Chapter 321: Primordial Dao Fetus

Disguised as a commoner on a secret visit?

Li Rui's mind conjured this thought.

The woman standing before him was no servant girl Xiao Cui—she was clearly the Third Princess of Wu.

From the very beginning.

He had already harbored suspicions.

After all, if the Third Princess wished to deliver a message, sending Xia Xiaotang alone would have sufficed; why go through such unnecessary trouble?

Of course, had it been only this, he still wouldn't have doubted.

What confirmed it for him was Xia Xiaotang's attitude toward this servant girl.

Xia Xiaotang was not the type to bully the weak; yet even if she lacked rigid notions of rank, she was still royalty—some things were innate, impossible to erase—and her treatment of this servant named Xiao Cui was far too kind.

That was why he was certain: Xiao Cui was the Third Princess.

For the Third Princess to disguise herself as a servant and visit his military compound late at night was indeed an extraordinary event.

The servant girl Xiao Cui—or rather, the Third Princess—smiled faintly:

"Since Lord Li has already discovered my identity, would you be willing to accompany me to the capital?"

"All my previous promises were genuine. If Lord Li does not believe me, you may write a written pledge."

Xia Xiaotang looked at Li Rui with a hint of embarrassment: "Senior, I'm truly sorry—it was Third Sister who made me do this. I never meant to deceive you."

Then she grinned at the Third Princess Xia Yun: "Third Sister, I told you—Senior Li possesses great wisdom."

The Third Princess Xia Yun nodded:

"Indeed."

She had known Li Rui only because she was close to Xia Xiaotang.

On this journey to Yu, though her status was exalted and she had brought over a dozen elite warriors, she still needed a local Yu expert familiar with the terrain.

That was why she thought of Li Rui.

The Grand Witch had indeed cast a divination—but not casually, as she had claimed; rather, the Third Princess had specifically requested the Grand Witch to perform the witch divination.

The omen revealed was:

"Traveling north, meet Li, and all shall go smoothly."

This "Li" most likely referred to Li Rui.

Hence, she had instructed the envoy to send word for Li Rui to meet them en route; along the way, she had observed him closely. Xia Yun, skilled in the art of observing aura, became even more certain that Li Rui was indeed a man of great fortune.

Her sudden visit tonight was the final test she had set for him.

Had Li Rui failed to see through her disguise, she would have rejected him—even if he had agreed.

After all, if he could not even detect her tricks, how could he possibly deal with the old monsters in the capital?

Since he had seen through her disguise, her resolve to recruit him grew even stronger.

She truly needed assistants.

Especially clever ones.

A third-rank Vice Minister position would help Li Rui—and herself—entirely to his benefit, with no downside.

Yet Li Rui shook his head:

"Third Princess, I am a man attached to the old ways. I've lived in Qinghe for decades and have no desire to move. I appreciate your kindness, but I must decline."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yun's eyes flickered with surprise.

She had not expected Li Rui to refuse her offer.

Xia Yun was straightforward; she did not grow angry at being rejected, only spoke calmly: "Lord Li need not rush to refuse. I said three days—give me your answer after three days, and it will not be too late."

With that,

she turned and left with Xia Xiaotang.

Not a single hesitation.

"This Third Princess of Wu is indeed as rumored—possessing a bold, chivalrous spirit."

Li Rui clicked his tongue twice.

He had heard that the new Emperor of Wu had quelled the civil unrest, and this Third Princess had contributed greatly; even the Grand Witch's support for the new Emperor was deeply tied to her.

Today's encounter confirmed it—she was truly exceptional.

The promise of a third-rank Vice Minister position was almost certainly real.

To say he wasn't tempted was a lie.

Yet Li Rui showed great restraint, for he sensed that her journey to the capital would stir up storms—and he would be dragged into the center of them.

That was not his way.

He might soar to the heavens because of it, or plunge into the abyss, never to rise again.

Though he knew little of affairs in the imperial palace, nor the true nature of the Fourth Prince, once he married this Third Princess, the Fourth Prince would gain the legitimacy to vie for the throne.

Concerned with the very foundation of the state, Li Rui was naturally exceedingly cautious.

Though the merit of aiding a rising sovereign was great, one must live to enjoy it.

Li Rui was no gambler.

He entered officialdom seeking immortality, aiming to stand like a reef in the sea—unchanged by wind and waves.

So refusal was inevitable.

Three days passed quickly.

A massive ship, nearly spanning the entire Qinghe River, slowly entered Qinghe City, raising the water level by more than a foot.

Crowds of onlookers lined the banks of Qinghe.

Such a ship was unheard of.

Whose vessel could be as tall as three stories, capable of housing hundreds?

At the dock,

the Third Princess of Wu was escorted onto the ship by guards and maids.

The onlookers never caught a glimpse of the future imperial consort's peerless beauty.

Afterwards, Nie Siming and Li Rui led over a hundred Anning Guard soldiers aboard the ship.

In addition,

He Qianian, rarely seen leaving the Qianhe Martial Hall, also boarded the ship with the Anning Guard.

They would escort the Third Princess by water out of Anning Prefecture, after which others would take over, continuing the escort until her safe arrival in the capital for her wedding.

Standing on the deck, the faintly salty river breeze brushed his face.

The masts remained unfurled.

The ship was too large to navigate the Qinghe River, yet it moved slowly nonetheless—hauled forward by hundreds of laborers on land, their bare bodies straining against thick ropes.

This was common along the canals.

Many dock laborers were even rumored to make their living this way.

Li Rui gazed at the laborers below, bare-chested, struggling forward with ropes as thick as arms, and felt no emotion.

Only numbness.

Nothing in this scene surprised him!

He had spent decades as a coachman in Qinghe—he had long grown accustomed to the world's suffering.

In truth, seeing too much poverty did not breed compassion or a desire to save the world—it bred numbness.

Especially for those living within it.

Li Rui admitted he had no power to change this world; before he could help all, he must first preserve himself.

To pity these laborers—would he, Lord Li, personally pull the ropes?

Obviously impossible.

He turned to glance behind him at the cabin.

Outside the largest cabin stood seven or eight burly Wu warriors.

That was the Third Princess Xia Yun's quarters.

Today was precisely the third day, yet it seemed Xia Yun had no intention of granting him an audience to refuse her.

Clearly, she had arranged it deliberately.

This further proved that Xia Yun truly wanted to recruit him.

Yet the more she valued him, the more Li Rui needed to keep his distance.

It wasn't that he possessed some innate talent for avoiding danger—he simply had no need to take risks. Had he lacked his many safeguards, he would have long since schemed to climb onto this Third Princess's back.

Who ever rose to high office without choosing a side?

The Third Princess was a fine patron.

But for Li Rui at this moment, she was unsuitable.

Since Xia Yun refused to see him, Li Rui treated the night's encounter as if it had never happened.

As Li Rui gazed from the deck, a disciple from Qianhe Martial Hall approached him: "Lord Li, our master wishes to speak with you."

When Li Rui heard it was He Qianian seeking him,

he nodded and descended to the lower cabin.

Soon he arrived before He Qianian's quarters.

Unlike the Third Princess's cabin, this one had no guards—not because He Qianian lacked status, but because he needed none.

He Qianian himself was the ship's greatest protector.

Li Rui walked into the room.

There he saw a simple, tidy room, where He Qianian sat by the window, calmly sipping tea.

"Senior He."

Li Rui bowed with clasped fists.

He Qianian saw Li Rui arrive, set down his teacup, and waved him over: "Come, sit."

Li Rui sat down.

He Qianian poured him a cup of tea himself, which left Li Rui genuinely startled.

"On this ship, you're the only one worth talking to. Since we've nothing better to do, let's chat a while."

Li Rui did not for a moment think chatting with He Qianian was a waste of time.

On the contrary.

Whether he went to the deck or not was irrelevant; what mattered was keeping this old immortal happy, ensuring the ship sailed safely out of Anning Prefecture—that had been Nie Siming's true purpose in bringing him here.

The thousand men aboard were mere decoration.

The real ballast was this white-haired, ruddy-faced old man before him.

He Qianian squinted slightly, sizing up Li Rui, then spoke: "No wonder Jiang Lin said the Yunzhou martial world has only him and you. You're stronger than I was at your age—you've real talent."

He could not see through Li Rui's true cultivation, but sometimes judging strength required only presence.

Li Rui possessed a unique aura.

"Senior, you flatter me."

He Qianian's interest only deepened.

"You've trained an exceptional external art."

Martial arts are divided into internal and external, but he was the most unusual of all: his internal qi cultivation was a mess, yet his external body was terrifyingly strong—he had forged himself into a Land Immortal.

Though often ranked first in martial evaluations, he never felt it was a slight.

Who else has ever become a Land Immortal by training only external arts?

He was proud.

Li Rui's external art stemmed from Dragon Elephant True Origin Force—its rank was extremely high, and he had already perfected it.

He Qianian felt an instant kinship, his enthusiasm rising, and he shared many insights on external cultivation with Li Rui.

"Though we who train external arts suffer, when it comes to killing power, I don't believe we're weaker than anyone else—one punch can conquer heaven."

"Especially at the Primordial Realm—I've found that those who perfect external arts can not only reach Primordial, but use external cultivation to enter the Dao, forging a Primordial Dao Embryo—a true Primordial!"

(End of Chapter)