Promise!

Chapter 123, The Eight Classics

The next day was the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Zhuang Jin returned to the Shen family headquarters. As a New Year's bonus, his monthly allowance was basically doubled this month. However, his situation was not the same as last year. His war merits and various benefits were only good for household expenses at most.

He was then informed of another piece of news: he would also be serving as the garrison commander of Dongqiaowu this month, but the higher-ups would no longer assign him any more frontline rotation offensive missions. Instead, on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, he would be assigned an escort mission to escort the tribute teams from the surrounding counties back to their hometowns.

Zhuang Jin was genuinely unaware of this matter beforehand. Her immediate reaction was that someone was targeting her or plotting something, so she went straight to the Enforcement Division to ask Zou Qingfeng, the old man from the Shen family.

"You mean this? This is a perk for those who have just broken through to the Seventh Scripture and been promoted to the Guardian level. I'll be going too."

Zou Qingfeng explained: "Our Diannan Prefecture governs seven counties: Anfeng, Danhua, Yuyang, Guangping, Wanliu, Linji, and Qinghe. Every year at the end of the year, the wealthy families from these seven counties come to the prefectural city to present various medicinal herbs and silver to my Shen family. In return, my Shen family bestows upon them Qingyuan Liquid."

"Afterwards, the seven newly promoted guards from the past year will be sent to escort the entourages of wealthy families from various counties back. This is also a display of martial prowess, to show that the Shen family has produced many talented individuals..."

No, wait, this is the New Year, it should be the year before last. Before the rise of the Medicine King Gang, there was no war in the prefectural city, and the benefits of being a guard in the Shen family were not that great. Escorting 1,500 taels of silver at a time was indeed a benefit, allowing newly advanced Seven Scripture martial artists to have more money in their pockets and enjoy a decent life corresponding to their status.

It is only now that the Shen family is fighting against the Medicine King Gang, especially after the launch of the Meridian-Clearing Pill last June, that the intensity of the battle has increased. Town garrison commanders can earn at least five or six hundred battle merits a month, which makes this benefit seem less attractive.

—Don't be fooled by Zhuang Jin's seemingly effortless accumulation of hundreds of battle merits during his fourth, fifth, and sixth years of training. It's as if he's pawning money, but that's because he either bullies those below him, slaughters those of lower ranks, seizes control of streets, and achieves great merit, or hides his strength and turns the tide... In reality, 1,500 taels of silver is not a small sum for a guard.

"Since this is a benefit, can we give it up?" A trip to the county below would take at least ten days and at most half a month, greatly delaying cultivation. Zhuang Jin is not lacking in battle merits and benefits now, so he really doesn't care much about this benefit.

This question stumped Zou Qingfeng. Since the policy was introduced, no one had ever thought of giving up on it; Zhuang Jin was the first.

He thought for a moment and said tactfully, "It's best not to. If Commander Zhuang really refuses, as the first to do so, it would be disrespectful to those above..."

Zhuang Jin understood: it was impossible to refuse such a political posturing task. If he stubbornly refused, it would be a slap in the face to his superiors. In addition, he was recruited from outside the military and his relationships with his colleagues were already cold. If he offended his superiors as well, his future would be bleak.

"Fine, let's go then. If we really want to calculate it, a trip will take at least ten days, maybe half a month, and cost 1,500 taels of silver. The cost-effectiveness is quite high."

"There's another point. In the north of the city, by the end of last month, the streets occupied by the Medicine King Gang had been reduced to only one-tenth. If there's no further movement, they'll be completely driven out of the north of the city... Then, their initial expulsion of other smaller gangs was practically a favor to the Shen family, something the Medicine King Gang absolutely cannot accept."

'I anticipate the Medicine King Gang will make some big move soon, so my going out will allow me to avoid it... Wait a minute! The Shen family in the north of the city must be on guard, could the Medicine King Gang be...?'

Zhuang Jin suddenly thought of something, and a thought struck her.

……

After returning from the Shen family headquarters, Zhuang Jin went to the Fang residence, held a meeting with his subordinates to assign tasks, and then told Chen Yun about it when he got back to his residence.

After he finished speaking, he felt a little lost. Looking back at his heart, he realized that his previous desire to decline, apart from other reasons, was probably also because he didn't want to be separated from Chen Yun.

The two had been married for six months, and their feelings for each other had deepened over time. They seemed to have become an integral part of each other's lives and were not used to being apart. However, it was not appropriate to involve Chen Yun in such matters.

Chen Yun was equally reluctant to part with him, but she forced a smile and encouraged Zhuang Jin to pack his belongings for him.

“Yunniang, even if we’re going, we won’t set off until the sixteenth. It’s still early!” Zhuang Jin grabbed her hand.

"I forgot!" Chen Yun was slightly embarrassed—she was always meticulous, and this was the first time she had 'made a fool of herself' in front of Zhuang Jin. It was because she was worried that she made a mistake. However, this little incident made her feel much better.

Because of the escort mission in the middle of the month, Zhuang Jin felt a sense of urgency. In the coming days, taking advantage of the fact that no front-line rotation attack missions would be assigned in the capital, he would seize the time to cultivate, wanting to complete the last ten percent of the accumulation of the Seventh Scripture Realm as soon as possible.

Chen Yun was perceptive and understood Zhuang Jin's emotions. She silently cooperated and supported him. For example, when Liu Licheng came over from time to time, Zhuang Jin couldn't not stop to entertain him. So Chen Yun prepared a table and chairs by the pond in the courtyard, which was a little further away. She warmed tea and side dishes there, so that Liu Licheng could see Zhuang Jin practicing martial arts and wait there.

Such days passed quickly, and soon it was the ninth day of the first lunar month. That evening...

After completing one round of meditation, Zhuang Jin finally felt the slight swelling sensation in her meridians once more, and a sense of relief welled up within her: 'After the seventh meridian, the accumulation of each stage is indeed incomparable to the previous ones. I've finally finished after all this hard work!'

'It's time to break through the Eight Classics.'

He concentrated his mind, silently circulated his internal energy, and directed it towards the second meridian of the foot, the Foot Shaoyin Meridian. In an instant, he completed the great cycle in the eight meridians. During this process, his internal energy climbed to a new level, becoming more mellow and refined.

A moment later, Zhuang Jin opened her eyes: 'The meridians in the feet are longer and have more acupoints than those in the hands, but correspondingly, the improvement is greater for each meridian opened!'

He stood up and used the Swift Wind Step. His skill level remained unchanged, but with the opening of another meridian and the more refined and condensed internal energy, his speed increased dramatically.

"Not bad! In the north of the city, most of the leaders of the Medicine King Gang and the town wardens of the Shen family are at the seventh level of cultivation, with very few at the eighth or ninth level. My breakthrough to the eighth level puts me far ahead of most people."

"The eighth level is equivalent to a two-striped guard; their basic monthly allowance is higher, and their various benefits are also better..."

Zhuang Jin pondered for a moment, but did not intend to register immediately. Unlike when he broke through to the seventh level, he was not limited by the meditation method, so there was no need to rush to advance.

'It's always good to have a trump card up your sleeve, especially since there's the matter of escorting a wealthy family from the county town to the capital soon.'

Thinking of this, Zhuang Jin's initial joy at the breakthrough faded considerably, replaced by a shadow of unease: 'If, as I suspect, the Medicine King Gang is targeting the wealthy families in the county who are offering tribute, then my need to remain hidden is even more crucial!'

'Even if that's the case, at the Eighth Realm, this trump card might not be enough. I need to see if I can do anything else,' he thought to himself.

……

In a quiet room at the headquarters of the Medicine King Gang in the west of the city.

Fu Honggang, the chief of the Medicine King Gang in the north of the city, and Qiu Pan, the deputy leader of the Battle Hall, are plotting.

"In two days, the procession of wealthy families from the county below who will be presenting gifts to the Shen family will arrive one after another... I've seen the Shen family making a lot of noise and being very happy these past two days. I wonder if they'll still be able to smile in a few days."

Fu Honggang sneered and looked over to ask, "Master Qiu, what about the plan I mentioned before..."

“I think it’s very feasible. I reported it up, and it’s been approved by the higher-ups. They’ve assigned Zhan Tang and General Manager Fu to be in charge of the specific implementation. We’ll have to work together this time.”

As Qiu Pan spoke, he analyzed, "The key to this plan is secrecy. It's about having the intention to catch the unsuspecting. The only problem is that the Shen family might think of it in advance and take precautions, which would make things difficult."

"That's how it is, but don't worry, Master Qiu. Firstly, when those wealthy families from the county come to present their tribute, the Shen family will... pay some attention. But what about when they go back? Heh!"

Fu Honggang sneered: "Secondly, for decades or even centuries, nothing has ever happened when those wealthy families in the county returned with their tribute missions. We didn't do anything last year either, so the Shen family has long been used to it..."

"Is this the third one?"

A mocking smile appeared on his face: "The Shen family has always been high and mighty, and their arrogant attitude has never truly taken our Medicine King Gang seriously. In the Shen family's eyes, would a bunch of lowly people like us do such a thing? Would we dare to do such a thing?"

"What President Fu said makes sense, those three points are indeed true. However, to be effective, one must first be competent oneself. We also need to do everything within our purview..."

Qiu Pan added some details to the plan, striving for secrecy to avoid alerting the Shen family. Fu Honggang's eyes gleamed as he listened, and he laughed and clapped his hands: "Haha, good! With Hall Master Qiu filling in the gaps and helping to perfect the plan, the chances of success have increased even more."

The two of them, one bold and decisive, daring to think and act; the other skilled in planning and meticulous in handling affairs, were a perfect match, which is why the Medicine King Gang put them in charge of this plan.

"Since you have such confidence, Mr. Fu, then go ahead and do it. Leave the rest to me, such as the Shen family's counterattack afterward."

"If Master Qiu hadn't mentioned it, I would have truly underestimated the situation. The Shen family's subsequent counterattack is indeed a cause for concern. Although we only made our move when those wealthy families from the county were returning from their tribute missions, not on their way here, it still dealt the Shen family a severe blow. I'm afraid the Shen family will still be furious and humiliated..."

"Don't worry, Mr. Fu. The higher-ups have analyzed that if we don't make a move when the tribute team arrives and don't touch the tribute herbs, the Shen family won't be driven to desperation and will not have agreed to this plan... The Shen family's actions are just a little bit of retaliation out of anger and embarrassment, which is only a bit more intense than a regular war. With some preparation in advance, the losses can be kept within a certain range."

Qiu Pan saw it clearly: "We actually have no choice in this matter. Even if we don't do it, will the Shen family be merciful and let us off the hook, stopping their offensive in the north of the city?"

"That makes sense; I was overthinking it."

“That’s right. Our tacit understanding with the Shen family doesn’t include this. Mr. Fu, just treat this plan as another attempt to skirt the edge like before.”

Qiu Pan paused for a moment, then said, "On the bright side, this time we might kill two birds with one stone. We can shake the Shen family's foundation in the county below, and take advantage of the Shen family's unstable morale after learning the bad news to push back and alleviate the crisis in the north of the city."

"Haha, then I'll take Master Qiu's good wishes."

……

With Fu Honggang and Qiu Pan finalizing the agreement, the conspiracy targeting the Shen family was slowly unfolding. In the north and south of the city, some martial artists from the Medicine King Gang, including those with eight or seven meridians, were secretly transferred.

There are no higher-level Nine Classics or Ten Classics, not because the Medicine King Gang doesn't want to, but because there are fewer people in these categories, they attract a lot of attention, and the risk of being exposed by transferring them would be too great; furthermore, there is no need to target the group of Seven Classics martial artists who have made breakthroughs this year in the Shen family.

Finally, there's something the Medicine King Gang is unwilling to admit: subconsciously, they fear the Shen family and don't want to provoke them too much—the Eighth and Seventh Meridians are one thing, as they still leave a glimmer of hope, but anything beyond that would be breaking the rules…

Another noteworthy point is that among the Eight Scripture and Seven Scripture martial artists selected by the Medicine King Gang this time, Dong Pei, Zhuang Jin's old rival, whose injuries have almost fully recovered after a month of recuperation, is also among them.

……

In the following days, delegations from wealthy households in the seven counties of Anfeng, Danhua, Yuyang, Guangping, Wanliu, Linji, and Qinghe, all under the jurisdiction of Yunnan Prefecture, arrived one after another to present tribute.

On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, the tribute team escorting Zhuang Jin back was decided to be the tribute team from the Fei family, a wealthy family in Linji County. Since he was the second to last person to break through the seventh level of the classics this year, he was assigned to the second to last team from Linji County.

That same day, Zhuang Jin submitted a secret report to the General Affairs Department, suggesting that in order to guard against a possible attack by the Medicine King Gang, more guards should be deployed, preferably with officers of the garrison level secretly following them.

As a result, this secret report disappeared without a trace.

The reason for this is twofold: firstly, nothing has happened in decades, so how could an accident occur this time? The General Affairs Department does not believe that the Medicine King Gang, a group of shady characters, would have the guts to do such a thing; secondly, the surveillance and monitoring of the Medicine King Gang have not revealed anything unusual.

As for that suggestion to have all the ten martial arts masters at the garrison level secretly follow them, that's even more ridiculous. Those big shots all have their own things to do, how could they be easily pulled away?

To this, Zhuang Jin could only sigh: 'This world is just a giant makeshift operation: the Medicine King Gang is infighting and ruthless, exploiting its members without even guaranteeing basic fairness; the Shen family is rigid and inflexible, with elders ostracizing newcomers, arrogant and condescending… it's practically a competition of who's worse. The one that ultimately wins probably won't be any better; it'll all depend on the other's contrast.'

"On the bright side, if something really goes wrong, my secret report will serve as a record... but then it'll be too late to fix things!"

"The Shen family is a powerful and well-established family; they can withstand one failure. At most, they'll just suffer a loss and learn a lesson. But as someone involved, if something goes wrong, I'll lose my life."

Since he couldn't rely on those above him, he had to find a solution himself.

On the one hand, continue to intensify intensive practice of the Swift Step, and on the basis of basic skills, continue to work hard to improve proficiency and enhance survival ability; on the other hand, find the Fei family, a wealthy family in Linji County, to see if they can exert influence and do something about it.

……

On this day, Zhuang Jin invited a man over, Fei Zecong, the second young master of the Fei family, a prominent family in Linji County, who was in charge of the tribute procession.

"Young Master Fei, what are the plans for the return journey?" Zhuang Jin asked.

Fei Zecong thought Zhuang Jin was worried that the entourage would be too small and embarrass the Shen family, so he immediately replied, "On the way back to the city, there will be seven large ships, with banners waving and drums beating loudly... At each stop, they will hire opera troupes... and throw money onto the shore..."

Such a grand display was purposeful—just as the Shen family had sent newly recruited martial artists of the past year to escort them, showing off their strength and demonstrating their abundance of talent, these wealthy families boasted on the return journey not only to display their status as a prominent family in the county, but also to intimidate the Shen family and show that they had powerful backers.

The more Zhuang Jin listened, the colder he felt. If he were the Medicine King helping someone, such a grand display would be incredibly convenient and considerate if he really wanted to take action.

However, after thinking it over, he realized the political implications behind it and knew that he couldn't ask the returning team to keep a low profile, so he had to come up with another idea.

"Young Master Fei, seven large ships... that many?"

"Zhuang Town Commander is unaware of something..."

After Fei Zecong's explanation, Zhuang Jin finally understood that the wealthy families in their county had presented them with medicinal herbs, silver, and other gifts, and the Shen family's gifts couldn't have been limited to Qingyuan Liquid; there were other things as well.

Furthermore, having come all this way, we should naturally bring back some local specialties to earn some profit.

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly and then asked, "How strong is the guard force in the team?"

"Besides Town Guardian Zhuang, there are my third uncle and me, both of whom are at the Sixth Scripture Realm. Below them are three Fifth Scripture Warriors, five Fourth Scripture Warriors, and more than twenty First to Third Scripture Warriors..."

Fei Zecong made no attempt to hide anything, recounting everything with great familiarity, which was also a way of demonstrating his strength.

Seeing the other party's confident and self-assured demeanor, Zhuang Jin felt an even stronger sense of unease. After considering his words for a moment, he said, "Young Master Fei, what I'm saying is that the most important thing for our trip is still the Qingyuan Liquid bestowed by my Shen family, is that right?"

"It's natural."

"Then please forgive my impertinence, but may I ask again, what is the weight and volume of the Qingyuan Liquid you bestowed?"

If someone else had asked this question, Fei Zecong would have instinctively suspected ulterior motives. However, considering Zhuang Jin's status, he figured that she was simply fulfilling her duties. After hesitating for a moment, he revealed, "The total amount of Qingyuan Liquid mother liquor is one hundred catties, with a volume of fifty liters, all contained in a sealed copper vat."

"One hundred jin!"

Zhuang Jin breathed a sigh of relief. The weight and size were manageable, allowing for some flexibility. "Young Master Fei, what I was saying was, do we really have to stick with the main group on our return trip?"

"What does Commander Zhuang mean by that?"

Fei Zecong wasn't stupid. He paused for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening. His mind was shaken, and his expression changed drastically: "Zhou Zhenshou means..."

……

(End of this chapter)