Chapter 5: Activation (Please Vote and Recommend)

One thousand five hundred Prestige Points!

Prestige Points shot up to one thousand five hundred, could it really be as Wu Banxian said, that Prestige Points can also be plundered?

Just now, after beating up Qin Meng, his one thousand two hundred Prestige Points became mine?

At this moment, Zheng Ming's eyes were slightly red as he looked toward Zheng Dali standing beside him—those were one thousand eight hundred Prestige Points!

But, soon, Zheng Ming dismissed this sneaky thought. No matter what, Zheng Dali had been a brother who had gone through life and death with his father and had always been good to him.

Doing such a thing would be somewhat disgraceful, plus, he couldn't beat him anyway!

However, Wu Banxian had also been beaten half to death by him, so why hadn't his Prestige Points gathered onto him? Could it be that the beating wasn't severe enough, and he needed to beat him up even more ruthlessly?

Before Zheng Ming could finish his thought, the card that had been silent in his heart suddenly started flashing rapidly, and a prompt sounded in Zheng Ming's ears.

"Prestige Points have reached a hundred, please select three cards as your Basic Cards."

Feeling the cards flashing through his heart like an electric shadow, Zheng Ming felt frustrated. The cards were all back up, and from their patterns, there was no difference at all.

How the hell am I supposed to choose?

Just as Zheng Ming was extremely vexed, he heard Zheng Dali say, "Second Young Master, the Town Head has returned. He ordered you to go home to see him."

Although carrying the memories of his past life, Zheng Ming still had quite an emotional bond with his father in this life. After all, despite keeping a stern face, Zheng Ming could feel that behind that stern face, there was an abundance of meticulous care.

Upon hearing that his father had returned, Zheng Ming immediately stopped selecting his Basic Cards, bid farewell to Zheng Dali, and ran quickly toward home.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't dare believe this was the Second Young Master. I've always thought the Second Young Master was a kind-hearted little boy who wouldn't dare to kill even a small animal."

"Yes, when the Second Young Master dealt with Qin Meng, I was a bit trembling. If the Second Young Master could go up in rank..."

While a few guards were discussing, Zheng Dali seemed to think of something. He waved to the people behind him and said, "Ignorant fools, don't talk nonsense!"

As he spoke, he turned his head and sighed quietly, muttering to himself, "Ah, the matter of the Second Young Master going up in rank, I'm afraid..."

The Zheng Family Hall was filled with laughter and cheer, of course, this laughter mainly came from Zheng Ming's sister, Zheng Xiaoxuan.

As Zheng Ming walked into the hall, he saw Zheng Xiaoxuan clinging to Zheng Gongxuan like a piece of cotton candy, with her small white hands playfully tugging at Zheng Gongxuan's beard.

Zheng Gongxuan had a square, large face, which gave off an authoritative aura. In front of Zheng Ming and his brother Zheng Heng, he always put on a serious demeanor.

In the entire house, he was exceptionally indulgent and doting only toward his daughter, Zheng Xiaoxuan.

"Kid, I haven't been home, and I heard you found yourself a wife!" Upon seeing Zheng Ming walk in, Zheng Gongxuan took his daughter's hands off him and asked sternly.

The presence and voice of Zheng Gongxuan were the same as when he left home, but Zheng Ming saw something unusual on Zheng Gongxuan's face.

At this moment, Zheng Gongxuan's darkened face looked abnormal, and even his smile seemed somewhat stiff to Zheng Ming.

"Ah, that... The child saw that she had no home to return to, so he took pity on her and took her in!" Zheng Ming guessed that something might have happened to Zheng Gongxuan while he casually prevaricated.

After all, even his father probably couldn't beat Fu Yuqing, so whatever he said should be okay with her.

"Hmph, playing the good Samaritan isn't something you do haphazardly. It's fine to be kindhearted, but you cannot let yourself be taken advantage of!" Zheng Gongxuan glared fiercely at Zheng Ming, his words were stern, yet filled with concern.

Zheng Ming rubbed his hands and smiled, about to speak, when Duanyang Ying, who was sitting aside, already chuckled, "I think the girl is quite nice, pretty and well-educated, and although she's older than Ming Er, she'd be perfect as his wife."

"What do you, a woman, know!" Zheng Gongxuan waved his hand at Duanyang Ying, then he gave a solemn instruction, "Later, I will meet the girl and see what her intentions really are for coming to our house."

"Ouch!" Just then, a cry of pain escaped the authoritative Zheng Gongxuan's mouth.

At the sound, Zheng Ming and the others involuntarily looked toward Zheng Gongxuan, and Zheng Xiaoxuan, who was twisting on Zheng Gongxuan's lap, burst into tears with a loud cry.

They saw that Zheng Gongxuan's brocaded robe on the left rib had been stained with blood, and in a mere instant, the purple robe was smeared with a large patch of blood.

"Haha, it's a wound of my own, don't blame your girl!" Although Zheng Gongxuan's face was pale, he still soothingly comforted Zheng Xiaoxuan.

Although Zheng Xiaoxuan was just a child, she stopped crying, her eyes still teary, as Zheng Gongxuan stood up and went to the inner room with Duanyang Ying to get bandaged.

Zheng Ming's gaze fell directly on his older brother, Zheng Heng, who was standing to the side.

"Big brother, what happened? Weren't you and father just going to the family to pay this year's veneration? How did he get hurt so badly?"

Zheng Heng, who was five years older than Zheng Ming, showed a trace of difficulty on his honest face, then he faltered, "This... that..."

"Don't tell me you guys were robbed on the way. The road from Luming Town to the county seat is free of trouble, and moreover, who would dare rob our Zheng family's goods in Qingchuan County?"

"What exactly happened!" Zheng Ming's voice was filled with deterrence at this moment.

"Brother, don't ask any more. Dad told me not to tell you," Zheng Heng hesitated for a moment, then spoke out straightforwardly.

Zheng Ming knew that although his brother was somewhat simple-minded, he was very earnest and obstinate about his responsibilities. Once he was set on something, it was nearly impossible to change his mind.

Even Zheng Gongxuan sometimes was a bit helpless with Zheng Heng's stubbornness.

But in this regard, Zheng Ming had a method up his sleeve. He offered a sly smile, "Big brother, are you really sure because if you are, then don't expect me to help you with..."

Before Zheng Ming could finish, urgency flashed across Zheng Heng's face. He rubbed his hands and eventually said, "This matter, I have mentioned it, and you must never let father know that I told you."

"You can rest assured about that, big brother," Zheng Ming said solemnly.

Zheng Heng spoke in a halting manner, "That... the family is just about to annihilate the bandits of Tiger's Roar Village these few days, and father was wounded in that battle!"

Zheng Ming was no stranger to Tiger's Roar Village, which was a gang of bandits located in the northwestern part of Qingchuan County. It was said their village chief had cultivated to around the ninth grade!

For many years, with the difficult terrain of Tiger's Roar Village providing a formidable defensive position, even the Zheng Family did not intimidate them.

Over the years, the Zheng Family had attacked Tiger's Roar Village numerous times, but nearly every attempt ended in failure.

"Attacking Tiger's Roar Village, hmph, that is the main household's concern. Father didn't need to participate at all. You haven't told me the whole truth," Zheng Ming said in a low voice, his expression shifting as he addressed Zheng Heng.

"Big brother, I'll give you one more chance. If you don't tell the truth, I really might..." regarding Sister Xiao Yue, he paused.

"That... Didn't the main house issue a bounty, calling for a tenth-grade master to lead the Family Blood Guard for a secret attack on Tiger's Roar Village from behind the mountain?" Zheng Heng blurted out.

"The family said that any tenth-grade master who is willing to undertake this mission will get an opportunity to enter the Jade Blood Pool!"

At the mention of the Jade Blood Pool, Zheng Ming's complexion changed. His body trembled slightly.

The Jade Blood Pool was a treasure site of the Zheng Family, hidden within Far Camel Mountain within the territory of Qingchuan County, and its most significant feature was its ability to enhance the cultivator's level by one class!

Of course, this enhancement had its restrictions; it must be youths between twelve and fifteen years of age, and their cultivation level could not exceed tenth grade.

The more advanced the cultivation, the less effective the pool became.

The Zheng Family's dominance over Qingchuan County owed much to the Jade Blood Pool, and the energy stored in the pool could only be used once every ten years.

Each opening of the pool was a major event for the Zheng Family, with various factions within the family trading all sorts of deals for a place in the pool.

Naturally, branches like Zheng Gongxuan's from Luming Town were basically unable to secure a slot.

The reason Zheng Gongxuan was contesting for a spot this time was crystal clear to Zheng Ming: it was for him. His big brother Zheng Heng had already exceeded the age limit, and even if he entered the Jade Blood Pool, it would be useless; his younger sister, Zheng Xiaoxuan, was too young to withstand the fierce energy of the pool.

Zheng Gongxuan was contending for this slot solely for him.

Because even those with average physiques, as long as they could soak in the Jade Blood Pool, had a fifty-fifty chance of increasing their rank!

At this moment, Zheng Ming truly understood the meaning of fatherly love being as lofty as a mountain.

Zheng Gongxuan, his father, though seemingly always stern, harbored an incomparably deep love for his son.

To spare himself feelings of guilt, he had forbidden his elder son from disclosing the affair to him. Sneaking an attack on Tiger's Roar Village wasn't entirely a life-or-death endeavor, but even so, the odds of survival were at least fifty-fifty.

This opportunity might have been one his father, Zheng Gongxuan, secured for him by gambling with his own life!

Zheng Ming could imagine if today, his sister hadn't accidentally touched his father's wound and if he hadn't forced the truth from his brother, then in a few days' time, when the Jade Blood Pool was opened, his father might have nonchalantly told him, "You lucky brat, it happens to be our turn at Luming Town's branch for the Jade Blood Pool slot."

"Go and give it a try. It's no use to your brother anyway. Just do your best, and don't overexert yourself!"

Thinking this way, a warm surge quickly flooded Zheng Ming's heart, and tears flowed uncontrollably. At that moment, he saw his father, Zheng Gongxuan, as a towering figure.

Zheng Heng patted Zheng Ming's shoulder and with a look of indignation said, "Father charged into Tiger's Roar Village, and by chance, he encountered the second-in-command of the village, Shen Keli with his swift blade. Father endured ten slashes from his blade."

"One was a mere three inches away from the heart!"

"But that damn Great Elder, during the reward deliberations, claimed our family had no use for the slot and demanded that father sell the slot to him! He wanted it for his third grandson, to enter the Jade Blood Pool!"

"Ten thousand taels of silver; who lacks his ten thousand taels of silver!" raged Zheng Heng, rarely prone to anger.

Yet at this moment, Zheng Heng resembled a wounded beast, clenching his fists tightly.

Ten blades, Shen Keli with the swift blade! Zheng Ming etched this name into his memory. But then, he firmly lodged the Great Elder's name within his heart.

His own father had gambled with his life to win that slot, and these shameless people were trying to usurp it! They were not powerless; if they wanted it so badly, why didn't they fight for it themselves? They were a litter born of a bitch!

"A litter born of a bitch!" Zheng Ming spat the words out venomously!

Zheng Heng, standing beside him, momentarily stiffened. He knew who Zheng Ming was cursing. Although he also despised those people to the bone, he had never before associated the harsh words Zheng Ming had uttered with them.

After all, those people were the supreme Elders within the family!

Yet, hearing Zheng Ming's curse made Zheng Heng feel oddly exhilarated, and he couldn't help but shout, "A litter born of a bitch!"

Having cursed in unison, the two brothers exchanged a look and couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.

Their laughter rang out for a while before subsiding.

Just as their laughter had died down, someone else in the living room cursed vehemently, "A litter born of a bitch!"