Promise!

Chapter 109, Movement Technique

After Zhuang Jin and Zou Qingfeng reached an agreement, they split into two groups. The other party went to invite the Eighth Young Master Shen Xuchen, while Zhuang Jin, carrying his guard badge, applied for a joint trial by several department heads, which the Enforcement Division arranged according to procedure.

This would take some time, so he first went to the Transmission of Skills Department to receive the meditation techniques and martial arts methods for the Seven to Twelve Meridians.

The seven to twelve meridian meditation methods are the basic setup and need no further explanation.

As for movement techniques, Zhuang Jin was somewhat troubled. Instead of teaching offensive techniques, he directly taught the Black Fiend Palm, which was paired with the Black Fiend Skill. There were various movement techniques: Drunken Step, Gale Step, Snowflake Step, Grass-Walking Step, Water-Walking Step, Wild Goose Cloud Leap...

"Senior You, may I ask the merits of these movement techniques and martial arts?" Zhuang Jin asked an old man with white hair and a youthful face, dressed in a white robe with two lines on the shoulders.

This person was named You Peng, an eighth-level martial artist, a second-level guard, and the head of the Transmission Department. Seeing Zhuang Jin's attitude, he nodded slightly. Although guiding guard-level martial artists to choose movement techniques was his job, he was willing to say more when he encountered someone who knew manners: "Movement techniques are also called lightness skills. As the name suggests, they are all martial arts that make the body light and agile. They are all the same thing."

"As for the merits of movement techniques, have you ever heard the saying, 'There is no best, only the most suitable'? It depends on what you want. The Gale Step has the strongest short-range burst damage, but is weaker in terms of variation and escape; the Drunken Step and Snowdrift Step have unpredictable footwork, giving them an advantage in combat; the Wild Goose Leap is as light as a swallow, allowing for leaping across rooftops and walls, which is advantageous for escaping..."

"Senior You, do you have any skills that are well-rounded and without any weaknesses?" Zhuang Jin asked again after hearing all of this.

"You're not the first to ask this question... Everything in this world strives for balance. If everything is outstanding, then nothing is outstanding at all. Someone once defied this and created a martial art that was indeed excellent in every aspect, but it shifted the drawback to the difficulty of cultivation..."

As You Peng spoke, he took out a martial art: "Here it is. This movement technique is called Swift Wind Step. At the same level of proficiency, it is indeed more comprehensive and stronger than other movement techniques. However, the difficulty of cultivation is more than one level higher. The entry bottleneck is extremely difficult. Most other movement techniques can be mastered at the seventh level, but if your comprehension is not good enough, even the eighth level will be tough."

"For us martial artists, the key lies in our cultivation level; martial arts techniques are secondary. Choosing this particular technique is a waste of time and effort, and it's not worth it!"

'High cultivation difficulty, difficult bottlenecks? I don't have any bottlenecks. This movement technique is unsuitable for others, but it's perfect for me.'

Zhuang Jin made up her mind and said firmly, "Senior, I will choose the Swift Wind Step. Please grant my request."

"You...oh!"

You Peng initially thought Zhuang Jin was polite and quite agreeable, but it turned out to be a waste of breath. He had seen many people like this who didn't believe in superstitions, and in the end, they all obediently came back to change their movement techniques and martial arts skills.

"It's up to you, but if you regret your choice and want to change your movement technique, it won't be free anymore; you'll have to pay one hundred taels of silver."

He shook his head and threw the Swift Step over.

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior You." Zhuang Jin bowed respectfully, accepted the gift, and left.

……

After leaving the Transmission Department, Zhuang Jin went to the Pill Department to purchase cultivation supplies—a mid-grade Black Yuan Powder, five taels of silver per dose. He also exchanged some battle merits for it. Then he handed over the beast treasure at the Perfected Skin Polishing level and, according to the rules, received a voucher for an 'Enhanced Meridian Clearing Pill,' which he could collect in one day.

This "enhanced version of the Meridian-Clearing Pill" was naturally highly sought after, and two directors from the Transmission of Skills Department even inquired about its transfer. Zhuang Jin declined, saying that he had already promised to go out and ask.

Afterwards, back at the law enforcement office, before even entering, a menacing figure rushed out.

"It was you who killed my brother?" Miao Shao roared, leaping forward with a light tap of his toes. He knew his younger brother, Miao Lun, had always been competitive with him, wanting to surpass him. He had always looked after and cared for his brother, even using his battle merits to reserve a Meridian-Clearing Pill, just waiting to give it to him... But now, his brother was dead!
He didn't want to ask about right or wrong; he only knew that his younger brother was dead, killed by Zhuang Jin. If his younger brother was dead, why was Zhuang Jin still alive?

Swish!
Miao Shao moved with incredible speed, kicking up dust as he swept across the ground and struck Zhuang Jin in the face with a palm strike.

Zhuang Jin's expression was solemn. He mobilized his internal energy, combining his visible and hidden strength, and used the Black Fiend Palm, which he had almost mastered to its peak in recent days, to return his palm to the opponent.

scoff!

The forces clashed and eroded each other in mid-air, producing a sound like tearing silk.

Zhuang Jin stumbled back seven or eight steps, while Miao Shao stopped and only took one step back.

—His Black Fiend Palm was already close to its peak of perfection, in which Miao Shao was a step behind, but his internal energy was superior. He had already completed the accumulation of the Seven Classics realm, and its purity and refinement were several levels higher.

Zhuang Jin knew he was no match for Miao Shao, and didn't respond to the matter of killing Miao Lun, thus avoiding the trap of proving himself. Instead, he roared, "What kind of madman dares to attack this guard in the Shen family headquarters? Could he be a spy from the Medicine King Gang? How dare you! Guards!"

Miao Shao originally wanted to continue, but upon hearing this, his expression changed and he stopped: if he continued, wouldn't that confirm his suspicion as a spy?
Even if we don't take further action, this matter has already blown up.

This is the main headquarters of the Shen family. As soon as Zhuang Jin finished speaking, within just a few breaths, many martial artists of the fourth, fifth, and sixth levels of martial arts rushed over, along with several white-robed guards.

Zhuang Jin even vaguely sensed a chilling aura flash by in the shadows, a feeling akin to an ordinary person facing ferocious beasts like jackals, tigers, and leopards.

"Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding!"

Zhao Bin and two other division chiefs from the law enforcement department came out. One was Ren Ze, who had a square face, and the other was You Donglai, who was smiling and chubby.

"This is... the death of Miao Zhenshou's younger brother..." It took a long explanation to calm the situation down, but a warning was still issued.

After these people left, Zhao Bin turned around and angrily rebuked Zhuang Jin: "Zhuang, look at the trouble your shout has caused! Don't shout randomly! Whether someone is a spy or not is not for you to decide!"

Zhuang Jin didn't try to explain herself or defend herself by saying things like, "We don't even know each other, and she attacked me on sight, so naturally I'd assume she's a spy." Instead, she went along with it, saying, "Yes, it's not up to me to decide who the spy is, but rather Director Zhao, right? I've heard that Director Zhao is incredibly powerful in the Enforcement Division. It reminds me of a story I heard a while ago about a corrupt official nicknamed 'Landlord Tiger,' who controlled the entire county and turned it into his own personal fiefdom... Hey, Director Zhao, why does your expression change? I didn't say it was Director Zhao..."

To reiterate, never fall into the trap of self-proof—self-proof at most only proves innocence, while proactive attacks can inflict damage on the enemy!

His words, in particular, were extremely ruthless, using flattery to kill, giving nicknames, and guiding analogies and associations... Knowing the science of public opinion, he knew that public opinion needs to have memorable points, so he directly gave Zhao Bin the nickname "Sit-in Tiger".

Many people hadn't gone far when Zhuang Jin spoke loudly again. It was easy to imagine that it wouldn't be long before this nickname spread, making Zhao Bin look like he was stuck in a pile of mud.

And this 'flaw'—wouldn't those eyeing Zhao Bin's position let it slip by? Given the current backdrop of the Shen family's struggle against the Medicine King Gang, even if Zhao Bin could retain his position as the head of the Shen family's Enforcement Division, the cost of maintaining it would increase dramatically, inevitably leaving him overwhelmed.

……

(End of this chapter)