Chapter 174

"Damn, have you heard?"

"The new Garrison Commander Gao went to the Chunyan Tower and literally played the top courtesan to death!"

Wei Ming went to the Chunyan Tower last night.

He happened to see Cao Wei and the new Garrison Commander there too.

Waking up.

He heard this explosive news: "Looking like a fair-skinned, sissy guy, I didn't expect him to be so ruthless."

Tan Hu and Ge Hong were horrified.

They had specifically inquired about it.

Although that Garrison Commander Gao was from the Gao clan of Lu Yang, he was actually born of a concubine, so he was only valued after passing the martial examination. The Gao clan's rules were extremely strict; he might not have even touched a woman's hand before.

This power suppressed for decades exploding instantly was indeed terrifying.

But they also vaguely sensed that this Garrison Commander Gao didn't seem like someone easy to deal with.

Wei Ming: "I saw with my own eyes that Garrison Commander Gao went to the Chunyan Tower with General Cao. This isn't a good thing for us."

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.

This new Garrison Commander went to drink and flirt on his first day in office with Cao Wei.

The meaning couldn't be more obvious.

But thinking of the Gao clan of Lu Yang, it didn't seem so outrageous.

The Gao clan of Lu Yang was one of the biggest supporters of the Xuan faction outside the court, and Gao Zhen was naturally a member of the Xuan faction.

The imperial court of the Yu Kingdom had always been controlled by two factions.

One was the Xuan faction led by the Imperial Preceptor and the Duke of Dingyuan, and the other was the Lin faction led by the Grand Secretary, Magistrate Zhang.

Actually, besides these two factions, there was another side.

That was the military led by Regional Commander Yuan, but the Emperor had always managed the military extremely strictly, forbidding the military from participating in politics, so its influence on the court was limited.

The Xuan and Lin factions had always been in a stalemate under the Emperor's checks and balances.

Looking at it this way, it seemed the two factions had nothing to do with the Annan Army.

Thinking that way would be a huge mistake.

Assistant Regional Commander Cao of the Anning Guard was promoted by the Fifth Prince; if you said this background wasn't Xuan faction, no one would believe it.

The Gao clan was a die-hard Xuan faction member; Gao Zhen coming to the Anning Guard would naturally take the initiative to build a relationship with Cao Wei.

But this way.

The forces under Cao Wei and Jiang Linxian would gradually become unbalanced; once the balance was broken, conflicts would surely increase.

The soldiers of the Anning Guard would surely be drawn into the power struggle.

It wouldn't be easy for Li Rui to stay out of it.

As they spoke, they also smelled the fishy scent before the storm.

This Garrison Commander Gao did such a thing on his first day in Qinghe; when comparing playboys, by contrast, Junior Officer Duan, who had just left Qinghe, was a good playboy.

He had been in Qinghe for several years.

All day long, it was just horse riding, hunting, and drinking tea in brothels.

He didn't cause trouble and was generous with money.

His reputation in Qinghe was excellent; he should have left seven days ago, but he was kept drinking by people until the day before yesterday, when he finally left the city drunk.

Because he didn't manage things, he didn't offend anyone in the Anning Guard, and the soldiers were happy to meet such a relaxed superior.

But from the actions of the new Garrison Commander, it wasn't hard to see that he was definitely not someone easy to deal with.

Wei Ming: "I'm just afraid of this kind of greenhorn who just entered the world. I heard this Garrison Commander Gao was born of a concubine and wasn't valued before; it was only after passing the second-tier examination that he was valued by the elders of the Gao clan. This kind of superior is the hardest to serve."

He suddenly felt a bit of schadenfreude.

When Junior Officer Duan was there before, the few platoon leaders under him had a better life than each other.

Now it was their turn to suffer.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly, lost in thought.

Returning to the residence.

He saw Liang He practicing the blade in the courtyard. Ever since he taught him the Great Henglian Art, he had been practicing hard every day and already showed signs of entering the gate.

"Not bad."

Liang He heard Li Rui's praise behind him.

He hurriedly put away his blade and performed a disciple's salute: "Thank you for the praise, Master."

Because of the Immortal Xuan Qi, it could help Liang He be more compatible with the Great Henglian Art, so practicing naturally yielded twice the result with half the effort.

It was estimated that in less than two years, Liang He could step into the eighth rank.

By then, the effect of nourishing Qi would be even better.

"Continue practicing."

Li Rui waved his hand and then sat on the lounge chair under the tree.

Watching Liang He practice the blade.

Teaching martial arts, besides nourishing Qi, also had another purpose, which was to improve the Great Henglian Art.

If the Great Henglian Art was compared to a mountain path that hadn't been opened, before, only Li Rui walked this path, walking slowly and easily deviating.

But if he let a few more people walk together, Li Rui could more easily discover deviations and correct them.

Only when many people walk can a road be formed.

This principle also worked for creating one's own martial arts.

And the power of one person was ultimately limited.

Li Rui wasn't an ascetic; of course, he had to have his own foundation, which would also make it easier to handle things.

In the Yu Kingdom, soldiers and generals were separated; as a patrol guard, he actually only had the command of the Galloping Tiger Cavalry. Once his status changed, the Night Scouts of the Galloping Tiger Cavalry would no longer be under his jurisdiction.

Official business is official business; his own is his own.

For example, Liang He had completely left the Galloping Tiger Cavalry and became a full-time disciple.

The next day.

Liang He was practicing the blade in the courtyard as usual.

He saw Li Rui push the door and walk in.

He was stunned.

Because Li Rui was followed by a sturdy middle-aged man.

He was a bit confused: "Master, this is?"

Li Rui chuckled: "His name is Liu Tiezhu; from now on, he is your junior martial brother, and he will live in the backyard from now on."

"Junior martial brother?!"

Liang He widened his eyes.

This junior martial brother, who looked old enough to be his uncle, had come so abruptly. Not bad.

After Li Rui asked for Liu Tiezhu from the blacksmith shop for the Anning Guard, he made some moves to make Liu Tiezhu a free man, and only today did he accept him as a disciple.

With his current official position.

It wasn't impossible to directly remove Liu Tiezhu's craftsman status and accept him as a disciple.

But he didn't do that.

Still the same saying, accepting a disciple is a big matter.

After he asked for Liu Tiezhu to the Anning Guard, he had always let Liu Tiezhu be an inconspicuous laborer in the military camp.

During this period, he hadn't shown his face even once.

In fact, he had been observing Liu Tiezhu's every move in secret.

After Liu Tiezhu came to the Anning Guard, he didn't become flighty just because he realized he knew a big official; he just did his job steadily and didn't take the initiative to ask to see Li Rui to climb the social ladder.

Not being greedy allows the heart to be settled.

=9+Shu_ba

In a sect, not everyone has to be an ambitious genius.

One also needs a steady pillar who knows how to be content.

Logically speaking, such a person should be the first disciple.

Looking at those sect elders, one can also see that the first disciple is often not necessarily the most talented, but definitely steady in character.

Liang He wasn't suitable for this role.

But Liu Tiezhu was very suitable.

Liu Tiezhu grinned, smiling honestly, and gave Liang He a sincere ninety-degree bow: "Senior Martial Brother."

This made Liang He even more embarrassed.

But he still accepted it calmly.

The seniority between martial brothers isn't calculated by age, but by the time of entry.

Thirty-year-old Liu Tiezhu naturally had to call Liang He, who wasn't even twenty, Senior Martial Brother.

Yes.

Li Rui also only knew after checking the roster that Liu Tiezhu had been blacksmithing for many years, so he looked old, but he was actually only thirty.

"Tiezhu, you go find a room in the back to live in first; tomorrow I will teach you martial arts."

Liu Tiezhu widened his eyes.

Teach martial arts?

He licked his lips, thinking it was a dream. A few days ago, he was just an ordinary blacksmith in a blacksmith shop; now, not only did he get his freedom, but he could also practice martial arts like those martial masters.

How is this not changing his fate?

His eyes instantly turned red, and he knelt on the ground with a thud: "Thank you, Master, for the grace of rebirth."

If it weren't for Li Rui, he could never have had today.

Li Rui smiled with satisfaction: "Get up, just practice martial arts and blacksmithing well in the future."

Liu Tiezhu is a blacksmith, but that doesn't mean he has no future.

The world isn't just about practicing martial arts; he doesn't just accept martial arts geniuses as disciples.

And he had observed Liu Tiezhu's bone structure; like Tan Hu, he was a natural Jin Gang, but he had always been buried and hadn't practiced martial arts, so he just looked like he had more strength.

After practicing martial arts, there would surely be a huge change, which would also be beneficial for blacksmithing and casting weapons.

Indeed, he planned to continue cultivating Liu Tiezhu as a blacksmith.

But to be precise, a weapon caster. Like a talisman master, a weapon caster is also a branch of martial arts; those heaven-shaking divine weapons all come from the hands of weapon casters.

Otherwise, divine iron is extremely hard, and without machines, just forging is not something an ordinary person can complete; it must be a martial artist, and a martial artist good at strength, who can complete it.

"Perhaps he can walk a completely different path."

A hint of expectation rose in Li Rui's heart.

This was the effect he wanted from teaching martial arts.

A thousand people, a thousand arts, and then combined into his own body; the effect at that time would surely exceed his expectations.

Night.

There were no candles in the room, it was pitch black, and Li Rui sat cross-legged on a cushion alone.

"Indeed, stones from other hills can polish the jade of this one."

It had been half a month since he accepted Liu Tiezhu as a disciple.

He hadn't disappointed him.

Liu Tiezhu had been blacksmithing in the shop for years, and coupled with being a natural Jin Gang, his foundation was incredibly good.

Perhaps he could enter the rank next year.

This was the tyranny of a natural Jin Gang, but what surprised Li Rui even more was that Liu Tiezhu had really practiced the Great Henglian Art into a completely different appearance.

Li Rui cultivated longevity, with strength secondary; Liu Tiezhu completely deviated from the original intention, only practicing the part about cultivating strength.

But the result was surprisingly good.

"Cultivating life also means cultivating strength; without strength, life is hard to seek."

"I was the one who was obsessed."

Li Rui chuckled.

Being too obsessed with longevity might not necessarily lead to longevity; dual cultivation of life and nature is the foundation.

Therefore, he specifically withdrew the Immortal Xuan Qi he had placed on Liang He and Liu Tiezhu today to carefully feel their martial arts intent.

Low strength doesn't necessarily mean there's nothing worth taking.

Li Rui closed his eyes, feeling the two wisps of Immortal Xuan Qi in his body that looked the same but were slightly different.

A full hour.

He opened his eyes suddenly, a flash of realization crossing his pupils.

Ever since his comprehension improved, as long as there was a flash of inspiration, he could enter a state of semi-enlightenment.

"Divine Dragon Swings its Tail, power exceeding ten thousand jun, destroying mountains and overturning seas!"

Whispering in a low voice.

The Immortal Xuan Qi around his body rose unconsciously.

In the pitch-black room, a blue light suddenly lit up.

Looking closely, there was vaguely a young dragon the thickness of an arm coiled around Li Rui's body, with the double-horned dragon head resting right on his shoulder.

Dragon form manifested!

Willow Sinew is divided into three stages: nourishing Qi, gathering Qi, and forming; Li Rui had already completed gathering Qi before, and was only one step away from forming.

Practicing hard every day.

The majesty of the Immortal Xuan Qi was already far beyond that of ordinary Willow Sinew martial artists.

Now, with one moment of enlightenment, he directly manifested the dragon form.

This is the sign of the dragon form's great success!

(End of chapter)