Chapter 187 Li Ru's Journey to the East After returning to the mansion, Li Ru directly called his new apprentice over. "Master Li." Wen Hui, with a gentle temperament, bowed respectfully to Li Ru. Li Ru nodded slightly. Wen Hui is the son of the late Zhuojun prefect Wen Shu, and a native of Qi County, Taiyuan. Although he is only fifteen years old, he is already very mature and has a good character. After escorting his father's body back home, Wen Hui spent all his family wealth to help those in need among his fellow villagers and clansmen. Not only out of kindness, but also because he saw it clearly. The world is in chaos now, so what's the point of just being a rich man? Seeing that he was intelligent, Li Ru accepted him as his disciple. Because times now are different, he is not going to hide away from the world. So, naturally he has to prepare some team. Although Wen Hui's talent was inferior to his, it was also excellent. Moreover, like Li Ru, he was a precocious all-rounder. If he was carefully trained, it would not be a problem for him to become a first-class strategist. Li Ru felt that this trip would take quite some time, so he prepared to explain everything to Wen Hui. "Manji, I'm going to be away for about two months. Don't slack off on the lessons I've given you. Also, I'll leave Bingzhou's government affairs to you, so it's a good opportunity to gain some experience."
Wen Hui's face froze when he heard this, and he said hesitantly, "Master Li, I am not very knowledgeable and I am still young. Is it a bit difficult for me to be in charge of the affairs of a state..." Li Ru interrupted directly: "What are you afraid of? What is the affairs of a state? There are only 300 to 400,000 people in total. If it were a county in the Central Plains, there would be more than that." "The treasury is full of money and food. You can spend it as you like. You won't need it soon anyway. Just leave enough money and food to support the army for half a year." "Besides, among all those ugly men under Fengxian, none of them can compare to you." A hint of helplessness flashed across Li Ru's eyes. The six generals under Lu Bu were all simple-minded and had no ability to take charge. The civil officials were even more incompetent, and the management of Bingzhou depended entirely on him. He was also destined to work hard, and the situation was similar for Dong Zhuo's subordinates. There were many military generals but few civil officials, and he was the only one who supported the internal affairs of Liang Province. Later, when he entered Luoyang, he was the only one who handled all affairs. These things will become easier as you do them more often. Even if he is not good at internal affairs, after he has taken charge of the government affairs of a state or a country, his internal affairs ability has gradually improved. Although he cannot be compared with Xun Yu and Chen Gong, he is at least among the top ten in the world. Li Ru almost single-handedly supported the literary affairs under Dong Zhuo, and his abilities were trained very comprehensively. "Practice well. You will get better if you do this kind of thing more often. If you fail, make up for it with money and grain. The treasury is full anyway. If anyone disobeys, show him this sword." Li Ru took off the long sword from his waist and threw it directly to Wen Hui. Wen Hui looked at the flying sword and hurriedly caught it. The sword is three feet four inches long and one and a half inches wide. The sword body is made of black jade and metal interwoven together, like a graceful black dragon. The hilt is carved from white jade, and a red pearl is embedded in the top of the hilt. "This...what is this?" The knowledgeable Wen Hui immediately thought of the legendary sword. "Chengying." Li Ru said nonchalantly. Then he casually took out a short, slender sword like a dagger from under his pillow and tied it around his waist. He also took out a completely black, seamless long sword from under the bed and put it behind his back. "Master Li, what...what is that?" Wen Hui asked in a trembling voice. "Oh, Yuchang and Zhanlu." Li Ru said casually. He stayed in Luoyang with Dong Zhuo for so long, so he could just take whatever he wanted from the imperial treasury, right? He had even seen the Scarlet Sky Sword. If he hadn't been afraid of being watched by Liu, he would have played with it.
Apart from the imperial seal and the Chixiao sword, the other things were just so-so in Li Ru's eyes. They were just easier to use. Wen Hui's heart began to beat fast when he saw his master speaking so casually. He became more and more awed in his heart. After all, his teacher had seen the world, and he treated the ten famous swords as toys so casually. Li Ru could ignore it, but Wen Hui didn't dare to. He held the Chengying sword carefully in both hands, his eyes full of admiration. It is worthy of being the only sword selected as one of the top ten swords because of its beauty. It is indeed extremely exquisite and elegant. Li Ru did not care about Wen Hui's reaction. He packed his bag, found a good horse and prepared to leave. He left alone and left cleanly. Wen Hui, who had been following behind, watched Li Ru leave so casually. Before he could react, he glanced at the housekeeper of the Li Mansion beside him and said, "Teacher, are you leaving just like that?" The butler nodded as a matter of course. "Teacher, don't you bring a bodyguard with you?" Wen Hui asked in disbelief. "The master is skilled in martial arts. Even seven or eight ordinary thieves are no match for him. Even if there are more, the master is sure to escape." The butler said as usual. Wen Hui swallowed lightly: "Teacher, is it so amazing?" All I can say is that among the scholars who can make it out of a place like Xiliang, none of them are simple, and the grass in front of the graves of those who are incompetent is three feet high. After all, the people of Xiliang don’t care whether you are a civil official or not. They only believe that the one with the biggest fists can prevail, unless your wisdom is so extraordinary that they are afraid of you. Li Ru, riding a horse, headed directly eastward, with no intention of avoiding the Taihang Mountains. As expected, he was discovered by local people and escorted to Zang Ba's mansion by soldiers under Zang Ba's command. Zang Ba looked at Li Ru, who was thin but had an extraordinary temperament, frowned, and asked the guard beside him, "Didn't you say he was an old friend of mine? Who is this person?" "I don't know." The guard said blankly. "You don't know me, so just bring it here?" Zang Ba said speechlessly. "Yes." The guard seemed to have just realized what was happening and quickly drew his sword and said, "General, be careful!" Zang Ba covered his face and held down the guard's hand: "Alright, if he was an assassin he would have done it long ago, put the knife away." After pacifying the guards around him, Zang Ba turned around and looked at Li Ru, who remained calm, and praised: "Your Excellency is very capable!" Li Ru said calmly, "My tricks are just trifles. I'm sorry to make General Zang laugh." Although his talent is simple, he has already mastered it to perfection, and it is easy for him to fool a few soldiers. "What is your name?" Zang Ba did not get angry at all when he heard this, but became more cautious. "Li Wenyou." Hearing these three words, Zang Ba's pupils shrank instantly, and he immediately ordered: "Everyone go out, guard the surroundings, and don't allow anyone to come in." Upon hearing this, the guards rushed out and surrounded the mansion. Seeing that there was no one around, Zang Ba asked solemnly, "Mr. Li, why are you here?" "I was passing by and took a look." Li Ru said lightly. "Passing by?" Zang Ba, no matter how good-tempered he was, almost laughed out loud: "Sir, aren't you afraid of being left here by Ba?"
Li Ru shook his head slightly: "The Taihang Mountains are too big. It would be a waste of time to take a detour, and I am not familiar with the terrain. I don't have much time now, so I came directly to ask the general for help." "What's the deal?" "Take me to Youzhou. I want to meet Tian Chengshou." Zang Ba immediately drew the knife from his waist and said, "What a big tone! Can you see the lord whenever you want?" Li Ru continued nonchalantly, "Jia Wenhe should have arranged some people here. Ask him and he will tell you what to do. Try to be quick. I'm in a hurry." Hearing Li Ru's words, Zang Ba's expression condensed slightly. Seeing that it did not seem to be a lie, he put away the knife in his hand, arranged for someone to make the contact, and at the same time took Li Ru in and treated him well. Li Ru seemed to be unconcerned from beginning to end. After having a hearty meal, he took a rest. (End of this chapter)