Chapter 289: Autumn Hunt

Yunzhou, Annan Marquis's Prefecture.

Backyard.

In a pond where the lotus leaves had already withered, a few koi fish played in the water; although it was autumn, the courtyard was planted with evergreen trees, and the eyes were still full of vibrant green.

Annan Marquis Yuan Dingting stood by the pond with his hands behind his back, with his back to Wang Li.

"Marquis, this is the first time our Marquis's Prefecture is holding an Autumn Hunt; it should be based on stability, so I have selected two places."

Yuan Dingting gave a grunt:

"Speak."

Although Yuan Dingting didn't turn around and couldn't see Wang Li's movements, Wang Li still bowed respectfully before speaking:

"The first place is Xiazhao Mountain, a hundred miles outside Yunzhou City; this place is close enough to Yunzhou City, convenient for carriages and horses, and the surrounding terrain is open, so if a monster riot occurs, it can be detected in advance."

Wang Li was one of the four retainers selected from Yunzhou.

He wasn't favored at first.

But gradually, he became the only one of the four who could freely enter and exit the Marquis's backyard.

Regarding this, Yang Heng and Yan Qin were envious.

Who told them there were too many people in the Marquis's Prefecture who could fight.

But civil officials were different; Wang Li relied on handling matters cautiously and properly, and soon gained the Marquis's favor.

Just finished speaking.

Yuan Dingting's voice drifted over:

"What about the second place?"

Wang Li then continued: "The second place is Qinghe; there is an open grassland at the foot of the Ten Thousand Mountains, where gentle monsters often inhabit. Furthermore, Qinghe is full of martial virtue, and Lord Li handles matters steadily, so it is also a good place for the Great Hunt."

After speaking.

Wang Li began to observe his nose and heart, quietly waiting for the Marquis's decision.

He had always placed his position correctly.

He was just a person for information collection and analysis; as for how to choose, he would never say half a word more.

This was one of the reasons he could be favored by Marquis Yuan.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

Yuan Dingting then slowly spoke:

"Let's go to Qinghe."

Hearing the reply, Wang Li bowed deeply: "Yes."

And then he retreated slowly with small steps.

After leaving the courtyard, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

'Old Brother Li, when you arrive in Qinghe, you must treat me to a drink.'

The place for this Autumn Hunt.

Was reported by the local government, and then screened by the people of the Marquis's Prefecture; this matter happened to be Wang Li's responsibility.

Under Wang Li's secret promotion.

Yunzhou and Qinghe were soon determined.

If it were said that he colluded with Li Rui, that would truly be wronging Li Rui and also wronging Wang Li.

Li Rui didn't mention it at all.

However, Wang Li had a tacit understanding and did it on purpose.

Of course, choosing Qinghe was not entirely for private friendship; Wang Li wouldn't dare.

What kind of person was Marquis Yuan; how could he be easily deceived?

Choosing the place for the Autumn Hunt, besides the place, people were also equally important.

Wang Li chose Qinghe because he cooperated more tacitly with Li Rui and was more confident in handling this Autumn Hunt well.

It was for the public, and also for the private.

The two did not conflict.

And then it was narrowing the scope, removing some competitors, so that the Marquis only had two options; the probability of Qinghe was high, and even if it wasn't chosen, Wang Li wouldn't lose anything.

But if it was chosen, he could also earn a favor from Li Rui for nothing.

No matter what, he wouldn't lose.

"Qinghe?"

Li Rui looked at the letter sent from Yunzhou and blinked.

It was indeed sent from the Marquis's Prefecture, but it was not the Marquis's official letter, but Wang Li's private letter.

It was funny to say.

He and Wang Li had only met once, yet they were confidants.

Wang Li hadn't done less to help Li Rui in the Marquis's Prefecture.

Clearly.

The fact that Qinghe was chosen for this Autumn Hunt should also have something to do with Wang Li, otherwise what he received shouldn't be Wang Li's private letter.

Li Rui naturally understood that Wang Li was sending him a chance.

The Autumn Hunt was a major event for the Annan Marquis since his enfeoffment.

If it was prepared properly, it would be a great achievement.

A rare opportunity!

'It seems my few jars of good wine won't be kept.'

It's no wonder people say you must maintain good relations with your staff; this is where the advantage shows.

Previously, Wang Li asked him to investigate the case of Xu Chuan's death; he helped Wang Li a lot, and the two became pen pals after coming and going, and because they were of similar age and both had success only late in life, they became confidants.

Of course, it was mainly because both sides felt the need to make friends.

Otherwise, there were so many old men in the Marquis's Prefecture, and Wang Li didn't become a confidant with anyone else.

Li Rui went out immediately.

He found Ning Zhongtian; when he heard that the Autumn Hunt was chosen in Qinghe, Ning Zhongtian was overjoyed.

This was a great opportunity to show his achievements.

Li Rui smiled and said: "Fourth Brother, don't take it lightly; bring a hundred elites and follow me to the foot of the Ten Thousand Mountains to inspect it first."

"Good."

Ning Zhongtian nodded.

He ran to gather his men nimbly.

Li Rui went to find Cao Wei in the gap and informed this main official of the Anning Guard about the Autumn Hunt.

Cao Wei was also overjoyed.

Hearing that Li Rui was going to the Ten Thousand Mountains, he didn't compete and started handling matters in Qinghe City.

Marquis Yuan was coming for the Autumn Hunt, so he naturally had to stay in Qinghe.

So Qinghe City was also equally important.

Divided into two paths.

Ning Zhongtian arrived with his soldiers, and Li Rui led a group of more than a hundred people out of the city straight to the Ten Thousand Mountains.

The place was reported by Li Rui.

Naturally, he knew the direction.

After traveling for only half a day, they arrived at the location of the hunting ground.

A crisp and wide grassland appeared before everyone's eyes, and not far away, one could see patches of cattle and sheep.

Ning Zhongtian looked at the grassland, his eyes lighting up:

"Big Brother, I never knew there was such a pleasing grassland outside Qinghe City."

Li Rui said with a smile:

"Fourth Brother, you have never raised horses, so it's normal not to know."

This grassland.

In fact, its reputation in Qinghe was not small, especially for farmers who raised horses and cattle.

Li Rui had been a horse groom for decades, so he naturally knew.

But he didn't come often.

Because it was too far from Qinghe City, he had only been there three or four times.

This place, although it could be considered the territory of the Ten Thousand Mountains, was actually more than ten miles away from the Ten Thousand Mountains; if the soldiers were arranged to watch, there was no need to worry about monster tides.

It was just right for a hunting ground.

Hunting ground, hunting ground, naturally it had to be enclosed.

The imperial Tiannan Hunting Ground was a hundred miles of enclosed land, and then monsters were raised in the hunting ground, waiting for the Autumn Hunt.

As for the Qinghe hunting ground.

The specification was naturally not that high.

According to Wang Li, it only needed to enclose twenty miles of land, and then there would be a lookout place every mile, and then monsters would be introduced, which was enough for the Autumn Hunt in Yunzhou.

Although the specification was not high, it was not a small project.

Otherwise, Li Rui wouldn't have brought more than a hundred soldiers to this Qinghe hunting ground.

Even this was just stepping on the spot in advance, and the subsequent matters had to wait for the construction of the Qinghe, Anning Prefecture, and even the Yunzhou workshop.

"Ten people as a small team, clear out the twenty miles around."

Li Rui ordered.

The squad leaders and platoon leaders led their men to disperse in all directions. The things to do to build a hunting ground were not few; it was not simply hunting, first of all, there had to be a place for the Marquis to live, right? The Marquis had such status, so it was naturally impossible to live in a tent.

In addition, it was necessary to clear out miscellaneous items.

This included both mountain people and monsters.

Explore the situation clearly.

Those participating in the Autumn Hunt were all noble people, and some civil officials would also be included; if something happened, no one could bear this responsibility.

Therefore, although it was still a month away from the beginning of autumn, Li Rui started preparing early.

If you don't plan ahead, you will turn from good to bad.

The soldiers dispersed one after another.

Only Li Rui, Ning Zhongtian, and Tan Hu remained in place.

At this moment.

The little white dragon crawled out of Li Rui's sleeve.

No errors, no omissions, read the content at a glance!

"Big Brother, we've come to the Ten Thousand Mountains, play as you like; whoever dares to make Big Brother unhappy, I'll peel their skin!"

Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu looked at the little white dragon's mouth chattering, with a look of human-like pride.

They clicked their tongues in wonder.

They hadn't seen monsters before.

But it was the first time they had seen one with such spirituality as the little white dragon.

Li Rui raising a snake was no secret in the Anning Guard; it was very normal for the largest monster trafficker in Qinghe to raise a monster; this roughly meant that it was impossible for someone who raised cattle not to eat beef.

However, only a few people knew that what he raised was not a snake, but a dragon.

Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu were among this minority.

"Little White, don't take it lightly."

Li Rui smiled.

According to the little white dragon, the north of this Ten Thousand Mountains was the territory of the old dragon, and the south was the territory of a fierce old ape; the two monsters were the well-deserved overlords of this Ten Thousand Mountains.

He had the dragon scales of the old dragon, and the little white dragon itself had a noble status.

This place was not deep in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

The risk of an accident was extremely small.

Li Rui never did things he wasn't sure about; when he reported it, he had already thought of these.

"Let's walk."

He said to Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu beside him.

With a light shout, the monster horse under his crotch neighed and ran toward the Ten Thousand Mountains.

If the Qinghe hunting ground was most likely to have an accident, it must be the place close to the Ten Thousand Mountains; this was the focus of the inspection, so Li Rui naturally had to go and see it himself.

It was a wilderness, and the speed of the monster horse was brought to the extreme here.

Four hooves galloped, the surrounding scenery turned into shadows and retreated, and the vast Ten Thousand Mountains constantly approached.

Only a moment's effort.

They had already arrived at the foot of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Although the monster horse could also walk in the mountains, Li Rui still tied the horse at the foot of the mountain and then walked up the mountain.

The monster horse made too much noise.

They were here to explore the situation, so it was easy to startle the snake.

The Ten Thousand Mountains were too big.

Even though Li Rui had been there several times, there were still too many places he had never been to.

Even the little white dragon, who grew up here, was the same.

Since they were going to enclose the land for hunting, and the people coming were all treasures and geniuses of major sects and clans, safety was naturally the first priority; Wang Li recommended Qinghe because of safety; if too many people died, Marquis Yuan's face wouldn't be able to hang.

By that time, Li Rui would have neither merit nor hard work, and would even be punished for this.

So it was necessary to explore more.

Ever since entering the Ten Thousand Mountains, the little white dragon was like returning to its own home, so leisurely and contented.

It crawled down from Li Rui's wrist and trouser leg.

And ran away without a trace.

Li Rui didn't care about this.

Who told the little white dragon to return to its home; there was no need to worry at all; here, the little white dragon was more like a fish in water than the three of them combined.

"Big Brother, I heard that there is an old dragon in this Ten Thousand Mountains, which had previously set off a monster tide; we must be careful."

Ning Zhongtian looked around vigilantly.

"Isn't it, I heard it's at the Earth Immortal realm."

Tan Hu also muttered.

When the Autumn Hunt came, with Marquis Yuan sitting in town, they were naturally not afraid of that old dragon, but now Marquis Yuan was still a thousand miles away; if they were unlucky enough to run into the old dragon going out for a stroll, it would be troublesome.

Li Rui was the calmest.

The old dragon matter involved too much, so he didn't tell anyone.

Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu only knew that the little white dragon was a dragon, but didn't know that the little white dragon was the son of the old dragon, and he was the honored guest appointed by the old dragon.

Ten Thousand Mountains?

The danger coefficient was roughly the same as walking on the streets of Qinghe.

He came to the Ten Thousand Mountains.

It was to clear out those monsters that were too unruly and didn't obey the old dragon.

Just as the three were going deeper—

Suddenly the little white dragon returned and came to Li Rui's feet.

"Big Brother, I seem to have found something interesting."

"Interesting?"

Li Rui raised his eyebrows slightly.

The little white dragon was a bit confused and said vaguely: "I can't say, I just inexplicably feel familiar; Big Brother, you are knowledgeable, help me see, maybe it's some incredible treasure."

"Good."

Li Rui nodded.

Immediately, he took Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu and followed the little white dragon straight into the depths of the mountain forest.

Ning Zhongtian saw that they were going deeper.

Just wanted to stop it.

But seeing that Li Rui had already set off, he had to bite the bullet and follow.

The little white dragon took the three of them through ten miles of mountain forest.

Finally, it stopped in front of a cave.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.

This cave was covered with vines, but a large opening was broken in the middle, clearly man-made; it was highly likely that someone had already been there.

The little white dragon looked at the cave:

"Big Brother, the things inside give me a familiar feeling."

After speaking, it drilled in.

Li Rui and the three looked at each other and followed.

The cave was not big.

Only a square zhang, and it was desolate inside; except for the bare rock walls, there was nothing.

Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu were wondering why Li Rui wanted to come here.

But they saw Li Rui's expression change.

His expression became solemn.

'There is residual immortal energy.'

A plain cave actually had residual immortal energy; this was incredible.

As martial artists, their vision far exceeded ordinary people, and they could see in the dark.

Under Li Rui's careful observation, he soon found an abrupt groove in a corner of the cave, where something should have been placed before, but was taken away.

A flash of inspiration hit his brain.

'It's a Spirit-Testing Stone!'

The shape of the groove was exactly the same as the Spirit-Testing Stone in Xu Chuan's hand; looking at the messy footprints on the ground of the cave.

It could basically be determined.

The Black and White Twin Fiends and Xu Chuan should have found the Spirit-Testing Stone here.

The little white dragon practiced with him day and night and was extremely sensitive to immortal energy, which was how it could discover the abnormality of this cave.

Li Rui's eyes lit up:

'This place is likely an immortal's cave dwelling.'

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 290 =====