Chapter 274: Equal Standing

"Ling Luo is dead?"

Cao Wei stared at the corpse Li Rui had brought back, utterly astonished.

But the corpse was no fake.

He had clashed with Man Gu City many times, had seen Ling Luo before—so he was certain.

He recognized at a glance that the corpse Li Rui had returned to An Ning Wei was none other than Lady Ling Luo, the ruler of Man Gu City.

"Li my lord, how did you manage this?"

Cao Wei gazed at Li Rui in shock.

The day before.

Li Rui had come to him, said he was going to see Jiang Lin off—Cao Wei had wondered why sending someone required leave, then Li Rui returned with Lady Ling Luo's fresh corpse.

Full of questions.

What kind of situation was this?

Ling Luo was infamous for her cunning; she had escaped when Man Gu City fell, yet Li Rui had slain her.

Of course, Cao Wei guessed Jiang Lin had done it—but Li Rui's contribution was surely substantial.

But no matter what, as long as Ling Luo was dead, he was a friend.

Cao Wei gave Li Rui a long look, then burst into laughter: "Good, very good! Brother Li has done a great deed by slaying Ling Luo—truly a blessing for An Nan Town."

Ling Luo wasn't just the one who stirred the beast attacks and shamed An Ning Wei.

In Wu State.

He and Lei Yong had suffered greatly at her hands, longing to cut off her head.

His attitude now clearly placed himself and Li Rui on equal footing.

In the past, this would have been unthinkable.

Rank above crushes rank; Cao Wei came from the Ministry of Military Affairs and valued hierarchy above all—subordinates were subordinates, even his most trusted Feng Yu, and if Feng Yu overstepped, he'd be punished.

In front of subordinates, superiors were superiors—order must not be disturbed.

Today, he had inexplicably called Li Rui "Brother," leaving Li Rui momentarily stunned.

"Cao my lord, you flatter me."

Li Rui smiled and waved his hand.

Cao Wei laughed louder: "Brother Li, no need for formalities—I'm younger than you. If you're willing, call me younger brother."

Li Rui could only say: "Brother Cao, please report Ling Luo's death to Brother Xue."

Cao Wei's attitude had changed so drastically.

First, because of Li Rui's strength—news of Li Rui slaying two fifth-rank experts had spread; Cao Wei knew he was no match, and as a military officer, strength was fundamental—he wouldn't dare flaunt rank before someone stronger.

Second, because of Xue Gui and Jiang Lin—Li Rui had clearly secured two powerful patrons, and their bond was far stronger than his own with the Fifth Prince.

Combined, these two factors naturally made Cao Wei treat Li Rui with great courtesy.

Jiang Lin had not yet resigned as Commander of An Ning Wei, but he had already headed north to the capital—promotion was inevitable.

That left the position of Assistant Regional Commander vacant.

According to whispers, Li Rui was almost certainly the next appointee.

Li Rui was not like Jiang Lin—he was no longer the man who had left the capital years ago.

No need to make things unnecessarily hostile.

Struggles above are above; those below must act as they should—that is the lasting way.

Cao Wei understood that making enemies lightly was no good habit.

"Brother Cao, how should we handle Lady Ling Luo's corpse?"

Cao Wei's face turned cold:

"Hang it on the city wall—to appease public outrage."

"This is the ruler of Man Gu City, the mastermind behind the beast chaos—and she's a woman?"

"She deserves to die! Li my lord, mighty indeed!"

"Kill her again! Such a monster deserves to be whipped!"

"Wait, wait—she's actually quite beautiful."

"You, stop licking your lips—she's already cold."

Outside Qing He's city wall, thousands had gathered.

All were civilians drawn by rumor; the beast chaos had not yet faded, and the people of Qing He longed to devour her flesh and drink her blood.

That night, too many in Qing He had died.

Countless husbands, wives, sons, fathers, mothers had perished in fire and beast maws—hatred had all converged on Lady Ling Luo alone.

Now that she was dead, the satisfaction born of that hatred fell upon Li Rui, Captain of An Ning Wei.

For a moment, Li Rui's prestige reached its peak.

In Qing He today, anyone who mentioned Li Rui had to speak of loyalty and righteousness.

Even overshadowing Cao Wei, the Assistant Regional Commander.

Cao Wei felt no resentment.

"Excellent, excellent!"

Yang Yong had smiled nonstop lately—when he went to play paijiu, even when he lost, they wouldn't take his money, simply because he lived in Li Rui's house.

A gambler's joy was equivalent to never losing.

"Brother Li, why don't you come out with me? No need to speak—just stand there."

Yang Yong pleaded desperately.

Li Rui refused outright.

Reputation was a good thing, but it needed time to settle—Cao Wei had claimed none of it; all of it had flowed to him.

In officialdom, a good reputation matters—but if he now pushed himself forward, that would be foolish. Right now, he needed to do nothing—he already had enough.

No need to keep pouring oil on the fire; if it burns too fiercely, it will burn you alive.

Shi Mao Office, An Ning Wei Branch.

"Big Brother, the Three Sects have arrived."

Tan Hu walked in.

Ever since Li Rui slew the two fifth-rank experts, he had simply started calling him "Big Brother."

Li Rui nodded: "Mm, show them in."

Though Xue Gui had promised him the Assistant Regional Commander post, he was not yet officially appointed—even if Jiang Lin had vacated the Assistant Regional Commander's residence, if he now rushed over and declared himself Assistant Regional Commander, he'd be like a monkey wearing a crown, inviting ridicule.

Until the official decree arrived, he was still Captain of Shi Mao.

This Captain's office in the Shi Mao Office was where he belonged.

Must not overstep.

Soon, three men entered the Captain's office.

Shi Zhou, Zhou Ting, and Bai Jing gazed at Li Rui seated at the highest seat—this scene was nearly identical to a few days prior, except the county magistrate Zhong Zheng had been replaced by Li Rui, and they had gone from hosts to guests.

All these changes stemmed from strength.

They had all heard the news of Li Rui slaying two fifth-rank experts.

Previously,

Because Li Rui was weaker and merely a lowly sixth-rank Captain, they had seen him as easy to bully.

But now, his strength alone could crush all three of them.

They had no illusion they could fight two at once and survive.

In the martial world's rules, if you can't win, you must be humble.

So when Li Rui invited them, they came without hesitation.

Though they were Elders of major sects, still—the sect is the sect, the self is the self; don't confuse the two, or you'll lose your life.

"Li my lord."

Shi Zhou bowed first, grinning.

He had the most grievance against Li Rui, yet now he acted like an old friend long reunited, warm and familiar.

Zhou Ting and Bai Jing also wore broad smiles.

Li Rui rose, bowed with a smile: "Three Elders, please sit. Xiao Hai, serve tea."

He showed no arrogance whatsoever.

As if that day's incident had never happened. If he had treated the three in the hall with condescension today, he would have overturned the table back then—no need for all this maneuvering, but that wasn't his way.

When powerful, one must judge the situation before bullying.

If bullying is only to vent anger, it's truly unnecessary.

The three sat, tea was served.

Only then did Li Rui smile and say: "I've invited you here today regarding trade between the two nations."

Shi Zhou and the others all wore expressions of "we already knew this."

It was all about business.

But when they invited Li Rui, it was very different from when Li Rui invited them.

Last time, it was merely a private matter.

That's why they had dragged Zhong Zheng, still alive then, along—and even then, Zhong Zheng hadn't dared use his county magistrate title to pressure Li Rui.

Why?

Please... Your Excellency... collect _(!)

The jurisdiction doesn't match.

An Assistant County Magistrate, even if he were the County Magistrate himself, oversees only matters within the city. The Weiheshimao Office falls under his purview, but if he meddles too much, it won't just anger Li Rui—it'll anger Yan Zhongxing, and even the bigwigs in the Ministry of Revenue.

But Li Rui is different.

His official title is Trade Captain—he's in charge of cross-border trade.

Summoning Shi Zhou and the others openly, no one can find fault.

Handle private and official matters together.

Before Li Rui could continue, Zhou Ting spoke first: "Brother Li, make any request you like. If I, Zhou Ting, can do it, I'll do it all. You killed that slut Ling Luo—I respect you."

That night, Zhou Ting took a punch. Though it was the big brute who landed it, he counted the debt against Lady Ling Luo.

Zhou Ting knows his grudges and debts.

Since the man was killed by Li Rui, the debt is owed to Li Rui.

At these words,

Li Rui was momentarily speechless.

Shi Zhou and Bai Jing exchanged glances and both nodded: "That's the truth."

That day,

Eight Elders from the Eight Great Sects were blocked inside the county office by that woman Ling Luo, forced to swallow their anger.

Back then, they could only submit.

It was utterly humiliating.

Even Shi Zhou, who had seemed most composed at the time, was seething inside.

The news that Li Rui had killed Ling Luo had already spread.

Though Li Rui didn't kill her for them, since their common enemy was Ling Luo, they were now allies.

Shi Zhou bowed: "Brother Li, I was rash before. I beg your forgiveness."

His attitude had changed completely.

Before, Li Rui had been just another minor official in his eyes—even with his rank, Shi Zhou had the Divine Weapon Manor behind him and wasn't afraid.

Offending him? No big deal.

Besides, his feud with Li Rui held no personal grudge—it was all about fulfilling the tasks assigned by the Divine Weapon Manor's big shots.

But times had changed.

Now Li Rui was already Fifth Rank, and very likely to become Assistant Regional Commander of the Anning Guard.

Status had changed; attitude must change too.

Not to mention, Shi Zhou genuinely admired Li Rui for killing that woman—only those who'd faced Ling Luo knew how dangerous she was.

He had both skill and strength.

If he kept fighting such a man, he'd be an idiot.

Besides, with Tie Kuang's connection between them, reconciliation was still possible.

Admitting fault isn't shameful.

Li Rui had already climbed onto Jiang Lin's towering tree. Opposing him might spare the Divine Weapon Manor, but Shi Zhou himself would likely be crushed.

Now was the perfect moment to mend ties.

Shi Zhou: "Brother Li, from now on, our three houses will never interfere with the Heaven's Alliance's trade. You can rest easy."

Li Rui's lips curled slightly.

That was exactly the effect he wanted.

If he'd openly broken with these three earlier, he might have resolved it eventually—but it would've meant fighting, adding unnecessary karmic entanglements.

Using hidden forces was unnecessary too.

If he could handle something himself, he shouldn't trouble Jiang Lin. Even the most abundant favors run out if used too often—better to save them.

Originally, Li Rui had planned to wait for the right moment, but Ling Luo's siege forced him to reveal his Fifth Rank power prematurely.

With strength as backing, people's attitudes naturally improved.

But merely showing Fifth Rank power wasn't enough—add Jiang Lin, the Earth Immortal, and it was more than sufficient.

Far more than enough.

Who in Qinghe didn't know Jiang Lin had once called Li Rui "brother"? That honor was unique in Qinghe.

Challenge Li Rui?

Are you testing how much weight Jiang Lin's "brother" title carries?

Thus, Li Rui didn't even need a backup plan—just summon them, and they'd come forward to apologize themselves.

Isn't that better than fighting?

And though he used Jiang Lin's name, he didn't need Jiang Lin to lift a finger—that's the correct way to leverage a patron.

Otherwise, if you constantly beg for help, even your patron will grow tired.

Subtly using influence to get things done—that's the highest art.

"Young brothers, what are you saying?"

"Old brother summoned you here just to discuss trade. Where there's money, everyone should share. I'm asking—when will your men arrive? We can start soon."

Hearing Li Rui's words,

all three opened their mouths but couldn't tell what he meant.

Shi Zhou spoke first: "Brother Li, we're slow-witted—please guide us."

Li Rui smiled lightly: "Of course, the Gold Road. Profits split three-seven—you have no objections?"

Shi Zhou and the others' eyes lit up.

They hadn't expected Li Rui to still want to trade.

Three-seven was already fair.

At this, Shi Zhou glanced at Zhou Ting and Bai Jing: "The road was opened by Brother Li—he deserves more. I suggest four-six."

"Zhou younger brother, Bai older brother, what do you think?"

Zhou Ting and Bai Jing nodded: "Makes sense."

Seeing this,

Li Rui chuckled. Just days ago, these three had been aggressive—now they were so reasonable.

He no longer refused, reluctantly agreeing: "Fine, four it is. You don't need to treat your old brother so specially."

The matter was settled quickly.

Goal achieved.

Tie Kuang had left; the weapons trade was dead. So Li Rui needed to expand the demon beast trade—Heaven's Alliance alone couldn't scale it. He needed leverage. Better to bring Shi Zhou and the others in early than wait for the other Great Sects to storm in.

This way, external pressure would drop significantly.

Heaven's Alliance alone couldn't hold it.

As for the Holy Master—he'd paid money and built ties, but that was the final trump card, not to be played lightly.

Now, it was perfect.

Everything flowed naturally.

(End of Chapter)