Promise!

Chapter 134, True Heart

That afternoon, Liu Licheng arrived with gifts, and upon seeing him, he immediately explained with a smile, "I did have some business the other day, and I heard..."

Zhuang Jin waved his hand to interrupt: "Take the things back, Liu Zhenshou. I'm moving to the east of the city next month, and there's too much clutter, so it's not easy to carry."

The attitude is obvious: indifferent and rejecting.

As mentioned before, he doesn't resent what Liu Licheng did, but he can no longer go his separate ways like before.

"This……"

Liu Licheng naturally understood, but he was unwilling to give up such a valuable connection as Zhuang Jin's and wanted to salvage the relationship, so he tried to find a topic to talk about: "Governor Zhuang, where is your sister-in-law..."

The difference is evident in how they address Chen Yun; she used to be called "sister-in-law," but now she's called "sister-in-law."

This is a change in their status and a shift in their master-servant relationship: In the past, Zhuang Jin was treated coldly and isolated by the other town guards because of his background, and it was Zhuang Jin who needed to take the initiative to maintain this relationship; now that Zhuang Jin has broken through the Eight Classics, surpassed the martial arts realm, and made great contributions, he is being promoted as a role model with a promising future, and it is now Zhuang Jin who needs to curry favor and beg to befriend him.

Zhuang Jin glanced at Liu Licheng and said indifferently, "Yunniang's worries have triggered her blood disease, so she shouldn't overexert herself. You can do whatever you want, Liu Zhenshou, with tea or cooking."

Chen Yun was influenced by him and had a similar personality. She wouldn't hold a grudge because of his refusal to see her and his cold indifference a few days ago, but it would be impossible for her to serve tea and cook dishes and treat guests with the same hospitality as before.

"Of course! Of course!" Liu Licheng also felt that the treatment he received today was completely different from before. There were no delicate dishes, not even a cup of tea, which made him quite uncomfortable.

At the same time, he felt a little ashamed. In the past, Zhuang Jin and his wife had indeed treated him well... but a few days ago, they stood by and watched coldly, refusing to see him under various pretexts, even after Zhuang Jin had given him a heads-up before leaving.

However, Liu Licheng has gotten to where he is now, so he must be thick-skinned enough. As if he didn't understand Zhuang Jin's intention to see him off, he tried to win Zhuang Jin over by talking about recent events in the north of the city.

Now he no longer hopes that their relationship can return to what it was before. As long as they can still be ordinary friends, maintain this connection, and help each other out, that's enough.

If Zhuang Jin knew what Liu Licheng was thinking, he would probably laugh in anger: Even if we don't talk about this matter, just considering their cultivation levels, he is already at the eighth level of the Eight Classics. After a period of dormancy in the east of the city, he will probably be at the ninth, tenth, or even eleventh level of the Eight Classics by then. And you, a mere seventh level cultivator, are going to watch over and help him? You have quite the nerve!
He was unwilling to play along any longer and said directly, "Now that the General Affairs Department's inspection is complete, Governor Liu, you don't need to force yourself or me."

"How...how did you know?!"

Liu Licheng was so startled that he leaned back, blurting out the answer before realizing he had directly admitted it. An awkward smile appeared on his face: "Um... Commander Zhuang, I had no choice. This was official business arranged by the General Affairs Department..."

Although it was official business, he knew that what he did was not ethical.

Zhuang Jin didn't say anything more, just looked at it indifferently.

Liu Licheng swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, retreated under such gazes, and slunk away.

As Zhuang Jin watched Liu Licheng's retreating figure, she recalled how, before the escort mission, every time Liu Licheng came over, he would treat her to fine wine and food, and they would chat warmly, seemingly like close friends.

Who would have thought that one party was conducting an inspection for the General Affairs Department with ulterior motives, while the other party had already noticed something and was intentionally cooperating?

'I had some suspicions at first, and I was just going through the motions. But after wearing that mask for so long, I genuinely believed he was a friend, a connection. I gave him my instructions before he left, but as soon as news of his departure and potential misfortune reached me, he turned cold and indifferent.'

At this moment, Zhuang Jin thought of many more people: Miao Shao, who had launched a sneak attack because of the perfect-level skin-polishing beast treasure and the enormous benefits involved; Xing Yan, who usually appeared caring and supportive of his juniors but betrayed them in the matter of the Eighth Prince's personal guards, yet now offered a helping hand; yesterday, when he went to see him, they reconciled with a smile, as if their relationship had returned to what it was before; Gao Shi, who had initially been stubborn and defiant, had gradually become a stranger, fawning and flattering, acting as an accomplice to evil, but in the end, he willingly sought death, uttering an endlessly complex "little mute"...

The human heart and human nature are complex; they are not simply black and white, and cannot be judged by simple good and evil.

"People always wear masks in this world, taking turns on the grand stage of reality... Until the very last moment, you never know whether what you see is reality, or just a mask, or even more layers of it? What lies beneath—a person or a demon?"

"It is said that beasts are not very cunning, but the human heart is even more treacherous!"

Zhuang Jin sighed and shook her head slightly. If this were a work of mad literature, she would have said something like, "I can't tell, I really can't tell!"
'In this situation, one can only be cautious, tread carefully, and proceed with utmost care to avoid being harmed by others; at the same time, one must hold fast to one's moral principles and not fall into the trap of becoming a vengeful spirit or actively harming others.' As he thought this, he heard the crisp clanging of pots and pans coming from the kitchen, and his expression softened little by little. When he saw his brother-in-law Chen Honggan rushing over from outside, he greeted him with a genuine smile.

……

This was lunchtime.

"Look at all this chicken, duck, fish and meat! Brother-in-law, you're back. I can finally have some meat now that I'm here."

Chen Honggan helped bring the dishes up, and after sitting down, he complained to Zhuang Jin, "Brother-in-law, you don't know, ever since you left in the middle of the month, I've come over three or five times, and Sister Shu has always served me vegetarian food. She's treating me like a rabbit!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" In front of Chen Honggan, Chen Yun was not as gentle and virtuous as Zhuang Jin. She used her elder sister's authority to make him lower his head and shut up immediately.

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jin calculated the timeline and realized it was before the news of the attack arrived. He understood that Chen Yun's vegetarianism was to pray for his well-being, and he was deeply moved: "Yunniang, now that I'm back safely, can you resume your vegetarianism?"

Chen Yun nodded gently, a smile hidden in her eyes.

Chen Honggan looked up and saw the harmonious relationship between the couple, a smile appearing on his face.

He deliberately revealed this. He wanted his brother-in-law to know what Sister Shu had done in order to improve their relationship and make him treat Sister Shu better.

Zhuang Jin understood this as well. He was not offended by Chen Hong's little scheme, which was out of goodwill, and even felt a little grateful.

It was at this moment that a sudden realization dawned on him, a clarity of understanding: 'Man cannot become a machine of power; one must understand why one pursues power. Only then can one remain steadfast in one's pursuit, and avoid being lost in power, becoming its slave.'

When he first transmigrated, he was a beggar. Back then, he had to grovel for a bite to eat and was looked down upon. He had to save up for months for a single tael of silver. He would pass by a brothel and that very night... At that time, Zhuang Jin pursued power in order to obtain what he wanted: dignity, wealth, and beauty, so that he could live a dignified life.

Later, after breaking through the four classics, he barely achieved this goal. Later, he married Chen Yun. It was at that crucial crossroads that Zhuang Jin did not lose his way, act recklessly, or indulge in debauchery. Instead, he always maintained restraint.

This incident made Zhuang Jin see her true feelings: 'I don't know what the future holds, but at least for now, my pursuit of power is to protect what I want to protect.'

Upon realizing this, he felt his mind become clear and his will became even stronger.

During the meal, Chen Yun asked Chen Hong about his marriage prospects. At Chen Hong's age, he was old enough to get married. The woman across the street was the younger sister of one of his friends, someone he knew well. She had made some money in business and was now financially comfortable, so she was considering this marriage.

After meal.

Zhuang Jin took out five hundred taels of silver notes and pushed them to Chen Honggan: "This is a small token of our appreciation from your sister and me. Honggan, please accept it!"

“Brother-in-law, this… if it were five taels, or even fifty taels, I would shamelessly accept it, but five hundred taels of silver is too much… absolutely not!” It wasn’t that Chen Honggan didn’t need the money, but he was worried that if he took it, Shujie would have to bear the consequences behind his back, which would be difficult and would damage the relationship between the two of them.

“I know you’re worried, but don’t worry, just accept it! When we got married, you used all your savings and accepted help from friends to prepare Yunniang’s dowry… You also came to take care of things a few days ago, working so hard. We’re all family, so I won’t stand on ceremony with you… So, don’t be so formal now…”

Zhuang Jin has always adhered to the principle of "treating others with sincerity" and would never mistreat anyone who is good to him. This time, people like Xue Yandao and Duan Tao who stood on his side have all been rewarded. For example, Qian Wende received two or three hundred taels of silver. There is no reason for him to mistreat his brother-in-law, especially since the other party is about to get married and is short of money.

He wasn't short of money; he had over 20,000 battle merits in his account and a couple thousand taels of silver left—Zou Qingfeng's 'enhanced version of the meridian-clearing pill' and the money Ping Yongfeng insisted on repaying his loan. This was nothing; he was definitely not putting on a show.

Seeing Chen Yun nod, Chen Honggan accepted the gift. Unlike Qian Wende, he wasn't one to say anything nice. He simply drank three cups and kept the sentiment in his heart.

……

(End of this chapter)