Chapter 179: It

The next morning.

A few unknown birds chirped noisily on the tree branches outside the gate.

Liang He practiced swordplay in the courtyard.

Liu Tiezhu trained with a hammer in the back yard.

Li Rui opened the door and saw his two disciples so diligent, a look of satisfaction crossed his face.

"Come drink your porridge."

He called both disciples over.

The five people in the courtyard all came from poor backgrounds, so they didn't bother with formality; they gathered around a small wooden table, savoring their porridge.

After finishing the porridge,

Li Rui finally pushed open the door and stepped out of the house.

To reach Benhu Qi, he had to pass by Garrison Commander Gao Zhen's residence; only after walking far away did he casually glance at the Immortal-Seeking Stone in his sleeve.

No change.

"It seems there's some hidden method to conceal the Immortal Trace."

A flicker stirred in his mind.

"Who could it be?"

Li Rui pondered.

Logically, the most likely candidate was Gao Zhen himself, given his noble lineage and deep roots.

But it was also possible some obscure minor figure in Gao's household had gained a tremendous stroke of fortune.

Such things were rare, but not impossible—he had his own miraculous encounter, so others could too.

If the one who possessed the Immortal Trace was Gao Zhen,

he would abandon it without hesitation.

No matter how valuable the Immortal Trace, one must have the life to claim it.

Gao Zhen was not only a sixth-rank Garrison Commander, but also a sixth-rank Dragon Gate cultivator.

Li Rui didn't believe any plot where Gao Zhen suddenly suffered an accident, bled out, and then stumbled right in front of him to be killed was possible.

Coveting someone stronger than yourself is a path to death.

But if it were someone else, then matters were very different.

"First, confirm who it is."

His only advantage right now was the Immortal-Seeking Stone; once that person revealed the Immortal Trace again, the stone would sense it.

With enough patience, he could eventually pinpoint the target.

Li Rui stopped looking at Gao's residence.

He walked straight toward Benhu Qi.

As soon as he entered the camp,

he heard Tan Hu's loud laughter: "So satisfying, damn satisfying!"

The other members of Benhu Qi also wore joyful expressions.

Seeing Li Rui approach, they all grinned and surrounded him.

Li Rui let out an "Oh?"

"What good fortune has befallen you?"

Tan Hu's grin stretched ear to ear: "It's Gao Zhen—his Shen Battalion's Ma guy was caught smuggling weapons to the northern barbarians. Jiang my lord personally ordered his immediate execution."

Li Rui raised an eyebrow.

Ning Zhongtian's influence was impressive—he'd managed to get Jiang Lin to back him.

Smuggling weapons was rare, but still existed within the military.

Compared to smuggling salt, smuggling weapons—especially to the northern barbarians—was nearly indistinguishable from treason in the eyes of the imperial court and emperor.

So those who did it were always extremely secretive.

Clearly, Ma, the Platoon Leader of Shen Battalion, had bad luck.

Ning Zhongtian wanted to strike Gao Zhen, and just happened to uncover his crimes.

What could have been quietly contained now ended in death.

Tan Hu continued: "That Ma guy had just drunk with Gao Zhen a few days ago—probably trying to show loyalty—and now he's dead on Jiang my lord 's orders. So satisfying."

Li Rui smiled faintly and reminded him:

"Hu Zi, in the camp, you must call him Garrison Commander Gao."

Don't let triumph make you careless.

In the camp, you follow the camp's rules.

Those with true resilience fight viciously behind closed doors, but in public, they address each other as "my lord," and even raise their cups louder during banquets.

Of course, Li Rui didn't expect Tan Hu to suddenly become a master of hidden depths.

That wouldn't suit Tan Hu—he'd lose his greatest advantage if he lost his innocent heart.

People are different; their paths differ.

Tan Hu looked at Li Rui's impassive face and admired him even more: "Ning Tou'er told me that he convinced Jiang my lord to act only because of one thing you said."

"Oh?"

"What did you say?"

"Abandon illusions. Prepare for battle."

"."

Li Rui fell silent.

Tan Hu: "With this lesson, the Gao guy should tone it down."

The other members of Benhu Qi nodded vigorously.

"Guan's not even showing his face today."

Li Rui's lips curled slightly.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

One solid punch prevents a hundred more.

To gain peace, you must make your opponent understand that if they strike, they'll pay a terrible price.

He urged Ning Zhongtian to act not only because it was the only solution, but also because someone else could share the pressure.

If Ning Zhongtian hadn't acted, all of Gao Zhen's moves would have fallen squarely on Li Rui and his men.

With his old bones, even if he could withstand it, it would be brutal.

The best solution was to find someone taller to stand in front.

Ning Zhongtian was the perfect choice.

Ning Zhongtian likely thought the same, which was why he repeated Li Rui's words verbatim to Jiang Lin.

Even better.

Li Rui had always believed:

The best way to face a storm isn't sheer willpower—it's holding an umbrella. Preferably a big one.

Jiang Lin's umbrella was big enough.

Gao Residence.

"You're saying Ma Feng was killed by Jiang Lin himself?"

Gao Zhen narrowed his eyes, staring at Platoon Leader Guan Peng.

Guan Peng nodded frantically, face grim.

Ma Feng's death made him feel like a rabbit mourning its kin. Ma Feng had indeed smuggled weapons to the barbarians—he deserved death—but had he himself done nothing that warranted execution under the law?

Of course not. If discovered, he might meet the same fate.

"Gao Tou'er, maybe we should hold off for now."

Guan Peng ventured cautiously.

If it were only Ning Zhongtian, he might still dare provoke him—but Jiang Lin personally intervening changed everything. He wouldn't dare lift a finger again, even if given a hundred lives.

What surprised him was:

For the first time, Gao Zhen showed unexpected understanding and nodded:

"Alright, we'll pause for now."

Guan Peng's face lit up:

"Yes, yes, Gao Tou'er!"

Losing a subordinate left Gao Zhen's mood unchanged; he waved his hand dismissively: "Leave."

=9+ Shu _ Ba

Guan Peng exited the room.

Only then did Gao Zhen's lips curl slightly:

"Ning Zhongtian, I underestimated you."

He hadn't expected Ning Zhongtian to summon Jiang Lin's intervention.

"Looks like I'll need another plan."

With Jiang Lin as a giant looming overhead, all his tricks would be useless.

Jiang Lin, originally a military officer, oversaw the discipline and military law of the Anning Garrison; by regulation, even Cao Wei needed Jiang Lin's approval to punish any soldier of the Anning Garrison.

If Gao Zhen acted rashly, he would surely face punishment from Jiang Lin.

He knew he couldn't withstand it.

Even with Cao Wei's backing, it would be the same.

This was the brilliance of the imperial court's system of checks and balances: one held command of troops, the other held authority over punishment.

Without Cao Wei's orders, Jiang Lin could not command a single soldier of the Anning Garrison, yet he controlled the power of reward and punishment.

Cao Wei was the same: without Jiang Lin's written authorization, punishing Anning Garrison soldiers privately was a grave offense, yet he held command of the troops.

Mutual checks ensured neither could fully control the Anning Garrison.

If Jiang Lin insisted on executing Gao Zhen,

Cao Wei truly couldn't stop him—he could only wait until Gao Zhen was dead, then use his command authority to send Jiang Lin's officers to the most dangerous posts.

Just mutual harm.

Gao Zhen wanted to use the situation to kill the person assigned by the Blood Shadow Ancestor, not to get dragged into a power vortex and destroy himself.

So he clearly understood it was time to stop.

He had intended to test Jiang Lin's limits, but his first Shitan met with Jiang Lin's thunderous retaliation.

Kill Ma Feng.

One reason was to enforce military discipline; more importantly, it was to intimidate Gao Zhen—and even Cao Wei.

Gao Zhen smiled faintly, utterly unconcerned.

If this path wouldn't work, he'd take another.

After all, the dead were all Anning Garrison soldiers—he didn't care a bit.

Moreover, aside from Ning Zhongtian, the others on the list weren't hard to kill.

He felt confident about it.

At that moment,

a gray pigeon flew in through the window and landed neatly on the table's edge.

A slip of paper was tied to its right leg—it was a message pigeon.

In this world, no one had invented mobile phones or telephones; the only ways to transmit information were the relay stations and pigeon post.

Gao Zhen's smile widened.

He removed the paper from the pigeon's leg.

It bore a few crooked characters, unintelligible to ordinary people.

It was the secret script of the Ghost Ming Sect.

Only those who knew the decryption technique could read its meaning.

Gao Zhen squinted at the characters on the paper:

"Brother has come to Qinghe?"

"Brother, what do you think of this blade?"

In the courtyard,

Liu Tiezhu and Liang He had their heads close together, studying the long blade in Liu Tiezhu's hand, glowing with a faint cold light.

"Excellent!"

Liang He's eyes lit up.

He knew his junior brother excelled at forging weapons, so he'd asked Liu Tiezhu to forge him a suitable weapon.

He hadn't expected Liu Tiezhu's skill to be even better than he'd imagined.

Hearing Liang He's praise, Liu Tiezhu was overjoyed.

Back in the blacksmith shop, forging iron was just completing a task—though he took it seriously, it lacked soul.

This blade in his hands, however, was infused with immense effort; no previous weapon he'd made could compare.

"Master's blade excels in material, but in craftsmanship, Brother's blade surpasses it."

This was also tied to his entry into the realm—he now possessed greatly increased strength.

With sufficient qi, forging became effortless, turning theory into reality.

As soon as he finished speaking,

Li Rui's mocking voice came from behind: "Good lad, trying to give your master inferior goods, eh?"

Liu Tiezhu turned his head.

He knew Li Rui was teasing, but replied seriously: "I was afraid my hands were rusty, so I used Brother's blade to practice first, then I'll reforge a new one for Master."

"That's thoughtful."

His disciple's sincerity, as a master, he accepted without hesitation.

Taking Liu Tiezhu on not only gained him a gifted disciple, but also saved him the cost of forging weapons.

Two benefits in one.

Skilled weapon-smiths were far rarer than warriors; one needed not only exceptional forging skill but also solid martial cultivation.

With both requirements combined, their numbers were even fewer.

"I heard Wang Zhao is also performing well in the Horse Supervision Hall."

Perhaps in a few years, the household will gain another Horse Master.

Truly, talent abounds.

Li Rui was very satisfied with his disciples—all of them had good character.

He was about to tease them again,

when his expression suddenly hardened.

The red mist of his Wisdom Eye grew deeper.

(End of Chapter)