Promise!

Chapter 79, Lian Ke

"He's dead. Master Yu was killed by Duan Tao and that little evil creature?"

Zhuang Yutang had heard Zhuang Yuyong say, "For warriors, each realm is a mountain of difference." Since Yu Di was killed by Duan Tao and Zhuang Jin, there was only one possibility: "Did that evil creature break through? Did he really break through the fourth level? Didn't they say it was impossible for him to break through in such a short time?"

No matter how much he didn't believe it, he had to accept the fact.

"The thing I fear most has happened!" The resentment and fear finally turned into powerlessness, causing Zhuang Yutang to sit down paralyzed.

In terms of scheming and strategy, he even outmaneuvered Duan Tao, laying a vast net… but all of this was shattered by brute force as Zhuang Jin broke through the Four Classics! This unparalleled wisdom and calculations, yet crushed by sheer force, a single force that broke through all methods, left him with a feeling of frustration, "How can the heavens be so unkind to me?"

"Planning is no match for fate, what can we do?! What can we do?!"

Zhuang Yutang bit his teeth until they bled, but he had to accept the reality: "If Yu Di is dead, I'm afraid I'll also..."

He suppressed his grief and made a decision: later, when the fighting at the Fuqing Street garrison subsided, he would go back as soon as possible, let his family pack up their things, and leave the southern Yunnan capital as soon as the city gates opened tomorrow morning!

Yes, he didn’t want the ninth-rank clerk position anymore, nor did he want the properties and other things he couldn’t take away. He only took the small fortune he could take away… and fled!
——This means that most of the life’s struggle has come to nothing. Although it is heartbreaking, life is more important!

To be honest, Zhuang Yutang regretted it at this moment, he really regretted it. He couldn't help but think: If that bastard brother had died, and he and his younger brother had not done that thing, but instead treated Zhuang Jin and her son well, would he still be able to benefit from it now?
Even if he treated her badly, as long as he didn't take things too far and create hatred, he could sell some of his own properties, tighten his belt in other areas, and squeeze out enough money to bribe her, and then nothing would have happened today, right?

"It's too late to say anything now, it's too late!" Zhuang Yutang sighed, and stood up with a hunched back, as if he had suddenly aged dozens of years.

……

Duan Tao, Zhuang Jin and his group swept through the area and occupied Fuqing Street of the Yaowang Gang. Then, they returned to Fuchang Street without stopping.

When they arrived at the Brotherhood, they waved the heads of Yu Di and his three team leaders. The leader of the Brotherhood was almost scared to death and surrendered obediently.

Originally, the Brotherhood was loyal to the Shen family and almost surrendered last month. However, because of the traitor Jiang Wei, they were ambushed by the Yaowang Gang from Fuqing Street, and a small team was almost wiped out. Now the Shen family retaliated and wiped out Fuqing Street. This kind of ruthless revenge can be said to be a great display of military power, so they naturally surrendered.

In this way, two streets were taken down overnight!

You know, the unit above the street is called the fang, but a fang has no more than six streets. Duan Tao and Zhuang Jin took over two streets in a row, which is equivalent to expanding the territory by one third.

Such a major event was enough to alarm Duan Tao's immediate superior, Fang Zhenshou. Duan Tao and Zhuang Jin rushed to report overnight.

……

"Brother Zhuang, our Furong Street belongs to Qingfufang. Because our Shen family and the Yaowang Gang each occupy some streets in Qingfufang, our Shen family set up Dongqiaowu, which is considered a unit of the same level as the fang. The person I bring you to pay a visit to is none other than the fang keeper of Dongqiaowu - Lord Xing Yan!"

Tonight, the two of them worked in perfect harmony, striking a blitzkrieg effect that yielded fruitful results. Duan Tao was in a very good mood and added a few words: "Master Xing is widely recognized as a generous person, compassionate to his subordinates, caring for the younger generation, and making many good friends. Seeing a genius with such outstanding talent like Brother Zhuang, he must be pleased."

Zhuang Jin listened to this and only took it as a reference in his mind. After all, reputation can be deceiving sometimes: "But one thing is certain. Since he is the guardian of the town, he is definitely at the Seven Classics level!"

Compared to the Four Classics, the Seven Classics represent a significant change. They are already at the Guardian level, and can be considered the foundation of the Shen family's protection of the family and clan. ...

At this hour, Xing Yan had already gone to bed. When he heard that Duan Tao had brought people to visit, he had to change his clothes again. Even though he had a good temper, he felt uncomfortable with such a hassle. However, he also knew that Duan Tao was not a person who did not know his limits. He must have come to visit him for something important.

"What, we took over two streets?!"

When Xing Yan heard Duan Tao say they had taken over two streets, his expression was as if he had just woken up to find his men had taken over the entire county. He was quite incredulous and scratched his ears to make sure he had heard correctly. The slight discomfort in his heart immediately disappeared, and he laughed and clapped his hands, saying, "Great, great, great!"

He said "OK" three times in a row, which shows how happy he was. Such a happy event, let alone being woken up from sleep, even if he was having sex with his wives and concubines... that would not be a big deal!

He knew that Duan Tao was eyeing Fuchang Street, and he also knew that something unexpected happened last month, which made the duck that was about to be eaten fly away. He didn't expect that tonight not only would he take over Fuchang Street, but he would also get Fuqing Street as a gift.

"Tell me, how did you do it?" Xing Yan asked after having the servants serve tea and inviting Duan Tao and Zhuang Jin to sit down.

Duan Tao spoke impartially, starting from last month, telling the truth: "Last month, a small team under my command was ambushed by the Medicine King Gang on Fuqing Street..."

Firstly, such a major event could not be concealed, and I had also taken a large part of the credit, so there was no need to take all the blame on myself and leave the impression of being greedy to my boss; secondly, Zhuang Jin was also here, so I couldn't take the credit in front of him, right?
Xing Yan listened and nodded frequently. After hearing this, he naturally understood that the key tonight was Zhuang Jin.

——Indeed, it can be said that if Zhuang Jin had not broken through the four classics and mastered the Black Evil Palm to a small degree, and had not joined forces to kill Yu Di, Duan Tao would probably have lost more than he gained.

"The fourth level of the classics, and the minor accomplishments of the Black Evil Palm? The young generation is truly formidable!" Xing Yan looked at him in amazement, and felt that Zhuang Jin was more handsome and pleasing to the eye. With such aptitude, he could be described as a good material and a beautiful jade, and he had made great contributions. Which boss would not like him?

Zhuang Jin saw that Xing Yan seemed to be someone who truly cared about the younger generation, so he took this opportunity to eliminate some potential hidden dangers. "Master Xing, I've heard that our Shen family and the Medicine King Gang have a tacit understanding. Although it was the Medicine King Gang who initiated the sneak attack on Fuqing Street this time, I was indeed reckless in my actions, crossing the border to deal with those..."

'reckless?'

Hearing this, Xing Yan glanced at Zhuang Jin. He was over 40 years old and held a high position. He had seen countless things. From Duan Tao's previous narration, he guessed that Zhuang Jin had probably noticed Jiang Wei's abnormality a long time ago. He acted after careful planning tonight, carried out a sting operation, and even asked people to take his place twice. It was very likely that he was trying to achieve a small level of success in the Black Evil Palm after breaking through the four classics. He was so cautious and steady that it would be an understatement to say that he was a refined person. How could he be remotely related to the word "reckless"?

However, he saw through it but didn't say anything. He waved his hand and said, "It's okay. You recently broke through and didn't register with the Shen family to advance to a higher level. The Medicine King Gang is a spy who has rebelled and ambushed you, and you ran into Brother Zhuang. In this situation, using a fourth-level sutra to kill those warriors of the third, second, and first levels is unreasonable. You can't just allow them to attack you and not allow Brother Zhuang to fight back, right?"

Xing Yan paused, looked at Duan Tao, and said, "As for the young incense master surnamed Yu in the back, Duan Zhenshou, you should come to support and attack him together with Brother Zhuang. This is a fight between people of the same realm, so there will naturally be no problem."

Things like these are all out in the open. Once investigated, you will find out that the Yaowang Gang also has some dignity to protect and it is impossible for them to use these as excuses.

Xing Yan made a conclusion, which was considered as an endorsement of the matter, and put the two people's minds at ease.

"Thank you, Lord Xing. There is one more thing we must pay attention to in this matter. The ninth-rank clerk in the yamen named Zhuang Yutang..." Duan Tao thought of what he had promised Zhuang Jin and did him a favor.

Zhuang Jin did not hide anything and told about the feud between himself, Zhuang Yutang and Zhuang Yuyong.

……

(End of this chapter)