Promise!

Chapter 181, Light Boat

Apart from Yao Shaoli, who is at the Tongmai realm, and the Yao family patriarch, who is at the Twelve Meridians realm, the Yao family only has one martial artist with more than seven meridians left. Even with elite soldiers, strong bows and crossbows, it is useless without a master to guard them, and they can easily be beheaded.

After this treacherous banquet, the Yao family was easily suppressed. Subsequently, government personnel intervened. Having previous experience in investigating and eliminating the Fei family, they were already adept at this approach.

At this point, the overall situation in Linji County was settled.

After cleaning the house, Zhuang Jin also planned to go back and pick up Chen Yun.

Also, Shen Xianhong said that 'the bottom line is not to affect the supply of medicinal materials,' but he killed two martial artists who had opened the meridians, and they were nominally martial artists from his own family. This will probably cause a lot of controversy, and he will have to go back and explain and provide evidence... Oh, before setting off, I asked Fu Shousong to collect the prescriptions for accelerating cultivation, and I can also bring them with me this time.

Speaking of prescriptions, now that the two major families in Linji County have been cleaned up, only a few big and small ones remain. Originally, the share of Qingyuan Liquid from the middle and upper levels of the two families, plus the increased supply of Qingyuan Liquid from the Shen family, all belong to Zhuang Jin. This allows him to cultivate other medicinal materials in addition to the high-grade Black Yuan Powder, and the prescription to assist in accelerating cultivation can then come in handy.

This was also his way of planning ahead. Before coming, he believed that at least one of the Fei and Yao families had a problem, which is why he prepared a prescription and asked the family head, Shen Xianhong, what he could do.

……

Eager to return home, he knew he would be back in the prefectural city in just five days.

"Yunniang!"

"Husband!"

After being separated for nearly a month, the couple were both excited to see each other again. After a brief moment of tenderness, Zhuang Jin asked Chen Yun to pack her things and prepare to leave, while he went to handle the remaining matters.

……

The first person they went to search for was naturally the head of the family, Shen Xianhong.

"That day, I left the prefectural city... I secretly left halfway and took a fast boat..." Zhuang Jin recounted the events.

Shen Xianhong was speechless after hearing the whole story, and looked at Zhuang Jin with complicated eyes.

No wonder Zhuang Jin specifically asked him what he could do before leaving. With his assurance, Zhuang Jin really went on a killing spree, slaughtering everyone from the Fei family to the Yao family, from the Fei family patriarch to the Yao family head, and then to the Yao family's eldest son who had reached the Meridian Opening Realm... Even the deputy hall master of the Medicine King Gang who went to Linji County was seriously injured and fled back...

Zhuang Jin felt somewhat embarrassed by such a gaze. She had indeed kept it to herself; otherwise, Sikong Rui wouldn't have been able to return.

"Two powerful families in Linji County, the Fei family and the Yao family, colluded with the Medicine King Gang to plot against Zhuang Gongfeng... In this urgent situation, expediency was necessary, and Zhuang Gongfeng made a decisive decision on the spot... He deserves credit for his actions..."

Shen Xianhong first defined the nature of the matter, then said, "I won't go into the details of this investigation of the two major households... As for the locations of the two major households, whether they will receive further support or something else, it's still under discussion. For now, Linji County will maintain the status quo..."

"Thank you, Master!"

Zhuang Jin understood what the other party meant: investigating the benefits behind the two powerful families would be considered a reward for this matter, and he should not interfere in the change of ownership between the two powerful families.

……

No sooner had Zhuang Jin left than Li Ping, the Chief Justice of the Law Enforcement Division, arrived: "Regarding this matter, the Fei family goes without saying, but the evidence of collusion between the hundred-year-old You Tan Snow Lotus petals and the Medicine King Gang is irrefutable... I examined the body of Yao Shaoli that Elder Zhuang brought back, and there are indeed signs of taking the Meridian Opening Pill in his meridians, which cannot be faked... If the Meridian Opening Pill didn't come from my Shen family, then it must have come from the Medicine King Gang..."

"Ok!"

Shen Xianhong nodded slightly, knowing that Zhuang Jin wasn't making things up, distorting the truth, or calling a deer a horse.

Otherwise, he wouldn't pursue the matter of the dead this time, but... he would have to re-evaluate Zhuang Jin.

……

After leaving Shen Xianhong, Zhuang Jin went to find Fu Shousong to get the prescription for accelerating the accumulation of Qi in the Meridian Opening Realm.

"This time, Zhuang Gongshen has done something really big in the county town below. I've even heard about it in the prefectural city."

Fu Shousong sighed, handed over the prescription, and then talked about the situation in the other two counties.

In Wanliu and Qinghe counties, Wanliu County's recovery of some medicinal herbs was due to another wealthy family leaking information; in Qinghe County, the wealthy family that had contributed the herbs cooperated, with the Medicine King Gang offering a Meridian Opening Pill as a bargaining chip… However, the Meridian Opening Pill was problematic; the head of the Twelve Meridians family took it, failed to break through, and died suddenly…

In short, Linji County was the biggest pitfall this time. The old master of the Fei family was in a special situation, having been bribed by the century-old You Tan Snow Lotus. Yao Shaoli of the Yao family obtained the problematic Meridian Opening Pill, but he succeeded by sheer luck...

However, the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish; risk comes with reward, and this time Zhuang Jin reaped the greatest reward. "By taking action against the two powerful families in Linji County, Zhuang Gongfeng has offended the powerful figures behind them..."

The Shen family lineage has rules that prohibit branches from becoming prominent households in the surrounding counties, in order to prevent them from failing to handle matters impartially and gradually decaying. Therefore, the prominent households in the surrounding counties are all branches of the rank of retainer.

The wealthy families who emerged from this level of worship are connected to the Shen family, but not so deeply. If anything goes wrong, they can be dealt with ruthlessly... Of course, the wealthy families in the counties below are basically not from this generation of worshippers, but they are still related to some worshipper in some way.

"The Fei family of Linji County is backed by Tao Mengxi, the eunuch of whom was the grandson-in-law of the long-deceased Fei… The Yao family of Linji County is backed by Yao Wu, the eunuch of whom separated a hundred years ago. The Yao family and this eunuch of whom are related by no more than five degrees of kinship…"

"Thank you for the reminder, Venerable Fu!"

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly, recalling the information about the two retainers. One had three lineages and the other had two lineages. They were not a threat to him now. He would be leaving quickly this time and probably wouldn't run into them.

When he steps down as county magistrate and returns from the county seat, he will likely have reached the Nascent Soul stage. At that time, even if the two still harbor resentment, they will have to swallow it down.

"I have another deal to make, Venerable Zhuang. There has been a change of fortunes between two prominent families in Linji County, and I would like to ask for your support... The price? Reaching the third or fourth meridian level allows one to cultivate a deadly technique. The power of the technique depends on each person's physique. I have a secret method that uses the beast treasures of exotic beasts at the Yi Jin realm to enhance internal energy attributes, making the deadly technique even stronger..."

Fu Shousong looked at Zhuang Jin: "After this incident, I imagine that Elder Zhuang is not short of money. I can guarantee that I can obtain a beast treasure of a Netherworld Python at the Lesser Completion level of the Tendon Transformation Technique... This item is worth approximately several hundred thousand taels of silver..."

This is the aftermath of what happened in the east of the city. The group of rats in the east of the city were wiped out, but his whole family had nowhere to go. It was impossible to send them to the front line in the south of the city. This is because he wanted to not put all his eggs in one basket and instead split off branches in the county below.

'This is amazing! With this secret technique and beast treasure, my internal energy attributes will be enhanced, my physique will be strengthened, and with practice, perhaps I can even develop another ultimate move? Or perhaps upgrade my existing ultimate move, Triple Wave?'

Zhuang Jin pondered for a moment, then said, "I'm afraid I'm powerless to help with the affairs of the wealthy families in Linji County. The patriarch hinted that I shouldn't get involved... As for keeping Linji County as it is, I think the patriarch's idea is probably to use it as a bargaining chip to see how much merit he has made with the Medicine King Gang..."

"I am quite interested in this secret technique and the beast treasure of the Netherworld Python, which is at the minor completion level of the Tendon Transformation Technique. I wonder if we can discuss this? I am willing to pay a premium in silver?"

Having already purged the Fei and Yao families, two powerful clans, he's truly not short of money.

"Master Zhuang doesn't know that for these things, money is only one aspect. The key is the channels and connections... Even if you don't need these high-end resources, you'll still acquire them whenever the opportunity arises. You won't easily give them away in exchange..."

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly, indicating that she understood: "Then, if I were to use this item, what if I were to ask Master Fu?"

……

Zhuang Jin traded the Meridian Opening Pill for the item, making up the difference with silver, and agreed on the secret technique and the rare treasure of the minor-stage Tendon Changing Beast. Then he left with Chen Yun.

It is worth mentioning that less than half an hour after he left, the two worshippers, Tao and Yao, came to his door.

The two men weren't there to settle scores; their relationship with the Fei and Yao families was distant, spanning generations. They were there to seek compensation or, in other words, a favor.

Upon learning that Zhuang Jin had left and the house was empty, there was nothing that could be done but sigh in vain.

……

At this time, Zhuang Jin and Chen Yun were already on the boat returning to Linji County.

As the sun sets and the evening glow illuminates the bridge behind, turning it red, cormorants fish under the shade of willows on the riverbank... Further away, the evening mist shrouds the area, the willows are dim, the stars are about to rise, and the lights of fishing boats fill the river.

"Ah, this is Pingjiang! To see such a vast and open place today is truly a life well-lived. Many young women may never see such a sight in their entire lives!"

"Yunniang, this is nothing. Linji County is remote, but it has its own unique scenery. Let's go and see it together!"

Zhuang Jin and Chen Yun stood side by side on the deck, watching everything unfold. The scenery was the same, but their feelings were vastly different, a lightness they couldn't quite describe: 'Leaving the prefectural city, avoiding the whirlpool, and with the county now peaceful and stable, there's much to be done. This journey is like a fish entering the sea—that's one reason, but another is because of the people beside me!'

After watching for a while, the two returned to the cabin. At this time, Yu Xiaoxiao and Song Lan opened all the windows of the boat, and a gentle breeze came in. The group held silk fans, put on silk robes, cut watermelons, and ate them to cool off.

Afterwards, they drank more wine. Yu Xiaoxiao tapped a small plate with ivory chopsticks and started singing, while Chen Yun and Song Lan clapped along.

Outside, the dimming fishing lights of the riverbank continued to flash by, and the boats quickly drifted downstream, the light boats already passing countless mountains.

……

(End of this chapter)