Starting as the young master of a medicine shop, he practiced swordsmanship for twenty years.

Chapter 371 The Most Treacherous Eunuch in the World! The Chief Eunuch of the Eastern Depot!
"Eunuch?"

"The Supervisor of the East Factory?"

In the dim light of the window, the light in the deep room illuminated an old man with white hair.

He was dressed in luxurious brocade, with subtle gold thread patterns swirling on his cuffs, exuding an imposing aura.

At the same time, the old man held a gilded bronze mirror in his hand. The mirror surface shone with a cold light, reflecting a face that was both delicate and sharp.

His features were exquisite, yet they concealed a murderous aura; his lips held a smile, yet they were as cold as a blade.

Lu Xuan slowly closed his eyes, feeling the surging true energy flowing within his body, like a rushing river or a lurking thunder.

This is the profound inner energy possessed only by martial arts masters; with every move, it can shatter mountains and split rocks, and kill people invisibly.

"The fourth mortal realm... has actually made me a eunuch?"

Even though Lu Xuan had experienced three lifetimes and his Dao heart was already as firm as a rock, he couldn't help but feel a slight ripple at this moment.

The face in the bronze mirror—feminine and pale, yet exuding an undeniable majesty—seemed to be silently mocking his fate.

Not long after, Lu Xuan chuckled softly, his fingertips lightly tracing the mirror's surface, his gaze growing cold.

"Heh...it doesn't matter."

Ultimately, it's not one's own body; it's merely a temporary shell.

So what if he's the head of the Eastern Depot? So what if he's a eunuch? The rules of this world are always written by the strong.

Lu Xuan slowly clenched his fist, feeling the surging true energy within his body, and a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Host: Lu Xuan, the Immortal of the Mortal World (Fourth Incarnation)

Realm: Grandmaster (Perfect)

Technique: Extreme Cold Palm 7/9
Score: 0
The most urgent task right now is to find something that can refine system points as soon as possible.

This is the issue that Lu Xuan cares about most.

Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly, his mind churning with fragments of memories from this body.

This is a low-level martial arts world where conflicts are constant, with numerous sects standing amidst the clash of swords, and heroes and villains rising together.

Although they don't have the power to move mountains and fill seas, those top martial arts masters can injure people with flying flowers and plucked leaves, and can even control their swords with their qi, killing one person in ten steps.

And there are quite a few beings even more powerful than the original body...

As dawn broke, golden sunlight streamed through the carved window lattices, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone floor.

Lu Xuan, dressed in a jet-black brocade robe, stood by the window, his slender fingers lightly brushing away the dust on the windowsill.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his sharp pupils gleaming with an unfathomable light in the sunlight.

Memories unfold slowly in my mind like a scroll painting.

In this body's perception, Shen Wanbao, the commander of the Imperial Guard of the Great Yu Kingdom, was always the most threatening sword hanging over his head.

That old fox has been entrenched in the Zhenfu Division for many years, and it is said that he has long since broken through the shackles of the Grandmaster and reached a level that is difficult for ordinary people to reach.

Just thinking about that old man's ambiguous smile made the original owner feel like she had thorns in her back, and she couldn't sleep all night.

He was terrified that one day he would fall asleep with his head in the air but never wake up!
Moreover, the original owner was not only facing Shen Wanbao alone, but also his four generals – Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise.

The Azure Dragon Sword moves like a dragon, its techniques ruthless and cunning; the Vermilion Bird moves as lightly as a swallow, appearing and disappearing without a trace.

The White Tiger possesses immense strength, capable of splitting rocks with its bare hands; the Black Tortoise has a copper skin and iron bones, making it difficult to be harmed by swords and blades.

When four masters at the peak of their cultivation join forces, even a powerful figure like the original owner of this body, who is at the peak of his cultivation, has no choice but to give way.

“He’s a tough nut to crack…” Lu Xuan’s lips curled slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes.

There was no way around it; the original owner of this body had an exceptionally bad reputation, known as the number one treacherous eunuch in the Great Yu Kingdom.

In the imperial court, the memorials submitted by civil and military officials every day requesting the emperor to execute the original owner of the body had long since piled up into a mountain, almost burying the entire Golden Palace.

The ink on the yellowed Xuan paper was still wet, and it was filled with densely packed curses against the original owner of the body.

The contents of these memorials were remarkably consistent—all of them requested the emperor to execute him, the "number one treacherous eunuch of the Great Yu."

Each memorial tells of the deep-seated hatred the court officials harbored for the original owner of this body.

If these memorials were laid out, they would probably circle the imperial city more than three times.

The sheer variety of methods of execution recorded therein would likely put even the most senior executioners in the Ministry of Justice to shame.

From the most common poison and white silk, to the highly creative depictions of "dismemberment by five horses" and "slicing into a thousand pieces," the methods have evolved.

Then there were the unheard-of "lighting the sky lantern" and "human pig punishment," which were incredibly varied and endless.

It was one thing to be verbally attacked and criticized in the imperial court, but what was even more ridiculous was the public opinion surrounding the martial arts world.

During leisure time, storytellers loved to recount the "great achievements" of this head of the Eastern Depot.

The secrets circulating in these teahouses and taverns were more chilling than the memorials submitted to the imperial court.

In the eyes of the martial arts world, the original owner's name was like a death warrant from the King of Hell, bringing bloodshed wherever it went.

The renowned scholar from Jiangnan, whose entire household of seventy-two people was found dead in the courtyard on a dark and stormy night, including an infant.

A loyal and virtuous military general guarding the border was framed for treason and his entire family was executed. The women in his family were abducted to a dark alley, where they were subjected to all kinds of humiliation and their bodies were left to rot in the wilderness.

Even more shockingly, a renowned martial arts master, known for his benevolence and righteousness, had his tendons severed and was disemboweled in front of his wife and daughters for speaking out in defense of others.

His wife and daughters, after suffering inhuman torture, were hung upside down on the city gate, becoming a blood-red totem that terrified the martial arts world.

Each and every tragic incident bears the mark of the original owner, making the title of "the most treacherous eunuch of the Great Yu" truly deserved!
Little did he know that as the head of the Eastern Depot, he was nothing more than the emperor's weapon.

That so-called talented scholar from Jiangnan would occasionally compose a poem satirizing the emperor.

Every month, he would compose a poem at a poetry gathering, every word of which was a satire of the current emperor's ambition and love of quick success.

Phrases like "the rich feast while the poor feast" and "half the soldiers die on the front lines" are practically blatant insults directed at the emperor, denouncing him as a tyrant.

The man on the dragon throne said he was completely overwhelmed!
Even if what you said is true, you shouldn't say it in public.

As an emperor, the supreme ruler, do I not have any dignity?

Under heaven, all land belongs to the emperor, yet these scholars insist on using their knowledge to humiliate the supreme imperial family.

If someone can write poems to satirize and remonstrate today, and dares to gather crowds to petition for orders tomorrow, what will become of the emperor's authority if this continues?
If all the scholars in the world were like these talented men, freely mocking and criticizing the government.

They belittled the emperor's governing strategies to nothing and disregarded the laws and regulations of the court.

In this way, how can the imperial decrees reach all corners of the country?

How can ministers wholeheartedly assist their ruler? When the people see that virtuous and capable officials do not respect their ruler, they will inevitably develop a contemptuous attitude towards them as well.

If this continues, the foundation of the Great Yu Kingdom will crumble.

Finally, how should the emperor govern and control this vast land and its countless people, and how should he demonstrate his imperial majesty and rule the world?
What's even more disheartening is that the emperor on the dragon throne was tolerant and had given these so-called talented men a chance to turn back.

The imperial guards had secretly sent them a letter, earnestly admonishing them to temper their arrogance.

The agents of the Eastern Depot also subtly hinted at the poetry gatherings that they should not touch upon any more taboos of the imperial family.

But those who pride themselves on their noble character mistake the Emperor's magnanimity for weakness and vulnerability.

What began as subtle satire gradually transformed into outright criticism, and even led to the open compilation of vernacular stories at literary gatherings.

They compared the emperor's policies to child's play and turned important court affairs into absurd jokes.

When the words "tyrant" began to circulate in folk rhymes, and when impeachment memorials began to question the emperor's virtue.

Even if the emperor had a heart of iron, how could he not be stung by such provocation?

Such escalating offenses are unacceptable, let alone to an emperor who rules the country.

Anyone would be thrown off balance by this. And then there were those self-proclaimed "loyal ministers" who, under the guise of offering advice, openly refuted the emperor's new policies in the imperial court.

They denigrated the reforms as policies that would bring disaster to the country and its people, completely disregarding the suffering of the common people and the long-term development of the Great Yu Kingdom.

They formed cliques for personal gain, using the name of ancestral laws to obstruct change.

Even when the emperor personally came to appease him, he remained stubborn and his words were full of contempt for the people.

The same goes for the martial arts heroes who are called "great knights-errant". Relying on their martial arts skills and prestige in the martial arts world, they claim to be "acting on behalf of Heaven".

They disregarded the laws of the imperial court and illegally seized military pay destined for the frontier, claiming it was to "relieve disaster victims," ​​but this resulted in the soldiers guarding the frontier going hungry and without proper clothing.

He even rallied the heroes at the martial arts alliance meeting to oppose the imperial court, inciting the people's discontent with the government.

They thought they were upholding justice, but in reality they had long since become a source of chaos and disruption to the court, forcing the emperor to wield his sword.

Ultimately, all of this became the reason why the original owner was burdened with a bad reputation.

Of course, there is no distinction between good and bad in the world, and neither the original owner of this body nor that emperor were kind-hearted people.

This head of the Eastern Depot was obsessed with power and turned the imperial court into his own personal battlefield.

He raised assassins, controlled the imperial prison, and used cruel tortures such as skinning and stuffing straw to intimidate dissidents.

In order to consolidate their power, they did not hesitate to instigate factional strife, causing the civil and military officials to fight each other, and the common people to be displaced and wandered under the flames of war and oppressive government.

The emperor on the dragon throne also had his hands stained with blood.

He was autocratic and regarded his ministers as ants, and would exterminate nine generations of their families if they disobeyed him in the slightest.

The emperor, still not satisfied with three thousand beauties in his harem, forcibly conscripted women from the common people to fill the inner palace, causing countless families to be torn apart.

In the imperial court, he treated the loyal ministers' advice as a taboo subject, using tyrannical methods to silence public opinion.

There have long been folk tales that the emperor, in his quest for immortality, listened to the words of alchemists and sacrificed young boys and girls, an act of atrocity that is utterly heinous.

These two, one stirring up trouble in the shadows and the other acting recklessly in the open, seemed to be in cahoots, dragging the Great Yu Kingdom into an abyss of no return.

Inside the hall, Cao Jin and Cao Haosheng were still facing each other across a rosewood table, their shadows stretching long across the floor.

"Cao Jin, stop making excuses!"

Cao Haosheng slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clink. "You personally accepted this task, and now that you've messed it up, it's only right that you go and apologize to your godfather!"

Cao Jin sneered, stroking the hilt of the Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist with his right hand: "Easy for you to say."

"If it weren't for those traitorous dogs in the Embroidered Uniform Guard turning against me at the last minute, how could I have..."

At this point, Cao Jin suddenly fell silent, as if even mentioning failure was a taboo subject.

The two of them looked out of the hall at the same time.

Passing through numerous courtyards, behind the black lacquered gate of the Eastern Depot, one wonders how many chilling instruments of torture were hidden.

Last time, a deputy commander was invited to "have tea" for doing a poor job. When he came back, three of his ten fingers were missing, but he still had to kneel down to thank the emperor.

"That's all."

Cao Jin suddenly deflated and took out a copper coin from his pocket. "Same as always, you do the side with the characters, I'll do the side with the patterns."

The copper coin tumbled rapidly in the air, tracing a gleaming silver arc.

The two stared intently at the copper coin that would decide their fate, even beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

In the Eastern Depot, sometimes living was worse than dying—especially when the adoptive father's well-maintained hands were slowly and methodically manipulating the instruments of torture.

The coin landed on the floor, spun around for a long time, and finally made a crisp "ding" sound.

clatter--

A soft sound suddenly rang out on the stone steps outside the hall, like a drop of ink falling into still water.

Before Cao Jin could pick up the copper coin in his hand, he saw a dark shadow creep across the threshold in the sunlight, slithering in like a venomous snake.

"Father!"

The two burly men sprang up simultaneously, their embroidered spring knife sheaths striking the table with a dull thud.

The two commanders, who had been at each other's throats just moments before, now stood frozen in place like cats being choked by the scruff of their necks, not daring to even breathe.

Cao Haosheng even unconsciously shrank his neck—this man, who could strike fear into the hearts of prisoners in the imperial prison, was now silent as a cicada in winter, not daring to look up.

As the sunlight slanted in, the figure gradually became clearer.

The hem of the dark black python robe remained perfectly still, while the gold-embroidered flying fish pattern, subtly visible in the light and shadow, was scattered across the fabric.

The person's footsteps were so light they seemed to float, yet each step felt like stepping on the very tip of one's heart.

Cao Jin's Adam's apple bobbed, and cold sweat had soaked through his undershirt.

He suddenly remembered the stall owner who was turned into a human pig last month—just because he shook his leg while replying.

"You two..."

A gentle voice, tinged with laughter, rang out, causing the temperature in the hall to plummet: "What game are you playing?"

On the table, the copper coin that had determined its fate finally stopped spinning, and stood perfectly still in the gap, displaying neither words nor patterns.

Lu Xuan leisurely sized up the two adopted sons in front of him.

"Where are the people I mainly need?"

A seemingly casual remark struck Cao and Jin like a thunderbolt. A muffled thud followed.

The two men immediately knelt down, forcefully knocking cracks into the gold bricks paving the floor.

Blood was already seeping from Cao Haosheng's forehead, and the blood dripped down his nose onto the bluestone slab, blooming into shocking blood flowers.

"My godfather is wise!"

Cao Jin's voice trembled, "The children had already trapped them in a dead end, but who knew..."

He swallowed hard. "Who knew that the Xuanwu Garrison Commander, Yuan Qian, would suddenly appear and shatter my Embroidered Spring Blade with a single palm strike!"

Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Cao Jin's waist, where he saw that only half of the broken blade remained.

"Father!"

Cao Haosheng suddenly sprang to his feet, his bloodied fist slamming into the ground, causing a teacup to overturn. "There are traitorous bastards in the Eastern Depot!"

His bloodshot eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets, and the veins on his neck were bulging like wriggling earthworms.

Lu Xuan smiled with interest as he looked at his usually most composed adopted son, who now resembled a mad dog whose tail had been stepped on.

"Oh?" Lu Xuan slowly smoothed out the wrinkles on his sleeve. "A spy?"

Cao Jin suddenly began to tremble violently, as if he had remembered something terrible.

The calmer their adoptive father remained, the more terrifying the storm that was about to begin would be.

Last year, Lao Jiu failed in his duties and was hung in the torture chamber for three days and three nights. In the end, even his eyeballs were eaten away by ants.

"I would stake my life on it!"

Cao Haosheng ripped open his shirt, revealing a gruesome knife wound on his chest. "We didn't even bring any personal guards with us when we made the move, but that bastard Yuan Qian was waiting at the alley entrance as if he had foreseen it!"

Lu Xuan sized up Cao Haosheng, thinking to himself.

It seems that among the thirteen adopted sons of the original owner, quite a few have begun to harbor thoughts of betrayal.

Ten days ago, the emperor issued an edict ordering the original owner to bring a beautiful woman into the palace.

(End of this chapter)