Promise!

Chapter 143, Taking a Concubine

That evening, a crescent moon hung in the sky above the window, and outside, countless insects chirped tirelessly.

By this time, the weather was already quite hot. After taking a bath, Chen Yun sat in front of the dressing mirror wearing only a light shirt, tilting her head and drying her freshly washed hair.

Zhuang Jin gently inhaled the delicate, orchid-like fragrance at the tip of her nose, and fanned her hair with a palm-leaf fan to dry it as quickly as possible. Her movements were natural and fluid.

The couple had long been accustomed to this harmonious daily life.

Chen Yun chatted idly, "Husband, do you still remember when I went to find Sister Ying in January to ask for help from the Ninth Young Master? She was pregnant at the time... but the child is gone..."

"Is it natural, or...?" Zhuang Jin paused, asking this question. He was well aware of the filth and corruption within large families.

"This...cannot be confirmed...all that is known is that the Ninth Young Master's wife is indeed jealous and quite shrewd. After Ying lost her child, she even tried to take advantage of the situation to drive her out...In the end, it was the Ninth Young Master who withstood the pressure and settled Ying in a secluded courtyard in the main camp..."

Ni Ying's outcome was largely thanks to Zhuang Jin. Ninth Prince Shen Xuqing intervened precisely because of his relationship with Zhuang Jin, and his wife spared him from being completely ruthless.

"Ok!"

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly. This kind of thing was not easy to manage. No matter what, the Ninth Young Master was still the 'master'. As long as he was still a guard of the seventh to twelfth level, he was still a 'follower'. Interfering in such family matters would inevitably be considered overstepping his bounds.

Compared to such matters, he valued the person in front of him more: as the saying goes, "a beautiful woman looks more beautiful under the lamplight," and this was indeed true. Under the red candlelight in the room, Chen Yun's eyebrows and eyes were gentle, and her skin was delicate and porcelain white as jade. What was most captivating was her gentle and virtuous temperament, like a clear spring tinkling and a gentle stream, which made people's hearts flutter.

Facing Zhuang Jin's burning gaze, Chen Yun's cheeks flushed slightly, and she subconsciously quickened her movements while drying her hair. Then, she suddenly remembered something and began to speak: "I have a close friend, Yu Qingjun. We embroidered together when we were young and made a vow under the lamp to support each other in times of illness... She comes from a scholarly family, but the situation in the city is turbulent, and she is not in a good position... I helped her by sending her ten taels of silver... She is beautiful and of good character, but..."

"Yunniang can make these decisions herself... Wait, is Yunniang thinking about me taking a concubine again?" Zhuang Jin was both amused and exasperated.

Back when they were still in the north of the city, Liu Licheng took a concubine, and they went together. He boasted about how beautiful his concubine was, but Chen Yun privately said, "She is beautiful, but she has no charm." Zhuang Jin joked, "Then I'll wait for Yunniang to find me a woman who is both beautiful and charming." Unexpectedly, Chen Yun took note of this and has been searching for her ever since.

Song Lan, Yu Xiaoxiao, and Chen Yun had all tried to inquire, but Zhuang Jin only said that they were acquaintances and it was not easy to make a move. Unexpectedly, she had now found another childhood friend of hers.

"I am not a jealous person, and I have been married for a year without having any children..."

“It’s normal for ordinary couples to have children every three to five years. It’s only been a year and a half. Besides, not having children doesn’t necessarily mean it’s your fault, Yunniang… It seems that it’s more difficult for martial artists to conceive than for ordinary people. I’ll ask about that another day… Anyway, let’s talk about taking a concubine later!” Zhuang Jin shook his head, got up and blew out the lamp.

Silent all night.

……

Later, Zhuang Jin still met the woman named Yu Qingjun, who had been invited to Chen Yun's home.

She was an extremely beautiful classical woman with dark eyebrows that swayed like willow leaves when she looked at people. Her long black hair was simply tied up and draped over her shoulders. Her delicate face had soft features and was slightly pale. She was as gentle and graceful as Xi Shi or Lin Daiyu. When she was first seen, she was wearing a light green gauze dress, which reminded people of a clear lake under the bright spring scenery.

However, the other person is congenitally deaf and communicates by reading lips, so it's no wonder that he stares at the other person when he speaks.

Zhuang Jin didn't have much of a mind for this, or rather, considering Chen Yun's feelings, he didn't want to add anyone to his side unless absolutely necessary. Besides, Chen Yun had a physical disability, and if he were to do so... it would feel like he was bullying her.

Later, Chen Yun invited Yu Qingjun over many times. After spending time with her, he found that the woman was indeed of good character, but he had no other intentions towards her.

Zhuang Jin focused his attention back on cultivation. Just as he had thought, after the Huang family incident, things had indeed settled down completely in the east of the city, even more peaceful and tranquil than in the previous two months, and he no longer needed to spend his energy on other matters.

Ou Wenzhong also came every two or three days as usual to maintain communication. Each time he came, he would bring news about the situation in the city. The Shen family was fighting a bloody war with the Medicine King Gang on both the north and south sides of the city. The Shen family had the advantage, especially in the north of the city. They had squeezed the Medicine King Gang's territory to less than one-tenth of its original size. In about one or two months, they would be able to completely drive the Medicine King Gang out.

While keeping a close eye on the situation in the city, Zhuang Jin worked diligently, accumulating knowledge at the ninth level of cultivation bit by bit, making progress, and firmly moving towards the tenth level.

……

The world doesn't revolve around Zhuang Jin; everyone else has their own life outside of hers.

On this day, Qian Wende, Lin Hong, Bi Kai, Wu Hao, Xiang Qichen, and Xiong Lei had a meal together.

These were my roommates back then. Zhuang Jin wasn't there because he was on a much higher level, and I always politely declined his invitations. Jiao Kun wasn't there either because he lost an arm during the Cultural Revolution and could hardly be considered a martial artist anymore. The gap between us was too great, and we were no longer in the same circle.

Among the six, Lin Hong and Qian Wende are the strongest, both at the fourth level of the cultivation realm. Bi Kai failed to break through to the fourth level and is still at the third level. Wu Hao has also caught up and is at the third level of the cultivation realm.

Xiang Qichen has the best talent, unlike Lin Hong and the other three who followed Zhuang Jin for safety, suffered repeated injuries, and gained few battle merits. They spent most of their resources on recuperation and purchasing cultivation supplies, and are still stuck at the bottleneck of the third to fourth level. Xiong Lei is about the same as Xiang Qichen, or even a little worse, and only recently reached the bottleneck of the third to fourth level.

The six of them were able to get together because Xiang Qichen and Xiong Lei saw that Lin Hong and the others were doing well and wanted to maintain their relationship as a network of connections; Lin Hong and the other three were considering their past friendship as roommates and wanted to learn about the latest information and situation in the north of the city from the two of them.

Xiong Lei looked at Lin Hong and Qian Wende and exclaimed, "I never thought that our dormitory could produce two people at the level of the Sijing Street garrison commander, and in the east of the city at that!"

"This is all thanks to Brother Zhuang..."

As soon as Zhuang Jin's name was mentioned, everyone offered empty compliments—Zhuang Jin wasn't there, but she was still the center of their conversation.

"They're all doing well. Our dorm's students are all at least three-year college graduates now, and we're full of talented people." Qian Wende looked at Xiang Qichen and the others, speaking with a somewhat condescending attitude.

"Brother Qian, Brother Jiao isn't Sanjing..." Wu Hao whispered a reminder.

"Jiao Kun? Didn't he lose an arm and his martial arts career end? Now he's just an ordinary person, but he's already at a different level. What's the point of talking about him?" Qian Wende's words implied that Jiao Kun was expelled from the dormitory. Then he narrowed his eyes and looked at Xiang Qichen, saying, "Xiao Xiang, do you think what I said makes sense?"

At the year-end dinner two years ago, the eight of us from the dormitory went out and happened to see that group of martial arts students who couldn't break through to the martial arts level in a month being kicked out. At that time, Qian Wende said, "They are people of a different level." Xiang Qichen couldn't stand it and exposed his shortcomings, saying, "What different level of people? If I remember correctly, you even asked them for food."... Now, this question is exactly what Ying Chu said.

"Yes! Yes! You're not on my level! And you're definitely not on Brother Qian's level either!"

Xiang Qichen's face stiffened for a moment, then he stood up with a forced smile, holding the wine bowl in both hands, and bowed, saying, "Brother Qian, I was wrong back then. Here, let me offer you a bowl as an apology!"

"No! No!"

Qian Wende spoke with a smile, but remained seated, holding the bowl with one hand, the rim of the bowl slightly higher than the other person's, and gently touched it before taking a small sip; Xiang Qichen, on the other hand, drank it all in one gulp, and even turned the bowl upside down for everyone to see.

This simple toast alone reveals the difference in their social standing and their changing attitudes.

Seeing this, Xiong Lei glanced at Lin Hong, Bi Kai, and Wu Hao, his heart filled with complex emotions: Lin Hong and the others were enjoying peace and prosperity in the east of the city under Zhuang Jin's guidance, while he himself was risking his life in the north of the city, fighting for his life, yet he was getting less...

All of this was naturally because of Zhuang Jin's support. But you have to understand, he was the one who first met Zhuang Jin, and when they entered the dormitory, he was the one who was closest to Zhuang Jin... But now...

"Sigh!" Xiong Lei thought of Zhuang Jin, and then of a certain figure, and felt an indescribable emptiness in his heart. He poured himself a bowl of wine and gulped it down.

Lin Hong, with his keen senses, noticed the unusual atmosphere and changed the subject, asking, "Brother Xiang, Brother Xiong, how's the situation in the north of the city?"

"Brother Lin, you flatter me. I don't deserve to be called 'brother'! Just call me 'Xiao Xiang' or just my name!"

Xiang Qichen waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "In the north of the city, the Medicine King Gang has been pushed back, and our Shen family is making continuous advances... The situation is very good, but a lot of people have died. Most of my men and the people in my team have been killed or wounded. Even Wei Xun, the garrison commander of the front street, who was at the Fifth Scripture Realm, was killed..."

"Yes, I also heard that the garrison commander of Qijingfang got into trouble. I was lucky, and I also benefited from Brother Zhuang's connections. The garrison commander knew about my relationship with Brother Zhuang and took some care of me, so I didn't... but I still got injured quite a bit..."

As Xiong Lei spoke, he pulled up his clothes, revealing a series of hideous scars on his body.

Seeing this scene, Lin Hong, Qian Wende, Bi Kai, and Wu Hao thought of their peaceful life in the east of the city. In comparison, they cherished their current situation even more and felt even more grateful to Zhuang Jin.

Afterwards, the six of them ate and drank while chatting, talking about everything from the north to the east of the city, and then about their time in the dormitory. Gradually, the initial awkwardness dissipated, and they seemed to have developed some genuine feelings for each other.

"Brother Qian, you're the town magistrate now, could you transfer me there?" Xiang Qichen asked jokingly, taking the opportunity to probe.

He felt that he had taken good care of Qian Wende when they were in the dormitory, which is why he asked this question.

"Of course... okay, but even brothers should keep clear accounts. You have to come up with this number."

Qian Wende gestured: "Don't think I'm ripping you off. This is the price for everyone else. I'm giving you a discount."

"Dezi, take it easy," Bi Kai reminded him.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I didn't take anything I shouldn't have, and I didn't get involved." Qian Wende waved his hand dismissively.

Seeing the number Qian Wende gestured, Xiang Qichen knew he couldn't afford it. Slightly tipsy, he amplified certain emotions and said with a hint of bitterness, "Brother Qian, I used to pay for your dorm dinners back then. I never thought things would turn out like this..."

"Isn't that right?" Xiong Lei chugs bowl after bowl of wine, now quite drunk, and slurs, "Back then, Brother Qian even used my toilet paper... Oh right, when Jiao Kun went to the half-closed door, Brother Qian also... also used it..."

Hearing this, Qian Wende couldn't save face: "Why bring up these old stories? At worst, I'll treat you all to dinner today, including Brother Lin, Kai Zi, and Hao Zi. I'll take you out for some fun after dinner... It's on me today!"

Hearing this, everyone else was shocked. They were all roommates back then, so they knew each other well. Qian Wende was like a greedy pig, only taking in and never giving out... Oh no, he was willing to give to someone like Zhuang Jin who was worth currying favor with, but for someone worthless or inferior to him, there was no way he would take advantage of them!
"Hey, why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I'm that petty? You have a huge misunderstanding about me!"

Qian Wende is now a different person than before. Inviting a few people to have fun is just a piece of cake. Also, he is thinking of making amends in case Zhuang Jin finds out, and it will earn him some goodwill from Zhuang Jin.

"Okay, Brother Qian is magnanimous. Now that you're the town's governor, don't be petty."

Riding on the momentum of his previous rejection, Xiang Qichen wanted to make Qian Wende bleed a good pound this time: "I know a place that's different from others. I heard that everyone here is trained in theatrical troupes. They can act out whatever you want: a young lady from a wealthy family, a respectable woman, or even a widow next door..."

"Okay, let's go there!"

……

Not long after, dinner ended and the second half of the event began. Qian Wende put his arm around Xiang Qichen, who in turn pulled Xiong Lei, who was half-drunk, eager to try but also a little timid. The three of them went, while Lin Hong, Bi Kai, and Wu Hao declined to go back.

Upon arriving at the place and entering, it was indeed extraordinary. The minimum charge per person per night was two taels of silver, which made Qian Wende feel a little pained, but he still paid the money and went to their rooms. Soon, however, he felt that it was worth the price.

“Good sister…” Qian Wende came in and saw that the room was furnished like a normal family’s home. A rather attractive woman dressed as a married woman was pretending to cook. He immediately smiled and went up to hug her.

Upon seeing this, the woman dressed as an older woman feigned fear and dodged away, saying with a mixture of reluctance and invitation, "Uncle, your brother just went out, what are you doing? No, we can't let your brother down..."

Qian Wende suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, as if some strange switch in his body had been turned on.

……

(End of this chapter)