Promise!

Chapter 189, Fetal Breathing

In the inner courtyard of the Shen family mansion in Fucheng, in the reception room.

"Master, the details of this matter... That day, when Master Tao was on inspection tour to my Linji County... That night, after the welcoming feast..."

Zhuang Jin truthfully recounted everything, including how he bribed Tao Mengran to request justice, how Tao Mengran sat on the wrong side of the record, and how he was advised again before leaving. He did not hide anything, only omitting his part about Bai Zhi. Later, when following the ship, he only said that he was being cautious and worried that Tao Mengran might get into trouble in his territory and be blamed for it.

"Ok!"

Shen Xianhong listened and nodded slightly. From Zhuang Jin's micro-expressions, breathing, heartbeat and so on, he could tell that these were all true words and that he was not lying. He did not investigate the slight coincidences. "If you are not deaf and dumb, you cannot be a father-in-law!"
This is also because Tao Mengran was only severely injured, not dead—the difference between being dead and alive makes a world of difference in the level of attention and investigation.

If Tao Mengran were to die, a person who is a master of the Three Meridians and also holds the position of inspector would have to thoroughly investigate the whole affair, no matter what.

In the end, even if no evidence is found, given Shen Xianhong's intelligence, he wouldn't overlook even the slightest coincidence. He would likely harbor a thorn in his side, wondering: Could Zhuang Jin be colluding... or rather, not colluding, but using the Medicine King Gang to eliminate his own people?
If so, this is a serious problem! Whatever conflicts or issues you, Zhuang Jin, have with Tao Mengran are internal matters; you're communicating with external enemies…

Such disregard for the overall situation and crossing the bottom line makes Shen Xianhong question whether his past investments were worthwhile. He might even wonder: Tao Mengran is his colleague, and they have a conflict, yet she is so ruthless. If the Shen family has a conflict of interest with Zhuang Jin in the future, will she act the same way? Is Zhuang Jin an ungrateful wretch who can't be tamed? Should he be allowed to grow up like this?
It can be said that if such a situation were to occur, it would sow a considerable rift between Zhuang Jin and Shen Xianhong, who originally had a tacit understanding and a good relationship.

But now that Tao Mengran is alive, all these problems have disappeared.

This is also why Zhuang Jin kept Tao Mengran around. Although the two had fallen out and had conflicts and grudges, they could deal with it in the future and there was no need to fight over a moment's anger.

"Patriarch, I recently killed Sikong Rui. I heard that he was the first martial artist to die in the battle between our Shen family and the Medicine King Gang. Could the Medicine King Gang possibly..." Zhuang Jin asked tentatively.

“It’s alright. I’ve said before that I’m behind you, and the entire Shen family is behind you. As long as you’re upright, I’ll always be there to support you and make decisions for you… Today, I’m going to find Shi Yong, the leader of the Medicine King Gang… This matter is over.”

Shen Xianhong noticed that Zhuang Jin still seemed worried. He paused for a moment and then said, "Shi Yong has a younger brother named Shi Jie, who is at the Seventh Meridian Breathing Realm. In addition, the Medicine King Gang has several other geniuses... If there are any conspiracies or schemes, as long as they fight within the same realm, death is due to inferior skills. If the Medicine King Gang breaks the rules, some people can die."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jin immediately understood. The Medicine King Gang was not as strong as the Shen family and had a fatal weakness. No wonder they had always been at the same level in past battles, at most just barely surpassing each other by one level, appearing hesitant and timid... It turned out that the Medicine King Gang could not afford the consequences of breaking the rules.

"That being said, the Medicine King Gang leader will be restrained, but the warriors below may not all be sober. Zhuang, please return as soon as possible after you finish your offering, so as not to provoke the hall masters of the Medicine King Gang too much."

"Yes, thank you, patriarch." Zhuang Jin had this thought in mind. The main purpose of his trip to the prefectural city was to deal with the aftermath of Sikong Rui's execution, avoid unnecessary trouble, and secure his position as the county magistrate of Linji County.

Now that Shen Xianhong has said this, his goal has been achieved, and he wants to leave as soon as possible to avoid the Medicine King Gang of Fucheng causing trouble and trapping him here.

"However, before you leave, you have done a great service and should be rewarded."

Shen Xianhong looked at Zhuang Jin and suddenly asked, "Is Elder Zhuang now at the fifth level of the Meridian Opening Realm?"

"The patriarch has keen insight." Zhuang Jin was startled, knowing that he had indeed not been deceived.

"Ok!"

Shen Xianhong nodded slightly and took out a fist-sized glass bottle containing a pure white pill. Upon opening it, a fragrant aroma immediately filled the air, refreshing the mind and soul with its mystical effects.

"This..." Zhuang Jin's expression changed slightly; this was clearly not a Meridian Opening Pill.

"The Meridian Opening Pill can help open the bottlenecks of the other six extraordinary meridians, except for the Ren and Du meridians. However, it is useless for the Ren and Du meridians. This is the Profound Penetration Pill, which can help open the bottlenecks of the Ren and Du meridians... The Profound Penetration Pill is extremely expensive to refine and requires a lot of resources. Only five pills are obtained per batch. This is one of the reasons."

If refining a Meridian Opening Pill is a huge drain on resources for the Shen family, then refining a Profound Understanding Pill is enough to cripple a powerful clan like the Shen family in the prefecture. A patriarch like Shen Xianhong, who has been in power for a hundred years, would basically only refine it once. If it weren't for the Medicine King Gang, he probably wouldn't have been able to refine it even once.

"This... Patriarch..." This time, Zhuang Jin only killed a martial artist from the Medicine King Gang who had reached the third level of the Meridian Opening Realm. Such a precious item deserves a generous reward for a small achievement.

"Take it, it's better to be prepared. Like I said, don't use this if you don't have to, try to break through on your own."

Shen Xianhong waved his hand and took out another booklet: "This is a high-level concealment technique called the Hidden Dragon Technique. When you break through the Fetal Breathing Realm and open the Heaven and Earth Bridge, you can use this technique to merge your body with the world and hide your realm, or become invisible in your martial arts intuition."

“You can try it out first, Elder Zhuang. Close your eyes and use your martial arts intuition to sense me.”

Zhuang Jin subconsciously did as instructed. Under normal circumstances, Shen Xianhong's presence was extremely strong in his martial arts intuition. Compared to a martial artist who had opened the meridians, he was like a stream to the ocean. But at this moment, in his martial arts intuition, there was nothing in front of him. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he probably would have thought there was no one there.

"With the combination of the Fetal Breathing Realm and the Hidden Dragon Technique, one can achieve this."

Shen Xianhong paused for a moment, then said, "This technique is somewhat difficult to learn, but with Zhuang Gongfeng's comprehension, it shouldn't be a problem."

"There's another point I need to remind Elder Zhuang: This technique can fool martial artists below the Innate Realm, but Innate Realm martial artists have already entered another level, and they are easily detected at close range... Use it wisely!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Zhuang Jin knew that the reason he was told to leave as soon as possible and to be given the Hidden Dragon Technique was probably because he didn't want to meet the Medicine King Gang Leader and discover that he had already reached the fifth level of the Meridian Opening Realm, which would cause trouble for the subsequent killing of Sikong Rui.

However, with both the Profound Enlightenment Pill and the Hidden Dragon Technique, it can only be said that the Shen family has indeed treated him well.

"Alright, Mr. Zhuang, you may go!" Shen Xianhong waved his hand.

Zhuang Jin bowed again, and as she turned to leave, she glanced at the screen beside her out of the corner of her eye.

……

"Madam, what do you think of Zhuang Jin?" After Zhuang Jin left, Shen Xianhong looked at the screen and asked.

"He looks alright, but for a powerful family like ours, when it comes to evaluating a son-in-law, appearance, ability, character, and temperament are secondary. The most important thing is his stance."

Madam Shen stepped out from behind the screen and expressed her concerns: "I have read Zhuang Jin's information. With such talent and such rapid breakthroughs, there is a real possibility that she will break through to the Innate Realm in the future and pose a threat to the family... We can't let our daughter remain a widow."

"In this world, there are no waves that only rise and never fall."

Shen Xianhong shook his head slightly: "Every martial artist goes through four stages: the initial momentum, the soaring flight, the plateau, and the stagnation... A martial artist's talent only determines the length of the soaring flight period." "Ordinary martial artists with some talent may break through extremely quickly at the first, second, and third meridians, but they get stuck at the fourth meridian and waste their lives; those with even better talent can maintain rapid progress at the fourth, fifth, and sixth meridians, but they get stuck at the seventh meridian; those with even greater talent get stuck at the tenth or twelfth meridian."

“Our Shen family’s Venerable Ones who have reached the Meridian Realm are all exceptionally talented. Which one of them wasn’t a prodigy back then? When it comes to Qi Condensation, they are unstoppable. They break through to the Meridian Realm in three to five years. Some of them do not stagnate after breaking through to the Meridian Realm, but they eventually stop at the fifth or sixth Meridian Realm.”

Shen Xianhong's implication was that Zhuang Jin's talent was better, but he wouldn't be an exception: "Because if you want to break through to the Innate Realm, the path you take from the very beginning is different from that of ordinary martial artists! Zhuang Jin seems to still have some chance; let's see what he chooses!"

There's one more thing he didn't mention: the Medicine King Gang is a bit strange, and if Zhuang Jinzhen makes the right choice, it could be a backup plan in case of emergency.

Madam Shen nodded slightly upon hearing this, and then said, "Even so, Zhuang Jin already has a wife, and I've heard that the two are very much in love... Would he be willing to marry her?"

"It is precisely because he has a wife that we must wait for him to complete his fetal development before promoting him to the rank of Purple Robe Attendant, and then marry our daughter off as a secondary wife to silence the gossip... But will he be willing to do so..."

Shen Xianhong smiled and said, "This Zhuang Gongfeng is a wonderful person. He won't be pretentious or anything... Besides, Yun'er, Jun'er, and Han'er are all of marriageable age, and they will surely find someone they like."

……

Having passed Shen Xianhong's test, and having personally returned and used the deterrent effect of killing Sikong Rui, Zhuang Jin silenced the dissenting voices among the officials who believed that "with great power comes great responsibility." As expected, at a small, impromptu meeting of high-level officials, he retained his position as the county magistrate of Linji County, becoming the only one of the three county magistrates selected in the first batch of pilot projects to remain in office.

Zhuang Jin need not worry about how the county governors of Qinghe County, Wanliu County, and Yuyang County, which were dismissed in this investigation, would be distributed among the various factions. After confirming his continued tenure, he secretly and discreetly returned home that same day.

Upon returning to Linji County, Chen Yun greeted him, Teng Yuansong celebrated his victory, and the people were overjoyed—needless to say.

After this incident, Zhuang Jin returned to his peaceful cultivation days. With the help of Fu Shousong, he was able to obtain a stable supply of beast tendon ointment and also had a prescription to accelerate the accumulation of realm. With the two combined, his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. In his spare time, he would give Chen Yun some pointers and travel around to enjoy the scenery.

Time flies, and half a year has passed in the blink of an eye. It is now autumn of the fifty-second year of the Qian Yuan era.

……

October 21st.

"I've finally completed the accumulation of the Six Meridians Realm. Next, I'll begin cultivating the Ren and Du Meridians!"

Zhuang Jin had already broken through to the sixth meridian realm in late June. Now, the accumulation of the sixth meridian, Yin Qiao Meridian, is complete, and he is about to break through to the seventh meridian, Ren Meridian, and enter the realm of fetal breathing.

The Ren meridian runs along the midline of the abdomen, intersecting with the three Yin meridians of the hands and feet, as well as the Yin Wei meridian. It governs all the Yin of the body and is the sea of ​​Yin meridians.

Zhuang Jin recalled this information, closed his eyes, and directed his internal energy towards the Ren meridian.

Without any ripples or waves, the internal energy naturally enters the Ren meridian.

At that moment, he suddenly felt as if he were a fetus, and the Ren meridian, which had been opened, was like an umbilical cord, connecting heaven and earth, the mother body.

hum!
With the help of the Ren meridian, or rather, this bridge connecting heaven and earth, the primordial energy of heaven and earth surges in, flowing into the body and transforming into a vast and powerful internal energy.

Zhuang Jin knew that the most critical moment had arrived, and dared not slacken in the slightest. He controlled his internal energy and repeatedly circulated it according to the Black Fiend Skill's meditation method, circulating it through the twelve regular meridians and the seven meridians of Chong, Dai, Yangwei, Yinwei, Yangqiao, Yinqiao, and Ren, clearing and digesting it.

Internal energy flows like water, and meridians flow like channels.

In other words, before opening the Ren meridian, the other six of the eight extraordinary meridians were opened first, strengthening the connection between the twelve regular meridians to the extreme, making them a unified whole. Only in this way could the violently increasing internal energy be restrained, allowing it to continuously leap in the cycle, becoming more and more pure and refined, rather than ending up with qi deviation, body explosion and death.

During this process, breathing slows down, becoming as faint as a fetus, almost imperceptible, with impurities constantly precipitating from the surface of the body.

After a full cup of tea's time.

When Zhuang Jin woke up and opened her eyes, she felt warm all over, as if she were soaking in a hot spring. With a gentle tremor, the impurities that had been extracted from her body turned into powder and fell off, making her look brand new. Her skin seemed to have a hazy halo.

'No wonder the Ren and Du meridians of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians are separated into their own realms. The changes in the Fetal Breathing Realm are indeed enormous. This realm is, in fact, a continuous process of transforming tendons and marrow.'

Zhuang Jin suddenly understood.

He stood up and carefully experienced the changes after the breakthrough. His internal energy had increased dramatically compared to when he opened the six meridians, and its level of refinement was beyond that of a whole level.

'Not just output, but also battery life!'

"Opening the Ren Meridian connects the bridge between heaven and earth, and the recovery of internal energy is far superior to that of the Meridian Opening Realm. It's no wonder that only the Seven Meridians Embryonic Breathing Realm can support the third level of martial arts perfection."

Zhuang Jin thought of this and shook his head slightly: 'The third level of martial arts perfection—carrying on the past and opening up the future—I've estimated that at my pace, it might not even take a year and a half to accumulate enough proficiency. This accumulation is far too long. No wonder that among martial artists in the Nascent Soul realm, those who reach this level are one in ten thousand.'

'I've also come to understand a flaw in my talent: I'm not afraid of bottlenecks or difficulties, but rather the long period of accumulation before reaching those bottlenecks!'

"It's not just martial arts techniques; even martial arts realms are starting to show this trend. Currently, I'm using a formula to accelerate realm accumulation and expensive beast tendon ointment. Only with both can I break through at the speed of one meridian every four months—that's the Meridian Opening Realm. Now that I've reached the Fetal Breathing Realm, the accumulation of the Ren and Du meridians will take even longer. I estimate that accumulating one meridian will probably take five or six months… and the subsequent Innate Realm will likely take even longer."

'However, these are matters for the future, and there's no need to worry about them now. Let's return to the realm of embryonic breathing,'

Zhuang Jin tried to strike out with his palm, his internal energy leaving his body and transforming into force. Unlike the harmonious blend of light and dark, and the perfect balance of primordial energy when he was in the Meridian Opening Realm, this force was filled with a sharp and explosive feeling: "No wonder some people call the force of martial artists in the Fetal Breathing Realm '罡劲' (Gang Jin)."

'The power in this state is amplified in its lethality, but it seems to be unstable, as if it's in a transitional phase... Yes, the Fetal Breathing Realm, the acquired reversal of the innate, is indeed a transitional phase from the Great Realm of Breath Accumulation to the Great Realm of Innate Qi. The internal breath is transforming towards innate true qi, which is why this property appears!'

Besides, the enhanced martial arts intuition goes without saying, and also, the Hidden Dragon Technique can now be learned!

Zhuang Jin took out this advanced concealment technique, his eyes burning with fervor: "Martial intuition actually has its advantages and disadvantages. Among those of the same realm, it's like having a short-distance two-way map. But once I master this technique, it will be like I'm opening the map unilaterally... Whether it's concealing my realm in daily life or launching a sneak attack in battle, the benefits are self-evident!"

……

(End of this chapter)