I Am Immortal in Great Yu

—Even back when she managed the businesses for those Military Leaders, she had never seen this much gold!

Fang Rui watched the reactions of Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady. He simply smiled, saying nothing, giving them time to process it all.

It was only natural that he had plenty of gold and silver. From Chong Jihu, the Gang Leader of the Tiger Gang, and Duan Lang, the Gang Leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, to the destruction of the Lin and Xia Families, he had profited handsomely from it all.

Even so, this was just a portion of it. He was afraid he would scare them if he brought out any more at once.

After a long moment, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family finally came to her senses. She didn’t ask where the golden leaves came from, but the sight had managed to wash away some of her sorrow and panic.

She once again contemplated the idea of leaving Changshan City. It seemed possible now, but she was still terrified that something might happen on the road, leaving her conflicted and hesitant.

Third Lady saw what was on Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family’s mind and tried to persuade her. ”Auntie, let’s just listen to Brother Rui. He has a mind of his own and has already prepared everything thoroughly. We just need to follow his lead!”

She knew, of course, that leaving Changshan City would not be as comfortable as staying. They would have to endure the hardships of the road—to put it bluntly, it was a gamble with their lives. Yet, out of her trust in and love for Fang Rui, she was willing to take that gamble.

”Alright, then!”

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family finally agreed, a flicker of guilt in her eyes. ”There’s an old saying: ’A man is worthless away from his home.’ Once our family leaves Changshan City, all our connections will be gone. I’m afraid I’ll be dragging you all down to a life of hardship.”

It wasn’t a matter of money. In this day and age, without a network of connections, an ordinary family wouldn’t dare to spend their wealth openly, even if they had it.

”Mother, he’s my father too. How could you call it ’dragging us down’? Besides, who’s to say we won’t live an even better life somewhere else?”

This was reality, not some novel.

It wasn’t like changing maps to a Prefecture City or State City would suddenly mean Sixth-Grade masters were a dime a dozen, Fifth-Grade masters were as common as dirt, and even Fourth-Grade masters had to tread carefully just to make a name for themselves.

Fang Rui had already inquired with the merchant caravans. Fourth and Fifth-Grade Martial Artists, even in a Prefecture City or a State City, were still figures on the level of gang leaders, powers who dominated their own territories.

It was more likely that he would be the one doing the bullying, not the other way around. There was no way he’d be the one getting pushed around.

”Mother, please don’t feel burdened. We couldn’t have stayed in Changshan City for much longer anyway. With the Government Soldiers mobilized and locked in a see-saw battle with the Rebel Army, it’s just one wave of war after another.”

”This is a good chance for our family to relocate and escape the conflict. Grand General Xuantong has retreated to Yunshan County, and my father should be there. We’ll wait for a passing caravan, pick him up, and then our whole family can find a peaceful place to settle down and live a quiet life.”

Fang Rui had no intention of ”clearing levels” one by one and moving up through the ”maps.” If Daze Prefecture City was unstable, he’d just go to the capital of a different prefecture, or even head straight for a State City.

It all came back to the same point: with his current level of strength, he would still be a top expert even in a Prefecture or State City. His life would be better than that of ninety-nine percent of the population.

’It’s just a shame I couldn’t lay low for another three to five years and reach the Upper Three Grades!’

But a man must live by his principles, with things he must and must not do. Back then, Fang Baicao had taken his place in the army. Now, Fang Rui wouldn’t hesitate to change his own plans and take on some risk for his father’s sake.

...

Having made his decision, Fang Rui immediately went out to get in touch with a merchant caravan.

As it happened, there was a caravan preparing to leave Changshan City very soon. The timing was tight—it was set to depart early the very next morning—but it would be passing through Yunshan County Town.

Believing that this rescue mission was as urgent as fighting a fire, he didn’t hesitate. He chose that caravan, paid the deposit, and set a time to meet the next day.

He then returned to Willow Alley and told Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady to pack their belongings.

As for Fang Rui himself, he went out to procure various supplies. He was busy the entire afternoon and was more or less finished by evening, finally getting a moment of respite.

He thought for a moment, then decided to head to Sweet Water Well Alley to let Jiang Ping’an know what was happening.

...

On the way, a group of heavily armed Taiping Army soldiers marched past with a CLATTER of armor, heading out of the city.

”Reinforcements? They’re moving quickly.”

Fang Rui glanced in the direction of the County Magistrate’s Office.

He had no intention of taking advantage of the chaos to pull one last job before leaving—robbing the legacy of that formidable figure within the Rebel Army.

It wasn’t out of mercy, but rather...

That formidable figure in the Rebel Army was exceptionally cautious. With troops being drawn away from the city, he would naturally tighten his defenses, leaving no openings to be exploited.

’Besides, that person’s origins are a mystery; who knows what trump cards he’s holding. It would be a disaster if he had some way to take us both down with him!’

’What’s more, a Caster’s legacy isn’t some one-of-a-kind treasure in this world.’

Even after leaving Changshan City for a bigger stage, Fang Rui wouldn’t be in a mad rush to find a Caster’s legacy. Prudence would always come first.

He had considered it carefully. That Extraordinary Path, when compared to the path of a Martial Artist, most likely held no clear advantage, at least not in terms of raw combat power.

’Besides, I’d have to start from scratch if I went down that path. It might not be as effective as continuing to advance my Martial Arts and simply overpowering all techniques with pure strength.’

Of course, that was assuming his Tribulation Points remained scarce in the early stages. If Fang Rui were to lay low for a hundred years or so, accumulating a wealth of Tribulation Points, or if he reached the absolute limit of his Martial Arts, then it would be a different story.

...

County Magistrate’s Office.

”Add two more hidden sentries over here!”

”Right, here... and here! Reshape the terrain immediately!”

”Don’t any of you slack off! That monster could show up at any moment!”

...

Fang Rui had guessed correctly. Zhen Yi had indeed ramped up security around the County Magistrate’s Office to guard against a surprise attack from him. But it was all destined to be another futile battle of wits fought against thin air.

...

Sweet Water Well Alley.

Fang Rui arrived at the Jiang Family’s residence but didn’t see Jiang Ping’an. He learned from Sister-in-law Jiang that her husband had been assigned a task by the County Magistrate’s Office and was still busy.

”Never mind, I won’t wait for Brother Jiang to return. Sister-in-law Jiang, something’s come up, and my family will be leaving Changshan City early tomorrow morning. I came to let you know. Could you please give this satchel to Brother Jiang for me.”