Promise!

Chapter 188, a sensation

Not long after, the following boats caught up, and Zhuang Jin and Tao Mengran returned to their boat.

“Yesterday, Tao Gongfeng did not accept my arrangements. I thought that the Medicine King Gang was cunning and might not let this opportunity pass. I was afraid that something might happen and there would be an accident... So today I took a boat and followed behind, thinking of sending him out of Linji territory. I rushed here after hearing the explosion.”

"I see. It's all thanks to Master Zhuang's thoughtful consideration that my life was saved!"

While grateful, Tao Mengran secretly admired Zhuang Jin's caution.

In his opinion, if Zhuang Jin really wanted to kill him, he could have done it through a proxy earlier; there was no need for all this roundabout stuff. Facts speak louder than words.

Therefore, even if there are some coincidences, they are unwilling to investigate them in detail, especially after just experiencing life and death. They are very open-minded and know that sometimes it is good to be confused.

After agreeing with Zhuang Jin's statement, Tao Mengran earnestly invited him to return to the prefectural city together: "Lord Zhuang has rendered a great service by killing Sikong Rui, and he will surely be richly rewarded. Moreover, this is the first Meridian Opening martial artist to die since our Shen family began fighting against the Medicine King Gang, and there may be follow-ups..."

Besides that, he was mostly acting out of self-interest. Once bitten, twice shy, he was afraid of even a rope for the next ten years, all for his own safety.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. So I’ll respectfully comply and travel with Master Tao from now on.”

Zhuang Jin readily agreed.

He had been prepared and planned to go back. Besides the reasons the other party mentioned, it was also to avoid some unnecessary trouble. He had also secretly told Chen Yun before leaving, but at this moment he was just pretending to let his attendant Yue Song go back to Linji County to deliver the message.

……

Inside the ship's cabin.

After bandaging her injuries, Tao Mengran sat down at her desk and rewrote the inspection report. The previous report had been reduced to dust in the explosion, so it naturally needed to be rewritten.

Among the twelve regular meridians and eight extraordinary meridians, many acupoints are related to the brain. Compared with ordinary people, martial artists who can open meridians can be said to have extensive knowledge and strong memory. Therefore, it is not difficult for them to restore the facts even if they do not make a single mistake. The reports from the other five counties have not changed much. Only Linji County has changed its previous subtle writing style and this time it has used extremely flattering words.

Tao Mengran knew that with the merit of killing Sikong Rui, Zhuang Jin's position as the county magistrate of Linji County was secure and a sure thing. Even if the previous report was submitted and various forces supported him, it would be useless. Not only would he not be able to take down Zhuang Jin, but he would also be known as an ingrate.

He wasn't stupid, so he naturally changed his writing style. Then, as he wrote, he remembered Zhuang Jin's suggestion from the beginning.

'Sigh, if only I had agreed back then! With the 800,000 taels of silver, and the subsequent journey on the ships arranged by Master Zhuang, the Medicine King Gang wouldn't have had a chance to exploit the situation, and we wouldn't be in this mess today!'

The more Tao Mengran thought about it, the more regretful she became, feeling she had made a foolish mistake: 'Now look what's happened! I've faced so much danger for nothing, ended up seriously injured, and still haven't gotten the position of county magistrate… It's all been for nothing!'

Snapped!
Thinking of the 800,000 taels of silver he had missed, he couldn't help but slap himself: "If only I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place? Why did I do this?"

Zhuang Jin entered just in time to witness this scene: "Master Tao... uh, is my arrival at the wrong time?"

"No, it's the perfect time... I'm repenting for the mistakes I've made... Yes, repenting! Take a look at this newly written inspection report, Master Zhuang, and I'll revise it if you have any comments."

"Why is this so embarrassing?"

Despite his words, Zhuang Jin reluctantly watched the video amidst the other party's enthusiastic invitation, exclaiming, "That's too much, too kind!"

“I understand what you mean, Master Zhuang. Your apparent loyalty is so convincing that it almost seems fake. But it doesn’t matter. I guarantee with my life that there’s no deception. If any of you masters have any objections, I’ll take you there to see for yourselves!”

"Very well, let it be then. I came here on another matter..."

……

Zhuang Jin and Tao Mengran considered that Sikong Rui had bypassed the Shen family's surveillance and launched an attack, so the Medicine King Gang might have some kind of conspiracy, such as causing trouble in the prefectural city. When the fleet passed the next stronghold, they sent an urgent message to the Shen family by carrier pigeon to warn them.

As a result, news of Tao Mengran's attack and serious injury, and Zhuang Jin's counterattack and killing of Sikong Rui, reached back first, causing a great uproar in the prefectural city.

……

At this time of year, it is the end of the month, and the Shen family's main force of martial artists are frequently coming and going. There is no need to hide the news of such a great victory, and it spreads very quickly after it was announced.

"Boss, something big has happened! That Lord Zhuang behind you is no ordinary person. This time, he killed a leader of the Medicine King Gang!"

"Oh? Tell me more about it!"

Qian Wende grabbed his subordinate's wrist and quickly asked, after hearing the embellished and increasingly distorted version of the story, he exclaimed, "Brother Zhuang, you're getting more and more impressive!"

As he was speaking, he suddenly saw Lin Hong and Bi Kai discussing what had happened, so he quickly went up to greet them warmly. Watching the two leave, his expression was complicated.

Two years have passed, and Qian Wende is still a fourth-level scholar, while Lin Hong and Bi Kai are now an eighth-level scholar and a seventh-level scholar, respectively.

Not to mention Lin Hong, who was the second person in the dormitory to break through to the fourth level of the Classics after Zhuang Jin, but Bi Kai... Thinking back to when he broke through to the fourth level, Bi Kai failed and was still at the third level. Now, the other party has surpassed him by several levels.

Why is that? Isn't it all because of Zhuang Jin's connections? He's in a privileged position, having access to resources like the Shuluo Pill and even the Shuluo Elixir!

As Qian Wende pondered these thoughts, a idea suddenly occurred to him: 'When a great tree grows tall and strong, the vines clinging to it will also be carried to heights they could never reach on their own.'

This was originally his idea, but now it has been perfectly realized by Lin Hong, Bi Kai and others, while he himself... because of a moment of confusion along the way, ultimately failed to seize this tremendous opportunity.

In truth, even after the events in the east of the city, Qian Wende still basked in Zhuang Jin's glory. For example, he was still able to enjoy peace in the north of the city and was not transferred to the fiercely contested south of the city because of Zhuang Jin.

Yes, Zhuang Jin and Qian Wende have severed all ties, and those with connections know this. But they're also afraid. What if Zhuang Jin suddenly remembers and asks Qian Wende, "What? Transferred to the south of the city... dead? Who transferred him? Who carried out the order? Won't they be implicated? He's just a fourth-level martial artist; it's not worth it!"
All I can say is that at Zhuang Jin's current level, even without instructions, his subordinates will spontaneously try to understand his thoughts and consider his needs. Even marginal figures like Qian Wende, who have severed ties with his former comrades, will still be illuminated by a glimmer of light, changing their fate.

……

The inner courtyard of the Shen family.

Shen Xuchen emerged from his seclusion, his aura radiating brilliance, clearly indicating significant progress in his martial arts cultivation.

"Congratulations, young master, on another breakthrough," the servant said.

"Hmm!" Shen Xuchen nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction on his face. He had now reached the perfection of the Twelve Meridians of Qi Condensation. He had broken through the extremely difficult bottleneck of the Eleventh to Twelfth Meridian realm on his own, and he was indeed quite proud of himself.

'I'm only one stage away from reaching my goal of opening the meridians; then I'll be able to catch up...'

At this moment, the servant thought for a moment, and considering that his young master might be interested in this matter because of his relationship with Zhuang Jin, he told him the latest news about Zhuang Jin.

"What?! Brother Zhuang broke through to the third meridian realm and killed Sikong Rui, the hall master of the Medicine King Gang?!"

Shen Xuchen was shocked and it took him a while to recover. The smugness in his heart had long since vanished. He smiled bitterly and sighed, "Back then, I was at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, while Brother Zhuang had opened one meridian. Now I am at the twelfth level of Qi Condensation, while Brother Zhuang has opened three meridians... It seems like we've narrowed down by one level, but the path of martial arts becomes more and more difficult. In fact, the gap is getting bigger and bigger!"

"It's only because Brother Zhuang is in Linji and not here that I'm afraid, given my temperament, after seeing so much, I probably wouldn't be able to resist... Wait, Brother Zhuang, is this exactly what you were thinking, which is why you volunteered to go down to the county seat?"

"Alas, whether it's talent and aptitude, or worldly wisdom and the subtle grasp of human nature, Brother Zhuang is truly top-notch!"

He sighed, a sense of admiration and respect for Zhuang Jin welling up within him.

……

Both are located in the inner courtyard.

In a side room of Ninth Young Master Shen Xuqing's courtyard, Ni Ying, having heard the latest news about Zhuang Jin, looked at her growing belly and smiled gently: "You've really caught the right wave; you're a lucky one!"

Long before Zhuang Jin asked Shen Xuqing's wife to act as a go-between and introduce Teng Yuansong, she had reconciled with that wife, and her life became much better. After the wife gave birth to a son, her jealousy lessened, and she was allowed to get pregnant again. Now she is pregnant again.

The news of Zhuang Jin's growing prominence is also a great help, enabling the child to be born more safely.

It's clear that the person I gave up on back then is now benefiting from my misfortune time and time again. How can anyone explain this?
"I'm not as good as Sister Yun!"

Thinking back to what happened back then, it was only four or five years ago, but it felt like half a lifetime had passed. She sighed softly, shaking her head slightly, letting go of all the lingering resentment in her heart. She simply lowered her head, gently stroking her belly, her eyes full of longing: "Whether it's a boy or a girl, Mother only hopes that you will be born safely and grow up safely."

……

Medicine King Gang, West City Headquarters.

As early as the night before the attack on Tao Mengran, when the plan was being made, Sikong Rui sent back a message instructing the Medicine King Gang to prepare. He planned to take advantage of the chaos and distraction caused by news of his successful ambush of Tao Mengran.

Today, with the estimated news arriving soon, Shi Yong, the leader of the Medicine King Gang, summoned the heads of all the halls to conduct a final check and issue the order to take action.

"quiet!"

The man sitting at the head of the table, with thick eyebrows, a straight nose, broad shoulders, and a wide waist, exuded a fierce and rugged air, as well as an imposing and domineering presence. He was none other than Shi Yong, the leader of the Medicine King Gang. At this moment, his words silenced the crowd, and he calmly and methodically ordered his troops to be deployed.

"Reporting, Boss, urgent news!"

At this moment, a martial artist entered and presented the intelligence.

"Um?!"

Shi Yong's tiger-like eyes swept across the room, his face instantly turning gloomy. He slammed his hand on the table, shattering the long, narrow table—seven feet wide and three zhang long—into pieces: "Today's operation... canceled. Meeting adjourned!"

"This... Chief, why is this? The plan was perfect..." After exchanging glances and searching among the hall masters, it was finally Xie Feilong, the hall master of the Battle Hall, who spoke up.

"Because the preconditions were no longer met, the ambush by Master Sikong failed. Although he severely injured the inspector Tao Mengran with two thousand catties of gunpowder, Zhuang Jin, the garrison commander of Linji County, arrived in anticipation... In the end, he killed Master Sikong with his superior-grade beast hide armor!"

Upon hearing the news, the various hall masters were shocked, but they also understood why their leaders had been so angry. It turned out that not only had the ambush failed, but even the hall master of the ritual hall, Sikong Rui, a martial artist with three meridians, had died.

It should be noted that the entire Medicine King Gang previously had only nine cultivators who had reached the Meridian Opening stage, and now there are only ten. The death of one of them, even if it doesn't cause serious injury, is a major loss, which has caused much discussion.

"Revenge! We must get revenge! Avenge Master Sikong! Our Medicine King Gang doesn't have two martial artists of the third lineage, so why not send out martial artists who are one, two, or even three lineages stronger to take revenge on Zhuang Jin and kill him?"

"This matter should be considered carefully. After all, we were the ones who plotted against the Shen family first, and the Shen family was only retaliating passively. We can't just not let them fight back, can we? It's also an action between people of the same realm... If we break the rules first, it will not only make us seem like we can't play the game, but we will also inevitably suffer retaliation, and in the end, everyone will be in danger."

"That makes sense. The Shen family is different from others. We still need to follow the rules when dealing with the Shen family."

……

"Let's put the talk of revenge aside for now and go!" Shi Yong waved his hand, dismissing everyone.

As these hall masters and deputy hall masters departed, news spread that the leader of the Medicine King Gang, upon hearing of Sikong Rui's death, was so enraged that he smashed the main hall table with a single blow, becoming a popular topic of conversation.

What the outside world didn't know was that after everyone left, the angry look on Shi Yong's face instantly returned to calm, his face as still as a deep well, leaving no one knowing what he was thinking.

……

On the second day of the fifth month, Zhuang Jin and Tao Mengran returned to the prefectural city. The news of their killing of Sikong Rui had already spread in the past two days, and now that the main figure had returned, the already enthusiastic atmosphere was pushed to a new climax.

Close confidants such as Lin Hong, Bi Kai, and Duan Tao, as well as colleagues such as Fu Shousong, Zhong Yi, and Qiu Yizhi, who had been dismissed and returned, flocked to the scene in an endless stream.

Through them, Zhuang Jin learned a little about the situation in the prefecture city and found out that things had indeed blown up. A martial artist with three meridians was considered above average among the elders and hall masters of the Shen family and the Medicine King Gang. The death of Sikong Rui naturally caused quite a stir. Today, the family head Shen Xianhong and the Medicine King Gang leader Shi Yong met to discuss the matter.

I also learned from conversations with Fu Shousong that before he returned, there were some voices in the offering room saying that "with great power comes great responsibility, and with such strength, it is just right to transfer Zhuang back."

However, with Zhuang Jin's personal return and the immense deterrent effect, such voices immediately disappeared.

Even those who are powerful figures in the martial arts world are now reluctant to offend Zhuang Jin, especially when their interests are not significantly involved... Tao Mengran was promoted to the position of Inspector and asked to take three more county garrison commander positions outside of Qinghe County to share. However, one of the positions was for himself. Tao Mengran took two, which was enough to satisfy the various factions of the worshippers, so it was considered that his interests were not affected.

After learning about this information, Zhuang Jin soon found out that the family head, Shen Xianhong, had finished his meeting with the leader of the Medicine King Gang and had returned. He immediately went to pay his respects.

……

(End of this chapter)