[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-111":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Eternal Green Immortal Sovereign",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2270119,4432,"Chapter 111: Board the Train Before Buying the Ticket","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-111",111,"\u003Cp>Qinghe City, a grand mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plaque above the gate had not yet been hung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhang family’s holdings spanned half of Anning Prefecture; Qinghe was no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neighbors around the mansion knew it had been bought, but none knew it was the famed Zhang family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A luxurious carriage halted before the mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The driver called out:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Zhang, we’ve arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled back the curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao stepped down from the carriage, reeking of alcohol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wei Ming, a formidable man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had rushed to Qinghe specifically for tonight’s hard-won drinking party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already met Wei Ming earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That captain of the Annan Army was a straightforward fellow; they’d already sworn brotherhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a good start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhang Hao stepped down, he saw the steward pacing anxiously in front of the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao’s brow furrowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had ordered the steward to stay put until the carriage was repaired, then meet him in Qinghe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the steward looked deeply troubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could the goods have been stolen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Zhang Hao strode forward with a cold snort: “What happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steward, seeing it was Second Master Zhang, hurried forward: “Second Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stammered, hesitant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao grew more irritated and barked: “Speak!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steward’s legs buckled; he nearly collapsed to his knees, face twisted in distress:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s… Third Young Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third Young Master took men into the forest to hunt, but he hasn’t returned after a night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s probably… probably in trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao’s brow relaxed: “The goods aren’t lost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steward froze, then nodded frantically as if grasping a lifeline: “No, not lost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao nodded: “Good. If the man’s missing, send people to find him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re trembling over such a small thing? Shameful!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough. I’m going to rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he stepped past the steward and marched into the mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steward’s expression turned complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second Master truly is heartless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In wealthy households, father-son bonds are usually just surface-deep filial piety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao of the Zhang family was worse than most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He treated his seven sons with cruelty—frequent beatings, almost no care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He called it “raising wolves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao had the nickname “Evil Wolf” in the martial world, and he loved it—he saw it as recognition of his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was the Evil Wolf; his sons were naturally wolf cubs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao never cared about infighting among his sons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cared only whether one could emerge as the Wolf King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a son couldn’t become the Wolf King, he wasn’t worthy to be his son; if not his son, he wasn’t worth worrying over—Zhang He’s safety mattered less than a cart of goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qinghe Branch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A candle flickered to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui climbed over the wall, tossed his bloodstained clothes into the brazier; flames rose and swiftly consumed them, turning them to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They were Zhang family men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While disposing of the bodies, he took everything they carried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them was a Zhang family waist token.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did he learn these men were Zhang family servants, and the arrogant youth was the second master’s son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“According to Zhang Yang, the Zhang family has been active in Qinghe lately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like they want a share of Qinghe too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just the Zhang family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Qinghe will host an alliance, two gangs, three families—and even forces from Anning Prefecture will arrive, just slower than these.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qinghe is growing more lively.” What does “hidden dragons and crouching tigers” mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qinghe will soon prove it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the Zhang family seeking revenge?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui wasn’t worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountains were hundreds of li uninhabited; he acted carefully. By tomorrow night, the corpses would be devoured by wolves—even the best constables would be helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhang family would need fortune-telling powers to find him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, they’d never locate him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortune-telling?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui had considered this too: true seers who could divine fate existed, but no such person could be afforded by a minor clan like the Zhangs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he was safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+ Shu _ Ba\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhang family’s men were as good as dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui didn’t delay. Staying overnight wasn’t safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still had plenty of the herbs from Han Qin’s formula—enough to use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no foolish villain’s habit of hoarding treasures waiting for others to come knocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he ground the spirit soil, and to avoid exploding from excessive potency, he took it in batches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after confirming he could endure the next dose did he take more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once, twice, three times…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time he finished consuming all the spirit soil, it was noon the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui hadn’t slept all night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his energy was high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was now at Jade Bone stage, one step from Willow Sinew—according to martial novels, this was called “half-step Willow Sinew peak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, he had prematurely awakened true qi and was already attempting to condense it into form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were feats only experts of the Seventh Rank Willow Sinew realm could achieve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Condensing qi into form was something only those with deep Willow Sinew accumulation might manage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui was now “boarding the train before buying the ticket.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he lacked for Willow Sinew was only blood and qi accumulation—in other words, not enough training time, not enough herbs consumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others had ample blood and qi but struggled to refine it; he had the opposite problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps this was the burden of a genius?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having finished everything, he opened his door with a light heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong and Wang Zhao were both standing outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Rui finally emerge, Yang Yong smiled: “Old Li, you’re past your prime—cut down on late nights.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He and Wang Zhao had seen Li Rui’s lamp burning all night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui rose at Chen Hour, trained in the courtyard—they were used to it—but today, his door had remained shut without precedent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t even trained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This alarmed Yang Yong and Wang Zhao—they feared Li Rui had died in his sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zhao nearly broke the door down several times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong finally stopped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Li was a cultivator now; he’d heard such cases often meant a critical breakthrough—bursting in could cause qi deviation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zhao, bewildered by Yang Yong’s mystical explanation, reluctantly waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the two of them kept pacing back and forth in front of Li Rui’s door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui pushed open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening to Yang Yong’s detailed account of their inner struggles, he smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those were just plot devices invented by storytellers for dramatic effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warriors possess strength exceeding a thousand jin, their blood and qi rivaling the Ox and the Dipper, terrifyingly fierce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could they suffer qi deviation from a simple fright?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless it was a surprise attack—that might be possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui shook his head, patted both their shoulders to reassure them, then strode out of the residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve eaten too much spiritual soil; you need some herbs to settle your stomach.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that thought, he got to work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He told Yang Yong and Wang Zhao he was going out for a walk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he stepped out of the courtyard and headed toward the black market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1192,"2026-06-19T22:01:09.077Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9580271393ff751869dc84cd6f46cf9671fb242ac2c8ba3914d29a09bb6c9b90","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-112","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-110",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]