Chapter 139: Three Consecutive Pleasant Surprises

After leaving the residence.

Li Rui underwent a transformation, going directly from Vice Helmsman to Vice Alliance Leader.

Compared to the promotion within the Anning Guard, the Tiandi Alliance was much simpler.

It was just a matter of a single word from Ning Ning Zhongtian.

"An unexpected pleasant surprise."

This trip to find Ning Ning Zhongtian had truly brought a few too many unexpected surprises; Li Rui smiled and shook his head.

Just as he had not walked far from the Ning residence.

Lines of small text appeared before his eyes.

【Congratulations to the host for completing the achievement: "Making a Name for Oneself" (Beginner Plot) — Vice Alliance Leader.】

【You are no longer a rookie just entering the Jianghu. Having gained the appreciation of a noble person, you have transformed step by step from an unknown small fry into a Vice Alliance Leader. Please continue to make your contributions to Jianghu justice!】

【Task "Vice Alliance Leader" completed, rewards are being calculated.】

【Task rating: C.】

【Obtained 20 achievement points!】

【Name: Li Rui】

【Age: 10】

【Talent: Martial Bone, Outstanding Comprehension, Spiritual Eye】

【Cultivation Method: Long Chun Gong, Dragon Roaming Nine Heavens Map】

【Achievement: 60/100】

"An unexpected pleasant surprise."

Li Rui had already said this phrase for the third time.

Having made a trip to the Ning Prefecture, the benefits gained were beyond imagination.

A major merit was, of course, incomparable to the room full of treasures Li Rui had collected during this period.

However, those things did not belong to him in the first place.

Gaining a major merit was already an unexpected joy.

He had always been very open-minded about gains and losses.

But he did not expect Ning Ning Zhongtian to actually give him the position of Vice Alliance Leader; a chain reaction occurred, the achievement was completed, and the system gave him another reward.

"It's too simple; it will make me unaccustomed to it."

The corners of Li Rui's mouth lifted slightly.

Forget it, who told him he was only ten years old.

Being a bit of a genius is quite normal, right?

Li Rui left the Ning Prefecture and did not go to the Galloping Tiger Cavalry, heading straight back to his residence.

If one can slack off, who would choose to work?

"Is this the joy of being a top salesperson?"

The position of Patrol Guard is just like this; as long as one can solve problems, one can be very comfortable, but if one cannot, then one can only obediently squat in the camp. Without merit, one can at least earn some hard work.

Just as Li Rui was practicing his blade technique.

The main gate was knocked on with a "bang, bang, bang."

The person knocking was using a lot of force.

It gave Wang Zhao in the courtyard a big fright. Just as he was hesitating whether to open the door, Li Rui walked over.

He patted Wang Zhao on the shoulder: "I'll do it."

Li Rui was not worried; this was the Anning Guard, and no one was bold enough to commit a crime against a Patrol Guard in broad daylight.

Although a Patrol Guard is only a Seventh-Rank, they are still an imperial official registered with the Ministry of Personnel.

What is an imperial official?

It means your life is the responsibility of the imperial court. If you die, it is a matter that will shock the court and the public, and it must be thoroughly investigated.

Whether you are a martial arts expert or a Jianghu demon, you must die.

Li Rui pushed open the door.

"Brother Tan?"

He looked at Tan Hu, who was standing at the entrance looking furious, and the few Galloping Tiger Cavalry members who were shrinking their necks and acting timid, and immediately understood.

Li Rui chuckled: "Something the matter?"

Tan Hu's bell-like eyes stared at Li Rui: "Li Laoge, I respect you as an elder, but I really cannot accept you mingling with those filthy rascals."

Li Rui raised his right hand and patted Tan Hu on the shoulder.

"Come in and talk."

Seeing Li Rui's calm and composed expression, Tan Hu was not a completely unreasonable person, so he had no choice but to patiently lead the group of Galloping Tiger Cavalry members to follow Li Rui into the main hall.

Li Rui let everyone sit down before speaking:

"What does Brother Tan think should be done?"

Tan Hu said in a muffled voice: "Handle it according to the laws of the Yu Kingdom."

Li Rui gave a hum: "That makes sense, but Brother Tan, who is going to arrest those people? You?"

Tan Hu was silent.

It was only after a long time that he spoke: "I cannot beat those people."

He was, of course, referring to the Vice Manor Master of the Clear Wind Mountain Villa and the Vice Sect Master of the Bright Light Sect; both were Sixth-Rank powerhouses. Even if Tan Hu's muscles and bones were tough, he could not possibly be the opponent of those two.

Li Rui nodded: "That's right. Military strategy says: The best military policy is to attack the enemy's strategy, the next is to attack their alliances, the next is to attack their soldiers, and the worst is to attack their cities. Since you cannot beat them, you must find another way."

Tan Hu's eyes lit up:

"Li Laoge even understands military strategy?"

Li Rui: "I know a little."

Upon hearing that Li Rui understood military strategy, Tan Hu's anger vanished: "Li Laoge, then tell me quickly, what should be done according to this military strategy?"

Li Rui: "Show the enemy softness, and secretly cross the Chen Cang."

Tan Hu was stunned by these eight words from Li Rui, but he was too embarrassed to ask again. His face turned red, and finally, he spat out six words: "I'll listen to everything Li Laoge says."

"Head Ning was right; Li Laoge is a person with great ability, even proficient in military strategy!"

He thought to himself.

Seeing this.

Li Rui slowly picked up the teacup Wang Zhao had brought and took a sip.

He had long since looked at Tan Hu's file.

He had originally served in the border army in the north, later performed excellently but was injured, was treated favorably and transferred back to the Annan Army, and was later valued by Ning Ning Zhongtian and brought to the Anning Guard.

He had many noble people along the way.

What Tan Hu needed to be was a fierce general; charging and killing was enough.

But the Annan Army was not the border army; there was no concrete enemy, and matters were more complicated to handle. It was not a matter of life and death, but of living and letting live.

"The time is about right, you all should go back."

"Alright."

Tan Hu grinned, laughed happily, and strode out.

The others, seeing Li Rui talk the furious Tan Hu into submission with just a few words, all secretly praised Patrol Guard Li for his great ability.

After everyone left.

Li Rui finally let out a slow breath.

Only then did he loosen his hand gripping the chair armrest.

In the eyes of others, he was calm and relaxed, but as the person involved, it was not easy. Tan Hu was naturally a Diamond Realm martial artist, and his aura was indeed extraordinary; it was no wonder he could beat the elders of the Bright Light Sect to the ground.

To deal with such an irritable person, besides soothing, one must be prepared to take action.

Did he really think Li Rui was confident and relaxed, leaning on the chair with both hands?

Wrong.

Li Rui had hidden a blade inside the armrest of the chair, just to prevent a situation where someone would not listen to reason and suddenly explode.

"There are still more good people."

He smiled faintly.

Being able to calm Tan Hu down proved that this person's nature was not bad.

As for the chaos in those sects...

Li Rui naturally had his own standards of judgment. If some areas that shouldn't be touched were touched, then the hand that touched them must be cut off!

To make them know pain.

Blacksmith shop.

The sound of hammering iron rang out endlessly, and as soon as he walked in, a scorching heat wave rushed towards his face.

=9+Shu_Ba

Li Rui walked as if nothing was wrong.

Soon.

He arrived in front of the burly man's shop.

"Is the weapon forged?"

When the burly man saw it was Li Rui, he immediately piled on a smile: "Li Ye, you've come!"

Li Rui chuckled.

Who said this sweaty guy didn't understand worldly wisdom? He looked quite clever now.

"However, I still like your unruly appearance."

The burly man greeted Li Rui to sit while saying, "Li Ye, your weapon has already been forged. I will go and fetch it for you, old sir, right now."

"Go ahead."

Li Rui laughed and waved his hand.

A moment later.

The burly man came out holding a long blade with a scabbard, lifting the curtain. Accompanying him was a middle-aged man with a joyous smile.

"Li Ye, this is a blade specially crafted for you. It used eight jin of Golden Dragon Iron and fifteen jin of Profound Gold Iron..."

The middle-aged man was about to introduce it endlessly.

Li Rui listened patiently.

After talking for a long time, the blacksmith shop was already stuffy, and the middle-aged man also felt his mouth was dry.

Li Rui pointed to the burly man: "Do you have anything to say?"

The burly man looked at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged foreman nodded: "You speak."

The burly man then added: "Li Ye, I heard that Li Ye likes close-quarters combat, so I used the Zhang blade style, three feet one inch long, weighing twenty-three jin, sharp and peerless."

Li Rui nodded with satisfaction:

"You did put in some effort."

A sword-casting master of the Yu Kingdom once established the Four Standards for long blades, which are the four types of blade specifications: the Ceremonial Blade, the Barrier Blade, the Mo Blade, and the Horizontal Blade.

The Ceremonial Blade, as the name implies, is for ceremonial use, often equipped by the Imperial Guard or personal guards, with a magnificent appearance.

The Zhang Blade is shorter than the Heng Blade, suitable for close-quarters combat and maneuvering in small spaces.

The Mo Blade is a double-edged long blade, used more for mounted combat.

As for the Heng Blade, it is also the most common blade style, improved from the ring-pommel blade.

Of course, this was the Four Styles established by that master.

But in actual production, most are varied and diverse, with no absolute fixed style.

Li Rui took the blade from the burly man's hand.

He weighed it slightly.

"Not bad!"

Then he gripped the hilt with his right hand and the scabbard with his left, and with a "swish," the long blade left its sheath!

A chilling cold light suddenly appeared.

Li Rui didn't even need to perform a move to know this was a good blade: "It is a good blade."

Seeing Li Rui was satisfied.

The middle-aged foreman then rubbed his hands: "My lord, this blade costs a total of... a total of three thousand gold."

This was still the internal price of the Anning Guard; otherwise, the price would have more than doubled.

Li Rui was not surprised.

He often frequented the black market and knew the price of divine iron very well; this price was not exaggerated.

"Fine."

Subsequently, he took out three silver notes from his bosom.

"A total of three thousand gold; I ask the squad leader to verify the count."

The middle-aged foreman was overjoyed.

Being able to meet such a straightforward master, they also saved a lot of trouble.

He said with his mouth: "Li Ye, how could I not trust you."

But his hand holding the silver notes behind his back was not idle, rubbing the notes again and again to distinguish the true from the false; this was a necessary skill for a foreman.

After confirming the silver notes were real, he smiled even more broadly:

"Li Ye, if you want to buy blades in the future, remember to look for me."

Li Rui chuckled: "I will."

Then he said: "I still have some questions. Can this brother send me a ride, foreman?"

"Yes, yes!"

The middle-aged foreman agreed without thinking.

The burly man nodded and followed Li Rui towards the outside of the blacksmith shop.

What made him strange was that Li Rui didn't say a word the whole time, not intending to ask him anything at all.

Until they were far from the blacksmith shop.

Just when the burly man was about to be suffocated.

Li Rui stopped his steps, then took out a one-hundred-tael silver note from his bosom and stuffed it to the burly man:

"Take this."

The burly man widened his eyes: "Li Ye, this cannot be done."

Just as he was about to decline.

Li Rui smiled: "I tell you to take it, so just take it."

The burly man only felt that the old man in front of him had surprisingly great strength; he had no power to resist, and the silver note just ended up in his hand.

Li Rui waved his hand: "Go, consider this as the separate labor fee I am paying you."

The burly man didn't know what to say for a moment.

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

(End of chapter)