[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-220":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},2270228,4432,"Chapter 220: Do They Rob Anningwei Too?","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-220",220,"\u003Cp>“Li my lord, you’re here so early.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Weiheshimao official smiled and said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old age, less sleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li my lord, don’t tease—we’re far less sturdy than your Sixth Rank Longmen realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Weiheshimao official said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was Xu Wen, a Weiheshimao clerk handling official business, like Qi Ze, also Sixth Rank, but weaker—only Liu Jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Civil officials are like this: even without martial prowess, if they have administrative ability, they still climb up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was common among grassroots officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the Ministry of Personnel’s bigwigs, Sixth Rank was still just a minor post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen was precisely the Weiheshimao official assigned to liaise with Anningwei—that meant Li Rui interacted with him most frequently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui would never be so arrogant as to assume, as Captain, he deserved personal audience from Yan Zhongxing himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One acts according to one’s rank, receives the courtesy befitting one’s rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No mixing things up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless one’s behind-the-scenes power was immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui pointed to Tan Hu beside him: “This is my deputy, Hundred-Commander of Benhu Camp, Tan Hu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had become Weiheshimao Captain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course he needed men under him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Jiang Linxian simply assigned Benhu Camp to Li Rui, along with ten recruitment slots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu naturally became his man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were anyone else, Ning Zhongtian would never hand over his cherished protégé—but Li Rui was his sworn brother, family, so no objections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tan my lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen looked at Tan Hu, took in his towering, iron-tower frame, and knew this man was no pushover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swallowed hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought: best not to offend Anningwei people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These brutes loved to start fights when hot-headed; even if you eventually got revenge, you’d still be beaten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being polite isn’t shameful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu grinned: “Tan my lord, if anyone causes trouble in Qinghe, just call me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tan my lord truly has a generous nature.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Li Rui discussed the two-nation trade with Xu Wen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li my lord, the opening date for mutual trade is set—fourteen days from now. Anningwei must assign skilled guards to prevent any incidents.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Naturally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Anningwei, the scale of business from two-nation trade wasn’t important—only that nothing happened, especially not atrocities like merchants from Wu Country being robbed or slaughtered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu and Wu had just opened trade for the first time; if safety couldn’t be guaranteed, mutual trade would become a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stable environment was the prerequisite for business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just look at the difference between Jiangnan and the northwest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll report this to Jiang my lord and Cao my lord—will one hundred cavalry suffice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One hundred cavalry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen hadn’t expected Li Rui to be so generous at the outset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first Wu merchant caravan was barely over a hundred people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“More than enough, more than enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen nodded repeatedly; he’d expected to argue endlessly with Li Rui, but the man had given him no room to bargain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui was finally satisfied: “Good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the advantage of personal connections showed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhongtian and he were brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All four camps were at his disposal—just a word from Jiang Linxian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What others struggled with, for him was effortless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this solid foundation, Xu Wen found Li Rui increasingly agreeable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Old men conduct themselves with sincerity!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he led Li Rui into the Weiheshimao reception hall, where they drank tea and chatted with Li Rui and Tan Hu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui was happy to learn more about Weiheshimao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you don’t do your work upfront, you’ll suffer later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They chatted on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, noise erupted outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They turned to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several men and women in beast-hide robes entered Weiheshimao; Xu Wen smiled: “These are the Wu emissaries—they’re very different from our Yu people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had long served in the Ministry of Revenue, a former subordinate of Yan Zhongxing; when Yan was posted out, he was brought along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having lived in Jingcheng for years, he’d never had the chance to deal with Wu people—this attire of the Wu emissaries was truly novel to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui watched the Wu emissary group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his third time seeing them: first at Zui Xian Lou, second on his way back to Anningwei yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wu people were vastly different from Yu people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, so close up,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he couldn’t help studying them a little longer—after all, he’d surely deal with them again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brief interlude passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui and Xu Wen chatted until dusk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after Tan Hu kept glancing at him did they finally take their leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This Xu guy talks too much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu’s head buzzed—he’d never heard so many words in one go in his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui didn’t mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huizi, this visit to Weiheshimao was still meaningful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Meaningful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu looked utterly confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All day, Li Rui had only chatted with the Weiheshimao official Xu—nothing useful said, in his view. Li Rui sighed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huizi, you still need training.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he added: “Forget it—this is technique, no need to learn. Just focus on your martial training.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu thought today’s conversation useless because the information density was too low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But most information gathering is like this—people won’t just lay their cards bare to your face, will they?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to him, it was entirely different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He learned this Xu official had previously served in the Ministry of Revenue, was originally from Yunzhou, and his martial arts came from the Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These details seemed ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they could be turned into leverage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, since he was from Yunzhou, Li Rui could send him local specialties through connections—then goodwill would form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why factions especially favored fellow provincials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+shu_ba\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the imperial examinations, you had to list your native place—exactly for this purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when the moment came, knowing his martial origin made it easier to kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen’s words were merely a trigger—the real work came afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu never liked delving into such matters; he muttered a few words and fell silent. He remembered the Wu people he’d seen today, eyes gleaming:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wonder how many punches my muscles can take?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tan my lord, how many guards will your country assign to protect the caravan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo stared at Xu Wen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suppressing his dissatisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, their sole purpose in coming to Weiheshimao was to confirm the caravan’s security.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first trade, profit was secondary—what mattered was no incidents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ke Yan Zhongxing had gone to the county office on business, so he could only seek out Qi Ze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Qi Ze passed the matter on to another Weiheshimao official, and one after another, they ran around all day until late at night before finally finding the “right person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, even Xu Wen was merely a liaison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already realized that the Weiheshimao held no military authority; any troop deployment relied entirely on Anning Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo was familiar with Yu Kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But only in terms of local customs and folkways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he understood how the Yu Kingdom’s imperial court operated, the regulations of local offices varied wildly—he could only feel his way forward like crossing a river by feeling for stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen, watching the Wu Kingdom’s envoy arrive late at night, explained patiently: “I’ve already negotiated with Commander Li of Anning Guard; we’re deploying a hundred men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the number one hundred, Dao Mo’s expression improved somewhat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander Xu, may I ask what realm Commander Li is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen chuckled: “Sixth-rank Longmen. He reportedly once defeated Commander Qi Ze.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew Qi Ze—just by his aura, he could tell Qi Ze was a formidable martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The official named Li Rui had defeated Qi Ze; his strength could not be underestimated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Commander Xu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Dao Mo bow respectfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This mutual market affair was of great importance; it could not afford any mishaps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why not directly summon the experts from Annan Town, or have Wu Kingdom send its own elite to escort the convoy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then why not simply send the experts from Annan Town, or have the Witch Country itself dispatch its own experts to escort them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mutual trade between the two nations is a long-term arrangement, and Qinghe is merely one of five ports—it’s impossible to deploy officials like Jiang Lin or Cao Wei for every single merchant caravan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would those two personally escort every Wu Kingdom caravan from now on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Wu Kingdom has opened trade with Yu Kingdom, Wu soldiers are still forbidden from entering Yu territory, and vice versa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Wu Kingdom’s strongest experts are outright barred from entering Yu Kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo, a fifth-rank, is already the upper limit permitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But one man cannot fully protect a hundred-man caravan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For no clear reason, Dao Mo felt a sudden unease and said gravely: “Commander Xu, may I meet this Commander Li?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen looked troubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Weiheshimao was an agency solely responsible for foreign trade; meeting the Wu Kingdom envoy was official business, and no one would object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Anning Guard was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a military force; by all rights, Wu Kingdom was their enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Anning Guard participates in the mutual trade, it still requires the Weiheshimao as intermediary—notice how neither of Anning Guard’s two main officers have ever shown themselves before the Wu Kingdom envoy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t that precisely to avoid suspicion?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the top officers behave this way, the subordinates certainly do too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one wants to invite trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander Dao, I must consult with Anning Guard before I can respond.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen did not agree, but neither did he refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo sighed lightly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Commander Xu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew well enough—when these Yu Kingdom officials didn’t agree, it was effectively a refusal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After taking his leave,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a Wu Kingdom giant asked: “Brother Dao, what do we do now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo’s eyes flashed with resolve:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then we find our own solution!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui rose early as usual; he had killed Qi Ze thirty-eight times last night and felt refreshingly invigorated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was now growing increasingly skilled at killing Qi Ze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could do it within eighteen moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wondered how Qi Ze would feel if he found out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After breakfast,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he went to find Tan Hu; today, he planned to inspect the Weiheshimao market to ensure no hidden dangers existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two exited Anning Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they entered a narrow alley,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>two figures leapt from the courtyard walls on either side, one in front and one behind, cutting off their escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu grinned at the burly man ahead:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perfect. Let’s see if you’re just dead muscle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1772,"2026-06-19T22:01:11.003Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","154bad5c3359ff722f2e6f5ea60abec1a8a0c72958e2953bcf1a5b5b37f69b57","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-221","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-219",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]