After the birthday banquet, the guests began to depart one by one.
However, most of them left with a hint of haste. It seemed that the day's events would soon become the talk of the town.
At this moment, only the members of the three major families and Hua Tianmin remained in the Nangong family courtyard.
“Old Master Nangong, we shall take our leave now.” Lin Fengxuan, accompanied by Lin Zifeng, bid farewell to Nangong Li.
Just as he was leaving, Lin Fengxuan cast a deliberate glance at Ye Ming, as if contemplating something. As for Lin Zifeng, he maintained a sullen expression throughout and followed his father out of the Nangong family courtyard.
After Lin Fengxuan departed, Fang Qianhan also bade Nangong Li farewell. As for Fang Tingsheng, he had been sent to the hospital much earlier, and his condition was unknown.
Just as Fang Qianhan was about to leave, Fang Junxue, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. Her tone remained as cool and indifferent as ever, betraying no emotional fluctuation.
“Go back and tell everyone in the Fang family that I, Fang Junxue, have stood up.” After this declaration, her tone intensified slightly, clearly tinged with coldness. “Therefore, I will be returning.”
This time, Fang Junxue would no longer endure in silence. She was back! And that meant it was time to settle accounts.
Hearing this, Fang Qianhan’s body trembled, and the fear of his youth instantly flooded his mind.
“Alright, I will deliver your message.” Fang Qianhan walked out of the Nangong family courtyard without another word. However, a dark cloud now loomed in his heart: “Since that is the case, do not blame me.”
With the departure of the Fang and Lin families, only the influential Hua Tianmin remained in the courtyard.
“Young friend Ye Ming, would you grant me a moment of your time to speak privately?” Hua Tianmin asked Ye Ming with a smile.
The onlookers all turned their attention to Ye Ming, as if questioning, “Do you two know each other?” Ye Ming was also puzzled, racking his brain to recall any prior encounters. However, he found no record of any interaction with Hua Tianmin in his memories.
“Esteemed Hua, please!” Regardless, he felt it was only proper to show respect when addressed directly.
Hua Tianmin then led Ye Ming away from the crowd.
“Sister Junxue, do you think they know each other?” Nangong Qianyu asked, her face full of curiosity. Fang Junxue shook her head, equally uncertain. Despite her current close relationship with Ye Ming, they had only known each other for a few days at most. Therefore, her understanding of Ye Ming was not much greater than Nangong Qianyu’s.
Meanwhile, Nangong Fu appeared deep in thought. He then turned to Nangong Li and said, “Father, you said Mr. Hua attended the banquet today, was it perhaps related to…” Nangong Fu trailed off, but his meaning was clear.
Nangong Li remained silent for a moment before looking in the direction where Ye Ming and Hua Tianmin had departed. He then spoke slowly, “Regardless of whether it has anything to do with that young man, it is ultimately harmless to our Nangong family.” Although this was good news, Nangong Li showed no signs of joy. His eyes were filled with a profound solemnity, as he held two hot potatoes in his hands.
…
“Mr. Hua, please speak your mind directly,” Ye Ming said first after they had walked for some time.
Hua Tianmin stopped and looked at the young man before him, then smiled slightly. “The one who attacked Fang Tingsheng, it was you, wasn’t it!” Hua Tianmin stated this not as a question, but with absolute certainty.
Ye Ming was taken aback. He had acted with great discretion. He hadn't expected Hua Tianmin to notice. From Ye Ming’s observation, Hua Tianmin was a martial artist, and one who had reached the late stage of the Martial Master realm. Yet, even so, given Hua Tianmin’s abilities at the time, he would have only detected slight anomalies, certainly not the perpetrator. Now, for Hua Tianmin to accurately guess it was him, there was only one explanation: Hua Tianmin had been watching him all along. Furthermore, considering Hua Tianmin’s uncharacteristic presence at the banquet, it was clear he had come specifically for him.
“Oh! You’ve been paying attention to me?” Ye Ming neither confirmed nor denied, but instead retorted directly. His earlier respectful demeanor had vanished. Since the other party had an agenda, there was no need for politeness.
Hua Tianmin, however, seemed unbothered. Or rather, upon learning of Ye Ming’s strength, he dared not be. Based on his estimation alone, Ye Ming’s strength had at least reached the Martial King level, and such a young Martial King at that. He certainly would not offend him lightly, not to mention the special instructions from above.
“Rest assured, I mean you no harm,” Hua Tianmin continued. “The reason I noticed you is because of your other identity!”
“Another identity?” Ye Ming was perplexed. He had far too many identities.
“Special Class Martial Artist!” Hua Tianmin stated directly.
“Just because of that?” Ye Ming was somewhat surprised. He had thought perhaps some other, more significant identity had been exposed. After all, the identity of a Special Class Martial Artist was not particularly remarkable to Ye Ming; he had obtained it with ease years ago.
“That’s right!” Hua Tianmin affirmed. “Perhaps you don’t know, but when the nation learned that you, as a Chinese citizen, had won the championship of the World Martial Arts Competition, they searched for you for a long time!” Hua Tianmin said with visible excitement. It was important to note that there was an age limit for participating in the World Martial Arts Competition; those over twenty were disqualified. Therefore, it was natural for the nation to pay close attention to such a young Special Class Martial Artist like Ye Ming.
“Searched for me? What for?” Ye Ming became even more confused. He had participated in the World Martial Arts Competition at the time because he believed he might encounter other immortal cultivators during the matches. However, by the final round, he had only encountered ancient martial artists, not the people he sought. Thus, with no gains, he had simply packed up and left.
Hua Tianmin then patiently explained to Ye Ming. “Therefore, to thank you for your contributions, the nation has specifically awarded you a Medal of Honor for National Contributor.” He then proceeded to explain the medal’s preciousness, hoping to stir Ye Ming’s emotions and guide him further.
However, after listening to Hua Tianmin’s lengthy explanation, Ye Ming could only utter two words: “That’s it!”
“???” What did he mean by that? This was not what Hua Tianmin had anticipated. Were not young people nowadays filled with a sense of honor? How could the “Medal of Honor for National Contributor” he had been extolling for so long elicit only these two words from Ye Ming?
“Is there anything else? If not, I’ll be taking my leave.” Seeing Hua Tianmin frozen in place, Ye Ming prepared to depart. It turned out he had only come to deliver a medal. To Ye Ming, the medal held no particular significance. After all, in total, he had only been part of human society for five years. A sense of honor? Abstract concepts like these were difficult for Ye Ming to grasp. Although he understood what they entailed, it would likely take something truly moving to make him experience their true essence.