Promise!

Chapter 118, The Big Picture
Behind the screen, Liu Licheng had an interesting expression on his face, seemingly with some inexplicable excitement. The next moment, upon hearing Gao Shi's words, his smile froze on his face, and his body seemed to stiffen for a moment. However, his smile quickly returned to normal, and he thought to himself, "Interesting."

"Ah!"

Zhuang Jin chuckled lightly: "Now, the Shen family and the Medicine King Gang are at odds, with the Shen family winning one victory after another. I am a Seventh-Rank Guardian and a Ward Guardian in the Shen family. I have both status and real benefits. Why would I give up a perfectly good job and jump onto the Medicine King Gang's sinking ship? Is this what you call wealth and status?"

"Lord Zhuang, the Shen family may be powerful, but they're not necessarily good. We were all beggars before, and you were recruited as a martial arts student. Even now, as a seventh-rank official and a town ward keeper, the other ward keepers still look down on you, right? Why not come to the Medicine King Gang and work together? Our leader even said that as long as you come, Lord Zhuang, he'll kill that Miao Shao who has a grudge against you..."

"My investigation is quite thorough."

Zhuang Jin gave Gao Shi a deep look: "It is true that my colleagues are somewhat cold to me because of my background, but I believe that as long as I am sincere, I can integrate sooner or later. As for the case of Miao Lun, it was fair, open and clear. The two young masters also treated me kindly. I have no grievances, so why would I kill Miao Shao?"

"Putting all that aside for now, what I'm most puzzled by is this: you came here openly at noon, putting me in an awkward position regardless of success or failure... Is this the sincerity of the Medicine King Gang?"

"Haha, how do you say that word? Begging...begging...yes, desperately seeking talent...our incense master..."

Do you believe what you're saying?

Zhuang Jin said playfully, but his expression suddenly turned cold. He picked up his teacup and said, "In war, envoys are not to be killed. Go now, and remember: there will be no next time!"

Gao Shi wanted to say something more, but seeing Zhuang Jin's cold expression, he knew that if he continued, Zhuang Jin would probably take action. He stood up and bowed... Bowing is a proper etiquette, but his bowing seemed to have become a habit. His front body lowered subconsciously, and his buttocks were sticking up high, making him look like a dog, making people subconsciously want to kick him. Then he left.

……

After Gao Shi left.

Zhuang Jin watched Liu Licheng come out, his face tense and barely concealing his laughter, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face: "Brother Liu, if you want to laugh, just laugh!"

"Haha, Brother Zhuang, you've really suffered an undeserved misfortune. To be approached by someone like this, spreading rumors and causing trouble, would have been like having a pile of stinking dog shit stuck to the sole of your shoe if I hadn't been listening in the background and could testify! It's disgusting!"

"Yes!"

How could Zhuang Jin be so foolish as to defect from the once fiercely competitive Medicine King Gang, given the current power of the Shen family and the continuous defeats of the Medicine King Gang? Now that the traitor has left, not only will he be distrusted, but he will also face the Shen family's relentless retaliation and pursuit.

It can be said that the Medicine King Gang could not provide him with everything he had in the Shen family. Going there would only lead to terrifying consequences, causing more harm than good. How much greed must have clouded his judgment to do that?

"Just like Gao Shi said, since we are being ostracized by the other town and ward officials in our Shen family, there's no need for us to go!" Liu Licheng joked.

"Brother Liu, what you're saying is true. I only encountered coldness from the other town and ward officials in the Shen family. If I went there, I probably wouldn't have survived."

Zhuang Jin shook his head and recounted his past with Gao Shi. As he spoke, he observed Liu Licheng's micro-expressions. The other party didn't seem surprised. Countless thoughts raced through his mind, but he simply asked, "Then the leader of the Medicine King Gang who came up with this idea probably didn't intend to turn me against him. He just wanted to have a certain effect of sowing discord, or at the very least, to annoy me... Should I report this matter to the capital?"

"Haha, the level of the Seventh Scripture Guardian is completely different. Why fear a few baseless and unfounded slanders? It's just that Brother Zhuang is a martial arts student recruited from outside, which is a special case. However, since I witnessed this, there is no need for such accusations."

Seeing Zhuang Jin's relieved yet slightly depressed expression, Liu Licheng poured him a cup of wine: "Brother Zhuang, if you're really unhappy, if you run into Dong Pei, who came up with this underhanded trick tonight, just retaliate."

That night, the Shen family's forces in the north of the city once again launched a full-scale attack. Zhuang Jin's Dongqiaowu and Liu Licheng's Pingshuibo also joined forces at the front line, forming a corner of the battlefield.

With two neighborhoods against one, the Medicine King Gang couldn't afford to play it safe, and their raw strength was inferior. As expected, they didn't choose to confront them head-on. Instead, just like in the first half of September, they tried to harass them as they dispersed and occupied the streets, slowing down their encroachment.

"It's the same old trick from September. Dealing with it this way is nothing more than a slow death."

"Slow death? Brother Zhuang, that's a good term. I think the Medicine King Gang is indeed like a grasshopper in autumn, unable to jump anymore..."

Liu Licheng stopped halfway through his speech, looked in a direction, and then leaped into the air.

Zhuang Jin also seemed to sense something. She lightly touched the ground with her toes and followed Liu Licheng to the rooftop. They stood side by side and looked at the figure standing on the rooftop with his robes fluttering in the wind. It was Dong Pei, the leader of the Medicine King Gang.

"Is this the plan you devised today, to send Gao Shi here to annoy my Medicine King Gang leader, Dong Pei?"

"That's right, it's this person. He's also the one who proposed the hunting operation. Many of the borderline actions taken by the Medicine King Gang in August and September were also his ideas... Brother Zhuang, you'd better be careful. My assessment of Master Dong is: insidious, cunning, and scheming!"

As Liu Licheng explained to Zhuang Jin, he looked down at the streets near and far, where his men were advancing steadily and occupying the streets, while the Medicine King Gang's forces were constantly retreating. He smiled and asked, "I wonder if Master Dong has any insidious ideas to turn the tide in the face of such a situation?"

The two spoke in unison, while Dong Pei maintained a faint smile on his face: "Intrigues and tricks are only effective when the strength is roughly equal. Facing twice the number of troops, I can only follow the previous strategy and try to avoid a quick defeat."

He didn't delve into the matter further, but instead looked directly at Zhuang Jin: "My Medicine King Gang's foundation is not as strong as the Shen family's, but it doesn't suffer from their internal rigidity, corruption, or the exclusion of rising newcomers. The Shen family is fine once you reach the lower ranks of the Six Classics, but now that they've reached this point, doesn't Zhuang Jin feel any resentment? My Medicine King Gang is the challenger, full of vitality, and extremely fair. The capable rise and the weak fall, making it more suitable for someone like Zhuang Jin... As long as Zhuang Jin comes, I can also..."

Dong Pei's speech, with its tone and pauses, had a strangely inciting and seductive quality, but Zhuang Jin remained calm and composed throughout: "Doesn't Master Dong have any new rhetoric? I've heard this one before, and I'm tired of it!"

Before the other party could answer, he continued, "It is said that I have quite a connection with Master Dong. When I first came to the north of the city in early May, I encountered Master Dong's hunting plan... In August and September... Today, it was Gao Shi who came again... It can be said that there are both old and new grudges... We martial artists will see who is better, so please give me some pointers."

"Hahahaha, alright, then let me test the skills of this so-called genius of the Shen family."

Dong Pei was not angry but pleased. Zhuang Jin had only recently made a breakthrough, while he was a veteran of the Seven Classics. He felt he had a great advantage in the fight and could teach Zhuang Jin a lesson, or even find an opportunity to severely injure him. That would be a great achievement.

"No..." Liu Licheng was about to persuade him that he shouldn't fight Dong Pei alone.

"Brother Liu, let's go together!" Zhuang Jin gave Liu Licheng a wink, then moved swiftly and attacked.

Liu Licheng: ...

'It seems I still don't know Brother Zhuang well enough, and I underestimated his 'vision'!'

Liu Licheng sighed inwardly, then shouted, "Brother Zhuang, I'm here to help you!" and made his move.

……

(End of this chapter)