Chapter 135: There is An Ambush

Once the Hour of the Rat passed, the entire city had fallen asleep. On the streets, aside from the watchmen, there were barely any people to be seen.

Chen Ming wore a set of night attire, moving through the darkness like a ghost. His speed was astonishingly fast—ordinary people, even if they spotted him, could barely catch a glimpse of his figure.

Upon reaching Fifth Grade, one opened the Qi Sea. It was fundamentally different from Sixth Grade. Not only did the total amount of true qi surge by two to three times, but more importantly, the output power also increased significantly.

This meant that after reaching Fifth Grade, both endurance and explosive strength overwhelmingly surpassed those of Sixth Grade.

During the day, Chen Ming had used just one sword strike to send Luo Hao, who was already at level 49, flying, leaving the latter completely defenseless.

If he were to encounter Xiao Qianhao, the Fifth Grade martial artist who had been hunting him for half a month, it would likely take no more than a single sword strike as well.

He galloped through the darkened city until he arrived at a towering city wall.

The city walls of Qingfeng City stood ten zhang high, smooth on the surface, offering no footholds. Those below Seventh Grade could only look up and sigh.

However, to a Fifth Grade martial artist, walls of such height were nothing more than empty structures.

Chen Ming leapt upward, borrowing strength twice off the wall, and directly vaulted over it, leaving the city.

……

Outside Qingfeng City, several li to the south, there was a shoal known to the locals as Golden Wind Shoal.

Chen Ming silently arrived atop a reef, and at a glance, he saw a boat anchored on the sea, a few hundred meters from the shore, bobbing with the waves.

That should be the boat Bliss Island had sent to pick someone up.

He thought to himself, crouching on the reef, patiently waiting.

Bliss Island was a name he had heard for the first time, quite possibly the stronghold of the Red Sea Lord.

That woman in red was surprisingly not the Red Sea Lord, yet she was one of the pirates under her command.

In other words, this pirate group had two experts of at least Third Grade. No wonder Zheng Longwang had lost—facing two alone, it would be odd not to lose.

Chen Ming thought, “It seems those on land only hear rumors about the pirates at sea. They don't even know the Red Sea Lord has another Third Grade expert under her.”

Of course, it was also possible that this "Sister Red" had hidden herself too well, deceiving everyone.

He let his thoughts drift, pondering aimlessly.

……

Unknowingly, it became the Hour of the Tiger.

Suddenly, Chen Ming’s ears twitched—he heard a sound resembling a birdcall. Then, another call rang out in a patterned rhythm, clearly coming from the boat.

It sounded like some kind of signal.

He turned his head toward the source of the sound and saw a group of people emerging from behind a low hill to the west, a few of them holding torches.

They finally arrived!

Chen Ming instantly spotted Zhong Shuyu among the group, her hands bound, her head drooping in dejection.

He gripped his sword hilt, ready to act, but then Su Zhi Ning’s voice suddenly rang in his ear, “Don’t move, there’s an ambush.”

An ambush?

Chen Ming was startled. Though he believed that the woman in red had no reason to deceive him, he still chose to trust Su Zhi Ning and remained motionless.

A moment later, the group reached the shore and began waving their torches in circles toward the boat.

Soon, a small boat was lowered from the ship anchored at sea and began rowing toward the shore.

Chen Ming thought for a moment but didn’t leave. If there truly was an ambush, escape would likely be impossible now. The best strategy at the moment was to stay still and adapt to the situation.

He kept his eyes on the group on the beach while also remaining alert to any enemies hidden nearby.

When the small boat reached the shore, a sudden burst of mad laughter rang out, “Sand Sea General, I’ve been waiting for you.”

It was him?

Chen Ming was stunned. He recognized that voice instantly—it was none other than the Fifth Grade Constable, Li Guangjie, who had previously tried to kill him.

This man had brought more than a dozen experts from the Six Doors Authority.

To remain hidden without being detected, those experts must at least be at the Sixth Grade.

This time, the Six Doors Authority must have deployed all their top experts.

So, the ambush wasn’t aimed at him—it was meant to capture the Sand Sea General.

As Chen Ming pondered this, he noticed two individuals approaching him, stopping ten meters away and forming a pincer formation to confront him.

It seemed his movements had long since been discovered.

  “Even that woman in red probably didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”

He thought to himself, deciding to continue watching silently.

……

Li Guangjie, dressed in a blue official robe, stared at the Sand Sea General within the group, as if looking at prey about to be caught. “You think you can truly escape from Lord Zhao’s grasp? The Lord is astute and far-sighted—he already suspected that you were hiding in the city. Two months ago, your location had been pinpointed.”

As he spoke, he continued to enjoy the increasingly grim expression on the Sand Sea General’s face. “Only, the Lord did not want to provoke the Third Grade expert backing you. So he found an excuse to leave Qingfeng City on purpose. It was all for this day. You all really fell for it. Today, none of you are leaving…”

The Sand Sea General had always been hot-tempered. Even though she’d been captured once before, her temper had not changed. She brandished a long spear and shouted, “Cut the crap! If you want to catch me, ask the long spear in my hand first!”

Two years ago, she had been ambushed by Yu Xiuming and captured, imprisoned in the dungeon for a long time, suffering considerable torture. She had long since hated the Six Doors Authority down to the bone. Now, with old and new hatred combined—

As she moved, terrifying true qi erupted like a soaring dragon leaping from the sea, tyrannical to the extreme.

Li Guangjie didn’t dare be careless either. His treasured saber was unsheathed as he charged forward.

Bang!

A fierce clash, evenly matched.

As the two began fighting, the others followed suit.

However, the difference in strength between the two sides was vast. Among the pirates, aside from the Sand Sea General, there were no formidable experts. They stood no chance against the elite fighters of the Six Doors Authority and were easily disarmed and captured one after another.

Zhong Shuyu was no exception—her neck pinned by a saber, she became a prisoner.

Soon, everyone on the scene turned their attention to the battle between Li Guangjie and the Sand Sea General.

The two were evenly matched, the clash growing louder and more intense, causing them to unconsciously distance themselves from the area, wary of the aftershocks harming their own people.

Even the ship anchored offshore raised its anchor and fled without a trace.

There was nothing the Six Doors Authority could do about it.

To avoid alerting the pirates, they hadn’t stationed any vessels nearby. On the sea, even if they wanted to give chase, they couldn’t.

While everyone’s attention was fixed on the fierce battle in the distance, Zhong Shuyu wore a face of anxiety, her eyes scanning the surroundings as if searching for someone.

She knew her lady’s plan. It was possible Chen Ming would come tonight to rescue her.

Zhong Shuyu remained nervous, uncertain whether he would come.

Her lady had said this was a test. If he truly came, it would prove that this man was affectionate and loyal, someone trustworthy.

If he didn’t appear, it would mean she had misjudged him.

Earlier, Zhong Shuyu had eagerly hoped for his arrival.

Now, she silently prayed, “Please… don’t come…”

If he did come, and was captured by the Six Doors Authority, he might be completely ruined.

Suddenly, she heard movement behind her—the sounds of combat. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned her head stiffly. Not far behind a reef, two experts from the Six Doors Authority were besieging a black-clad figure.

Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down.

He had come after all…

In that moment, she was overwhelmed with emotion and grief.

……

“Didn’t expect Zhao Shouchang to hold such a grudge.”

When Chen Ming heard Li Guangjie’s words, his scalp tingled slightly.

Last year, Zhao Shouchang had been outplayed by the Red Sea Lord. The Six Doors Authority’s prison was broken into, and the Sand Sea General was rescued during that incident.

So much time had passed, yet Zhao Shouchang still held onto it, setting up such a trap just to settle the score and recapture the Sand Sea General.

Truly a devious old b*****d!

Chen Ming had thought Zhao Shouchang brought his daughter to Jiangzhou City to keep Zhao Xiyan from getting involved in his grudge with Jinyuan Prosperity Trading. Now it seemed he had overthought things.

That man’s scheme ran deep.

Then, as Li Guangjie and the Sand Sea General began fighting, the two Six Doors Authority experts who had been confronting him also made their move.

One was Fifth Grade, the other Sixth Grade. Yet both wore the uniform of Seventh Grade patrol envoys. That alone showed just how deep the Six Doors Authority’s reserves ran.

Even after reaching Fifth Grade cultivation, it was still difficult to be promoted to Fifth Grade Constable.

All the Fifth Grade Constables Chen Ming had encountered so far had Fourth Grade cultivation. The competition was truly intense.

Facing the two coming at him from left and right, Chen Ming did not draw his sword. Instead, he reached into his robe.

Swish! Swish!

Two cold flashes burst forth.

The two men dropped to the ground instantly.

【You defeated an LV43 enemy. Gained 1000 experience points】

【You defeated an LV51 enemy. Gained 6000 experience points】

Chen Ming’s Flying Knife Technique, enhanced by Fifth Grade true qi, was tremendously powerful. At such close range, even the Fifth Grade expert couldn’t react in time.

These two throws came from the incomplete manual given to him by Zhuang Xiaotian—its highest-level technique, capable of imbuing true qi into the knives, reaching extreme speed.

After eliminating the two, he didn’t retreat but instead advanced, charging toward the Six Doors Authority members.

Just earlier, he had seen clearly that among the eleven present, there were four Fifth Grade and seven Sixth Grade. If all of them had charged at once, he would have had no choice but to flee.

But now, they were spaced apart and preoccupied with guarding their captives.

This was his chance!

Chen Ming’s ability to seize battle opportunities had become almost instinctive.

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