Outside the gates of the Chen Mansion, there was a luxurious carriage not commonly seen. Those knowledgeable enough would recognize the emblem on the carriage, knowing it belonged to the Guanglong Trading Company and that those inside were surely from Guanglong.

The seven major merchant guilds usually kept a low profile, yet their influence had permeated every aspect of civilian life.

The further down the societal ladder you went, the more people understood the immense power of these seven merchant guilds.

As the cultivation of the second son of the Chen Family improved, the carriages visiting the Chen Mansion became increasingly luxurious, which had become a common sight for the nearby residents.

What was strange about today’s carriage was that after it arrived, no one disembarked as if waiting for someone to come greet them.

This caught the attention of some who began to wonder just who was inside such that they felt entitled to such grandstanding.

Inside the carriage, Li Qingchang wore a blue martial arts training outfit. In just a few short months, he looked completely different, exuding a fierce confidence, his gaze sharp, a stark contrast to his previously understated and silent demeanor.

Seated inside the carriage as well was Cai Zhonglin, also from the same Huo Sect, who felt a bit uneasy. He said, "Senior Brother Li, isn’t this a bit inappropriate? I heard that Chen Ming is friends with the third young master..."

"No matter."

Li Qingchang replied coolly, "The family head has many sons, and this third one is not highly regarded. This time, Senior Brother sent me over to persuade Chen Ming not to make things difficult for the Qi Family. If I don’t first dampen his arrogance, he may not obediently listen."

Upon hearing this, Cai Zhonglin’s face twitched slightly.

He suddenly felt some regret, questioning why he had chosen to follow this guy.

Originally a staunch supporter of Sun Shicai, after Sun’s death, he was fortunately not pursued by Chen Ming, allowing him to go on living humbly even if it meant he had to keep his tail between his legs.

A few months ago, he learned that Li Qingchang had become a disciple of a Third Grade expert, and given that they started learning martial arts at the Huo Mansion the same year, he was able to leverage this connection to gain favor with this new powerhouse.

Cai Zhonglin decided to try persuading him again, "Senior Brother, Chen Ming, after all, is a Sixth Grade. We should still give him some face..."

"Hmph!"

Li Qingchang arrogantly retorted, "My master is a Third Grade expert, why would I need to give him face? On the day of my apprenticeship, I sent him an invitation, and he didn’t come. If he doesn’t respect me, why should I care for past ties?"

Cai Zhonglin opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

He understood now, Li Qingchang felt that he had always been submissive in front of Chen Ming. Now, having been accepted by a Third Grade expert, he perceived his status as drastically different, and this visit was for reclaiming his dignity. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

This was a show of strength to let Chen Ming know he was no longer the same Li Qingchang, but a direct disciple of a Third Grade expert.

"Why did I end up with such a fool?"

Cai Zhonglin lamented inwardly.

It’s often said, one’s position dictates their access to information. He had long heard that the grand "apprenticeship convention" that completely changed Li Qingchang’s destiny was orchestrated by Chen Ming and Young Master Feng San.

Some could even argue Chen Ming’s contributions were greater.

Many would say that if Chen Ming wanted to apprentice under the two Third Grades, it was simply a matter of saying the word.

However, Li Qingchang utterly disbelieved these words, dismissing them with derision.

In his view, Chen Ming only helped a bit at the "apprenticeship convention." If he truly were the mastermind, why didn’t he show up during the competition days?

As for the idea that Chen Ming simply didn’t wish to apprentice under the two Third Grades, it was all the more absurd. Who wouldn’t want to be their disciple?

Chen Ming no longer had the chance because he was already a Sixth Grade, having developed True Qi. Switching to another sect’s cultivation technique would be quite troublesome.

But of course, such "common knowledge" was not something the average person would understand, which led to those outlandish rumors.

Only after becoming an apprentice did Li Qingchang learn that cultivation techniques had levels and that there were many "common sense" facts known only to first and second-rate martial artists.

The two waited and waited, but still, no one came to greet them.

Unknowingly, the time it took for an incense stick to burn had passed.

Li Qingchang’s expression was initially displeased, and as time passed, it grew increasingly dark.

Realizing he was being made to wait idly here, more than half an hour had gone by.

He felt intense anger. He was already a disciple of a Third Grade expert, yet Chen Ming still dared to ignore him!

At the height of his anger, he realized that he couldn’t actually do anything about Chen Ming.

In terms of strength, having just broken through to the Seventh Grade, Chen Ming was Sixth Grade; he was no match.

Was it necessary to trouble Senior Brother over such a trivial matter?

If he did, Senior Brother would only think him incompetent.

As for going to his master...

Should his master find out about this, he’d only feel that Li Qingchang had brought shame to the sect, and a beating would be lenient.

Li Qingchang found himself at an impasse.

At that moment, he heard voices outside discussing, "Who are those in the carriage? Why have they been stopped here for so long?"

"Who knows, the people in the carriage haven’t come down yet."

"Could they be waiting for someone from the Chen Family to come out and greet them?"

"But it’s been so long, and no one from the Chen Family has come out..."

"..."

Li Qingchang listened to the discussions outside and felt even more uncomfortable. He was stuck; staying was difficult, leaving was difficult. In his heart, his hatred for Chen Ming deepened to his bones.

He had no choice but to tell Cai Zhonglin, "Try knocking at the gate again, ask that gatekeeper if he didn’t inform Chen Ming that I’m here."

Cai Zhonglin had to grit his teeth and got off the carriage, approaching the tightly closed gate of the Chen Mansion and knocking.

After a while, the gate opened, and the gatekeeper poked his head out, curiously saying, "Huh, you still haven’t left?"

Cai Zhonglin politely asked, "May I ask..."

The gatekeeper, somewhat impatient, replied, "Our Second Master is entertaining important guests, it’s inconvenient for him to meet your master. If you want to wait, then wait."

With that, he closed the gate without waiting for Cai Zhonglin to speak.

"..."

Cai Zhonglin couldn’t help but know that Chen Ming was deliberately snubbing them.

He now had only one evaluation of Li Qingchang; overestimating oneself, seeking humiliation.

When Cai Zhonglin reported the gatekeeper’s words back to Li Qingchang, he saw his face turn ashen and quickly lowered his head, pretending not to see.

After a long while, Cai Zhonglin heard Li Qingchang squeeze out three words through clenched teeth, "Let’s go!"

He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, glad to finally be rid of this misery.

...

As Li Qingchang’s carriage left the alley, it passed another luxurious carriage, which also stopped at the Chen Family’s gate.

Feng Siyuan alighted from the carriage and knocked on the door. When the gate opened, Gatekeeper Old Li’s face seemed ready to curse until he saw him, then broke into a smile and exclaimed, "So it’s Young Master Feng, I thought it was that person from earlier again, really sorry."

Feng Siyuan curiously asked, "Who was that just now?"

He had heard from the driver earlier that it was a Guanglong Trading Company’s carriage.

Old Li, full of indignation, said, "An arrogant petty person who became cocky after gaining some success. Forget it, better not to speak of him, bad luck. Please, come in."

Such words made Feng Siyuan even more curious.

Upon reaching the back courtyard, he saw Chen Ming and Gu Yuantao sparring. With his low cultivation, he could only watch for fun, and greeted Zhang Mingyu, who was seated there, then sat himself down.

After a while, the two finally determined a victor, with Chen Ming winning by a move.

"I concede."

Chen Ming cupped his hand in salute. Seeing Gu Yuantao standing there without reacting, he was already accustomed to it, and didn’t bother further, instead sitting at the table.

He said to Feng Siyuan, "Brother Feng, are you here to be a spokesperson too?"

Feng Siyuan laughed, "Didn’t expect you to have the skill of foresight. My old man sent me here, as you know, we do business in Qingfeng City, there’s always some connection."

Chen Ming smiled, "The Qi Family’s social network is indeed vast."

"You don’t need to worry about our family. Qi father and son conduct themselves poorly, hardly like humans. Feel free to deal with them, I can’t openly help you, but I can assist in secret."

"Thank you."

Chen Ming personally poured him a cup of Black Bone Spirit Tea.

After discussing business, Feng Siyuan asked, "By the way, didn’t someone come earlier? Your family gatekeeper actually wouldn’t let them in."

Before Chen Ming could answer, Zhang Mingyu already said, "What a shame on the sect, to my embarrassment, that person was originally my master’s registered disciple. Four months ago, during the disciple recruitment conference, he was accepted under Senior Jin Dao. Now that he has achieved success, he dared to flaunt his status as a disciple of a Third Grade expert and show off here today..."

As Feng Siyuan listened, his smile disappeared, replaced by anger, and finally, he slammed the table, "Outrageous!"

He never thought that the lucky one at the "disciple recruitment conference" who successfully joined under a Third Grade expert, would dare come here to put on airs before Chen Ming.

Isn’t this overthrowing the Heavens?

If it weren’t for Chen Ming, how could this disciple recruitment conference even take place? How could they have the chance to become disciples under the Third Grade?

And now, they don’t even regard Chen Ming.

Moreover, this Li Qingchang was once a fellow disciple of Chen Ming, and now, having achieved success, he became conceited.

The more Feng Siyuan thought about it, the angrier he became, his face showing a trace of malicious intent, "How can there be such ungrateful people in this world? Alas, it also blames me for failing to manage subordinates well, causing such a thing. I hope Brother Chen won’t mind. I’ll make sure to give you an explanation for this matter!"

PS: Third update, requesting monthly votes.