Chapter 247: If the enemy does not come, I shall go myself

Inside the Wu Kingdom camp.

Torches illuminated the mountain forest in a deep red.

Dao Mo and Li Rui had both gone out and had yet to return, so apart from the soldiers on night watch, the others had crawled into their tents and fallen asleep early.

At this moment.

The curtain of a tent was lifted.

A capable-looking young man walked out, shivering.

The soldier on watch saw the young man and laughed, scolding, "You brat, going to drain the lizard again?"

"I couldn't hold it in."

"Get lost, get lost, get lost."

The soldier on watch waved his hand in disgust.

The young man trotted into the mountain forest, looking back from time to time.

He ran for a long time.

Only when the Wu Kingdom army's camp was completely out of sight did he slow his pace, lowering his head to search the ground, before letting out a soft "Huh?" and saying, "That's not right, it was clearly here yesterday."

Just as he was fumbling around searching.

A voice suddenly came: "Is this what you are looking for?"

"Who is it?!"

The young Wu Kingdom man jerked his head up.

He saw an old man holding a piece of tree bark, looking at him with a half-smile.

"Li—Lord Li??"

Upon seeing the old man's face, the young Wu Kingdom man broke out in a cold sweat, retreating repeatedly, his eyes darting around as if looking for something.

He forced a smile: "Lord Li, why have you returned?"

Li Rui: "What, is my return ill-timed?"

"No, that is not what I meant."

Just as the young man prepared to speak, an angry roar erupted from behind him: "You traitorous wretch!"

Dao Mo kicked the young man to the ground, who rolled several times before finally stopping against a tree.

Instantly.

Several torches flared up, lighting the entire forest in a bright glow.

The young man's eyes widened, staring in disbelief at the suddenly appearing Dao Mo.

Looking at his current situation.

It was clearly a trap set long ago!

"Damn, it's a trap."

Deep in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

In a mountain hollow, in a patch of forest no different from any other part of the Ten Thousand Mountains, a dozen people sat quietly.

"You, go check if there is any news left behind."

Qi Rui said to one of the Qi clansmen.

"Yes!"

Then, three or four young men stood up and dove into the forest.

This was almost a nightly routine.

They were going to retrieve the messages left by the mole planted in Dao Mo's camp.

It was precisely by relying on this intelligence that they were able to move with ease, leading Dao Mo's hundred-plus men in circles.

The Qi clan already had significant influence in the military; although the new Emperor and the Great Wu had purged them once, there were still many spies difficult to root out.

Soon, the camp returned to silence.

Qi Rui poked at the campfire with a blank expression, sparks flying up from time to time, lost in thought.

"Why do I feel so uneasy?"

His brows furrowed slightly, and he comforted himself.

'This is the Ten Thousand Mountains, and we have a mole; they couldn't possibly have discovered this place.'

Qi Rui soon began to ponder another matter.

"Jiang Linxian... Li Rui..."

Yesterday.

He had already received news that the Qi clan would send experts to deal with Jiang Linxian.

It was even an imperial decree issued personally by the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was naturally the former Emperor's Qi clan Imperial Consort; the Qi clan had supported her son as Emperor, so she naturally became the Empress Dowager, and it was she who finally gave the Qi clan hope of restoring the nation.

Therefore, that former Imperial Consort, now the Empress Dowager, held an extremely high status within the Qi clan, and her words carried great weight.

'What exactly is the Ghost Gui Ming Jiao trying to do?'

Yuan Gao did not say, but to be able to alarm the Empress Dowager, the matter was certainly not simple.

"Forget it."

"Thinking is useless."

Qi Rui's mind began to stir.

He definitely couldn't beat Jiang Linxian, but while he couldn't beat Jiang Linxian, there was still some opportunity with Li Rui, especially since Li Rui was currently within the Wu Kingdom's borders.

It was an excellent opportunity to strike.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if making a decision.

"Do it!"

Qi Rui gritted his teeth and said to a confidant beside him: "Tomorrow, go to Man Gu City and bring more people back."

"Bring people?"

The middle-aged man beside him was stunned.

Weren't they here for a sneak attack?

The more people, the greater the risk of exposure.

Qi Rui: "Just do as I say."

Since Jiang Linxian and Li Rui were both people the Empress Dowager wanted, why not strike early? This way, they could also earn a not-insignificant merit.

As long as they held Dao Mo back.

Taking down a Sixth-Rank would be as easy as turning over one's hand.

When the time came, presenting that official surnamed Li would surely earn the Empress Dowager's appreciation.

Just as Qi Rui was pondering.

Suddenly, several muffled groans rang out in the forest.

"What's the situation?"

Qi Rui became alert instantly, standing up with a start.

Almost at the same time, this band of horse thieves formed a circle, wrapping Qi Rui in the center; their discipline was simply not something bandits could possess.

The next instant.

Bang!

Several people were kicked into the ranks like sandbags.

Looking closely.

It was precisely those young Qi family members Qi Rui had arranged to send the message earlier.

"This is..."

Qi Rui looked down at his subordinates, his pupils slightly dilated, and he looked up.

He saw Dao Mo walking out with a murderous look on his face.

Not only that.

Torches were raised one after another all around, illuminating the mountain forest in a deep red almost instantly.

They were surrounded!

"Dao Mo."

Qi Rui spat out the words one by one.

Dao Mo narrowed his eyes, looking at Qi Rui: "I wondered which band of horse thieves it was; so it's the Qi family rebels."

Qi Rui sneered: "Rebels? I think you are the ones."

Dao Mo had no interest in arguing with Qi Rui.

He raised a hand.

"Attack!"

As the words fell, the sound of battle cries shook the sky.

The sound of weapons clashing and roars were endless.

Dao Mo gripped the blade in his hand and curled his lips: "Come on, Qi Rui, let me see if you've made any progress over these years; don't die of old age before I beat you to death."

Qi Rui snorted: "Youngster, don't be too arrogant!"

Instantly, both turned into phantoms and collided.

The flash of blades and swords erupted, and they fought inseparably.

Half an hour later.

Under the illumination of the torches, the mountain forest was littered with corpses.

Dao Mo was directing his men to clean up the battlefield.

"Brother Dao, did you kill the rebel leader?"

At this moment.

Li Rui walked over with Tan Hu and a few other Tiger-Galloping Cavalrymen, looking very relaxed.

The matter was happening in the Wu Kingdom.

He was here to help investigate the case; naturally, he couldn't take his brothers to risk their lives in a foreign land.

That made no sense.

So they had been waiting on the periphery, only appearing when the sound of weapons could no longer be heard. Dao Mo saw it was Li Rui and the others and smiled: "That old mudfish Qi Rui does have some skill; he managed to escape."

He then added: "Except for him, all the others were killed."

His eyes shone with excitement.

Not only because he had just experienced a fierce battle, but also because he had performed a great service.

The new Wu Kingdom Emperor had long viewed these Qi clan people as poisonous insects; now that many Qi clansmen had been killed, the new Emperor would surely be satisfied.

Li Rui cupped his hands: "Then congratulations, Brother Dao."

"It's all thanks to Brother Li's great skill in finding the old thief's lair; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to catch them off guard."

Dao Mo waved his hands repeatedly.

Every word was sincere.

Although he didn't know what methods Li Rui had used, he had just walked mountain roads for a few days and then inexplicably found the mole the Qi clan had planted in his army, and even found Qi Rui's camp in one fell swoop.

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That was why they could win so easily.

Li Rui: "Just a small trick, it still relied on Brother Dao's Wu Gong."

Dao Mo laughed loudly: "Let's not flatter each other, brother. Come, we aren't far from Wu Bei City; shall we go have a drink, brother?"

Li Rui: "I would be honored."

If it were anywhere else, he would probably have to consider it.

After all, he was still a Trade Captain of the Yu Kingdom, and appearing in a Wu Kingdom city was somewhat inappropriate.

But Wu Bei City was an exception.

Wu Bei City, like Qinghe, was a port of the Yu Kingdom.

Just as the two were talking.

A Wu Kingdom soldier walked up holding something: "Lord Dao, we found a token; what is written on this?"

The gazes of Dao Mo and Li Rui fell on the object in the Wu Kingdom soldier's hand.

It was a token cast from red copper, with a vigorous and powerful character engraved on it.

"This is..."

Dao Mo took the token and examined it for a long time without a clue.

What was it?

He considered himself quite knowledgeable in the Wu Kingdom, but he couldn't recognize the character on this token.

Li Rui, standing to the side, looked at the token, his eyes narrowing slightly.

'It's Yu!'

Indeed, that token was clearly a trade entry and exit token issued by the Yu Kingdom government.

As a Trade Captain, he had come into contact with many, so he recognized it at a glance.

"It is a Yu Kingdom city exit token."

Hearing Li Rui's words, Dao Mo was somewhat surprised: "These Qi family members do have some skill to be able to get this. Brother Li, you must be very careful; I fear there are their spies in Qinghe as well."

Spies?

More than just spies!

The Southern Border Qi clan and the Ghost Gui Ming Jiao were in cahoots, and Zhuang Renhe, the head of a county, was a rebel.

Li Rui thought of a lot in an instant.

He even thought of the mysterious merchant caravan that appeared outside Qinghe City on the day the mutual market opened.

If he wasn't mistaken, it should be this group of people.

Qi Rui was a Fifth-Rank expert!

If they had recklessly charged down the mountain at that time, the casualties would probably have been extremely heavy.

And the reason Qi Rui and his group could appear outside the city so brazenly was because they had the token given by Zhuang Renhe.

He understood many things in an instant.

"Brother Dao, can you give me this token?"

Dao Mo laughed: "If Brother Li wants it, just take it; it's useless for me to keep it anyway."

Saying this, he handed the token to Li Rui.

A moment later.

The battlefield was cleaned up, and the corpses of these Qi clansmen were all carried down the mountain as battle merits.

At the break of dawn.

Dao Mo and Li Rui finally appeared beneath a majestic city.

Green moss covered the mottled walls, the weight of history rushed toward them, and a group of people rode their horses into Wu Bei City.

Li Rui looked at the city wall close at hand.

He felt emotional.

Wu Bei City had existed for ten thousand years, with a history longer than any city in Yunzhou.

If not for the sudden death of the old Wu Emperor, the Wu Kingdom's strength would still be quite terrifying.

Wu Bei City's style was vastly different from the cities of Yunzhou; clusters of golden roofs almost blinded Li Rui, large banana leaves dotted every corner of the city, and the streets were wide, possessing a unique charm.

The Wu Kingdom commoners on the road mostly wore hemp and cloth garments, no different from those in the Yu Kingdom.

The idea that Wu Kingdom people wore animal skins and drank blood was just a stereotype.

Those in the Wu Kingdom who could wear animal skins were actually nobles.

You thought you could just pull on any piece of hide?

No!

At the very least, it had to be tiger skin or sable skin, and it had to be tailored and sewn with fine craftsmanship.

Ordinary commoners simply couldn't afford to wear them.

"This Wu Bei City still has many interesting places, especially our Wu tribe women..."

Dao Mo chuckled.

Li Rui coughed lightly: "Next time, definitely."

The people Dao Mo brought went to the City Lord's Mansion first, while Dao Mo took Li Rui and the Tiger-Galloping Cavalrymen to a courtyard with golden roofs and wide spaces.

"Bring wine!"

What was brought was not just wine.

Before long, a group of Wu tribe women, wearing only a few pieces of silver-adorned cloth with large areas of healthy wheat-colored skin exposed, ran over happily like warblers and swallows.

Tan Hu and the others' eyes went straight.

The Wu tribe's dance was passionate and unrestrained, more vivid than the dancers of the Yu Kingdom.

"Very beautiful."

Li Rui said with a critical eye.

He and Dao Mo drank and chatted.

The wine today was very strange; as they drank, the dozen or so people in the courtyard were now reduced to just the two of them, and even the dancers on the stage were all gone.

Dao Mo laughed: "Brother, I've left the best one for you."

Li Rui chuckled: "Brother Dao isn't keeping one for himself?"

Dao Mo was a bit embarrassed: "My wife is strict; forget it, harmony in the family brings prosperity."

Li Rui: "I don't need one either."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Drink, drink."

Dao Mo: "The City Lord of Wu Bei City is my good brother; Brother Li, if you see anything you like here, just take it, no need to pay."

Li Rui leaned back slightly.

That was a bold statement!

He had studied the structure of the Wu Kingdom.

Unlike the Yu Kingdom, the Wu Kingdom was not divided into prefectures and counties, but managed by the City Lords of each city, with taxes and the like collected by the City Lords and then partially handed over to the imperial court.

Therefore, the power of each City Lord was much greater than that of a County Magistrate.

Each had its pros and cons, and it couldn't be judged from a single angle.

Li Rui: "Brother, that's a bold statement, then I will be honored to accept."

Dao Mo smiled proudly.

If it were someone else, he really wouldn't dare say that; if they really took something incredible, he would have to return it later, making both sides embarrassed.

But Li Rui knew his limits, so he was very reassured.

The next day.

Li Rui sat up from the twenty-zhang square room.

"Smaller is better."

He muttered.

Small rooms gathered Qi, making for a more solid sleep; now, having a small square to sleep in was really uncomfortable.

Walking out of the large room.

Several Wu tribe girls came up to serve him in dressing and washing.

The life of the upper class.

After Li Rui finished washing, he didn't need the girls to continue serving him and strolled out of the huge manor.

Wu Bei City had previously been an important city of the Wu Kingdom, with shops lining the streets, even more prosperous than Qinghe after it built its new city.

Li Rui walked on the street without looking out of place.

Both countries used gold and silver.

Seeing something he liked, Li Rui bought it casually.

Dao Mo had said he didn't need to spend money to buy things, but for just a few pieces of silver, it would be too beneath his dignity as a dignified Sixth-Rank official to take such small advantages.

Just as he passed a small stall.

He stopped his steps.

"Dragon Saliva Incense?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 248 =====