Promise!

Chapter 82, Suffering a loss

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jin glanced at Yue Song.

This person is willing to buy it, but he won't say how much money he wants. He just talks nonsense and asks for a favor. If you think that you can't refuse him for the sake of face just because of the trivial matter just now, you are really wrong.

"Director Yue is well-informed and did offer a Shuluo Pill as a reward. However, I haven't received it yet, nor have I seen it! I also just recently achieved a breakthrough in the fourth meridian, so I don't need it for the time being. Keeping it could be a disaster, so I'm considering transferring it... Director Yue is giving me face, so I can't refuse. Let's put it this way, if the conditions are the same, I'll give Director Yue priority."

'Equal conditions, priority given', what are equal conditions? Isn't the right of interpretation in Zhuang Jin's hands?
Well, the other party promised a favor in plain words, but he turned around and wrote a blank check.

"Thank you, Brother Zhuang." After this brief exploration, Yue Song knew that Zhuang Jin was not someone to be trifled with. This promise was already good; at least it gave him an advantage over the others, right? He stopped talking and decided to discuss it privately later.

……

After leaving the General Affairs Department, Zhuang Jin first went to the Transmission Department to receive the meditation techniques for the fourth to sixth meridians. Here, he unexpectedly encountered a test regarding the Shuluo Pills.

Afterwards, he went to the Medicine Bureau and used the certificate to transfer his military merits to his name, bought some Black Yuan Powder, and received Shuluo Pills.

The Shuluo Pill was the size of a longan, light yellow in color, and had a unique fragrance. Just by taking a whiff of it, one could feel the internal energy in the meridians becoming slightly agitated.

Then, as expected, I received another inquiry here about whether this Shuluo Pill was for sale.

"It never ends!"

Zhuang Jin sighed inwardly, and felt more clearly the weight of this pill. He didn't need it, but it was the hope for many warriors who were stuck in a bottleneck to make further progress in their martial arts. It was a priceless treasure to them, and no wonder it was so touching.

……

Afterwards, Zhuang Jin verified his guess and went to the Wusheng Registration File Storage Office. He had not stayed in the Shen family headquarters in vain in April. He found an acquaintance and soon learned that Guo Jun had come to check it out the month before last. He immediately confirmed his idea.

"It seems that this person is the one who leaked my information to Zhuang Yutang and Zhuang Yuyong."

Zhuang Jin thought to himself: "This alone is not enough to form a chain of evidence like the government's case, and it is not enough to report it to the Shen family for handling. Guo Jun is a servant of the Shen family, so we can't treat him the same way as Hou Yong, but we can target him from the inside."

Especially now that the Shen family and the Yaowang Gang are fighting each other, the position of the Shen family headquarters is in a situation where everyone has their own place!
He searched his connections, looking for someone who could accomplish this: "The most reliable ones are naturally those at the level of a Four Classics warrior or a householder, such as Duan Tao or Yue Song."

"However, the former has already given up Yu Di's life due to the bait incident yesterday, and recommended Xing Yan, and also spoke on my behalf in the Zhuang Yutang matter... Asking him again now will easily cause misunderstandings, and people will think that I am pursuing him, which may lead to a repeat of what happened to Guo Jun."

"As for Yue Song, he is in the General Affairs Department's Mission Office, and his expertise is indeed relevant. However, this person is not someone you can easily deal with. If you ask him for help, not only will it be a bad favor, but it will also leave a small handle for you."

Finally, Zhuang Jin made a decision: "Let's go find Uncle Chang first to see if it can be done."

Speak of the devil, and here he comes. He was just thinking about Chang Hetong when Chang Hetong came looking for him.

……

Chang Hetong was originally in the General Affairs Department. He was well-informed and knew that Zhuang Jin had broken through the Four Classics and made great contributions. He immediately dropped his errand and came to find Zhuang Jin. Upon seeing Zhuang Jin, his attitude was no longer the same as before. He seemed a little reserved, like a junior meeting an elder. "Zhuang, Zhuang Sheng, I heard that you broke through the Four Classics and were promoted to a family servant?"

Just look at how Zhuang Jin is addressed and you can tell!
Seniority is determined by strength among warriors. Zhuang Jin has now reached the fourth level of the classics, while Chang Hetong is still only at the third level. Naturally, he has to show respect to the 'senior'. However, Chang Hetong is much older than him and was in a superior position in terms of friendship in the past, so he naturally cannot call him 'Brother Zhuang' at this time. Zhuang Jin has not yet taken on the position of the fourth level of the classics and is still a team leader. Calling him 'Captain Zhuang' would be a bit derogatory and offensive, so he came up with the title 'Mr. Zhuang'.

——Zhuang Sheng, also known as Mr. Zhuang. "Mr." is the title used in this world for masters, teachers, etc. It can also be used to address seniors who are "the most accomplished ones." It is a respectful title that shows one's humble attitude.

"When I first became a warrior, you called me Brother Zhuang, and I looked up to you. But now, you have to look up to me in return?"

Zhuang Jin suppressed his inner sigh, and without any arrogance or presumption in his attitude, he politely returned the greeting: "Lucky breakthrough!"

'What a fucking luck!'

When Chang Hetong heard this, the expression on his face almost froze. If Zhuang Jin had a lucky breakthrough, then he was still only in the third level at his age, and had not had a "lucky" breakthrough, wouldn't he be living a dog's life?
However, he thought about his purpose and opened his mouth, but was too embarrassed to say it, so he just said a few more polite words.

Seeing that Chang Hetong didn't tell him the purpose of his visit, Zhuang Jin didn't have time to beat around the bush, so he told him his own story first.

"That Guo Jun... is outrageous! How dare he collude with outsiders to murder you, Zhuang Sheng!" Chang Hetong looked like they shared a common hatred for the enemy, and even judging from his expression, he seemed to be more angry than Zhuang Jin.

The reason? He'd already invested heavily in Zhuang Jin. If Guo Jun succeeded, wouldn't all that investment go to waste? Not to mention that Zhuang Jin had already broken through to the fourth level, and he was here again... naturally, he had to show his attitude.

"There is no detailed evidence for this matter, so it's hard to say. My idea is, can it be resolved from within?" Zhuang Jin looked over.

Chang Hetong understood what Zhuang Jin meant, thought for a moment and said, "Now, our Shen family is fighting with the Medicine King Gang. Not to mention the south of the city and the area near the Medicine King Gang, the north of the city is also becoming more and more dangerous... Many old warriors with seniority, connections but no potential don't want to go out. They just want to stay in our Shen family headquarters. As long as I push this matter behind the scenes, next month, I can transfer Guo Jun to the south of the city, near the Medicine King Gang." "That's great. I'll trouble Uncle Chang then." Zhuang Jin nodded slightly.

Guo Jun had caused him trouble once, and he would retaliate once, and it would depend on whether the other party could survive.

"Is there something wrong, Uncle Chang?" Zhuang Jin saw that Chang Hetong seemed to be hesitant to speak, and asked with some guesses in his mind.

Perhaps because he had just helped Zhuang Jin and strengthened their relationship, Chang Hetong finally said, "I heard that Zhuang Sheng, you have made great contributions and were rewarded with a Shuluo Pill..."

He had been stuck at the third meridian level for many years. As long as he had a Shuluo Pill, he would be able to break through to the fourth meridian and reach the level of a servant. That's why he hurried over after hearing the news.

'really. ’

Zhuang Jin sighed, thinking back to when he'd first become a full-fledged warrior. Chang Hetong had told him a lot about the Shen family's outer courtyard; how Chang Hetong had helped him during the background check, keeping it secret and hidden from Zhuang Yutang and Zhuang Yuyong; how he'd later reported it, having his information upgraded to a servant level and hidden from view; how he'd given him a five-liang silver gift after breaking through the Three Classics; and how he'd chosen a mission last month, aiming for Furong Street in the north of the city, and had asked his old friend Ke Jingxing to look after him...

Although in some cases, even without Chang Hetong, he also had ways to achieve similar effects, but after all, he owed a big favor, so he agreed: "Chang Bo is naturally different from others. So, let's transfer it to Chang Bo for 600 taels!"

Six hundred taels is indeed an intentional favor. If it were someone else, if it was less than seven hundred taels, they would not even ask for it and would still owe him a favor of some size.

"really?!"

Chang Hetong was immediately agitated when he heard this, then realized he had slipped up. Then something clicked in his mind, and he hesitated as he spoke, "Two months ago, my youngest son got married... and in the past six months, I've been busy trying to keep my job at the Shen family headquarters... Now I can only come up with fifty taels of silver. Any more would require selling the house or other assets... Can I get a monthly... interest..."

He felt a little embarrassed when he said this. These Shuluo Pills were in stock, no reservation was needed, and they were paid for in silver, and only six hundred taels. It was a good thing that others would beg for, but he saw that they were actually... taking advantage of it.

Zhuang Jin frowned subconsciously when he heard this.

If you ask him if he is willing to suffer such a loss, of course he is not willing.

but……

The adult world is not a fairy tale. It is impossible for everything to go smoothly and as you wish. Many times, you will encounter things that you are unwilling to do and that will harm your own interests.

Zhuang Jin has three criteria for judging whether to do something like this: First, whether there is a necessary reason, such as owing a favor, or being forced into a corner and having to do it, or is it just for the sake of face and it is difficult to refuse; second, whether he can afford the cost; third, whether it violates the bottom line.

His answers to these three questions are: there is a necessary reason, he owes the other party a favor; the cost is bearable; and it does not violate the bottom line.

Zhuang Jin made up his mind immediately after thinking about this. He smiled and said, "Uncle Chang, there's no need to worry about interest. Everything else is up to you!"

In fact, in his opinion, taking Shuluo Pills with Chang and Tong to break through the four meridians at this time had both advantages and disadvantages: the advantages were self-evident, the rank of a household servant was completely different from that of a domestic servant; the disadvantages? After breaking through the four meridians, it would be impossible to stay at the Shen family headquarters, and outside, whether it was the medicinal fields outside the city, the north of the city, or the so-called meat grinder in the south of the city, near the Medicine King Gang, none of them were as safe as the headquarters.

But seeing that Chang Hetong came over, it was obvious that he was very obsessed with the Four Meridians and had made up his mind. Saying this would only make the other party think too much and think that he was unwilling to give up the Shuluo Pills and was stingy, so he didn't say much.

……

He gave the Shuluo Pills to Chang Hetong, who immediately went into seclusion after receiving them.

On Zhuang Jin's side, people who followed up with the same questioning and probing approach as Yue Song did continued to come one after another. After learning that he sold Shuluo Pills to Chang Hetong, and finding out that it was only 600 taels, and that it could be paid in installments, these people were stunned. Their first reaction was that Zhuang Jin was stupid, wasn't he?

Of course, we certainly can't say that on the surface. After knowing the inside story, everyone still admires Zhuang Jin for his gratitude and loyalty.

There were many people who called him "stupid" behind his back.

However, as the saying goes, "Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise."

This reputation of being "stupid" also eliminated the malice of many people who were envious and jealous of Zhuang Jin's great achievements, and also drove away many covetous people like Yue Song.

Also, although many people say that Zhuang Jin is "stupid", many people are happy to make friends with a "fool" like Zhuang Jin, and are willing to give him face as long as it does not harm their own interests.

——They don't want to be a "fool" like Zhuang Jin, but that doesn't stop them from making friends with such "fool" people, because they would think: Chang Hetong only gave Zhuang Jin a little help in the beginning, but now he has reaped huge rewards. If I also do some favors to Zhuang Jin, will I be able to do the same in the future?
Especially since Zhuang Jin has good qualifications. He is now a fourth-level classicist and is considered well-known. In fact, it seems that his potential has not been fully realized!

……

(End of this chapter)