Promise!

Chapter 223, Rejection

Cangzhou City, Teng Family.

The next day, Zhuang Jin came alone and handed over the jade pendant that Teng Yuansong had given her years ago.

Upon seeing the token, the gatekeeper immediately accepted it with both hands and went inside to announce its arrival. Shortly afterward, a middle-aged man named Teng Yuanzhu, who was at the third level of the Qi Condensation Realm, came out. After exchanging a few polite words, he welcomed him inside: "My father and elder brother went out today to look at the house that my family had reserved in the fourth ring of the city. Brother Zhuang, please come in first, have a cup of hot tea, and wait for us."

When this person mentioned the house in the Fourth Ring Road, he clearly showed pride. He said "wait with tea" with a somewhat condescending attitude. After the tea was served, he left shortly afterward.

Zhuang Jin had always been treated with utmost courtesy in the Ji family, so this sudden coldness was quite unsettling. However, she quickly realized that Teng Yuanzhu was in the same realm as her, and couldn't help but chuckle.

—He wasn't deliberately testing him. He'd been in this state ever since he arrived in the city. It wasn't for anyone's sake. The Ji family's situation was just Ji Tongxiu's own initiative in informing them.

Indeed, Teng Yuanzhu saw that Zhuang Jin was at the same level as himself and was introduced by Teng Yuansong's jade pendant, so he was obviously from a lower prefecture or county. In the eyes of the people in the prefecture, Cangzhou outside the prefecture was just a rural backwater. In his opinion, Zhuang Jin's visit was like a poor relative coming to beg for money.

Such a freeloading behavior is usually acceptable, but the Teng family is currently facing some troubles and is too preoccupied to take care of themselves, so they want to make Zhuang Jin back down.

So after serving tea, Teng Yuanzhu excused himself to go to the restroom and left, never to return, leaving Zhuang Jin standing there.

After a cup of tea.

Zhuang Jin put down her teacup, stood up, refused the servant's attempts to detain her, and left on her own: 'This glimpse into the Teng family reveals their true character; no wonder Teng Yuansong refused to return after leaving.'

His original intention in coming here was to find a backup option outside of the Ji family, but now that the Teng family has this attitude, there's no need to continue watching.

'The Ji family is quite eager to get my attention, so it's highly unlikely that anything will go wrong. Even if something does happen, I can just switch to another family. There are plenty of families in the city willing to curry favor with me; it doesn't have to be the Teng family.' Zhuang Jin thought to himself, shaking his head as he left.

……

About an hour after Zhuang Jin left.

When the Teng family patriarch, Teng Zushou, and the eldest son of the Teng family, Teng Yuanbai, returned, their faces were full of worry and their brows were furrowed.

"Father, elder brother, how is the situation?"

Teng Yuanzhu asked, "What's the problem with the house we booked in the Fourth Ring Road that's been halted?"

"It's said that there's some controversy over the ownership of that land, and whether construction can continue and the houses can be delivered on schedule is still unknown," Teng Zushou sighed.

“Father, this land was contracted by the He family. The He family is a well-established family and a long-established contractor. I think even if there are one or two problems, they can be solved,” Teng Yuanbai comforted him.

"That's true. There are so many first-rate, second-rate, and third-rate families who have reserved houses on this land. If it really ends up being abandoned... the public will be outraged. The state government and the Xuantian Division will not ignore it. Even if the He family is a Xiantian family, they probably won't be able to handle it."

Teng Zushou paused for a moment, then added, "Even if the house doesn't turn out in the end and we can't take delivery, it's still acceptable to refund the deposit contribution points and cancel our loan application contribution points."

"It's impossible for us to not get the house in the end, but still have to keep paying back the loan contribution points. There's no such logic anywhere in the world, is there?"

That makes sense, but for some reason, the more Teng Yuanzhu listened, the more uneasy she felt. She shook her head to suppress it and changed the subject, saying, "This morning, a man surnamed Zhuang came to see me with my fifth brother's token. I told him, 'Father, eldest brother, you should go out and ask this man to wait a moment.'"

"Hey, this guy has quite a temper. He left in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

He told the two of them about it as a joke.

"Oh, really?"

Teng Zushou didn't take it to heart and nodded slightly, but halfway through, he suddenly realized: "Wait, you said that person was carrying Song'er's jade pendant, and his surname is Zhuang?"

"His surname is Zhuang, and his given name is Zhuang... Yes, Zhuang Jin!"

Seeing that her father's reaction seemed a bit off, Teng Yuanzhu asked in confusion, "Dad, what's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Teng Zushou confirmed that it was Zhuang Jin. He recalled Teng Yuansong's letter, which said that Zhuang Jin was a Xiantian martial artist. He had been waiting for Zhuang Jin to come to the prefecture city, but he hadn't come for five or six years. He thought that Zhuang Jin had stayed in the prefecture city and felt a pang of regret. He gradually put the matter aside.

But today, I heard it again—that my own son was being disrespectful, and the other person stormed off…

"Go to hell, you little rascal!"

Teng Zushou spat out the tea, smashed the teacup, and hurriedly put on his clothes, shouting, "Quick, quick, come with me to chase after Venerable Zhuang!"

……

Zhuang Jin did not return to the Ji family, but went outside the city to see what was going on. She and Ji Tongxiu attracted a lot of attention, and she was not allowed to come along today.

The dried meat of the Windwing Thunder Tiger that they brought with them has now been almost completely used up. To exchange it for cultivation resources for the Innate Realm at the Suspended Sky Division, they need the Mysterious Serpent Token. The Ji family is doing a task to upgrade the token to the Golden Carp Token, as well as a Mysterious Serpent-level upgrade task, which will take at least one month and at most two months.

According to Mu Qing's plan, Zhuang Jin should not have the reputation of being a "martial arts fanatic" when he comes to the state city, and should not appear too ambitious.

Therefore, Zhuang Jin's plan is: having arrived yesterday, he will use the remaining month or two of his spare time to cultivate and explore the city, learning about its rules.

His goal is to pursue a higher realm of martial arts. Coming to a new environment, he learns and understands the rules. This is much more efficient than working in isolation or blindly pushing his limits. Sharpening your axe before chopping wood is essential!

"Currently, I'm at the third level of the Innate True Qi Realm. Once I obtain the Mysterious Serpent Token, am allocated a three-ring house, and upgrade to a higher-grade Black Yuan Pill, completing the accumulation for this realm will take at least a year."

This is still a generous estimate; compared to others, it is already extremely fast.

"Reaching higher realms, such as the Innate Qi Refining Realm and the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm, will take an even longer time. In the state capital, this won't happen overnight; it's a protracted battle!"

In this situation, it is necessary to proactively understand the structure and rules of the state city, so as to avoid getting confused, suffering setbacks, or even falling into a deep pit and dying without even knowing how.

……

On the edge of the Funiu Mountains, several outposts were established to acquire exotic beasts hunted by independent martial artists. There were also taverns, restaurants, and brothels.

This allows these independent martial artists and beast hunters to sell their prey nearby, and to drink, eat, replenish their energy, and vent their desires after a bloody hunt.

Outpost No. 1, the largest tavern here, has no name, only a flag with the three characters "Fu" (福, fortune), "Shun" (顺, smoothness), and "Kang" (康, health) hanging at the entrance. Over time, it has come to be called "Fu Shun Kang".

Since the target audience is mostly martial artists, the wine here is not ordinary wine. It is brewed from crops cultivated with Qingyuan Liquid, which is rich in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Drinking it can restore one's inner energy. The side dishes and meat in the shop are not ordinary meat either. They are mostly offal from exotic beasts.

The money wasn't ordinary gold or silver. Compared to ordinary people, martial artists had much larger expenses, and silver was inconvenient to carry. Instead, they exchanged Yuan coins at the Xuantian Division, with one Yuan coin equal to one contribution point.

Zhuang Jin found a corner to sit down, bringing only her eyes and ears, but not her mouth, and silently observed and listened.

Not long after, they saw Mu Bai and the five "Tongshan Five Heroes".

It turns out that Mu Bai was stimulated last night and was determined to cheer up. However, due to his pride, he refused the Ji family's arrangement. Today, he met the "Tongshan Five Heroes" on the Third Ring Road. The two sides had a kinship ties from their previous encounter. Lu Tai, the eldest brother of the Tongshan Five Heroes, took the initiative to invite Mu Bai to join them.

When the six people saw Zhuang Jin, they wanted to come over and pay their respects, but Zhuang Jin nodded slightly and used telepathy to stop them. He watched them clasp their hands in greeting and then go into the mountain, continuing to sit in the corner watching and listening.

Inside the tavern, some of these rogue martial artists stood outside the door; some went inside and sat down; some generously pulled out a handful of coins and drank heartily; some counted out the coins one by one, laid them out on the counter, and ordered wine to drink slowly; some looked tired and were taciturn; some were covered in blood, but were full of vigor and talking loudly... These people of all kinds came and went.

"Speaking of the guidance from the Suspended Sky Division, it's really useful. When I encountered a bottleneck in my martial arts, I sought their guidance and broke through immediately. It's just too expensive, costing a hundred contribution points each time."

"Yes, the guidance is effective, but it's expensive. Pills that break through bottlenecks are even more expensive! I've figured it out. All this hard work and honesty is only enough for cultivation techniques, martial arts skills, and daily cultivation supplies. Even if you risk danger by escorting goods, gathering herbs, and hunting exotic beasts, the little bit you manage to save is all taken away by these guidance and pills, leaving you with nothing."

"Damn it, who's been making all the contribution points?"

"Who else could it be but those cultivators who have mastered the Meridian Opening and Fetal Breathing techniques! Take the exotic beasts we hunt, for example. We sell them to this outpost, and then they're transferred to the stalls in the Third Ring Road. The price increases several times over. When they reach the Delicacy Shop, the price increases dozens of times. Yet we, the ones who hunt exotic beasts, can't even afford to eat the meat of those beasts. We have to be stingy even when we eat some offal to go with our drinks. Who can we complain to?"

"Once you reach the Meridian Opening Realm and obtain the Silver Carp Token, you'll be able to rent a stall in the Third Ring Road. Take Old Sha for example, he was with us back then, and now that he's broken through to the Meridian Opening Realm and obtained the Silver Carp Token, he's really getting cocky. I heard that he'll be the leader of the Five Righteous Men of Tongshan soon too."

"Once you get the Silver Carp Token, you can enter the Ascension Pavilion! The Ascension Pavilion is different from other places. Only the Silver Carp Token can get you into the first to third floors, and the Golden Carp Token can get you into the fourth to sixth floors. I heard that even those on the Hidden Dragon Ranking can't get into the seventh floor. Only the Mysterious Serpent Token of a Primordial Venerable can get you in. Do you think there are fairies on the seventh floor?"

"I don't want to think about fairies, I just want to get the Silver Carp Token, go inside and sleep with her once, and I'd be satisfied even if I died. I remember the first time I passed by the Ascension Pavilion, I saw a beautiful girl looking out, and I thought to myself, I must go inside and sleep with her at least once in this lifetime. I wonder if I'll ever have the chance..."

……

Among these independent martial artists, martial arts and women are two topics that can never be avoided. There are often words of discouragement and cursing, but whenever the extremely rare example of one or two people turning their lives around is mentioned, they are encouraged as if they see hope and talk about it with great relish for a long time.

'It's the same in any world. The upper echelons meticulously design a rigorous system that makes the lower classes toil day and night, barely enough to eat and drink, barely enough to survive, and unable to save anything... Even if they manage to save a little through risky and lucky means, it will soon be harvested in various ways.'

'From this perspective, these low-level martial artists are no different from the ordinary porters at the docks; perhaps they could be called martial arts laborers.'

'These lowly martial arts laborers, hunting strange beasts in the mountains, risk their lives, and are undeniably capable of enduring hardship. But in this world, often the more ambitious and hardworking you are, the more endless the hardship you will face.'

"In this state capital, within the Funiu Mountains, martial artists at the Qi Condensation Realm are at the bottom. What about the middle, upper-middle-level, third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate families?"

Zhuang Jin thought: The Ji family paid a huge price for the recommendation spot to Bailu Martial Arts Academy, just to bet on the next generation; Teng Yuanzhu of the Teng family spoke of their house in the Fourth Ring Road with pride and a gleam in his eyes...

……

"You are also a martial artist. Are you confident that you will one day be listed on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, or even break through to the Innate Realm? If Xiao'er were to marry you, could you afford a house in the Fourth or Fifth Ring Road?"

Today, Ji Gongji met with Ji Tongxiao's sweetheart, Gong Bangrong. At the beginning of the meeting, he was very friendly and amiable. As expected of an old fox, he quickly dug out all of Gong Bangrong's family and personal secrets.

In his eyes, the Gong family was nothing special. They had been in business for generations and had a little money in the Sixth Ring Road, which was only slightly better than ordinary people.

Another unexpected thing is that this kid is a Freemason deacon, and he is quite proud of it. But when Ji Gongji heard this, he became wary and thought that this guy was a menace. Now he finally revealed his true colors and started to make trouble.

"Well... I'm only at the Eight Meridians stage now. With my talent, I'm confident I can break through to the Meridian Opening stage, and I even have a glimmer of hope for Fetal Breathing. But the Hidden Dragon Ranking is out of the question, let alone the Innate stage... As for a house, I can't even dream of one in the Fourth Ring Road. But my father said he's willing to sell everything he owns to buy a small courtyard house in the Fifth Ring Road. It's just that, Uncle, there's a problem with the eligibility to buy the house..."

"They're trying to take advantage of the situation, like a snake striking while it's stuck in its place, trying to take advantage of the Ji family!"

Ji Gongji sneered inwardly and looked at her, asking, "Do you truly love Xiao'er and care for her?"

"Of course, my feelings for Xiao'er are as clear as day..."

“That’s perfect. Xiao’er has a great opportunity to get close to the Innate Venerable. If you truly care about her, you should take the initiative to help her.”

"This……"

Gong Bangrong was startled upon hearing this. He was competing with a Celestial Venerable for a woman? But then he realized that the Ji family had no right to do so; they were probably just a family without any official status. Gritting his teeth, he mustered his courage and said, "Uncle, you are mistaken. If you truly want what's best for Xiao'er, you should see her happy and content..."

"What is happiness? People change. You said it yourself, you can't break through the innate level. Right now, the two of you can be content with just love, but what about later? Xiao'er gave up the innate Venerable for you. When she encounters setbacks in the future, she will inevitably compare herself to you. Can you bear that kind of pressure? Or to put it more bluntly, do you think you are comparable to the innate Venerable?"

"How can people be compared so simply? In Freemasonry, everyone is equal..."

"Everyone is equal, but some people are even more equal! You say that all Freemasons are equal, but would your Grand Master be willing to exchange identities with a new member? It's laughable that some people actually believe you, using such a banner to swindle and deceive!"

Seeing that the man seemed to want to argue, Ji Gongji waved his hand and said, "Young man, I've crossed more bridges than you've walked roads. Save your nonsense!"

"If you truly wish to be with Xiao'er, I can grant your wish. However, this will offend a Venerable One, and I will sever all ties with him, as if I never had this daughter. You should also consider this carefully: that Venerable One may not pursue the matter, but he may. If he does, he may not even need to lift a finger; with just a single attitude, your Gong family could be destroyed in an instant. If the Gong family falls, how will you face the consequences? Nephew, now I ask you again, do you still stand by your choice?"

"This..." Gong Bangrong was not a fool; on the contrary, he was very smart. He understood that what Ji Gongji said made sense, and he immediately hesitated.

"This matter is something our Ji family has wronged you about. So, if you voluntarily withdraw, our Ji family is willing to compensate you with a Meridian Opening Pill. When you reach the perfection of the Twelve Qi Condensation Meridians, you can use this to break through to the Meridian Opening Realm."

Gong Bangrong remained silent upon hearing this.

In such a short time, it would be impossible for him to have any affection for Ji Tongxiao. His heart was more inclined to curry favor with the Ji family. Now that Ji Gongji has made it clear that if he insists, he will sever ties and not let him gain any benefit. He will also offend a Xiantian Venerable and bring disaster upon his own family. On the contrary, this suggestion is much more beneficial.

If I just agree, all that affection I showed earlier will only make me a laughing stock.
Ji Gongji naturally understood and offered a way out: "Nephew, you don't need to say anything. If you truly agree, just remain silent, and I will fulfill the agreement."

The response was silence.

……

Behind the screen, Ji Tongxiao listened to the conversation, feeling utterly hopeless. She had endured so much pressure for Gong Bangrong, yet now his attitude made her a laughingstock.

Ji Tongxiu held onto his younger sister to keep her from leaving, and only let go now that everything had settled.

"Gong Bangrong, you... go! In this life and in death, we will never meet again!"

"Tong Xiao!"

"That's perfect. Don't worry, my dear nephew, I will keep my word."

Ji Gongji had no intention of going back on his word or breaking his promise. He spared the Meridian Opening Pill, thinking that if Zhuang Jin found out, he could leave a good impression. He then sent the distraught Gong Bangrong away, secretly sighing that he had finally accomplished most of the task after putting in so much effort.

Ji Tongxiu watched this scene, her head slightly shaken, but she was not so optimistic. Now that she understood Zhuang Jin better, she realized that Zhuang Jin was by no means indiscriminate in his dealings with women.

……

Sure enough, Ji Tongxiu arrived that evening with her younger sister and explained their purpose. Zhuang Jin flicked her sleeve, and silver-white true energy swirled around her, sweeping Ji Tongxiao away: "Tell your father to focus more on the mission; that's better than all this."

If he had arrived yesterday, he might have been somewhat interested, but what he saw and heard today, and the layout of the city, inexplicably felt somewhat familiar to him. Right now, he only wanted to obtain the Xuan Snake Token as soon as possible, acquire cultivation resources, continue to improve, and verify some of his guesses. He really had no mind to think about these things.

For him, women were merely a diversion; he was very clear about why he had come to the capital and what he sought.

"Woo!"

Outside the door, Ji Tongxiao burst into tears. She had offered herself up, only to be rejected and driven away. The humiliation was indescribable. She finally understood the reality: the gap between herself and Zhuang Jin was as vast as heaven and earth.

……

(End of this chapter)