Promise!

Chapter 180, Hongmen

A mansion in the north of Linji County.

This is a property owned by the Fei family. It is located in a bustling area, yet the interior is quiet and peaceful. It is a place that Chen Yun would like. It is also not far from Teng Yuansong's residence, so he can help her if needed. Zhuang Jin plans to use it as Chen Yun's permanent residence after she comes here.

As for Zhi'er—Bai Zhi, she was assigned to a small house outside and couldn't possibly come here.

Today's celebratory banquet will be held right here.

Amidst the rustling sound, a carriage arrived, and inside, the Yao family father and son sat facing each other.

"Father, I'm still a little uneasy. Should we leave one of us at home just in case..."

“Things are different now. With Sikong Rui of the Medicine King Gang severely injured and gone, our Yao family has no other choice… If that Elder Zhuang is truly determined to take action against our Yao family, it’s just a matter of how much the consequences will be… That’s why our Yao family has been cooperating with us to dismantle the Medicine King Gang’s hideout these past few days…”

Yao Gongyan sighed, "Back then, you should have gone too, but I took him there alone to apologize... Today is ostensibly a celebration, and also because 'that Master Zhuang is about to return to report on the mid-year medicinal herb robbery case.' You're on the invitation too. If you don't go, I'm afraid you'll offend him and cause unnecessary trouble..."

"That's right. Just like we said that day, the two powerful families in Linji County, that Zhuang family elder has already made a move against the Fei family. If he were to make a move against our family as well, how would we explain it to the Shen family? Besides, according to the intelligence, this person is trustworthy. All that has happened so far can be considered a sign that he's letting us off the hook..."

If Zhuang Jin were here, he would probably scoff: You can't only demand integrity when it's in your own best interest... Or rather, integrity is only for people with principles. Your Yao family is not only plotting to harm him, but also rich and heartless, and incorrigible. After all this, you still expect integrity from us?
That's not keeping promises, that's being pedantic!
……

The Yao family father and son came over with extremely generous gifts. Yao Gongyan pulled Yao Shaoli to greet them respectfully.

Yao Shaoli looked at Zhuang Jin, who was even younger than him, and felt that he had to be subservient and fawn over her. Although he knew that he was under someone else's roof, he still couldn't help but feel a little humiliated.

He possessed exceptional talent and made rapid breakthroughs in the Qi Condensation Realm, which made the old master of the Fei family wary of him. As a result, he could only cautiously avoid people and dared not go out. Now that he had broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm, he still had to be careful and obsequious to others, and he inexplicably felt that his breakthrough had been in vain.

'Things change every thirty years, so let's just bear with it for now!' Yao Shaoli sighed inwardly, clenching his fists.

Zhuang Jin sensed something about the other person's thoughts and glanced at them.

"Why is Master Zhuang making such a fuss on a day like today?" Teng Yuansong chuckled, trying to smooth things over, his words carrying a deeper meaning.

With fine wine and food served, Zhuang Jin, Teng Yuansong, and the Yao family father and son sat around the table. The four of them inevitably started talking about their connection to the case of the robbery of medicinal herbs.

"The Fei family colluded with the Medicine King Gang, their intentions were malicious, but thanks to the keen observation of Master Zhuang..."

"The Fei family was indeed malicious, intending to poison me and harm me... In this matter, the Yao family is equally shady and likely has the same plan, right? This truly disappoints and chills me to the bone!"

"This...it's all in the past, and nothing was done...it's best not to mention it..."

"How could we not mention it?"

Zhuang Jin slammed his hand on the table: "This kind of thing, if you hold back for a while, you'll get angrier the more you think about it; if you back down, you'll feel like you've lost out. Every time I think about it, I just can't swallow this anger! So, Young Master Yao, you're also at the Meridian Opening Realm, how about we have a fight to vent my frustration?"

"This...this...didn't we say before that we'd let it go..." The Yao family father and son realized that the newcomers were hostile and subconsciously became vigilant. They looked around, fearing that they would be surrounded by armored soldiers at any moment. Zhuang Jin and Teng Yuansong suddenly launched an attack.

"Why are you looking at me? Brother Zhuang is a retainer of the Shen family, and your Yao family is a major household under the Shen family. This is an internal matter of your Shen family, and I, as an official, will not interfere."

Teng Yuansong leaned back in his chair, his narrow eyes squinting, giving off an attitude of 'I'm just watching the show, you can do whatever you want'.

Upon seeing this, Yao Gongyan felt a glimmer of hope. If it were a normal fight, allowing Zhuang Jin to vent his anger would be fine.

"Then please enlighten me, Venerable Master Zhuang."

Yao Shaoli agreed and stood up. He could finally vent his pent-up resentment. In his mind, they were both at the same level of the Meridian Opening Realm, so who was afraid of whom?
"After a month of recuperation, the injuries to my meridians from my breakthrough have mostly healed. Zhuang Jin only broke through to the Meridian Opening Realm half a year earlier than me. With my talent, I might not lose."

He even harbored a sliver of fantasy: if he gained the upper hand, would he ruthlessly slap Zhuang Jin in the face, or would he leave Zhuang Jin with a shred of dignity?

—Before even shooting down the goose, they were already thinking about whether to boil it or roast it.

……

Outside the pavilion, in the martial arts arena, the two stood facing each other. Zhuang Jin had his left hand behind his back, his right palm facing upward, and his four fingers hooked towards Yao Shaoli: "Come on!"

How dare you look down on me like that?

Yao Shaoli snorted coldly in his heart, and then without hesitation, he took the initiative to strike. His figure flashed and he flew out, so fast that he kicked up dust that parted to both sides.

If a martial artist at the Qi Condensation Realm were to face this attack, they would have no chance of dodging it, but Zhuang Jin simply struck out with a light touch.

Snapped!
Yao Shaoli was slapped across the face and sent flying. He spun around in the air several times before landing and regaining his footing.

This attack didn't cause much physical damage, but it was extremely humiliating!
Zhuang Jin beckoned with her finger: "Again!"

call!
Yao Shaoli took a deep breath and pushed his advanced movement technique to its limit. This time, he feinted and circled behind Zhuang Jin, about to launch a sneak attack, but what he received was a simple and unadorned palm strike.

Snapped!
Yao Shaoli took the slap in the face again and was sent flying.

"Again!"

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
Despite Yao Shaoli employing all his methods, Zhuang Jin remained completely still, even keeping his left hand behind his back the entire time. Each time, he would deliver a precise slap to Yao Shaoli's face, leaving Yao Shaoli's face swollen.

"Don't hit someone in the face! Sigh, what kind of behavior is this from Master Zhuang!" Teng Yuansong clicked his tongue, seemingly indignant on Yao Shaoli's behalf.

"It's alright, it's alright. As for this guidance, it's inevitable..." Yao Gongyan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this scene, thinking that Zhuang Jin just wanted to vent his anger. For the sake of the Yao family, he could only let his son suffer a little.

At this moment, Yao Shaoli's suffering was no longer just a matter of enduring hardship; his martial arts heart was almost shattered. He thought he had broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm and felt that the world was vast and he could roam freely. However, when facing Zhuang Jin, who was also at the Meridian Opening Realm (in his own opinion)—and Zhuang Jin had indeed only used the strength of one meridian—he was like a child facing an adult.

No, the gap is even more exaggerated than a child facing an adult. It's like a person standing in front of a mountain, looking up in awe, or a stream facing a vast ocean... that kind of gap is simply despairing.

'I refuse to accept this!'

'I started learning martial arts at sixteen! At seventeen, I broke through four meridians! At eighteen, I broke through seven meridians! At twenty, I broke through ten meridians! At twenty-two, I condensed Qi and perfected twelve meridians… Now, at only twenty-three years old, I've already reached the Meridian Opening Realm!'

'How could a genius like me lose to someone of the same generation and level? I... I refuse to accept this!'

Yao Shaoli roared inwardly, extremely angry. In this outburst, his movement technique, which was stuck at the Great Completion level, broke through to the Perfect level and merged with the Perfect Black Fiend Palm. His speed increased dramatically, and he arrived in front of Zhuang Jin. His anger and fighting spirit reached the peak of his essence, energy and spirit, and he unleashed a divine move.

He was confident that he would not let Zhuang Jin accept the challenge easily this time. At least he would... move his body. But as soon as Zhuang Jin moved, it was like seeing the boss's health bar. The gap was obvious, and he was no longer unattainable!

'Oh, so you've unleashed your full potential? Compared to you, I'm a true genius... But I'm only going to fight geniuses!'

Zhuang Jin used the Turtle Breathing Technique to adjust his breathing, unleashing the power of his two meridians, and struck back with a palm.

Snapped!
This time, Yao Shaoli flew back even faster, his face covered in cuts and bruises.

'Why do I cultivate so diligently and self-disciplinedly? Isn't it so that, at crucial moments, I can crush the weak with my superior cultivation level, defeat the weak with the superior, and bully the powerful?'

"I have to say, this feeling is... amazing!"

Zhuang Jin looked at Yao Shaoli, who was struggling to get up: "After giving you so many moves, Young Master Yao, you should take one of my moves too!"

……

'As expected, he's also at the second meridian level!' Teng Yuansong smiled as he watched this scene, knowing that Zhuang Jin didn't want to play anymore.

Although Yao Gongyan was only at the Qi Condensation Realm and had not yet truly developed martial intuition, he could still see the change in Zhuang Jin's aura at this moment. The pressure was stronger and it was quite different. He hurriedly called out, "The Venerable Yao, who is at the Third Meridian Opening Realm, values ​​my son... He was presented to us in the middle of last year, and Patriarch Shen also praised him... Venerable Zhuang, please show mercy!"

The implication is that if Zhuang Jin kills Yao Shaoli, he will offend Yao, who is at the third level of the Meridian Opening Realm, and he will also have no way to explain it to the Shen family.

But would Zhuang Jin care? So what if that Yao Gongfeng values ​​him and the family head Shen Xianhong praises him?
A genius who doesn't realize their potential isn't a genius, and a dead genius is worthless!
Wow!
As the wind blew and leaves fell, Zhuang Jin moved through them without getting a single leaf dirty, achieving a state of carefree wind control. He arrived in front of Yao Shaoli and lightly placed a palm down.

When Yao Shaoli saw this scene, he was terrified. He thought his movement technique and Black Fiend Palm were perfectly combined when he suddenly unleashed his power. But now, seeing Zhuang Jin's Swift Wind Step and Black Fiend Palm combined, he realized that there are always higher levels to reach and that he was invincible.
This palm strike is impossible to dodge, impossible to avoid, and there's no way to even react or parry it.

boom!
Yao Shaoli was struck in the chest with a palm strike. With a cracking sound of bones breaking, his chest caved in, and he was sent flying back off the martial arts field, crashing into the artificial hill behind him. With a deafening roar, a jagged, protruding rock pierced through his body.

'Damn you, Heaven! If you created Jin, why create Li?! I hate it! I hate it so much!'

Looking at Zhuang Jin's youthful face, he knew that the other party was a genius even more talented than him. At this moment, amidst his intense resentment, the light in his eyes dimmed.

"My son!"

Yao Gongyan cried out in grief, rushed over, picked up Yao Shaoli's body, took a deep breath, and turned back, his voice humble and almost pleading as he composed himself: "My son is dead. Has the Master Zhuang's anger subsided? If he is still not satisfied, my Yao family will continue to send generous gifts..."

Even now, he still clung to a sliver of hope, or rather, a fantasy: that Zhuang Jin had only eliminated the martial artists in his family who had opened their meridians, thus controlling their strength, and hadn't intended to exterminate them all...

Watching this scene, Teng Yuansong's chubby face revealed a mocking smile: At this moment, Yao Gong's humiliation and subservience in the face of Zhuang Jin was just like that of ordinary people who had been oppressed in the past when facing members of the Yao family.

'It can only be said that evil people need evil people to teach them a lesson!' he sighed inwardly.

"Patriarch Yao, don't be naive. This isn't a dinner party... Today, not only Yao Shaoli, but also you, and all the martial artists of the Yao family above the seventh level, none of them will escape!"

Zhuang Jin spoke calmly and in a flat tone, uttering the harshest words.

"How ruthless! How...how will you explain this to the Shen family?"

"There's no need for Patriarch Yao to trouble himself with that."

Zhuang Jin flashed and appeared in front of Yao Gongyan, pressing down with his palm.

"Someone come here and clean the floor!"

……

(End of this chapter)