[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-221":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},2270229,4432,"Chapter 221: Foes Lurk in the Shadows","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-221",221,"\u003Cp>\"Wu people?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui stared at the Wu man before him, his skin a weathered bronze, his muscles coiled like dragon tendons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to look at the Wu girl behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face showed little alarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Tan Hu wore an expression of eager excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a coincidence—just what I wanted!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d long wanted to fight a Wu man, and today one had come right to his door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, let’s fight!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu’s eyes blazed with battle lust, like a tiger ready to pounce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was about to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Rui cut him off: “Huizi, forget it. You can’t beat him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu deflated, unwillingly asking: “Big Brother Li, we haven’t even fought—how do you know I can’t beat him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fifth rank. Are you sure you can beat him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu’s eyes widened as he stared at the Wu man: “Fifth rank?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There weren’t many fifth-rank cultivators in all of Qinghe County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Wu man was a martial expert on par with Cao Wei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo, hearing Li Rui’s words, showed interest: “How did you know my realm, Lord Li?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, Lord Xu told me. Lord Dao, we really shouldn’t have met.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Dao Mo appeared, Li Rui recognized him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing his identity, he felt no unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo was the leader of the Wu envoy. He was the one least likely to cause trouble—today, even if Li Rui wanted to kill himself, Dao Mo would be the first to stop him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Dao Mo’s realm, he’d learned it during casual chatter yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Yu officer meeting a Wu “barbarian” looked suspicious enough—had Wu ever raided the border, this alone would be enough to accuse him of treason in the northwest garrisons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo fell silent. He’d initially thought Li Rui had some ability to read qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Li Rui to name his identity so directly still surprised him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This Yu official has a remarkably careful mind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d barely arrived, barely spoken—and yet his identity and intent were already exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo bowed apologetically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Li, this matter has its reasons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui raised his hand: “Enough. Since we’ve met, listen—this isn’t the place to talk. Come with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he led Tan Hu back down the alley they’d come from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl, Xia Xiaotang, stepped aside obediently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui led the two Wu people through the alley’s twists and turns for a full quarter-hour, finally entering an abandoned mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo glanced around the mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt a flicker of surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Yu official seemed deeply familiar with the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unaware that Li Rui had lived in this city for over fifty years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no interest in dwelling on such trivialities. He cut straight to the point: “Lord Li, I believe the escort for the Wu merchant caravan is insufficient.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please add one hundred men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Hu couldn’t sit still any longer, eyes wide:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You want two hundred men? Is this a prince’s procession? Such a show?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui frowned slightly but didn’t refuse outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Dao, you must give me a reason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wu merchant caravan only required Yu military escort after crossing the Wu border—one hundred men was already excessive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doubling it to two hundred wasn’t just about grandeur—it might invite criticism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew his request was unreasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few moments’ thought, he explained: “Lord Li, you may not know—though Wu has just quelled its civil unrest, it still faces powerful enemies watching. This trade fair has drawn many who wish to sabotage it, including several rebel factions who may strike en route.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo’s words were sufficiently veiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In plain terms: several younger brothers of the new Wu emperor intend to cause trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems Wu’s situation is even more chaotic than I thought.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rumors he’d heard all claimed the new Wu emperor had secured his throne, stabilized the realm, and opened trade to allow for recovery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo’s lips curled in bitterness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will accompany the escort myself. I can handle the martial threats—but the merchants must not suffer losses. If they die, it will spark outcry. So I beg you, Lord Li, to increase the escort.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone was sincere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Rui shook his head: “Lord Dao, you overestimate me. This matter requires reporting to Lord Cao before any decision.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo’s eyes dimmed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui spoke the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many men did the Anning Guard have?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sending out two hundred at once—outsiders might think war had been declared. Not to mention the repercussions—Li Rui, a sixth-rank official, had no authority to decide this alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo bowed deeply: “Then I leave it in your hands, Lord Li.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a foreign land, one must be more courteous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One must bow lower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui: “Lord Dao, since the matter is settled, we’ll take our leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he didn’t wait for Dao Mo to reply, and led Tan Hu straight back to the Anning Guard, skipping even their planned visit to the Weiheshimao Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu officials—all of them idle, useless men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a tavern in Qinghe City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Waiter, add another pair of chopsticks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ze had just sat down when the burly man across from him, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ze raised his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waiter glanced, snorted, and left them alone. Qi Ze sat, ignoring the food, and fixed his cold gaze on the middle-aged man: “Speak. What do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The burly man grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cousin, are you this unfriendly to your own kin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ze’s eyes narrowed. He sneered: “Don’t push your luck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The burly man grinned, unfazed: “My grandfather sends greetings to the Marquis of Wei. We are one clan. The Zhu family are the vermin of this world—it’s time we took back what’s ours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ze’s face darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t come here to listen to talk of restoring the old dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for \"cousin\"—the two families had been separated for a thousand years; lineage and generational ranks were long lost. If anything, he was the burly man’s ancestor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These lunatics.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+book_bar\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The burly man was a genuine remnant of the fallen dynasty—though unlike the Marquis of Wei’s line or the Ghost Cult, his branch had fled to Wu at the time of the empire’s collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two sides had little contact, yet never fully severed ties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, it was precisely because of the Ghost Cult and the Qi clan of the southern frontier that the Marquis of Wei’s house had maintained its current status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wei’s house served as the intermediary between these factions and Yu—sometimes suppressing them, sometimes aiding them covertly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The relationship resembled a general keeping an enemy alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was wrong. We shouldn’t have met today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ze rose abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no intention of staying any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the big man chuckled: “Cousin, don’t you want to hear what’s going to happen in ten days?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ze slightly narrowed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slowly sat back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wei, his grandfather, knew that Qi Yu’s branch had supported a prince in Wu Country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their desire to restore their nation had never faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They conceived a mad idea: to bring Xuan Country back into the world on Wu Country’s soil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this, several years ago, this branch approached the Marquis of Wei, hoping he would lend aid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though refused by the Marquis of Wei, their ties had grown increasingly close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wei guessed that during this trade exchange between the two nations, the Qi family would make a move—hence his insistence on placing Qi Ze in the Anning Guard, for only with military authority could he act effectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, after Qi Ze was defeated by Li Rui, he had no choice but to settle for a post in the Trade Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ze snorted: “Speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Yu still wore a grinning expression: “The Patriarch is very interested in that shipment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ze’s eyes narrowed to slits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So they’re going to act.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Qi Yu couldn’t say it outright in the tavern—but he’d made his meaning clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The meaning was unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They planned to ambush the caravan in ten days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ze’s face remained cold: “What does this have to do with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Yu’s grin widened further; he ignored Qi Ze’s question entirely and continued on his own: “I need the defense layout.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ze was about to speak again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he saw Qi Yu slam his chopsticks down, stand up, and turn to leave, leaving only a light, drifting remark:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know where to find me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Ze watched Qi Yu’s retreating back, his eyes flickering, then clouded with confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Restore the nation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an official of the Trade Office, obtaining the defense layout wouldn’t be hard—but once he gave it, he’d truly crossed the point of no return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has the Anning Guard not arrived yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo stared at the empty courtyard of the Trade Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the Wu Country envoy and the Trade Office officials, there were no other figures—no more than twenty people in total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen nodded, glancing at the sun:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We agreed to depart at noon; it’s not yet time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo felt a growing tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In three days, it would be the agreed date for the Wu Country caravan to enter Yu Country; they were to escort the Yu Country caravan into Wu Country, and simultaneously escort the Wu Country caravan to Qinghe City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure absolute safety, the Anning Guard had been assigned to escort them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this, they wouldn’t receive such treatment again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the time was nearly here, and still no sign of the Anning Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse, Dao Mo feared they might not even send two hundred men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled the scene of his conversation with Li Rui that day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo let out a quiet sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Yu Country officials are the least trustworthy—they’d never trouble their superiors over an uncertain threat.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could tell from the attitudes of the Trade Office officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wen had agreed on the surface, but deep down, he surely thought Dao Mo was blowing things out of proportion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sun slowly climbed to the zenith, its heat intensifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo’s impatience grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He heard Xia Xiaotang beside him say: “Dao Mo, don’t worry so much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dao Mo turned his head and saw Xia Xiaotang, calm and relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you really trust that Yu Country officer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He noticed that since Xia Xiaotang had met that Li-ranked Yu Country official, he’d grown noticeably more at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was about to press further—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He heard footsteps outside the gate, steady and numerous, unmistakably many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of relief crossed his eyes:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’ve arrived!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1828,"2026-06-19T22:01:11.003Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","11e5d755ed51cb9ebc0f7c2e321d732bd240fcf396c61280b61bae452a91f461","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-222","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-220",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]