Promise!

Chapter 300, Departure

Amidst the wind and snow, December arrives, the ebb and flow of life at the end of the year.

Five years later, another large-scale energy tide has arrived. Last time, the "Chun Calamity" occurred, leaving Cangzhou devastated. This time, however, it is much safer.

The strange beasts in the Funiu Mountains have recovered, but only those in the middle and lower levels. Beasts with internal organs, viscera, or blood transfusions will not recover so quickly. The only Vajra Realm Azure Bird was captured and converted by Zhuang Jin and sent to Yunnan Prefecture to protect Chen Yun and the other women.

As a result, the entire Funiu Mountains became like a backyard garden, with the three great families joining forces to harvest the rare treasures from the triple dead zone. Zhuang Jin took the lion's share of the profits, and the three great families also benefited from it.

Zhuang Jin no longer values ​​the treasures in the first and second level of dangerous lands, and the three major families will not personally go to snatch them, turning it into a carnival for rogue martial artists.

The city's third ring road was bustling for a time, but most of it was eventually seized by the Suspended Heaven Division and brought under the control of the three major families.

……

Cangzhou City, First Ring Road, Shangguan Family Residence.

hum!
In the quiet room where Shangguan Yunchang was in seclusion, a vortex of primordial energy appeared in the sky, gathering and pouring down.

'This is a success.'

Zhuang Jin waited outside and thought to himself that Shangguan Yunchang had broken through to the second level of the Yin God realm.

Two years ago, the opponent had already completed the first level of Yin Spirit Realm. For the next three years, he worked on overcoming the bottleneck and has finally broken through.

Reflecting on these thoughts, he felt a deep connection: 'In martial arts, each major and minor realm has its own bottlenecks, like heavy stone doors blocking the way. Only by passing through them can one reach a new realm.'

Other martial artists encounter bottlenecks and obstacles at each stage, which they must overcome to continue. However, Zhuang Jin faces none of these; the gates of the Great Dao are wide open, like a smooth road. But even without obstacles, there is no guarantee that one can withstand the challenges of entering another realm. If one cannot, one's virtue is unworthy of one's position, and one will still face the calamity of death.

In other words, once Zhuang Jin has completed each stage of his cultivation, he can disregard bottlenecks and has a certain chance of successfully breaking through any obstacle.

For example, the Three Primordial Gates and the Three Yin Gates allow one to directly enter the breakthrough process, or in other words, directly enter a higher level of transformation. However, this also requires one to withstand pressure to a certain standard and be able to endure the transformation to a higher realm and a new world.

Heaven helps those who help themselves. If you are hopelessly incapable of achieving anything, and cannot even withstand the challenges of a higher level of transformation and the risks that come with it, then even the absence of talent can't guarantee your 100% success.

This kind of talent is already a kind of conceptual bug. If that's the case, and you still complain that your talent isn't strong enough, it's like having a big pancake hanging around your neck but being too lazy to even lift your hand to turn it. You deserve to starve to death.

"From this perspective, the three trials of the Yang God realm, aside from the first trial of entering Nirvana, the subsequent two trials—Spiritual Movement and Pure Essence—are merely byproducts of transforming into a higher realm. If one's talent were to omit these, it would be equivalent to skipping the transformation into a major realm, which would be truly disastrous!"

Zhuang Jin shook his head slightly, recalling the time he sent out the bluebird a few days ago. He stood there, seemingly having an epiphany. For some reason, the Xuan Tian Treasure Mirror later detected that his success rate in breaking through to the Yang God realm had increased by eight points, reaching 81%.

Well, that's about 80% success rate, although to some overly cautious people, this success rate is still no different from suicide.

"Husband!"

At this moment, Shangguan Yunchang, having stabilized her cultivation, emerged from the meditation room. Her expression, however, was not one of joy, but rather one of grave seriousness. She uttered a shocking piece of news: "Just now I received a message from the capital. During this massive primordial energy tide, the people of Yong'an in the capital and Songling, the foremost of the nine wonders of the world, witnessed divine fire fall to the ground, followed by a massive earthquake that caused countless houses to collapse, and then a beast tide… Emperor Qianyuan died suddenly!"

"Um?!"

Zhuang Jin was quite surprised to hear this, and then suddenly thought of something.

"The last time a large-scale spiritual energy tide occurred in Cangzhou, that kind of thing happened. Afterwards, Inspector Xuan Yuan Shiji arrived to investigate the spiritual energy incident... and then this same thing happened during this current large-scale spiritual energy tide."

'Based on previous speculations, each major surge of primordial energy occurred when that immortal's formation was at its weakest. Therefore, this time, Emperor Qian Yuan attempted to use this opportunity to imitate it, hoping to extend his lifespan through free-floating spiritual energy. But he overplayed his hand and clashed with the immortal's methods, leading to this situation?'

Zhuang Jin was shocked to find that digging that pit would have such consequences. She was also surprised but also felt that it made sense.

"Yes, royalty and powerful clans are even more terrifying than aristocratic families, but Songling, a wondrous place in Luozhou, is the foremost of the nine wondrous places, and is not on the same level as the others."

'In the capital city of Yong'an, there is the main mirror of the Suspended Heaven Mirror, and that immortal may have made further arrangements in secret. Emperor Qian Yuan is attempting to disrupt the formation and prolong his life through the free-floating spiritual energy.'

'Whether it's the former, disrupting the foundation laid by the immortal, or the latter, aspiring to become an immortal emperor, both have crossed that immortal's bottom line. If this confrontation is a tactic left behind by that immortal, then such an outcome is not surprising.'

Shangguan Yunchang also thought of these things, and looked at Zhuang Jin and said, "I know that my husband intends to go to the capital, but now is obviously not the time. We might as well wait and see, and make a decision when the situation becomes clearer."

"During this period, our family, as well as the Cen and Ge families, the three major families, will closely monitor information from all sides through their channels in the capital."

"good!"

Zhuang Jin was not one to ignore advice, so he nodded in agreement. In fact, upon hearing this news, he was no longer planning to go to Yong'an immediately.

Such events have erupted in the capital: an earthquake and a beast tide, the death of Emperor Qianyuan, a struggle for the throne, and the ambiguous attitudes or ambitions of other powerful clans... If things go wrong, it could lead to utter chaos and devastation.

Although with his current strength, he would have a certain confidence to get involved even if he went, but rashly stepping forward would easily make him cannon fodder and a vanguard for the king, so he would not take the risk.

……

Next, with the attention of various states, the situation in Yong'an, the capital, rapidly evolved.

After Emperor Qianyuan's sudden death, when there were differing opinions within the royal family, the empress took the initiative to support her young son to ascend the throne, honored him as empress dowager, changed the era name to Jiankang, and ruled from behind the curtain.

Subsequently, because the three major clans of the capital, the Mu family, the Shi family, and the Gongshu family, were outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant and their ambitions were obvious, Empress Dowager Yuwen ordered her family, the Yuwen family, the only one of the five major clans guarding the border, to bring 30,000 Black Dragon Cavalry into the capital... After that, after a series of power struggles, with the support of Empress Dowager Yuwen, General Yuwen Shentong forcibly passed the 'Songling Reclamation Order' and proclaimed it to the whole country.

The world was shaken, a great era was dawning.

The situation is now relatively clear: under the threat of the beast tide in Songling, the imperial court has issued a decree to open up the wasteland; an earthquake has occurred in Songling, and many relics of immortals have appeared; internal strife among powerful clans has led to differing stances... The world is undergoing a great change, and dragons and snakes are rising from the land.

These dramatic changes also made Zhuang Jin realize that, just like back in Yunnan Prefecture, the rise of the Medicine King Gang presented him with the perfect opportunity to obtain the Yang Mystic Technique and the ultimate Yang Divine Object.
He knew that the time had come for him to leave Cangzhou and head to the capital, Yong'an.

……

On this day, Zhuang Jin invited the Yin Shen Realm experts from the three great families of Cangzhou and told them about his impending departure.

"What, Fellow Daoist Zhuang, you're going to the capital, Yong'an?! This is truly... cough cough, I'm reluctant to see you go!"

Cen Chongxuan sighed deeply, expressing his reluctance, but his expression remained tense, his lips barely concealing his urge to smile. A thought arose in his mind: 'Finally, Zhuang Jin is finally leaving!'

In the past five years, the Xuantian Division has been under the control of the Cen family. However, due to Zhuang Jin, the Cen family has adopted a policy of "laissez-faire" to put it nicely, but to put it bluntly, they "dare not do anything." As a result, the independent martial artists of Cangzhou have benefited and enjoyed a period of good times.

Now that Zhuang Jin is about to leave, Cen Chongxuan can finally let go... Well, it doesn't mean he's going to do anything, at least there's no one above him to keep him in check.

At this moment, Cen Chongxuan's true feelings were that he really wished he could beat drums and gongs to hold a farewell party for Zhuang Jin, send Zhuang Jin away as soon as possible, and then hold a 21-day-long banquet to celebrate Zhuang Jin's departure.

The Ge family patriarch, Ge Zhaozhen, felt the same way. At only fifty-two years old, he had already reached the Yin Spirit realm, making him a genius—albeit with the aid of the Suspended Heaven Mirror's origin. But alas, Cangzhou had produced Zhuang Jin. As long as Zhuang Jin was around, it was like a lonely moon in the sky, dimming the stars.

"Xiao Zhuang, have you made up your mind?"

When Shangguan Jinfeng heard that Zhuang Jin was leaving, she felt relieved but also reluctant to part with him.

Needless to say, he felt at ease, no longer needing to worry about being usurped; as for reluctance, Zhuang Jin had maintained a harmonious relationship with the Shangguan family over the years, which had even brought them honor, making them the undisputed number one family in Cangzhou.

In fact, now that Zhuang Jin is leaving, all the previous apprehension and unhappiness have vanished, and all that remains is gratitude for Zhuang Jin.

This is probably the reason behind the saying "familiarity breeds contempt."

"Yes."

Zhuang Jin looked at everyone and nodded slightly under their gazes.

"Ugh!"

Shangguan Jinfeng suddenly sighed and instructed, "Xiao Zhuang, you must be extremely careful on your trip to the capital. Remember, the five great clans are very different from our aristocratic families."

Her expression was slightly complicated: "The powerful families are limited to one state, and some have declined over the past eight hundred years; but the five great clans, including the royal family, have an influence that spreads throughout the nine states. They have truly remained prosperous for eight hundred years. From the founding of the country to the present day, they have forgotten fear and are only arrogant."

Indeed, there are also aristocratic families that have fallen into ruin and been demoted, such as the Zhou family of Cangzhou, which declined hundreds of years ago. Although this was due to the Zhou family's arrogance and self-inflicted consequences, it was also because they violated the taboos of the other three families. Their trump card, "Yesterday Once More," only required three families. However, the five major clans have remained unchanged for eight hundred years.

"indeed so."

Upon hearing this, Cen Chongxuan nodded in deep agreement. He was well aware of the arrogance of powerful clans, but looking at Zhuang Jin now, he felt a pang of insecurity: 'While powerful clans are indeed unfathomable, you, Zhuang Jin, are no less formidable. In these past few centuries, you're the only one of the three great families who misjudged you. Who knows who will bring trouble upon whom once we get to the capital!'

Shangguan Yunchang looked at Zhuang Jin. Although she had known this day would come as soon as Zhuang Jin broke through to the Yin God realm, she was still reluctant to part with him. At this moment, she silently made a decision.

……

As descendants of the three great families, Zhuang Jinzhou's old acquaintances, Hong Baoshu and Min Zhongmin from the True Qi Realm circle, and Qin Douzhan and Xi Guiling from the Gang Qi Realm circle, only sent servants to inform them.

It's not really related to anything else, so this indifference is enough.

This made Zhuang Jin sigh slightly. Back in Yunnan Prefecture, he had close friends like Ping Yongfeng, Bi Kai, Lin Hong, and Wu Hao. Now, in the prefecture, apart from Shangguan Yunchang, it seemed that he had no true friends left.

That's probably how people are: the older they get, the more they mature, the harder it is for them to be sincere, and the fewer friends they have.

Finally, Zhuang Jin visited the Ji family and met with Ji Tongxiu: "I am leaving the prefecture for the capital. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can seek help from the Shangguan family. Take care!"

"Mr. Zhuang!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Tongxiu was momentarily at a loss for words, realizing that what she had previously believed seemed to be wrong.

After Ji Tongwei's death, she visited Zhuang Jin less often. Outsiders thought that she had no children or younger brother and nothing to care about, so she didn't want to cling to Zhuang Jin anymore. But in fact, what was bothering her was that after so many years together, Zhuang Jin refused to listen to her requests and advice. He didn't care about her at all and didn't hold any place in her heart.

Women are probably fickle; the two started out as a transaction, but later, they began to crave a bit of affection.

Zhuang Jin vaguely understood the other person's mindset, but knew that he couldn't give them what they wanted. He shook his head slightly, turned around, and left.

"Husband!"

A voice suddenly sounded behind him, causing him to pause slightly before continuing on his way.

In this quiet courtyard, only a figure silently shedding tears remains, along with the sky filled with willow catkins, just like the year we first met.

……

On the second day of the second month in the spring of the seventy-third year of the Qianyuan era.

A caravan departed, and Zhuang Jin was inside one of the luxurious carriages.

— He sent that Vajra Realm Bluebird to guard Chen Yun and the other women. It wasn't that he couldn't find other Blood Exchange Realm flying beasts, but he wasn't the type to endure hardship without doing so. If he was in a hurry and had to travel through wind and rain, it was better to follow the caravan.

"Cangzhou!"

Zhuang Jin lifted the carriage curtain and looked back. This place where she had lived for thirteen years was now a place she was leaving, and she felt a little melancholy.

"Wow!"

A phoenix was circling ahead, and a figure fell from mid-air.

"Yun Chang?!"

“I transferred the authority over the Sky-Piercing Mirror back to my grandmother.”

Shangguan Yunchang paused for a moment, then tried to cover up her misunderstanding by explaining, "Grandmother still has a long life ahead of her, and as people get old, they get bored. Rather than being idle, she would like to do something."

—Shangguan Jinfeng: No, I don't want to!
"I see. Grandmother will be happy."

Zhuang Jin said something that didn't reflect her true feelings.

He knew that Shangguan Jinfeng had been leisurely watching plays every day for the past few years and had completely given up. Now she was forced to be "rehired" again. It was hard to go from luxury to frugality. She must not be very happy at the moment. Thinking of the old lady's expression, he couldn't help but twitch his lips, but then realized that he had to straighten up his expression again.

"What, my husband doesn't welcome me? Did I delay your trip to the capital to marry the princess?" Shangguan Yunchang seemed to have stepped down as the head of the family, and her suppressed nature was exposed. She became much more lively and teased him.

"What? Let's go then!"

Unlike Chen Yun and the other women, Shangguan Yunchang was not meant to be isolated from danger. Given their relationship, the Shangguan family was already on the front lines, so there was no need for them to hide anything. Zhuang Jin naturally did not refuse, smiled nonchalantly, and extended his hand to her.

Amidst the rustling of carriages, a caravan journeyed away along a sun-drenched avenue, disappearing into the towering mountains.

……

[End of the second volume]

(End of this chapter)