At nine o'clock, Chen Ming arrived outside the Huo Mansion in a swaying carriage.
The carriage was specially bought for him by his elder brother, Chen Rui. It was the most ordinary type of carriage for transportation, and with the horse, it cost about a hundred taels.
In fact, he didn't need a carriage. But his elder brother insisted on buying one, believing that now he was a person of status, not having a carriage when going out would make people look down on him.
Chen Ming did not refuse either; he had given the money to his brother and wouldn't interfere with how it was spent.
As he got off the carriage, he saw the gates of the Huo Mansion were open, with the old butler and the gatekeeper waiting at the entrance, and immediately knew that prestigious guests were expected today.
Usually, he entered through the side gate.
The open main gate indicated that eminent guests were about to arrive.
So, he got back on the carriage and told the driver, "Old Zhang, let's go to the back gate."
"Alright."
Driver Old Zhang turned the horse's head and headed for the back gate.
Just as they were leaving the alley, Chen Ming heard the sound of hoofbeats, about several riders.
He lifted the carriage curtain and looked back, seeing a group of five riders approaching slowly from the street, two women and three men, with long swords at their waists, looking travel-worn.
Leading them was an old woman, her hair gray and face weathered, her eyes sharp as lightning. At a glance, she was obviously a master.
"These must be the distinguished guests arriving?"
Chen Ming thought, and indeed saw those five stop at the gate of the Huo Mansion and said to the approaching old butler, "Take me to see Huo Chengkun."
She was quite blunt, directly calling out his name.
It seemed like they were not coming with good intentions.
As he was thinking, the carriage suddenly turned a corner into a small alley, and he couldn't see the entrance anymore.
"Who exactly are those five people?"
He was somewhat curious.
Chen Ming wanted to ask Hong Mingquan, but when he got to the martial arts training ground, Hong Mingquan and Zhang Mingyu were not there. Only a group of students were there to greet his arrival.
...
At the Huo Mansion, in Huo Qianqian's courtyard.
Before dawn, she got up to train, stopping to take a towel from her maid Chunmei, wiping the sweat off her face.
"Miss, Seventh Young Master is here again," Chunmei reported softly.
"Oh."
Huo Qianqian didn't seem to care.
Chunmei gathered her courage, "Miss, are you still angry with him?"
"Chunmei."
Huo Qianqian placed the towel back in her hands and said, "You are sixteen this year too. I will let you go back to marry."
"I don't want to marry. I only want to follow you, Miss."
"Do you really not want to?"
Chunmei turned pale with fright and knelt down with a thud, pleading, "Miss, I dare not anymore. I beg you not to send me away..."
Huo Qianqian, somewhat unwilling, said, "In the future, don't say such things in front of me."
Just then, she saw her grandfather pushing the door open, and said to Chunmei, "Leave us."
Chunmei, feeling as if granted amnesty, quickly left with her head lowered.
Huo Chengkun frowned and said, "Qianqian, you need to control your temper better in the future..."
Huo Qianqian interrupted unhappily, "Grandfather, did you come here early in the morning just to lecture me?"
Feeling helpless, he brought up the main topic, "About what I mentioned to you last night, have you thought it over?"
"What matter?"
"I am referring to sending you to the Xiaoshui Sect..."
"You mean that? I'm not going. I'm fine staying here, why should I go to that insignificant Xiaoshui Sect to be apprenticed to someone else?"
Huo Chengkun said, "Grandfather's martial arts are not suitable for you. The Xiaoshui Sect is all women, and there, you can learn martial arts that suit you. Besides, the Xiaoshui Sect is a prominent sect; your grandmother was a disciple there. With this connection, they will ensure your safety."
"I said, I am not going."
"This time it's not up to you!"
Huo Chengkun suddenly slammed the table, and with a crack, the solid wooden table split open. He shouted, "You are going no matter if you want to or not!"
Huo Qianqian was stunned, her face turning pale with tears welling up in her eyes, "You're being mean to me—"
Hardening his heart, Huo Chengkun said sternly, "This time, your second senior sister will escort you there. You will leave immediately. Juan'Er, come in."
A woman of about thirty, dressed in white with a white flower tucked in her hair, representing recent widowhood, entered. She was his second disciple, Du Juan.
"Now pack your things and set off. Juan'Er, keep an eye on her."
Du Juan replied, "Yes, Master."
Then Huo Chengkun left.
Du Juan looked at Huo Qianqian expressionlessly, "Little junior sister, please don't make it difficult for me."
Huo Qianqian had a bad feeling, anxiously asking, "Second senior sister, has something happened?"
"Nothing has happened."
"Impossible. Something must have happened, otherwise, Grandfather wouldn't treat me like this."
Du Juan paused and said, "Your grandaunt is here."
Grandaunt?
Huo Qianqian was taken aback.
From her memory, many years ago, when she was about seven or eight years old, her grandfather's junior sister visited once. She was a fierce old woman.
After that, for a long time, her grandfather seemed unhappy.
Only she was too young at the time to know what had happened between them.
"Why is she here?"
"Not sure." Du Juan said seriously, "Little junior sister, I promised Master to bring you to the Xiaoshui Sect. He said if necessary, I could knock you out."
...
"Master."
As Huo Chengkun just exited the courtyard, an old servant hurried over to report, "They have arrived."
His expression was grave; they arrived really fast.
They received the news only yesterday, and by early morning today, they were already home.
He barely had time to send Qianqian away.
Huo Chengkun said, "Take me there."
The old servant led him to the main hall, where they saw the old woman seated centrally and a young girl in blue standing beside her.
Huo Chengkun smiled, "Eight years have passed, and my junior sister is as elegant as ever. Is this the new disciple my junior sister accepted? She vaguely resembles the grace you had back then, much stronger than those unworthy disciples of mine."
The old woman sat unmoving, the tea in front of her untouched, looking at him coldly, saying nothing.
Huo Chengkun waved his hand, motioning the old servant to leave.
The young girl in blue beside the old woman also exited.
Only the two senior and junior sect members remained in the hall.
The old woman finally spoke, "It's been eight years. Among the disciples you accepted, has anyone practiced the Iron Horse Stance to the Fifth Level Perfection?"
Huo Chengkun sighed, "Junior sister, you are already seventy-five, why do you cling to this?"
The old woman shouted fiercely, "Huo, you may have forgotten the revenge for the annihilation of the sect, living in this world like a turtle burying its head. But I haven't forgotten! I'm alive in this world just for revenge!"
"If I don't kill those dogs and avenge my father, brothers, husband, and children, it would be a waste of my life."
Her voice was shrill, and each word was filled with blood and hatred.
Huo Chengkun's face twitched.
How could he not also resent?
Almost all his loved ones died in that disaster too.
But the enemies were just too powerful, so powerful that it was despairing. He couldn't even defeat a single subordinate of theirs, and the injuries he suffered that year have yet to heal.
How to avenge?
"Junior sister..."
The old woman interrupted him before he could finish, "I know you have a treasured granddaughter. I'm not forcing you. But you must hand over the Sword Manual."
"I've told you long ago, the Sword Manual is not with me..."
"Hmph!"
The old woman coldly snorted, her voice chilling, "Today, you will hand it over whether you want to or not. Otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding our past sect ties."