Chapter 121: Seven-Tenths Is Enough

Asking for a sparring match?

Challenging the school!

Zhang Yi’s eyelid twitched—he hadn’t expected Li Rui to come to him directly.

“You beat the junior, now the senior comes.”

Obviously.

Li Rui pretended to seek a sparring match, but in truth he had come to avenge Liang He.

This kind of situation was common in martial schools.

If a disciple lost, the senior brother would step in; if the senior brother couldn’t win, the master himself would fight.

Equal rank, keep fighting until someone wins.

That’s called saving face.

Zhang Yi snorted coldly and glared again at the several Zhang family disciples.

The Zhang family had struck first; Li Rui’s visit was entirely justified—he had no reason to refuse.

Otherwise, word would spread.

It would harm the Zhang family’s reputation, making it impossible for them to hold their heads high in Anning Guard again.

“Old bastard, do you really think I’m afraid of you?”

Zhang Yi strode toward the gate.

He had been chosen by Zhang Hao to serve as a platoon leader in the Anning Guard precisely because he was among the strongest of the Zhang family’s eighth-rank martialists.

And before coming here,

he had already investigated the Anning Guard officers’ records—including Li Rui’s.

Li Rui had once been a lowly deputy head of the Qinghe branch.

He wasn’t even afraid of the head, Dao Xiong—how much less would he fear a negligible deputy?

Moreover, as far as he knew, Li Rui was already seventy years old.

“Since you’re tired of living, I’ll grant your wish.”

A cruel smile curled on Zhang Yi’s lips.

He couldn’t kill him outright, but he could leave hidden injuries; at his age, with so many ailments, he might just drop dead suddenly.

When they investigated later,

he would have ample grounds to deny any wrongdoing.

Zhang Yi had decided to kill—his actions would show others that the Zhang family was not to be trifled with.

Stepping outside,

he saw Li Rui and Liang He standing before the gate.

Around them, a crowd of Anning Guard soldiers had gathered to watch.

“Li Da Ren,” Zhang Yi bowed, forcing a smile: “You’re old now—you’d be wiser to avoid sparring with young men like us.”

“I’m afraid I might accidentally kill you.”

His tone dripped with mockery.

Li Rui nodded: “Mm, that’s true—if I die today or in the coming days, it’ll be your doing, Zhang Da Ren.”

Zhang Yi’s lip twitched.

He muttered under his breath: “Using age as a shield.”

He had no intention of continuing this verbal exchange.

After all, age was age—arguing with an old man would make him look foolish if word got out.

“Li Da Ren just said you wanted to ask for a sparring match?”

Li Rui nodded again: “Zhang Da Ren, please.”

“Please!”

Zhang Yi sneered—he wanted to see real skill in the fists and feet.

Some people just needed to be taught a lesson.

He had full confidence he could handle this old man.

Li Rui was Ning Zhongtian’s man; he was Feng Yu’s man.

If he defeated Li Rui, he would humiliate Ning Zhongtian—and, on a grander scale, strike Jiang Lin’s face.

Zhang Yi drew his waist sword.

Without a word, he swung it down—fierce, brutal, unrestrained.

The Zhang family had become one of the three great houses mainly by running martial schools; the Zhangs were the most formidable fighters among the three.

Zhang Yi considered himself no weaker than any other.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.

He dropped his sword, using only the scabbard to defend.

He swung it horizontally against Zhang Yi’s blade.

Thud!

A dull crash—the scabbard struck Zhang Yi’s sword off course; before Zhang Yi could press forward, the scabbard blurred into a shadow and slammed toward him with brute force.

Zhang Yi’s pupils contracted.

He had assumed Li Rui dropping his sword and using only the scabbard was arrogance.

But now he saw—the old man had planned this.

Using only the scabbard reduced lethal power, but its lighter weight meant faster strikes.

On a battlefield, this would be foolish.

But this was a sparring match.

Even if Li Rui stood still, Zhang Yi wouldn’t dare truly slash him—he held back, while Li Rui fought without restraint; the balance tipped decisively in Li Rui’s favor.

Soon,

the situation became one-sided.

He hadn’t expected Li Rui’s strength—or how precisely every strike was angled.

He couldn’t counter; the tide had turned beyond reversal.

Several Zhang family disciples gasped at the sight.

In their minds, this Fifth Uncle had always been formidable.

But this scene was nothing like that.

One young man hesitated: “Fifth Uncle… is he going to lose?”

Everyone fell silent.

Today, not only had the juniors been beaten—now even the seniors had been beaten.

The Zhang family’s face was utterly shattered.

Zhang Yi’s face flushed crimson, his strength trapped, useless.

After thirty-odd moves,

Li Rui finally found an opening—he blocked Zhang Yi’s sword with the scabbard, then his left hand shot out, delivering a solid palm strike to Zhang Yi’s chest.

“Ugh!”

Pain exploded in Zhang Yi’s chest; he staggered backward seven or eight steps, planting his sword into the ground to barely steady himself.

“This—”

The Zhang family members froze in shock.

The onlookers were also quietly stunned.

Zhang Yi had lost!

With no other choice, Zhang Yi forced a breath into his lungs, reversed his sword, and bowed: “Outmatched—I yield.”

“Your courtesy.”

Li Rui returned the bow and stepped back, ending the match.

He couldn’t kill Zhang Yi anyway—today’s display was enough.

“Let’s go.”

He turned to Liang He, who gazed at him with awe, and spoke calmly.

The crowd automatically parted to let Li Rui and Liang He pass.

The two walked away.

Liang He still basked in quiet triumph, but soon he noticed something: “Master, why today—”

As he struggled for words, Li Rui smiled faintly: “You mean why so openly?”

“Yes.”

Liang He nodded.

Openly?

Not really.

He was already seventh-rank Willow Sinew, and a seventh-rank with true qi formed—he could afford to show more strength, confident he could protect himself.

He wasn’t some protagonist who waited until max level before stepping out.

A measured display of strength was necessary—seven-tenths was enough.

Constantly yielding only makes people think you’re easy to bully, inviting even more trouble.

Today someone came looking for Liang He.

Who can guarantee tomorrow won’t bring another visitor?

Rather than wait for others to come to you, it’s better to strike first.

Li Rui has always been someone who prefers to take the initiative.

As for why it’s the Zhang family:

First, the Zhang family came right to him; second, their strongest member is seventh-rank, and so is he, so he fears no retaliation.

Third, he hit one of their men and made them unhappy.

Li Rui was about to speak to Liang He.

Suddenly he looked up and saw someone watching him from afar.

Ning Zhongtian!

【Congratulations, host! Achievement completed: “Out of the Military, Into the Court — Beginner Plot — Patron’s Recognition.”】

【Entering imperial service, ability is secondary; what matters most is gaining your patron’s favor. Your performance has been noticed by your superior, who now sees you as a steady, promising youth with great potential and holds high expectations for you.】

【Completing task: Patron’s Recognition. Reward calculation in progress.】

【Task rating: C.】

【Obtained 20 Achievement Points!】

【Name: Li Rui】【Age: 7】

【Talent: Martial Bone, Exceptional Comprehension, Spirit Eye】

【Technique: White Ape’s Cloak Blade, Nine Mystical Spirit Sky Map】

【Achievements: 70/100】

“Hide your strength.”

“Interesting.”

Ning Zhongtian walked up to Li Rui; he had seen every move of Li Rui’s fight with Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi is no weakling; his strength rivals that of Dao Xiong, the head of the Qinghe Branch.

Li Rui barely won against Zhang Yang just recently.

Now, only two months later, he has defeated Zhang Yi, whose strength far surpasses his own — no one needs to guess that Li Rui had been concealing his true power.

=9+Book bar

Li Rui smiled faintly:

“Your Excellency Ning is perceptive.”

He had anticipated this. Since he dared reveal his strength, he had already foreseen Ning Zhongtian—or even Jiang Lin—coming to speak with him.

He just didn’t expect it so soon.

Ning Zhongtian clicked his tongue twice.

He didn’t press further on the matter of hiding his strength.

Concealing one’s true power is perfectly normal—he himself never exposed his real combat ability before ordinary people.

For a martial cultivator, sometimes the key is catching your opponent off guard.

“Making you a grain supervisor is a waste of talent.”

He had previously assigned Ge Hong as a squad leader and Li Rui as a grain supervisor.

He’d assumed Li Rui was weaker.

Unfit for the position of squad leader.

Now he saw he’d underestimated this seventy-year-old old man.

“You’ve got something.”

Ning Zhongtian stroked his chin: “Old Li, don’t tell me you’ve already broken through to Willow Sinew.”

Li Rui’s expression didn’t change: “I accept your blessing, Your Excellency.”

Ning Zhongtian smiled.

He himself didn’t believe it possible.

Back in his day, he’d spent a full eight years to break through to Willow Sinew—already considered the most brilliant talent in the entire county.

Even now, the martial arts instructors still used his example to motivate their disciples.

How long had Li Rui trained?

Two or three years?

Impossible to advance so fast.

Willow Sinew isn’t Bronze Bone—it doesn’t mature so quickly.

“Old Li, today you performed excellently.”

Ning Zhongtian gave high praise to Li Rui’s performance: “Feng Yu really thinks I have no capable men under me?”

Recently,

The Zhang family had repeatedly targeted his faction—first Ge Hong’s men, then Li Rui’s. But these were just minor squabbles among common soldiers; annoying, but he hadn’t bothered to intervene.

He wouldn’t lower himself over such petty players.

But Li Rui?

While others were still bickering as low-ranking soldiers, he directly beat down one of their squad leaders.

Satisfying!

“I recall you previously borrowed military merit from me, right? Consider it forgiven—I’ll gift you two more.”

Li Rui’s eyes lit up.

With this, the three mid-rank merits he owed for purchasing the Flying Dragon in Heaven Map were wiped clean.

“This fight was worth it!”

Mostly because he chose the right moment.

Jiang Lin had just arrived at Anning Guard—exactly when he needed to establish authority. But Jiang Lin, as Assistant Regional Commander, couldn’t possibly fight himself—he needed capable subordinates.

Li Rui crushed the Zhang family’s momentum, effectively letting Ning Zhongtian suppress Feng Yu.

When word reached Jiang Lin, he’d surely form a favorable impression of Li Rui.

A superior’s impression is worth far more than three mid-rank merits.

Since he himself profited, he couldn’t shortchange his men.

Ning Zhongtian had never been stingy.

Li Rui: “Thank you, Your Excellency Ning.”

Ning Zhongtian waved his hand: “Accept it without hesitation. This is nothing. Perform well in the future.”

It was both an expectation and a promise of greater rewards.

He burst into laughter and turned to leave.

Elsewhere.

Deep night.

In Qinghe City, a grand seven-courtyard mansion.

The vermilion gate creaked open.

“Your Excellency Cao, the Zhang family will surely carry out your orders.”

Zhang Hao bowed low as he saw Cao Wei off.

“Hmm, good.”

Cao Wei nodded in satisfaction.

With his status, many naturally sought to join him—far more powerful clans than the Zhang family existed.

But those familiar with Qinghe and its surroundings were few.

At least for now, Zhang Hao proved competent; he had no objection to granting the Zhang family extra resources.

“Pick another person—there’s still a vacancy for a platoon leader.”

“Yes, yes.”

Zhang Hao’s eyes gleamed with delight.

Though Cao Wei was ruthless, he was generous. From today on, the Zhang family would have one squad leader and one platoon leader in Anning Guard.

They’d crush the other two families.

Already, the Wang and Zhao families dared not challenge the Zhangs.

Such is the power of authority.

For families like theirs to prosper in business, they must have imperial backing.

In Anning Prefecture, is there a bigger tree than Anning Guard?

Zhang Hao watched Cao Wei vanish into the darkness, and the tension he’d carried all day finally eased.

Serving Cao Wei was no simple task.

The superior’s moods shifted unpredictably; subordinates rode the emotional rollercoaster.

He cast a long look toward a room deep in the inner courtyard.

When he returned to the room,

It had been cleaned, but faint crimson stains on the floor revealed what had happened there.

The Zhang family members assigned to cleaning had pale faces, feeling sick, but with Zhang Hao present, they could only force themselves to hold it in.

A flicker of fear passed through Zhang Hao’s eyes.

A sea of crimson flashed in his mind, along with all-night screams.

That demon of the Ghost Ming Sect had been tortured to death by Cao Wei in an extremely cruel manner—even someone as ruthless as he found it too brutal.

“No wonder the upper echelons are all monsters.”

Zhang Hao thought to himself, then ordered the Zhang family disciples: “None of you are to speak of today’s events—if you do, the entire Zhang family will be wiped out. You know the consequences.”

Though these men were his carefully chosen confidants, the matter was too grave—he couldn’t help but warn them sharply.

“Yes, Father.”

“Yes, Second Uncle.”

One advantage of the family was that all shared the same bloodline—prosperity or ruin fell upon all alike.

Even if one felt little affection for the family, with parents and children still alive, there were many ways to control them.

Zhang Hao glanced at the freshly turned earth outside the room.

“Your mouth is stubborn, isn’t it?”

That Ghost Ming Sect demon had died without revealing much useful information.

Perhaps he simply didn’t know anything.

But it didn’t matter.

He only needed to complete Cao Wei’s task—he had seen too many of the powerful’s filth; the wisest course was to ask nothing and pretend nothing had happened.

Having finished all the cleanup.

It was already dawn, the sky faintly lightening.

Zhang Hao ate the breakfast prepared for him; the other Zhang disciples had no appetite and made excuses to leave, leaving only him to eat.

After eating.

As Zhang Hao was about to return to his room to rest, his son Zhang Fu appeared in the courtyard.

Seeing Zhang Fu covered in wounds, Zhang Hao spoke calmly: “Speak. What happened?”

Faced with this ruthless father, Zhang Fu dared not lie—he recounted everything: the incident in the garrison and what he later heard about his fifth uncle, Zhang Yi, being beaten at home.

“Li Rui.”

A flash of cold fury passed through Zhang Hao’s eyes.

The Zhang family had gone to great lengths to plant someone inside the Anning Guard.

The Zhangs within the Anning Guard were tied to the family’s prestige and future strength.

No humiliation would be tolerated!

“Don’t think hiding in the Anning Guard means I can’t kill you.”

(End of Chapter)