[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-117":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},2270125,4432,"Chapter 117: The Flying Dragon Soars in Heaven","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-117",117,"\u003Cp>Jiaofang Si, third-floor private room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laughter from a woman echoed inside the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The top courtesan, Lüzhu’er, sat on Cao Wei’s lap, covering her mouth with a string of delicate giggles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiaofang Si was a refined establishment; as its top courtesan, she rarely received guests, and serving like this was even rarer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All because the man before her was the future lord of Qinghe!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A true upright magistrate—county magistrates were nothing before Cao Wei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Cao, you’ve traveled far—thank you for your efforts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Zhang, you’re too kind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Wei held Lüzhu’er with one arm and lifted his cup, taking only two symbolic sips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past few days,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he had attended many welcome banquets; Zhang Hao was merely one among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he was Assistant Regional Commander of Anning Guard, his roots lay in the capital, and he had few trusted allies in Yunzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how capable he was, he couldn’t handle every matter himself—he needed to cultivate a circle of loyal men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just within the Anning Guard, but beyond it too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many tasks the Anning Guard couldn’t handle directly needed to be entrusted to others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao and his kind were perfect for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My family Zhang will forever follow General Cao’s lead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao quickly pledged loyalty, downing three cups in rapid succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His throat burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face flushed crimson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was exactly the effect desired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Defection demands sincerity, doesn’t it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Wei’s lips curled slightly—he was short on men, and he’d heard Zhang Hao was decisive and ruthless, a man who got things done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. I’ll remember the Zhang family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Select three Zhang disciples to join the Anning Guard for training. Tell Feng Garrison Commander—it’s my order.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, General.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao’s eyes blazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without doubt, Cao Wei had accepted his token of allegiance and intended to build the Zhang family into his faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this was only the beginning—if he proved unreliable or failed to carry out Cao Wei’s orders, he’d be discarded swiftly; these powerful men were utterly heartless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You may go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Wei patted Lüzhu’er’s plump buttocks, making them tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lüzhu’er giggled again, exiting with perfect discretion, closing the door behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao’s gaze sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant business was about to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, Cao Wei narrowed his eyes toward the door and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve heard the Ghost Ming  Sect has some beast-taming heretics still at large. Go capture them for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember—alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t tell a third soul about this, or—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao felt the room’s temperature plummet, a chill gripping his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t psychological—it was real. The room had genuinely grown colder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To alter the environment with sheer personal power!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao silently drew a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many civil officials in Yu State were martial powerhouses; this General Cao, holding a fifth-rank post, clearly rose not merely through connections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao dropped to his knees, forehead touching the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ancient saying: a man’s knees hold gold—he kneels only to heaven, earth, parents, and sovereign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To do this was to abandon all dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Wei nodded approvingly: “Clever man. Go. If you succeed, I’ll grant the Zhang family a Platoon Leader post.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had first given Zhang Hao a club; now it was time for the honeyed date.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, General Cao!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao was overjoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Zhang family secured a Platoon Leader post in Annan Guard, their status would instantly eclipse the other three families—something he’d long sought in vain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his heart turned icy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This General Cao’s ruthlessness was terrifying—he was impossible to please. If Zhang Hao ever revealed tonight’s conversation, his family would be exterminated. “Truly, serving a lord is like serving a tiger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mere Assistant Regional Commander was this hard to please—how much worse would the Emperor be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for why this Assistant Regional Commander wanted to capture the Ghost Ming  Sect’s heretics alive—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who cared? Did he want to die?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no intention of asking. He’d simply do as Cao Wei ordered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qinghe New City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anning Guard barracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feng Garrison Commander.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui bowed respectfully to the middle-aged martial officer approaching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+book_bar\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garrison Commander Feng Xi merely nodded indifferently, ignoring Li Rui entirely as he strode away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui took no offense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anning Guard had five Shoubeis; Feng Xi was merely one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two were loyal to Assistant Regional Commander Cao Wei, two to Military Advisor Jiang Lin, and one, it was said, was a political appointee—just passing through, never staying long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Jiang Lin hadn’t arrived yet, the factions were already sharply divided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these were struggles among superiors—gods clashing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui, a mere Grain Officer, smiled politely at every official he met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To treat Feng Garrison Commander as an enemy would be foolish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t Wei Ming, though nominally aligned with Jiang Lin, still never slack off on Cao Wei’s orders?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what called clever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only needed to fulfill his duties as Grain Officer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, he arrived before a seven-story elegant wooden building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On its massive plaque: “Anning Guard Ding.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anning Guard maintained seven armories, storing vital supplies: elixirs, weapons, martial arts scriptures, and more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were labeled A, B, C, D, and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No ranking among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui oversaw the Ding Armory, where the seven-story building held only martial arts scriptures and various books collected by the imperial court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Annan Army called itself an army, but functioned more like an imperial sect—combat ability was only one aspect; holistic cultivation mattered too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the ideal was noble—but in practice, at the guard battalion level, it twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most soldiers were crude men; who would waste precious time reading classics? Most just went through the motions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The miscellaneous books in the building were nearly pristine—clearly untouched for years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for higher-level martial arts scriptures—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides Li Rui, specialized experts guarded them; he had no access whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To freely take any scripture from the armory? Pure fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, ordinary martial arts could still be accessed—so the Grain Officer’s perks were substantial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hall Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he entered, Liang He stepped forward to greet him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A new shipment of books arrives today. Record them carefully—no omissions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Hall Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides Li Rui and Ge Hong, a few disciples from the Qinghe branch had also joined Annan Army—as ordinary soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui lacked the power to place his own men in Annan Army; Liang He had earned his position through superior roots and martial skill during selection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His assignment to the Ding Armory came only after Li Rui had lobbied Wei Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Xi needed trusted men; Li Rui needed them too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lianghe is an excellent candidate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hour of Yin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s nearly time for shift change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui flipped through the ledgers organized by Lianghe, his eyes slightly narrowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Diagram of the Flying Dragon in Heaven!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1148,"2026-06-19T22:01:09.077Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","255e69ba4a9e02126388fecedac6453b0fcceff82c9dd3f84037867cbf30aee0","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-118","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-116",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]