Chapter 377: Fellow Travelers on the Dao

In the Dianke Office.

Li Rui sat alone in the room, the shadow of the rafters about to engulf him, making his figure dim and indistinct.

Feng Jing was dead.

The entire branch of the Chunfeng Hall was burned to ashes.

Left with nothing but charred residue.

"What exactly happened?"

The only consolation was that he was a member of the envoy team, every move watched by the Wu Kingdom's imperial court.

This was a cage, but also protection.

Otherwise, his fate might have been the same as Feng Jing's.

Li Rui could almost be certain.

Feng Jing's death was certainly tied to the secret guard's mission.

As Li Rui pondered, someone knocked on the door.

"Brother Li."

From the voice alone, he knew it was Nie Siming.

He opened the door.

There stood Nie Siming smiling at him: "Minister Wang has received the Wu Kingdom's imperial edict; we depart immediately. Pack your things—we leave at noon today."

Joy flashed in Li Rui's eyes.

Even if Nie Siming hadn't said anything, Li Rui would have sought out Minister Wang to find a way to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall.

Returning to Qinghe was far safer.

"Good."

Li Rui nodded.

Just as he was about to pack, Xia Xiaotang appeared gracefully before his small courtyard at the Dianke Office.

"Senior Li is preparing to leave?"

"Yes, the envoy team is returning to report."

Xia Xiaotang: "Alright, I was hoping you'd finally make it to the Wu court, and now that your business is done, I could show you around properly."

"There'll be other chances."

Li Rui suddenly asked: "Miss Xia, did you hear about the fire in the western quarter of the Wu court yesterday?"

Xia Xiaotang looked surprised: "I just heard—how do you know about it?"

Li Rui nodded:

"That shop was a branch of the Chunfeng Hall."

Xia Xiaotang knew Li Rui had founded the Chunfeng Hall; her expression turned grave.

"I'll have the Ministry of Justice pay closer attention."

She immediately sensed a conspiracy.

Li Rui had just arrived.

The Chunfeng Hall was hit—what were the odds? Someone must have orchestrated this.

But Xia Xiaotang did not suspect the Exiled Immortals.

She thought the young Wu military officers, thwarted by Li Rui, were retaliating—daring not to confront him directly, they struck at his Chunfeng Hall instead.

Seeing Xia Xiaotang intend to involve the Ministry of Justice, Li Rui gladly accepted:

"Then I'm in your debt, Miss Xia."

"But I fear I won't wait for the case to be solved. If you hear anything, just tell me—don't provoke any conflict."

Xia Xiaotang patted her chest: "Rest easy—I handle things with care."

At noon that day,

the Yu Kingdom's envoy team gathered at the entrance of the Dianke Office.

When they arrived, only officials from the Honglu Temple had been present; now, the Left Vice Minister of the Wu Kingdom's Ministry of Rites came personally to see them off.

Minister Wang was radiant with triumph.

He had performed brilliantly; back at court, he would earn even greater favor with His Majesty.

Just outside the city gates,

they saw the familiar Tuo Shan Ox waiting ahead.

Along with Qin Huo and the Black Witch Guards.

Qin Huo still wore his usual smiling face.

One would never guess he was a senior official who advocated resisting Yu's military mobilization.

'Miss Xia's assessment was right—he truly is a smiling tiger.'

Li Rui thought to himself.

Qin Huo stepped forward: "What a fortunate coincidence—we travel together once more. It is my great honor."

Minister Wang narrowed his eyes:

"Minister Qin, you are too modest. With you accompanying us, this journey feels far safer."

He had already learned from Li Rui

that this kindly old man who had traveled with them was none other than the head of the Wu Kingdom's Black Witch Guard intelligence network.

Hearing that had sent a cold sweat down his spine.

Now, seeing him again, he understood Qin Huo's true skill.

He had concealed himself perfectly.

Minister Wang, who had risen to his post as Vice Minister of Rites, was no fool—he could see through deception.

That was real ability.

At the city gate, they exchanged further pleasantries.

The carriages were loaded onto the Tuo Shan Ox's back, and they departed with reluctant farewells.

The envoy team traveled five days.

Everything proceeded smoothly.

The Tuo Shan Ox lay beside a clear lake, snoring softly.

Everyone sat around two campfires.

Their faces glowed red in the firelight.

The Yu Kingdom's envoy team gathered around one fire; the Wu Kingdom's cavalry, another—clearly divided.

Though the two kingdoms were allied, Qin Huo's allegiance ensured he could never truly draw close to the Yu envoy team. "The scenery of the Wu Kingdom has a unique charm."

"Indeed."

"Lake shimmering under moonlight, mountains hazy as night lingers on."

With his mission complete, Minister Wang was in high spirits—his literary nature surfaced.

Several officials from the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple quickly praised him:

"Your verse, though brief, captures mountains, water, and moon—yet I sense in it a spirit of loyalty to the state. You truly are a Top Graduate; we must learn from you."

The others followed suit, eager not to be left behind.

It resembled the forced literary analysis of his past life.

Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong showed no interest whatsoever.

They always scoffed at such literary pretensions—better to spend that time practicing martial forms twice over.

Li Rui shook his head with a quiet smile.

!

He himself had memorized many half-lines of poetry—but he had no desire to become the Yu Kingdom's Poet Immortal, nor could he.

In his past life, great poetry relied heavily on classical allusions.

This world had none of those references; forcing them in would only sound jarring, hollow, lifeless.

Besides, the Yu Kingdom's own Poet Immortals were no slouches.

Just as Minister Wang was about to craft the second half of his verse, planning to boast about it to the old scholars in the capital, Qin Huo approached.

"Minister Li, Miss Xia has a message she wants me to deliver to you."

Seeing Qin Huo approach Li Rui,

the others looked surprised.

Especially Minister Wang, whose eyes flashed with sharp interest.

He had known Li Rui had ties to the Wu court—but now it seemed his connections extended to other Wu officials as well.

'This man is of great value.'

Had Li Rui not already been Deputy Commander of Annan Garrison, he would have moved heaven and earth to bring him into the Ministry of Rites.

With the Yu-Wu alliance,

they would interact constantly in the future. With Li Rui in play, matters would proceed far more smoothly.

Li Rui did not rise immediately.

Instead, he turned to Minister Wang: "Minister Wang, I have a junior who runs a trading house—Miss Xia has been helping me oversee it."

The words were addressed to Minister Wang, but everyone could hear them.

He does have good relations with the Witch Kingdom.

But we cannot let everyone think he is colluding with the Witch Kingdom.

Otherwise, someone might use this as ammunition.

Minister Wang smiled and waved his hand: "No problem—Li Daoren may go."

Who in the imperial court doesn't have private assets? He has countless of them; Li Rui simply has the advantage of proximity and seized the opportunity, extending his private business into the Witch Kingdom.

Earning Witch Kingdom silver and bringing it back to Yu Kingdom is clearly a great thing.

And he has made no effort to conceal it.

Li Rui conducts himself openly; he naturally won't make things difficult for him.

Hearing Minister Wang's words, Li Rui rose and joined Qin Huo in walking into the forest away from the bonfire.

Qin Huo suddenly spoke:

"Li Daoren, you're truly a hidden master—I never expected you to be from the Shadow Guard. Impressive, very impressive."

As he spoke, Qin Huo fixed his gaze on Li Rui.

He wanted to see fear flicker in Li Rui's eyes.

Unfortunately.

Li Rui's eyes remained as still as an ancient well, not a ripple stirred—he chuckled softly: "Likewise, Qin Daoren, you're in the same line of work."

Hearing Li Rui's reply, Qin Huo burst into laughter.

Indeed.

Yu Kingdom has the Shadow Guard; so does the Witch Kingdom.

And he himself is the Witch Kingdom's equivalent of a Zhenshan Envoy.

"Li Daoren, you keep surprising me more and more."

Li Rui's smile did not fade.

Qin Huo's identity was something Li Rui had deduced.

He knew Xia Xiaotang—if there was intelligence, it would be sent by someone else, never Qin Huo.

Combined with Qin Huo's earlier words, his identity was obvious.

"Is there something you need, Qin Daoren?"

Qin Huo's smile vanished: "Li Daoren, since we're colleagues, let me speak plainly. The Shadow Guard agent in your Chunfeng Hall was slain by a fallen immortal."

At this,

Li Rui slightly narrowed his eyes.

Of course!

Feng Jing was a Xiantian martial cultivator, and bore the methods left by Gu Changsheng—no ordinary person could have killed him.

Qin Huo stared intently at Li Rui:

"Li Daoren, since we're in the same trade, let me be direct."

"I'm also investigating that fallen immortal."

It was precisely because he discovered Feng Jing was also investigating that he uncovered Feng Jing's Shadow Guard identity, and from there traced it back to Li Rui.

Li Rui: "Qin Daoren, you know these people's actions carry immense weight. If you learn anything, we must share information."

Qin Huo smiled warmly at Li Rui:

"Li Daoren, you've spoken straight to my heart. Fallen immortals are the root of court chaos; Grand Witch once said that as heaven and earth stir, the number of fallen immortals descending grows ever greater."

"Only by uniting can our two kingdoms stand against them."

"Please deliver this sealed letter to He Daoren."

Saying this,

he pulled a wax-sealed letter from his robe.

(End of Chapter)