Promise!

Chapter 160, Rare Treasures

After bidding farewell to Shen Xianji, Zhuang Jin left the Transmission of Skills Department and headed to the Pill Department.

Once you reach the Meridian Opening Realm, the mid-grade Black Yuan Powder is no longer sufficient for your cultivation needs, and you must switch to the high-grade Black Yuan Powder. Its main ingredient is forty-year-old Black Jade Grass, which requires even more to cultivate... hence, one dose costs fifty taels of silver.

However, he now has a modest fortune, so this expense is not a problem for him.

After purchasing some high-quality Hei Yuan San, I also bought some Kai Luo Tang medicine packs from Qing Mu Chang Chun Gong, as well as Mu Yuan San.

……

Just as Zhuang Jin was heading to the Pill Refining Department, at the Transmission of Skills Department, information about Zhuang Jin's decision to continue cultivating the Black Fiend Skill, giving up his qualification to switch cultivation methods to Chen Yun, and obtaining the Turtle Breathing Technique was placed on Shen Xianhong's desk.

Furthermore, if Zhuang Jin were here, he would also find an unexpected person—Zhong Yi, who was saying that he had been watching Zhuang Jin for more than a month and had not found anything unusual. He believed that Zhuang Jin's current success was due to his own talent, as well as his diligence and hard work.

Shen Xianhong nodded slightly as he listened.

—Having reached the Meridian Opening Realm and the rank of Offering, he had already entered the upper echelons of the Shen family. No amount of caution or prudence was excessive. When Zhuang Jin broke through to the Seven Meridians, he caught the eye of Mu Mingxi, the head of the General Affairs Department, who had Liu Licheng secretly keep an eye on him. After Zhuang Jin broke through to the Twelve Meridians, the Shen family conducted another detailed investigation into him, including his background, experiences, and the fact that Zhong Yi, the Offering-level official, was once again keeping an eye on him.

"Judging from all the intelligence, Zhuang Jin has exceptional talent and comprehension in martial arts. However, he is a person who likes to hide his abilities and is overly cautious. I'm afraid that even now, he still has some distrust of my Shen family and is wary of us... Why can't my Shen family tolerate a genius?"

Shen Xianhong shook his head slightly: "But it's good, no one is perfect, so there's no need to be overly critical... Besides, with the Medicine King Gang facing a formidable enemy, this kind of temperament is the only way to go further!"

He wasn't afraid of Zhuang Jin taking the initiative, believing that no matter what Zhuang Jin did, at most he could only open up the Ren and Du meridians and enter the embryonic breathing realm. To break through to the innate realm, he had to face the three innate barriers, each of which was like an insurmountable chasm. Many people couldn't even touch the first barrier in their entire lives...

This is also a good thing. Once you truly touch the first barrier and awaken your innate spiritual light, you must pass the other two barriers in one go. The requirements for the other two barriers are extremely demanding. If you fail in the entire process, you will die. That is no longer a matter of aptitude or comprehension.

Only the successive heads of the Shen family, by pooling the entire Shen family's resources and focusing their efforts on one person, can break through to the Innate Realm. And each generation basically only has one person at the Innate Realm... The gap between those at the Innate Realm and below is even more exaggerated than the gap between the Meridian Opening and Qi Condensation Realms, so there is no fear of being unable to suppress it.

Furthermore, Zhuang Jin's profile indicates that he is a man of integrity and loyalty. Moreover, with the Medicine King Gang facing a formidable enemy... and the Shen family riddled with internal corruption, its elders colluding with each other, and their recruitment of martial arts students a calculated move to maintain balance, there is a need for someone like him to occupy this niche. Zhuang Jin's appearance is perfectly timed...

Under such circumstances, as long as Zhuang Jin does not possess the Azure Origin Pot, other minor issues are tolerable, and the higher his aptitude and talent, the more pleased he will be.

……

After leaving the Pill Refining Department, Zhuang Jin didn't wander off again. After waiting for a while, the Eighth Young Master Shen Xuchen came to greet him personally. After exchanging pleasantries, he led him to the Plum Garden.

The plum garden, as its name suggests, is planted with winter plum trees, which are in full bloom at this time of year, their branches bursting with color.

Especially now, the snow is getting heavier and heavier, each flake as large as a reed catkin, yet there is no wind, and it falls silently and quietly. Walking in the plum garden, the delicate fragrance of plum blossoms lingers around the nose. For a moment, the white snow and the pure white plum blossoms complement each other, and it is hard to tell whether the fragrance comes from the plum blossoms or the snow.

“Plum Garden was my father’s favorite place. Every stream, every tree, every pavilion and waterside terrace here was arranged by my father himself…” Shen Xuchen introduced, subtly expressing the importance he attached to this meeting.

Zhuang Jin nodded in agreement. He had already noticed that the garden's layout was extremely ingenious. The trees, rocks, pavilions, and waterside terraces were half-hidden and half-revealed. At first glance, they were not particularly striking, but upon closer inspection, they revealed a unique and mysterious beauty...

'Looking at a single leaf, one can know that autumn is here. This head of the Shen family is a man of great wisdom and insight!' he thought to himself.

Soon, we arrived at a small bamboo and wood building in the garden. An old tree with winding and twisting branches stood at the entrance. The plaque above the building read "Taoguang Pavilion". Inside, the ground, windows and railings were simple and unpretentious, yet they blended seamlessly with the surrounding environment.

Upon reaching the second floor, a breathtaking panorama unfolds before you: a vast expanse of snow, blooming plum blossoms, and steaming hot spring water like ribbons, creating a scene reminiscent of a fairyland.

However, the most eye-catching figure was the one in the green robe with white eyebrows, who seemed to be standing at the key point of this world. At first glance, he was not particularly conspicuous, but he could not be ignored. Upon closer inspection, he gave people a very strange feeling, as if he had escaped the mortal world, transcended the world, and was about to drift away on the wind.

Zhuang Jin secretly used his martial arts intuition to sense the strangeness. Compared to this Shen family head, he was like a river or lake compared to the ocean. Beneath the calm surface of the other's sea, there seemed to be turbulent waves lurking. He was startled and respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings, family head."

Shen Xianhong nodded slightly and gestured for them to sit down: "Master Zhuang, Chen'er, please sit down and have a cup of hot tea!"

Zhuang Jin bowed and insisted that the father and son sit down first before he himself sat down. He picked up his teacup and took a small sip. The tea touched him deeply once again.

This tea... is even more potent than the wine Zhong Yi brewed with the bones of a beast at the Bone Forging Realm. One sip and one feels refreshed, one's blood and energy are more active, and one's internal energy flows more smoothly and effortlessly.

Shen Xuchen introduced to Zhuang Jin at the right moment: "This is Yunyin Tea. My great-grandfather went deep into the Mangcang Mountains and found a cliff. Because of its height, he named it 'Shangbaiyun' (meaning 'Ascending White Clouds'). On the top of this mountain, he found a rare century-old tea tree and transplanted it back..."

"The so-called 'rare plants' are like this: if exotic beasts are the oddities among beasts, then rare plants are the oddities among plants... The treasures produced by rare plants combine the effects of exotic beast meat and breakthrough pills. They can accelerate cultivation and assist in breaking through bottlenecks, without the drawbacks of breakthrough pills, such as causing minor damage to the meridians and leaving hidden dangers on the path of martial arts..." "That tea tree, because of its origin, was later called the 'Cloud Hidden Tea Tree.' Although it was only a semi-rare plant, the Cloud Hidden Tea it produced still had two or three tenths of the effects of rare treasures, greatly benefiting the breakthrough of the Qi Condensation bottleneck... It can also assist in cultivation at the Meridian Opening stage..."

"Our Shen family is blessed with outstanding people and resources, and we have such a precious tree... Today, we are not only enjoying a delicious meal, but also broadening our horizons," Zhuang Jin exclaimed.

“If Master Zhuang likes it, take a pound with you when you leave,” Shen Xianhong said.

Zhuang Jin didn't say anything polite. He stood up and bowed deeply, saying, "I dare not refuse your kindness, sir. Thank you very much, patriarch."

"interesting."

Shen Xianhong seemed to smile slightly, and gestured for Zhuang Jin to sit down. He started chatting with her, talking about everything from the north and east of the city to the south, including everyday matters. He really sounded like an elder in the family, talking about family matters.

Zhuang Jin maintained a respectful attitude, sitting down on one side of his body, neither arrogant nor impatient, but humble and cautious, like a student facing a teacher's inquiry.

"What do you think is the reason that you have reached this point, Venerable Zhuang?" Shen Xianhong suddenly looked over and stared into Zhuang Jin's eyes as he asked.

Zhuang Jin looked at him with a sincere expression, thought for a moment, and said seriously, "I guess I'm lucky to have some talent compared to ordinary people, and I've worked harder than others."

“Talent is something you can’t change once you’re born. Putting that aside, the efforts of Zhuang Zhenshou are more than just a little more than others… Zhuang Gong is known as the ‘Martial Arts Madman,’ and the name is still circulating in the outer courtyard… I heard that after getting married, he still cultivates for at least five or six hours a day, for two or three years straight…” Shen Xuchen spoke up at the right moment, acting as a straight man to lighten the mood.

Shen Xianhong nodded slightly, glanced at Shen Xuchen, and then looked back at Zhuang Jin, asking, "Zhuang Gongfeng, you have carried the burden of family feuds and hatred, and have risen from humble beginnings to where you are today. The sweat and toil you have shed are beyond what ordinary people can imagine. Have you ever felt bitter? And how did you persevere?"

Is it bitter?

Zhuang Jin was slightly taken aback. Thinking about his day and night cultivation, it was indeed tedious and boring. How did he manage to persevere?

This involves two stages.

The first stage is to get what you want.

Having just arrived in this world, I was reduced to a beggar, adrift in the storms of life, living from dawn till dusk, enduring countless humiliations... I resolved to obtain what I desired: dignity, wealth, and beauty, to live a dignified life.

To achieve this goal, he painstakingly entered the Shen family to learn martial arts... At that stage, fueled by hatred from his past life and driven by a sense of injustice, the hardships of martial arts training seemed insignificant.

Later, he broke through the Four Classics, took revenge on Zhuang Yutang and Zhuang Yuyong, and was promoted to the rank of servant, truly becoming a 'person', which can be considered as having completed the goal of this stage.

The second stage is about protecting what you want.

Marrying Chen Yun, the little things in life added color to the long, tedious, and boring life of martial arts training, becoming a bit of sweetness in that bitterness.

Objectively speaking, the interesting stories and the little moments of life spent with Chen Yun were only a tiny part of the otherwise monotonous and tedious martial arts training. But the more so, the more precious they are in retrospect, and the more one can savor the sweetness of those little moments of happiness.

Isn't that what life is all about? Like falling off a cliff, with tigers above and snakes below, and only a tiny bit of honey on a leaf before your eyes? To hold onto that little bit of sweetness, with a goal in mind, even the bitter days don't seem so bitter anymore.

Zhuang Jin thought to himself, and answered sincerely, "Of course it is bitter, but compared to the bitterness of practicing martial arts, I am more afraid of the bitterness of encountering difficulties, being unable to control my own destiny, and not being able to obtain what I want or protect what I want to protect! Knowing these things, I have something to rely on, and I no longer feel bitter."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xuchen's expression shifted, as if he had grasped something.

"Well said!"

Shen Xianhong, a man of experience, sighed softly upon hearing this, looking at Zhuang Jin with even greater admiration: 'Such a martial artist possesses a steadfast mind, difficult to be influenced by external factors. His loyalty, righteousness, and clear sense of right and wrong are hard to change; this is precisely what the Shen family needs—a reliable pillar of the family for the next head!'

"Now, Venerable Zhuang has finally reaped the rewards of his hard work and can fully enjoy this glory... Venerable Zhuang can also participate in tomorrow's high-level meeting... Listen more and speak less..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xuchen subconsciously glanced at his father. He knew that his father was the kind of person who did more than he said when dealing with outsiders, so such a reminder and instruction was extremely rare.

'This means that Zhuang Gongfeng has truly passed the test, entered my father's eyes, and is regarded as a member of the Shen family,' he thought to himself.

……

(End of this chapter)