Promise!

Chapter 91, Five Classics

Just as Zhuang Jin thought, after the incident of the exotic beast distribution, Zhang Zigao and Huang Chuanhe were given a small warning, and the two team leaders under his command did become much more honest.

Moreover, because of this incident, Zhuang Jin developed some friendship with Gan Ju, the governor of Long Town next door. Recently, during the evening dinner, the other party often came to join the table.

First, Chen Yun is a good cook and can make simple dishes delicious; second, the incense here can drive away mosquitoes.

Yes, the first point is even more important than the second point - this person is a real gourmet who loves delicious food and fine wine. When it is time for dinner, he comes here just by following the smell. But he is also very particular and does not eat for free. Sometimes he will bring some good things, such as stir-fried meat of exotic animals, or wine soaked with exotic animals, etc.

That day, Gan Ju came again. There was a pavilion not far from Zhuang Jin's two-beam house, about a few hundred meters away, where the two sat facing each other.

This is an octagonal pavilion, with stone steps in front and a stone table and benches inside. It's located on a high point, from which one can see for miles around. Looking toward the mountains, one can see stacked rocks and lush forests; looking toward the city, the entire southern Yunnan prefecture is dotted with stars, with rivers and streams flowing like ribbons.

Sometimes when Zhuang Jin practiced martial arts, Chen Yun would also watch and accompany him in this pavilion.

It is dusk today. Smoke rises from the city, the sunset is brilliant, a bright moon is above the treetops, and a breeze suddenly rises, making people feel the wind blowing under their sleeves.

Gan Ju tasted the side dish and sighed, "Brother Zhuang is so lucky. Your sister-in-law is such a great cook. She can make delicious food with simple ingredients."

Zhuang Jin smiled without saying anything, and thought so in his heart.

"It's a pity the ingredients are a bit inferior. The real delicacy is the belly meat of the exotic beast, the purple-eyed dove. The iron-beaked sparrow is a bit inferior. There is also the hind leg meat of the flowing rabbit and the pork belly of the iron-skinned pig... If we use the fat of the iron-skinned pig to make oil, and then fry the skinned, marinated, and cut color-changing snake, that would be delicious!"

Gan Ju had lived in the medicinal fields in the north of the city for many years and had eaten many exotic beasts. At this moment, he smacked his lips and talked about them, listing them like the back of his hand. After that, he poured Zhuang Jin a glass of tiger bone wine that he had brought with him.

"This wine... is quite strong!" Zhuang Jin exclaimed.

"That's right! This is made from the bones of a Black Demon Tiger at the Great Perfection of Skin Polishing. That's a beast equivalent to the Five Classics realm for us warriors. It was only because I put in some effort when I killed it that I was able to get two bones."

Gan Ju spoke contentedly, and soon, under Zhuang Jin's questioning, he brought up Zhang Ziqiao, the former governor of Qianlong, who guarded the medicinal fields. "Those two brothers are cut from the same cloth, with the same temperament... Speaking of which, Zhang Ziqiao's trip to the north of the city this month was related to the commotion you, Zhuang, caused there last month..."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jin rubbed his nose and changed the subject: "This month, Shuluo Dan is available for redemption of military merits. I'm afraid the north of the city is not peaceful anymore."

"Yeah, I've heard it all here. Those bigwigs at the ward level are getting a little restless. They're stuck at the bottleneck between the Sixth and Seventh Classics. The Street Guards of the Sixth Classics are getting even more excited. The speed at which the small gangs in the north of Yuecheng are being cleared out is like the debris flying off a sieve."

Gan Ju sighed and said, "If you ask me, the Shuluo Pill will probably be redeemed first for those who have reached the seventh level or above. Even if the street guards who have reached the sixth level have enough merit, they will probably still have to wait in line. I don't know how long they will have to wait. They will not be able to see it, but will never be able to eat it!"

"Yes!" Zhuang Jin thought that there was a long queue for Shuluo Pills, and it was probably even more so for Shuluo Dan. But it was still a little hope, wasn't it?
"In the end, it's all about the bottleneck of martial arts. The bottlenecks of one to three classics are not easy, the bottlenecks of four to six classics are even more difficult, and the bottlenecks of seven classics and above are even more difficult... Sigh!"

Gan Ju was thinking of himself as he spoke, sighing, "Take me for example, how many years have I been stuck at the bottleneck between the fourth and fifth classics? It's only you, Brother Zhuang, who have superb aptitude, so you don't have to worry too much about this."

"Who can say for sure about this kind of thing?"

Zhuang Jin said vaguely, "At least, we're safe here, there aren't that many dangers, so we can just sit back and watch what happens, right?"

"That makes sense, it should be made clear!"

The two chatted and laughed. Compared to the increasingly intense fighting in the south of the city, near the Medicine King Gang, and the north of the city, in contrast, in their medicine fields outside the city, there seemed to be a sense of peace and tranquility.

……

Time passed quickly, and another seven or eight days passed. During these seven or eight days, nothing happened in the medicine field where Zhuang Jin was in charge. He encountered several strange beasts, but they were all small in size and only at the beginning of the Skin Grinding Realm. He didn't need to take any action, and his team took care of them all.

It was during this period that Zhuang Jin's cultivation progressed rapidly, and he secretly felt that he would break through the Five Classics in just two or three days.

But on June 17th, a strange beast with a small degree of skin smoothing appeared, finally giving him the opportunity to really take action.

……

Swish!
A large black eagle, more than half a meter long, spread its wings. Its wings were crossed, and a faint black light flashed on them. It split the rope net like a pair of scissors, swooped down and grabbed two black jade grasses.

"Iron Feather Eagle at the Minor Accomplishment Stage of Skin Polishing!"

Zhang Zigao was leading his team on patrol and he immediately charged forward. Huang Chuanhe, who was resting nearby, also followed suit.

Two against one, they couldn't take it down for a while.

As for the warriors in their team, this Iron-Feathered Eagle, who is at the minor success stage of the Skin Grinding Realm, is equivalent to a warrior of the Third Sutra, and has the ability to fly and move very quickly, so he can only raid the formation.

Afterwards, Zhuang Jin arrived and slapped him to death.

Gan Ju, who was in charge of the medicine field nearby, saw this and expressed his envy: "It's not easy to come across a beast that has reached the minor success level of skin polishing. You are so lucky, brother!"

"Maybe all my luck for this month is here. Brother Gan, come over for lunch at noon!" Zhuang Jin invited.

Gan Ju saw the fresh exotic animal meat and thought of Chen Yun's cooking skills. His mouth was watering and he immediately agreed: "I'd be very honored to refuse it!"

……

Luck is something that is hard to describe. Perhaps it is true that everything will decline after reaching its peak. The next day, Zhuang Jin had some bad luck.

Another iron-feathered eagle attacked, it was a male, probably the mate of the one he killed yesterday. It was about ten feet tall and its realm was the great perfection of the skin-grinding realm, equivalent to the strength of a warrior at the fourth level.

——The beasts at the Mopi realm have reached the peak of their powers, and their strength is equivalent to the fourth or fifth classics for warriors. The specific strength depends on the species and body size. Large species such as tigers, cows, and wild boars are equivalent to the five classics for warriors. Birds like this, which weigh no more than 20 to 30 kilograms, only have the fourth classics, but are considered the strongest among the four.

Now, Zhuang Jin’s accumulation of the four classics is almost complete, and he has also made some progress in the Black Evil Palm. He is also among the top warriors in the four classics.

A man and an eagle engaged in a fierce battle.

boom!
Zhuang Jin used his palm to counter the claw.

One of them was bursting with strength, and the other had a faint black light flashing on its eagle claws.

"Wow!"

The iron-feathered eagle screamed in pain, and a faint blood mark appeared on Zhuang Jin's palm.

Zhuang Jin realized that he could not defeat the opponent on his own, so he stopped fighting head-on and kept dodging and dealing with the opponent.

He had already sent out the signal, and soon the garrisons in the surrounding Long areas would come to support him. Even if it took a little longer, the garrisons in the seven districts would come.

Gan Ju, the guard of Long Town nearby, was the first to receive the signal and come over. The two of them fought two against one without any moral ethics. Tieyuying saw more warriors coming quickly and had to retreat.

……

Two more days passed and it was June 20th.

This day.

Zhuang Jin once again felt the slight swelling in his meridians, and knew that this was because he had put his focus back on his cultivation realm since the tenth day of the previous month. After forty days, he finally completed the accumulation of the four meridian realms.

"This is the result of a combination of factors: the bonus of exotic beast meat, the sufficient supply of cultivation resources, and Yunniang taking on trivial tasks and ensuring logistics...

"Finally, I'm going to break through the Five Classics!"

Zhuang Jin looked at the iron-feathered eagle circling in the sky outside the house: "Wait until I break through the Five Classics..."

Ever since the day before yesterday, the Iron-Feathered Eagle failed in its sneak attack and knew that it could not do anything to him. If it delayed any longer, it would be surrounded and beaten by other Long garrison guards who arrived.

It has been hovering in the sky for the past two days and just shitting on my head.

Yes, that's shit!
Although it is impossible for Zhuang Jin to be hit by shit based on his reaction, the damage would not be great but the insult would be great.

In reality, Zhuang Jin didn't care about any insults. He didn't mind the jokes from other Long garrison commanders or the gossip from his subordinates behind his back. It was just...

Can you imagine: Zhuang Jin is practicing standing meditation and refining the Black Yuan Powder, and suddenly a pile of bird shit falls down accurately from mid-air?

If you dodge, your stance will be distorted and all your efforts will be wasted; if you don’t dodge, a pile of bird droppings will splash on your body.

In the past two days, Zhuang Jin has been hiding in the pavilion or practicing martial arts in the house.

"There is no time to lose. Break through the Five Classics today!"

Zhuang Jin took a deep breath, letting go of these thoughts. He concentrated his mind, channeling his internal energy towards the fifth meridian, the Hand Yangming Meridian. Just as before, without a single constraint, he effortlessly completed the cycle through the five meridians. His internal energy rapidly refined and condensed during this process.

The Five Classics... are done!
Zhuang Jin felt his own strength at the moment and secretly estimated that if he met the Iron-feathered Eagle again in a head-on confrontation, he would probably be able to defeat it within dozens of moves.

"To break through the Five Classics, you'll need three sets of Black Yuan Powder per day. The bonus effect of the original skin grinding realm's great beast meat will also be reduced from 50% to 30%... These things can be put aside for now and discussed later."

Zhuang Jin once again looked at the iron-feathered eagle circling in the sky outside the house: "Now the first thing to do is to get rid of this beast and use its flesh and blood to help me practice!"

……

Zhuang Jin stood up, and Chen Yun, who was sitting on the small couch at the door, immediately stood up and poured him more tea.

"Yunniang, that's fine for now. I've made a breakthrough and will be out later."

Zhuang Jin paused and glanced outside, saying, "Disguised as a hunter, hunting a beast!"

When Chen Yun heard this, she immediately understood what Zhuang Jin was going to do. Thinking of what happened in the past two days, she couldn't help but smile. She also thought that in the past two days, no matter what she did outside, Zhuang Jin would always follow her, and a faint warmth emerged in her heart.

Zhuang Jin originally wanted to let Chen Yun stay, but he was worried that the Iron-Feathered Eagle would lure Chen Yun away and return here. It would be better to bring Chen Yun to his side so that he could be sure of her safety. "Yunniang, the weather is great today. Why don't we go out for a walk together?"

"Okay!" Chen Yun agreed, put down her things and stood up without asking anything, obviously trusting Zhuang Jin very much.

Afterwards, Zhuang Jin asked Gan Ju to help watch over his medicinal fields to prevent sneak attacks. Then he left the medicinal fields and saw the iron-feathered eagle circling after him.

……

Today, the sky is clear and the blue sky is bright and clear. The gentle breeze blows the green shade in the mountains like waves, birds sing, streams flow, and all things are flourishing.

Zhuang Jin and Chen Yun left the medicinal field but didn't go too far. They just strolled around casually, treating it as a picnic.

Passing by a place, Chen Yun saw a depression in the middle of a pond. There were a lot of small stones scattered on the ground, with little moss patterns on them. It looked beautiful. She pointed it out to Zhuang Jin and said, "If you use these to build a bonsai rockery, it will have a unique and unique charm. It will definitely look beautiful!"

Zhuang Jin was also surprised when he saw it: "Stones like this are indeed rare."

"It's just not easy to get past. What a pity."

"How difficult is that? Look, I'll get it!" Seeing that Chen Yun liked it, Zhuang Jin tapped his toes and flew over the ten-foot-wide pool of water like a bird, landing steadily on a stone.

Seeing that Zhuang Jin had already walked over without waiting for her to dissuade him, Chen Yun felt a little helpless but also a little sweet.

In the past, as the elder sister, she was always the one who took care of others. Now, she felt this kind of pampering feeling, and her heart was filled with a special feeling. Her mood at this moment was like the surface of the water in the pond, sparkling in the sunlight, with ripples forming circles.

Zhuang Jin picked a broad leaf and picked up a piece. If Chen Yun said "OK", she would put it in the leaf and wrap it up. If she said "No", she would throw it away. Soon, she had collected a lot.

In the sky.

The iron-feathered eagle noticed that there was no ambush, and the supporting warriors from the medicine field would not arrive for a while. Taking advantage of Zhuang Jin's relaxed mind, it swooped down, targeting Chen Yun, and wanted to make Zhuang Jin taste the pain of losing his partner.

Zhuang Jin did not forget the purpose of his trip. While picking up stones, his mind was always on the other person. He reacted very quickly at this time, arrived first, held Chen Yun in his arms, turned in the air, and slapped the other person with a palm.

"Wow!"

The Iron-Feathered Eagle's pair of eagle claws flashed with a faint black light, and as the force eroded it, this time, its skin and flesh were directly torn apart, and it let out a shrill cry of pain.

It didn't understand why such a change had occurred in just two days. They were clearly evenly matched last time, and it even had the upper hand!
However, although it could not understand it, the pain that penetrated deep into its bones made the Iron-Feathered Eagle realize that Zhuang Jin was no longer someone it could deal with. It let out a long hiss and was about to take off, but was hit on the wings by several swiftly shot caltrops.

"Yunniang, wait a moment!"

Zhuang Jin held Chen Yun in his arms, spun in the air, and landed steadily at the same time. He threw out a handful of caltrops, said this, put Chen Yun down, and flew away.

Chen Yun felt the remaining warmth in Zhuang Jin's embrace and was slightly dazed. She had just experienced a thrilling life-or-death moment, but strangely, she was not at all nervous. Instead, she felt an indescribable sense of security in Zhuang Jin's arms. At this moment, she looked at Zhuang Jin, who was calm and at ease, with a gentle look in his eyes.

call!
The Iron-Winged Eagle was hit in the wings and fluttered down in mid-air, but it was not seriously injured. It only took a moment to stabilize its body and take off again. But at this time, Zhuang Jin had already come to kill him, and it hurriedly waved its wings like iron fans to attack him.

Zhuang Jin did not dodge. Despite the slight pain, he took it head-on, then tore it with his backhand, causing the Iron-feathered Eagle to let out a shrill cry and peck at him subconsciously with its beak.

He had been prepared for this, or perhaps he had been waiting for this moment. He dodged with his palm, leaving an afterimage, and pressed down on the Iron-Feathered Eagle's head. Instantly, the beast's head caved in, and its body straightened up, and it died.

……

When Zhuang Jin brought back the corpse of the Iron-Feathered Eagle, his two teams and ten warriors were all extremely shocked.

The two team leaders, in particular, understood what this scene represented. Two days ago, Zhuang Jin, at the fourth level of the sutra realm, could only barely stand up to the beast and had to rely on Gan Zhenshou from next door to come and drive it away together. But today, he hunted it alone. Doesn't this mean...

"Zhuang Zhenshou, have you made a breakthrough?" Zhang Zigao and Huang Chuanhe asked in unison, all in disbelief.

Zhuang Jin looked at it and nodded slightly: "Yes, I was lucky enough to break through the Five Classics today!"

The boots landed on the ground and were confirmed. The shock in the two people's hearts not only did not diminish in the slightest, but became even stronger. They felt their heads buzzing.

"Isn't it said that the bottleneck after the fourth meridian is more difficult than the first to third meridians? Why is it that Zhuang Jin's breakthrough is as easy as eating and drinking water?"

Since the beginning of this month, Zhang Zigao had a problem with Zhuang Jin and dared to give him a cold shoulder, but it was only because his brother had also reached the fourth level of the classics. But now that Zhuang Jin has broken through to the fifth level, wouldn't his confidence be...

Huang Chuanhe was even more shocked. When Zhuang Jin first came, he thought his disguise had fooled the other party. He secretly added fuel to the fire and thought he was smart. Seeing Zhuang Jin working hard all day, he laughed at the other party and said he was just a "martial arts idiot". He sneered in his heart. It was only after being warned by the Liuguang Rabbit incident that he realized that Zhuang Jin was a man of great talent and had become much more honest.

Today, when I suddenly heard that Zhuang Jin had broken through the Five Classics, I was stunned and melancholy. Thinking about what I had done in the past, I was afraid that in Zhuang Jin's eyes, it was probably extremely ridiculous, just like a joke, right?

'For warriors, strength is the most important thing!' At this moment, Huang Chuanhe suddenly thought of this sentence and deeply understood this truth.

——Indeed! Zhuang Jin's deceased uncle, Zhuang Yutang, should have had a lot in common with him. The so-called conspiracies and intrigues... can't be said to be useless, but they are also based on hard power, adding icing on the cake. If the hard power can't keep up, it will only add to the joke.

It wasn't just these two team leaders. The other warriors under them were also quite shocked when they heard it. However, the gap was too big, so their emotions were not as drastic. Only Bi Kai was genuinely happy.

At this time, Gan Ju came over and heard that Zhuang Jin had broken through the Five Classics. His expression was extremely complicated and he expressed his congratulations.

Zhuang Jin asked Bi Kai to take the iron-feathered eagle away to deal with it, and gave him some of the remaining internal organs.

The total weight of this beast is about 20 to 30 kilograms, and the pure meat is nearly 20 kilograms. Zhuang Jin naturally chose the method of distributing the meat of exotic beasts. According to the rules here, he can get 15 kilograms alone, which is enough to sustain martial arts training for half a month, equivalent to 150 military merits!

The only surprise was that Gan Ju did not come to Zhuang Jin's invitation this time, and from that day on, he rarely came to dinner.

Perhaps it was because he used to consider himself the big brother, the senior who guided the juniors, but now that he has been surpassed by Zhuang Jin, he feels ashamed and cannot get over the hurdle in his heart. He also considers himself a decent person and does not want to bear the reputation of being a flatterer.

Zhuang Jin was not affected by this. His talent meant that many people were destined to fall behind and not keep up. Unless they established a certain relationship with them when they were in a low position, like Ping Yongfeng and Chang Hetong, or found a position around him, becoming his subordinate, or even a lackey, like Lin Hong, Bi Kai, Wu Hao, and Qian Wende... Otherwise, they would soon drift away and be eliminated from his social circle.

He still practiced martial arts at his own pace and with self-discipline. With sufficient exotic beast meat and cultivation resources, and Chen Yun's logistical support, he didn't have to be distracted by trivial matters... After breaking through the Five Classics, his cultivation progress continued to soar by leaps and bounds. It was estimated that by the end of the month, one-fifth of the Five Classics would be completed!

Of course, Zhuang Jin is not a machine pursuing power, he also has leisure time and interests.

Chen Yun was mysterious about the stones she picked up that day, saying she wanted to build a bonsai, and she hid and covered it until it was completed. When Zhuang Jin asked her about it, she said, "My husband found the stones, and it's my turn to build them next. I feel embarrassed to let my husband see them now that they are not finished. I will wait until the bonsai is formed before letting him appreciate it."

They had been preparing for this for six or seven days. Early in the morning, a light mist hung in the air, and Zhuang Jin finally saw the bonsai made by Chen Yun. He looked at it in disbelief.

The bonsai rockery, a landscape of mountains and water, featured creepers spreading like vines draped over the rock face. Small flowers blossomed red, while white duckweed emerged from the water in full bloom, creating a vibrant red and white scene. A closer look revealed thatched pavilions and thatched rooftops scattered across the water. On one rock face, a small inscription read, "Between Falling Flowers and Flowing Water."

Especially at this moment, in the light mist flowing in the early morning, this bonsai really looks like a miniature version of Penglai Fairy Island hidden in the clouds.

Zhuang Jin was amazed and asked how it was done.

"I found a rectangular basin, treated stones with yellow ash, and then placed them on top while they were still wet, matching the color of the basin. I built a false mountain peak... It was asymmetrical, with the rocky left side and the right side bulging. The mountain's back was patterned with horizontal squares, the rocks concave and convex, with a corner left empty... I used river mud to transfer thousands of white duckweed petals, and covered the stones with morning glory..."

It sounds simple, but only Chen Yun herself knows how much effort she put into it.

Whenever Zhuang Jin had free time, he would look at it with Chen Yun. The couple talked like children, saying that if the scenery in the pot were enlarged, they would wonder where they could live, where they could fish, where they could look out into the distance... as if they could really move in.

These were one or two interesting things that happened during that period, which made Zhuang Jin realize that besides being quiet and reserved, Chen Yuncheng also had an elegant, sensitive, and extremely cute and interesting side.

……

(End of this chapter)