Promise!

Chapter 183, Twilight Snow

Zhuang Jin broke through to the fourth level of the Meridian Opening Realm, and that afternoon, Teng Yuansong came to see him.

He lives in the south courtyard of the garden. As mentioned before, the house here is like a boat. There is an earthen hill in the courtyard, with a pavilion on the top. A spiral stone staircase leads up to the hill. The pavilion is inscribed with the four characters "Unmoored Boat". From here, you can see the whole garden. It is surrounded by greenery and lush greenery, as if you are really in a sea of ​​bamboo forest.

In summer, one can drink wine here; in autumn, one can admire chrysanthemums here; in winter, one can watch the snow here... It is an excellent place.

Zhuang Jin and Teng Yuansong sat facing each other.

Teng Yuansong looked around at the scenery and said "good". He tasted the side dishes that Chen Yun brought and said "good" again. Then he sighed, "The scenery is beautiful, the people are beautiful, and with a virtuous wife by his side, it's no wonder that Master Zhuang doesn't leave the house all day except for sightseeing. He's really living a carefree life!"

“Why should Magistrate Teng envy me? In the past few months, wherever you go, you scatter money everywhere. The people in the city have changed your nickname from ‘muddle-headed magistrate’ to ‘money-splurging magistrate’.”

Teng Yuansong was a bit greedy, but he wasn't a miser. He also enjoyed the thrill of spending money. After receiving a share of the spoils from the Fei and Yao families, his pockets swelled rapidly, and he became incredibly generous with his spending.

What are the special features of the snacks?
buy!
What good wine and food?
buy!
What strange and unusual thing is that?

Buy it!
Of course, this guy can't change his ailment of being a "lonely man," and he still spends the most money on women.

"In just these few months, Magistrate Teng has probably changed seven or eight women he's been keeping outside the county, right? In total, Magistrate Teng has probably had a hundred women?"

"One hundred and thirty-three rooms."

Seeing Zhuang Jin's speechless expression, Teng Yuansong was not ashamed but rather proud, shaking his head and saying, "Is it too much? Not at all! My idea is to sleep with her a thousand times within twenty years and achieve a small goal."

"I have to thank Brother Zhuang for this. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to achieve this goal. After the Fei and Yao families were purged, I received a large sum of money. And Zhuang Gongfeng is not like those two wealthy families from before, who did nothing but bully the common people. This has allowed me to have some peace and quiet..."

Indeed, after Zhuang Jin arrived, these were the most relaxed and comfortable days Teng Yuansong had ever had as the magistrate of Linji County; he had never experienced such ease before.

Not only did things get better for him, but after the two great mountains of the Fei and Yao families were gone, the people of Linji County also experienced an unprecedented improvement in their lives.

Ordinary people, once their lives improved, are actually quite tolerant. They don't harbor any hatred towards Teng Yuansong; they treat it as gossip to enjoy during their leisure time. In fact, many people would even send their beautiful daughters to him, hoping that Teng Yuansong would take a liking to them.

—On the one hand, it was indeed out of gratitude; on the other hand, there were real benefits. Teng Yuansong neither beat nor scolded women. He would release them after a few days or half a month, or even a month or two, once the novelty wore off, and he would receive a considerable sum of money as compensation. He would not have to worry about getting married afterward... It was a completely profitable deal.

Therefore, a bizarre and strange phenomenon emerged in Linji County: Teng Yuansong was clearly a corrupt official, and indeed greedy for money and lustful, yet the people willingly and eagerly offered their beautiful daughters to him, hoping that he would take a liking to them. If he did, they felt it was a blessing and were overjoyed.

Well, don't overestimate Teng Yuansong's integrity. This guy is really shameless. He's slept with too many women on pleasure boats and now he wants to try the taste of a refined young lady... However, he's never short of benefits afterward.

"He was lustful and decadent, indulging in a life of debauchery... yet the people had no complaints, and instead praised him highly... to become the magistrate of Teng County, he was truly one of a kind..."

Zhuang Jin sighed and clinked glasses with the other person.

"Speaking of universal praise, isn't this all thanks to Master Zhuang?"

Teng Yuansong glanced at him resentfully, then said, "Zhuang Gongfeng's reputation in the county is no worse than mine. He'll know once he goes out and travels more... Speaking of which, my Linji County has indeed become much more prosperous these past few months, with quite a few people moving here from other counties..."

"Especially Qinghe County next door, I heard that the county magistrate surnamed Qiu there is not someone to be trifled with... He's been fighting with two powerful families over profits, creating a complete mess... Qinghe is no joke now!"

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly, indicating that she had also heard about it.

He had dealt with Qiu Yizhi before and knew him somewhat: this man, who was once one of the protectors of the notorious rat in the east of the city, was ruthless and sometimes reckless, so it was not surprising.

"Let's not talk about that. Now that it's the end of the year... the Yuan Qi tide in the Funiu Mountains of the state capital... the small Yuan Qi tide that occurs once a year is called the Little Year; the large Yuan Qi tide that occurs once every five years is called the Big Year... this year is the Little Year... but occasionally, meat-refining level beasts will appear in the medicinal fields... Elder Zhuang, please take note..."

As Teng Yuansong spoke, he looked at Zhuang Jin with amusement in his eyes: "In the coming days, Zhuang Jin will not have a moment's peace."

"How did the Fei and Yao families deal with the Little New Year in the past? Surely the patriarchs didn't personally do the hard labor, right? Oh!"

Zhuang Jin remembered that in the past, the Fei family and the Yao family had two or three martial artists with seven to twelve meridians under the head of the family, but he had wiped them all out.

This is awkward; I have no choice but to take matters into my own hands.

"During the Lesser Year, there might be a few rare beasts at the Refined Flesh level, corresponding to martial artists with seven to twelve meridians. They won't escape the clutches of Elder Zhuang... Next year is the Greater Year, which only comes once every five years. Occasionally, rare beasts at the Tendon Transformation level will appear. We might have to bring our elite soldiers, strong bows and crossbows, and attack together then..."

……

The next day, Zhuang Jin summoned Fei Zecong.

"Brother Zhuang!"

Several months have passed, and Fei Zecong has shed his childishness as a spoiled brat and matured considerably. Of course, the biggest change is in his mindset.

At the end of May, Zhuang Jin made Fei Zecong prove his loyalty by drugging Fei Yuanlong and forcibly dragging him into the mess, though Fei was still somewhat unwilling.

Now... it smells amazing!
Fei Zecong is said to be a puppet supported by Zhuang Jin, but in fact he has great power. Zhuang Jin only cares about three things: first, the medicinal materials accumulated by handing over to the Shen family; second, the cultivation resources, such as the high-grade black jade grass and medicinal materials that accelerate the accumulation of realm; and third, the profits of the industry... As long as these three things do not go wrong, he basically does not care about anything else.

Since Zhuang Jin didn't care, Fei Zecong naturally took charge... His every word and action controlled and decided the fate of many people. This feeling of having great power was much better than being the nominal third young master of the Fei family before.

Furthermore, after the purge of the upper and middle levels of the two major households, Zhuang Jin took the lion's share of the resources vacated by Fei Yuanlong and others, while also leaving a small portion for Fei Zecong. Now, Fei Zecong has already broken through to the eighth level and is expected to reach the tenth level within two or three years!
With power, martial arts resources, and a bright future, Fei Zecong truly won over his heart. He had long forgotten his guilt towards his grandfather and elder brother, and now he only lamented that Zhuang Jin hadn't come sooner.

"Ok!"

Zhuang Jin noticed Fei Zecong's change in mindset. If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it. So he gave him some benefits. If the other party continues to be so sensible, it wouldn't be a bad idea to find a place for him when the big family changes... At that time, it will be a matter of just a word.

"As the year draws to a close, the spiritual energy in the Funiu Mountains of the prefecture city is surging... the exotic beasts are spreading... we need to increase manpower in the medicinal fields. If we encounter exotic beasts at the Body Refinement stage, there's no need to fight them head-on; I'll handle them myself... I've also informed the Yao family that the same applies..."

"Yes, Brother Zhuang, I understand!"

...In the days that followed, there were indeed more exotic beasts in the medicine field. In the past, the medicine field mostly encountered exotic beasts at the Skin Refining Realm, which corresponded to the first to sixth meridians of martial artists. Now, there were a few exotic beasts at the Flesh Refining Realm. The Fei family and Yao family had been purged and could not be dealt with. Zhuang Jin personally took action and killed two or three exotic beasts at the entry level of Flesh Refining Realm in one month.

Since there was no danger, bringing Chen Yun along made the time less boring. It served as a pleasant break from cultivation and turned out to be quite enjoyable.

During his month of travel, Zhuang Jin also experienced Teng Yuansong's words, "Zhuang Gongfeng's reputation in the county is no less than mine. You'll know once you go out more often." When the people saw him, they felt not only awe but also closeness and gratitude.

What Zhuang Jin remembered most vividly was an old man selling roasted sweet potatoes. He took Chen Yun to buy some, and the old man said that he was a great benefactor and refused to accept the money.

Even though he said, "The person I should thank the most is Teng Yuansong, and what I did was not for them," he still refused to accept the money.

The old man said, “My daughter was taken away by the Fei family and is gone… The land is gone too… I went to the county government to complain, but they wouldn’t do anything… It was only when the magistrate came that the Fei family members were either killed, arrested, or executed. The land was returned, and my family is alive again… No matter what others say, the magistrate is the greatest good person in my eyes…”

Zhuang Jin led Chen Yun away, with the old man kneeling behind them to see them off. Even after walking a long way, when they looked back, the old man still hadn't gotten up.

……

That day, Zhuang Jin and Chen Yun went to the medicinal fields outside the city again, but they did not encounter any strange beasts. At Chen Yun's suggestion, they went to Lingyan Mountain next door.

At the summit of Lingyan Mountain, there is a pavilion, and beside the pavilion stands a huge Bodhi tree. Its trunk is so thick that several people can encircle it, and its dense shade is like a canopy, never withering in spring or autumn.

Chen Yun picked up a Bodhi tree leaf and smiled at Zhuang Jin, saying, "These leaves are like persimmon leaves, with tender flesh. After soaking in water and peeling them, they are as thin as cicada wings. They are excellent for mounting small booklets and writing scriptures... I've heard that people use them to pray for blessings, and they are very effective."

"It's all thanks to that immortal's reputation that things turned out this way!"

Zhuang Jin sighed and began to recount a legend: "It is said that many years ago, Linji County was not like it is today. It was mountainous with little water, hundreds of miles away from the waterway network... Droughts were common, and during the plum rain season in May, not a drop of water fell... When an immortal traveled here, the people knelt down to invite him. The immortal responded with the sound of his flute, rode a white crane straight up to the clouds, raised a golden goblet, and with one cup, the wind rose and clouds surged, and a light drizzle began; with two cups, the rain grew louder and the rain poured down; after three cups, a torrential downpour began..."

"When the rain stopped and the clouds cleared, plum blossoms bloomed all over the city. As the people knelt in gratitude, the immortal rode away on a white crane atop Lingyan Mountain, beside the Bodhi tree."

It is said that after this, Linji County gradually evolved into its current landscape of mountains and rivers through the vicissitudes of time, and later became known as "River City".

"Summoning wind and rain, riding the wind through the void, just as my husband once said, 'Traveling to the North Sea in the morning and Cangwu in the evening, with a green snake in my sleeve and a bold spirit,' or 'Riding the right course of heaven and earth, and controlling the changes of the six qi, traveling endlessly'; or 'Riding on the wings of flying immortals to roam, embracing the bright moon to the end'... This is the joy of immortals!"

"Yes!"

Zhuang Jin sighed, his eyes filled with longing, looking down at the pine forest below. A surge of heroic spirit suddenly arose in his heart. He turned around, lightly touched the ground with his feet, and rose into the air. His inner energy surged, and he used his fingers as a knife to inscribe words on the stone pillars outside the pavilion.

Swish swish!
A moment later, as he landed, a buzzing sound came from behind him, and specks of stone fell from the door frame, revealing a line of calligraphy in a flowing, pale ink color, as if covered with specks of frost.

This is a couplet, titled: When will the white cranes return, and together we'll pour golden goblets to water the thousand-year-old fragrant grasses of the islets? But we only see white clouds flying away, and who will play the jade flute to scatter plum blossoms in the fifth month of the river city?

"My husband writes so well!"

Chen Yun exclaimed in amazement, sensing the carefree feeling within. Looking at Zhuang Jin again, she noticed that he possessed an indescribable ethereal and otherworldly aura, as if he were about to ride the wind and depart at any moment.

Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly looked outside and exclaimed softly, "Husband, it's snowing!"

"Yes, it's snowing."

Zhuang Jin took two steps and came to Chen Yun's side, looking down.

In the vast mountains and fields, amidst forests, rocks, trees, and springs, snow falls endlessly like jade flowers, pointing towards the silver mountains and jade trees in the twilight.

In the distance, boats come and go on the river, their movements stirring up banners and resembling waves rolling up fallen leaves.

At this moment, a thin mist is forming on the summit of Lingyan Mountain, and the white jade octagonal pavilion is hidden among the Bodhi trees, making this place seem like a fairyland.

Zhuang Jin and Chen Yun seemed to have become part of the scenery, one in a blue robe and the other in white, like a divine couple descended to earth.

—Recently, when he descended the mountain, he used his lightness skill to embrace Chen Yun, weaving through the grass and trees, leaping more than ten feet in a single bound. The woodcutter saw this as if he had seen a deity… This was because Zhuang Jin was progressing towards the realm of fetal breathing and innate cultivation, gradually approaching the state of merging with heaven and earth. His swift wind steps were also becoming more and more refined, reaching the realm of carefree wind control. Furthermore, if Chen Yun were dressed in white, with delicate eyebrows and no words, she would truly resemble a fairy who lives on the wind and dew. No wonder the woodcutter misunderstood.

"My husband has lofty ambitions, and I dare not hinder him... Today we are bathed in snow together, which means we will grow old together. I am already content!"

"Yunniang, what are you saying? The immortals have gone, they are elusive and hard to find, and the joy of the immortals is unattainable, but we can have the earthly joy of 'May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart'."

Zhuang Jin sighed softly as she spoke, "Life is like a fleeting moment, and growing old together is only a few decades away. Looking back now, we've already been married for two or three years. Time really flies!"

He turned and met Chen Yun's gaze. At that moment, scenes seemed to flash before his eyes:

During the wedding ceremony, the best man and his wife bowed to each other while the best man sang and cheered.
In the medicinal fields outside the city, money was scarce. Chen Yun pawned her jewelry, took his hand and said, "With my husband, we can live a simple life in plain clothes and simple food, and be happy for the rest of our lives."
When Wu Jing went to the north of the city, Chen Yun maintained the relationship with her, taking care of every meal and every thought. She was observant and perceptive, understanding every word and gesture, and they were a perfect couple.
After seven days, he went to the county town below, and from the day he left, he began to observe a vegetarian diet and pray for blessings;
On the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, the couple would worship the Old Man of the Moon together.

……

Chen Yun held hands and looked at each other, recalling scene after scene.

On their wedding night, Zhuang Jin spoke earnestly: "The world is now a vast and uncertain place, heaven and earth are indifferent, all beings seek but cannot find true love, fireworks fade easily, and true feelings are hard to give. Others see my glory, but they do not know that I am cautious and careful with every step I take, as if walking on thin ice, for fear of making the slightest mistake. I share these words with you, hoping that we can support each other, weather the storm together, and smoothly pass through this turbulent year."

Outside the city, in the medicinal field, heading outwards, an iron-feathered eagle swooped down, and Zhuang Jin caught her in his arms, spinning her around in mid-air;
In the Vinegar Lane in the north of the city, facing the crowded flow of people, Zhuang Jin led her to jump onto the wall. A bright full moon was behind them, creating a sound of wind and startling the hanging glass lamps, which scattered sparks.

When discussing his attitude towards his subordinates, he said, "I don't necessarily expect you to accept my ideas. You can have your own thoughts and understanding, and you don't have to immediately distinguish who is right. We can grow together in practice... If there are any problems, just treat it as a trial and error. I'll take care of everything."
Last year, Zhuang Jin went to the county town below and was tricked. When Zhuang Jin returned and found out, he did not blame her at all, but looked heartbroken and guilty.

……

Having weathered many storms together, Zhuang Jin and Chen Yun stand here side by side, hand in hand, gazing at the snow-covered mountains at dusk.

……

(End of this chapter)