Chapter 142: Killing Intent

The elder of Mingguang Sect was beheaded within the Anning Garrison camp.

On the day of the execution, Qinghe civilians were specifically ordered to witness it.

Cao Wei and Jiang Lin both strongly supported this action.

It was a case of killing the chicken to warn the monkeys.

It was entirely necessary.

Especially in present-day Qinghe, the growing influx of external forces and populations would inevitably bring chaos and conflict—particularly from these unbridled elders and disciples of major sects.

They had long held this idea.

They simply hadn't found an opportunity.

Now that a chicken had walked right to their door, there was no reason not to kill it.

The people cheered as the villain was executed.

This matter was quickly reported to Annan Town, and soon after, it would reach the imperial court.

Of course.

The military report only listed the rogue Liu Mou, without mentioning the Mingguang Sect at all.

The affair transformed into a series of achievements for higher-ups; no matter how furious Mingguang Sect became, they could only swallow their rage.

Li residence.

After handling the matter with Mingguang Sect, Li Rui had not left his home for half a month.

He had visited Ning Zhongtian once.

He explained the key points.

Having offended Mingguang Sect, it was best to keep a low profile to avoid retaliation—Ning Zhongtian agreed.

Of course.

They were all just excuses to stay indoors.

Too much spotlight brings both advantages and drawbacks; to gain the benefits while avoiding the downsides is to vanish from sight.

Given enough time, people naturally forget.

"Indeed, it's safer to stay within the garrison."

Li Rui stared at the mist before him.

Only a faint red glow remained, nearly pure white in color.

Only because Anning Garrison was guarded by Jiang Lin and Cao Wei, two top experts, could such an effect be achieved.

Li Rui completed the thirty-six minor heavenly cycles.

He took up his blade and stepped into the courtyard.

Clang.

The longsword unsheathed, its edge glinting with a chilling, bone-chilling light under the sun.

Li Rui moved with the blade.

He twisted his waist; the Zang Blade became a silver dragon whirling through the air, enveloping his entire body, leaving no opening visible.

The Zang Blade is called "Zang" precisely because its shortened length allows quicker return to guard, forming a protective barrier around the wielder.

Li Rui's Changchun Art, in terms of swordplay, originated from the White Ape's Pi Dao style—perfectly matching the nature of the Zang Blade, making it effortless to wield.

"Excellent blade!"

Even after using it for over half a month, he still marveled at it.

A master swordsmith must consider not only the blade itself but also its compatibility with the wielder, to achieve unity between man and blade.

Otherwise, if the blade doesn't suit its owner, no matter how powerful, it will be wasted.

The simplest example: give a four-foot-tall swordsman an eight-foot-long blade; even the finest blade can only achieve half its potential.

Same principle.

That's precisely what "Chen Zhi Shou" means.

The longsword whirled faster and faster.

"Thrilling!"

Li Rui felt perfect unity between man and blade, his thoughts flowing freely.

His own created sword art, of course, was the most perfectly suited.

"Huh!"

In an instant, he executed dozens of strikes, exhaled sharply, and sheathed the blade—still feeling unsatisfied.

Li Rui carefully wiped and wrapped the blade.

Just then—

Someone knocked loudly on the courtyard gate.

Wang Zhao, chopping wood in the front yard, immediately dropped his axe, wiped his hands, and ran to open the door.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

"We've come on Elder Jiang's orders to seek out Senior Li."

"Oh, please wait a moment—I'll go find my master."

As Wang Zhao turned to look for Li Rui, he saw Li Rui standing just a foot behind him, as if he had appeared out of nowhere.

Li Rui spoke first:

"Young Han, what is this…"

Li Rui gazed at the large group gathered at the gate.

Besides Han Qin, five others stood there—all disciples of Huaqing Sect.

He knew every person in Anning Garrison by heart, so he recognized them at a glance.

What surprised him even more was that Jiang Yan was among the six.

Han Qin bowed respectfully upon seeing Li Rui: "Senior, we've come on Elder Jiang's orders to accompany you on training exercises with the Benhu Cavalry."

"Training exercises?"

Li Rui chuckled.

Only after asking did he learn the truth.

It was indeed Jiang Lin's deliberate instruction; these were all outstanding disciples from the latest batch sent by Huaqing Sect to Anning Garrison.

Excluding Han Qin.

Jiang Lin, besides being an Assistant Regional Commander of Anning Garrison, was also an Elder of Huaqing Sect—perhaps he admired Li Rui's previous actions, so he sent these prodigies to learn from him.

These disciples were treasures of the Huaqing Sect; their martial cultivation instruction was certainly thorough—they mainly needed to gain experience in the martial world and refine their interpersonal conduct.

The young ones were still too proud and arrogant.

As for Han Qin—

He was chosen because of his calm, steady demeanor, to lead the group.

Looking at the twelve pairs of eyes at the gate—some clear and innocent, others defiant and unruly—

Li Rui chuckled: "I see you're all talents; no need for training. Rest up for now. When I need you, I'll come calling."

"This…"

Han Qin hadn't expected his first day to end like this.

Li Rui had given them the day off.

This move clearly surprised the other five as well.

"Really?"

A sweet, high-pitched voice rang out.

It was a petite girl, no older than fifteen, with a lovely face—she and Jiang Yan were the only two females in the group.

Li Rui smiled warmly: "Of course."

With Li Rui's confirmation, the three boys who had been haughtily raising their heads lost much of their arrogance.

They thought Li Rui's move showed good judgment.

Seeing they still stood at the gate, not leaving—

Li Rui smiled: "Do you have more business, or are you planning to have lunch with this old man?"

Hearing this, they exchanged glances and left together.

Soon after, Han Qin returned.

"Young Han, why are you back?"

Li Rui seemed to have anticipated this—he hadn't even closed the door, as if waiting for Han Qin specifically.

Han Qin was no greenhorn fresh from the wilderness.

His heart jolted.

=9+book_bar

He was startled.

"Truly an old fox."

He followed Li Rui into the main hall, sat down, then apologized: "Senior, Elder Jiang only informed me today—I only just learned. My apologies for the intrusion."

Li Rui waved it off: "No matter."

He had already guessed Jiang Lin's intentions.

On the day of Mingguang Sect's elder's execution, Jiang Yan hadn't appeared—but she had clearly been used as a pawn by Li Rui, without even realizing it.

Jiang Lin didn't blame Li Rui, but he didn't want his daughter being toyed with.

So he simply assigned Jiang Yan to Li Rui's command, as he himself had said, "for training."

As for the others, were they supposed to accompany the "princess" in her studies?

Han Qin couldn't help voicing her doubt: "Senior Li, why are you giving us time off and assigning no tasks? Aren't you worried about morale crumbling?"

Li Rui smiled:

"Everything is better eased than forced. There's plenty of time ahead, and what can an old man like me truly do to toughen them up?"

Han Qin was sharp.

She quickly understood Li Rui's meaning.

She fell silent.

All of them, except Jiang Yan, were grandchildren of some Elder from Huaqing Sect—and the kind heavily nurtured at that.

Push them too hard, and you'd strain yourself without gaining anything.

As Li Rui had said, there's plenty of time ahead.

Whether they're truly tempered doesn't matter; as long as you don't offend these little masters, you've already succeeded.

"Crystal clear!"

Han Qin understood these principles too, but to embody them so naturally in every action, as Li Rui did, still required more refinement.

Li Rui caught the scent of food from the kitchen.

"It's getting late. Han younger brother, stay for dinner."

He added: "Don't be picky."

Soon after,

Han Qin realized Li Rui's "don't be picky" wasn't mere politeness—four people, four dishes: the standard three dishes and one soup, with only one meat dish.

For an ordinary household, this standard would count as modest wealth.

But for Li Rui, a seventh-rank official, it was absurdly plain.

Han Qin finished her meal.

Only then did she take her leave.

After Han Qin left, Yang Yong and Wang Zhao cleared the dishes, while Li Rui sat alone under the tree, enjoying the cool.

"Interesting."

Li Rui stared at the mist before him, now faintly reddish again.

He called it "again" because when Han Qin and the others first arrived, it had turned nearly pure white.

That meant absolute safety.

But after they left, when Han Qin returned alone, the color reverted to normal.

"It must be Jiang Yan—or rather, Jiang Lin."

In short: the closer Jiang Yan was, the safer it was.

Jiang Yan was Jiang Lin's only daughter.

Jiang Lin must have left safeguards to ensure no true threat to life would arise.

And any trouble Li Rui could stir, Jiang Lin could easily settle.

That's why it turned pure white.

So at first, Li Rui hadn't wanted this hot potato—but once he saw it guaranteed safety, he was willing to put in a little extra effort.

Ever since taking this assignment,

the mist's usual warnings had grown two shades fainter.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

Li Rui had truly given Han Qin and the others a full half-month's leave.

During that time,

he never once contacted Han Qin or the others.

These were all prodigies raised since childhood in Huaqing Sect, their lives meticulously planned—suddenly granted such freedom, they felt uneasy.

But out of pride, none dared approach Li Rui first.

Li Rui, of course, was glad for the peace.

He only wanted to accept the mission and treat Jiang Yan as his shield.

As for taming the sect's prodigies? He never even considered it.

If an opportunity arose later, he could take them on an actual mission.

How much they learned would depend on their own fortune.

Didn't Jiang Lin himself say it was just training, with no strict expectations for results?

One day,

Li Rui practiced as usual in his Li residence.

Thanks to the nourishment of Changchun Art, his Xuanqing Qi had grown more than twice as thick as before.

Perhaps soon, he could complete seventy-two full Circulations in one breath.

His Qi-nourishing speed would also increase significantly.

Willow Sinew, after all, was nothing but Qi nourishment.

As long as the Qi was strong, even if unformed, he could forcibly break into the sixth rank—then shape it properly once there.

Nourishing Qi was a slow, grinding process, requiring years of patient refinement to achieve strength.

Rushing wouldn't help.

Of course, external aids like arts or elixirs could accelerate Qi nourishment to some degree.

Just as Li Rui was circulating his Qi—

his internal true qi suddenly became chaotic.

Li Rui snapped his eyes open, without hesitation, pried up the wooden floorboard, and leapt into the hidden passage.

Just now,

in his Wisdom Eye's view, the mist had turned a sinister crimson!

(End of Chapter)