Chapter 590: Cause and Effect

"Finally, we're back."

The flying boat landed.

Ning Zhongtian was the first to jump down, looking over Qinghe with great interest.

By his count.

He hadn't returned to Qinghe in a full fifty years; gazing at the mottled old city, he couldn't help but feel that things remained, but the people had changed.

Tan Hu also grinned.

Just as he was about to speak.

He saw several Confucian scholars running hurriedly toward the old city, nearly colliding with him.

Tan Hu wasn't annoyed, just curious: "What are these bookworms going to do?"

Ning Zhongtian said with a smile: "They're going to the Zhu residence."

"The Zhu residence?"

Tan Hu was even more puzzled.

There was only one Zhu residence in the old city, which he naturally knew, but if he remembered correctly, the last head of the Zhu family, Zhu Yue, had passed away from old age ten years ago, and his descendants, being incompetent, had squandered the family fortune and moved away long ago.

The Zhu residence should have been abandoned by now.

Ning Zhongtian said proudly: "Hu Zi, you don't know about this, do you? This matter is all thanks to our Big Brother. Now, the old Zhu residence has been bought by a merchant who actually claims to the outside world that it was the place where Big Brother flourished in his studies, and it costs one tael for an entry fee to visit."

"Damn!"

Tan Hu couldn't help but widen his eyes.

It really is these merchants who know how to play the game.

He couldn't even imagine being able to make money like this.

Li Rui heard it too.

He just smiled faintly.

As long as that merchant didn't do anything to ruin his reputation, he wouldn't bother with it. Besides, he heard from Liang He that the merchant gave nearly seventy percent of the ticket money to the Tiandi Alliance every year.

He was a sensible person.

So he let him be.

In business, the thing to fear most is being unable to see the situation clearly.

But just as the smile rose, it vanished instantly, and his brows furrowed instead.

"Someone is calculating cause and effect?"

Li Rui's heart stirred slightly.

Just a moment ago, ripples had appeared in his heart lake.

This was precisely the sign that someone was prying into his cause and effect.

The concept of cause and effect is profound and mysterious.

In the cultivation world, once one reaches the Dao Body Realm, one has the ability to calculate their cause and effect.

Of course.

Even when deducing cause and effect, it is impossible to calculate out of thin air; one must have an object for deduction. A true name is best, and beyond that, it is an object long used by the person.

The person deducing now was using an old object to calculate cause and effect.

Li Rui's eyes couldn't help but turn cold.

In the cultivation world, doing this is no different from declaring war. If he and the person deducing hadn't both happened to be in Qinghe, he wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.

He said to Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu:

"Fourth Brother, Hu Zi, you go to Annan Town first."

"I'm going to the Zhu residence for a moment; I'll be back soon."

Looking at Li Rui's "don't mess with me" expression.

Ning Zhongtian and Tan Hu exchanged a glance.

The two of them only thought that the Zhu residence's business had displeased their Big Brother.

Ning Zhongtian shook his head with a smile: "It seems the Zhu residence's business won't be able to continue."

It wasn't until evening.

That Li Rui arrived late and walked into Annan Town.

There were many figures standing in the center of the main camp.

At a glance, they were all familiar faces.

Provincial Military Commander Zhou Dinghai, Regional Commander Xue Gui, and nearly all the high-ranking officers of Annan Town.

Seeing Li Rui appear, these people all greeted him warmly.

"Brother Li, it's been a long time."

The first to speak was Zhou Dinghai.

Look at that.

When his cultivation base was low before, calling him a junior or a kid wouldn't have offended anyone, but now that Li Rui's cultivation base had directly surpassed Zhou Dinghai's, calling him "kid" was no longer appropriate.

Zhou Dinghai was a full sixty years older than Li Rui.

If he had to call him brother, he had to call him brother.

That was the rule.

"Brother Zhou."

Li Rui cupped his hands with a smile. He didn't truly act arrogant and call Zhou Dinghai "little brother"; he couldn't do something as conceited as that.

Xue Gui, standing to the side, looked at Li Rui.

His eyes were full of gratification.

It was the kind of gratification an old soldier feels when seeing a new recruit he once led make something of himself.

Li Rui had started in his Annan Town, the place where he truly rose to prominence.

Among the soldiers of Annan Town now, who didn't take pride in Li Rui?

As for what Li Rui could bring him, Xue Gui truly didn't care.

Although he had already received benefits from Li Rui and his cultivation base hadn't grown, his official rank had already reached the Proper Second-Rank.

After some pleasantries.

Zhou Dinghai led everyone to the banquet that had already been set up.

A night of heavy drinking.

It was late at night when Li Rui finally returned to his former residence in Annan Town.

Although he was no longer an officer of Annan Town, Xue Gui had always kept this house for him.

Returning to the familiar room.

The alcohol on Li Rui's face gradually dissipated, and his eyes turned cold.

"Bai Renfeng."

During the day, he had gone to the old Zhu residence.

In the stable in the backyard, he had seen a familiar face, a true disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect, Bai Renfeng.

The person calculating cause and effect was him.

'I heard before that Bai Renfeng was in seclusion to break through to the Heavenly Human Realm. Now that he's come to Qinghe, he must be thinking of change, coming to the Immortal Tomb to participate in the trial.'

As for why he wanted to calculate his cause and effect...

It was likely because he was a thief with a guilty conscience.

After all, among those trapped and killed on Black Wind Island that night were him and Yuan Dingting.

He had heard Nie Siming say before.

That Bai Renfeng had sent people to inquire about Yuan Dingting's news.

Now it was his turn.

He didn't calculate it before because Li Rui was only at the Purple Mansion Realm to the outside world, which Bai Renfeng looked down upon. Later, after he proved his Dao through strength and Bai Renfeng failed his breakthrough, he finally began to take him seriously.

Li Rui gazed at the night scene outside the window.

Lost in thought.

The following month.

Practitioners at the Purple Mansion Realm, and even the Dao Body Realm, could be seen from time to time in Yunzhou.

These people all came from Shenxiao City and the Twelve Towers and Wucheng of Bai Yujing.

At this time.

Over a hundred figures gathered outside the Immortal Tomb of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

These were all disciples of the two sects who had come for the trial. Besides the people from the Profound Heaven Sect and Bai Yujing, there were several bald monks who were particularly eye-catching.

They were monks from the Hanging Dharma Temple.

It was unknown what means the Hanging Dharma Temple had used to get the Profound Heaven Sect and Bai Yujing to agree to their participation in exploring the Immortal Tomb.

Looking around.

In this valley outside the Immortal Tomb, thirty percent of the young geniuses of Taihua Continent had actually gathered.

Bai Renfeng was among them.

As a true disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect, many disciples from within the sect naturally gathered around him; most of these people wanted to team up with him to explore the Immortal Tomb.

Yet his gaze was fixed on another young woman not far away.

Bai Yujing, Xu Yao.

Note, it was Bai Yujing, not the Twelve Towers and Wucheng.

That's right.

This Xu Yao was a core disciple of Bai Yujing, and her cultivation base was the same as Bai Renfeng's, both at the peak of the Dao Body Realm.

Yet Xu Yao was a full fifty years younger than Bai Renfeng.

Her potential was far greater.

One could tell from how popular she was in front of the valley.

Besides Xu Yao, the Profound Heaven Sect had sent another true disciple, and the Twelve Towers of Bai Yujing had also sent many experts. In addition, the Hanging Dharma Temple had also sent strong individuals this time.

It could be said that heroes had gathered.

Even Bai Renfeng felt quite a bit of pressure.

Just as Bai Renfeng was secretly pondering—

A Bai Yujing elder guarding the Immortal Tomb spoke slowly: "The Immortal Tomb is open; you may enter to trial. Once inside, do not be greedy, otherwise, you are responsible for your own life or death. The time limit is one year."

"Alright, go."

After speaking, a light gate appeared before everyone's eyes.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 591 =====