Chapter 338

"Little Uncle?"

Yao Xue also stared in surprise at Gu Changsheng, who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Father, when did you return?"

Jiang Yan's big eyes were filled with confusion.

Just moments ago, she had been picking out rouge with Yao Xue, then suddenly realized Li Rui was gone.

The two women were about to search for him.

Then Li Rui appeared as if by magic—not just himself, but Jiang Linxian and Gu Changsheng appeared with him.

For some reason.

She always felt today's father seemed lighter, more at ease than usual.

Jiang Linxian chuckled: "Yan'er, Xiao Xue, take whatever you like today—this shop is your Uncle Gu's, help yourselves."

Yao Xue's eyes widened.

She never imagined her little uncle had done so much behind her back.

The world-famous Tianxiang Pavilion was secretly owned by her little uncle.

This truly shocked her.

Gu Changsheng showed no embarrassment, snapping his fan open with a whoosh:

"Today's full of good fortune—take whatever you want."

At dusk,

Li Rui finally returned to his room at the Dianke Office.

"Younger Brother Jiang,"

he shook his head with a smile.

He hadn't expected this Sword Immortal to be such a romantic—Jiang Linxian had gone to great lengths to track down his wife's killer.

The killer was a fallen immortal.

The opponent was too strong, forcing Jiang Linxian to be extremely cautious; he had pursued the trail for over twenty years and finally found some leads.

But Jiang Linxian and Gu Changsheng were too conspicuous—they'd easily alarm the killer—so he needed a helper.

That's why Jiang Linxian went to such lengths to make Li Rui a Xun Shan Envoy: he valued Li Rui's abilities, and the Xun Shan Envoy's position granted many privileges that would help Li Rui track down the killer.

But the Xun Shan Envoy was a high imperial post—could Li Rui even become one?

Neither he nor Gu Changsheng had the final say; only the ruler of the Dragon Court's approval could make it happen.

That's why they carefully orchestrated everything up to now.

Li Rui agreed without hesitation.

It wasn't as if he had to kill an immortal—what was there to fear?

And according to Jiang Linxian, fallen immortals were all soul-possessed corpses, suppressed by the power of this world, and thus could be killed.

Gu Changsheng had killed one before.

If it could be killed, it wasn't truly an immortal.

Li Rui was nearly at the Primordial Realm—he'd have to face karmic consequences eventually; clinging only to self-preservation would only drag him down.

The wisest course was to find a reliable ally.

Jiang Linxian and Gu Changsheng seemed quite capable.

So since he'd already decided to cling to a leg, he might as well grip it firmly.

Jumping in wholeheartedly would earn him a great favor.

Jiang Linxian saw potential in him—and didn't he see potential in Jiang Linxian?

The mist clouding his heart lifted.

Li Rui's spirits soared.

He took out the elixir Gu Changsheng had given him.

Jiuyang Pill.

Another third-rank great elixir.

Gu Changsheng's generosity was extraordinary—he'd carefully selected it just for Li Rui's breakthrough to the Primordial Realm.

"The Pavilion Master truly is thoughtful."

Just these two great elixirs made his trip to the capital a massive profit.

Clearly,

Gu Changsheng went to such lengths to help him because he wanted Li Rui to have better self-preservation ability while hunting the killer.

If Li Rui had refused, he'd never have received this elixir.

As before,

Li Rui's essence, qi, and spirit had not yet reached peak condition—he needed time to nurture them before fully unlocking the elixir's potency.

This was much like bathing and burning incense before prayer.

"Senior, are you leaving already?"

"Third Sister's wedding is in a few days—why not stay until after?"

Xia Xiaotang arrived at the Dianke Office today.

She saw Li Rui packing his belongings.

"My superior is pressing hard—I must leave. This wedding gift, please deliver it to Third Princess for me."

Saying this,

Li Rui pulled a wooden box as large as a human head from a nearby chest.

Xia Xiaotang took the box, blinking: "Senior, you really won't stay?"

She was, of course, a messenger sent by Third Princess.

But she favored Li Rui more, so whether he stayed or left didn't matter to her.

Li Rui shook his head: "I won't stay."

Then, unusually, he added: "Miss Xia, the capital isn't a safe place—you should return to Wu Kingdom as soon as possible."

Xia Xiaotang was no fool.

She understood exactly what Li Rui meant.

Third Princess's presence would stir up turmoil in Yu Kingdom's court; her noble status ensured she wouldn't be harmed, but those around her?

Disaster was inevitable—only the ruthless would survive.

Li Rui didn't consider himself one of those ruthless ones.

Understand this: it's not because you're ruthless that you survive—it's because you survive that you become ruthless.

Cause and effect cannot be reversed.

In his youth, working as a stable boy for the Zhu family, he liked gambling—then he stopped, because he always lost.

Seeing Li Rui was determined to leave,

Xia Xiaotang didn't try to persuade him—after all, she'd return to Wu Kingdom eventually, and they'd meet again.

Thinking of this,

she pulled a token from her sleeve.

It was rugged, ancient, engraved with a strange beast totem.

"Third Sister asked me to give you this—it's the royal token of Wu Kingdom. With it, you'll find many things easier there."

"Third Sister also said, even if we can't be allies, we can still be friends."

"Thank you, Senior, for your escort these past days."

Xia Xiaotang then grinned: "Senior, take it—this time, I mean it sincerely."

Li Rui took the heavy, cold black iron token. He thought of the two others already on him, and his expression turned strange.

This trip to the capital,

besides the two great elixirs, the most numerous items were tokens.

Qianhe Martial Hall, Wenxian Pavilion, Shadow Guards—and now a Wu Kingdom royal badge.

His posture would have to stand extra straight from now on.

That day,

Li Rui, Ge Hong, and Tan Hu boarded a boat south with Nie Siming.

Only a few days passed.

They returned to Qinghe.

"Big Brother, you're finally back!"

Ning Zhongtian, hearing Li Rui had returned, rushed straight to the Assistant Military Commander's residence.

One look at Tan Hu and Ge Hong also there.

Jealousy.

Had twisted his face into a snarl.

He truly wanted to follow Li Rui and see the capital's wonders—but his rank was too high, so he had to return first.

Thinking of his two comrades feasting and drinking in the capital with Li Rui,

he couldn't help but seethe with rage.

He was seething with rage.

Tan Hu chuckled: "Chief Ning, this capital's different—Big Brother even took us inside the Imperial Palace. Wow, just how grand it was."

Though he knew Tan Hu was deliberately provoking him, Ning Zhongtian still felt a pang of envy.

That was the Imperial Palace.

Few in all of Yu State had ever set foot inside.

How could he not want to go?

Ge Hong, rarely one to tease, added: "Ning, you've never tasted the fish from Dongbaoju—utterly delicious. You didn't see how our Big Brother crushed the Top Graduate on the martial examination grounds."

The imperial examination had ended.

The results had already been posted.

As expected, Xu Yan became the Top Graduate of this year's martial examination.

Though he hadn't defeated the Nine Yin Dragon, among all the candidates he stood head and shoulders above the rest—it had to be him.

For this reason,

Xu Yan specifically visited Li Rui at the Dianke Office on the day the results were posted, solely to express his thanks.

He called him "Teacher" over and over.

He clearly regarded Li Rui as a respected elder.

Li Rui was naturally pleased to cultivate a bond with a Top Graduate.

Xu Yan had become Top Graduate, yet Li Rui had bested him on the grounds—this meant Li Rui surpassed even the Top Graduate.

News from the capital had not yet reached Qinghe.

Ning Zhongtian's eyes widened. He immediately grabbed Ge Hong and Tan Hu, demanding they recount every detail of those days.

When he heard Li Rui had even met His Majesty,

His mouth hung open, unable to close.

That was the Holy Emperor!

Ning Zhongtian was filled with regret—if he'd known, he'd have stayed in the capital even if it meant facing Nie Siming's wrath.

To miss so much excitement was a great regret in life.

Li Rui smiled and waved his hand: "Fourth Brother, don't listen to their nonsense. I met the Emperor, had a hot pot meal, and that was all."

Upon hearing this,

Ning Zhongtian grew even more depressed.

Eating hot pot with the Holy Emperor—how extraordinary.

Supreme favor!

"By the way, Fourth Brother, has anything happened in town lately?"

Speaking of serious matters,

Ning Zhongtian grew serious: "There is one thing—recently, someone claimed to have encountered an Immortal in the Ten Thousand Mountains. The rumor has spread widely; I've already sent men to investigate."

Li Rui nodded.

Such things were common. Usually, they were just heretical sects using tricks to spread their teachings.

Some even claimed to be the younger brother-in-law of the Immortal Court's Lord.

Nothing unusual.

Yu State strictly controlled proselytizing; suppressing heretical sects was the duty of the Thirty-Two Garrisons. But over the past century, heretical sects had dwindled—only the Ghost Ming Sect still caused trouble, and nothing else remained.

Thus, they had gradually been forgotten.

Now that a heretical sect had suddenly reappeared, it demanded close attention.

If it was the old familiar Ghost Ming Sect behind this, they must be crushed utterly. The city now had even one Earth Immortal—should things turn dire, they could still seek aid from the Annan Marquis's mansion.

Of course, evil must be eradicated completely.

Back in Qinghe,

life returned to its usual rhythm.

Nothing but cultivation and reading books.

The only change was that since returning from the capital, Li Rui's status as Assistant Military Commander had subtly surpassed Cao Wei's—he now stood as the second most powerful man after Nie Siming.

It wasn't Li Rui's doing; Cao Wei had withdrawn on his own.

He'd likely heard rumors from the capital—these were the changes brought by his journey there.

Li Rui didn't care.

He didn't seek power, but when fate pushed him forward, he wouldn't retreat.

Let things unfold naturally.

One day,

Li Rui sat cross-legged in his room, a faint green luminescence subtly enveloping his body.

At this moment,

his essence, energy, and spirit had never been more full.

'Almost there.'

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Then he took the Nine Yang Elixir from his bosom.

He swallowed it in one gulp.

The violent medicinal force exploded through his limbs and bones, cleansing every hidden impurity; Li Rui felt more clear and lucid than ever before.

The next instant,

the churning sea of qi in his dantian surged like a river reversed.

Guided by the elixir's power, it washed over his entire body again and again.

Finally,

at a certain moment, it reached its critical threshold.

Li Rui spoke two words.

'Primordial.'

(End of Chapter)