Chapter 3: The Sentiments of Youth

"Big sister, this is really a misunderstanding!" Looking at the woman walking behind him, who gave off an air of a queen on a tour, Zheng Ming finally made up his mind.

He didn't know the origin of this woman, but he couldn't let her cause trouble for his family. Her background was unknown, and who knew what kind of danger might follow her?

The woman, seeing the young man wringing his hands, had a smile that grew threefold in an instant. She chuckled and said, "Do you really plan to abandon someone after leading them on, husband?"

"Just think of it as me leading you on and then abandoning you!" Zheng Ming gritted his teeth and said solemnly.

The woman took a careful look at Zheng Ming and saw that his expression was serious and didn't seem to be faking. Her opinion of the young man improved even more at that moment.

On this trip down the mountain, her goal was to break through the shackles that currently troubled her by engaging in worldly cultivation. But although she had already visited many places, she still found it difficult to blend into the mundane world.

The words Zheng Ming had stopped her to say, however, sparked a flicker of inspiration, and she took this as an opportunity that was about to unfold for her.

"Typically, those who lead others on and then abandon them do not meet a good end!" The woman's voice was indifferent, but a heavy murderous intent enveloped Zheng Ming at that moment.

Under this murderous intent, Zheng Ming felt his heart quivering.

He knew that in this world there was something called 'presence', and although his father Zheng Gongxuan, the strongest man in Luming Town, didn't have much of it...

This woman, with just her presence, could make him tremble. It seemed that this time, he had really stumbled upon a treasure!

Holding to the principle that a brave man should not suffer immediate losses, Zheng Ming could only wave his hand to the woman and say, "How could I bear to lead you on and then abandon you, sister? That was just a joke earlier!"

"So it was a joke, huh? You'd better make fewer of those kinds of jokes in the future, husband, lest I lose control..." What she might do if she lost control, the woman didn't say, but her sinister words made Zheng Ming's heart tremble uncontrollably.

The passersby in Luming Town looked at the woman following behind Zheng Ming with amazed gazes, and rumors started to spread that the Second Young Master of the Zheng Family had married such a heavenly and enchanting woman at the drop of a hat.

Suddenly, the saying that good people receive good rewards began to circulate around the small town.

Zheng Ming, deeply frustrated, noticed that his Prestige Points were still a mere one. It seemed that, aside from Master Wu Banxian, there was still no one in the entire town who feared him.

As for whether this trip of bullying men and dominating women was a success or not...?

Looking back at the woman who was walking leisurely behind him, Zheng Ming couldn't help feeling that he seemed to be the real victim of this whole affair!

"I haven't asked for your esteemed surname yet, wife!" As he was about to reach his front door, Zheng Ming turned his head and spoke to the woman again.

"Fu Yuqing," she responded succinctly to Zheng Ming's question.

Luming Town was only so big, and the news of Zheng Ming picking up a wife as enchanting as a heavenly fairy spread faster than his walk home.

Before he reached his own front door, Zheng Ming saw his mother Duanyang Ying standing at the doorway, accompanied by his sister Zheng Xiaoxuan and a few servants.

In Zheng Xiaoxuan's hand, she held a bamboo stick about as wide as three fingers.

This bamboo stick had previously been used by Duanyang Ying to scare Zheng Ming, but now, looking at his mother's face in this lifetime, Zheng Ming had a feeling that something was terribly wrong.

As he was contemplating how to avoid this calamity, his eight-year-old sister Zheng Xiaoxuan had already bounced cheerfully in front of Fu Yuqing, full of curiosity, "Is sister my new sister-in-law? You're so pretty, if only Xiaoxuan could grow up to be half as beautiful as sister."

The previously commanding Fu Yuqing, who had walked with Zheng Ming, had now changed her demeanor, speaking as meekly as a young bride, "Your brother just said he wanted to marry me, so I should be your new sister-in-law! As for Xiaoxuan, sister thinks you will definitely become even more beautiful than sister in the future."

Zheng Ming watched Fu Yuqing change her expression instantaneously and felt a wave of gloom. However, when he shook off the gloom, he realized that the three women at the door, two adults and one child, had gone from strangers to chatting as if they were best friends.

"It's not appropriate for a young girl to be traveling around alone. If you don't mind, you can stay at our house. Although we can't compare to the big families out there, you won't be wronged," Duanyang Ying said with a smile, pulling Fu Yuqing along.

"As for Zheng Ming's nonsense, don't take it to heart! Of course, if you take a liking to my son, when he's a bit older, it wouldn't be a problem to settle things between you two," she continued.

Just like a newlywed bride, Fu Yuqing was led away as the protagonist of the scene, leaving Zheng Ming still in a state of disarray.

Fortunately, as the Town Chief, Zheng Gongxuan had gone to Qingchuan County's main family house with Zheng Ming's older brother Zheng Heng and some guards to make the annual Veneration contribution the day before. So, after passing Duanyang Ying's scrutiny, no one else brought up the matter with Zheng Ming.

Lying on his bed, feeling his Prestige Points still at a mere one, Zheng Ming felt a sense of despondency.

But soon after, he consoled himself, reasoning that he had achieved a breakthrough from zero, and if all else failed, he could simply go out and thrash some people tomorrow.

If he beat up five people a day, in a month he should be able to collect the Prestige Points he needed.

The next day, as dawn broke, Zheng Ming didn't immediately set out to fulfill his nefarious plans, but instead went to the small woods outside the town to practice martial arts.

Although his Bear Hug Technique had made no progress over the years, Zheng Ming had never once stopped practicing it.

All sixteen movements of the Bear Hug Technique were practiced by Zheng Ming with great care, and in the end his clean forehead was entirely covered in sweat.

"Iron Bear Crashing Tree!" Zheng Ming's body heavily collided with the thick trunk of a tree the size of a bowl opening, causing branches to shake wildly and a sparse shower of leaves to fall!

At this moment, Zheng Ming could feel an intense pain throughout his body. However, he ignored the pain and looked at the falling leaves with an unwilling expression.

If his Bear Hug Technique could break through to the second level, then that strike would definitely have caused all the leaves on the tree to fall. If it could break through to the third level, generating Inner Strength inside his body, he would be able to split the tree in two with a single hit!

"One day, I will stand at the top of this world!" Zheng Ming declared loudly as he looked at the tree.

This shout expressed his reluctance, his perseverance, and more importantly, the determination that had always been hidden beneath his calm exterior over the years!

"With your talents, even if you obtained the Nine Dragons Golden Elixir, you could at most cultivate to become a Seventh-Rank Warrior. You are far from reaching the top of the world!"

In a calm voice, Fu Yuqing, dressed in a white gown, mysteriously appeared near Zheng Ming. At this moment, she looked even more slender and graceful without any grooming.

Although Zheng Ming had long resolved to keep a respectful distance from Fu Yuqing, her words still stung him.

"What if I can stand at the top of this world?"

Gazing into Zheng Ming's eyes, which hid infinite resolve, Fu Yuqing's heart couldn't help but waver slightly.

But she was no ordinary person, and she quickly returned to normal. The thought that a mere youth, not even a Martial Artist, had shaken her, filled her with a competitive spirit, "Don't talk about you standing at the top of the world, if you can break through to First class, I'll willingly make your bed and marry you!"

"Then wait to become my wife!" Zheng Ming spoke calmly but with full confidence.

Fu Yuqing shook her head lightly. Although she appreciated Zheng Ming's confidence, the world didn't work on confidence alone.

"The hearts of the young are always full of poetry," she said faintly, speaking as if to herself before casually turning her head away.

From Fu Yuqing's words, Zheng Ming didn't hear any mockery or sarcasm; what he heard was a high and mighty disregard.

Having come to this world, although Zheng Ming couldn't watch flowers bloom and fade with a smile, he was able to keep his true nature and disregard the idle chit-chat of others.

He considered himself not a good person, yet not a bad person; for Prestige Points, he could do good deeds for the entire town, but he was equally capable of beating up the swindling Wu Banxian.

Yet this lofty condescension, this indifference, fired up something in him. It wasn't just directed at Fu Yuqing; most of it turned into an ambition!

I will definitely let the world know that I, Zheng Ming, am the person who will stand at the top!

Without speaking further to Fu Yuqing, Zheng Ming stepped away from the grove, determined to raise those damn Prestige Points today!

Luming Town was still Luming Town, with its bustling morning market and an endless stream of people coming and going.

However, those who were about to greet Zheng Ming hesitated as they saw him, swallowing back their words.

They sensed that the usually amiable Second Young Master of the Zheng Family was now exuding a fierce aura, as if warning others not to provoke him.

"Wu Banxian, you old immortal, what exactly did you say to the Second Young Master yesterday? A perfectly fine person, why has he become like this!" The restaurant owner, as large as a lump of meat, caught hold of Wu Banxian's collar and roared as he carefully swallowed his last sip of porridge.

Seeing the restaurant owner's wife, who looked like a meat mountain, Wu Banxian felt like crying. He hadn't even had time to figure things out when seven or eight more people surrounded him, glaring at Wu Banxian angrily.

The way they were, it seemed Wu Banxian wouldn't be able to leave the dining table today if he didn't explain himself!

At that moment, Wu Banxian felt like tears were about to fall—he was the one who had been inexplicably beaten up, and yet these foolish village women were blaming him, the victim.

It was truly an unfathomable injustice!

Leaving Wu Banxian to explain himself on the one side, and just talking about Zheng Ming, he swept his stern gaze over the people at the morning market.

He couldn't bear to harm the women, and the men were too old for him to strike as well. This one looked solid enough, but he had always greeted Zheng Ming with a smile over the years and was considered an acquaintance; it didn't seem right to beat him up straight away.

After rejecting one person after another, Zheng Ming realized that he had already walked half the length of Luming Town's only street.

No matter, time to pick a target!

To earn those damn Prestige Points, he had no choice but to throw caution to the wind!

No, it should be the good folks sacrificing a little for me! Just when Zheng Ming had made up his mind, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead!