[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-72":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Eternal Green Immortal Sovereign",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2270080,4432,"Chapter 72: The Ghost Face Knife Everyone Hunts","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-72",72,"\u003Cp>The next morning early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui took Wang Zhao and Yang Yong to the county government office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his face as a Hall Master of Tian Di Alliance,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the clerks in the household office did not make things difficult; within less than half an hour, all procedures were completed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking out of the county office gate,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong and Wang Zhao felt as if they were dreaming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m a free man?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the moment they sold themselves into servitude, they had never imagined they could ever be freed from their bonded status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui genuinely rejoiced for the two of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having once been low-status servants themselves, they understood better than anyone the emotions Yang Yong and Wang Zhao felt now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re willing, you can work for me—I’ll pay you wages. If not, I’ll find a way to get you a few acres of land outside the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong and Wang Zhao both looked bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had grown accustomed to life under the Zhu household, obeying every order without ever having the power to choose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now suddenly being given a choice, they were at a loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui sighed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood this feeling perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No rush. You two have nowhere to stay—just stay with me for now. When you’ve decided, let me know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished speaking,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zhao shot up his head, firm: “Master, you taught me to raise horses and freed me from bondage—this debt I can never repay in this life, so I’ll serve you as your ox and horse!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui laughed bitterly: “I helped you buy your freedom, not to make you my slave again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zhao grinned foolishly and scratched his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Either way, I’m sticking with you for life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong also made up his mind: “Old Li, if you don’t mind, I’ll sweep your floors. My mediocre skills probably aren’t worth your notice—I can’t be a guard anyway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui: “Do as you please.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zhao and Yang Yong moved into the mansion beside Tianyi Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui went to the building himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He informed Zhou Shulin and Liang He that two new people had moved in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To prevent misunderstandings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing this, he led the two into the main residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Holy mother, a four-courtyard mansion!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the Zhu family, one of the top households in the city, lived in a five-courtyard home—but Li Rui, just one man, lived in a four-courtyard one. The luxury of the rich was truly unimaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wasted, wasted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong walked through every room inside and out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the abandoned chambers, he kept lamenting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui had once been a stable hand, and that was why he had a single room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was different—he had spent most of his life sleeping on a shared bunk with other guards, and even as he grew older, the number of people sharing it only decreased from over a dozen to four or five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every night, snores shook the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yong didn’t hesitate—he immediately began cleaning the rooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had dreamed of having a courtyard like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his dreams, he’d often imagined how he’d arrange a big house—now he finally had the chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rolled up his sleeves and set about restoring the neglected rooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, as the village elders said, an empty house loses its qi and leaks away fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Yang Yong work,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui didn’t bother to stop him—since he was paying wages, it was only right for Old Yang to do some labor; otherwise, their relationship would turn sour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Yang Yong and Wang Zhao themselves would feel guilty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At most, he wouldn’t treat them like servants under the Zhu household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was now a Hall Master and Black Market official.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Supporting two people was no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zhao was initially stiff and reserved, but after seeing the stable, he perked up immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swept and cleaned the place inside and out several times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui sighed helplessly: “There are no horses in the stable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wang Zhao wouldn’t listen—he insisted they’d surely need it soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cheerfully and skillfully scrubbed the entire stable from top to bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing he couldn’t be stopped, Li Rui let them have their way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the house,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he smiled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“More people make it livelier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several miles outside Qinghe City, in the mountain forest,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a fat, round-bellied bald giant staggered through the trees, cursing as he walked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tang, and Song—you bastards, did I kill your whole families? Why’d you hit me so hard?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bald giant winced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mouth had been smashed by Tang Sheng’s punch—now swollen black and blue, bleeding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck, I’ll repay this grudge, Ghost Lord will make you all die—kill, kill, kill!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bald giant’s name was Huyan Zhuo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the martial world, he had a far more famous title—Ghost Face Knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, Ghost Face Knife Huyan Zhuo couldn’t understand: he’d just returned to Qinghe from another county,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>so why did Tang Sheng of the Tian Di Alliance treat him like a mortal enemy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gui Ming Jiao was hated by all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he remembered the Tian Di Alliance had always been half-hearted about dealing with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his throbbing head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To hell with it—if they dare hit me, they all die. Kill, kill, kill!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he hadn’t run fast enough,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he might have lost his life—this grudge must be repaid!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Market was as bustling as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merchants came and went without end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui walked down the Black Market’s streets with his hands behind his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But given his status in the Black Market, even without wearing the Tian Di Alliance uniform, he’d still be recognized—so he skipped the pretense and strode openly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some well-informed merchants greeted him with flattery upon seeing the Black Market’s authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others, unaware of his identity, still regarded him with greater respect due to his aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man’s clothes make him, a horse’s saddle makes him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Li Rui was older, the Tian Di Alliance uniform accentuated his vigor—the golden thread embroidery along the edges lent him an air of nobility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention his current muscular build—though hidden under clothing, it gave him an entirely different presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he was a Hall Master, he couldn’t dress like a pauper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Legend said some reclusive masters could appear unkempt to show their detachment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Rui wasn’t qualified yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wearing this outfit through the Black Market, everyone looked at him with awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old man, sell me all your Hanlu grass—I’m not stingy, I’ll give you eighty cash, how’s that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thin, sharp-eyed young man crouched before a small stall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An old man, weathered by years, stared in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a local herb gatherer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disgusted by the low prices offered by herb shops, he’d reluctantly paid the entry fee to sell medicine in the Black Market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected his first customer to be such a big one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eighty cash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would feed his family for days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir, you’re generous—I’ll wrap it up for you right away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thin man nodded, satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of hidden cunning passed beneath his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man tied up a large bundle of herbs and handed it to the skinny monkey man, who promptly pulled out exactly eighty copper coins and left, clutching the herbs happily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui saw this scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt a slight stir in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The herbs the skinny monkey man had bought glimmered with golden light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant one of the herbs was a spirit herb!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bought a spirit herb for eighty copper coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huge profit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1262,"2026-06-19T22:01:09.077Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","379313835eb6fda32a9bed68551c75434e48b21114c200b21eb0733ef90849e4","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-73","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-71",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]