Chapter 125: Tremors

On the evening of January 19, the day of the ambush at Tangye Forest, Zhuang Jin and his party arrived at Baishui Market.

Fei Zecong went out to gather information and returned shortly after. "Brother Zhuang, there is a stronghold of my Fei family here. I checked with them, and the returning fleet has not passed through today. They were faster than us, so normally, they should have passed through yesterday. It seems that, just as those who ambushed us this afternoon claimed, they have set an ambush along the waterway."

As he spoke, he felt both heartache and relief. The heartache stemmed from the massive losses: the gifts bestowed by the Shen family, the goods purchased in the prefecture capital, his own sixth-rank uncle, and the many martial artists brought along. This was a painful blow to the Fei family, even if not a crippling one. The relief came from having followed Zhuang Jin’s plan; with an eighth-rank martial artist like Zhuang Jin, at least their lives and the Azure Origin Liquid—the two most important items—had been preserved.

"Since the Medicine King Gang has made their move, they wouldn't target only the returning convoy from Linji County. If my assessment is correct, the returning convoys from the other six counties have also been attacked by the Medicine King Gang."

"That must be the case!"

Hearing this, Fei Zecong felt much better. The other six county teams might not have had a guardian as cautious as Zhuang Jin, and even if they did, their leaders might not have been as "receptive to advice" as he was. They likely faced total annihilation, with their Azure Origin Liquid seized.

Compared to them, he felt a sense of fortune. He looked at Zhuang Jin gratefully and said, "Thanks to Brother Zhuang’s foresight and your ability to turn the tide..."

"I am simply doing the duty required by my position."

Zhuang Jin waved his hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "To avoid further complications, we shall proceed by water from here on..."

Once bitten, twice shy, Fei Zecong instinctively said, "Brother Zhuang, didn't you say earlier that...?"

"Times and circumstances have changed."

Zhuang Jin analyzed, "The Shen family is watching the prefecture capital, so the Medicine King Gang has limited resources to draw upon. These limited forces must be divided into seven paths to attack the tribute convoys from each county. For our path, the water blockade was led by an eighth-rank, and the land blockade was led by three seventh-ranks; this is already their limit. There will be no further obstacles ahead."

Using strategy is like commanding an army; military formations have no constant state, and water has no constant shape. One must not be rigid like someone marking a boat to find a lost sword, but rather adapt to the situation and act according to the time.

"That makes perfect sense."

Fei Zecong sighed in admiration. If safety could be ensured, he personally preferred traveling by boat—it was faster and more comfortable.

"By the way, Brother Zhuang, there is one more thing. Because the returning fleet has not arrived, the Baishui Market stronghold has already sent word to the prefecture capital and Linji County. Do you think we should report our encounter and our victory?"

Zhuang Jin deliberated and said, "No. As you said, there are checkpoints along the route for the county fleets. They are not fools; once they realize the fleet hasn't passed after a certain time, they will send inquiries. Furthermore, the Medicine King Gang cannot wipe out every route. By now, the Shen family must already know of the attacks, so there is no need for us to do something redundant."

"As for the victory at Tangye Forest, there is no need to rush to report it for the sake of showing off, lest it invite further variables."

"That is true." Upon hearing "invite further variables," Fei Zecong was immediately convinced. He was now like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, instinctively rejecting any form of risk.

***

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly. What he did not say was that this move was primarily to reduce risks and hidden dangers for himself.

"Currently, the Medicine King Gang's plan is likely succeeding, and they are at the height of their arrogance. If news of my victory at Tangye Forest were to return now, the beleaguered Shen family would surely publicize it extensively to boost morale and reclaim some ground."

This would be good for the Shen family, but it would be a slap in the face to the Medicine King Gang. Such publicity would put Zhuang Jin in the spotlight. Since he had not yet returned to the prefecture capital, what if the Medicine King Gang were to fly into a rage and send others to intercept him?

"Therefore, for the sake of safety, it is best to keep the news of my squad defeating the Medicine King Gang’s plot and slaying their three seventh-rankers under wraps for now."

"The top priority is to complete the escort mission as soon as possible, deliver the Azure Origin Liquid to Linji County, obtain the mission certificate, and return."

Since leaving the prefecture capital, Zhuang Jin felt as if he had entered a dark forest filled with hunters carrying guns; only by returning to the capital could he regain a sense of security.

...

Just as Zhuang Jin had anticipated, it was not just the Fei family’s route from Linji County that was attacked; the returning convoys from all the other counties had been targeted by the Medicine King Gang. Among these six county teams, aside from Zou Qingfeng, who had been alerted by Zhuang Jin beforehand and escaped unscathed, the other five routes were not so fortunate. The seventh-rank martial artists guarding them were killed, the Azure Origin Liquid was stolen, and the young masters of the wealthy county families who followed were either killed, captured, or forced to flee.

Of course, because the fleets were large, the Medicine King Gang could not catch everyone. Aside from the main targets, some minor figures managed to jump into the water and escape, carrying the news of the attacks back...

Consequently, the Shen family was shaken! The prefecture capital was in an uproar!

That very day, the head of the Shen family was alarmed and questioned the Director of the General Affairs Department. The Director, in turn, berated the various section chiefs below him, especially after learning of Zhuang Jin’s secret report submitted beforehand, scolding them until they were utterly humiliated.

Misfortunes never come singly. That same night, as the news returned, the Medicine King Gang took advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack in the north of the city, achieving significant results.

This time, when the Medicine King Gang launched its operation, they had mobilized their eighth and seventh-rankers; by the time the Shen family received the news, many had already returned. Additionally, the struggle for the streets in the north of the city was primarily fought by first- to sixth-rank martial artists; there was a tacit understanding that those at the seventh rank and above would not interfere with the lower levels.

Furthermore, among the returning tribute convoys from the seven counties, each had been guarded by a newly promoted seventh-rank martial artist. Now that they had been attacked, the fate of these seventh-rankers was unknown. With casualties expanding to the seventh-rank level and no clear word from above, the officials in charge of the wards and towns were gripped by panic. If the ward overseers were like this, one could imagine the state of the martial artists below.

For a time, every battlefront of the Shen family was, if not in a state of self-preservation, at least plagued by unstable morale and low spirits. With one side having no will to fight and the other surging with high morale, the outcome was hardly surprising.

The situation was critical. The head of the Shen family made a swift decision: starting immediately, war merit rewards would be doubled. Only then was the battlefront barely stabilized.

...

Amidst the chaos in the prefecture capital, the news that Zhuang Jin and other newly promoted guards had been attacked and their fates were unknown also emboldened some people.

That day, in a ward station in the south of the city, Zhao Bin and Miao Shao met.

The latter’s younger brother had died at the hands of Zhuang Jin; this was an irreconcilable blood feud. As for the former, having been transferred from the Law Enforcement Department to the southern front—the most intense battlefield against the Medicine King Gang—he dared not resent the Eighth Young Master, Shen Xuchen, so could he not turn his target toward Zhuang Jin?

"Those seventh-rank martial artists promoted last year who went to escort the tribute convoys back were attacked by the Medicine King Gang, and the seventh-rank guards were killed one after another. Last night, in the north of the city, it was said that the Medicine King Gang brought the heads of those seventh-rankers as a warning..."

As Zhao Bin spoke, his tone carried a hint of satisfaction. "That Zhuang Jin was escorting the Linji County wealthy family's team. That county is quite far from the prefecture capital, so I suppose it will take some time for their heads to be brought back, but they are likely already separated from their bodies."

"Zhuang Jin killed my brother; meeting this end is only retribution." Miao Shao nodded, his expression also showing a trace of grim pleasure.

"That gives us some relief, but I don't think it's enough to dispel the hatred in our hearts..."

"What does the Overseer Zhao mean?"

"That Zhuang Jin is a lone star of ill omen. He cursed his father and mother, and he has no close kin left. When he was only fourth-rank, he married a wife..."

"This... Zhuang Jin killed my brother, and I would have nothing to say about whatever methods you used against him, but targeting his family..."

Miao Shao was not exactly an honorable man, but he had some bottom lines and found such actions beneath him.

"A man must be ruthless. Since there is enmity, one must pull out the weeds by the roots!"

Seeing that Miao Shao was still hesitating and had not agreed, Zhao Bin cursed inwardly, "It’s not your brother who died, and now you’re acting righteous when you need me?" His expression turned ugly, and he said sinisterly, "Overseer Miao, don't forget, because of whose affair did I lose my position in the main department and get exiled to the south of the city, ending up in this state? As for this matter... just say whether you will help or not?"

"This... sigh!"

Under the pressure of their shared history, Miao Shao finally agreed. "However, Zhuang Jin died in the line of duty. If we target his family directly, we will inevitably be punished..."

"Rest assured, Overseer Miao. Do you think I am that stupid? Naturally, I won't do it myself; we will push pawns to the front... it will be done like this..."