Chapter 438: The Premier Virtue of the Southern Lands

The centennial birthday banquet of Li Rui, Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, General of Zhenshan, and Marquis of Marquis Pingyuan, was naturally of the highest caliber.

Even though Li Rui had no intention of throwing a grand feast.

Yet upon hearing the news, many nobles and elites in Qinghe County still came voluntarily to offer their congratulations.

At once, the general's mansion was filled with a sea of guests.

To this,

Li Rui's own words were: "No guest shall be turned away."

Since they came, treat them as guests—after all, the centennial banquet was already underway; to shut the door on them would be both impolite and petty.

He now had the confidence to say so.

Moreover, compared to other third-rank officials, his banquet's scale was truly not excessive.

Just after the hour of Si,

one after another, high-ranking dignitaries entered in succession, smiling warmly to offer their congratulations.

The four brothers of the Lianghe Sect stood at the gate to receive guests.

Li Rui's four disciples had all already made considerable names for themselves in Qinghe.

And all were at the Sixth Rank realm.

As for Below Tongxuan, no need to speak of it—he would surely become a Master of the Primordial Realm in time.

Seeing them, every guest felt envy.

Each praised Li Rui's keen eye for talent.

And they had heard: Li Rui never cared about innate talent when taking disciples—only two words mattered: loyalty to the old.

All four disciples were those he had befriended long before they rose to prominence.

This had become a celebrated tale in Qinghe.

Most guests came to pay respects to Li Rui, exchanged a few pleasantries, then were led by Lianghe and the others into the courtyard.

Only a few close acquaintances stayed behind.

"Old Brother Li, congratulations and best wishes."

Lin Lang arrived first at the mansion with Lin Wan.

Li Rui looked at Lin Lang, whose bearing had grown ever more radiant, and smiled: "Old Brother Lin, your vigor has only increased since the old days."

Lin Lang laughed heartily:

"Old Brother Li, don't tease me—I've heard your immortal arts are now fully perfected, that you'll live for centuries without issue; I'm utterly envious."

His eyes truly brimmed with envy.

Limited by his talent, he remained only at the Primordial Realm.

He knew his own limits—if he didn't receive some great fortune, he had almost no chance of entering Below Tongxuan.

As for switching to the immortal path, he had no talent for it whatsoever.

But Li Rui was different: though this was a centennial banquet, in the span of his long life, it was barely the beginning.

How could he not envy him?

Li Rui: "Old Brother Lin, wealth nourishes a man—I'm waiting for your own centennial banquet."

Lin Lang laughed even louder.

As the two spoke,

another sound of footsteps came from outside, followed by Nie Nie Siming's boisterous voice: "Old Brother Li!"

Before the words had fully reached them,

Nie Nie Siming, Yuan Xiong, and Ning Ning Zhongtian, who had come from Mount Changqing Peak, appeared.

Li Rui's smile widened: "Come in, come in—you're all family."

All of them offered their congratulations.

Not only that, each brought a gift.

Merely the aura they emitted revealed their extraordinary nature.

Afterwards,

many more elites from Qinghe, even prominent figures from Yunzhou and the southern frontier, came to offer their congratulations.

Those who had gathered outside Annan Town to watch the spectacle were utterly envious.

Each of these people was a towering figure, admired by countless others.

And today, they had all traveled great distances to celebrate Li Rui's birthday.

Remarkable!

Especially the longtime residents of Qinghe, who felt immense pride.

Who didn't know?

Li Rui was a true native of Qinghe.

This brought great honor to Qinghe!

Who could have imagined that such a small pond as Qinghe could nurture a dragon like Li Rui?

How could they not be stirred?

The assembled nobles chatted in small groups within Li Rui's estate—today's banquet was not merely an opportunity to court Li Rui, but also a prime chance to forge alliances with powerful figures across the land.

Those who came to congratulate were all seasoned players within their own factions.

Naturally, none would miss it.

As the group chatted enthusiastically,

a middle-aged man in a crimson python robe, with a tiger emblem embroidered on his chest, entered Li's mansion.

In all of Qinghe, only one man dared wear such attire.

Provincial Military Commander Zhou Zhou Dinghai!

Behind Zhou Zhou Dinghai came a host of generals from Annan Town, including Regional Commander Xue Gui.

The entire Qinghe military had arrived!

The scene was nothing short of grand.

The nobles present were all secretly astonished.

Regional Commander Xue Gui arriving with the Annan Town officers was normal—he was Li Rui's equal in rank, and Li Rui was a veteran of Annan Town.

But for Provincial Military Commander Zhou Zhou Dinghai to come in person—

that elevated the occasion to an entirely different level!

Who was Zhou Zhou Dinghai?

He was a second-rank Provincial Military Commander.

In terms of real power, he ranked among the top fifteen in the entire Yu Empire's court.

Such a towering figure had come personally to congratulate Li Rui, a third-rank official.

What an extraordinary honor!

Even the title of Marquis of Marquis Pingyuan did not warrant such a visit from a man of his stature.

It could only be due to personal ties.

Hearing Zhou Zhou Dinghai had arrived, Li Rui no longer remained seated in the main hall.

True, it was his birthday banquet, but Zhou Zhou Dinghai was his superior—he could not neglect proper etiquette.

He stepped out of the main hall.

There he saw Zhou Zhou Dinghai laughing heartily: "Official Li, congratulations."

Li Rui smiled faintly and personally led Zhou Zhou Dinghai and his party into the hall.

"Commander Zhou, you flatter me—it's merely the thoughtfulness of my disciples."

The Yu Empire had long held the custom of centennial banquets.

Naturally, these were mostly for powerful cultivators.

After all, ordinary people rarely lived to such an age.

A hundred years—even for a Master of martial arts—was a long time; usually, the younger generation would organize it, especially among great clans and major sects, who treated the matter with great seriousness.

A centennial banquet was a prime opportunity to court nobility and display one's strength.

Though Zhou Zhou Dinghai's status was higher, he had no intention of stealing the spotlight from the birthday honoree.

After chatting with Li Rui for about fifteen minutes, he departed voluntarily.

Li Rui understood.

Zhou Zhou Dinghai had deliberately elevated his prestige.

His departure now was precisely to avoid overshadowing Li Rui.

Zhou Zhou Dinghai's thoughtfulness stemmed from Li Rui's repeated great achievements; though they were not in the same faction, Li Rui had been a tremendous asset to Zhou Zhou Dinghai.

That was why he had come today.

But Zhou Zhou Dinghai's appearance instantly elevated Li Rui's standing in the eyes of the congratulating nobles by several notches.

Knowing a powerful figure was impressive—but making a superior like Zhou Zhou Dinghai come in person? That was true ability.

Many had originally planned to leave.

Seeing Zhou Zhou Dinghai arrive, they turned right back.

Zhou Zhou Dinghai's arrival had brought the centennial banquet to its peak.

But then.

The envoys from Jingcheng and the Witch Court elevated the banquet to another level.

"Minister of Rites, Lin Hai, wishes Lord Li good fortune as boundless as the Eastern Sea!"

"Imperial Witch Court Inspector-General Sang Kong extends his congratulations!"

One after another, gifts arrived from Jingcheng and the Witch Court.

Letting everyone present understand what true reach and influence meant.

Everyone knew Li Rui had hands and eyes that reached everywhere.

But only today did they truly feel it firsthand.

Not only did over a dozen third-rank officials from Jingcheng send gifts, but even in the Witch Court, so many high officials came to offer birthday wishes.

He commands both nations!

But the true shock was yet to come.

Around midday.

Another envoy arrived from Jingcheng.

As everyone speculated which high official it might be, the young man announced: "Prince Qi, wishing Lord Li a long and prosperous life!"

This time.

Everyone completely lost their composure.

Officials offering birthday wishes was one thing.

But for a prince, a son of the imperial family, to come himself—that was becoming absurd.

Li Rui gazed at the young man who had rushed from the Fourth Prince's mansion to Qinghe.

Even he was somewhat startled.

But he soon understood.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was the work of that woman, Xia Yun.

When even the Fourth Prince had sent someone.

Only then did the many nobles in the courtyard realize that among Li Rui's acquaintances, they were the ones with neither power nor status.

But soon they discovered things were far more complicated than they'd imagined.

Quickly.

Another envoy arrived from Jingcheng.

A young man dressed in a Daoist robe.

"Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Gu Gu Changsheng, on behalf of Jiang Lin, wishes Lord Li longevity and boundless fortune!"

Hearing that even the Director and Deputy Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had come to offer congratulations.

The crowd was no longer surprised.

After all, who in Yu Kingdom didn't know Li Rui was a guest advisor of the Immortal Inquiry Pavilion, a confidant of Gu Gu Changsheng, and even called Jiang Lin brother?

But for a first-rank terrestrial immortal to send someone to offer congratulations.

This was unquestionably an unparalleled honor.

Yet today, Li Rui had received such honors twice.

Yuan An, the Prince of Annan, entered the courtyard.

"Master, I come on behalf of my father to offer birthday wishes!"

Master? Father?!

Everyone present here was well-informed—how could they not recognize the noble young man before them as the only son of Marquis Yuan Yuan Dingting of Annan, the undisputed future Marquis?

The only son of the Military Saint, Yuan Yuan Dingting, had come in person to offer congratulations.

How great a favor this was!

And they had just heard Yuan An call him not "Lord Li," but "Master."

Those two words were truly extraordinary.

Prince's Master!

It could rightly be called the most prestigious title in the southern lands.

Li Rui looked at Yuan An and sighed helplessly: "Prince, you really don't need to call me Master—I'm not worthy."

Yuan An's eyes flickered with mischief: "My parents said I paid homage to you as a child—that makes you my Master."

Li Rui was speechless.

He simply couldn't understand how a nobleman of Yuan An's stature—even rivaling a prince—had chosen such an old, worthless man as his Master.

Yuan An's arrival pushed the atmosphere to its peak.

Just when everyone thought no more surprises could come.

They saw a eunuch enter the Annan Town Garrison camp, then arrive at the Annan Town Garrison camp.

The eunuch walked straight into Li Rui's residence.

Li Rui personally stepped out to greet him.

"Eunuch Zheng."

Indeed, this man was the senior eunuch who had once led him into the palace to meet the Emperor.

Eunuch Zheng smiled warmly at Li Rui:

"Lord Li, it's been many years. His Majesty has sent this servant to congratulate you on your hundredth year. His Majesty said: 'A family that accumulates virtue will surely reap blessings. Li Rui, though old, has come into his own—he is the foremost virtuous man of the southern lands.'"

(End of Chapter)