After Hong Mingquan finished speaking, he brushed past Chen Ming and went into the mourning hall, giving him no chance to ask questions.
All he could do was suppress his doubts deep within.
After a while, the time arrived.
Huo Qianqian and Zhao An, along with a group of personal disciples, carried the coffin out the door. The crowd of guests followed behind, forming a long procession, sending Huo Chengkun on his final journey.
The funeral procession stopped only after leaving the South City Gate.
Eventually, Chen Ming and others watched as Huo Qianqian and the personal disciples, along with some registered disciples, disappeared at the end of the official road with the coffin.
Huo Chengkun's coffin was to be sent to a place called Xiao River, to be buried alongside his deceased wife.
Hong Mingquan was also in the funeral procession, but he had just asked Chen Ming to see him that night.
This was what Chen Ming found most peculiar.
There's another thing he noticed: in the funeral procession, Old Fourth Sun Shicai was missing. Not attending his master's funeral is unthinkable to some extent.
As the funeral procession went far away, people began to disperse.
Someone began to whisper, with Master Huo dead now, the large Huo Mansion might just scatter like stars in the sky.
"Actually, with the strength of Master Huo's pupils, if they were to work together, Huo Mansion wouldn't lose any of its influence, but alas..."
It was obvious that many had noticed that Huo Chengkun's disciples had different intentions.
"Hey, Master Huo's fourth disciple, clearly in the city, yet not attending the master's funeral is truly..."
"Be careful with your words, Mr. Li. That one is now the Patrol Envoy of the Six Gates."
"So what? Such unfilial people are detestable."
"..."
Chen Ming didn't continue listening and left directly.
…
Deng Mansion.
Deng Ziyang was drinking alone there. Seeing Chen Ming come in, he happily said, "Senior Brother, you came just in time. Come, have a drink with me."
Chen Ming sat across from him, sighing, "I didn't expect Master Huo's death to hit Brother Deng so hard."
"Rubbish!"
Deng Ziyang slammed the cup on the table angrily, "I'm just indignant. That day, the old geezer refused to take me as his disciple, I swore one day, I must trample his pupils in front of him!"
As he spoke, he ground his teeth, "But the old geezer just died like that. Tell me, isn't this hateful?"
Chen Ming refilled the empty cup in front of him and said, "He's dead, but his pupils are still here. He won't see, but all the townspeople will."
Deng Ziyang drank the wine in one gulp and said, "Well, it's a bargain for him."
Chen Ming comforted a bit more, and Deng Ziyang gradually let go.
"It's just right, I have something to ask your opinion." He seized the opportunity to change the subject, "I want to open a martial arts school specializing in children's Martial Dao introductions. Is there some trick in this?"
"Open a martial arts school?"
Deng Ziyang frowned, "Excuse my bluntness, with your skills and character, if you are willing to marry a wealthy merchant's daughter, it's not difficult to get a more profound cultivation technique, then focus on cultivation for ten years, maybe even achieve sixth grade. It's a broad path. Why struggle to open a martial arts school?"
Chen Ming naturally knew that this plan is indeed a shortcut for someone like him from a humble background.
On Earth, many follow this route, commonly known as a 'Phoenix Man.'
However, if given a choice, who wants to be a 'Phoenix Man'?
He said, "Back then, I studied martial arts for years at Huo Mansion, always failing to grasp the essentials. When I asked the tutor, he simply ignored me. Thus wasting years, with nothing learned. It wasn't until leaving Huo Mansion that I kept practicing on my own, gradually understanding the techniques..."
"I imagine there are countless like me in this world. Therefore, I wish to open a martial arts school, so children like me won't waste time due to meeting unscrupulous tutors."
Listening to him, Deng Ziyang's expression became a bit complex, "You... why do you always act foolishly, doing thankless tasks?"
He suddenly remembered that Huo Chengkun once said, a martial artist should have the heart of a child. Perhaps, it was due to Chen Ming's pure, childlike heart that his cultivation could progress so rapidly.
Chen Ming said, "Please guide me, Brother Deng."
Deng Ziyang said, "Since you wish to open a martial arts school, I won't stop you. But know that opening one isn't easy; the tricks run deep..."
…
...
When Chen Ming left the Deng Family, he was still digesting the information he had just received from Deng Ziyang.
"Luckily, I asked Deng Ziyang before opening the martial arts school, otherwise it would have caused trouble."
In ancient times, unlike on Earth, outside of the law, there are clan rules. Similarly, every industry has its regulations.
In Qingfeng City, there's a Martial Arts Hall Association, its members being twelve martial arts halls in the city. They set a regulation that is really just an excuse to unite and keep others from entering the business.
To open a new martial arts hall, there are two ways.
One is to have three existing halls jointly sponsor it.
Forget this one, not even Deng Ziyang has such face.
The second way is to undergo the association's test, winning three matches, then you can get the qualification to open a martial arts school.
There is also a mandatory requirement here: one must have eighth grade cultivation to open and teach at a hall.
Of course, if you're a powerful outsider, like a sixth-grade expert, naturally no one will say no.
"This is the martial world."
Chen Ming felt he finally touched a corner of the martial world, feeling a bit excited inside.
However, he should first elevate his cultivation to eighth grade before anything else.
…
At night, Chen Ming still went to Huo Mansion for the appointment.
When knocking on the door, the doorkeeper who came to open it seemed to have aged ten years. With Huo Chengkun's death, the servants at Huo Mansion undoubtedly took the biggest hit.
Chen Ming didn't say he was looking for Hong Mingquan, only that he had dropped something there and came to look for it.
The doorkeeper didn't suspect anything and let him in.
He went directly to Hong Mingquan's courtyard.
"Fifth Senior Brother."
He called outside the courtyard.
"Is it Uncle Chen?"
A somewhat youthful voice came from inside, followed by a lantern being lifted out from the house by a boy of about eleven or twelve.
It was Hong Mingquan's son, Hong Zilin.
Chen Ming asked, "Zilin, is your father here?"
"Greetings, Uncle Chen."
Hong Zilin came to open the door and said, "My father is not here. He asked Uncle to come over as he has a request. Please come inside to talk."
Chen Ming wasn't too surprised to see him acting like a little grown-up with maturity beyond his age.
In this era, many children are quite precocious, especially those from poor families.
Several youngsters learning martial arts with him already act like little adults.
"Alright."
Chen Ming followed him into the house and discovered Hong Mingquan's wife, Mrs. Li, was also inside, hurriedly greeting her, "Greetings, Sister-in-law."
Though the martial world's people aren't too hung up on etiquette, but being in a room with their mother and son at night wasn't entirely proper.
He asked, "I wonder what request Senior Brother Hong has called me over for?"
Just then, Hong Zilin said, "Uncle Chen, this is the letter my father wrote. Uncle will understand when you read it."
Chen Ming took the letter, opened it, and quickly scanned through it, finally understanding why Hong Mingquan called him over.
He wanted to ask Chen Ming to help take care of his wife and son.
The letter said he might be gone for ten days to half a month. That senior aunt might come back to Huo Mansion, so he wished to entrust his wife and child to Chen Ming.
Chen Ming found it quite odd. His relationship with Hong Mingquan wasn't deep enough for such a trust.
Who knows whether Hong Mingquan was making a last-ditch effort?
Though it was a bit troublesome, he couldn't refuse.
There was no choice; Hong Mingquan offered too much.
He actually proposed to offer the Five Elements Saber Technique as compensation.
This saber technique was far superior to the Eight Trigrams Saber Technique, and it was Huo Chengkun's signature technique.
It was one of the things he urgently needed.
The Eight Trigrams Saber Technique was still too basic, only capable of overpowering martially humble men like Zhuang Xiaotian and Guan Peng. It was ineffective against esteemed families' disciples.
Hong Zilin had already presented a thick manual respectfully, saying, "This is what my father asked me to give you, Uncle."
Chen Ming took it, flipped through a bit, tucked it into his arms, and said, "Are you coming with me now, or should I come to pick you up tomorrow?"
Hong Zilin decisively said, "Let's leave now."
Soon, the mother and son came out carrying their bundles.