[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-25":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},2270033,4432,"Chapter 25: The Zhu Family Regrets","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-25",25,"\u003Cp>Zhu Family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, Old Li Head definitely went to the Heaven and Earth Alliance, and even became some kind of Hall Master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhu family steward said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Absolutely true—I heard it with my own ears from people of the Heaven and Earth Alliance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Ping, head of the Zhu family, narrowed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You old Li Head, you’ve kept this from me well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Li Rui bought his freedom, less than two months had passed—once a Zhu family stablehand, he had suddenly become a guest of honor in the Heaven and Earth Alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew the Heaven and Earth Alliance was no easy place to enter, let alone become a Hall Master—someone must be at least a ranked martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His son Zhu Yue had once told him Li Rui trained in martial arts, but he never imagined Li Rui could reach the ranked level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a world of difference between an ordinary martial artist and a ranked one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie, the Zhu family’s second master, snorted: “A Hall Master? What’s that worth?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Ping glared at his younger brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could already guess why Li Rui had insisted on leaving the Zhu family—this had everything to do with Zhu Lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You—you short-sighted fool.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Ping cursed Zhu Lie in frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Hall Master in the Heaven and Earth Alliance must be at least a ranked martial artist—if Li Rui had stayed, the Zhu family would have gained a household martial guardian for free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To maintain such martial artists, the Zhu family spent hundreds of taels of silver each year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And a martial artist trained by the family was far easier to control than one hired from outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After scolding Zhu Lie, he turned to the middle-aged steward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I recall Old Li Head had a disciple—what was his name—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Zhao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Wang Zhao—give him a thirty percent raise, grant him a day off, and send him to make contact with the Heaven and Earth Alliance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged steward was surprised—he didn’t understand why Zhu Ping valued Li Rui so highly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie was equally puzzled: “Brother, he’s just a ranked martial artist—when have we ever feared one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Ping glared at Zhu Lie: “You know nothing—the sky over Qinghe is about to change!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the Heaven One Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re Liu Tong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui had just entered the building after practicing his sword, and saw a young, unfamiliar Heaven and Earth Alliance disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tong looked at Li Rui: “Hall Master Li, yesterday my brother-in-law invited me for wine—I couldn’t refuse. Next time he sees me, I’ll make sure to invite you too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui smiled and waved his hand: “I’m old now—I won’t go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heaven One Hall had two connections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But their personalities were vastly different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Shulin was cautious, timid, afraid of making mistakes, while Liu Tong looked like a debauched playboy drained by wine and women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Digging deeper,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Shulin’s relationship with the deputy commander Zhou seemed ordinary—he probably begged for this position. Liu Tong was different: his sister was favored, and he knew how to curry favor, so he dared to be bold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No hierarchy—just different circumstances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Liu Tong’s connection, Li Rui naturally chose to let things be—as long as he caused no trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Heaven One Hall\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>was a place that sought only to avoid failure, not to achieve success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Liu Tong didn’t seem likely to stay long in the Heaven One Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By noon, Liu Tong had slipped away under the pretense of his commander brother-in-law’s name—the Heaven One Hall was left with only Li Rui, Zhou Shulin, and Liang He.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their duties were clearly divided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Shulin handled daytime affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang He handled night watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui finally lived the retired life of tea and books.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Heaven One Pavilion held few useful martial techniques, it stored many Daoist classics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The White Monkey’s Cloak Sword contained many Daoist allusions—Li Rui still didn’t fully understand some of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ancient books were expensive—any single volume cost at least one hundred cash; the pricier ones could cost several taels of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the saying “poor in literature, rich in martial arts” wasn’t quite accurate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martial training cost money, but reading was just as expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that books were free, Li Rui wouldn’t miss the chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi transforms into the Three Pure Ones; the body embodies the Dao. Its origin is the primordial Dao lineage; its flow follows Laozi’s method. The Dao has three levels: upper, middle, and lower. The upper is the Mud Ball, the middle is the Red Sincerity, and the lower is the Qi Sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui flipped through the book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he looked up again,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he realized, without noticing, dusk had fallen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marvelous!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui closed the Daoist scripture—suddenly, the parts of the sword technique he’d once struggled with became crystal clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also discovered with surprise:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he read, the White Monkey’s Cloak Sword breathing method accelerated significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know if books held beautiful women, but they definitely made him stronger!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Shulin brought him a meal in a food box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui realized Zhou Shulin was worth cultivating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad his position held almost no authority—he couldn’t help Zhou Shulin at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After eating,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui began practicing his sword again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After one round of the White Monkey’s Cloak Sword, he paused, frowned at his arm— the Xiao Yuan Dan’s potency had finally been exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tomorrow, I’ll visit the pharmacy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each Heaven and Earth Alliance branch typically had seven halls: the Civil and Martial Hall, the Loyalty and Righteousness Hall, the Introduction Hall, the Discipline Hall, the Pharmacy Hall, the Transmission Hall, and the Heaven One Hall. Beyond these seven, the Heaven and Earth Alliance also owned many businesses in Qinghe—such as taverns, brothels, gambling dens, and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These places were collectively called “venues.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each venue had a manager, holding status equal to a Hall Master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the former members of the Eight Secret Gates who joined the Heaven and Earth Alliance became venue managers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hall Masters were usually people brought by the commander or deputy commander from headquarters—only the Heaven One Hall had so little profit that Li Rui got the position by default.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joining the Heaven and Earth Alliance brought not only a substantial salary but another advantage: abundant resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, disciples could buy pills at the Alliance’s own pharmacy for at least twenty percent cheaper than at the Pill King Shop; Hall Masters like Li Rui got a thirty percent discount.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over time, this saved a great deal of money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui now had a full one hundred and thirty taels of silver—enough for a while. The Alliance paid monthly; with frugality, it would last several months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui appeared at the Heaven One Hall, gave a few instructions to Zhou Shulin and Liang He,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then headed straight for the Pharmacy Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, Heaven and Earth Alliance disciples who saw the token engraved with “28” on his waist whispered among themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That old man’s the new Hall Master of Heaven One Hall—they say from the Civil and Martial Hall he’s already seventy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Seventy? Older than my grandfather.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder even after reaching the ranked level, he’s stuck as Hall Master of Heaven One Hall—worse than even the deputy hall master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shh, speak quieter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disciples tried to lower their voices, but Li Rui’s breathing practice had sharpened his hearing far beyond normal—he heard every word clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The only downside of being old.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui smiled and shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They say at sixty one becomes receptive to criticism—he was already seventy, long past caring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s the point of “don’t look down on the poor youth”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just walk your own path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1293,"2026-06-19T22:01:09.077Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","99e6078c19e41fe455234c84e942198e9d0ae9d5d076659c554afc3ee6151d9b","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-26","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-24",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]