Chapter 21: A Hill

On the same night when Wang Rui ambushed Bi Kai, Zhuang Jin intervened to save Bi Kai, and Wang Rui met his end—there were ripples elsewhere.

Hou Yong’s patron, Guo Jun, was assigned to the Internal Affairs Division of the Law Bureau this month, stationed at the outer compound. With such a grave incident in Room No. 2 of the Wu Section—death and the need to process a corpse—he was naturally alerted. Upon learning the details, he carefully asked after the names of the two newly advanced official martial artists involved, and found one was named Zhuang Jin.

“That kid… has made it?!” At the news, Guo Jun’s wrist trembled, an inexplicable fear rising in his heart.

Though Zhuang Jin had only just broken through to official martial artist, reaching the first level, Guo Jun was already at the second. By rights, he shouldn’t have reacted so strongly; yet things were not so simple.

Before the Shen family began recruiting martial apprentices from outside, they had a demand for martial artists. Without external recruitment, it was handled through internal recommendations—household staff and servants nominating relatives or acquaintances. The martial apprentices brought in this manner were predictably mediocre, with outstanding talent exceedingly rare.

Back then, the Shen family didn’t care; as long as someone could break through and become an official martial artist, it was enough. There was no need to recruit, select, or cultivate those with exceptional potential.

But times have changed.

Now, under pressure from the Medicine King Gang, the Shen family has begun recruiting martial apprentices externally, sifting through the masses to find true prodigies. For instance, Xiang Qichen became an official martial artist in fourteen days, Xiong Lei in sixteen, and now Zhuang Jin has broken through in seventeen days.

Guo Jun knew well—he was a product of the old era, his talent merely average. It took him nearly thirty days to reach the Qi Condensation stage and become an official martial artist, barely scraping by. Thus, even now in his thirties or forties, he is only at the second stage.

But Zhuang Jin is different. Today marks only the seventeenth day since this batch of martial artists began. Martial arts are highly dependent on talent; those lacking it often hit a bottleneck and stagnate for life. Yet with Zhuang Jin’s exceptional aptitude, it’s possible that after becoming an official martial artist, he might reach the second stage within a month and join Guo Jun as a dual-marked servant.

“Better to provoke an old man than underestimate the youth!” Guo Jun felt a sudden urgency. “The grudge Hou Yong and I incurred when we brought him along must be resolved—quickly!”

He made up his mind and acted at once, seeking help from colleagues to request leave, then heading out into the night to find Hou Yong. He found him at home—Hou Yong was cautious; though he claimed Zhuang Jin’s chances of breaking through were slim, he’d been waiting for news and hadn’t gone out, leaving the door half-shut.

Awakened, Hou Yong heard Guo Jun’s message. His lingering drowsiness vanished, replaced by disbelief. He muttered, “How is this possible? I know how hard it is to become an official martial artist. How could that kid be so lucky? Did he really succeed? Something’s not right!”

Seeing Hou Yong’s lack of composure, Guo Jun scolded, “Forget how he managed it—he did! What you need to think about now is how to face Zhuang Jin and handle this matter!”

Chastened, Hou Yong realized denial was pointless; the fact had to be accepted. His expression darkened. In the past… well, he hadn’t actually done much to Zhuang Jin. When Zhuang Jin grabbed the stipend money, Hou Yong wanted to settle the score, but couldn’t find him.

Later, through Guo Jun’s connections, they stirred things up in the Shen family’s outer compound, offending Zhuang Jin quite seriously. Now, with Zhuang Jin’s meteoric rise, Hou Yong was the one who should worry.

Eyes pleading, Hou Yong begged, “Master Guo, save me!”

He knew well the abilities of martial artists, and understood that alone, he now stood no chance against Zhuang Jin.

“Spineless fool, what are you panicking for? I have one question, and you must answer honestly!” Guo Jun’s gaze was stern, fixing Hou Yong. “How did you treat Zhuang Jin before? To what extent did you offend him?”

“To what extent?” Hou Yong forced down his anxiety and recalled carefully. “Truthfully, not too badly—just took his stipend for three or four months, and that incident when we went after him. Nothing else.”

At the time, Zhuang Jin kept a low profile among the beggar children and was quite sensible. It was only three or four months; Hou Yong hadn’t even found an excuse to beat him. Afterward, when Zhuang Jin snatched the stipend money and broke taboo, Hou Yong intended to punish him severely, but couldn’t manage it.

“That’s good.” Guo Jun watched Hou Yong’s expression for signs of deceit, then breathed a little easier. He feared Hou Yong had bullied Zhuang Jin severely, sowing irreconcilable hatred. If it was as Hou Yong described, things would be much easier.

He pondered, then said, “As we discussed before—now that Zhuang Jin has made it, he’s no longer your subordinate beggar. Remember that. Also, prepare a gift carefully and apologize for that past altercation. The sooner, the better—ideally tomorrow, we’ll clear up this misunderstanding.”

“Of course, Master Guo.” Hou Yong relaxed a little, though anxiety lingered. He asked cautiously, “Master Guo, what if—just what if—Zhuang Jin refuses reconciliation?”

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Now that Zhuang Jin has soared, becoming an official martial artist, he might well be feeling proud. Hou Yong had seen before how sudden ascension could change a man’s character, making him arrogant and disdainful. He feared Zhuang Jin might be such a person.

“I don’t think so. After all, you caused him no real harm. We’re taking the initiative to bow our heads… Besides, I have some connections in the Shen family’s outer compound and will ask someone with enough influence to mediate. With all this, Zhuang Jin is unlikely to refuse.”

‘But if he truly refuses…’ A shadow flickered in Guo Jun’s eyes. If Zhuang Jin truly refused, he would abandon Hou Yong.

Yes, you heard right—not to confront Zhuang Jin, but to cut Hou Yong loose.

As said, Zhuang Jin is now an official martial artist, and tomorrow will join the Shen family. There’s no way to eliminate him; with his talent, he’ll grow quickly. Even if Hou Yong is reliable and convenient, Guo Jun would regret losing him, but if keeping him meant earning Zhuang Jin’s enmity, it was better to let Hou Yong go. Weighing the options, Guo Jun knew his priorities.

This is reality: profit and value rule. There’s no such thing as the brainless villains of novels, throwing subordinates at the enemy for the sake of pride, sacrificing themselves and their factions like the Foolish Old Man moves a mountain.

Glancing at Hou Yong, Guo Jun thought, ‘If the worst comes to pass, don’t blame me—blame yourself for offending Zhuang Jin.’

“Thank you, Master Guo! Thank you!” Hou Yong, oblivious to Guo Jun’s inner thoughts, breathed a long sigh of relief, murmuring thanks, then began pondering what gift to prepare.

‘Zhuang Jin paid me three or four months’ stipend—about two or three hundred coins. To show sincerity, I’ll return tenfold, three taels of silver!’ Though the thought pained him, Hou Yong gritted his teeth and decided to give it. Fearing Zhuang Jin might be dissatisfied, he also remembered Tan San and Little Ear, who had grievances with Zhuang Jin, and calculated, ‘I’ll deal with those two as a bonus.’

Tan San’s hand had been stabbed by Zhuang Jin’s dog-beating stick, which had soaked in filth—effectively enchanted with “tetanus.” Tan San’s wound had festered, Hou Yong heard, while Little Ear had his leg broken by Tan San and was now half-crippled, barely earning any money these days.

‘Tan San and Little Ear are doomed anyway—better use them for a favor. If you two end up in the underworld, blame yourselves for offending Zhuang Jin!’

In truth, G