Chapter 5

1500 reputation points!

Reputation points suddenly reached 1500. Could it really be as Wu Baxian said, that these reputation points can be plundered? Did I just beat up Qin Meng, so his 1200 reputation points now belong to me? At this moment, Zheng Ming's eyes turned a bit red. His gaze fell on Zheng Dali, who was standing beside him. He had 1800 reputation points!

But soon, Zheng Ming put aside these thoughts. No matter what, Zheng Dali was a brother who had fought alongside his father, and he had always been good to him. It would be dishonorable to do this, and more importantly, he couldn't beat him!

But I beat Wu Baxian half to death, why didn't his reputation points gather to me? Could it be that I didn't beat him hard enough, and I need to beat him even harder?

Before Zheng Ming's thoughts could finish, the card that had been dormant in his mind began to flash rapidly, and a prompt sounded in his ear.

"Reputation points reached 100, please choose three cards as your base cards."

Feeling the cards flash by in his mind like a movie, Zheng Ming felt a bit depressed. All the cards were face down, and there was no way to distinguish them by their patterns.

How the hell am I supposed to choose?

Just as Zheng Ming was feeling extremely depressed, Zheng Dali said, "Young Master, the town chief has returned. He instructed you to go home and see him."

Although he carried memories from his past life, Zheng Ming still had feelings for his father in this life. Despite his stern face, Zheng Ming could feel the care and attention behind it.

Hearing that his father had returned, Zheng Ming immediately stopped choosing his base cards, said goodbye to Zheng Dali, and ran home quickly.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it was Young Master. I always thought Young Master was a kind little boy who wouldn't even kill a small animal."

"Yeah, when Young Master dealt with Qin Meng, I felt a bit scared. If Young Master could enter the ranks..."

As the guards were discussing, Zheng Dali seemed to think of something. He waved at the people behind him and said, "Don't talk nonsense, you don't know the depth of things!"

As he spoke, he turned his head, sighed, and muttered to himself, "Sigh, the matter of Young Master entering the ranks, I'm afraid..."

In the Zheng family hall, laughter filled the air, mostly from Zheng Ming's sister, Zheng Xiaoxuan.

When Zheng Ming entered the hall, he saw Zheng Xiaoxuan clinging to Zheng Gongxuan like a cotton candy, her small white hands playfully tugging at Zheng Gongxuan's beard.

Zheng Gongxuan's square face exuded a sense of authority. In front of Zheng Ming and his older brother Zheng Heng, he always maintained a stern demeanor.

The only one he pampered in the family was his daughter, Zheng Xiaoxuan.

"Boy, I wasn't home, and I heard you found yourself a wife!" Zheng Gongxuan saw Zheng Ming enter and pulled Zheng Xiaoxuan's hand away, asking sternly.

Zheng Gongxuan's manner and voice were the same as when he left, but Zheng Ming noticed a hint of abnormality on his face. His dark face looked a bit off, and even his smile seemed a bit stiff.

"Ah, that... that child saw her homeless, so I felt pity and took her in!" Zheng Ming guessed that something might have happened to Zheng Gongxuan and replied evasively.

After all, Fu Yuqing, that woman, couldn't even beat his father, so no matter what he said, she shouldn't have any objections.

"Hmph, being too kind isn't a good thing. Being good is fine, but you can't put yourself in a bad position!" Zheng Gongxuan gave Zheng Ming a stern look, his words harsh but filled with concern.

Zheng Ming rubbed his hands and smiled, about to speak when Duan Yangying, sitting beside him, said, "I think that girl is quite good. She's pretty and well-mannered. Except for being a bit older than Ming, she would make a good wife for him."

"You women don't understand anything!" Zheng Gongxuan waved at Duan Yangying and then instructed, "I'll go see that girl later to find out her intentions for coming to our family."

"Ouch!" At that moment, a pained cry came from Zheng Gongxuan.

Hearing the sound, Zheng Ming and the others looked at Zheng Gongxuan, and Zheng Xiaoxuan, who was sitting on his lap, started crying.

Blood was seeping through the brocade on Zheng Gongxuan's left rib, quickly staining a large part of his purple robe.

"Haha, it's my own wound, don't blame your daughter!" Despite his pale face, Zheng Gongxuan gently comforted Zheng Xiaoxuan.

Zheng Xiaoxuan, being a child, stopped crying after being comforted, though her eyes were still red. Zheng Gongxuan stood up and went with Duan Yangying to the inner room to bandage his wound.

Zheng Ming's gaze fell on his older brother, Zheng Heng, who was standing beside him.

"Brother, what happened? Didn't Father and you go to the family to pay the annual tribute? How did he get such a serious injury?"

Zheng Heng, five years older than Zheng Ming, had a somewhat honest face. At this moment, he looked a bit troubled and stammered, "This... that..."

"Don't tell me you were robbed on the way. From our town to the county, it's a straight road, and who would dare to rob the Zheng family in Qingchuan County?"

"What really happened!" Zheng Ming's voice was filled with authority.

"Brother, don't ask. Father doesn't want you to know," Zheng Heng hesitated and then said straightforwardly.

Zheng Ming knew his brother, though honest, was stubborn. Once he made up his mind, it was hard to change.

Even Zheng Gongxuan sometimes found Zheng Heng's stubbornness a bit frustrating.

But Zheng Ming had a way. He smiled strangely and said, "Brother, if you're really sure, then don't expect me to help you with..."

Before Zheng Ming finished, Zheng Heng's face showed a hint of urgency. He rubbed his hands and finally said, "I'll tell you, but you mustn't let Father know it was me."

"You can trust me, Brother," Zheng Ming said solemnly.

Zheng Heng hesitated and then said, "The family is planning to eliminate the bandits at Hupao Fort. Father was injured in that battle!"

Zheng Ming was familiar with Hupao Fort. It was a group of bandits in the northwest of Qingchuan County, and their leader was said to have a cultivation level of around ninth rank!

For years, they had relied on the fort's rugged terrain, making it easy to defend and hard to attack, and they weren't even afraid of the Zheng family.

The Zheng family had attacked Hupao Fort many times but always failed.

"Attacking Hupao Fort, hmpf, that's the main family's business. Father didn't need to participate. You're not telling me the truth," Zheng Ming said sternly.

"Brother, I'll give you one more chance. If you don't tell me the truth, I won't help Xiao Yue anymore."

"That... that wasn't the main family's reward. They needed a tenth-rank expert to lead the family's blood guards to sneak attack Hupao Fort from the back mountain."

"The family said that any tenth-rank expert who took on this mission would get a chance to enter the Blood Pond!"

The Blood Pond made Zheng Ming's face change. His body trembled.

The Blood Pond was a treasure of the Zheng family, hidden in the Yuan Tu Mountain in Qingchuan County. Its most important function was to increase the cultivation level of those who soaked in it by one rank!

Of course, this increase had limits. It only worked for boys aged twelve to fifteen, and their cultivation level couldn't exceed tenth rank.

The higher the cultivation level, the lower the effect.

The Zheng family's dominance in Qingchuan County was partly due to the Blood Pond, but it could only be used once every ten years.

Each time it was opened, it was a big event for the Zheng family, and the slots to enter the Blood Pond were often traded among various family factions.

Of course, branches like the one in Luming Town rarely got slots.

Zheng Ming knew very well why his father was trying to get a slot: it was for him. His brother Zheng Heng was too old, and even if he entered the Blood Pond, it wouldn't help. His sister Zheng Xiaoxuan was too young and couldn't withstand the violent energy in the Blood Pond.

His father was trying to get the slot for him.

Even for someone with average constitution, soaking in the Blood Pond had a fifty percent chance of entering the ranks!

At this moment, Zheng Ming truly felt the weight of his father's love.

Despite his stern appearance, Zheng Gongxuan's love for his son was deep and profound.

To avoid making him feel guilty, he didn't let his brother tell him. Sneaking into Hupao Fort was not a sure death, but the odds of survival were at best fifty-fifty.

This opportunity might have been his father's way of risking his life to help him.

Zheng Ming realized that if it weren't for his sister accidentally touching his father's wound today, or if he hadn't forced his brother to speak, his father might have casually told him, "You lucky boy, the slot for the Blood Pond just happened to fall to our branch in Luming Town."

"Go try it. Your brother can't use it, so just do your best, but don't overdo it!"

Thinking of this, a warm current surged in Zheng Ming's heart, and tears flowed uncontrollably. At this moment, he felt his father's figure was so tall and great.

Zheng Heng patted Zheng Ming's shoulder and said with a look of anger, "Father rushed into Hupao Fort and encountered the second leader, Fast Knife Shen Keli. Father took ten cuts from his fast knife."

"One of the cuts was just three inches from his heart!"

"But that damned Elder, when it came to rewarding, said our family didn't need the slot and demanded that Father sell it to him! He wanted his grandson to enter the Blood Pond!"

"Ten thousand taels of silver, who needs ten thousand taels of silver!"

Zheng Heng rarely got angry, but at this moment, he was like an injured beast, clenching his fists tightly.

Ten cuts, Fast Knife Shen Keli! Zheng Ming remembered this name, but then the Elder's name was etched in his mind.

His father risked his life to get the slot, and they dared to take it so shamelessly. They weren't weak, so why didn't they try themselves? Bastards!

"Bastards!" Zheng Ming's voice was filled with resentment!

Zheng Heng, standing beside him, was stunned. He knew who Zheng Ming was cursing. Although he hated those people deeply, he had never associated Zheng Ming's curse with them.

After all, they were high-ranking elders in the family!

But Zheng Ming's curse made Zheng Heng feel particularly good, and he couldn't help but follow, "Bastards!"

The two brothers cursed and looked at each other, and they couldn't help but laugh heartily.

The laughter echoed for a while before it finally subsided.

Just as the laughter subsided, a harsh curse was heard in the living room, "Bastards!"

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