Chapter 178: Immortal Qi

"Head Ning, Brother Li, I can stake my life on it—Xiaohai could never have done such a thing."

Tan Hu said, hoisting Tang Hai onto his shoulder.

Li Rui's heart stirred slightly.

How could he and Ning Zhongtian not know?

Once he heard of this matter today, he understood that this was no longer something he and Tan Hu could handle.

Gao Zhen was a Garrison Commander holding great power.

He and Tan Hu were subordinates; if they were to clash with Gao Zhen face-to-face for Tang Hai's sake, they would surely give him a handle to accuse them of defying a superior, which he would then exploit to the fullest.

Even if Ning Zhongtian could eventually protect them, Tang Hai's fate would be hard to say.

That was why, while rushing over, he had also told Liang He to quickly invite Ning Zhongtian.

When one is a rank lower, everything one says is wrong.

Only by having someone of equal rank step in could this matter be resolved.

If Ning Zhongtian hadn't been here today, it likely wouldn't have been settled so easily.

Ning Zhongtian's gaze was cold and sharp.

He and Li Rui exchanged a look, both seeing the meaning in the other's eyes.

Was Gao Zhen truly this reckless and stupid?

It was possible.

But today's incident was likely either done on purpose or instigated by someone behind the scenes.

In any case.

It was aimed specifically at Ning Zhongtian.

"Factional strife?"

Ning Zhongtian's heart sank.

Gao Zhen frequented Cao Wei's residence daily; anyone could see that Gao Zhen was firmly in Cao Wei's camp.

Perhaps this was precisely the method Cao Wei was using to deal with Jiang Linxian.

In any case, Gao Zhen would at most serve as Garrison Commander in Anning Guard for three years before being promoted elsewhere.

Offending people didn't matter.

Doing this job was most appropriate.

Moreover, given his previous profligate and playboy behavior, people would only think he was a newcomer to officialdom who didn't know any better, and in the end, he would just admit his bad luck and let the matter drop.

By then, he would transform into a prodigal son who had returned to the right path, and with the help of the Gao clan, his official career would be smooth sailing.

If a gentleman does evil, he can never hold his head high for the rest of his life, but a prodigal son who returns to the right path can make people feel that knowing one's mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue.

Ning Zhongtian sighed softly: "Tiger, first find a way to get a famous physician to reattach the severed arm; it should still be usable."

Tan Hu understood that Ning Zhongtian did not intend to pursue the matter.

And rightly so.

Gao Zhen was a Garrison Commander, while Tang Hai was just a common, ordinary little soldier.

Could one really offend a Garrison Commander for the sake of a little soldier?

It wasn't worth it.

It was like a playboy kicking an old man to death in the street—would the government offend a great clan because of that?

Obviously not.

It was the same principle.

Tan Hu looked at the severed arm clutched in his hand, then at Tang Hai, who had already fainted.

Even if it could be reattached, Tang Hai's martial path was likely broken.

At this moment.

Li Rui, who had been silent, suddenly spoke: "Head Ning, with today's events as they are, what do you plan to do in the future?"

Ning Zhongtian understood the meaning behind Li Rui's words.

Li Rui wasn't asking how to handle Tang Hai, but how to face Gao Zhen.

Swallow their pride?

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

Given Gao Zhen's status, he couldn't be toppled; fighting him head-on would be useless.

At most, it would be a pyrrhic victory.

Li Rui's expression turned stern:

"Abandon illusions, prepare to fight."

Ning Zhongtian's expression froze, and he looked at Li Rui with some surprise.

In the past, it was always Li Rui who advocated for courtesy before force, prioritizing conciliation; why had Li Rui changed his tune first this time?

"Brother Li, this..."

Li Rui's eyes grew more forceful: "Does Lord Ning think that by retreating, Gao Zhen will let things rest?"

"No!"

"It will only make things worse. Gao Zhen is no fool; the more we indulge him, the more flaws we expose, and the more likely he is to find a handle on us, eventually even burning you, Head Ning."

"Only by taking the initiative can we have a chance of winning."

As Ning Zhongtian listened, his expression gradually grew solemn.

Li Rui's gaze became even sharper: "Head Ning, this is factional strife!"

Factional strife.

Ning Zhongtian felt a shock in his heart.

In truth, he knew it too; he just couldn't make up his mind.

After all, once the decision was made, it was a path of no return. Factional strife had always been a life-or-death struggle; there were no other outcomes.

Instinctively, he did not want to place himself in such a situation.

But as Li Rui said, he actually had no choice.

He cupped his fists and said in a deep voice:

"Many thanks for the advice, Brother Li."

Li Rui: "Head Ning was just too concerned for his soldiers, which clouded your mind; you would have surely thought of it yourself."

The first two sentences were, of course, flattery.

Ning Zhongtian would have thought of it, but by the time he made the decision, it would have been too late!

That was why Li Rui was so forceful today—to make Ning Zhongtian prepare fully as soon as possible.

Officialdom is like a battlefield.

Timing is crucial.

Once someone else seizes the initiative, it is too late to counterattack.

Whether in his past life or this one, Li Rui had seen too many examples; in factional strife, one must be resolute. Trying to play both sides or stay out of it was absolutely impossible.

"Be more careful in the future. If you let someone run away again..."

Gao Zhen glanced at Platoon Leader Guan behind him.

Platoon Leader Guan shuddered.

That look just now was truly cold!

His heart tightened.

All along, the Anning Guard had only thought the new Garrison Commander Gao was a playboy; now it seemed that all of this might just be a facade.

What playboy could make a Platoon Leader like him, who had seen life and death, feel like he had fallen into an ice cellar with just one look?

"Useless."

Gao Zhen shook his head incessantly in his heart.

Today's incident was, of course, arranged by his subordinates; he had given the order to lure the person over, and he had ordered the weapons to be taken.

It was just a matter of shifting the blame and denying it, deliberately framing them.

Originally, he hadn't intended to show his face, planning only to have his subordinates kill them and be done with it.

As a result, the little soldier from the Galloping Tiger Cavalry escaped, so he had to step in to settle it.

He was cold-blooded and ruthless, but not stupid.

His four battalions were said to be his men, but they were all harboring their own schemes. If he hadn't stepped in this time, the remaining Platoon Leaders who were watching from the sidelines would have done even less work.

"I really want to kill them all."

Gao Zhen returned to his residence and rubbed his temples.

He sat cross-legged on the soft couch. The next instant.

A wisp of cyan Qi was exhaled from his mouth.

As thin as a hair, no longer than a finger; looking closely, this wisp of cyan Qi seemed out of place with its surroundings, standing aloof from the world.

An Immortal, immune to all evil, transcendent and detached.

"Immortal Qi..."

This wisp of Qi was precisely the... Immortal Qi he had obtained from his cheap master, the Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu.

A Ghost Gui Ming Jiao disciple with a clean background who could still climb to high places was not easy to find.

Gao Zhen, a member of the Gao clan, was just right.

He had voluntarily joined the Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu's command.

In the Gao clan, he was just a branch-line concubine's son who received no attention.

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In the eyes of others, Gao clan members lived in luxury, people above people.

But in reality, that was the treatment only the direct line received; they, the branch lines, were almost no different from the commoners.

If you want something, you must fight for it yourself.

So Gao Zhen simply joined the Ghost Gui Ming Jiao.

It was precisely because of the Ghost Gui Ming Jiao's resources that he was able to cross the Dragon Gate at just over thirty.

Now, he had even obtained a wisp of Immortal Qi.

The Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu's twelve disciples were called the Twelve Blood Disciples to sound nice, but in reality, they were just kept thugs.

To get benefits from the Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu, one had to provide sufficient value.

For example, completing missions.

He still wanted more Immortal Qi.

"No rush, there is plenty of time; they will all die."

Li Residence.

"Hoo~"

After completing seventy-two major cycles, Li Rui exhaled a long breath.

He opened his eyes.

His brows furrowed slightly.

Within his Wisdom Eye, the smoke was deep red.

"Why is there such great killing intent?"

Recalling the recent events, the source of the rising danger coefficient was most likely Gao Zhen.

But why would Gao Zhen want to kill him?

Factional strife was said to be life-or-death, but that was just a metaphor, not saying it truly required seeing life and death.

Generally speaking, as long as one lost their official position or was demoted, making them unable to function, that was enough.

There was no need to truly force things to the death.

Everyone has people they care about; once someone is pushed to the limit, no one will have a good time. Therefore, although struggles in officialdom are cruel, for the officials themselves, they rarely threaten life.

After all, no one dares to guarantee they will always be prosperous.

Leaving a way out for others so one can meet again in the future—that is the principle.

Was that Garrison Commander Gao ignorant of the rules of officialdom?

It was possible.

But Li Rui was accustomed to thinking of people in the worst possible light.

A lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit.

If one treats everyone as a fool in everything, then one is the biggest fool of all.

Gao Zhen might have other intentions.

Just as Li Rui was pondering.

A flash of cyan light suddenly flickered in his sleeve.

"Hmm?"

Li Rui raised an eyebrow.

He took out the object from his sleeve; it was the Immortal-Seeking Stone that Yao Xue had gifted him.

The Immortal-Seeking Stone, its function was, of course, only one—seeking Immortals.

Li Rui's pupils contracted slightly.

"Immortal..."

Previously, the Immortal-Seeking Stone had always been normal, almost no different from an ordinary stone; today, it suddenly changed.

Of course, there was only one possibility.

It had sensed an Immortal trace.

"It's right here in the Anning Guard!"

Ever since he got the Immortal-Seeking Stone, Li Rui would pay extra attention whenever he flipped through books.

He hadn't expected to actually find a record about the Immortal-Seeking Stone in an ancient text.

"The Immortal-Seeking Stone can sense Immortal traces within a hundred zhang, flashing with cyan light."

Wasn't that exactly the same as the current situation?

"Who is it?"

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.

This was the Anning Guard; his footsteps had covered almost every part of the military camp. If it were an inanimate object, the Immortal-Seeking Stone should have reacted long ago.

Therefore, that Immortal trace had been brought into the Anning Guard by someone.

Thinking of this, Li Rui's heart began to thump wildly.

He was no saint.

Facing an Immortal trace, it was impossible not to fight for it.

Why do the high-level experts of the world search everywhere for Immortal traces?

Isn't it for ascension and eternal life?

To live as long as heaven—this was a temptation that even the Master of the Dragon Court could never refuse.

The older one gets, the more one cherishes life.

"Treasures of the world are obtained by those with affinity; this object has an affinity with this old man!"

The thought arose.

He immediately put on his outer coat, covered it with a thick, opaque robe, and only then pushed open the door and walked out.

At night, apart from the patrolling soldiers, the Anning Guard military camp...

Only a few soldiers who had gone out to get drunk were wandering outside.

"Lord Li, going out so late?"

The one on duty today was the Geng-character Battalion, and its Platoon Leader was well-acquainted with Li Rui.

Li Rui nodded with a smile: "I'm old, can't sleep, just out for a walk."

"Brother has good taste."

The two chatted briefly.

The Platoon Leader of the Geng-character Battalion led his troops away, and Li Rui continued to stroll through the military camp.

The range was limited to within a hundred zhang of his residence.

Soon.

Li Rui stopped in front of an imposing five-courtyard mansion.

The Immortal-Seeking Stone in his sleeve shone with an almost dazzling light.

He looked up.

Gao Residence!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 179 =====