Chapter 145: Breaking Through Once More

"How is this possible?!"

Upon seeing this, the Flying-Mouse Thief's pupils violently contracted.

He had attained the Eighth Meridian realm, and using a specialized technique reinforced with internal breath, the sleeve arrow he shot was powerful enough that even a Ninth Meridian martial artist could suffer a heavy blow if caught off guard. Yet his opponent had effortlessly deflected it with a mere lantern?

Before he could even process his shock, amidst a burst of flying sparks and pyrotechnic brilliance, a figure flashed toward him.

Swish!

Reflected in a patch of cold moonlight, Zhuang Jin's expression remained indifferent as he swept forward and pressed down with a palm.

As the Flying-Mouse Thief darted rapidly through the air, he hurriedly raised his hands to defend, only to feel Zhuang Jin's palm force crashing through like decaying wood, obliterating his own attacking momentum and instantly searing into him. The impact instantly mangled the flesh of his hands, and the tremendous force accompanying it sent him flying backward to crash heavily against the ground.

Several breaths passed.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The hidden internal force embedded within Zhuang Jin's palm suddenly erupted, causing the Flying-Mouse Thief's right arm to spasm violently. Amidst sounds resembling exploding firecrackers, his skin burst open in multiple places as his unceasing screams echoed through the air.

In the brief moment of delay, several white-robed martial artists had already pursued from behind. These were all ward-township guardians of the Seventh and Eighth Meridians, along with Ou Wenzhong, an old acquaintance at the Ninth Meridian, who quickly surrounded the Flying-Mouse Thief.

Following that, it was merely garbage time. Having already suffered severe injuries and facing overwhelming numbers, the Flying-Mouse Thief was swiftly subdued.

Having delivered that single strike, Zhuang Jin returned to Chen Yun's side and watched from not far away.

"Thanks to Guardian Zhuang, otherwise this scoundrel really would have escaped!"

Ou Wenzhong came over to express his gratitude on behalf of the others, lowering his voice as he spoke, "There are some internal reasons behind this. Tomorrow, I shall visit Guardian Zhuang to explain in detail and present a token of appreciation."

Understanding his intent, Zhuang Jin nodded. "It was merely a small matter. Guardian Ou should do as he pleases."

At that moment, sensing something, his gaze shifted toward the surrounding onlookers. Many of the common people did not dare meet his eyes, lowering their heads to conceal the expressions of fear and hatred on their faces.

'Is it because of me that the Flying-Mouse Thief was captured in one fell swoop?'

Zhuang Jin instantly understood the reason, yet his expression remained serene without the slightest trace of change.

In his heart, he had his own standard of judgment. Setting aside the fact that the Flying-Mouse Thief had struck first in an attempt to kill both him and Chen Yun, simply judging by notions of good and evil, the Flying-Mouse Thief was by no means as chivalrous as rumors claimed; he was nothing more than a flower-picking scoundrel... Launching an attack against such scum brought him not the slightest psychological burden.

As for the common people failing to understand and harboring hatred?

What did that have to do with him? Would it hinder him in the slightest? Naturally, it was not worth caring about.

However, after this episode, he no longer had the mood to continue strolling about. Zhuang Jin nodded in farewell to Ou Wenzhong and the others, taking Chen Yun back home with him.

...

The next day, Ou Wenzhong came by to discuss the operation against the Flying-Mouse Thief from the previous night: "It would have been fine if the Flying-Mouse Thief had merely been arrogant in ordinary times. After all, martial artists of his caliber are not easily provoked by us; once you fail to kill the snake, it will lurk in the shadows and watch for a chance at revenge... But this fellow should never have laid hands on the wife of a ward-township guardian..."

"Last night's lantern festival was specifically set up as a trap for this Flying-Mouse Thief. To serve as bait, we even brought out a night-pearl the size of a bushel... As expected, the Flying-Mouse Thief took the bait, though we hadn't anticipated that he had already broken through from the Seventh Meridian to the Eighth Meridian. He intentionally chose to break through from a sector guarded by a Seventh Meridian ward-township guardian in order to burst out of the encirclement..."

That explained the scene the two of them had encountered last night.

"So that's how it was." Zhuang Jin nodded slightly. No wonder it had been such a coincidence.

"The capture of the Flying-Mouse Thief in one stroke last night relies entirely on Guardian Zhuang's contribution. After interrogation and coercion, we searched several of his dens and found quite a few spoils of war. These are his books and paintings; Guardian Zhuang must not refuse..."

Ou Wenzhong knew that Zhuang Jin's relationship with the factions in the East City was delicate. If he directly offered properties or silver, Zhuang Jin would find them difficult to accept, but such items presented no such problem.

Moreover, having heard that Chen Yun took an interest in books and paintings, he wished to perform a good deed.

This time, Zhuang Jin did not refuse. Capturing the Flying-Mouse Thief was achieved through his efforts, and this share of items was well-deserved—he accepted them without modesty and without a guilty conscience.

...

That afternoon, while Chen Yun was sorting through the books and paintings, her pretty face suddenly flushed red as she hurried over. "Husband, look at this!"

With that, she handed an item to Zhuang Jin as if it were a hot potato.

Curious, Zhuang Jin looked down to see a booklet titled *The Heaven-Stealing Precious Records*. While the title sounded rather domineering, it was actually the diary of the Flying-Mouse Thief. Upon reading it, many of his doubts were instantly resolved, such as the identity and background of the Flying-Mouse Thief, as well as how he had managed to reach the Eighth Meridian realm.

As mentioned previously, the rise of the Medicine King Sect began when one of its disciples broke through too quickly, attracting abnormal attention and resulting in the robbery of the Azure Origin Pot... This very Flying-Mouse Thief had actually been in contact with that Medicine King Sect disciple!

—Tales of immortals and the Azure Origin Pot were things Zhuang Jin had previously shared with Chen Yun as amusing anecdotes. It was precisely because of this that Chen Yun recognized them and brought them to Zhuang Jin, thinking they might be useful to him.

According to the Flying-Mouse Thief's diary, back when he used to operate in the West City, he had once stolen a small jar of Azure Origin Mother Liquid from that Medicine King Sect disciple... Later on, that disciple was secretly captured and executed, the Azure Origin Pot was seized, and even news regarding that person was strictly sealed off. Realizing something was amiss, the Flying-Mouse Thief had fled to the East City...

His current Eighth Meridian realm had been achieved precisely by utilizing that small jar of Azure Origin Mother Liquid to cultivate medicinal herbs.

Of course, these contents occupied only a small portion. The vast majority consisted of other matters, such as boasting about which clerk he had stolen from today, which prison warden he had pilfered from tomorrow, and critiquing minor officials who were excessively corrupt with unsightly table manners. The fellow indeed seemed immensely bored; he had even compiled a ranking list of official corruption...

The wealthy households in the city were not spared either. He recorded which affluent household he had stolen valuables from on a certain day, and which squire's home he had raided the next, heaping scorn in his diary on ignorant parvenus who left precious pearls to gather dust in obscurity, interspersed with introductions to various treasures.

From these casual notes and miscellanies, one could even glean some knowledge of antique appraisal, but the final section was truly unbearable to look at. It recorded his romantic escapades... Many concubines of officials and wealthy merchants were evaluated by him: which one had a large buttocks that felt a certain way when slept with... which one had small breasts, falling slightly short of perfection...

The fellow possessed a rather decent literary style, writing with vivid sensuality that rivaled even the most explicit pulp novels on the market... One could easily imagine that if this diary were to leak out, it would undoubtedly humiliate countless officials and wealthy merchants and spark bloody tragedies within their inner courtyards.

His interactions with the Medicine King Sect disciple and the useful information regarding herb cultivation occupied only a tiny fraction, buried amidst a vast amount of "useless information." No wonder Chen Yun had reacted the way she did.

Amused, Zhuang Jin skimmed through it roughly before putting it down. Aside from resolving a few lingering doubts, the item seemed to have no other practical use.

...

Zhuang Jin treated the affair of the Flying-Mouse Thief as a mere interlude. After that day, he once again focused his energy on his cultivation realm, practicing in seclusion.

Just as before, every two or three days Ou Wenzhong would come by to deliver gifts, foster goodwill, maintain a tacit understanding, and cater to Zhuang Jin's preferences by sharing the latest news on the city's power struggles—such as: the southern front was still locked in a fierce war of attrition, trading lives in a bloody stalemate... the northern front was achieving consecutive victories, with the Shen family preparing to strike while the iron was hot to completely expel the Medicine King Sect, bringing the conflict there seemingly to an end...

Amidst such peaceful days, time flew by, and more than a month passed once again.

On the twenty-eighth of July, having completed his accumulation for the Tenth Meridian realm, Zhuang Jin returned to the Shen family headquarters, registered for promotion to a Four-Striped Guard, and upon returning home, immediately broke through to the Eleventh Meridian.

The very next day, the Eighth Young Master Shen Xuchen invited him for a small gathering.