[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-28":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},2270036,4432,"Chapter 28: Shoot to Kill","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-28",28,"\u003Cp>The night was dark and windy, crows croaked low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three burly men were drunk, one of them being Zhu Lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie, eyes bloodshot and glazed, growled: “Fuck, a stable boy—what the hell is he, that I should apologize to him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another chimed in: “Exactly, Second Master, someday I’ll kill that old bastard for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, yes, yes—I heard he has a disciple. Tomorrow, we’ll make him drown in the latrine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two were not Zhu family members, but Zhu Lie’s underworld associates—both feared thugs with reputations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing their words,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie felt somewhat relieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother’s too cautious in everything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back when he and his big brother Zhu Ping roamed Qinghe, Zhu Ping was cunning and resourceful, while he was brutal and domineering—that’s how they built their foundation in Qinghe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If not for Big Brother holding him back, the other two families in Qinghe would’ve been wiped out long ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past years, he’d grown more and more stifled—nothing compared to twenty years ago, when he’d just chop someone down if he didn’t like them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three drank until deep night before stumbling out the door; of course, they never paid the bill—even if they had, the owner wouldn’t dare take it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who in Qinghe didn’t know the infamous reputation of the Zhu family’s Second Master?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was already midnight, the hour of Zi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The streets were pitch black, save for a few cold, silvery moonbeams like fine sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie and the others staggered down the main road—just as they turned into a secluded alley—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An arrow pierced the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It struck the temple of the burly man beside him, piercing straight through his skull; his body thudded to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything happened too suddenly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie shuddered, the alcohol in him draining away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Motherfucker, have the guts to show yourself! Shooting from the shadows—is that any kind of skill?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a ranked martial artist, quick to react—he immediately crouched and scanned his surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A staff for a night, a blade for a year, a spear for a lifetime—bows and arrows can wound even a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among commoners, the bow was the ultimate killing weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a child holding a bow could kill an adult, let alone someone hiding in the dark to shoot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t yet located the archer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another arrow flew toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It embedded itself in the chest of the other burly man; a scream tore through the air, blood gushed, and he was clearly dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Zhu Lie spotted the archer’s position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Die!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rolled on the ground like a hunting leopard and sprinted toward where the arrow had come from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leapt up, landing on the wall’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, in the dark night, he saw a figure crouched atop the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With two men dead, Zhu Lie was now a raging bull—only wanting to tear this shadow-killer into pieces to quench his fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the man tossed his bow behind his back, slung it over his shoulder, and leapt off the wall, vanishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would Zhu Lie let this go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He jumped down after him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chase and flight, weaving through seven or eight alleys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the masked man stopped at an abandoned house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie glanced around, frowning slightly: “Is this your chosen grave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he stared fixedly at the man ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man wore a black cloth over his face—no features visible, no age discernible, only that he was a man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could finish the word—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man suddenly pulled off his mask himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie’s pupils shrank, then he gasped in disbelief: “Old Li?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t even moved—and Li Rui had already come to kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the instant Zhu Lie was stunned, a cloud of white powder erupted from Li Rui’s hand into the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lime!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the darkness, Zhu Lie realized too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes burned with searing pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gust of wind surged toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie staggered backward, forcing his eyes open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment his swollen eyelids cracked open, he saw only a brilliant slash of blade-light beneath the moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such a strong blade.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was Zhu Lie’s final thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His head spun through the air, then thudded to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Lie’s head still stared open-eyed, disbelieving, at Li Rui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in death, he couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a seventy-year-old old man be this strong?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui’s face was calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled a shovel from beside the wall, swiftly digging away a layer of earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pit, just large enough to hold a man, appeared before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s the grave I picked for you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kicked Zhu Lie’s body and head into the deep pit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he refilled the hole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he scattered a thin layer of old soil over it, erasing all trace of recent digging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When everything was done,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clapped his hands in satisfaction, wiped away all traces from the derelict yard, and returned to his room at Huaye Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plump woman awoke to find Li Rui sitting beside the bed, eyes closed in meditation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She whispered softly—she didn’t know how she’d fallen asleep, and remembered nothing after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui slowly opened his eyes, opened the door, and stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Brother Li, how’s the bow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Tu regarded Li Rui with a sly smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu State was founded on martial prowess; ordinary weapons could be carried freely, but powerful bows and crossbows were forbidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two weapons were too deadly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A commoner wielding a strong bow could injure a martial artist, and with luck, kill outright—his own yew hardwood bow could draw eighty stone, its power immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a fine bow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui nodded in approval, recalling the image from last night: the arrow piercing the burly man’s temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Brother Li, you handle things with such precision—I admire you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t flatter this old man anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui smiled like an ordinary, cheerful old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Tu took back the hardwood bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at the quiver—it held only three arrows left; he’d given Li Rui five yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>News came from Qinghe today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Dongcheng, two well-known underworld fighters had been killed by arrows—exactly those two!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impressive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Tu would never expose the truth—giving someone favors was never as valuable as helping them commit a crime. Li Rui clearly treated him like family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was delighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for killing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who among those who wander the martial world doesn’t have blood on their hands?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, those two men terrorized Qinghe County, forced innocent people into prostitution, and committed countless vile deeds—death was what they deserved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Li Rui’s skill at killing that startled Wu Tu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s said that the Second Master of the Zhu family also went missing last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slaying a ranked Wu Gong—hmm, that’s no ordinary feat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui returned to Tianyi Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flipped through the Daoist scripture as if nothing had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand paused mid-turning of the page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A line of small characters appeared before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Congratulations, host! Achievement completed: “Famous in the Jianghu—Initial Plot: Eradicating Evil and Protecting the Innocent.”】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1198,"2026-06-19T22:01:09.077Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","df22b5c4fbfc6c2e628a26a1a3a43aa5425d4d15c89a6a10d0755c5672d73958","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-29","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-27",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]