Chapter 266: Coming for Murder

"Soul-swapping??"

Li Rui and Jiang Linxian were both startled.

What kind of method was this?!

The old Daoist Xu Xuan chuckled: "The art of soul-swapping is not as profound as you imagine. We are not Great Luo Immortals; how could one directly replace a soul? It is merely an evil art capable of confusing people's hearts."

"That Nine-Soul Dharma King is proficient in this path."

Jiang Linxian nodded slowly: "I have heard that the Nine-Soul Dharma King of the Ghost Ming Sect can consume living souls. It seems he relies on this method."

Li Rui's heart stirred.

This sounded similar to deep hypnosis from his past life. Some brilliant hypnotists could even use hypnosis to awaken the wisdom of fools; it was incredibly profound.

Xu Xuan nodded.

"It just so happens that in my early years, I wandered the jianghu and learned a few tricks of this trade from an old man, which is why I was able to identify it."

Li Rui asked: "Senior, what did you mean by the 'good fortune' you mentioned earlier?"

Upon hearing the words "good fortune," the corners of Xu Xuan's mouth curled into a smile:

"After the extreme comes the turn. My grand-disciple Qu Chengfeng has a unique constitution. He was likely targeted by the Nine-Soul Dharma King, who wanted to refine him into a human puppet. As a result, not only did he escape, but his consciousness remained clear. The Soul-Refining Elixir the Nine-Soul Dharma King used actually opened his mind, granting him intelligence far beyond that of ordinary people."

Li Rui suddenly understood.

No wonder Qu Chengfeng, a playboy, seemed like a different person after his ordeal; it turned out he had obtained a great opportunity.

Jiang Linxian: "Since it is a good thing, then Senior..."

The old Daoist Xu Xuan's expression turned cold, killing intent surging in his eyes:

"Regardless of the outcome, since he dared to lay a hand on a disciple of my Asking Immortal Tower, he must pay the price. Now that the kid Gu has become the Supervisor, it is inconvenient for him to act, so it is only right that I, his Master's Master, settle the score."

"I heard the Nine-Soul Dharma King went to the Barbarian Bone City of the Wu Kingdom, so I came."

"How do you intend to settle the score?"

"Naturally, jianghu matters are settled by jianghu means. I have come for murder."

Upon hearing this.

Li Rui was horrified.

Killing an Earth Immortal!

Just thinking about it was enough to make one's heart tremble.

However, Li Rui did not think the old Daoist Xu Xuan would succeed in this trip.

Xu Xuan was now suffering from the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, and his cultivation had fallen to the Primordial Realm, while the Nine-Soul Dharma King was at his peak. Going there would likely mean ending his life prematurely.

Jiang Linxian could not help but advise: "Senior, it would be better to deliberate on this. Do not throw your life away in vain."

Xu Xuan waved his hand dismissively: "I am not some hot-headed youth. Although I only have twenty years left to live, I won't just throw my life away."

Seeing this, Jiang Linxian could only give up.

Xu Xuan smiled:

"Alright, I will stay in Qinghe for a while and will not provoke that Nine-Soul Dharma King for the time being."

"I am not so long-lived that I would seek my own death."

Xu Xuan moved into the Military Advisor's Prefecture.

Regarding this.

Jiang Linxian was happy to see it happen. A lean camel is still bigger than a horse; now that the Anning Guard was at its weakest, even if Xu Xuan did not act, his presence was a deterrent to certain petty villains.

Every day, besides practicing his Wu Gong and performing his duties, Li Rui added one more thing: practicing with the Little Bai Jiao.

Ever since the Little Bai Jiao gifted him the blood of the Ying Dragon, the man and the beast had truly established a mysterious connection, similar to that of a symbiotic bond.

After the Little Bai Jiao's first molting, its internal dragon essence surged.

Feeding it back to Li Rui was of great benefit to his cultivation of the Dragon-Elephant True Qi Force.

The Dragon Force had just been mastered, and he had already made further progress.

The Little Bai Jiao's strength also recovered rapidly. In just a few days, it already possessed the strength of a Ninth-Rank demonic beast, which could be considered having the power to protect itself, so it no longer needed to stay in the secret chamber all day.

The bright moon hung high.

Above the dreamscape Cloud Platform.

Li Rui held his Hidden Edge sword, standing quietly, his aura reaching its peak.

With a slight movement of his thoughts.

A figure appeared before him.

Zhuang Renhe walked slowly toward him, holding that eerie black saber in his hand.

Li Rui tapped his foot, the distance between them closing rapidly. Almost in an instant, Hidden Edge collided with the black saber in mid-air.

Boom!

Just from the first exchange.

Zhuang Renhe was completely suppressed by Li Rui, retreating repeatedly.

The situation was the reverse of that night.

The terrifying power of the Dragon Force left Zhuang Renhe with no chance to fight back. Zhuang Renhe retreated again and again, soon forced to the edge of the Cloud Platform, with nowhere left to go.

As Li Rui's Hidden Edge fell, Zhuang Renhe was blasted into a puff of white smoke and dissipated.

"Forty-seven."

Li Rui's eyes brightened.

It took only forty-seven moves for him to slay Zhuang Renhe.

'The Dragon Force is mastered; the boost to combat power is indeed great.'

Although Zhuang Renhe was not a skilled fighter, his realm was not low. Being able to slay a Fifth-Rank minor grandmaster so easily already surpassed most Fifth-Rank martial artists.

This level of combat power was already impressive even in Yunzhou.

After killing Zhuang Renhe.

Li Rui began to close his eyes and review the battle; he felt there was still room for improvement.

For instance... killing Zhuang Renhe in ten moves?

The night passed.

"Hmm."

Li Rui opened his eyes and saw the familiar rafters.

He got up, washed his face, and walked out the door.

While practicing in the courtyard, he saw Liang He running in in a rush.

"Master, something has happened. Our goods have been seized."

Li Rui's eyes narrowed slightly: "What exactly happened?"

Liang He's breathing was ragged, clearly having run in a hurry: "Today, the Second Alliance Leader took the caravan out of the city, but was disarmed by County Magistrate Zhong and his men, and then all the goods were seized."

Zhong Zheng?

Li Rui stroked his chin.

Ever since Zhuang Renhe died, Zhong Zheng, the County Magistrate, had become the supreme authority in the Qinghe government office. Previously, because they had a common enemy in Zhuang Renhe, the two sides had some interaction.

Logically, he shouldn't have been so ruthless.

There must be a reason.

Liang He continued: "County Magistrate Zhong specifically named you, Master, to go to the government office to see him."

Li Rui pondered for a moment:

"Alright, I understand."

He then intended to go out to the government office, but heard Liang He call out softly behind him: "Master, be careful of a trap!"

He was afraid it was a Hongmen Banquet, intended to harm his master.

Li Rui said indifferently: "No matter."

There was definitely a trap, but it wouldn't be fatal.

After all, Zhong Zheng chose the government office, and he was also an official of the imperial court. If Zhong Zheng really wanted to harm him, he would have chosen a different location. Killing him in the government office—did he really think he had no political enemies?

Since he wouldn't die, there was nothing to fear.

The Tiandi Alliance's business was growing larger and larger, with more and more disciples, and it had become a local powerhouse in Qinghe.

In the past, when Zhuang Renhe was the Prefect, Zhong Zheng naturally wouldn't have acted against the Tiandi Alliance.

He might even have opened doors of convenience.

But now that Zhuang Renhe was dead and he had become the main official, his attitude would naturally change.

Before long.

Li Rui arrived at the government office, specifically bringing Tan Hu and two soldiers of the Galloping Tiger Cavalry.

"You all just stand outside."

He gave a light order and stepped into the main hall.

It was truly lively.

Besides County Magistrate Zhong Zheng, there were three others.

Li Rui was familiar with all three: Shi Zhou of the Divine Weapon Shanzhuang, Elder Zhou Ting of the Hundred Battles Gate, and Elder Bai Jing of the Dao Xuan Sect.

Li Rui's eyebrows lifted slightly. 'What a grand display.'

Three elders in charge of the Eight Great Sects in the city had come all at once.

Not many people in Qinghe could receive such treatment.

"Magistrate Zhong, the three elders are here too."

Li Rui laughed loudly and cupped his fists.

Zhong Zheng looked at Li Rui with a smile, but sneered in his heart.

Both were old foxes in officialdom; how could he not see Li Rui's little maneuver just now?

First, he brought soldiers of the Anning Guard, telling him, the County Magistrate, that he was an officer of the Anning Guard, and moving against him meant moving against the Anning Guard.

Then, calling him "Magistrate Zhong."

This was a reminder to Zhong Zheng not to forget his identity as an official of the imperial court, to sit straight, and that the jianghu was ultimately the jianghu, not to get too deeply involved.

If not for Shi Zhou and the other two.

Please... you... collect_(!)

Li Rui would have changed his address to "Brother Zhong."

Now he was Sixth-Rank, and Zhong Zheng was also Sixth-Rank; calling him "Brother Zhong" would have been fine.

Zhong Zheng pretended to be ignorant and asked in surprise: "Magistrate Li, why have you come? Is something the matter?"

Li Rui looked at Zhong Zheng with a half-smile.

According to Liang He, today it was Zhong Zheng himself who led the men to seize the Tiandi Alliance's goods; how could he not know?

But since Zhong Zheng decided to act, Li Rui would play along.

He acted as if he had no urgent business, found a seat himself, and sat down, leisurely and content.

Seeing Li Rui's demeanor.

The four people in the hall all had the same thought.

Let's see how long you can keep up the act.

Li Rui sat down and then spoke slowly: "Magistrate Zhong, I heard that your son recently entered the Eighth-Rank, which is a critical time for building a foundation. I happen to have some friends in the Wu Kingdom, and he has a batch of goods in his hands, among which is a Red-Scaled Fish, which is of great benefit to the Eighth-Rank."

Upon hearing this.

Zhong Zheng's expression changed.

His son had excellent martial bones, and his own official career was likely at its end, so he pinned all his hopes on this child.

He had always been secretly searching for treasures for foundation establishment.

He naturally knew of this Red-Scaled Fish.

It was just that this item was only found in the Wu Kingdom and was extremely rare; even he had no leads.

'They say this Old Man Li has quite the connections in the Wu Kingdom; it is indeed true.'

Zhong Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly.

Seeing the change in Zhong Zheng's expression, Li Rui chuckled: "Magistrate Zhong, the people in the government office are becoming less and less courteous; they haven't even served tea after such a long time."

There was a brief silence in the hall.

Then Zhong Zheng's loud laughter rang out: "Someone, serve tea!"

Hearing the words "serve tea," Li Rui leaned back comfortably.

Breaking a deadlock depends on knowing the enemy's weaknesses.

As the Alliance Leader of the Tiandi Alliance, he was certainly not as strong as the Eight Great Sects, but when it came to inside information, he was the best in Qinghe.

Talking to a middle-aged married man about his children would never go wrong.

Seeing that Zhong Zheng clearly showed signs of wavering.

Shi Zhou frowned slightly and coughed lightly, reminding him: "Magistrate Zhong."

Hearing Shi Zhou's voice, Zhong Zheng chuckled, but his tone was no longer as forceful as before.

"Magistrate Li, I invited you here today for a great piece of good news."

He naturally knew that Li Rui was the Alliance Leader of the Tiandi Alliance.

The reason he made trouble today was because Shi Zhou and the others had given him benefits.

Otherwise, why would he be so bored as to offend a Sixth-Rank Captain of the Anning Guard?

Li Rui took a sip of tea and raised an eyebrow:

"Good news?"

Zhong Zheng: "I heard that Magistrate Li's Tiandi Alliance does big business. Since there is money to be made, why not make it together? The three elders have great strength and can better ensure the safety of the trade, right?"

The corners of Li Rui's mouth lifted slightly.

When he entered the door and saw Shi Zhou, he had already vaguely guessed it.

Sure enough.

It was about the Tiandi Alliance's business.

He had long expected that the Divine Weapon Shanzhuang would not give up easily; it turned out they had been plotting in secret, and the Hundred Battles Gate and Dao Xuan Sect were definitely pulled in by Shi Zhou.

It made sense.

The Tiandi Alliance's business was growing larger and larger, to the point where even the Great Sects were envious. Previously, the Eight Great Sects had been observing in secret, waiting for the right time, and now it was finally time to carve it up.

Jiang Linxian's name was big, but it couldn't suppress the elders of the three sects.

At this moment.

Elder Zhou Ting of the Hundred Battles Gate spoke in a rough voice: "Magistrate Li, we sects have contributed quite a bit to this trade between the two countries. Since it is trade with the Wu Kingdom, we should naturally have a share."

Shi Zhou saw Zhou Ting take the lead in making trouble.

He chuckled in his heart.

He specifically called this brute Zhou Ting to open the situation.

The Tiandi Alliance's weapon business already had Tie Kuang stepping in; out of respect, he naturally didn't dare to interfere. But besides the weapon business, the Tiandi Alliance's demonic beast business was also booming, making the elders of the great sects envious.

How could they endure this?

Hence the scene today.

What level was the Tiandi Alliance, to deserve to eat alone?

Bai Jing of the Dao Xuan Sect also spoke up: "Magistrate Li, you have wide paths. Business is about harmony and wealth; let's all make money together."

Although the words were polite, the meaning was clear.

They were determined to have a share of the Tiandi Alliance's business—no, they wanted the lion's share.

Otherwise, the incident of goods being seized today would happen often.

County Magistrate Zhong Zheng quietly shifted his seat.

Except for the beginning, he hadn't said much, just smiling and watching coldly from the sidelines.

In his view.

Li Rui would have no choice but to bow his head today.

Having connections and making quick money wasn't strange, but to make money for a long time required sufficient foundation. In Zhong Zheng's view, a force with only two Sixth-Ranks couldn't handle such a big piece of fat, even with Li Rui sitting in charge.

If your fist isn't hard enough, there's nothing you can do.

At the very least, you need a Fifth-Rank minor grandmaster to hold onto this business.

Shi Zhou sneered: "Magistrate Li, if you hand over the connections, we can let you continue to participate."

His plan was excellent.

As long as Li Rui handed over the connections, with the foundation of their three sects, they could just squeeze the Tiandi Alliance out by using higher prices regardless of cost.

With the Tiandi Alliance's resources, they wouldn't last long before having to withdraw on their own.

In the end, whether it was Li Rui or the Tiandi Alliance, they were several levels below them.

Today, they were going to use their power to suppress others.

Zhong Zheng looked at the tense scene in the main hall, curious about how Li Rui would break the deadlock.

He had heard.

Li Rui was a man of strategy, and when his strength was insufficient before, he was highly valued by Jiang Linxian precisely because he had many solutions.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out how to resolve the situation of the three great sects forcing the palace today.

Li Rui listened to the words of Shi Zhou and the others, still looking calm and composed.

He slowly put down his teacup.

He smiled:

"I wondered what the matter was; why go to such great lengths for such a small thing? I will personally introduce you to them another day."

As soon as these words were spoken.

Shi Zhou and the other two, along with Zhong Zheng, were all stunned.

Just like that?

Not even a hint of resistance?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 267 =====