Chapter 139: Three Surprises in a Row

He stepped out the door.

Li Rui transformed overnight from deputy helmsman to deputy leader.

Compared to the promotion in Anning Guard, the Heaven and Earth Alliance was far simpler.

It was just a word from Ning Zhongtian.

"An unexpected blessing."

This visit to Ning Zhongtian had brought more unexpected blessings than he'd imagined; Li Rui smiled and shook his head.

Just as he had left Ning's residence not long ago.

A line of small characters appeared before his eyes.

【Congratulations, host! Achievement completed: Fame and Fortune — Junior Plot — Deputy Leader.】

【You are no longer a novice just entering the martial world. You've won the favor of a powerful patron, gradually evolving from an obscure little fish into a deputy leader. Continue contributing to justice in the martial world!】

【Task "Deputy Leader" completed. Reward calculation in progress.】

【Task rating: C.】

【Obtained 20 achievement points!】

【Name: Li Rui】

【Age: 10】

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

【Technique: Changchun Art, Dragon Soaring Through Nine Skies】

【Achievements: 60/100】

"An unexpected blessing."

This was the third time Li Rui had said those words.

Visiting Ning's mansion had yielded benefits far beyond his wildest expectations.

A major merit point was certainly no match for the treasure-filled room he'd collected these past days.

But those things never belonged to him in the first place.

Gaining a major merit point was already an unexpected windfall.

He had always been easygoing about gains and losses.

Yet he never expected Ning Zhongtian would grant him the position of deputy leader — triggering a chain reaction that completed the achievement and earned him another reward from the system.

"Too easy. It'll make me uncomfortable."

Li Rui's lips curled slightly upward.

Whatever. He was only ten years old.

Isn't it normal to be a genius?

After leaving Ning's mansion, Li Rui didn't head to Benhu Qi; he went straight back to his residence.

Who would choose to work when they could slack off?

"Is this the joy of being top sales?"

The patrol officer's position worked this way: if you solved problems, you could live freely; if you didn't, you had to sit quietly in camp — no merit, but at least you earned labor.

As Li Rui trained with his blade.

Someone pounded loudly on the gate.

The knocker struck with great force.

Wang Zhao, who was in the courtyard, jumped in surprise; he hesitated whether to open the door when Li Rui walked over.

He patted Wang Zhao's shoulder: "I'll handle it."

Li Rui wasn't worried — this was Anning Guard. No one was bold enough to attack a patrol officer in broad daylight.

Though a patrol officer was only seventh rank, he was still an official registered with the Ministry of Personnel.

What was an official registered with the Ministry of Personnel?

It meant your life was the imperial court's responsibility. If you died, it became a matter that shook the court and demanded full investigation.

No matter how skilled a martial artist or how notorious a demon, you had to die.

Li Rui opened the door.

"Tan Brother?"

He saw Tan Hu standing at the door, furious, with several Benhu Qi men hunched and cowering behind him — he instantly understood.

Li Rui chuckled: "What's wrong?"

Tan Hu's copper-bell eyes fixed on Li Rui: "Brother Li, I respect you as an elder, but fraternizing with those scum and riffraff? I can't stand it."

Li Rui raised his right hand and patted Tan Hu's shoulder.

"Come in and talk."

Seeing Li Rui calm and composed, Tan Hu — though not entirely foolish — reluctantly led his Benhu Qi men into the main hall.

Li Rui had everyone sit down before speaking:

"Tan Brother, what do you think should be done?"

Tan Hu grunted: "Follow Yu Kingdom law."

Li Rui hummed: "Fair enough. But Tan Brother, who will arrest those men? You?"

Tan Hu fell silent.

After a long pause, he spoke: "I can't beat them."

He meant the deputy lord of Qingfeng Manor and the deputy master of Mingguang Sect — both sixth-rank powerhouses. Even with Tan Hu's formidable physique, he stood no chance against either.

Li Rui nodded: "Exactly. As the Art of War says: the highest form of warfare is to outwit the enemy; next is to disrupt their alliances; next is to attack their army; the lowest is to besiege their city. Since you can't fight them, find another way."

Tan Hu's eyes lit up:

"Brother Li knows the Art of War?"

Li Rui: "A little."

Hearing Li Rui knew the Art of War, Tan Hu's anger vanished: "Brother Li, tell me — how does the Art of War say we should act?"

Li Rui: "Feign weakness. Secretly take the Chen Cang route."

Tan Hu was stunned by those eight words, too embarrassed to ask again, his face flushed red, and finally muttered six: "I'll follow Brother Li's lead."

Ning Boss was right — Brother Li is a man of great ability, even proficient in the Art of War!

He thought to himself.

Seeing this,

Li Rui slowly lifted the tea cup Wang Zhao had brought and took a sip.

He had already read Tan Hu's file.

Tan Hu had once served in the northern frontier army, excelled, was wounded, then transferred under special favor to Annan Army, and later caught Ning Zhongtian's eye and brought to Anning Guard.

He'd had many patrons along the way.

Tan Hu's role was to be a fierce general — charge and fight.

But Annan Army wasn't a frontier force; it had no clear enemy. Affairs were far more complex — not about life or death, but about both sides surviving.

"Time's up. Everyone, go back."

"Got it!"

Tan Hu grinned broadly and strode out.

The others watched as Li Rui calmed Tan Hu's rage with just a few words; they all silently admired Patrol Officer Li's skill.

After everyone left,

Li Rui finally exhaled slowly.

His grip on the armrest loosened.

To others, he appeared calm and composed, but as the one involved, it was anything but easy — Tan Hu was born with a Vajra body, his aura of slaughter truly formidable, no wonder he'd beaten down Mingguang Sect's elders.

Dealing with such a hot-headed man required not just calming him, but also being ready to fight.

Did anyone really think Li Rui sat there, hands resting calmly on the chair, utterly at ease?

Wrong.

Li Rui had hidden a blade inside the chair's armrest, just in case someone lost reason and suddenly attacked.

"Good people are still common."

He smiled faintly.

That Tan Hu calmed down proved his nature wasn't evil.

As for the sects' chaos,

Li Rui had his own standards — if someone touched a forbidden domain, they had to lose the hand that did it!

Let them learn to feel pain.

The blacksmith shop.

The rhythmic clang of hammering iron never ceased; stepping inside, a wave of scorching heat hit him.

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Li Rui walked as if nothing had happened.

Soon,

he arrived before the giant's stall.

"The weapons finished?"

The big man saw it was Li Rui and immediately beamed: "Master Li, you've come!"

Li Rui smiled faintly.

Who said this brute was clueless about human ways? He seems quite sharp now.

"But I still prefer the way you used to be defiant."

As he motioned Li Rui to sit, the big man said: "Master Li, your weapon's done. I'll go fetch it for you right away."

"Go ahead."

Li Rui chuckled and waved him off.

Moments later.

The big man stepped out, pulling aside the curtain, carrying a sheathed longsword; with him came a middle-aged man with a cheerful smile.

"Master Li, this sword was forged specially for you—eight jin of Golden Dragon Iron, fifteen jin of Dark Gold Iron."

The middle-aged man was about to launch into a lengthy description.

Li Rui listened patiently.

After speaking for a long while, the forge was already stifling, and the middle-aged man grew thirsty and hoarse.

Li Rui pointed at the big man: "Do you have anything to add?"

The big man glanced at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged foreman nodded: "Go ahead."

The big man then added: "Master Li, I heard you favor close combat, so I used the Zhaodao pattern—three chi one cun long, twenty-three jin heavy, razor-sharp."

Li Rui nodded in satisfaction:

"You put some thought into this."

A great swordsmith of Yu State once established four standard patterns for longswords: Yidao, Zhaodao, Modao, and Hengdao.

Yidao, as the name suggests, is a ceremonial blade, often carried by imperial guards or personal retainers, ornate in design.

Zhaodao is shorter than Hengdao, ideal for hand-to-hand combat in confined spaces.

Modao is a double-edged longsword, primarily used in cavalry combat.

Hengdao, the most common pattern, evolved from the Huanshoudao.

Of course, these were the four patterns defined by that master.

But in actual production, most blades are wildly varied, with no absolute standard.

Li Rui took the sword from the big man's hands.

He gave it a slight heft.

"Good!"

Then, gripping the hilt with his right hand and the scabbard with his left, he drew the blade with a sharp shhh!

A cold, glinting light flashed forth.

Li Rui didn't even need to perform a single technique—he knew at once this was a fine blade: "A good sword."

Seeing Li Rui satisfied,

the middle-aged foreman rubbed his hands: "My lord, this sword costs… three thousand gold pieces."

This is still the Anning Guard's internal price; otherwise, it would be at least fifty percent higher.

Li Rui wasn't surprised.

He frequently visited the black market and knew the prices of divine metals well—this wasn't excessive.

"Fine."

He pulled three silver notes from his robe.

"Three thousand gold in total. Please count them."

The middle-aged foreman beamed.

Dealing with such a straightforward customer saved them much trouble.

He said: "Master Li, how could I possibly doubt you?"

Yet his hand behind his back didn't stop—rubbing the notes again and again, verifying their authenticity; this was a foreman's essential skill.

Once certain the notes were genuine, he grinned wider than ever:

"Master Li, if you ever need another sword, remember to come to me."

Li Rui smiled lightly: "I will."

Then he said: "I have a few questions. Could this brother escort me somewhere?"

"Of course, of course!"

The middle-aged foreman answered without hesitation.

The big man nodded and followed Li Rui out of the forge.

What puzzled him was that Li Rui said not a word the entire way, showing no sign of wanting to ask anything.

Only after they were far from the forge,

when the big man was nearly bursting from silence,

did Li Rui stop and pull out a hundred-ounce silver note, pressing it into the big man's hand:

"Take this."

The big man's eyes widened: "Master Li, I can't accept this!"

He started to refuse.

Li Rui laughed: "I told you to take it—take it."

The big man felt the old man's strength was extraordinary—he couldn't resist at all, and the note was already in his hand.

Li Rui waved him off: "Go on. This is my personal payment to you."

The big man was speechless.

A grown man's eyes turned red: "Thank you, Master Li."

(End of Chapter)