Chapter 153 - 93: Cai Xun: I Haven’t Even Delivered the Medicine Yet, How Did We Already Win?

Chapter 153: Chapter 93: Cai Xun: I Haven’t Even Delivered the Medicine Yet, How Did We Already Win?

PHEW!

Zheng Jun let out a long breath. This single encounter had advanced his repayment progress by more than half.

Was this the reward for slashing down an Outer Gang Martial Artist?

As for the battle itself, perhaps it was because he had strong backing, or maybe this Outer Gang Martial Artist, True Man Yuan Yi, was just too weak. Either way, Zheng Jun hadn’t felt much pressure. From start to finish, he had completely suppressed his opponent, handling the fight with utmost ease.

"It seems Outer Gang isn’t impossible to defeat after all," Zheng Jun thought to himself, feeling that this Outer Gang expert of the Vast Sea Sect wasn’t all that difficult to deal with.

However, upon summarizing the fight, he could still spot a few underlying issues.

First, True Man Yuan Yi’s skills were merely average. Furthermore, he had seemingly taken a psychological blow mid-fight, briefly giving up on himself. By the time he tried to rally, it was too late—regretting drinking pesticide halfway through and trying to get your stomach pumped was a futile endeavor.

Second, he knew Yuan Yi’s Saber Technique inside and out. Whatever moves Yuan Yi wanted to use, Zheng Jun could anticipate them. Even though the opponent was an Outer Gang Martial Artist with fierce and incredibly fast strikes, Zheng Jun was, after all, a practitioner who had reached Perfection in the Wave-Treading Blade Technique. The moment Yuan Yi so much as lifted his wrist, Zheng Jun knew exactly which move he was about to unleash.

Although True Man Yuan Yi knew other Saber Techniques, they were all derived from the Wave-Treading Blade Technique. Thus, they felt intimately familiar to Zheng Jun. He had only misjudged a few moves, resulting in minor slash wounds, but for the most part, it was as if he had x-ray vision—everything was crystal clear.

Finally, there was the old adage: Zheng Jun had someone backing him—the Regent of Southern Chu! In short, Zheng Jun only had to focus on the fight on the front lines, while the Regent in the rear had to consider the bigger picture.

At this thought, Zheng Jun exhaled and glanced toward the remains of True Man Yuan Yi, only to see that the man had thoroughly blown himself up. His flesh and blood had dissolved into the river water.

Perhaps the fish and shrimp would devour it. By the time spring bloomed next year, the aquatic life here would probably be even plumper, right?

His expression turned a bit strange. Feeling that this thought was somewhat morbid, he immediately shook it off. He dove into the river and retrieved the Wide-Backed Saber that True Man Yuan Yi had used.

As an Outer Gang Elder, Yuan Yi’s saber was naturally no ordinary weapon. It was vastly superior to the blades wielded by average Vast Sea Sect disciples, and right now, Zheng Jun needed this kind of exceptional Refined Iron. After all, even if he didn’t use it himself, he could reforge it into a Mo Saber and distribute it to the soldiers under his command. Every little bit saved counted.

With that in mind, Zheng Jun casually tossed the saber onto the riverbank. Then, dragging his soaking wet body, he walked toward the awning boat that remained motionless in the center of the river.

As he walked across the water’s surface, his True Qi flared, slowly drying his drenched clothes. It was a slow process, but an effective one.

The moment he stepped onto the boat, Zheng Jun found that the white-haired Regent was nowhere to be seen. Only the ferryman, wearing a bamboo hat and a coir raincoat, remained waiting for him.

Seeing Zheng Jun board, the ferryman took off his bamboo hat and said, "Captain Zheng, you have quite the skill. That old Taoist Yuan Yi made a breakthrough in the heat of battle, advancing from the First Layer of Outer Gang to the Second Layer. Yet, you still managed to slash him down. This proves your exceptional means. You truly are a prodigy—a young hero indeed!"

"You praise me too highly, Senior," Zheng Jun replied, restoring his modest, gentlemanly demeanor. He humbly addressed the ferryman, "It was just slashing down an old dog, nothing worth mentioning... But did that old dog really break through mid-battle? I confess, I didn’t even notice."

He had felt a turning point during the fight when True Man Yuan Yi’s aura suddenly erupted, making him seem a bit stronger. But to say he was overwhelmingly strong... not really. He was just alright. So that was a mid-battle breakthrough? He thought back to the novels he used to read; when characters suddenly broke their limits in combat, they would usually slash down their opponents or, at the very least, escape safely. He wondered why True Man Yuan Yi ended up being slashed down instead. The man had completely insulted the prestige of a "mid-battle breakthrough"!

Hearing Zheng Jun’s words, the ferryman’s mouth twitched.

Even though that old man Yuan Yi was painfully weak, he had still managed a combat breakthrough, becoming an expert at the Second Layer of Outer Gang. Who would have thought he’d be so pathetic in the eyes of this young prodigy that the boy didn’t even notice the shift in his power.

For a moment, the ferryman didn’t know what to say. The look in his eyes as he gazed at Zheng Jun flashed with a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

"If I wait for his Inner Breath to recover and reach his peak condition, I might end up in a fierce battle with this Zheng San myself," the ferryman thought. However, he quickly steadied his mind and addressed Zheng Jun. "Zheng San, the Regent had pressing matters and has already left. He only came this time to see you in person. The Regent is very satisfied with a pillar of Great Chu like yourself!"

Hearing this, Zheng Jun remained outwardly unfazed, but inwardly, he was delighted.

He wondered if this meant the Southern Chu regime was going to send him resources. He had, after all, slashed down an Outer Gang expert right in front of them. Even if it was just an average Outer Gang expert, he was only at the Qi Storage stage! The previous rumors of a Qi Storage Martial Artist slashing down an Outer Gang expert were false, but now that he had made it a reality, the investment in him should naturally increase, right?

Throwing caution to the wind, Zheng Jun immediately put on a flattering smile and said, "It is my honor to serve Great Chu! With four million eight hundred thousand stars in the sky, every single one reflects the loyalty in this humble subordinate’s heart!"