Chapter 107 - 104: Hong Ming’s Wish, Map, Tan Family Trading Team

Chapter 107: Chapter 104: Hong Ming’s Wish, Map, Tan Family Trading Team

The letter was long, and Hong Ming had a lot to say.

Hong Ming was a member of a branch family of the Hong Family, the number one noble clan in Qinzhou. Although he had the backing of the Hong Family, his family’s financial situation was below average; they were merely at the bottom rung of the Hong Family’s numerous factions.

Father Hong’s greatest wish was to nurture Hong Ming into a capable person, allowing him to join the Hong Family’s clan sect, the Profound Water Sect. The Profound Water Sect recruited disciples every year, dividing them into outer and inner circles. Family disciples had to be under the age of sixteen, and there were various requirements for each age group. The conditions for entry were extremely harsh.

Although Hong Ming’s aptitude couldn’t be considered outstanding, under Father Hong’s cultivation, he reached the minimum requirements to join the Profound Water Sect at the age of fourteen. Unexpectedly, due to the interference of a direct-line disciple, Hong Ming was ultimately pushed out of the quota and failed to be selected.

Left with no other choice, Father Hong could only wait another year. During this year, Hong Ming trained even harder. However, his talent seemed to have reached its limit. Even after cultivating for a year, he still fell slightly short of the Profound Water Sect’s conditions. Fortunately, Father Hong provided him with resources in the end, allowing him to meet the requirements just three days before the sect’s recruitment ended.

Yet again, he failed. The reason was that too many geniuses had emerged that year, prompting the Profound Water Sect to temporarily change its recruitment conditions and accept disciples based on rankings. Although Hong Ming met the requirements, his rank fell far outside the designated quota.

In his final year, Hong Ming was sixteen. This was his last chance. Unfortunately, he failed to meet the conditions this time and permanently lost his chance with the Profound Water Sect.

Hope after hope, followed by disappointment after disappointment, crushed not only Hong Ming’s spirit but also Father Hong. The older man passed away shortly after, and his mother soon fell severely ill.

At twenty, Hong Ming left Dafeng City to gain experience. He settled in White Stone City at twenty-three and began widely accepting disciples at thirty. His goal was the hope that one day, he could nurture a talented disciple to join the Profound Water Sect in his stead, fulfilling his parents’ dying wish and untying the knot in his own heart.

Su Chen was the disciple he thought highly of. He hoped Su Chen would head to Dafeng City and join the Profound Water Sect. With his aptitude, he was the most promising candidate. Moreover, the Cultivation Technique Su Chen practiced originated from the Profound Water Sect. Joining them would not only allow him to obtain the subsequent Chapters of the Cultivation Technique but also grant him a vast amount of resources. This would be incredibly beneficial to Su Chen’s future path in Martial Arts.

As for Hong Ming himself, he had no intention of going to Dafeng City. He was taking Li Mo and the others to Qinghe City to find an old friend, and barring any accidents, he would settle down there.

After finishing Hong Ming’s letter, Su Chen sighed and turned to the other two letters—one from Li Mo, and one from Fang Rou.

Li Mo wrote that he would accompany Hong Ming to Qinghe City and take good care of him, telling Su Chen not to worry and to focus on his own path.

Fang Rou specifically expressed her gratitude. Knowing that Su Chen might go to Dafeng City, she left him a map detailing the route, along with an address where he could contact them once he arrived. After reading the three letters, Su Chen indeed found the map tucked between the pages. It meticulously marked the roads, landmarks, and distances to Dafeng City.

In addition, there was a letter of introduction left by Hong Ming, addressed to his childhood friend, Qin Xue. If Su Chen wanted to participate in the Profound Water Sect’s assessment, he would need a recommendation letter from a sect disciple.

Tucking away the map and letters, Su Chen began to ponder his next steps. Hong Ming’s words made sense. With his current strength, even if he didn’t join the Profound Water Sect, there was no need to remain in White Stone City. Whether he went to Qinghe City or Dafeng City, both were viable options.

However, according to Hong Ming, his best choice was Dafeng City. As the State City of Qinzhou, Dafeng City boasted a prosperous Martial Arts scene. Relatively speaking, it was a much more suitable stage for him than Qinghe City—not to mention his need for the follow-up Cultivation Technique.

With these thoughts in mind, Su Chen quickly made a decision. Life was meant for constant climbing, and possessing his status panel, he had even less reason to stagnate here. If he was going somewhere, it would be Dafeng City—a broader stage where he could not only enjoy better scenery but also improve himself at a faster pace.

"Then it’s Dafeng City!" Su Chen said firmly.

After resting for the night, Su Chen packed his bags early the next morning and set off at a brisk pace, following the map’s directions.

At noon.

CLIP-CLOP.

The sound of hoofbeats echoed as the figures of Hong Yue and his men appeared outside the ruined temple.

"Sir, there are no traces of anyone here!" A group of soldiers had searched the ruined temple for a long time but completely failed to find any signs of Su Chen.

Hong Yue remained silent. Looking at the empty, dilapidated temple, his expression turned slightly ugly.

Since realizing yesterday that Su Chen might leave the city, he had dispatched soldiers to ambush him outside, splitting them up in multiple directions. In the end, all the soldiers sent in one of those directions had been wiped out. Upon receiving the news, he had led his men here at full speed, but unfortunately, they were still a step too late.

"Hmph, retreat!" Left with no other choice, Hong Yue could only give the order to withdraw.

Five days later.

"Red Forest Mountain is just up ahead. Everyone, rest here for a moment before we continue our journey," a sword-bearing middle-aged man announced loudly as a Tan Family Trading Team slowly made its way along the rugged official road.

Hearing this, dozens of Guards sat cross-legged on the ground, leaning against each other. They took out their dry rations and water, eating and resting.

"Uncle Run, it’s about to get dark. If we don’t hurry up and travel, won’t it be a disaster if we run into bandits?" a young man dressed in luxurious embroidered clothes asked with some confusion.

Hearing this, Tan Run looked at his nephew, a look of helplessness appearing on his face. "Xu, it’s great that you have this level of vigilance on your first time escorting the Tan Family Trading Team. But it’s precisely because it’s about to get dark that we’re resting. It would be even more dangerous to travel without restoring our stamina."