Promise!

Chapter 187, A Glimpse of Beauty

On April 26, Tao Mengran returned to the prefectural city.

Although the two had almost fallen out and knew that the other's inspection report would inevitably be biased, Zhuang Jin still came to the dock to see him off in person, without acting impulsively.

In terms of social etiquette, they were very thorough.

This deeply impressed Tao Xinran, who was captivated by Zhuang Jin's demeanor: 'If it weren't for a conflict of interest and irreconcilable differences, Zhuang Jin would indeed be a person worth befriending!'

"Master Zhuang, this is where I'll leave you. Farewell!"

"May you have a safe journey, Tao Gongfeng."

At this moment, Tao Xinran's attendant had already inspected the boat. Tao Xinran turned around, clasped her hands in a salute to Zhuang Jin, and boarded the boat to leave.

……

Just moments after Tao Xinran's boat set sail, another fleet of boats also departed, following closely behind.

"Sir... two thousand catties of explosives sealed in the hold... as you instructed, mixed in scrap iron and nails to increase lethality... and concealed with incense... this passenger ship, with compensation from Tao Mengran, will be chartered, saving people coming and going, avoiding too many eyes and ears, making it easier to carry out our plan..."

"Ok!"

Sikong Rui nodded slightly and instructed, "Maintain distance, keep at least a mile away, to avoid being detected by the opponent's martial arts intuition... That way, even if Tao Mengran doesn't die in the explosion, it will be easier for me to finish her off later..."

This world has fireworks, so naturally it has gunpowder, but it remains at the level of black powder, which has significant limitations in actual combat because it poses a very limited threat to martial artists due to their reaction time and speed.

It was only due to this special circumstance, the advance preparations, the unexpected attack, the unique environment of traveling on water, and the sealed stacking of explosives, that a certain threat could be posed to a martial artist who had opened the meridians...

Even so, Sikong Rui couldn't guarantee that he could kill Tao Xinran, so he had to come along personally as a last line of defense.

……

Why do I feel inexplicably irritable today, and why do I experience sudden, pounding heartbeats every now and then?

On the deck, Tao Mengran paced back and forth, finally shaking her head before entering the cabin to do something to calm herself down.

He took out the inspection report and polished it again, especially the report on Linji County, trying to highlight the problems as much as possible... As he did this, he couldn't help but think of Zhuang Jin again, and sighed: "What a pity, we have different paths and cannot work together!"

As my mind gradually calmed down, half an hour passed, and I had walked quite a distance.

"Liu Changsui!"

Tao Mengran called over her attendant to prepare some tea and snacks. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain between her eyebrows, a strong warning from her martial arts intuition.

next moment.

boom!
In the violent explosion, flames shot into the sky, mixed with flying metal fragments and nails, and huge waves surged and churned endlessly.

Amidst the smoke and fire, large splashes of water cascaded down, like a torrential downpour.

Swish!
A figure landed on the wooden plank, throwing down a corpse in his hand. It was Tao Mengran. At this moment, his face was pale, the outside of one leg was a bloody mess, and there were iron pieces and nails all over his body.

It turned out that during the previous explosion, he grabbed his personal attendant and used him as a human shield to break through the ship's cabin... Even so, he was still in bad shape and had suffered serious injuries.

"Cough cough!"

Tao Mengran circulated her inner energy, forcing out the iron pieces and nails from her body amidst a series of popping sounds. Just as she was about to bandage them, she suddenly seemed to sense something and her expression changed drastically.

"Tao Gongfeng is truly lucky to be alive, but that's where it ends!"

The sharp sound seemed to come from all directions, making people feel uneasy, and then a flock of bats flew by in a flurry.

a moment.

Among a group of bats, a giant bat, five feet long, swooped down from mid-air, its wings overlapping, emitting a cross-shaped burst of energy.

Tao Mengran turned over and hid on another horizontal beam.

Swish!
Behind him, the wooden plank he had stepped on earlier was shattered into pieces, and the remaining force split the water and cut through the surface, causing it to evaporate and erode, creating a continuous drizzle.

At this moment, the giant bat swooped down and realized that the other party was not a bat, but a person, but wearing a half-exposed bat headgear and bat-wing-like things on its arms.

"It's you, Sikong Rui?!" Tao Mengran recognized him.

"Indeed, it is I, the master of this hall. Today I will use you to test my extraordinary armor, and let Elder Tao see that this is not a sure-kill technique, but a technique even better than a sure-kill technique!"

Sikong Rui let out a strange laugh, spread his arms, and rose into the air. He glided along with the bat wings, which seemed to give him a significant boost. He arrived in front of Tao Mengran at an extremely fast speed, and then his wings began to swirl.

Wow!
The bat wings were ingeniously designed, combining the man's strength, light and shadow, and airflow to form a crimson bat that pounced on Tao Mengran.

"what!"

Tao Mengran suppressed her injuries and dodged again, but she was still grazed by a powerful bat, blood and flesh splattered, and she let out a scream.

……

On the river, Sikong Rui and Tao Mengran crossed the waves, one chasing and the other fleeing.

Tao Mengran was disheveled and in a sorry state. She had already suffered serious injuries in the explosion, and now she was being chased by Sikong Rui, a peer who wore strange equipment and was at the top level among the three-meridian martial artists, no less than a three-meridian martial artist who had cultivated a killing technique.

"Hehehe, Tao Gongfeng, you can't escape! The more you struggle, the more excited I'll become!"

With a ferocious, bloodthirsty smile on his face, Sikong Rui drew blood from his opponent with each move, awaiting the final moment of the hunt.

Just as Tao Mengran was in grave danger and on the verge of losing her life—

Suddenly, a booming voice like thunder came from mid-air: "Bold Sikong Rui, stop at once!"

Sikong Rui looked in shock in the direction of the sound, and after looking around, he discovered that the extremely strong presence actually came from the sky.

Dozens of meters in the air, a wooden phoenix flew by. Zhuang Jin, dressed in white, stood on the back of the phoenix, her right hand behind her back, her clothes fluttering.

He had taken off from a ship behind him after hearing the explosion, which is why he was able to arrive at this moment.

Zhuang Jin was able to do this because after breaking through the Five Meridians Realm, he cultivated a movement technique and a deadly skill: A Glimpse of the Startling Glimpse. This 'Glimpse of the Startling Glimpse' allowed him to manipulate and change the airflow with his strength. With the help of his knowledge of fluid dynamics from his previous life, he could increase his speed by 50% in a short period of time. When applied to this wooden phoenix, he could also control its direction and fly short distances.

Swish!
Zhuang Jin controlled the wooden phoenix, swooping down towards Sikong Rui with lightning speed and overwhelming force.

"Pretend to be a ghost!"

Sikong Rui bat flapped its wings and went straight to meet the attack, with one after another crimson, powerful bats swooping down.

boom!
The wooden phoenix exploded, turning into a pile of broken wood that rolled back.

Zhuang Jin let out a soft shout, and his strength burst forth, causing a large amount of wood fragments to explode into dust. With a flick of his sleeve, the dust swirled back, carrying water and condensing into a water tornado.

Swish!
Sikong Rui spread his wings and dodged the water by spinning to the side, but was still splashed with water all over his face, looking quite disheveled.

Zhuang Jin spun in mid-air, landed gracefully on a small piece of wood, without wetting his shoes, and looked at Tao Mengran not far away: "How is Elder Tao? Is everything alright?"

"It's nothing... I... I... it's Master Zhuang!"

On the brink of life and death, in the midst of utter despair, Zhuang Jin appeared like a divine intervention. Tao Mengran's gratitude and excitement at this moment were beyond words. Looking at Zhuang Jin, her eyes were closer than if she were looking at her own father or mother, and her voice was almost choked with emotion, unable to utter a word.

'It's Zhuang Jin again, ruining my plans!' Sikong Rui was filled with hatred and chuckled, 'Wasn't it you, Zhuang Gongfeng, who betrayed this person's information, intending to use me to kill him? Now you're stopping me, what's the logic behind that?'

As he spoke, he darted forward, aiming straight for Tao Mengran.

Upon hearing this, Tao Mengran was horrified. Naturally, he didn't believe Zhuang Jin had betrayed him; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to take action and could have simply waited for him to die. However, considering his situation with Zhuang Jin, he was genuinely afraid that Zhuang Jin might use Sikong Rui to eliminate him. He immediately cried out, "Lord Zhuang, I was wrong... Save me!"

Zhuang Jin swept his foot, and the water shot out diagonally like an arrow, forcing Sikong Rui back and stopping him.

His target today is Sikong Rui. As long as he kills this man, the merit will be enough to keep his position as the county magistrate of Linji County. He doesn't really care whether Tao Mengran lives or dies.

In other words, if Tao Mengran had died, we would have been prepared and able to accept it; if she hadn't died, things would have been better.

First of all, as long as Tao Mengran isn't out of her mind, she won't dare to back down now that she's been saved. She'll repay the debt of gratitude whenever she needs it in the future.

More importantly, Zhuang Jin dared not claim that his actions were flawless. Considering the opinions of the various retainers of the Shen family and Shen Xianhong, it was best to let Tao Xinran live.

"It seems I went too easy on him last time. Today I will execute Hall Master Sikong to prove my innocence."

"You want to kill me? Then come with me!"

Sikong Rui let out a strange laugh and flew away, clearly afraid of being attacked by the two of them and being outnumbered, so he wanted to defeat them one by one.

"Master Tao is injured and has difficulty moving. Please wait here for a moment. I will go and kill this man and return shortly."

As Zhuang Jin spoke, she stepped across the water and disappeared.

……

It was another chase and escape, but this time the one chasing was Zhuang Jin, while the one fleeing was Sikong Rui.

Sikong Rui moved like a bat, occasionally landing on the water's surface, then spreading his bat wings and gliding through the air. Zhuang Jin, on the other hand, walked across the water with his hands behind his back, his speed no slower than his opponent's.

After walking two or three miles, Sikong Rui suddenly turned around, landed on a wooden plank, and floated downstream: "Zhuang Jin, you have quite the nerve, daring to chase after me alone. Today, I'll fight you to the death!"

'It's just the two of us here now!'

Zhuang Jin also landed on a wooden plank, standing opposite Sikong Rui. After surveying his surroundings, he looked at the other party seriously and said, "That's right, you are going to die today... Within three moves, it will be a fight to the death."

"Hahaha, you're so arrogant, does your father know? I'd like to see how you're going to kill me in three moves!"

Sikong Rui seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He was overjoyed and slapped his knee with his right hand. His ugly and short figure jumped left and right, almost falling into the water.

However, the smile froze on his face the next moment.

In his martial arts intuition, Zhuang Jin's aura was rapidly rising: three meridians! four meridians! five meridians!

"You, you... How is this possible?!"

Sikong Rui could no longer laugh; at this moment, only one word remained in her mind: Escape!
"First move!"

Zhuang Jin moved, and his speed at this moment was far beyond what he had seen before, leaving Sikong Rui far behind and making escape impossible.

The first strike is the poisonous triple-layered frost.

Swish!
With a single palm strike, two intertwined, light ink-colored energies transformed into two dragons, shaking their heads and wagging their tails, spiraling forward and charging towards the enemy!

"what!"

Sikong Rui stomped his foot, causing the water below to explode, and he leaped into the air like a bat, dodging the palm strike.

But just as he was falling and had no one to lean on—

"The second move."

The second palm strike is a poisonous attack using the Three-Fold Frost technique.

Compared to the previous strike, this time the pale ink-colored spiraling twin dragons were significantly thicker, piercing through the crashing water waves and carrying a crystalline, piercing force.

"Bat wings...remove!"

Sikong Rui shook his arms, and bat wings flew out to meet the two dragons. One of the bat wings, which contained pieces of steel forged hundreds of times, shattered and exploded upon impact.

"The third move."

Zhuang Jin stomped his right foot, and the water beneath his feet shook violently. His figure rose up like a flying swan, using the ultimate move of the Swift Wind Step technique – A Glimpse of a Startling Swan. In that instant, as he moved through the air, the mist and light he created became entangled and twisted together.

Swish!
The next moment, he appeared above Sikong Rui, looking down at her and pressing down with his palm. This was the third palm strike of the Three-Frost Poisoning Technique.

boom!
The three forces intertwined in mid-air, like three dragons spiraling down, colliding and merging into one, creating a lifelike black dragon that caused the surrounding water mist to freeze into frost!

"Ah, block it for me!"

Sikong Rui roared hoarsely, squeezing out all his potential. At this moment, relying solely on himself, he actually used the ultimate move of the Black Fiend Palm - Flying Bat Kill. The force twisted like crimson bats, pouncing towards Mo Long.

But how can a mantis with its bare strength stop a chariot?

One by one, the powerful bats were smashed to pieces by the black dragon shaking its head and tail, and then, without losing momentum, they pounced into Sikong Rui's chest.

In an instant, the combined light and dark energy from the black dragon sealed and extinguished all life force within the person. His body was covered as if by a layer of frost, his pupils dilated, and he collapsed.

In just three moves, the head of the Medicine King Gang's auditorium, the three meridian-opening martial artists, and Sikong Rui... died!

……

Swish!
Zhuang Jin came riding on the waves, carrying Sikong Rui's corpse back: "I've kept Tao Gongfeng waiting!"

"Where? I..."

Tao Mengran was about to say something when she saw Sikong Rui's corpse and froze: "This, this is?!"

“I chased after Sikong Rui’s corpse and killed him on the way… Before I came to the county town below, the patriarch gave me a high-grade earth-level beast hide armor for protection…”

Tao Mengran looked at Zhuang Jin's relaxed tone, as if he had just slaughtered a chicken, and felt that something was wrong. This was a three-meridian martial artist, just like him, and not only was he uninjured and in full combat strength, but he had also chased him relentlessly, leaving him with nowhere to run. And just like that...

Oh, so it's a high-grade earth-level beast hide armor, that makes sense... my foot!

Beast hide armor is primarily for protection. Even with beast hide armor, killing a martial artist of the same level is not an easy task!

"Master Zhuang, before... I was blind... I was wrong... Today... thanks to you... I am extremely grateful... I prostrate myself in gratitude..."

Tao Mengran was emotional and incoherent when she knelt down.

Well, his actions... are probably half true and half false!

On one hand, she was extremely grateful to Zhuang Jin for saving her in her utter despair; on the other hand, she was also terrified by Zhuang Jin's formidable fighting record. If Zhuang Jin could do this now, what would he be like in the future? She genuinely wanted to resolve the hatred.

'Look, he actually has to thank us!'

Zhuang Jin thought to himself, then put on a sincere smile and stopped the other person: "What are you saying, Master Tao? Let bygones be bygones, let's look forward!"

……

(End of this chapter)