Chapter 147: The Surgery

Due to the special circumstances in the southern district, Zhuang Jin temporarily left Chen Yun, along with the two maidservants Yu Xiaoxia and Song Lan, at the main Shen family estate this time, heading to his new post alone.

Of course, calling it traveling alone would not be entirely accurate, as he was still accompanied by a squad of personal guards. Having now publicly reached the Tenth Meridian realm, his personal guard squad had been upgraded accordingly to a third-tier unit. Squad leaders could now be martial artists of the fourth to sixth meridians. Xue Yandao, Duan Tao, and Lin Hong served as the three personal guard squad leaders, with core cadres such as Bi Kai, Wu Hao, Du Yunqi, and Pan Zimo under their command.

Upon arriving at the main garrison for the war against the Medicine King Guild along the southern front, Zhuang Jin met the grand guardian—Sun Mingbi, a man in his forties dressed in white robes, who possessed the cultivation of the twelfth meridian.

Sun Mingbi explained to him: "The situation in the southern district differs from the northern district. The front line bordering the Medicine King Guild in the western district is divided into four sector quadrants: Feng, Tai, Guang, and Hong, comprising a total of twelve streets. Each street is garrisoned with martial artists equivalent to the strength of two wards. Three streets form a sector quadrant, with a martial artist at the grand garrison commander level dispatched to oversee each quadrant..."

The western district was territory belonging to the Medicine King Guild, while the southern district belonged to the Shen family. There was no territorial contention here like there was in the north. The conflict in this sector unfolded along the direct border between the two families' territories in the west and south, making the deployment of martial artists extremely concentrated.

Listening attentively, Zhuang Jin nodded in understanding.

He knew that the vast majority of the areas behind the four sector quadrants of Feng, Tai, Guang, and Hong in the southern district were still quite secure, much like the eastern district. The truly fierce battles were concentrated entirely along this frontline bordering the Medicine King Guild—a steel defense line characterized by an extremely high density of martial artists!

To put it simply: the four sector quadrants of Feng, Tai, Guang, and Hong, consisting of twelve streets, formed the primary frontline. The wards behind the four sector quadrants served as the secondary line and the reserve forces. Anything further back was the tertiary line, which was completely peaceful, and where martial artists injured on the front lines were sent to recuperate.

Back then, when Zhao Bin was transferred out of the Law Enforcement Department and sent to the southern district, he was merely assigned to a secondary-line ward to act as reserves. Later, after scheming against Chen Yun and stubbornly fleeing, he was transferred to the front line, truly experiencing life and death.

Looking at Zhuang Jin cordially, Sun Mingbi smiled and said: "As the grand guardian, it is naturally my duty to answer questions for my subordinates. If Guardian Zhuang has any questions, please feel free to ask."

"May I be so bold as to ask, Your Excellency, what are the respective numbers of twelfth-meridian and eleventh-meridian martial artists on the southern front, both for our Shen family and the Medicine King Guild?" Zhuang Jin did not stand on ceremony and directly asked the question he cared about most.

"Among the grand guardian levels across the four sector quadrants of our Shen family's front line, there are two eleventh-meridian experts, and another who is at the tenth meridian, just like Guardian Zhuang—you will meet him shortly at the meeting. The Medicine King Guild is about the same... As for the twelfth meridian, for now, I am the only one on our Shen family's side, and the same goes for the opposing Medicine King Guild. Shi Yin, the former chief commander in charge of the southern district, has broken through, and the one in charge now is Fu Honggang, the former chief commander of the northern district for the Medicine King Guild..."

Zhuang Jin had anticipated that twelfth-meridian martial artists would not be numerous here, but he had not expected that on this crucial battlefront of the southern front line, both the Shen family and the Medicine King Guild would each have only a single twelfth-meridian expert.

Sensing Zhuang Jin's bewilderment, Sun Mingbi smiled and said: "Naturally, the Shen family does not have only one twelfth-meridian martial artist. There is a reason why I am the only one on the southern front line."

"Firstly, twelfth-meridian martial artists are indeed exceedingly rare. The bottleneck from the eleventh meridian to the twelfth is the final barrier among the twelve meridians of Qi Condensation. Every previous clearing of the meridians drives impurities out of the body, all of which accumulate and cause blockages right here... Traveling ninety miles out of a hundred is only halfway. To say that the difficulty of this final bottleneck is equivalent to the sum of all previous bottlenecks combined might be an exaggeration, but it is certainly four or fifty percent of that total."

"Let me give you a figure, Guardian Zhuang, and you will understand. According to statistics: the probability of breaking through the bottleneck from the ninth meridian to the tenth by taking a Meridian-Clearing Pill is seventy percent. But the bottleneck from the eleventh meridian to the twelfth? Less than twenty percent!"

"Is this final bottleneck of the Qi Condensation realm truly so difficult?!"

Zhuang Jin exclaimed in surprise. Of course, his exclamation was merely nominal, as this had nothing to do with him—whether the bottleneck was difficult or easy, he simply did not have any!

To him, the difficulty of breaking through the bottleneck to become a formal martial artist, breaking through from the eleventh meridian to the twelfth, and breaking through the meridians-opening bottleneck were actually all the same: zero... No matter how many times you multiplied zero, wasn't it still zero?

"Secondly, after a martial artist breaks through to a certain realm, their combat prowess cannot always be maintained at that corresponding level. Our other twelfth-meridian martial artists in the Shen family are mostly seventy or eighty years old, making it difficult for them to come, nor are they willing to..."

At this point, Sun Mingbi chuckled teasingly: "When Guardian Zhuang first began practicing martial arts, you must have heard the saying 'First the realm, then the martial techniques.' Put it this way: these elderly martial artists with graying hair and declining vital energy are the only ones who might possibly cross realms to counter-kill!"

Zhuang Jin nodded in understanding, grasping the unspoken meaning behind the other man's words: The Shen family had other twelfth-meridian martial artists, but they were in their seventies and eighties, their combat power was no longer at its peak, and they were also senior figures with old connections who were unwilling to come—just like that group of parasites in the eastern district, who would hide whenever possible unless the Shen family faced a life-or-death crisis, continuing to gorge themselves in the rear!

'This is also a good thing for me. On the opposing Medicine King Guild, there is also only Fu Honggang, the chief commander of the southern front line, who is at the twelfth-meridian realm. Such a figure usually needs to stay in the center to command and coordinate; surely he wouldn't personally make a move against me, right?'

'Even taking a ten-thousand-step retreat, if he were to make a move against me, I am currently at the true eleventh-meridian realm, and my movement technique is Gale Steps, coupled with that newly acquired trump card... As long as I am not caught in a pincer attack by two twelfth-meridian martial artists, I have the confidence to escape!'

As for anyone below the twelfth meridian—whether eleventh or tenth—forgive his frankness, but he was not the one who should be afraid; it was the enemy!

At this thought, Zhuang Jin felt his sense of security increase greatly. However, still feeling slightly uneasy, he asked one more question: "I know that to test one's realm, one can only rely on taking the pulse, the 'Glazed Realm-Testing Puppet,' or observing the opponent's reactions, strength, and speed... Lord Sun, in the event that the Medicine King Guild is driven to desperation, is there any possibility that a martial artist of the Meridians-Opening realm might... hide their identity and make a move under disguise?"

"Haha!"

Hearing this question, Sun Mingbi burst into hearty laughter. "That scenario is utterly impossible. The specific reason? Guardian Zhuang should know that ordinary people can sometimes perceive others gazing at them without using their eyes, right?"

Zhuang Jin nodded upon hearing this. The sixth sense—people of this world might not use this exact term, but they were well aware of the phenomenon.

"A martial artist undergoes a comprehensive enhancement of all bodily functions. Their eyes and ears are sharp, far surpassing ordinary people. This sensation is also amplified, evolving toward a higher level... Guardian Zhuang should have noticed that you are becoming increasingly sensitive, making it easy to distinguish who is a martial artist in a crowd and roughly judge their strength..."

"That is indeed the case." Zhuang Jin nodded, seemingly recalling something: "Are you saying, Lord Sun, that after a martial artist reaches the Meridians-Opening realm, this ability..."

***

"Exactly!"

Sun Mingbi said solemnly: "Stepping past the Qi Condensation realm into the Meridians-Opening realm, internal breath undergoes a complete qualitative change. External force and internal force merge into unified force—supple yet hard, perfectly round and harmonious. That peculiar perception truly forms an entirely new sense, which we call 'Martial Dao Intuition,' capable of detecting danger and perceiving enemies."

"To give an example, for us Qi Condensation martial artists—whether of the fourth, seventh, tenth, or twelfth meridian—in the perception of martial Dao intuition, we are all like sesame seeds, differing only in being large or small sesame seeds, making precise distinction perhaps less clear... But for a martial artist of the Meridians-Opening realm, their presence in this realm is extremely strong, resembling a mung bean in the perception of martial Dao intuition, visible at a single glance."

"The front-line battlefield in the southern district is watched over by Meridians-Opening grand patrons above, which is why the situation Guardian Zhuang mentioned will not occur."

"So that's how it is!"

Once Zhuang Jin understood, he felt reassured: 'According to this logic, in the perception of martial Dao intuition, Meridians-Opening martial artists have a strong presence, while the Qi Condensation realm is too weak to be carefully distinguished. This is also a good thing for me.'

"Speaking of which, the fact that Meridians-Opening martial artists cannot make a move is actually a restriction on both sides. If Guardian Zhuang were to break through to the Meridians-Opening realm—even if it were just newly attained, having broken through yesterday or today without yet registering for promotion to the grand patron rank—you would still absolutely not be allowed to make a move..."

Sun Mingbi sighed, yet a look of yearning also appeared on his face: "The Meridians-Opening realm, the grand patron rank... our Shen family only has a dozen or so in total, not even reaching twenty, and the Medicine King Guild has merely eight or nine. Those are truly the upper echelons... They do not participate in battles and can sit back to watch the clouds roll by... When given a choice, why would anyone hide their realm and suffer needlessly here?"

If he could break through to the higher Meridians-Opening realm, to put it crudely, this blasted grand garrison commander position of the southern front line could be taken by whoever wanted it!

"That makes sense."

As Zhuang Jin spoke, a flicker of aspiration also arose in his heart: 'Now that I am truly at the eleventh-meridian realm, in three to five months at the fastest, or half a year at the slowest, I can break through to the Meridians-Opening realm and be promoted to the grand patron rank!'

Meridians from the seventh to the twelfth belonged to the guard rank. Although the name implied 'guarding the family foundation and heritage,' the words 'guard' and 'protector' made the master-servant dynamic clear at a glance. The Meridians-Opening realm and the grand patron rank, however, were different.

What does 'grand patron' mean?

One who is honored and provided for by others!

Do you see the distinction? Upon reaching this tier, the master-servant roles reverse; the Shen family would have to honor and provide for you, fully respecting your opinions... You could say that only from this point onward does one truly enter the upper echelons of the Shen family!

Zhuang Jin shook his head slightly, suppressing the burning desire in his heart for such a realm, and looked at the roster of the six ward-level commanders under his command for this month, which had been handed to him. To his surprise, half of them were acquaintances: Zhao Bin, Huang Tianjun, Liu Licheng... Furthermore, there were three eighth-meridian officers in total, three seventh-meridian officers, and not a single ninth-meridian officer.

"Lord Sun, would it be possible to transfer one or two ninth-meridian martial artists over? As Your Excellency knows, I was only recently promoted to a fourth-crest guard a few days ago, and I deeply fear my strength might be insufficient..." Naturally, he wanted to increase the strength of his subordinates to enhance his sense of security, and for this, he did not hesitate to talk nonsense with his eyes open, playing down his abilities to fish for sympathy.

"This... I am aware of Guardian Zhuang's situation and difficulties... What Guardian Zhuang asks for, I agree with in principle, but..." Sun Mingbi hedged. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, but rather that he was unwilling to pay the price for it.

To transfer a ninth-meridian martial artist to Zhuang Jin's command meant either moving someone from another grand garrison commander's subordinates or pulling someone from the rear... Both options required using favors or offending people.

Zhuang Jin understood. It was true that the other party was willing to build goodwill and grant a favor, but they were only willing to do things that cost them nothing. When it came to anything slightly larger that required paying a certain price, they were unwilling.

Even so, this was already quite good. With no familial or personal ties, expecting more from someone was unrealistic. Before, he had merely taken a casual swing at the tree to see if any dates would fall... Afterward, following a brief meeting where he was introduced to his three colleagues of the tenth and eleventh meridians, he left the main garrison and headed for his own garrison.

***

In the Feng Sector, Fengdu Street occupied a central position among the three streets and served as the garrison headquarters for the Feng Sector.

Upon arriving, Zhuang Jin summoned the six ward-level commanders under his command and swept his gaze across them.

The six men wore varied expressions and held different emotions.

Liu Licheng looked at Zhuang Jin sitting at the head of the table, feeling a sense of surrealism. Looking back half a year ago when they parted ways in the northern district, Zhuang Jin was merely at the eighth-meridian realm, yet now he was already at the tenth meridian, a grand garrison commander, while he himself had become the other man's subordinate...

While feeling a mixture of emotions, he inwardly cursed his own bad luck—when the northern district battles ended, he had drawn the lot to fill a quota for the southern front line, and to make matters worse, he had been assigned under the command of Zhuang Jin, with whom he previously had bad blood and whose lingering grudges remained unknown.

Huang Tianjun was likewise cursing inwardly. Ever since he came to the southern district, he had first been injured, then watched his colleagues die, and this month he had been assigned under the command of Zhuang Jin—the very person who had gotten him sent to the southern district and with whom he had a grievance... Did they really have to treat him like this?

However, there was always someone worse off. At this moment, the person with the worst mood had to be Zhao Bin, whose complexion looked practically like his parents had just died: having spent the past half year in the southern district being watched closely so that any movement meant death... he could only deliberately fake an injury to step down and recuperate... He hadn't expected that just as his injuries healed and he was forced back to the front line, he would end up right under Zhuang Jin's command!

'This is forcing me to die, not leaving me a single path of survival!' Endless gloom rose in his heart, as he knew that under Zhuang Jin's command, even trying to scrape by and linger on like before would probably be impossible.

As for the other three ward-level commanders, their expressions were harder to read.

The three were:

Pu Yingyuan, at the seventh-meridian realm, with a rugged, angular face, a straight back, and rolled-up sleeves, looking like an open and magnanimous, bold fellow;

Luo You, at the eighth-meridian realm, with a round face, slightly upturned lips, and brows and eyes that appeared somewhat gentle and feminine;

Shi Shouyu, at the eighth-meridian realm, a somewhat tanned middle-aged man who chuckled repeatedly, looking very honest and steady.

Sitting at the top, Zhuang Jin cast a calm glance over them and instructed each to introduce themselves first.

Pu Yingyuan, Luo You, and Shi Shouyu had no prior enmity with Zhuang Jin, and their self-introductions were standard and proper, passing without incident.

Liu Licheng casually mentioned that he and Zhuang Jin had been colleagues in the northern district, fighting side by side—as for the matter of Chen Yun seeking help and being refused, it was as if it had never happened—creating the impression among the others that his relationship with Zhuang Jin was exceptionally good and that he was truly Zhuang Jin's trusted confidant.

Huang Tianjun also shed the arrogance he had displayed in the eastern district, stating that they had become friends through fighting, that Zhuang Jin had fought brilliantly and wonderfully, making him realize his own errors... Candidly acknowledging the 'misunderstanding,' lowering his head submissively, and admitting his faults to yield.

Only Zhao Bin, knowing perhaps that his enmity with Zhuang Jin was completely irreconcilable, merely wore a cold expression, stated his name, and fell silent.

"Guardian Zhao, what kind of attitude is that?! Oh, I remember now, you've always been this way..."

Pu Yingyuan rebuked Zhao Bin before turning to the others: "I'm a straightforward person with a direct temperament; I say what's on my mind and never beat around the bush... I heard that at the beginning of this year, when Lord Zhuang was away on official business, Guardian Zhao lost his mind and plotted against Lord Zhuang's family... In the end, by stubbornly refusing to admit it, you managed to escape unscathed..."

"Looking at this person's actions throughout, one could call him petty, vengeful, and ruthless... To be colleagues with such a person, I consider it a profound shame... Bah!"

Extrapolating from Zhao Bin's attitude to his past actions and launching a moral critique, Pu Yingyuan finally slapped a heavy charge upon him: "Such an immoral, conscience-less person has likely already betrayed the Shen family and secretly defected to the Medicine King Guild, just waiting to stab us in the back at a critical moment!"

"You..." Zhao Bin turned livid with rage, glaring at Pu Yingyuan with eyes that seemed to breathe fire.

On what grounds was he accused of betraying the Shen family and secretly defecting to the Medicine King Guild? He certainly would have liked to, but hadn't he been watched so strictly that he never had the slightest opportunity? To smear him for something he had merely thought about but never actually done—was there any reason left in this world? Was there any justice? It was simply outrageous!

"Too far! Guardian Pu's words have gone too far!" Luo You spoke up at this moment: "Betraying and defecting to the enemy—such things cannot be spoken of lightly. Guardian Zhao does have some grievances with Lord Zhuang, but you cannot smear him like this!"

"True, I do have some resentment toward Lord Zhuang, but not to the extent of..." Halfway through his sentence, Zhao Bin stopped himself, casting an ugly, grim look at both Pu Yingyuan and Luo You.

He had finally caught on. These two—one constantly provoking him to spark his desire to defend himself, and the other pretending to champion justice for him while actually trapping him into voicing his resentment toward Lord Zhuang—were handing a knife to Zhuang Jin. They were using him as a stepping stone to show goodwill and submission!

Liu Licheng and Huang Tianjun were old veterans who understood what was happening and merely glanced at Pu Yingyuan and Luo You; only Shi Shouyu looked completely oblivious, continuing his honest smile.

'Interesting!'

Zhuang Jin's gaze swept across his six subordinates one by one, finally settling coldly on Zhao Bin's face as he said indifferently: "Guardian Zhao's words and actions, bringing personal emotions into official duties, make me deeply concerned about his working capability... The situation Guardian Pu mentioned is also not entirely without possibility, though I certainly can't force Guardian Zhao to commit suicide to prove his innocence... After all, there is no evidence!"

"In that case, for everyone's safety, for the overall situation of our Feng Sector, and for the Shen family's strategy, Guardian Zhao will just have to endure some grievance... Starting today, Guardian Zhao's subordinate squad will be temporarily taken over by my personal guards... Should Guardian Zhao need to go out, he must submit an application... and daily activities must be recorded and reported..."

This was stripping Zhao Bin of his military command in a single sentence and treating him almost like a prisoner under surveillance. For a ward-level commander to be treated in such a manner was arguably worse than even ordinary martial artists beneath them—it was a blatant and utter humiliation.

With a gloomy expression, Zhao Bin lowered his head, his fingernails digging deep into his flesh, yet he did not dare utter half a word, knowing that once he spoke—no matter what he said—Zhuang Jin could seize upon it as a pretext to push him into an even more desperate situation.

After all, when superiors wished to find fault and deal with someone, it was simply too easy.

As for Pu Yingyuan, Luo You, and the others, listening to Zhuang Jin's meaningful string of maneuvers, they inexplicably felt a chill run down their spines, realizing Zhuang Jin's formidable methods and subconsciously becoming even more respectful and submissive.

Subsequently, Zhuang Jin made his assignments: Zhao Bin and Huang Tianjun were retained at Fengdu Street to be kept under direct surveillance right before his eyes; the martial artists assigned to the wards of Liu Licheng and Shi Shouyu were dispatched to Fenghua Street; while Pu Yingyuan and Luo You led their respective subordinates to garrison Fengguang Street.