Chapter 176 Furnace Cauldron
The twenty-third year of Jiajing, the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month.

Shuntian Prefecture, Forbidden City, and Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Emperor Jia Jing was wrapped in a thick mattress, sitting on a gold-made, hollowed-out chair with his eyes closed.

The young eunuch brought the herbs from the Imperial Hospital and let the guards taste them first. Then he pulled out the empty space under the emperor's chair and put the herbs into the water.

The palace maid gently waved a silk fan towards the charcoal basin under the chair. After a while, water vapor emerged from the hollow space under the emperor's body and enveloped the emperor.

"cough."

The emperor coughed as if choked by water vapor.

In an instant, the fanning palace maid turned pale.

She suddenly knelt down and kowtowed continuously.

"Your Majesty, I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"

The emperor did not open his eyes, but just frowned.

He didn't like women suddenly speaking loudly to him. It would remind him of the women who wanted to kill him two years ago.

The guard at the side quickly stepped forward and slapped the maid on the back of the neck.

Click.

The palace maid fell down limply and was dragged out by two young eunuchs.

After a while, a eunuch in a dragon robe walked in quickly, picked up the silk fan on the ground, squatted on the ground, and fanned the charcoal basin under the emperor.

The guards and palace maids around understood and left the room one after another.

"His Majesty."

The eunuch in the dragon robe spoke.

The emperor opened his eyes, glanced at him, closed his eyes again, and spoke slowly.

"Wang Banban, what's the matter?"

The eunuch in the dragon robe replied.

"The elixir that the alchemist presented yesterday has been checked. Although it was very cleverly concealed, its base is Shaolin's Da Huan Dan."

"Oh?"

The emperor closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

"The work of the Ming Cult?"

"Yes, the Ming Cult broke into the Shaolin Temple a few days ago, and these must be the things they stole."

"Heh... the Yang family is really haunting."

After the emperor said this, he stopped talking.

The eunuch in the dragon robe pondered for a moment, but continued.

"Jinyiwei Commander Zhu Zai sent someone to deliver the news, saying two things."

"explain."

"Yes, the first one was that Bu Lei, the governor of the Northern Pacification Division, was killed by the leader of the Ming Cult, Ji Tianrui, while he was chasing after them. His body has been sent back to the capital. After investigation, it was confirmed that he was killed by the 'Great Nine Heavens Palm' hitting his heart meridian."

"Zhu Zai reported that Li Miao, a captain of the Northern Pacification Division, would take over the post of Pacification Envoy."

The emperor pondered for a moment.

"Li Miao... this name sounds familiar."

"Fifteen years ago, he was the one who killed the Mingjiao thieves who came to Shuntian Prefecture to cause trouble and rewarded them with a flying fish robe. Was he him?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, it is this man."

"He is a man who is brave enough to take on responsibilities... OK, you can take someone to investigate the details and create a file."

"Yes. Secondly, the Jinyiwei has received accurate information that the leader of the Ming Cult, Ji Tianrui, is leading his fellow Ming Cult thieves towards the capital. Zhu Zai is pursuing them, but with little success. I'm afraid he can't be stopped."

The emperor opened his eyes.

"Isn't Ji Tianrui dead?"

The eunuch in the dragon robe was also confused for a moment.

"Yes, I checked his body that year and he was indeed dead. But I don't know who Ji Tianrui is now."

The emperor waved his hand.

"Let him go. Go and wake up a few priests to be on guard. When he comes, just kill him."

"Is there anything else?"

"One more thing."

A trace of fear appeared on the eunuch's face and his lips moved, as if he was extremely reluctant but had to speak.

"Your Majesty... The 'furnace' is not enough..."

The emperor suddenly shifted his gaze to the eunuch in the dragon robe.

He didn't say anything, just watched quietly.

Cold sweat slowly seeped out of the face of the eunuch in the dragon robe, gathered into drops and fell in front of him.

He had served the emperor since he was a prince, and he knew the emperor better than he knew himself.

The emperor was not cruel, nor did he have any unusual hobbies, and he certainly didn't like killing people.

He just likes quietness and doesn't like people disturbing his mood. And the news he told the emperor now... would make the emperor feel very, very bad.

So bad, it might kill him.

After a while, the carpet in front of the eunuch in the dragon robe was soaked with sweat and even his fingers trembled involuntarily. Then the emperor spoke lightly.

"Wang Banban, you don't want to see me die, right?" The eunuch in the dragon robe clutched the carpet and replied loudly.

"I will definitely live up to your Majesty's trust!"

"That's good... Let's make up for it before the New Year. Otherwise, you can be the 'furnace tripod'."

"Yes!"

"Go back."

"Yes!"

The emperor closed his eyes again.

The eunuch in the dragon robe stepped back and closed the door quietly.

The cold wind of December made him feel cold all over. His clothes were soaked with sweat. His collar was stuck to his neck, like a noose that was slowly tightening.

He tugged at his collar and turned away.

After many twists and turns, we arrived at a remote courtyard in the Forbidden City.

The guard at the door saw him and hurried forward to salute.

"Eunuch Wang."

"Ah."

The eunuch in a dragon robe named Wang Zhi nodded, walked into the courtyard, said a few words to the guards guarding the door, and stepped into the room.

The windows of this room were sealed with iron plates, leaving only a few cracks at the top for ventilation. It was pitch dark, and the fire in the brazier in the corner of the wall flickered, dimly illuminating a human figure.

That's a woman.

A woman whose scapula was pierced by an iron hook and whose hands and feet were nailed to an iron frame.

Hearing someone coming in, she raised her head and revealed a heroic face.

If there were any martial artists here, they would probably scream out in surprise immediately.

Because this person was none other than the famous top master in the martial arts world more than 20 years ago, "Lingxiao Sword" Xue Jinxi.

At that time, Ji Tianrui dominated the martial arts world, and only this man could compete with him. A few years later, he disappeared inexplicably. People in the martial arts world speculated that he died at the hands of Ji Tianrui, but he didn't expect to be imprisoned in the palace!

Xue Jinxi squinted her eyes, saw Wang Zhi's face clearly, and smiled bitterly.

"Eunuch Wang, it's been twenty years."

"I don't expect to leave anymore, but at least give me a quick death, how about that?"

Wang Zhi shook his head.

"Happiness, our family can't give you that."

"But, you can indeed die. Before the New Year."

Xue Jinxi smiled bitterly.

"Years ago?"

"I have been imprisoned here for twenty years. How can I know what time it is now?"

"Today is the twenty-third year of Jiajing, the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month."

Wang Zhi replied.

Xue Jinxi's face showed a look of sudden realization.

"The twenty-third year of Jiajing... the twelfth month... the twenty-third?"

"I have been arrested for twenty-one years."

"I counted the days wrongly... I counted wrongly... I counted wrongly..."

She kept mumbling to herself as if she was crazy.

Wang Zhi looked at her quietly without saying a word.

After a while, Xue Jinxi let out a long sigh.

"Eunuch Wang, my daughter..."

"died."

Wang Zhi said coldly.

"died?"

"After you 'died', she learned your martial arts and searched everywhere for you. She was accidentally involved in the fight between Green Willow Manor and Hidden Sword Manor, and died at the hands of the Green Willow Manor assassin."

"The body was collected by Shaolin abbot Xingchi and buried at the ruins of Cangjian Villa."

Xue Jinxi was completely desperate.

She has been imprisoned here for twenty-one years without seeing the sun. The only thing that has kept her going until now is her daughter.

Now that she knew of her daughter's death, her mind collapsed instantly.

In the cold courtyard, a wailing sound like crying blood was heard.

"If I had known this, why would I have bothered to cultivate this 'Sumeru'?"

"Wan'er! I'm sorry!"

"Wan——"

There was a muffled sound in the room.

No more sound.

(End of this chapter)

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