Chapter 359: Fourth-Rank, a Gift from Heaven

"Deputy Commander Li?!"

Cao Wei heard those three words and involuntarily shuddered.

In Annan Town,

the highest rank was naturally Regional Commander Xue Gui, followed by the Eight Deputy Commanders, then only they as Assistant Regional Commanders.

Deputy Commander—that was a fourth-rank military officer, also known as Deputy Regional Commander, the right hand and left arm of the Regional Commander.

A full rank higher than him.

Each one was a major figure in Annan Town.

"When did Li Rui become fourth-rank?"

He stared at Li Rui in shock.

The rank he had long coveted had been effortlessly obtained by Li Rui without a word—but soon he calmed down.

Fourth-rank military officers were always appointed with extreme strictness.

Unless

"He's already a fourth-rank Primordial Martial Artist?!"

At this thought, Cao Wei's shock could no longer be suppressed; glancing at Nie Siming, he clearly already knew.

He never imagined Li Rui had silently broken through right under his nose.

Li Rui slowly stood up:

"Your servant accepts the order."

He had long received word of his appointment as Deputy Commander.

The imperial court was in urgent need of talent.

Annan Town was relocating to Qinghe, with countless affairs to manage; as a native of Qinghe, he knew the situation best and was the ideal candidate.

Li Rui also knew this was a golden opportunity for promotion.

So when he learned Annan Town was expanding its forces, he sent a letter to Yunzhou.

He had always been part of Xue Gui's faction.

Upon learning Li Rui had broken through, Xue Gui was overjoyed and immediately recommended Li Rui as Deputy Commander to the court.

Although who became Deputy Commander was no longer solely his decision, as Regional Commander of Annan Town, his recommendation carried great weight; the Ministry of War and Ministry of Personnel would consider it carefully before submitting it to His Majesty.

Once His Majesty personally approved it, the promotion was certain.

If he missed this chance, even if Li Rui later revealed his Primordial cultivation, promotion would not come easily—he'd have to wait years.

When the moment calls, you must seize it.

Moreover, with Li Rui's current strength, even revealing his Primordial realm would be enough to handle most crises.

It was simply going with the flow.

Didn't Nie Siming's tone toward him recently change from commanding to equal? Precisely because his new rank as Deputy Commander placed him on equal footing with Nie Siming.

Xue Gui nodded:

"Your performance in the Zijin Palace battle was meritorious; this Deputy Commander position is rightfully yours. Do not disappoint His Majesty's expectations."

"Yes."

Li Rui stood and said, "May His Majesty live ten thousand years."

Beside him, Cao Wei's expression was strange.

He distinctly remembered that in the Zijin Palace battle, he had charged ahead, while Li Rui hadn't even entered Zijin Palace.

How had he earned such great merit?

But he was a veteran of officialdom—he knew merit only mattered when someone wanted to promote you; otherwise, every frontline warrior who risked life and death would be a Grand General.

Everyone knew Li Rui had once been granted an audience in the imperial palace—did they really think it was just a casual meeting?

Behind it lay enormous opportunity for promotion.

Now it had finally been realized.

After speaking, Xue Gui waved his hand:

"Enough. Dismissed."

Nie Siming, Li Rui, and Cao Wei all took their leave.

When they entered,

Cao Wei and Li Rui walked together behind Nie Siming.

But once outside,

Li Rui and Nie Siming walked side by side ahead, while Cao Wei naturally fell in behind them, showing no discomfort that his former colleague was now his superior.

As for the General's Mansion,

he probably could never return there.

Yet Cao Wei felt no despair.

As the saying goes, proximity grants advantage; now Qinghe had not only a Regional Commander but also a Provincial Military Commander coming soon.

His chances for promotion had greatly increased.

He was delighted beyond measure.

After the lesson from Jiang Lin, he had gotten along reasonably well with Li Rui; now that Li Rui had been promoted, it harmed him not at all and even benefited him—he would never act foolishly.

Ahead, Nie Siming walked while speaking: "Deputy Commander Li, why wait for a better day? Let's train at the drill ground today?"

"No, I have matters today."

"Alright, then tomorrow."

The two spoke as if chatting over tea.

Behind them, Cao Wei listened, envious and startled.

Listen, listen.

Li Rui had only just become fourth-rank, yet he could already spar with Nie Siming, a master long famed across the land.

Envy was useless.

But Cao Wei knew—he was simply outmatched.

If he could advance as swiftly as Li Rui, he too could become a fourth-rank Deputy Commander.

Thus, among military officers, there was none of the petty scheming seen among civil officials.

Everything came down to strength.

The threshold was clear: if your realm was high enough, you were promoted.

Unlike civil officials, whose advancement depended entirely on their superior's whim.

The news that Regional Commander Xue Gui had arrived in Qinghe spread quickly through Yunzhou.

Cats who had smelled the scent soon followed to Qinghe.

Each tried to grab the first wave of profit.

As for the shrewder ones, they had already learned the news and sought out the newly appointed Deputy Commander, Li Rui.

The first to arrive

was Lin Lang, Vice Chairman of Tianyuan Trading Association.

"Brother Lin, you've come all this way—why bring gifts?"

Li Rui smiled at Lin Lang and his daughter standing before the Assistant Military Office.

The father and daughter carried no servants; the heavy and bulky gifts were all carried personally by the delicate young lady, Lin Wan.

It was too awkward not to accept.

Of course, he had never intended to refuse.

Li Rui quickly summoned the burly Liu Tiezhu to relieve the young lady of her burden.

He led Lin Lang and his daughter into the main hall.

Only then did he speak: "Brother Lin, it's neither festival nor holiday—why bring so many gifts? You've gone to too much trouble."

Lin Lang waved his hand: "Today is your great day, Brother Li. I've merely brought modest tokens. I heard the imperial decree has already reached the Ministry of Rites and will arrive in Qinghe soon."

In three sentences, he had already done Li Rui a favor.

Every official awaiting the imperial decree for promotion felt anxious.

By using his connections in the capital to deliver the news early, he had given Li Rui peace of mind.

Anyone hearing it would feel comforted.

!

Li Rui was sharp as a needle—he immediately grasped Lin Lang's implication, bowing slightly: "Younger Brother Lin, your words have relieved me of my sleepless nights and loss of appetite."

Lin Lang laughed heartily:

"Family doesn't speak in two tongues. Brother Li, you're no ordinary man—your resolve is unmatched, I've never seen its like. Don't tease me."

He gazed at Li Rui, calm and expressionless, showing no trace of joy over his promotion, and felt secretly astonished.

Li Rui was truly seasoned.

He had barely hinted at Qinghe's coming changes, yet quietly secured his fourth-rank Deputy Commander position.

That was ability.

Getting intelligence was ability; turning that intelligence into real advantage was true mastery.

Lin Lang admired capable people, especially capable officials.

That's why he rushed to be the first to congratulate Li Rui.

Li Rui: "You've gone to great trouble, Brother Lin."

Taking things from Lin Lang, he felt not the slightest guilt—after all, with the Tianyuan Merchant Association's resources, the Black Dragon Token, and his own influence as a fourth-rank official in Qinghe, he would make even more.

Lin Lang casually revealed a piece of news: "Master Li, I hear the man appointed as Provincial Military Commander is General Zhou Dinghai, the Wave Subduer."

The Tianyuan Merchant Association's backer is the Dingyuan Marquis.

The news was naturally well-sourced.

Upon hearing the title "Wave Subduer," Li Rui slightly narrowed his eyes.

General Zhou Dinghai, the Wave Subduer, was on extremely good terms with the Dingyuan Marquis.

Most of the military were loyal to Marquis Yuan; yet now they've sent a general from Jiangnan to Qinghe—anyone with eyes can see it's to curb Yuan Dingting's growing power.

Just the usual balancing act—nothing unusual.

Lin Lang continued: "Master Li, rest assured—General Zhou and my father are old friends. I'll speak a few words to him; he won't give you trouble."

Li Rui's close ties with Jiang Lin were known throughout the land.

Logically, he and the Dingyuan Marquis were on opposing sides; since Zhou Dinghai was close to the Dingyuan Marquis, he'd naturally look down on Li Rui.

But the situation wasn't without room for maneuver.

Party rivalry was for the big players.

For individuals, officials from different factions often cooperated.

As long as enough benefits were offered, plus the Tianyuan Merchant Association's connections—

The Wave Subduer certainly wouldn't make trouble.

Li Rui understood.

Lin Lang had just done him another enormous favor.

"Brother Lin, just as well—Miss Xia of Wu will return to Qinghe soon. We can all meet then."

Li Rui quickly returned the favor.

Lin Lang smiled knowingly.

Dealing with a clever man was always easier.

The two talked at length.

Only after the hour of Hai did Lin Lang finally leave, reluctant to part.

After Lin's father and daughter had departed, Liu Tiezhu stepped forward, staring at the pile of gifts stacked in the corner.

"Master, what should we do with all this?"

Li Rui: "Bring it to my room."

Back in his room,

he finally had time to open Lin Lang's gifts.

There was no shortage of them.

Six or seven wooden boxes had been piled in the room's corner by Liu Tiezhu.

Li Rui opened the first box at random—a lustrous, round elixir, radiating a fragrant aura, appeared before him.

"Peishen Great Elixir?"

His eyebrows lifted slightly.

A grand gesture.

He hadn't expected Lin Lang to give him such a surprise—this was a third-rank great elixir, worth a fortune.

Others would have mentioned such a precious elixir repeatedly to emphasize its value.

But Lin Lang?

Didn't say a word—utterly brazen.

This showed the Tianyuan Merchant Association's depth far surpassed ordinary merchant houses.

The first box yielded a Peishen Great Elixir; Li Rui grew curious—what lay in the others?

He opened another box.

Another great elixir!

Li Rui's eyelid twitched—even he was stunned by Lin Lang's extravagance.

He couldn't help but mutter: "Damn, this is too lavish."

When he opened the fourth box, his pupils contracted slightly at what he saw inside.

"Cold Soul Purple Crystal?!"

Seeing the translucent, purple jade within the wooden box,

Li Rui lost all composure.

For the Cold Soul Purple Crystal was one of the nine divine substances recorded in the Shengling Method!

(End of Chapter)