how severely the so-called system was eroded in the Great Jin Dynasty.

……

When Chen Ming entered the cell, Brother Dao, who was lying on the ground, looked up, his expression changed, and he exclaimed, "It's you?"

Chen Ming pointed at him and ordered the jailer, "Take this man to the interrogation room."

"Yes."

Two jailers stepped forward and dragged him away.

"Brother Dao—"

"Brother Dao, you must hold on! You can't betray Brother Qi..."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Chen Ming couldn't help but sigh. Was that big, dumb guy really dumb or just pretending?

Brother Dao roared, "If you've got the guts, let me go and fight me..."

Unfortunately, his hands and feet were shackled with heavy chains, and his collarbone was pierced, so he couldn't use his strength at all. Like a cripple, he was dragged by two prison guards all the way to the interrogation room.

It was called an interrogation room, but it was actually a torture chamber, filled with all sorts of horrific instruments of torture, many of which were stained with blood.

Upon entering, one is immediately struck by a lingering, pungent smell of blood.

Dao Ge's face turned pale instantly, and he roared, "If you have the guts, kill me..."

Chen Ming ignored the dog's barking, which sounded fierce but was actually cowardly, and said to the jailers, "Please trouble you two to remove his shackles."

That one word, "Big Brother," made the two jailers feel as light as a feather. "You're too kind, sir. This man has a seventh-grade cultivation level and is a desperate criminal. If we untie him, I'm afraid..."

Chen Ming said, "Don't worry, with me here, he can't cause any trouble."

Seeing that he said this, the jailer said no more, stepped forward and unlocked the shackles on Brother Dao's hands and feet, and also removed the chain that was narrow on his collarbone.

Dao Ge had calmed down by now, feeling the shackles on his body removed and the familiar power returning. He was somewhat bewildered, unsure of what Dao Ge intended to do.
The two jailers quickly slipped away; their strength was too weak to face the wrath of a seventh-rank martial artist.

Chen Ming picked up a knife from the wall and threw it at his feet, saying, "Pick it up and fight me. If you can beat me, I'll let you go."

After hearing this, Brother Dao sneered, "A scholar may be killed but not humiliated. How could I do as you wish? If you have the guts, then kill me."

His wound on his lower abdomen hadn't healed yet, and when he was captured yesterday, it was aggravated. How could he be a match for Chen Ming?

Knowing he couldn't win, he didn't want to humiliate himself.

Chen Ming wasn't in a hurry. He said, "Do you know that there's a form of torture in prison called solitary confinement? They lock a person in a small cage, where they can only bend over, not sit or lie down. It's pitch black, they can't see or hear anything. They're locked up for half a month at a time. Can you imagine what that's like?"

After hearing his description, Brother Dao couldn't help but shudder.

He was a pirate, and pirates used a form of water torture specifically to punish disobedient subordinates. He had witnessed it firsthand. This form of confinement was far more terrifying than a water dungeon.

Chen Ming said, "If you don't fight, I'll put you in solitary confinement for fifteen days. If you fight, even if you lose, I'll give you an extra meal of meat every day. You choose."

Brother Dao stared at him with bloodshot eyes, picked up the knife from the ground, and pounced on him madly.

Chen Ming swung his knife backhand and knocked him to the ground.

At this moment, Brother Dao's strength was pitifully weak; he couldn't even withstand a single move from him.

He lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

[You have defeated another LV39 opponent, gaining 550 experience points.]

Chen Ming was overjoyed when he saw this notification.

I finally managed to exploit the bug!

Therefore, the system only determines the amount of experience points based on the other party's level. No matter how bad their condition is, as long as their level is high, they can still get the full amount of experience points.

After Chen Ming waited for him to catch his breath, he said, "I can give you another chance."

Looking at the smile on the young man's face, Dao Ge thought it was like that of a demon.

……

When Brother Dao was put back in shackles and dragged back to his cell, Stone, the big, simple-minded guy in the same cell, asked with concern, "Brother Dao, are you alright?"

"Brother Dao, you're out of ideas, aren't you?"

After Dao Ge was thrown in, he lay motionless on the ground, his eyes glazed over, devoid of any light.

The two were filled with grief and indignation. "Brother Dao, what did that bastard do to you?"

At this moment, two jailers stepped forward, one on each side, and dragged the two away, saying, "It's your turn."

"Let me go, I don't know anything..." Stone's face changed drastically, and he struggled desperately.

"I would never betray Seventh Brother!" the big, simple-minded man shouted.

At this point, Stone finally couldn't hold back any longer, "Shut up, you idiot! If it weren't for you, how could we have been arrested?"

The big, clumsy man flew into a rage, "You're the idiot! You were the one who was discovered by the Six Doors people first!"

Stone, seemingly insane, cried out, "Let me go! I'll kill this idiot first!"

PS: Second update, please vote with monthly tickets. The next chapter will be around 11 PM.

(End of this chapter)