Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Battle of the Fourth Rank
Chen Ming said, "Finally, soone has decided to take action. It seems like those pirates have caused too much trouble, affecting the business of the major sea rchants."
This is a good thing. In Qingfeng City, the real people in charge are the seven great sea rchants. But they usually remain low-key, preferring to stay behind the scenes.
Now, at this point, they have no choice but to co forward.
The pirates have directly threatened the seven great sea rchants. If no asures are taken, who knows what chaos will ensue?
Zhang Mingyu said, "Those pirates are insane. They not only rob silver but also love to kill and burn. Just the night before last, the warehouse of Jin Yuansheng was set on fire by them, burning for an entire day and night. The Qi Family is in deep trouble this ti and may suffer imnse losses this year."
Chen Ming had already heard about this. Normally, he should be happy when his enemies are in trouble. However... based on the original owner’s mories, that was an old warehouse, quite decrepit and had been vacant for a while.
Yet, Jin Yuansheng is openly claiming that most of this year’s goods were destroyed in that fire.
This seems suspicious.
It inevitably reminded him of the "Fire Dragon Burned Warehouse" story.
Chen Ming’s mind raced with these thoughts as he said, "However, Four Seas Trading Company is a bit desperate. Even if they gather all the martial artists in the city, how can they deal with those few fourth-grade Jiao Kings?"
The lack of high-level combat power is a fatal issue.
Zhang Mingyu said, "I heard that Four Seas Trading Company invited two fourth-grade experts from outside. That should be enough to deal with those Jiao Kings."
Chen Ming nodded, "If that’s the case, combining the power of all the city’s martial artists would indeed be enough to drive those pirates away."
...
Half an hour later, Chen Ming and Zhang Mingyu arrived at the Six Gates.
Although the Four Seas Trading Company was the one organizing this, the gathering was held at the Six Gates.
This was his first ti stepping into the highest authority institution in the city.
Both of them had a letter of invitation as proof, which the gate guards verified before letting them in. Soone led them to a spacious hall.
The hall was solemn and imposing, with dozens of people standing there.
Chen Ming recognized many familiar faces; the masters of all twelve martial arts halls were present, including Master Liu of Wu Martial Arts Hall.
The people standing in the center exuded extraordinary presence.
One was wearing a blue official robe and should be Yu Xiuming, the highest-ranking officer of Six Gates in the city, with at least fifth-grade cultivation.
The person appeared to be in his thirties, quite young, with an aura of nobility, rumored to co from a distinguished family.
The other was an elderly man in gray clothing, probably in his fifties, likely Manager Qian from Four Seas Trading Company.
As for the other three people, he didn’t recognize them.
Chen Ming also spotted several mbers of the Qi Family from Jin Yuansheng.
The Gang Leader of the Giant Tiger Gang, Deng Ziyang’s father Deng Yuhu, and others were also present.
It seed that anyone with so standing among martial artists and rchants in Qingfeng City was here.
"Junior Brother, let
introduce you to so of these people..."
Zhang Mingyu accompanied him, introducing him to acquaintances.
As the third disciple of Huo Chengkun, he had quite a wide network.
The entire Six Gates Governnt Office had turned into a massive social gathering. Familiar individuals grouped together in small social circles.
These different social circles also intersected, creating a complex web.
Chen Ming, being a new face, attracted so interest from many people.
He seized the opportunity to et a lot of people. Even though they didn’t chat much, it provided an opening to visit them later and further the connections slowly.
...
Half an hour later, most people had arrived.
Manager Qian cleared his throat with a slight cough and clapped his hands to draw the attention of those present. Soon, silence fell as everyone turned to look at him.
He spoke in a deep voice, "I believe everyone is aware of the purpose for inviting you here. Lately, the remnants of Zheng Kuo have been indulging in murder and arson within the city, robbing money, growing increasingly audacious. They leave us no choice but to fight back..."
Chen Ming listened from below, feeling no emotional stirrings, even a bit bored.
It reminded him of his school days, listening to speeches from school leaders.
However, those around him were getting visibly riled up, evidently resonating with Manager Qian’s words.
"...I represent Four Seas Trading Company, and we’ve invited two fourth-grade masters to join all of you in eliminating those pirates."
Then, several people walked out from the back.
Leading them were a man and a woman, their gazes sharp as lightning, not concealing their fierce aura, exerting imnse pressure.
You could tell at a glance that they were formidable masters.
The only question was how strong their fighting spirit was.
These hired rcenaries usually fare well in favorable conditions but might escape faster than a rabbit when things go south.
As Chen Ming pondered this, he heard Manager Qian introduce the two: "This is Mr. Tie. He specializes in using the axe. And this is Ms. Sha, who excels with the long whip."
The introduction was brief, skipping even their nas.
Soone asked, "These two seem unfamiliar, may I know which sect they co from?"
Mr. Tie replied gruffly, "It’s inconvenient to disclose."
At this, everyone realized these two probably had a questionable background.
In this world, every martial artist values family and lineage, with higher-ranking individuals valuing it even more. Most of the ti, a simple declaration of being a disciple of a certain sect can resolve disputes.
That’s why martial artists pay such attention to reputation.
Sothing’s off about soone who doesn’t even dare to speak of their family or lineage.
Possibly, they are traitors expelled from their sect. That’s the better scenario.
Worst case, they might be mbers of a demon cult, which would be truly frightening.
For a mont, the entire hall fell into silence.
Suddenly, soone burst into laughter, saying, "Hahaha, when did Iron Sea General and Sand Sea General under the Red Demoness join the Four Seas Trading Company?"
Mr. Tie, having his origins exposed, remained expressionless, replying in that sa gruff voice, "Poisonous Flood Dragon, you dare to walk into the trap today? Co out and et your death."
Instantly, the crowd erupted.
These two were actually two of the Sea Generals under the Red Sea Monarch!
The Four Seas Trading Company had actually hired two pirates to fight another group of pirates, a truly bold move.
Just as this thought crossed Chen Ming’s mind, he grabbed Zhang Mingyu and ran.
Joking aside, a massive battle between fourth-grade martial artists was about to break out here. Staying would be courting death!
The Poisonous Flood Dragon King shouted angrily, "Defeated n, you dare speak such big words in front of ?"
In the crowd, three figures erged and pounced towards Iron Sea General and Sand Sea General.
"Humph, how bold!"
This was the last voice Chen Ming heard, seemingly the voice of Yu Xiuming, the blue-clad Captain.
He was the chief officer of Six Gates, yet he was teaming up with two pirates against three other pirates...
"What a pity, this battle between fourth-grade experts..."
After exiting the Six Gates Governnt Office, Zhang Mingyu remarked regretfully, "If only I could witness this fight in person, it would be amazing."
However, Chen Ming did not share the sentint. He believed that by steadily training and constantly seeking sparring partners, he would eventually reach that level.
This was why he didn’t want to stay in a potentially dangerous place.
"Senior Brother, it’s dangerous here; we should leave."
"You go ahead; I want to stay." Zhang Mingyu didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
Chen Ming didn’t insist, and headed off alone.
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