Chapter 121: Eternity

It is only polite to return a favor. Zhuang Jin had played a trick on Dong Pei, and after finding the results unexpectedly satisfying, he retreated to the rear to focus entirely on his cultivation.

The subsequent conflict in the northern part of the city proceeded quite smoothly. Since the Medicine King Gang stopped skirting the edges and began playing by the rules, they were forced to retreat step by step in the face of a clear disparity in strength.

Under these circumstances, the Shen family accelerated the pace and frequency of their offensives. Other ward overseers also vied for battle, eager to seize the opportunity to earn military merit. After conferring with Liu Licheng, Zhuang Jin chose not to compete with the other overseers, maintaining a low profile.

Zhuang Jin’s sensible and tactful behavior earned him some favor among the other overseers. While they did not fully accept him, their cold attitude thawed, and they stopped targeting him intentionally. This was seen as a victory for the Shen family elders in their initiative to recruit martial students. As the first martial student recruited from outside to break through the Seven Meridians and enter the middle-to-high ranks, Zhuang Jin’s every move carried inherent significance. His display of humility set a precedent that others would likely follow.

Zhuang Jin, however, took a pragmatic view: "I don't believe the Medicine King Gang is a pushover that will just admit defeat quietly. They are likely brewing something major. If those ward overseers want to show off, let them."

"Furthermore, my situation is different. I am not in urgent need of military merit; improving my strength is my primary goal. Chasing after more merit would be putting the cart before the horse."

Zhuang Jin faced no bottlenecks. He had no need for scarce, high-end resources like meridian-clearing pills, so his demand for military merit was naturally lower. The most sensible course of action now was to bide his time, keep a low profile, and convert his accumulated merit into tangible strength.

"As for losing face or appearing weak, a moment of forbearance is no disgrace. A true man knows when to bend and when to stretch."

"Once my strength improves further and I break through the Eight Meridians, those ward overseers at the Seven Meridians stage will come to their senses. And when I reach the tenth, twelfth, or even higher realms, the chasm in strength will shatter all these petty notions of background and status into dust!"

Time flew by until the end of the month. To Zhuang Jin's surprise, the Medicine King Gang remained genuinely restrained in the northern part of the city, and the fighting proceeded smoothly.

Under these conditions, the other ward overseers naturally reaped significant rewards. Zhuang Jin, however, had not wasted his time. Through dedicated cultivation over the past half-month, he had completed nearly ninety percent of the accumulation required for the Seven Meridians. At the earliest in seven days, or at most by the tenth day of the first lunar month, he would break through to the Eighth Meridian.

This was the twelfth month, the final month of the year. Throughout the Shen family's territory—whether at the main headquarters, the northern, eastern, or southern city sectors, or the medicinal fields outside—there were year-end bonuses to be distributed.

In the northern sector, the celebrations began within the wards. Since the occupation of the streets had led to the transfer of property from those without powerful backers, this served as a source of income, a portion of which was distributed to each ward to be allocated by the ward overseers.

In Dongqiao Dock, Zhuang Jin divided the funds into three parts: one for immediate distribution, one for a lucky draw during the ward's year-end festival, and one to be kept in the public treasury.

The portion distributed directly was given out according to rank, ensuring everyone received their share. As the ward overseer, Zhuang Jin naturally took the largest portion, followed by the street overseers and the squad leaders.

The portion for the year-end festival lottery relied on luck, serving as a form of compensation and incentive for those in the lower ranks.

The final portion was kept for the public treasury. Zhuang Jin understood a profound truth: pain should be inflicted all at once and swiftly to minimize resentment, but benefits should be given bit by bit. Only by granting rewards incrementally could one maximize the sense of gratitude. This reserved fund was meant for that purpose—to be awarded as subsequent contributions were made, serving as a tool for managing subordinates.

On the twenty-ninth of the twelfth month, the ward held its internal festival.

On the thirtieth, as a ward overseer, Zhuang Jin was entitled to attend the year-end festival held in the "Du" district. Because of his earlier "sensibility" and "tact," the other overseers treated him with smiles, as it was a joyous occasion.

The festival began with a speech by Du Overseer Guo Liangping, followed by a banquet. The feast featured various delicacies, including meat from exotic beasts at the Flesh Refining stage, and beautiful courtesans invited from the city’s pleasure boats to provide entertainment.

Since the ward overseers were all of the Guard rank, the invited courtesans were of the highest quality—sixteen-year-old virgins dressed in sheer silks, dancing gracefully to the sound of strings and pipes. The planners of the festival had been quite clever; after each performance, the courtesans were free to choose to sit beside an overseer, serving him wine and food, or perhaps