Promise!

Chapter 126, Shock

On the evening of January 19th, the day Tangye Forest was attacked, Zhuang Jin and his party arrived at Baishui Market.

Fei Zecong went out to inquire about the news and returned shortly afterward: "Brother Zhuang, there is a stronghold of my Fei family here. I went to ask, and the returning fleet has not passed by today. They are faster than us. Normally, they should have passed by here yesterday... It seems that what those people who attacked this afternoon said is true. They have an ambush on the waterway."

As he spoke, he felt both heartache and relief—heartache naturally stemming from the enormous losses: the other gifts bestowed by the Shen family, the goods purchased from the prefectural city, his own third uncle with six classics, the numerous martial artists he brought… This time, the Fei family, if not crippled, was certainly in considerable pain; relief came from listening to Zhuang Jin's plan and having Zhuang Jin, an eight classics martial artist, around, at least his own life and the Qingyuan Liquid, the two most important things, were saved.

“Since the Medicine King Gang has made a move, it’s impossible that they only targeted our Linji County’s returning team. If I’m not mistaken, the returning teams from the other six counties have also been attacked by the Medicine King Gang.”

"That should be it!"

Upon hearing this, Fei Zecong felt much better. The other six county teams might not have guards as cautious as Zhuang Jin, and even if they did, the fleet leaders might not be as 'obedient' as he was. They might all be wiped out and the Qingyuan Liquid would be stolen.

With this comparison, a sense of happiness emerged. He looked at Zhuang Jin gratefully and said, "Thanks to Brother Zhuang's foresight and his previous efforts to turn the tide..."

"Be loyal to your post and do your job well."

Zhuang Jin waved his hand, thought for a moment, and said, "To avoid any unforeseen complications, we'll travel by water from now on..."

Once bitten, twice shy. Fei Zecong subconsciously asked, "Brother Zhuang, didn't you say before?"

"This time, that time."

Zhuang Jin analyzed: "With my Shen family keeping an eye on the prefectural city, the Medicine King Gang can only allocate limited forces. These limited forces need to be divided into seven routes to attack the tribute teams from various counties. Our route is led by the Eighth Rank for interception on the water and by the Seventh Rank for interception on the land. This is already the limit, and there will be no more obstacles afterward."

Using strategy is like using troops. There are no fixed formations in warfare, just as water has no fixed shape. One cannot simply follow the old ways and try to find a sword by marking the boat. One must adapt to the situation and act according to the times.

"That's the truth."

Fei Zecong was impressed and learned a lot. If safety could be guaranteed, he would prefer to travel by water by boat, as it would be faster and more comfortable.

"By the way, Brother Zhuang, there's something else. Since the returning fleet hasn't arrived yet, which is quite unusual, the Baishuiji stronghold has already sent messages to the prefectural city and Linji County. Brother Zhuang, do you think we should send back the news of the attack we suffered and the good news?"

Zhuang Jin pondered for a moment and said, "No, just as you said, there are checkpoints along the way for the fleets from each county. They are not stupid. If they don't pass through for a while, they will realize there is a problem and send letters to inquire... Also, it is impossible for the Medicine King Gang to wipe out every route in an attack. By now, the Shen family must already know about the Medicine King Gang's attack, so we don't need to do anything unnecessary."

"And the news of the victory at Tangye Forest was not rushed back to boast about, lest it add any more variables."

“That makes sense.” Upon hearing the phrase ‘adding variables,’ Fei Zecong was immediately convinced. He was now like a frightened bird, subconsciously rejecting all risks.

Upon seeing this, Zhuang Jin nodded slightly. What he didn't say was that this move was more about reducing risks and hidden dangers for himself.

"Now that the Medicine King Gang's plan is highly likely to succeed, they are at their most glorious moment. At this time, when news of our victory in the Battle of Tangye Forest arrives, the Shen family, currently in a state of decline, will undoubtedly publicize it extensively to boost morale and turn the tide."

This is a good thing for the Shen family, but it's a slap in the face for the Medicine King Gang. The propaganda has put Zhuang Jin in the spotlight, and he hasn't even returned to the city yet. What if the Medicine King Gang gets angry and sends people to intercept and kill him again?
'Therefore, for safety's sake, it's best to temporarily postpone reporting my victories in thwarting the Medicine King Gang's conspiracy and eliminating three of their Seven Scripture Masters.'

"The most urgent task is to complete the escort mission as soon as possible, deliver the Qingyuan Liquid to Linji County, obtain the mission certificate, and then return home."

Once outside the city, Zhuang Jin felt as if he had suddenly entered a dark forest, where armed hunters were everywhere. Only by returning to the city could he regain some sense of security.

……

Just as Zhuang Jin had predicted, not only the Fei family's group in Linji County, but also the returning groups from other counties were attacked by the Medicine King Gang. Among these six groups, only Zou Qingfeng was spared because Zhuang Jin had warned him beforehand. The other five groups were not so lucky. The Seven Scripture Warriors who were escorting them were killed, the Qingyuan Liquid was stolen, and the young masters of wealthy families in the counties who followed them either fled, were killed, or were captured.

Of course, given the large number of people in the fleet, the Medicine King Gang couldn't possibly wipe them all out. Besides the main targets, some minor figures jumped overboard to escape and relayed news of the Medicine King Gang's attack back… Thus, the Shen family was shaken! The prefectural city was shaken!

That day, even the head of the Shen family was alarmed and questioned the head of the General Affairs Department. The head of the General Affairs Department turned around and berated the department heads below him. Especially after learning about Zhuang Jin's secret report beforehand, he scolded all the department heads of the General Affairs Department severely.

Misfortunes never come singly. On the very night the news reached the north of the city, the Medicine King Gang seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack and achieved many victories.

—In this operation by the Medicine King Gang, many of the Eighth and Seventh Scripture practitioners had already returned by the time the Shen family learned of the news. In addition, the struggle for the streets in the north of the city was mainly fought by martial artists of the First to Sixth Scripture level. Those of the Seventh Scripture level and above had a tacit understanding not to take action against those below.

Another point is that each of the seven counties' returning convoys was escorted by a newly advanced Seven Classics martial artist. Now that they have been attacked, the fate of these Seven Classics martial artists is unknown, and the casualties have spread to the Seven Classics level. There is no clear explanation from above yet, and the ward and town guards are in a state of panic. If the ward and town guards are in such a state, then the martial artists below them are even more so.

For a time, not only were people on the verge of danger, but morale was also low and the hearts of the people were uneasy. One side had no will to fight, while the other side was full of fighting spirit. Such an outcome was not surprising.

Faced with the urgency of the situation, the head of the Shen family made a decisive decision to temporarily activate double battle merits, which barely managed to stabilize the battle line.

……

Amidst the chaos and turmoil in the prefectural city, news of the attack on Zhuang Jin and other newly promoted guards, whose fates were unknown, stirred up restless thoughts in some individuals.

On this day, Zhao Bin and Miao Shao met in a neighborhood in the south of the city.

The latter's younger brother died at Zhuang Jin's hands, which is an irreconcilable deep-seated hatred; as for the former, he was transferred from the head of the law enforcement department to the south of the city, the front line of the most intense battle with the Medicine King Gang. The Eighth Prince Shen Xuchen dared not hate, so couldn't he only point the finger at Zhuang Jin?

"Those newly advanced Seven-Scripture Martial Artists from last year were escorting a wealthy family's tribute team back from the county when they were attacked by the Medicine King Gang. The escorting Seven-Scripture Martial Artists were all killed. Last night, it is said that the Medicine King Gang brought back the heads of those Seven-Scripture Martial Artists from the north of the city as a deterrent..."

As Zhao Bin spoke, a hint of satisfaction in his voice: "The group that Zhuang Jin was escorting was a wealthy family's caravan from Linji County. This county is quite far from the prefectural city, so it will probably take some time to bring back the heads. However, they are probably already dead by now."

"Zhuang Jin killed my brother, and this is his just deserts." Miao Shao nodded, a hint of satisfaction in his expression.

"This has given us a chance to vent our anger, but I don't think it's enough; it won't quell the hatred in our hearts..."

"What does Commander Zhao mean?"

"That Zhuang Jin was a cursed man, he brought misfortune to his father and mother, and had no close relatives. He only had one wife, whom he married four times..."

"This... I have no complaints about the methods Zhuang Jin used to kill my brother, but what about his family..."

Miao Shao may not be the most upright person, but he does have some principles and is ashamed of such things.

"No man is without ruthlessness; once an enemy is formed, it's only natural to nip it in the bud!"

Seeing that Miao Shao was still hesitating and had not agreed, Zhao Bin cursed inwardly, 'It's not like your brother died and you need my help now.' His face was ugly, and he said in a sinister tone, 'Commander Miao, don't forget who it was because of that I lost my post and was exiled to the south of the city, ending up in this situation? Commander Miao, just tell me whether you will help or not?'

"This... ugh!"

Under pressure from personal relationships, Miao Shao finally agreed: "However, Zhuang Jin died in battle for the public good. If we directly target his family, we will inevitably be punished..."

"Don't worry, Commander Miao, how could I be so stupid? Of course, I won't personally participate; I'll just put a chess piece in front... and so on..."

……

(End of this chapter)