Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Upon hearing the inquiry.

Chen Fan smiled, his eyes narrowed.

"I'll be eighty in a few days. At this age, leaving the palace... I probably won't even live long enough to enjoy a life of leisure. It's better to stay in the palace and continue raising horses. After I die, I can be buried in the imperial mausoleum to accompany His Majesty!"

Lin, a tall and handsome eunuch, was taken aback.

Looking at the white-haired eunuch Chen in front of him, he inexplicably felt that this old eunuch was different from the rest of them.

Without asking any further questions, he nodded and said:

"I admire Eunuch Chen from the bottom of my heart... If you ever need anything in the future, you can come to me at the Directorate of Ceremonial... I will definitely help you if I can."

"Eunuch Xie Lin thinks highly of our family." Chen Fan smiled slightly.

Soon, the group arrived at the Imperial Stables.

After some mutual flattery, Chen Fan saw off Eunuch Lin.

From the young eunuch, he learned that the other party was Wei Gonggong's godson.

Thinking of some rumors circulating in the palace, he would often inadvertently recall Eunuch Lin's backside.

Unable to fathom how Eunuch Wei had manipulated Chen Fan, he eventually gave up on trying to figure it out.

"Godfather...the Emperor has bestowed so many things upon you..."

Just then, I heard the sound of a small stool.

Chen Fan looked down and pointed to the gold, silks, satins, and various fruits and medicinal herbs, saying:

"Gold, leave the cloth in the usual place. Take some of these fruits and bring the rest, along with the medicinal herbs, to our house."

"Huh?" Little Stool's face showed a surprised expression.

"Godfather...shouldn't you keep these things safe...and take them out of the palace...?"

"Just do what I tell you to do..." Chen Fan stretched his back, a smile on his face.

"Let's go check on the imperial horses..."

Watching his godfather turn and leave, Xiao Dengzi's face was full of confusion.

Not knowing what was happening, he could only obediently do his work.

……

The Lantern Festival passed quickly.

The next day, at 3:45 AM.

Chen Fan, who had been cultivating all night, woke up on time.

Meow…

The little flower nestled in his arms also woke up, stretched, and then jumped onto the table to sleep.

Chen Fan, squinting, stroked the cat's head, then got up and opened the door.

Squeak...

Looking up, the sky outside was a hazy gray, and it was still a bit cold with the wind blowing.

Chen Fan instinctively wrapped his clothes tighter around himself and walked step by step toward the horse pen.

As the weather warms up, the imperial horses are now more energetic and have a better appetite.

The hay added to the stool last night is almost gone.

When the spring hunt arrives in a while, the princes will be able to ride horses.

If the horse is too thin, then the Imperial Stables will be in trouble.

After adding more fodder, Chen Fan headed towards the Tianzi house.

There is only one horse, Black Wind, in this stable.

It was on the verge of death just two weeks ago, but now it's full of energy and high spirits.

New hair has grown in the bald spots on my body.

Even Hei Feng's big eyes, which were full of eye boogers, became bright and piercing.

"Radishes are really good for you..."

Seeing this, Chen Fan stroked the horse's head and casually tossed a radish from his pocket to Black Wind.

hiss…

Upon seeing the radish, Black Wind neighed as if it had seen a mare, opened its mouth wide, and began to chew it greedily.

Seeing the way he ate with his mouth full of juice, Chen Fan's lips curled up in a smile.

He shook his head inwardly, his body hunched over, before heading towards the kitchen.

"Godfather...you've arrived..."

Little Stool doesn't sleep in anymore.

He, who gets up earlier than Chen Fan every day, is chopping wood and carrying water.

Upon running into his godfather, Little Stool exclaimed with delight:

"Godfather...you should stay at the Imperial Stables. Your son will take care of you in your old age."

"You have such filial piety...we are very pleased with you." Chen Fan smiled with his eyes narrowed.

"You rest... the fire is already lit." Xiaodengzi hummed in agreement and turned to fetch water again.

Chen Fan nodded.

He turned around, went inside, and went to the stove to warm his hands by the fire.

Looking at the blazing flames inside, he felt a sense of comfort.

It was as if those ordinary, uneventful days had returned to his side.

"Godfather... now the palace eunuchs all say you're a loyal minister..."

A moment later, Xiaodengzi entered the room and chuckled:

"These eunuchs say you are loyal to the emperor and patriotic, selfless and without desires, a moral exemplar..."

Chen Fan smiled but remained silent.

Whether a minister is loyal or not is not important to him, as long as he is still in the Imperial Stables.

Only by staying in the palace to raise horses could he have a chance to obtain the method to break through to the innate level from Eunuch Wei.

Otherwise, if Chen Fan were to recklessly leave the palace...

He would most likely be devoured by those bad guys outside the palace, leaving not even bones.

"The spring hunt is coming soon..." Chen Fan, lost in thought, reminded him.

"The princes in the palace will most likely come to choose horses... Remember to inform us when they arrive. Goodbye."

"Okay, Godfather." Little Stool carefully helped Chen Fan out the door.

Watching that old, hunched figure walk further and further away, he felt a pang of sadness for no apparent reason.

In just a few days it will be my godfather's 80th birthday, and as his son, I must make sure to celebrate it properly.

……

After leaving the kitchen.

Chen Fan went straight back into the house.

He took out the golden bowl and casually picked up two berries from the basket next to him and threw them into the bowl.

This was a gift from the emperor to Chen Fan.

Having recently run out of dried leaves to make tea, he plans to try these fruits instead.

Meow…

Little Flower, who was sleeping by the window, smelled the aroma and quickly got up and jumped onto the table.

It looked rather cute as it rubbed its head against Chen Fan's hand.

"Fat cat...we haven't even eaten, and you're already craving it?"

"Stop leeching... Here, have one... Remember the kindness our family has shown you."

With a smile on his face, Chen Fan took a pickled fruit seed from the bowl and casually tossed it to Xiao Hua.

This cat isn't picky about food; it eats everything, from radishes to fruits, with relish.

Chen Fan was not surprised at all. He picked up the golden bowl containing the fruit and gulped down six large bowls of it.

After he had eaten and drunk his fill, he burped.

Feeling a warmth rising in his lower abdomen, he began to meditate cross-legged again.

The plan of the day is in the morning.

Chen Fan cultivates not only at night but also during the day.

With the addition of six bowls of spiritual water every day, his spiritual power increased extremely rapidly.

However, he was still a bit short of breaking through to the Acquired Realm.

The Changchun Gong states that cultivators at the Acquired Realm possess a powerful aura in their attacks, capable of killing three bulls and a tiger with a single punch.

Chen Fan also tried to see if there was any so-called "罡气" (罡气 is a type of internal energy).

But after several attempts, he found that there was no other sound except for thunder.

This left him with no choice but to continue cultivating diligently, striving to break through to the Acquired Realm as soon as possible.

With a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind, Chen Fan sighed inwardly.

As he circulated the Changchun Gong within his body, steaming heat began to rise from his shoulders and the top of his head.

This startled Xiaohua, who had just finished eating the fruit, so she quickly jumped onto the window to hide.

Only after confirming that the old eunuch was not in any danger did it stretch and continue sunbathing and sleeping.

Time flew by and it was noon.

"Godfather...lunch is here..."

Just as Chen Fan was concentrating on his cultivation, the sound of a small stool came from outside the door:

"A messenger from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs said... the Third Prince will be coming to the Imperial Stables to select horses this afternoon at 1-3 PM..."