Promise!

Chapter 83, Regret

Zhuang Jin passed the Shuluo Pills to Chang Hetong, and then went to visit Ping Yongfeng, and then he was surrounded.

At this time, the news that he had broken through the Four Classics, achieved minor success in the Black Evil Palm, and made great contributions had spread. Teachers and students who had taught Tang Wentao martial arts, as well as acquaintances in the department, came in an endless stream to congratulate him.

Zhuang Jin was not arrogant and was always well-mannered. However, these visitors were all smiling and flattering, trying their best to flatter and please him. Their words were so pleasant that he almost believed that he was a 'genius that appears once in a century and one in a million'.

Of course, it was just 'almost', he was not arrogant, he felt that staying in such an environment full of flattery was not a good thing, and then he hurriedly left with Duan Tao.

Zhuang Jinren is gone, but the incident last night is still spreading, and the impact it caused is still growing. The aftermath it caused will take a long time to subside.

……

"Zhuang Jin broke through the four classics? He also killed the warriors of the Medicine King Gang who attacked at night and made great contributions?" When Guo Jun heard the news, he felt a chill that penetrated deep into his bones.

These days, he has been paying close attention to the actions of Zhuang Yutang and Zhuang Yuyong, waiting for them to take action against Zhuang Jin, but he did not expect to hear such news at this time.

After cousin Guo Huai told this story, seeing that Guo Jun was stunned, he smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, "I remember correctly. When Master Zhuang Wu broke through the Three Classics, you gave him three taels of silver as a gift. You must be overjoyed, right? Don't worry, laugh out loud if you want to. I won't say anything. Zhuang Jin has a promising future and may even have a chance to break through the Seven Classics. Who knows, I might even benefit from your relationship in the future!"

Guo Jun: …

Do I not want to laugh? I am...

He forced himself to smile, but that smile was uglier than crying. He dealt with Guo Huai hastily and went back.

After returning home, Guo Jun closed the door and lay on the bed. His mind was full of messy thoughts, fearing that Zhuang Jin would come to him the next moment.

This fear of Zhuang Jin's revenge, the uneasiness and irritability of the sword of Damocles hanging over his head, was more torturous than torture. He could only constantly comfort himself in his heart: "Zhuang Jin may not think of me... Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to find evidence and wouldn't be able to do anything to me... I can't scare myself..."

This mentality of taking chances continued until the first day of the next month when he was transferred to the south of the city, close to the location of the Medicine King Gang, and was completely shattered.

Not only him, but even his cousin Guo Huai who worked in the General Affairs Department was caught in the crossfire and thrown to the south of the city.

——Although Zhuang Jin only specifically targeted Guo Jun, there were still people who took advantage of the situation and wanted to curry favor with him, not to mention that the positions in the Shen family headquarters were now divided among the people, and when they saw the Guo brothers reveal their flaws, they didn't mind taking action as well, so the result became like this.

After Guo Huai learned the truth and found out that he was implicated by his cousin, he immediately found Guo Jun. The two cousins ​​had a fight and eventually broke off the relationship.

Of course, that's a story.

……

In the outer courtyard of the Shen family, a group of little maids were also sighing about Zhuang Jin.

Song Lan sighed, "In the blink of an eye, Master Zhuang Wu has broken through the Four Classics and become a family servant. When he was a martial artist, I opened the meridian soup for him. It seems like it was just yesterday that he helped me!"

"Sister Lan, how many times have you sighed? What's going on? Are you feeling amorous? That Zhuang Wushi has broken through the Four Classics and been promoted to the rank of household servant. According to the rules, he must be betrothed to a maid from the outer courtyard. If you want, go ahead and give it a try!"

"I..." Song Lan seemed to be persuaded. She stood up, waving her fists and puffing out her cheeks. But the next moment, she deflated like a pufferfish, shaking her head like a rattle. "How can I do that? I'm only a second-class maid. If we're not in love, Master Zhuang Wu would usually marry a first-class maid from the outer courtyard if he takes the initiative to propose."

When the other maids saw this scene, they all covered their mouths and laughed out loud. They knew that Song Lan was just like that and didn't think it was strange.

A young maidservant chimed in, "I've heard about that. After Director Yue spread the news, those first-class maids in our outer courtyard broke down the door and grabbed things... They were so shameless, like they were grabbing gold ingots. Is that really necessary?"

"If you ask me, it's true. Master Zhuang Wu is much more valuable than Jin Yuangui."

Another gentle maid spoke fairly, "What do we women want in life? Isn't it to find a husband who suits our hearts? Master Zhuang Wu is handsome, talented, and has a bright future. I hear he has a good temper, too. If I weren't so unqualified, I'd want to try!"

"Yes, Master Zhuang is a good person." Yu Xiaoxiao verified her real name. In February, she distributed Kailuo Soup at Professor Zhuang Jin's martial arts training ground and gave Zhuang Jin a good person card at that time.

"That martial arts master Zhuang is so good? I wonder who will snatch this coveted position. If you ask me, Sister Yun would definitely have the best chance. I heard that Sister Yun helped that martial arts master Zhuang before. In January, she took over from Yingying and distributed the meridian-opening soup from Master Zhuang for most of the month. I think she also gave him peach blossom cake..."

"Sister Yun, something seems to have happened at home recently. I've seen her frowning these past two days, and she seems to be in a bad mood..."

"Ah, really?"

This group of little maids were just a group of little girls about fourteen, fifteen or sixteen years old. The topic between them was just like this, and as they talked, they unknowingly went off topic.

……

The inner court.

Ni Ying had been secretly paying attention to Zhuang Jin, keeping an eye on the man she had 'abandoned'. Naturally, she also knew the news that Zhuang Jin had broken through the four classics and made great contributions.

This made her feel a little dazed for a moment, not knowing what day it was. She thought back to when she first met Zhuang Jin. It was still January, and Zhuang Jin was only in her twenties. Now it was the tenth day of May. If you counted from when she entered the inner courtyard, it had only been three months! But in just these three months, Zhuang Jin had changed so drastically that it felt like years.

"If I could wait three more months, could we have arranged a marriage today? I could marry her in style and enjoy a life of endless happiness for the rest of my life?"

Ni Ying's eyes, bright and clear as autumn water, were dazed at this moment. A strong sense of regret made her fingertips pierce into the flesh, and she didn't even realize that a little blood was oozing out: "Am I, am I really wrong?"

To outsiders, no one would think that her choice was wrong, but how could a person have foresight and foresee what would happen today?

"So that means I have a bad fate?!" Ni Ying's eyes moved slightly, and the little bit of sadness in them turned into determination at this moment: "No! I, Ni Ying... will never accept my fate!"

She remembered the news that the Ninth Young Master was recruiting a maid for his concubine, even though she was born out of wedlock and had no talent for martial arts... She was still hesitating, but now she made a decision.

"Let's go home! Let's go home!"

Outside the corridor with vermilion-painted flying eaves, the May sun shines brightly. In the flower beds where strings of light and shadows are cast, the cuckoo cries out in agony, but it cannot bring back the determined figure walking away.

……

Fujing Street is not far from Furong Street.

Xiang Qichen was here. While having lunch that day, he heard the news from Furong Street last night.

This is not surprising, as this matter has been promoted as a benchmark and model in the north of the city!

At the same time, this incident is full of twists and turns, reversals, and passionate elements, such as betrayal by a hidden player, a surprise attack, a counterattack with hidden strength, the conquest of two streets in one night, and generous rewards. It is the most story-telling and contagious, so it is natural that it spreads quickly.

"Speaking of last night..."

The warrior who narrated this story had some talent for storytelling. He spoke in a rhythmic manner, which aroused the ups and downs of the audience's emotions.

Originally, Xiang Qichen treated this as a story to eat with his meal. After all, that kind of genius was too far away from him. But when he heard that the protagonist and team leader in this story was named Zhuang Jin, he stuffed a chopstick of noodles directly into his nose.

"Ahem, what did you say that person's name was?" Xiang Qichen asked again without paying any attention to the noodles in his nose. After confirming, he suddenly felt his head buzzing as if it had exploded, and he felt like he had lost his soul.

On the first day of March, when he was injured, he saw Zhuang Jin break through the third meridian and Lin Hong also break through the second meridian. After the successive blows, he had some realization. In the past two months, he did not try to show off, but focused on practicing and recuperating. The team leader saw that he was a wounded soldier and had fought quite actively before, so he did not say anything.

Now, he had just recovered from his injuries and was faintly touching the bottleneck of the third meridian. Just when he felt a little proud, he heard that Zhuang Jin had broken through the fourth meridian. Suddenly, he had a feeling in his heart: it seemed that no matter what he did, it was all wrong!

At this moment, the warrior who had been recounting this incident also looked over, as if remembering something, and asked, "If I remember correctly, Xiao Xiang, you and that Mr. Zhuang were from the same martial arts class, right? Did you know each other?"

Xiang Qichen looked at the other man's expectant expression. His dignity and integrity made him want to deny it and say, "We're not familiar with each other." But some unspeakable vanity made him change the words on the tip of his tongue into, "Of course I know him. We were in the same dormitory back then, and he even called me 'Brother Xiang'!"

"Okay, I didn't realize you had such a relationship!"

The team leaders all looked at Xiang Qichen with a different eye: "Maintain this relationship well. When that person reaches a high position in the future, he can bring you endless blessings with just a word."

The other members of the team also started to make a fuss.

"Brother Xiang, when you become rich, don't forget us."

"Yes!"

"What exactly is Mr. Zhuang like? What's his personality like? Brother Xiang, please tell us about it!"

……

Xiang Qichen felt the envy and eagerness of others, which was very different from before. This naked reality made him feel both self-deprecating and proud at the same time, but the latter soon overwhelmed the former, and he talked about some things about Zhuang Jin.

……

Xiong Lei, Lin Hong, Bi Kai and Wu Hao also found out one after another, and needless to say they were shocked.

Even Jiao Kun, who had a broken arm and was half-crippled recovering from his injuries, was melancholy for a long time after learning about this. He vaguely recalled the fate that the eight people in the dormitory had said, and muttered absentmindedly, "Why did Zhuang Jin, who didn't believe in fate, rise to prominence, while I, who was destined to be rich and powerful, ended up like this?"

He couldn't help but feel his broken arm hurt even more. Thinking of the diligence of Zhuang Jin and others, and his own greed and laziness, he felt a lot of regret in his heart, but it was too late now.

"Oh! I regret it so much!"

……

(End of this chapter)