Chapter 322: One Shoulder Bears the Sun and Moon

"Primordial Dao Embryo?"

Li Rui's expression brightened.

He had once seen this concept in an ancient text.

"When a martial artist reaches the Primordial Realm, they return to the fetal form, uniting life and nature—yet few know there is another realm beyond Primordial, called the Dao Embryo Realm."

"The Dao Embryo is the resonance between Heaven and Man, directly pointing to the Great Dao."

The so-called Dao Embryo is a step beyond the Primordial Realm—not merely returning to the fetal form, but returning directly to the Great Dao.

Thus, those with a Primordial Dao Embryo are also called Great Primordial, the realm countless martial artists spend their lives pursuing.

He Qianian saw Li Rui's interested expression and smiled slightly:

"I only tell you this because I see you have some talent. We external martial artists are all hard-luck folk. I only gained insight after crossing the Primordial Realm. You're still in the Observing the Sea Realm—if one day you reach Primordial, you might give it a try."

"The Dao Embryo Realm is one in ten thousand. Let fate decide."

He Qianian spoke at length.

That was his nature: if he didn't like someone, he'd find even one word too much; if he liked someone, a thousand words still weren't enough.

Don't be fooled by how he spent his days cooped up in the Thousand Crane Martial Hall.

He knew more about matters in Qinghe City than most.

Previously, when Li Rui visited under Jiang Lin's name, he agreed to restrain his disciples not because of any obligation—but because he took a liking to Li Rui.

It wasn't out of greed.

He simply had a natural fondness for any martial artist who excelled in external cultivation.

Men of the Jianghu, especially those who trained external arts, had what ill intentions?

Their skills were forged through hardship alone, relying on nothing external.

He had long known Li Rui of Qinghe possessed great martial talent—and even caught the eye of Marquis Yuan. He'd kept Li Rui's name in mind until this meeting, when he discovered Li Rui not only bore the Dragon Form, but his external cultivation was unexpectedly superb.

That's why he was willing to reveal the Dao Embryo secret.

Li Rui bowed solemnly: "Thank you, Elder."

On the martial path, a single piece of advice from an elder is worth more than ten years of practice.

The Dao Embryo Realm is the supreme pinnacle of the Primordial Realm.

He was already at the Ascending the Moon Realm; Primordial was inevitable. With a master's guidance, his future path would be smoother.

He Qianian was in high spirits, gazing at the widening river as he spoke:

"Most Primordial martial artists neglect external cultivation and favor internal arts—but I've come to believe that only by perfecting external cultivation can one possibly reach the Dao Embryo Realm."

Li Rui voiced his doubt:

"Even you, Elder He, haven't achieved it?"

He knew He Qianian's external martial arts were among the best among third-rank martial artists.

If even He Qianian couldn't attain the Dao Embryo Realm, others stood no chance.

He Qianian grew melancholy:

"I was too eager back then, afraid of missing the third-rank breakthrough—I rushed it. Only after a hundred years did I realize my mistake."

"By the time I understood, it was too late. Too late to regret. I see your external cultivation is strong, so I told you this much."

Li Rui bowed deeply again:

"The Jianghu is fortunate to have elders like you."

He was a commoner by birth—he knew no elder was obligated to guide the young. In fact, elders often crushed their successors without mercy, draining them dry to grow stronger themselves.

Li Rui wasn't He Qianian's disciple, yet He Qianian chose to reveal the Dao Embryo secret to him.

It might be a great opportunity.

Of course he owed thanks.

He Qianian waved a hand with a chuckle: "I'm just talking. If you end up hitting a dead end, don't blame me for misleading you."

Li Rui fell silent.

"Just talking with me, Elder He, is already a great favor."

He Qianian looked at Li Rui and sighed softly:

"Pity—if you were fifty years younger, I'd take you as my final disciple."

Li Rui grinned: "Transmission doesn't need master-disciple ties—just keep it alive."

He Qianian rolled his eyes:

"You think you can steal my martial legacy for free?"

"Not a chance."

Outside the window, the river widened further, until the vast expanse of the river came into view—large ships sailed down the center, a hundred meters from either bank.

"We've entered the Chijiang."

The Yu Empire's Grand Canal, beyond its man-made sections, mostly followed existing natural waterways—otherwise, a canal stretching tens of thousands of miles could never have been dug in ten generations.

Qinghe connects to the Chijiang; once you enter the Chijiang, you've entered the Canal.

The Chijiang far surpasses Qinghe in grandeur—the river is wide enough that laborers no longer drag boats by hand; sails are fully raised, and speed has increased several-fold.

One could call it a thousand li per day.

Once inside the Chijiang, they'd exit Anning Prefecture in a single day—then others would take over to continue escorting Princess Three northward.

Li Rui had fulfilled his duty.

Unconsciously, Li Rui and He Qianian talked until late into the night.

He Qianian was in high spirits, watching Li Rui depart with obvious reluctance.

Li Rui returned to his cabin.

It wasn't far from He Qianian's—among the best spots on the ship, even with hot water for washing, truly luxurious.

Word was this ship had been specially dispatched from Jiangnan by the Canal Transport Office.

As the wealthiest region in the land,

Jiangnan's ships were extravagantly crafted.

One wouldn't feel they were on a boat—the cabin furnishings rivaled those of the finest inns in Qinghe City.

As usual, Li Rui practiced qi circulation, never slacking.

He didn't sleep. Instead, he returned to the deck.

On this ship, only He Qianian and Nie Siming surpassed him in martial skill—he took it upon himself to stand watch.

Could he let those two stand watch themselves?

That would be terribly improper.

Li Rui always knew his place.

The night river wind was no longer gentle—it was biting—but for a martial artist of Li Rui's realm, such wind couldn't possibly cause illness.

When he stepped onto the deck,

he saw Ning Zhongtian leading Anning Guard soldiers on patrol.

Seeing Li Rui appear,

Ning Zhongtian approached: "Big Brother, all's normal. We'll exit Anning Prefecture at noon the day after tomorrow."

Li Rui nodded.

Not a single error, not a single slip, not a single flaw in the details!

This time, the Anning Guard deployed over a hundred men—all from Ning Zhongtian's two battalions.

This arrangement wasn't just because they wanted their own men to share in the glory.

Well, that was also a major reason.

Besides Ning Zhongtian, Tan Hu, Ge Hong, and Wei Ming were also aboard.

Naturally, Li Rui had arranged it deliberately.

But beyond personal preference, escorting was too critical to risk failure—of course he must use his most trusted men. At a time like this, pretending to be fair to all would be utterly foolish.

But aside from personal bias, the escort mission was too critical to risk any mistake—of course he must use his most trusted men; insisting on fairness at a time like this was plainly foolish.

while it couldn't guarantee promotions for all these old comrades, securing several major merits was no problem.

They might even use it later to help them transition into civil service.

To promote someone, you can't lift them from nothing—you need proper experience.

What is experience?

Of course, it's what you've done.

The Ministry of Personnel's officials weren't just powerful—they were unmatched at checking records.

Every promoted official had at least a plausible dossier.

Li Rui wanted to promote these old comrades too.

Now was the perfect time to build their records.

The night passed without incident.

Li Rui stood on the deck like a statue, earning the respect of every passing soldier.

A commander who leads from the front always wins hearts.

Li Rui endured the river wind all night.

Of course, it was for show.

Of course it's just for show.

It's for the officers and soldiers passing by, and for Nie Siming and the Third Princess too—just to show a dedicated attitude.

Otherwise, why would anyone do something so needlessly hard?

Isn't it better to stay in the cabin, drinking and eating meat?

A faint line of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon.

Fishing boats on the river began to multiply; compared to the massive vessel beneath them, these boats could truly be called single leaves adrift.

Li Rui found it curious.

He knew very little about fishermen's lives, mostly only from books.

He watched young fishermen, clad only in shorts, leap into the river; each time they surfaced, their spears bore a catch.

It looked lively, but in truth, fishermen's lives were far more miserable than those of farmers tilling the soil.

Not only was it dangerous, but fish were cheap.

Fish from the riverside fetched no good price, and without the freezing technology of his past life, transporting them far away was too costly—so fishermen rarely married.

Li Rui was lost in idle thoughts.

Suddenly, a cry rang out:

"My lord, a boat is approaching us."

Li Rui's gaze turned toward it.

A small boat, only five feet long, drifted slowly toward the large vessel; on its bow stood a young man, wearing a straw hat, posture upright, yet carrying an enormous pole across his shoulders—unusual among all the fishing boats on the river.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes.

"A master!"

Though he could not judge the young man's exact realm, one thing was certain: the man was powerful.

He had just sent someone to summon Nie Siming and He Qianian.

And now he saw the man had already arrived beneath the great ship.

A clear voice rang out: "Chen Ming of Shu, hearing that the Third Princess of Wu has come to Yu, brings a gift."

Finished speaking.

The young man gripped the pole at his waist, drove one end into the water, and planted his feet in a horse stance, muscles straining.

The next instant.

A scene stunned everyone.

The massive ship was lifted clean off the river by the young man's pole, suspended unnaturally above the water.

Li Rui's pupils contracted:

"One shoulder lifts the sun and moon—Chen Ming!"

(End of Chapter)