Chapter 290: Immortal

In ancient times, immortals built huts seeking eternal life.

This cave must be the dwelling of an ancient immortal.

'No wonder such a Spirit-Testing Stone exists here.'

Li Rui immediately grew interested.

If there's a Spirit-Testing Stone, there might be other treasures left behind.

'Let's try our luck.'

He immediately began searching.

The spiritual energy here was too high for his Spirit-Eye to scan effectively, so he brought along Little White Dragon to help.

Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu stared at the man and the serpent rummaging through the cave, utterly baffled.

The cave was utterly bare.

What could there possibly be to find?

'Big brother.'

Just as Ning Zhongtian was about to speak, Li Rui suddenly picked up a palm-sized stone covered in dirt and cried out: 'Found it!'

At this,

Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu's gazes snapped toward him.

'What is this?'

Tan Hu blinked his copper-bell-sized eyes, full of confusion.

'Hmm. An unusual stone.'

Ning Zhongtian judged.

Li Rui's lips curled slightly—he would never have known this was the legendary Spirit-Testing Stone had the system not alerted him.

Yes.

Within this cave, he had found another Spirit-Testing Stone.

Aside from that, he found nothing else.

He found this perfectly normal.

To stumble upon world-shattering treasures just by entering any random cave? That's the protagonist's luck.

He guessed the reason he found the Spirit-Testing Stone here was simply because it wasn't valuable.

This was confirmed by ancient texts from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

Even minor sects with some reputation possessed many Spirit-Testing Stones—they were precious to mortals, but mere trinkets to those who had cultivated.

Perhaps precisely because it was unvalued, it survived through ten thousand years.

It's much like how an ordinary rice bowl from ten thousand years ago could become a treasure today.

Li Rui tucked the Spirit-Testing Stone into his robe.

He had been seeking a way to enhance his spiritual roots.

With the Spirit-Testing Stone, he could now better verify whether those methods actually worked.

A pleasant surprise!

He supposed the chaos of the moment had caused Xu Chuan and the Black-White Killers to overlook the fact that another Spirit-Testing Stone remained in the cave.

Having obtained the Spirit-Testing Stone,

Li Rui felt as if he'd just won money walking down the street—his mood was excellent.

The Spirit-Testing Stone was too mysterious.

And with spiritual energy now fading from the world, testing one's roots made no difference anyway.

He decided to withhold the discovery from Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu for now.

He himself was only speculating.

Morning.

The chirping of unknown birds filled his ears.

Li Rui awoke in a lavish mansion, gentle morning light streaming through the window onto his face.

He stretched comfortably.

Then rose from bed.

After washing up, he stepped outside.

It was autumn, crisp and clear; the Ten Thousand Mountains stood plainly visible nearby.

'Is this what vacation feels like?'

Excellent.

He was still in the Qinghe Hunting Grounds—or rather, he had never left them.

After surveying the terrain, Qinghe and Anning Prefecture's construction teams arrived at the Qinghe Hunting Grounds, so Li Rui simply resumed his role as overseer; within half a month, he had built a small cluster of 'resort lodgings' across vast stretches of grassland.

As the local official, to ensure Marquis Yuan slept soundly and comfortably,

Li Rui reluctantly tested the Marquis's bedroom.

Indeed, it was excellent.

At that moment, Ning Zhongtian's lazy voice sounded beside him: 'Big brother, good morning.'

Li Rui turned to see Ning Zhongtian stepping out of another standalone wooden cabin.

He greeted him.

Then spotted Tan Hu training not far away.

They gathered, ate breakfast.

Li Rui was about to return and resume his cultivation when a fast horse galloped into camp; an Anning Guard soldier dismounted, sprinted two steps forward, and bowed to Li Rui:

'Lord Li.'

Li Rui recognized him—he was an Anning Guard messenger.

'Rise. What is it?'

The messenger stood and said: 'Lord Li, Master Cao says the Marquis has set out and has ordered me to summon you back to camp.'

Li Rui nodded:

'Understood.'

In the past, Cao Wei would have concealed this and gone alone to greet the Marquis, but now his attitude had changed—he had specifically sent someone to inform Li Rui.

Of course, even if Cao Wei hadn't said anything, Li Rui had planned to return today anyway.

After giving brief instructions to Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu,

he mounted his demonic horse and rode straight toward Qinghe.

Outside Qinghe City, before the Reception Pavilion.

A group of distinguished, martially imposing figures stood at the front.

At the very front,

of course, were Qinghe's four fifth-rank officials.

Cao Wei and Li Rui represented the military, standing on the left; Jia Qi and Yan Zhongxing represented the civil administration, standing on the right.

Behind them,

stood Elders from numerous sects.

The procession was no small affair—it was all to welcome Marquis Yuan.

This time, Marquis Yuan traveled by land, not water, so they had waited early at the Reception Pavilion.

The proper rites demanded:

A ten-mile escort.

Would they let Marquis Yuan walk into the city himself?

That would violate protocol. Even if Marquis Yuan didn't care, the officials accompanying him from Yunzhou would note it and report it to the Prefect and Provincial Military Commander.

Everyone involved would suffer.

The atmosphere was solemn, utterly silent, save for the occasional chirp of birds beside the road.

After about half an hour,

tiny black dots appeared at the end of the road.

A caravan.

Seeing the caravan—especially the large banner of the Annan Marquisate, embroidered in black and gold with the characters 'Annan' fluttering in the wind—the crowd stirred with excitement.

'Here they come.'

Moments later,

a magnificent caravan came into view.

Li Rui and the other four Qinghe officials hurried forward to stand before the most splendid carriage in the center.

'Your humble servants pay homage to Marquis.' *4

The young coachman lifted the curtain; Marquis Yuan Dingting stepped down first, followed by a woman holding a boy of about three years old.

Li Rui raised an eyebrow.

The Marquis's wife and young son had come too.

'I heard the Marquis's Lady was a noblewoman of a great clan who fell in love with him at first sight when he was still obscure; her family opposed it, but she was fierce-willed and refused to marry anyone but him.'

'Now that the Marquis has risen to power, their love story has become a celebrated tale. Without the Lady's family's support, the Marquis might never have soared to become a Saint of Warfare.'

Lady Hou was naturally extremely beautiful, dignified and elegant, a paragon of noblewomen.

She held a young boy in her arms.

His eyes were large and bright, his face round and plump, clearly well cared for.

Yuan Dingting stepped down from the carriage and waved to Li Rui and the other three: "No need for formalities."

Li Rui and the other three had just risen.

They had barely risen when they heard Yuan Dingting's words:

"Proceed straight into the city. No stops."

Upon hearing this,

Cao Wei and the others, though startled, immediately replied: "Yes, Marquis."

Not a single word, not a single sound, not a single detail was out of place!

Li Rui was about to turn away.

Yuan Dingting called him back: "Master Li, come ride with me."

At these words, Cao Wei, Yan Zhongxing, and Jia Qi's expressions stiffened visibly, then they turned to gaze at Li Rui with envy.

To ride the Marquis's carriage.

A fortune beyond measure!

Look who's inside: the Marquis, Lady Hou, and the young heir.

No more!

To step aboard was to enter private affairs—to truly cross the threshold of the Marquis's household and become one of his own.

Despite how many were with the Marquis, few ever rode his carriage.

Li Rui was on the verge of soaring to the heavens.

How could they not envy him?

Li Rui himself was also surprised.

But since Marquis Yuan had already invited him, he could not refuse—he could only murmur an assent, waiting until the Marquis's family of three had entered the carriage before following them in.

Not only Cao Wei and the other three, but all the senior elders of the major sects gathered at the reception pavilion were envious.

That was one of the top ten in the realm!

Especially He Wanchun of Guiyun Sect, who stared wide-eyed.

Li Rui was no ordinary retainer.

He was immensely relieved he hadn't offended Li Rui too deeply—if Li Rui merely mentioned a few ill words about Guiyun Sect to Marquis Yuan inside the carriage,

Guiyun Sect might survive, but its branch in Qinghe would be finished.

His hopes for the Beast Taming lineage would be crushed.

'I must never offend this man again.'

Li Rui lifted the curtain and stepped into the carriage.

The carriage was enormous—even ten people could sit comfortably, yet with only the Marquis's family of three and Li Rui, it felt almost empty, its lavish yet refined decor revealing noble heritage.

"Marquis."

As the carriage began to move slowly, Li Rui bowed deeply.

Yuan Dingting's face broke into a rare smile: "Master Li, please sit."

Li Rui sat down.

Yuan Dingting continued: "Did you receive the master-disciple gift?"

"Thank you, Marquis. Your humble servant has received it."

Yuan Dingting nodded.

At that moment, Lady Hou, Cui Hexue, smiled warmly and spoke: "Inside this carriage, we are family. Master, no need for formalities. My husband often says you are composed, prudent, and reliable. If Wenrui had even half your temperament, he would surely make a fine Marquis of Annan."

Li Rui smiled in return: "Lady Hou, you flatter me beyond measure."

Cui Hexue, true to her noble upbringing, made everyone feel at ease, warm, and close.

"Master, no need for modesty."

Then she patted the back of the boy in her arms: "Wenrui, say 'Master'."

The young heir, nicknamed Wenrui, spoke in a childish voice: "Master."

Li Rui guessed the three-year-old heir likely had no idea what "Master" meant.

Hearing the heir call him "Master,"

Yuan Dingting's smile deepened, and Cui Hexue hugged the young heir even tighter with affection.

The family was harmonious and joyful.

Li Rui, an outsider, kept his eyes down, his mind still.

The Marquis had invited him aboard—perhaps only to have his son learn from him—but that alone was an immense honor. To treat himself as one of the household would be overstepping.

He might even lose his position as tutor.

The young heir in Cui Hexue's arms stared curiously at Li Rui, blinking his big eyes.

'This Master doesn't seem as scary as the other two?'

'Master Cui hits my palms every day. Master Liu always makes me lift iron.'

'This Master is better.'

Yuan Dingting and Cui Hexue, of course, knew none of their child's thoughts.

Half an hour later,

The Marquis's caravan slowly entered Qinghe City and halted before an elegant courtyard beside the Qinghe River.

This was a residence specially prepared for Marquis Yuan by Magistrate Jia.

After seeing the Marquis's family inside,

He then took the Yunzhou entourage to Qinghe's most expensive inn.

As planned,

Marquis Yuan would stay in Qinghe for three days, mainly to wait for officials and elites from other prefectures of Yunzhou to arrive.

Besides the Marquis's own people, elders and prodigies from Yunzhou's major sects and clans would join the autumn hunt, showcasing Yunzhou's martial vigor.

Given Marquis Yuan's status, there would be no grand banquet.

Only a few close associates would be invited.

Yet with most of Yunzhou's elite gathered in Qinghe, private gatherings would be plentiful—predictably, the entertainment quarters would be booming.

"Old Brother Li, long time no see."

As Li Rui was seeing off the Yunzhou party to the inn, Wang Li approached.

"Old Brother Wang."

Seeing Wang Li, Li Rui greeted him with a smile.

Wang Li chuckled twice: "Old Brother Li, I helped you with such a huge favor—no fine dishes, at least you owe me a drink."

Li Rui had expected this—he patted his chest:

"Don't worry, fine wine is plentiful. If you've no other plans, why not join me at the guard battalion?"

"That's exactly what I had in mind."

Wang Li readily agreed.

His main purpose in coming to Qinghe, beyond the autumn hunt, was to cultivate ties with Li Rui.

Moments later,

The two old men sat across from each other at a stone table in the Adjutant's courtyard.

"Old Brother Wang, these are dishes from Zui Xian Restaurant in Qinghe—I ordered them specially. You won't find them so easily tonight."

As Li Rui poured wine for Wang Li, he said.

"Then I must savor them well."

Wang Li picked up a paper-thin slice of fish and chewed slowly, then praised: "The flavor is truly excellent."

Li Rui: "I told you so."

Wang Li was born into a great clan, but only a collateral branch—and the disfavored one at that.

Word had it he had offended a powerful figure in his family.

Thus he had languished in obscurity, failing even the county examination to become a scholar.

After wasting most of his life, only by joining the Marquis's household had his talents finally surfaced.

Such men were worth cultivating.

Li Rui raised his cup:

"Old Brother Wang, tonight we drink until we're drunk!"

(End of Chapter)