Chapter 373: Give the Witch Clan a Little Shock

Along the route, the envoy stayed only at post stations, rarely stopping in larger cities.

Several officials from the Honglu Temple were naturally displeased.

But since the post stations had been carefully prepared in advance, they held their tongues.

They understood.

This mission was a great humiliation for the Witch Nation.

So they let it go.

Truly, fortune shifts like water flowing in circles—legend says, when the founding emperor established the realm, inviting the Witch Nation northward was much the same.

After ten days of long travel.

The road ahead gradually widened.

The terrain became flat.

The official road, two zhang wide, was no worse than those in the heartland of Yu Nation.

A massive city, rivaling Yu's capital in grandeur, appeared before them.

Its walls, built of huge blocks of dark blue stone, rose over dozens of zhang high; from afar, the beast totems hanging atop them exuded overwhelming pressure.

Legend says the Witch Nation descends from the Beast God.

An entire nation reveres the Beast God as its ancestor.

The massive body of the Tu Shan Ox slowly entered the Witch Court's capital, passing unimpeded beneath the majestic gate.

"This… is the Witch Court?"

Even Minister Wang couldn't help but stare several times.

The Witch Court was extraordinarily prosperous—broad streets, bustling shops, and the imperial palace nearby, towering like a dragon—all revealed the city's deep heritage.

In terms of antiquity, this city was the greatest in the world.

It had existed even longer than Yu's capital.

After reaching the Witch Court's gate, the Black Witch Guards quietly returned to their barracks from one side.

Just inside the city.

Officials from the Witch Nation's Honglu Temple were already waiting behind the gate.

An elderly man with a kindly face stepped forward, arriving precisely before Minister Wang, who had just stepped down from his carriage.

"Minister Wang, you've endured much travel."

"Your lodgings are prepared—please follow me."

Immediately,

the entire envoy followed the Witch Nation's Honglu Temple officials to a mansion in the city's center.

"This must be the Witch Nation's Dianke Bureau."

Li Rui gazed at the luxurious courtyard of the Dianke Bureau, thinking to himself.

The Witch Nation's central court differed little from Yu's—it too had the Six Ministries and Five Temples; the main difference lay in local governance, where city lords wielded far greater power than Yu's prefects.

Settled into a private courtyard mansion.

Half the mission was already accomplished.

No danger, no incident.

Such dangerous missions, where envoys barely escaped with their lives, typically only occurred when dealing with small countries or nations that were hostile to each other.

Yu and the Witch Nation were both top-tier great powers.

Dare they kill the envoy?

The Holy Emperor would gladly seize such an excuse.

An envoy's death was not one man's disgrace—it was a nation's shame.

Yu need not even notify the Witch Nation; launching war would be perfectly justified.

They'd welcome it.

That kind of drama—great-power envoys dying abroad—was almost always staged by themselves.

"Finally, some peace."

Days of travel.

Even with his warrior's sturdy physique, he couldn't escape exhaustion.

Just as the maid brought steaming hot foot-washing water and he'd half-removed his boots,

a knock came at the door.

Li Rui frowned.

Logically, everyone in the envoy should be resting from fatigue—why would someone knock now?

Curious, he opened the door.

There stood Xia Xiaotang, smiling, dressed in a pale yellow gown, hands behind her back, looking charmingly lovely.

Li Rui fell silent.

Qin Huo's words had truly come true.

He'd barely arrived in the Witch Nation, and someone had already come calling.

"Could I really be that famous here?"

While lost in thought,

Xia Xiaotang's soft voice said, "Senior Li, it's been a long time."

"Miss Xia."

Li Rui smiled.

Xia Xiaotang: "By the way, did that old bastard Qin Huo give you trouble?"

Li Rui shook his head.

Recalling the journey, Qin Huo had been quite courteous to him and the Yu envoy.

"Why do you ask?"

Xia Xiaotang: "Qin Huo is the most staunch opponent in court of Yu's intervention—he always insists this is a Witch Nation matter, and that Yu's military action harms our national fortune."

Li Rui narrowed his eyes.

Such matters concerning high-ranking court figures—he had no way of knowing.

"He's hiding well."

After days together, not a single member of the envoy had realized Qin Huo was a hawkish faction member.

"No wonder he's called the Poisonous Scorpion."

The Poisonous Scorpion is dangerous not just because he's venomous, but because he's cunning.

Sometimes, the latter matters more than the former.

"Miss Xia—"

Li Rui's words had barely reached his lips when his smile froze.

An old man in a black cloak had appeared behind Xia Xiaotang, unseen until now.

And Li Rui had sensed nothing—this old man seemed fused with heaven and earth.

A name surfaced in his mind:

"Grand Witch!"

The Grand Witch's face, like ancient tree bark, smiled: "Li Rui, I've been waiting for you a long time."

"Waiting for me?"

Li Rui was stunned.

What merit did he have??

The Grand Witch, besides his exalted status, was among the top three strongest in the world.

A supreme figure of the realm was waiting for him?

Li Rui had never imagined this.

The Grand Witch glanced at the steaming basin of water in the courtyard.

!

"You're soaking your feet?"

An incense stick later,

a strange scene emerged in the courtyard: an old man, a girl, and an elder all soaking their feet together.

"Comfortable."

The Grand Witch leaned back, eyes half-closed in pleasure.

Li Rui stared at the Grand Witch beside him, expression odd.

Me?

The Grand Witch?

Soaking feet together?

Even the most imaginative storyteller couldn't have dreamed up such absurdity.

Stories need logic—but reality doesn't.

"The Grand Witch is surprisingly… approachable?"

But he certainly didn't believe a man who ruled the Witch Nation could be easy to deal with.

Enemies of the Eastern Wu.

The Great Wu is a peerless demonic god, a great demon that suppresses an entire region.

He should be grateful that he is not an enemy of the Great Wu.

The Great Wu suddenly spoke: "How was the taste of my Soul-Spirit Elixir?"

When Li Rui heard the words "Soul-Spirit Elixir."

Li Rui's expression froze.

What had to come, finally came.

He said sincerely: "Great Wu, I did indeed consume the Soul-Spirit Elixir. I am now powerless to repay it, but I will surely make full amends in the future."

Facing a being like the Great Wu,

any petty cleverness would only appear ridiculous—and push oneself into the abyss.

The wisest course is to seek truth.

The Great Wu smiled slightly: "Xiaotang has good eyesight—you truly possess Beast God potential."

When the words "Beast God potential" came from the Great Wu's mouth,

Li Rui was utterly thrown off balance.

What manner of being is the Beast God?

In Wu Country, it is the primordial god who opened heaven and earth, a supreme existence.

These four words carried immense weight.

The Great Wu: "If you ate it, you ate it. The elixir was meant for my foolish disciple—how she uses it is her own affair."

Li Rui's eyes flickered with surprise.

The Great Wu is actually quite kind.

Li Rui hurriedly said: "Thank you, Elder, thank you, Miss Xiaotang."

Sitting beside the Great Wu, Xia Xiaotang smiled triumphantly.

"Master, now you must believe my judgment, right?"

The Great Wu nodded:

"Indeed, quite good."

"Your external martial arts are well-trained; your internal martial arts are quite interesting."

Li Rui was greatly startled.

Under the Great Wu's sweeping gaze, nothing could be hidden from him.

Yet he heard the Great Wu chuckle: "It seems you have a good relationship with Gu Changsheng."

Li Rui was puzzled, unsure why the Great Wu asked this.

"Lord Gu once invited me to serve as an honored guest of the Wenxian Tower."

The Great Wu smiled lightly: "That explains it—Gu Changsheng's intervention masked your aura. Even I could not fully see through you."

"You're quite sought after."

"The Third Princess gave you the Black Dragon Token—she clearly has high hopes for you."

Li Rui replied humbly: "It is only because Princess Third holds me in high regard."

The Great Wu: "No—you deserve it."

"The Third Princess is naturally proud; those she deems worthy are all extraordinary talents."

"Keep the Black Dragon Token. From now on, you are a friend of the Wu clan."

Hearing the Great Wu's words,

Li Rui's heart nearly skipped a beat.

Though the Great Wu surely lacks the power to make words become law, this statement from his mouth means Li Rui can now walk freely across Wu Country!

"Thank you, Elder."

Li Rui quickly bowed.

The Great Wu waved his hand, his voice growing distant: "I am old now, my ears are soft. Those young ones all clamor daily for restoration."

"They have no idea how deep the waters run."

"I watched them grow up—I simply cannot harden my heart."

"But they must learn that there are always greater beings beyond them."

Li Rui listened quietly beside him.

He said nothing, waiting for the Great Wu to continue.

The Great Wu went on:

"You've all come—stay here a while longer. In a few days, the Wu clan's Grand Sacrifice will begin; wait until after it to return."

The Great Wu paused, then smiled warmly at Li Rui:

"Those brats have no sense of their limits—when the time comes, Li my lord, give them a little shock."

(End of Chapter)