Chapter 312: Crossing the Chen Pass by Stealth

"Lord Li means you've found the great serpent's whereabouts?"

Nie Siming's expression brightened as he looked at Li Rui, who had suddenly arrived.

After months of fruitless searching.

To finally learn the great serpent's location—how could he not be stirred?

"Yes, within Giant Rock City."

Li Rui nodded.

Nie Siming murmured the name again: "Giant Rock City."

"How did you find out?"

Li Rui: "A few days ago, someone tried to kill me—Qi Feng, a beast-controlling master from the Qi clan."

Upon hearing Qi Feng's name, Nie Siming raised an eyebrow slightly.

"And then?"

"Then he died."

"."

Nie Siming was startled; from what he knew, Qi Feng was no weakling.

But his surprise didn't last long.

A man his righteous father valued—if he couldn't kill Qi Feng, that would be the real shame.

He didn't care whether Qi Feng tried to kill Li Rui or Li Rui killed Qi Feng.

He only wanted to know if the old serpent truly was in Giant Rock City.

"I have friends in Wu Country—they told me Qi Feng has been stationed in Giant Rock City for three years. He was likely sent by the great serpent to kill me."

"So the great serpent's presence in Giant Rock City is highly probable."

With Li Rui's analysis, Nie Siming grew even more eager.

"Giant Rock City—good. I'll send men to investigate at once."

Wu Country's territory spans millions of miles, vast and boundless.

Finding the great serpent's hiding place isn't easy—he needed a coordinate.

His alliance with Li Rui wasn't about combat strength.

In terms of killing, he could take on a hundred Li Rus. What he needed was Li Rui's intelligence.

Once the great serpent's location was confirmed, everything else would become far easier.

"Master Li, if the great serpent truly is in Giant Rock City, you've earned great merit!"

Nie Siming beamed.

He'd secretly wondered if he'd sent the calligraphy too early.

After all, Li Rui hadn't left Qinghe City since receiving the calligraphy—could he really uncover the serpent's trail? Was he pretending to be the First Strategist of the Founding Emperor, the legendary Bai Sidao who knew all under heaven without stepping outside?

Yet Li Rui had truly delivered a great surprise.

Nie Siming acted swiftly.

Upon hearing the news, he strode out the door at once, summoning Cao Wei to gather troops for an out-of-city patrol.

Cao Wei was already used to this.

He swiftly assembled over three hundred men, and within minutes they left the city.

Watching the retreating group.

Li Rui fell into thought.

He'd long suspected this—but he'd waited so long to tell Nie Siming out of caution, wanting to verify the situation himself first.

More importantly, he needed to understand why Qi Feng was so obsessed with killing him.

Thus, he'd ordered disciples of the Heaven and Earth Alliance to investigate in Wu Country.

Yet before Wu Country sent word, he'd already learned the reason himself.

The Immortal Blade, when slaying the young serpent, had absorbed one of Qi Feng's soul fragments.

It contained fragments of memory.

While erasing the resentment, Li Rui had read those memories—and thus learned Qi Feng sought to kill him because of the True Dragon Qi on his person.

More precisely, the dragon-shaped formation of Immortal Xuan Qi.

The world didn't know Immortal Qi existed.

And since Qi Feng was a beast-controlling master, he'd mistaken the Immortal Xuan Qi for True Dragon Qi, just like the young serpent had.

"Careless—I've revealed my hand."

"The world is vast, full of wonders—and impossible to guard against."

Li Rui smiled faintly.

The good news was Qi Feng wanted to monopolize this opportunity—so the great serpent knew nothing of this.

But Li Rui's resolve to kill the great serpent grew even firmer.

Tie Kuang had once joked that he should slay the great serpent.

Little did he know Li Rui meant to do it.

The young serpent wasn't a great tonic—he was. If the great serpent also sensed his True Dragon Qi, the trouble he'd face would be countless times worse.

Even Qinghe City couldn't protect him.

Unless he, like the young serpent, hid inside the Annan Marquis's estate.

Of course, Li Rui wouldn't sit idle. Rather than wait for enemies to come and then flee helplessly,

He preferred to strike first.

Besides, Yuan Dingting and Nie Siming already planned to act against the great serpent—perfectly, he could use their blades to slay the dragon.

To cut off all future threats.

"To sleep peacefully, you'll have to die."

Li Rui had made up his mind.

He wouldn't leave until he discovered a method to completely conceal his Dragon Qi.

Otherwise, to all great beasts, he was nothing but a walking tonic—no different from that Tang monk.

Perhaps this is why prodigies die young.

When carrying something priceless, secrecy is impossible.

In the end, only two outcomes exist.

Either you die—or others do.

Those prodigies who always made others die became great figures—every one of the Top Ten in the Martial World's rankings walked this path.

Which one hadn't stirred up massive upheavals in the martial world?

Li Rui couldn't escape this rule.

At most, he'd turn the upheaval into a hidden current.

Giant Rock City.

Secret chamber.

"Dragon Lord, Qi Feng must have deceived you. I've sent men to investigate—there's no trace of Dragon Snot Perfume in Qinghe."

Qi He, the Lord of Giant Rock City, spoke calmly.

The great serpent's eyes were icy.

A month ago,

Qi Feng suddenly died.

His death didn't matter—the great serpent didn't care. What mattered was Dragon Snot Perfume.

His wounds worsened daily; his patience had long worn thin.

Qi He continued: "Qi Feng went to Qinghe, never even entered Qinghe City, let alone found Dragon Snot Perfume—he never mentioned it. Clearly, he used official business for private gain."

After all, Qi Feng was dead.

Taking the blame didn't matter.

If Qi Feng didn't take it, the great serpent's rage would fall on him—no difficult choice.

As Lord of Giant Rock City, it was second nature. The great serpent snorted.

He knew Qi He's thoughts well—but now he was a tiger fallen from the plains. He couldn't fetch healing medicine himself, nor could he risk drawing attention from those few others.

Otherwise, he'd have crushed this human with a single blow long ago.

He had no intention of pursuing Dragon Snot Perfume further.

Qi He's words held merit—Qi Feng's motives were impure, and he'd already sensed it, which was why he'd withdrawn his men.

Who killed Qi Feng? Less important than healing.

The great serpent spoke slowly:

"Go to Southern Wu and retrieve the Dragon Snot Perfume. This must not fail again."

"Yes."

Qi He nodded.

Though Qi Feng hadn't brought Dragon Snot Perfume from Qinghe, he'd purchased a piece from Southern Wu—it was already en route to Giant Rock City.

No error in one word, one line, one detail!

When it arrives, it will be a great achievement.

Qi He had calculated everything clearly.

When the great serpent regains its strength, his own status will surely rise with it.

Qi Feng's death has already been reported.

If anyone is to investigate, it won't be him—it'll be Qi Feng's own lineage.

The Qi clan has taken root in Wu Country for a thousand years, branching out over generations, splitting into countless lines; the most prosperous is the ancestor's line, and both he and Qi Feng belong to minor branches.

Since they're not of the same line, nor the main line, why should they care?

Military Office.

Li Rui had been practicing in the front courtyard when he saw Tan Hu enter with another man.

He recognized him at once.

This man was one of Nie Siming's personal guards, who had accompanied Nie Siming on patrol along the border.

Li Rui's interest immediately stirred.

Nie Siming had been at the border for three full months with no action—now sending someone here, he must have found something.

The guard took a letter from his chest and handed it to Li Rui:

"Sir Li, this is what General Nie asked me to deliver to you."

Li Rui took the letter.

Unsealing it, he found only a few simple characters: "The great serpent has appeared. Kill the dragon."

His eyebrows lifted slightly.

The imperial court's efficiency was indeed high.

Yuan Marquis was no ordinary man—when he wanted someone dead, he could mobilize the entire court's power.

He and Nie Siming were merely the tip of the iceberg.

Who knew how many covert agents Yu Country had planted in Wu Country?

Casting a wide net is slow.

But if you can lock down a range, efficiency skyrockets.

Three months was more than enough.

"It seems Nie Siming is about to act."

Li Rui fell into thought.

But he felt Nie Siming was overconfident—again, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse; no matter how strong Nie Siming was, he was only fourth-rank, and even wounded, the great serpent was still second-rank.

The gap was simply too vast.

Unless Yuan Dingting had left Nie Siming some hidden technique.

Li Rui put away the letter.

He looked up, surprised at the guard: "What? Is there more?"

The guard made no move to leave—he remained standing in place.

The guard finally spoke:

"When I left, General Nie gave me two instructions: first, deliver this letter to Sir Li; second, I am to retrieve something from you."

Li Rui: "Retrieve something?"

For a moment,

he couldn't guess what Nie Siming was up to.

"What is it?"

The guard repeated Nie Siming's words: "The Marquis once gave you a gift—plenty of it. You couldn't use it all, and the remainder is still needed by the Marquis."

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.

In an instant, he understood: Nie Siming wanted Yuan Dingting's Hundred Battles Killing Intent.

His heart jolted.

"Clever plan!"

On the surface, the Hundred Battles Killing Intent was Yuan Marquis's gift to him upon becoming his disciple; in truth, it was a grand deception, a deadly weapon.

When he first received it, he had already wondered.

The amount given was simply too vast.

It was impossible to use it all.

Now he finally had the answer.

Yuan Dingting's methods were truly seamless—he had planted this hidden thread long ago.

Of course,

Li Rui didn't believe Yuan Dingting had foreseen this exact moment, that he would use the Hundred Battles Killing Intent to kill the great serpent—he wasn't a god, how could he predict the future?

More likely, it was just his habitual precaution.

Most people who pull off miraculous comebacks aren't lucky—they're just disciplined.

Yuan Dingting became the Soldier Sage because he'd killed many, survived countless life-or-death crises—his habits must be impeccable.

Yu Country had spies in Eastern Wu.

Eastern Wu surely had spies in Yu Country too—and with mutual trade and increased exchanges, planting them was easier.

Nie Siming came from Yunzhou—too obvious a target.

Eastern Wu had surely been on guard.

But if he took the route through Qinghe, no one would suspect.

At least, no one would think an Anning Guard Assistant Regional Commander carried something capable of killing a second-rank great serpent.

Brilliant—feigning one route while striking another.

Yuan Dingting should write a Yu Country version of the Thirty-Six Stratagems.

Li Rui didn't hesitate.

He returned to his room, then emerged holding the small wooden box containing the Hundred Battles Killing Intent.

It was Yuan Dingting's gift to begin with—returning it was only right.

Moreover, he had already used the Hundred Battles Killing Intent to perfect his sinews and bones; the remainder was useless to him.

The guard took the small wooden box.

Then he took his leave, hurrying out of Anning Guard as if pursued.

That day,

In Yunzhou, Yuan Dingting of the Annan Marquis Mansion was meditating in his chamber.

Suddenly,

he felt something.

A faint smile touched his lips as he slowly uttered one word:

"Kill."

(End of Chapter)