Promise!

Chapter 206, The Great Void

Ruan Yongqi was led to the inner courtyard. If the outer courtyard was luxurious, then the inner courtyard was terrifying.

It is now the fifteenth of August, and in the inner courtyard, the fruit trees are full of peaches and plums, with pink and bright red flowers blooming on the branches; some fruit trees are also laden with melons and fruits, which are red and tempting, and every table is under the trellis full of grapes; there are also maple trees, whose maple leaves are like fire, as if the garden is full of red makeup; and there are also wintersweet trees, which are white and fragrant.

It's as if all the different seasons have come together!
Ruan Yongqi was so shocked that he felt dizzy, as if he were in a dream world. It took him a while to come back to his senses. He was curious and wanted to ask about it.

As far as he could see, there were at least ten martial arts masters dressed in white robes with four stripes on their shoulders. He knew that these were extremely powerful martial arts masters. Dealing with an ordinary person like himself would be no more difficult than crushing an ant. Among the other government officials, the lowest level he recognized was the Grand Prison Master. He even saw the Prefectural Magistrate and the Assistant Magistrate.

Previously, Ruan Yongqi dared to exchange pleasantries and name cards with those from the Foreign Languages ​​Department, but with these people, the difference in status was too great, and he didn't dare to speak at all.

He felt a little hungry, found a place to sit down, carefully held the jade chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat on the table. He didn't know what kind of meat it was, but it tasted very good. After one bite, he felt full, and his whole body felt warm until his cheeks were hot and burning.

"Brother, you probably don't practice martial arts. This is the meat of a strange beast at the Yi Jin level. It will be digested slowly after eating, and your blood and qi will be too active. You might as well drink some wine to calm down."

Upon seeing this, Bi Kai smiled and explained, "These fruit wines are rich in the vital energy of heaven and earth, which can neutralize and resolve imbalances."

Following Bi Kai's advice, Ruan Yongqi took a sip of the wine and found it to be exceptionally refreshing and invigorating. After drinking it, he felt refreshed and invigorated.

Later, during the conversation, it was learned that the trees in the garden were recently planted and cultivated with a substance called "Qingyuan Liquid," which, according to the other party, was extremely extravagant.

Just then, a commotion arose: "They're here! The two young ladies are here!"

Ruan Yongqi stood up and looked over, but even on tiptoe, he could only see a woman on the far side. She had dark eyebrows, looked back with a focused gaze, her hair was tied up, and her delicate face had soft features.

He was momentarily stunned, feeling that this was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, possessing an indescribable charm. But then he learned that this wasn't Miss Mu, but merely a dowry maid. He couldn't help but think: 'Then what must the two young ladies who are the main guests today look like? They must truly be like celestial beings!'

All that can be said is that what Ruan Yongqi saw and heard today has caused him an indescribable shock and a great shock. To put it simply: How could a child know such a grand feast?! Or, it is like an ordinary person looking through a skylight at life in the heavens.

'Can a person's status really reach such a level? A true man should be like this!' Ruan Yongqi sighed inwardly, unable to recover for a long time.

……

This grand initiation ceremony, and the marriage of two equal wives, were indeed magnificent, but Zhuang Jin remained calm and composed.

All I can say is that the first time in life is the most precious. My marriage to Chen Yun back then was incomparably simple compared to today's, yet it was unforgettable. No matter what happens the second time, it will never feel the same.

Furthermore, Zhuang Jin and Chen Yun's marriage was a free choice, a mutual decision. This time, however, it's more of a political marriage. He's not marrying a person, but rather the identities of the two women. Even if it were someone else in this position, he would still marry them, so there's not much to expect.

People who maintain a calm and composed mindset often reap unexpected surprises.

First, there's the dowry—gold, silver, houses, land, and all sorts of things. The Shen and Mu families were vying for it, and it was extremely generous, which goes without saying. What's worth mentioning are two things that are of great help to Zhuang Jin now.

The Shen family, Shen Xianhong kept his promise and gave them a natural sword technique called "Tai Xu Sword Art". This sword technique is unpredictable and elusive. It is said that when it reaches a certain level, the sword light can be split.

The Mu family, under Mu Yuantu's command, gave him a divine weapon, the Azure Lotus Sword. The forging of this Azure Lotus Sword used various rare materials such as refined gold. When the sword is drawn, it can conjure a blue lotus light and shadow.

Mu Yuantu uses a knife and has no use for this sword, while Shen Xianhong uses a sword and is extremely fond of it. He has repeatedly asked to exchange it, but Mu Yuantu has never agreed. Now it has been given to Zhuang Jin as part of her dowry, which has made Shen Xianhong sigh several times.

Then there were two concubines.

Shen Xujun, as Chen Yun said, is indeed a talented woman, generous and poised, with impeccable manners, and possessing both beauty and talent.

On Mu Qing's side, she had thought that Mu Yuantu, being so rugged, wouldn't have a very pretty daughter. However, she was surprised to find that her appearance was even better than Shen Xujun's. Her aura, as cold and pure as ice, was even more striking. This made Zhuang Jin secretly sigh that this concubine must have taken after her mother.

Furthermore, Zhuang Jin met Yu Qingjun, who was part of his dowry, here. Zhuang Jin knew and understood Yu Qingjun, and recognized her good character. With Yu Qingjun's reputation as a guarantee, he became even more interested in this second wife.

During their conversation, Zhuang Jin discovered that in addition to her appearance and temperament, Mu Qing was even more outstanding in her intelligence. Her wide range of knowledge, including music, chess, calligraphy, painting, astronomy, geography, divination, and mechanics, was astonishing. Her sharp thinking and insights on many issues amazed Zhuang Jin. However, Zhuang Jin was also saddened to hear Mu Qing's candid confession that she was born weak and had a cold constitution, making it difficult for her to have children.

In short, both of his concubines gave Zhuang Jin unexpected surprises.

However, tonight is not the time for further conversation or understanding. A moment of passion is worth a thousand pieces of gold. After the red waves of passion were stirred, nothing was said all night, so there is no need to go into details.

……

Married life was quite interesting. Shen Xujun came from a prominent family, was knowledgeable and witty, and had the added advantage of being a talented woman... As for Mu Qing, in Zhuang Jin's aesthetic eyes, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Although she was born with a weak constitution, it only added to her charm. When placed next to Yu Qingjun...

Both sides have their own strengths and weaknesses.

However, the person Zhuang Jin trusted and felt most at ease with was still Chen Yun.

Having married two equal wives made the household much more lively. They didn't suddenly become as close as sisters just because they shared a husband. They were all harmonious and had some "palace intrigue," but none of them challenged Chen Yun. They showed enough respect for each other. Perhaps this was a prelude to the confrontation between the Shen and Mu families, a "battle" between Shen Xujun and Mu Qing.

Shen Xujun usually initiates conversations and subtly probes the enemy. The subtle hints in her words are often undetectable to the average person, and one could easily fall into a trap. However, she chose the wrong opponent when facing Mu Qing. The latter only used a fraction of her attention to block the conversation and tease Shen Xujun into making a fool of herself.

Shen Xujun felt she had met her match, suffering repeated defeats, yet she never gave up. This 'love-hate relationship' had become a daily occurrence at home.

However, both women were intelligent and knew how to keep their palace intrigue within limits, so that Zhuang Jin wouldn't be displeased. Instead, he experienced some of the pleasures of being an ancient emperor.

As for Shen Xujun and Mu Qing, they were actually quite pleasantly surprised after their marriage. Zhuang Jin was gentle and respectful to them, and the home environment was also relaxed, which gave them a sense of satisfaction beyond their expectations.

Time passed quickly by in this process of management and adjustment, and more than a month went by in a flash.

……

That day, Lin Hong came over and reported on everyone's assignments: "Ping Shi has been appointed as the Deputy Director of the General Affairs Department, and I have followed him into the General Affairs Department. Bi Kai is in the Law Enforcement Department, also serving as a section chief. Wu Hao is still in the north of the city. Xue Yandao and Duan Tao, both martial arts masters, are in the east and south of the city, respectively. Pan Ziming and Du Yunqi are in the medicinal herb fields outside the city..."

These trusted subordinates of Zhuang Jin were deeply entrenched and occupied key positions throughout the Shen family, already forming the rudiments of a faction.

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Ping Yongfeng has indeed broken through the Meridian Opening Realm, advanced to the rank of Attendant, and become the Deputy Director of the General Affairs Department.

The cost was that he used three Meridian Opening Pills, a resource that was quite painful for Zhuang Jin, a Xiantian martial artist. Moreover, a person at the first stage of the Meridian Opening Realm could be killed with a single slap by him... This cost-effectiveness was extremely low.

But many things in this world cannot be judged solely by cost-effectiveness. Right now, Zhuang Jin only has one and a half people he can trust. Chen Yun is one, and Ping Yongfeng is half... Ping Yongfeng is also a powerful figurehead...

Whether from an emotional or pragmatic perspective, the other party is worthy of it.

This understanding was mutual. Ping Yongfeng didn't want to drag Zhuang Jin down, but Zhuang Jin argued that "there's a gap in our group's faction below him, and we need a representative of the esteemed level," which is why Ping Yongfeng agreed. The two also agreed not to pile resources on each other anymore. After saying all this, Lin Hong talked about the recent movements of the lower and middle levels of the Shen family, and brought up another matter: "Brother Zhuang, did you know? Our Shen family has stopped recruiting martial arts students."

"That's...not surprising."

Zhuang Jin understood that with the war over and the situation in the prefectural city becoming clearer, the Shen family's recruitment of martial arts students would be entirely beneficial, and naturally countless people would flock to it.

As for the Shen family, due to the previous depletion of their resources with the Medicine King Gang, their number of martial artists had dropped to an all-time low. They could still manage to maintain operations in various places, albeit barely. At the same time, with fewer people and more opportunities, everyone was doing well and naturally did not want any competitors to emerge.

Lin Hong's expression was complicated: "This proposal was not put forward by us, nor by other worshipping forces, or the middle and upper levels. After all, even if we continue to recruit martial artists now, it won't affect us for a while... It was the martial artists of the first, second, and third classics who jointly petitioned for this."

The rise of the Medicine King Gang threatened the Shen family's position, leading to a war between the two sides. Both sides needed cannon fodder and consumables, and the Shen family also needed to rejuvenate its members. For various reasons, both families began to recruit martial arts students, providing a rare opportunity for upward mobility. Zhuang Jin, Lin Hong, and others were among those who benefited from this.

Now, with the situation stabilizing, this brief window of opportunity for upward movement... has closed!

In the future, things will inevitably return to what they were before, like before the rise of the Medicine King Gang, where even if a small number of martial arts students are recruited, it will be through internal recommendations.

Zhuang Jin sensed the complex emotions in Lin Hong's tone, a sense of "we are all from the same root, why are we fighting each other so fiercely?", but said nothing.

Because human nature has always been like this: those who climb up first and become superior to others will not inspire those who follow; they will only try to block the path they have already taken.

……

After Lin Hong left, Zhuang Jin came to the backyard, where Chen Yun, Shen Xujun, Mu Qing, and Yu Qingjun were sitting together talking.

More accurately, it was Chen Yun, Shen Xujun, and Mu Qing who were talking, while Yu Qingjun was just kneeling and making tea. This woman, who was of a quiet and indifferent nature, was even more silent than Chen Yun when she first married into the family, and she rarely spoke on her own initiative.

The three women started by talking about the fruits and melons cultivated with Qingyuan Liquid, which were rich in the primordial energy of heaven and earth. They then talked about the Qingyuan Pot, the root of the rise of the Medicine King Gang, the broken mid-grade Qingyuan Pot, and the reason for its breakage.

"It is said that six hundred years ago, a relic of an immortal appeared in the neighboring Donghu Prefecture. The treasure hidden within was not a low-grade Qingyuan Pot, but a mid-grade one... This attracted countless experts to fight over it. During the battle, the pot was broken, and later it was acquired by Chu Yun, who used it as the foundation to establish the Iron Fist Society... Later, he was sought after for revenge..."

Shen Xujun recounted these things as if they were her own treasures, and commented: "Although the Qingyuan Pot is a rare treasure for cultivating medicinal herbs, it was also made by immortals, so it is extraordinary. Ordinary people cannot damage it. Even those below the Innate Realm, or ordinary Innate Realm experts, would find it difficult to harm it."

"Although the Qingyuan Pot was crafted by immortals, it is ultimately an auxiliary treasure for cultivating medicinal herbs, not a treasure for attack or defense. Therefore, it is not indestructible. It is said that even the power above the Innate True Qi Realm can damage or even shatter it."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Mu Qing, as if to say, 'I know and you know all this. I've said it first, so what else do you have to say?'

“What Sister Jun said is mostly correct, but there are some slight discrepancies.”

When Shen Xujun made her move, Mu Qing naturally wouldn't refuse. She said slowly and deliberately, "Immortals possess the power to change the world and are unpredictable. The Qingyuan Pot is just an auxiliary treasure. If you really want to refine it to be indestructible, is it impossible? Perhaps it wouldn't be too difficult."

"But why did the immortals define it as indestructible below the Innate Realm, but capable of being damaged above the Innate True Qi Realm?"

She shared her opinion: "Those below the Innate Realm are difficult to destroy, so they can be passed down through generations; those above the Innate True Qi Realm can be damaged, which is the mercy of the immortals, considering certain situations, they can perish together... But the number of Qingyuan Pots is fixed, and destroying one means one less."

In certain situations, such as the current rigid class structure in the Great Qian Dynasty, where powerful clans, aristocratic families, and wealthy households control extraordinary power, the immortals probably did not want to see this happen when they passed on their teachings.

Zhuang Jin was used to this kind of bickering, and when she heard it now, she suddenly laughed.

"Why is my husband laughing?" The women all looked over, and Chen Yun, as their representative, asked.

"Often, people complicate simple things. According to records, eight hundred years ago, that immortal crafted nine superior-grade Qingyuan Pots, seventy-two mid-grade ones, and two hundred and fifty-six inferior ones in one go, totaling more than three hundred pieces. Perhaps he didn't even think about all that, but he just crafted them like that."

Zhuang Jin paused for a moment, then said, "If these thoughts were told to that immortal across time, the immortal would probably suddenly realize: Oh, so that's what I was thinking when I was refining the treasure!"

As he finished speaking, the women all laughed. It can only be said that they were all beautiful, and their smiles were also very attractive. Each of them had their own unique charm, making them a delight to behold.

Even Yu Qingjun just smiled faintly. This was the first time Zhuang Jin had ever seen her smile, so he couldn't help but take a second look.

"The Qingyuan Pot is a fine treasure, and the fruits cultivated here are also excellent, but at this time of year, I still miss the perch from Linji County."

"The county town below... To be honest, although I am a young lady of the Shen family, I have lived in the prefectural city since I was a child and have never been out to see it!"

"I did follow my father as he served as an official, moving from place to place, but I was mostly confined to a small courtyard. The beautiful scenery I had only seen in books."

As Mu Qing spoke, she looked at Zhuang Jin and said, "Considering the pros and cons, my husband should not stay in the prefectural city for too long. Why don't you take us to the county towns below, so as to fulfill the wishes of Sister Yun and Sister Jun?"

Zhuang Jin understood what Mu Qing meant: "Distance makes things better than proximity." Living in the prefectural city, over time, it would be difficult to avoid getting involved with the Shen and Mu families and losing her aloof status. If she went to the county town, this problem would be avoided, and she could focus on her cultivation.

With his talent, it's only a matter of time before he surpasses Shen Xianhong and Mu Yuantu. In the county town below, this kind of stimulation can be reduced.

In addition, the immortal traveled throughout the nine provinces, leaving his footprints in the seven counties of southern Yunnan. In his spare time from cultivation, he would travel around and enjoy the scenery, and who knows, he might stumble upon some relics by chance.

"good!"

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly: "What Qing'er said coincides with what I said... When the autumn wind blows, the perch are fat, and I also miss them a bit."

……

When Shen Xianhong received Zhuang Jin's letter, he learned that when they left, Zhuang Jin and his party had already boarded the ship in a small entourage.

The letter stated that the author would be taking his family to various counties to cultivate and enjoy sightseeing, and that he might not return for many years, hoping for their understanding... He requested that the cultivation resources be sent to Linji County...

"Zhuangzi's wisdom is fully revealed in his actions, whether advancing or retreating!"

Shen Xianhong sighed and gave the order: "From today onwards, the position of permanent inspector shall be held by the Supreme Elder... The Supreme Elder shall be regarded as the head of the household. He shall be free to mobilize the resources of the wealthy households in each county. If anyone disobeys or breaks the law, he may be executed first and reported later!"

……

"My son-in-law is shrewd!"

Mu Yuantu sighed in agreement and then relayed the order: "Inform all county offices that my son-in-law should do his best to cooperate if needed, and there must be no mistakes."

……

(End of this chapter)