Promise!

Chapter 158, Offering

"I wondered which Meridian Opening martial artist from the Medicine King Gang was so bold as to intrude into the main base of my Shen family in the south of the city? It turns out it's Little Zhuang... Oh no, now that you've broken through to the Meridian Opening realm and become one of us, you can call me Brother Zhuang!"

Zhong Yi sighed, took a big gulp from the gourd at his waist, and subconsciously wanted to hand it to Zhuang Jin to celebrate, but then he remembered something and quietly withdrew it.

To be honest, while he was happy to learn that Zhuang Jin had broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm, he was also quite surprised.

'I expected Brother Zhuang to break through to the Meridian Opening Realm without needing the Meridian Opening Pill, but I didn't expect it to be so fast! This is truly... the younger generation surpasses the older!' Zhong Yi sighed inwardly. Even with his childlike and optimistic personality, he felt old at this moment.

At that moment, Sun Mingbi also caught up and overheard Zhong Yi's earlier words. He froze on the spot: "What?! Town Chief Zhuang has broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm?!"

His head was buzzing, and it took him a while to process the news. He looked at Zhuang Jin with a complicated expression: In the past few days, while he was anxiously and excitedly waiting for the Meridian Opening Pill, he was also working hard to break through the bottleneck in his meridian opening and trying to make as many preparations as possible to ensure the success rate when the time came.

But now, before I've even obtained the Meridian Opening Pill, Zhuang Jin has already broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm?!

'It's true what they say, comparisons are odious!'

Sun Mingbi recalled that when Zhuang Jin first came, he was only at the Tenth Meridian Realm (on the surface), while he himself had already reached the Twelfth Meridian Realm. Now, he was still at the Twelfth Meridian Realm, but Zhuang Jin had already broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm... Thinking of this, he felt even more heartbroken.

"Lord Sun, I'm just going ahead. I'll catch up soon once you get the Meridian Opening Pill," Zhuang Jin said reassuringly, seeing Sun Mingbi's expression.

Hearing this, Sun Mingbi was indeed comforted. Well, he wasn't envious. Once he got the Meridian Opening Pill, he would reach the Meridian Opening Realm, advance to the Venerable level, and have everything. He wasn't envious... what a load of rubbish!

Even if you get the Meridian Opening Pill, it will take two or three months, or even four or five months, to finish things in the east of the city. Even if you get it, there is no guarantee that you will break through. How can it compare to Zhuang Jin's breakthrough?

"In martial arts, strength is paramount, so please don't call me Lord Sun. Just address me by my title if you're kind enough, but if you don't, call me 'Little Sun,' and I'll have to accept it obediently!"

Sun Mingbi joked, his face full of envy, "Once you break through to the Meridian Opening Realm, you can't make a move here anymore. You can return immediately, register for promotion to the rank of Offering Master, and go to enjoy peace and tranquility... I can call you 'Official Master Zhuang' in advance. Congratulations!"

"Is that so? Come on, young friend Zhuang, let's go back and register for promotion. You're a martial artist who's not even twenty years old and has opened up meridians. This will surely shock those people."

As Zhong Yi spoke, a smile of amusement spread across his face. He couldn't just be surprised himself; he had to shock his old friends as well.

……

Zhuang Jin and Zhong Yi returned to the Shen family headquarters together. Zhong Yi disappeared as soon as he turned around, saying that he was going to let his old friends experience his little shock. Zhuang Jin was both amused and exasperated, and had no choice but to go to the General Affairs Department to take the assessment on his own.

As expected, he passed the 'Glassy Realm Testing Puppet' test smoothly, which caused a sensation. Even Mu Mingxi, the head of the General Affairs Department, was alarmed and personally came forward to register his promotion.

"The last time I dealt with Zhuang Gongfeng was at the beginning of the year when the fleet attacked. Zhao Bin, Miao Shao... I never thought that in just over half a year, Zhuang Zhenshou would have fallen to this state."

Mu Mingxi sighed as he registered Zhuang Jin and changed her waist tag, explaining the benefits of her rank: a basic monthly allowance of five hundred taels of silver, and significant improvements in clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

Clothing: Ten sets of exclusive blue robes for those of the rank of offering servant, provided to the individual, their wives, concubines, and children, and tailed by a master tailor, with a monthly allowance of 100 taels of silver. Food: A diet equivalent to that of the young master of the Shen family, provided by a head chef, with a monthly meal allowance of 100 taels of silver. One pound of beast tendon ointment for beginner-level Yi Jin cultivation per month.

Accommodation: One small courtyard in the inner courtyard of the Shen family headquarters, and one five-courtyard house each in the east, south, and north of the city.

Travel: One can travel by sedan chair carried by eight people.

In addition, the servants and maids accompanying each house, as well as a thousand acres of fine paddy fields outside the city... all these things were provided in one go.

These are just the basic benefits; the most important things are the other three points.

First, assign a personal attendant to communicate with various departments; any needs or matters can be directly instructed.

Mu Mingde didn't say it too directly, but hinted at it, and Zhuang Jin understood: If his nephews, nieces, or trusted confidants were to be transferred, and they didn't want to go to the south of the city but wanted to go to the north, the medicinal fields outside the city, or the Shen family headquarters, a simple word would suffice; as for exchanging for the Meridian-Clearing Pill, if he had enough battle merits, he could get it with just a word; even the Meridian-Clearing Elixir could be obtained once a year if he had enough battle merits, and if he hadn't done it once, a word would be enough to move him up in the queue...

It can be said that many things that were once extremely difficult, impossible, and unthinkable can now be accomplished simply by instructing one's attendant or giving a single call!
Second, he was listed in the Imperial Household Department.

"The Enforcement Division's targets are martial artists at the Qi Condensation Realm. Once they reach the Meridian Opening Realm or the Venerable level, any matters are handled internally by the Venerable Division... The Venerable Division's responsibilities also include mediating conflicts between Venerables... Monthly assignments are not handled by the General Affairs Division, but rather selected internally by the Venerable Division..."

Yes, it's not a direct allocation, nor is it an application submitted and considered by the General Affairs Department; it's a direct internal selection within the Imperial Service Department, entirely based on voluntariness...

According to Mu Mingxi, the ranks of those who are honored, apart from those who hold powerful positions like the head and deputy head of a department, are generally those who are stationed in the south, east, north, or medicinal fields outside the city, or in the headquarters. Their battle merits start at three thousand per month.

—Leaving aside the main headquarters, the medicinal fields outside the city, and the long-settled northern part of the city, let's talk about the eastern part of the city where the struggle is currently fierce, and the southern part of the city which is aligned with the Medicine King Gang. The struggle has not involved the Meridian Opening level. For example, Zhong Yi, who is said to be stationed in the southern part of the city, is only keeping an eye on preventing the Meridian Opening martial artists of the Medicine King Gang from interfering. He doesn't have to worry about anything else and just eats and drinks all day long...

No wonder Sun Mingbi said that once you reach the Meridian Opening Realm, you can sit back and watch the world go by and enjoy peace and tranquility.

"Third, on the 29th of each month, they can participate in high-level meetings and have the right to make suggestions on various decisions of our Shen family."

Zhuang Jin nodded upon hearing this, understanding that this last point was indeed crucial, meaning that by entering the decision-making level, he would be qualified to have some influence on the Shen family's strategy and overall direction.

'Sure enough, stepping into the Meridian Opening Realm changes everything!'

Previously, even at the Qi Condensation Realm, one had to abide by the entire set of rules and order of the Shen family, including the Ten Classics and the Twelve Classics, to contribute to the Shen family's prosperity. Now, however, he has become the recipient of these rules and order, with all the backdoors reserved within them fully opened for him.

It can be said that taking this step is a leap from being a "cow or horse" to becoming a true "successor"!
The term "successor" doesn't necessarily mean a certain young master who will take over as the head of the Shen family in the future. Rather, it means that at this stage, one has essentially acquired a share in the Shen family's company, truly possessing the privileges of the company. One has transformed from an employee into a shareholder, and can genuinely enjoy the benefits of the Shen family's development.

All the words in Zhuang Jin's mind ultimately coalesced into one sentence: 'Only today do I truly understand the value of opening the meridians!'

……

(End of this chapter)