[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-163":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},2270171,4432,"Chapter 163: Conspiracy","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-163",163,"\u003Cp>Night, bright moon, tree shadows, a carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap-tap-tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The urgent clatter of hooves accompanied by the creaking of wheels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This vessel is perfectly suited.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent, excellent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sure Blood Shadow Ancestor will be very satisfied!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What nonsense are you all spouting? What vessel? Who is this Blood Shadow Ancestor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Chengfeng’s consciousness slowly returned, his head heavy and foggy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyelids half-opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First he saw the wooden ceiling of the carriage, then the moonlight streaming in from outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why am I in a carriage?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I should’ve been in Chunyan Tower—where’s Zhu’er?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next instant, memories surged like a tidal wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Chengfeng’s eyes snapped wide open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whores, damn it—all of them are whores!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Zhu’er was a fraud—there was no gambling father, no frail mother, no incompetent younger brother, no stubborn girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was all a lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a trap set entirely for him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had just moved to embrace Zhu’er when a sharp pain stabbed his neck, his vision went black, and he passed out—only to wake up here, in this hellish place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? You’re awake already?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder—he’s an Immortal Body. The dosage must’ve been too low.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sssst!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of a needle piercing flesh—familiar sensation returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Chengfeng felt the world spinning before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his final moment before unconsciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He strained to see the face of the man inside the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiang Ting!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Tou’er, what brings you here at this hour?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Hai was polishing his weapon when Li Rui stormed in, followed by a girl so beautiful she seemed unreal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s face was grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something’s happened—where’s Commander Tan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Hai pointed to the right: “Over there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring Commander Tan here. The Tiger Charge unit is heading to Chunyan Tower.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chunyan Tower?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Hai blinked. That was the most expensive brothel in Qinghe County—without question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Rui’s serious expression, he instantly understood this was no ordinary matter—he nodded quickly and ran off to fetch Tan Hu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside Chunyan Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chestnut stallion reared its front hooves and snorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passersby who saw the horse stared with envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that… an officer from Annan Army?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes—it’s the Tiger Charge!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some seasoned observers immediately recognized the identity of this group at Chunyan Tower’s entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui dismounted first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He strode into Chunyan Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was daytime; aside from the door boy, no guests were present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he stepped inside,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a woman with a beautiful face and an exaggerated S-curve figure stepped forward: “Officer Li, what an honor—you came in person?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui glanced at the woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The madam of Chunyan Tower—a calculating woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time Wei Ming treated them here, he tried to get a discount—she used her seductive charms to crush him completely; he got no discount, only lost his yang energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a seventh-rank official, Li Rui couldn’t avoid Chunyan Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The madam greeted him warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui kept his face cold, acting as if he didn’t know her, and said grimly: “With such a major incident, you dare conceal it? Do you think the Anning Guard means nothing to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The madam was shaken by Li Rui’s official aura—her face turned pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, I swear—I reported this to the authorities! The government sent people here this morning!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m a ‘little woman’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui sneered internally. The madam looked young, but she was nearly forty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never trust a man’s words—especially not a brothel woman’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the madam about to burst into tears, Li Rui cut her off: “Lead the way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The madam immediately stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sullenly, she led Li Rui upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she walked, she muttered: “Officials are the coldest-hearted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way up, she kept glancing behind Li Rui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a beautiful woman!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a brothel madam, she naturally noticed beautiful women—her face was flawless, her figure top-tier—but she was too haughty, lacked feminine charm, and needed training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Xue felt the madam’s gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slightly furrowed her brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was her first time in a brothel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She barely suppressed the rising fury—she never imagined her junior brother had sneaked out to such a place while she was in deep seclusion, and now he was dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t know how to explain this to her master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In less than a month, both her junior brothers had died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s group arrived at Chunyan Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene had clearly been inspected by the authorities—the door bore a sealed strip, and the corpse was covered by a coarse, still-bloodstained sackcloth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least they’re thorough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui didn’t even glance at the seal—he reached out and tore it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Anning Guard didn’t need the government’s permission to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui stepped up to the cloth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused: “Miss Yao, I’m going to lift it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Xue bit her lip and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a sharp tug, the sackcloth was pulled away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sea of crimson. Yao Xue turned pale and looked away, unable to bear it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui frowned, crouched down, and studied the scene intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could I really be the Lone Star of the Immortal Inquiry Pavilion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In less than a month, he’d seen the corpses of the senior disciple and third disciple of Master Zhang the Daoist—two out of three already handled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was reduced to a skeleton; the other had turned to sludge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu said: “Brutal—damn near turned to dust.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no corpse left—just a pile of meat pulp, unrecognizable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the constables came, saw it, and left in frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could you investigate this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui stared for a long while, then stood, stepped out of the room, and faced the madam standing outside: “Tell me—what exactly happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The madam then recounted, in full detail, how Qu Chengfeng had come to Chunyan Tower seeking the courtesan Baozhu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+shu_ba\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baozhu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui murmured: “Bring her here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The madam hesitated: “Baozhu is still traumatized—she needs rest. Otherwise tonight—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could finish, Li Rui cut her off:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re conducting official business at Anning Guard—do you intend to obstruct us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the madam could only sigh helplessly at her bad luck and ordered a maid to fetch someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman with smooth, radiant features and a stunningly beautiful face was escorted out by the maid—utterly heartrending to behold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She bowed gracefully and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Greetings, my lords.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baozhu’s voice was soft and tender, making one instinctively wish to comfort her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any man who saw her would find it hard to speak harshly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder she became the courtesan of Chunyan Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad she ran into Li Rui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So cloying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Women in brothels never stopped fighting behind the scenes, but to outsiders they all played the innocent lotus—forced to perform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui ignored Baozhu’s feigned delicacy: “Speak. Leave nothing out, or I’ll take you to the water dungeon for questioning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the word “water dungeon,” Baozhu’s face turned instantly pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was where Anning Guard imprisoned serious offenders—once inside, even if you didn’t die, you’d never be the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, I’ve already told the constables everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Say it again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s gaze sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baozhu stepped back nervously, then recounted the whole story in detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was essentially the tale of a naive young man falling for a courtesan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui didn’t even need to listen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he heard Qu Chengfeng wanted to redeem Baozhu’s freedom, he was certain the kid had lost his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Men, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their favorite things were dragging decent women into the mud and trying to reform courtesans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Chengfeng was young and inexperienced; he dove too deep on his first try—of course he got caught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A seasoned player in the brothel world knew another saying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Courtesans have no feelings; actors have no loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In brothels, women always had gambling fathers, sick mothers, frail younger brothers, and broken selves—standard tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were they true?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Possibly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But their ultimate goal was to make you spend more money—not to have you redeem them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a fool actually did redeem them, they might not even be happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did she really think this was going to be a Du Shiniang story? True love doesn’t exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing her junior brother wanted to redeem the woman before him, Yao Xue sighed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baozhu said a lot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How they composed poetry beneath the moon, speaking of pure and lofty elegance; how they sipped tea and discussed Daoist mysteries and immortal paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this weren’t a brothel, Li Rui might have believed it was a tale of scholar and beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui had no interest in listening further: “Cut to the point—how did Qu Chengfeng die?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baozhu shrank back like a frightened kitten: “Last night I had my menses, so Master Qu stayed alone in his room. This morning, when I came… I came…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, tears poured down her face, her sobs choking her—anyone who heard it was moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The madam sighed and took over: “Then we saw all this in the room and reported it to the authorities. The maid Lüshui was present and can testify.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he gestured to a few of the Benhu Riders behind him: “Bring Old Zhao—he’ll examine the corpse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He said: “Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew Old Zhao, mentioned by Li Rui, was Anning Guard’s coroner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The madam hesitated: “Master Li, it’s already like this—can you still examine it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old coroner finally appeared at Chunyan Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d already heard the situation from Liang He, nodded to Li Rui, and went straight to the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rummaged and studied the body thoroughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression was grave, making observers’ scalps tingle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Tan Hu, a hardened man, couldn’t bear it and quickly retreated outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After about twenty minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old coroner stepped out of the room: “The deceased is male. He trained in martial arts, but specialized in talisman arts. He was good-looking, around twenty years old, and died from an axe blow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui listened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ask Immortal Pavilion was a hidden sect; public information about it was scarce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old coroner couldn’t possibly know Qu Chengfeng’s exact identity, but his description matched Qu Chengfeng closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Killed with an axe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This might be the only useful clue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui pondered, then told Liang He: “Take the corpse back to camp.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all of them stared at the pile of remains on the floor, deeply troubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui stepped out of the pavilion first, gazing at the smoke, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1745,"2026-06-19T22:01:09.077Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b6d9ec147dbf78931df43299c4e9a860d963d0ef9dc9dd33fd0a5350a0e3d622","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-164","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-162",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]