Chapter 316: Heavenly Spirit Purple Marrow

The martial arts school's back courtyard.

In a quiet little courtyard, a green lamp flickered.

He Qianian regarded Nie Siming and Li Rui, who had been brought by Xiao Yu, and narrowed his eyes:

"Nie, young nephew, what brings you to visit this old man?"

Though his cultivation was vastly inferior to Yuan Dingting's, in terms of years spent wandering the martial world, he surpassed Yuan Dingting; calling Nie Siming "young nephew" placed him on equal footing with Yuan Dingting, which was actually a loss for him.

Nie Siming, as Yuan Dingting's adopted son, possessed extraordinary talent and would almost certainly become a Earth Immortal in the future; his willingness to visit this man ranked last among martial evaluators was a sign of respect.

Nie Siming bowed with a cheerful smile: "Master He."

At this moment, Nie Siming was extremely proper, showing none of his usual arrogance—this was his respect for the strong.

"Sit."

He Qianian gestured toward Nie Siming.

He ignored Li Rui entirely.

Li Rui, perceptive as ever, quietly took a seat off to the side, with no intention of intruding.

He Qianian: "Speak. What does Marquis Yuan want with me?"

Nie Siming laughed heartily: "Master He, couldn't it simply be that I came specially to pay my respects?"

He Qianian snorted coldly:

"You, Nie Siming, are not that kind of man. We're not close. No need for pretense. Speak plainly."

Nie Siming spoke directly:

"Master He, you've surely heard of the marriage alliance between Yu and Wu."

Li Rui's heart stirred slightly.

Marriage alliance!

So this was why Nie Siming had come to He Qianian today.

When Yu and Wu opened their mutual markets, they had also agreed to another matter: a marriage alliance.

Though called an alliance, in Wu's case it was essentially a political marriage.

That is, a Wu princess would marry a Yu prince.

Though the arrangement had been settled, neither side had made any real progress, both assuming the Dragon Throne's ruler and the Wu monarch intended to let the matter fade—yet now, old business had been revived.

He Qianian said nothing, only gazed at Nie Siming.

Nie Siming continued:

"Word from the palace says the Wu monarch has agreed to marry his third princess to the Fourth Prince, and His Majesty has approved."

He chuckled:

"I hear it was the Fourth Prince himself who requested it."

He Qianian had no interest in palace affairs; he cut straight to the point: "Why are you here, then?"

Nie Siming: "Master He, you know that Eastern Wu has allied with the Eight Demon Lords and now wields considerable power—they certainly won't want to see this marriage alliance proceed. They may send assassins to intercept us. We need to ensure safe passage from the border to Anning Prefecture."

"Some hidden filth may require Master He's help to eliminate."

He Qianian lifted his eyelids.

He gave no direct answer, but changed the subject:

"You sneaky Yuan Dingting—you told me Qinghe was good for recuperation, and I believed you. Turns out you just wanted me to be your enforcer."

He had come to Qinghe not by choice, but on Yuan Dingting's recommendation.

Of course, he owed Yuan Dingting that favor.

At first he thought it was just idle talk—but now it was clear, it had been planned all along.

This marriage alliance was no small matter.

The imperial court must have been plotting it long ago; Yuan Dingting must have gotten wind of it early, which is why he'd stationed this Earth Immortal in Qinghe ahead of time.

But it wasn't exactly manipulation.

After all, with Yuan Dingting's status and power, he had no need for such indirect schemes.

It was likely just a precautionary move, made while the alliance was still uncertain.

"I understand."

He Qianian nodded, accepting the task.

He had spent a century in the martial world; his experience was immense. He knew full well he had no choice—Nie Siming had come, but he represented Yuan Dingting.

Li Rui sat in thought.

He had heard rumors of the marriage alliance before.

It had been agreed upon during the mutual market talks, but nothing had happened for a long time.

Wu agreed to the alliance only to get Yu to send troops; normally, they'd just send a minor princess—or even adopt a girl and pass her off as a princess.

But Wu was now sending a true princess—this was unexpected.

He knew much about Wu.

He recognized the Third Princess as a true royal daughter—this was a massive move by Wu.

As for the Fourth Prince…

From what he knew, he was obscure among the princes, known only for debating with monks and discussing Daoist mysteries, appearing utterly detached from worldly affairs—yet he had quietly pulled off such a major feat.

Truly impressive.

Precisely because the Third Princess was of such high status, could they persuade He Qianian, an Earth Immortal, to act.

Nie Siming's smile widened as He Qianian agreed.

"Then I won't trouble you further, Master."

He rose.

He led Li Rui away.

Once outside Qianhe Martial Arts School,

Nie Siming spoke calmly: "Li Daoren, you will handle all future matters regarding this marriage alliance."

Li Rui had expected this, and replied:

"Yes, General Nie."

Nie Siming had brought no bodyguards today—only Li Rui. Anyone with sense would realize this was to assign him responsibility for the alliance; bringing him to Qianhe Mountain Villa was specifically to introduce him, so he could operate smoothly later.

"You have strong connections in Wu, and you're steady in your work. Only you can handle this matter for Anning Guard."

"This marriage alliance is of great importance. Eastern Wu will surely obstruct it—many dangers lie ahead. You must be vigilant."

Nie Siming warned. Li Rui's expression hardened:

"I will give it my utmost effort."

The marriage alliance concerned the empire's dignity—it could not be taken lightly.

The court had already dispatched an envoy delegation.

They would arrive in Qinghe soon.

Within the Assistant Military Command Office,

Li Rui showed no signs of stress despite the heavy burden—he continued training as usual, slept as usual, even ate half a bowl more than usual.

"Big brother, only you could be so calm."

Ning Zhongtian watched Li Rui, eyes filled with envy.

Li Rui had told him about the alliance, so he admired even more Li Rui's ability to withstand pressure.

This was no small matter—if anything went wrong, he might lose his post—or worse, his head.

Meanwhile, Cao Wei, upon hearing rumors, had been working day and night on the alliance; in contrast, Li Rui remained utterly composed.

No mistake, no error, no flaw in content!

Li Rui smiled slightly:

"Fourth brother, this alliance isn't just my burden—no need to rush."

In contrast to Ning Zhongtian,

he believed the bigger the matter, the more calmly it should be handled.

If he showed too much eagerness now, rushing ahead in everything, others would see him as greedy for advancement—and then faceless hostility would follow. If anything went wrong, all blame would be dumped squarely on him.

That's the principle: do too much, make too many mistakes.

So the best course now was to observe, then act.

Besides, a marriage alliance of this scale couldn't be completed in less than a year or two.

Just arranging the envoy exchanges would take considerable time.

There was no need to lose sleep over it.

Moreover, he wasn't idle—he had already sent disciples of the Heaven and Earth Alliance to Wu, under the guise of business, to inquire with Dao Mo.

He was now an Assistant Military Commander and leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance—if he handled every detail himself, he'd collapse—and lose face.

As he spoke with Ning Zhongtian,

Liang He entered.

"Oh, Little He, what brings you here?"

Ning Zhongtian, seeing Liang He, was surprised—everyone knew this "Little Alliance Leader" was a busy man.

Liang He looked shyly at Ning Zhongtian:

"Fourth Alliance Leader, long time no see."

Li Rui spoke up: "Xiaohe, come here."

Liang He looked at Li Rui: "Master, Liu Tong has sent word from Yunzhou—he reports good progress and vows not to disappoint your expectations. Also, he heard rumors that Tianyuan Trading might have Tianling Zisui."

Upon hearing the words "Tianling Zisui,"

Li Rui's eyes lit up instantly.

He had previously told Liang He, Liu Tong, and several other leaders of the Heaven and Earth Alliance about several heavenly and earthly treasures recorded in the Shengling Book, instructing them to keep watch.

Tianling Zisui had vanished from the mortal world for hundreds of years; everyone had assumed it could never be found, yet Liu Tong had actually uncovered news of it.

"Truly, the young are teachable."

It was not in vain that he had once instructed Liu Tong to infiltrate the enemy's ranks.

The return came so quickly.

Li Rui: "Tell Liu Tong not to act rashly—proceed with caution in all things."

"Yes."

Liang He nodded.

Tianling Zisui is an ancient divine artifact. Though spiritual energy has declined and it is no longer as precious as in ancient times, its value remains high due to fierce demand from truth-seekers, and it is exceedingly rare.

Tianling Zisui had never been heard of in Yunzhou.

Only a giant like Tianyuan Trading could possibly possess such a rare item.

Yet he feared Liu Tong might fall victim to a woman again, so he sent Liang He to warn him to be extra cautious.

As for other matters, Liu Tong may act as he sees fit.

Qingzhou, Ten Thousand Marshes.

Ghost Ming Cult's main headquarters.

Qu Chengfeng stood still with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his lips.

"The feeling of power is truly excellent."

With the Ghost Ming Cult and the Qi clan of the Southern Frontier jointly helping to gather heavenly treasures, this body's spiritual root has finally been upgraded to a superior spiritual root, allowing him to finally use techniques previously inaccessible.

"Enough to rival a Rank One."

Qu Chengfeng had no intention of stopping at a superior spiritual root.

Since he had already achieved a superior spiritual root, he would naturally strive further toward a supreme spiritual root.

Then,

the top ten in the mortal world would be nothing.

With the confidence to survive before that madman Gao, Qu Chengfeng had grown far more composed.

Behind him, the Blood Shadow Ancestor spoke:

"Immortal Sovereign, the Yu Kingdom seeks to marry into the Wu Kingdom's imperial family. If the two kingdoms unite, our foundations in Wu Kingdom will be destroyed."

Qu Chengfeng's expression did not change at all, as if the matter stirred not the slightest ripple in his heart.

The Blood Shadow Ancestor ventured:

"Immortal Sovereign, shall we—"

Qu Chengfeng spoke calmly: "The Wu Kingdom still serves my Immortal Sect. This matter concerns the establishment of a branch of Wan Fadian. Go yourself—ensure it is done properly."

"Yes."

The Blood Shadow Ancestor nodded; upon hearing the words "Wan Fadian," his expression grew excited.

How to do it properly?

Of course, by slaughtering without mercy.

(End of Chapter)