Within the Great Xia Imperial Palace, magnificent halls gleamed beneath the blazing sun. White Jade steps stretched straight toward the imperial presence, while one extravagantly beautiful palace after another stood beyond counting. The Xia Dynasty at the height of its strength had reached the utmost limit a dynasty could attain. This was its pinnacle, yet in the eyes of those with insight, it was also an omen that the great edifice was about to collapse.
Great Xia was too powerful. These thousand years had belonged to Great Xia; its might shook the Divine Continent, and none could stand against it. Across the vast lands of the Divine Continent stood more than a hundred dynasties, yet only Great Xia had endured for a millennium—unfallen for a millennium, undying for a millennium, flourishing in boundless splendor.
The law that prosperity must decline could not be reversed. Invincible Great Xia could not remain invincible forever. Signs of decline had already emerged over the past century. Wise rulers failed to appear, worthy ministers withered away, the Ancient Mongol Royal Court in the north grew stronger by the day, and the Eternal Night Divine Cult, silent for a thousand years, had once again appeared in the world. The Xia Dynasty's future was far less beautiful than it seemed today.
Great Xia's Emperor was not particularly enlightened. Compared with the several emperors of old who had opened new territories for Great Xia, he fell short by more than a little. Fortunately, the foundation laid down by Great Xia's predecessors was deep enough, and the current Emperor was not so muddleheaded as to be worthless. He had accomplished no great deeds, but neither had he committed great faults.
The iron cavalry of the northern Ancient Mongol Royal Court had crossed the boundaries of Northern Zhangyuan several times, treating Great Xia's majesty as if it were nothing. The dispute between those in court who advocated war and those who advocated peace grew ever fiercer. The Great Xia Emperor was advancing in years, and his mind had become increasingly indecisive. His stance toward the Ancient Mongol Royal Court had always been ambiguous—neither war nor peace.
Yet compared with the Ancient Mongol Royal Court in the north, what gave the Great Xia Emperor the greatest headache now was the Eternal Night Divine Cult rising from the ashes. The origins of the Eternal Night Divine Cult were so ancient they could no longer be traced. It was a force feared by every imperial dynasty in the Central Plains. Back when Great Xia's founding ancestor was in the prime of life, he had forcefully suppressed the Eternal Night Divine Cult and nearly destroyed it. Yet after a thousand years of silence and recovery, Eternal Night's return had become an unavoidable calamity.
The Eternal Night Divine Cult's strength lay not only in the terrifying foundation of faith it had accumulated over thousands of years, but also in the unfathomably powerful martial force supporting it. How prosperous had Great Xia been in those days? Martial arts were forbidden throughout the Divine Continent, and all under heaven submitted, yet even then the Eternal Night Divine Cult had not been wiped out. It had merely avoided the edge of the blade and hidden in darkness, all for its return to the world today.
Under the curtain of night, Heavenly Edict Hall remained bright as day. The Three Grand Ministers were silent, the assembled officials bowed low, and upon the dragon throne in Heavenly Edict Hall, the Great Xia Emperor's brows shifted again and again, his expression exceedingly grim.
"Your Majesty, we can wait no longer. The cries for battle from the northern soldiers are growing ever louder. If the court continues to show no response and endure again and again, I fear it will chill the hearts of those soldiers who once shed blood and sacrificed themselves for the nation."
"Absolutely not. Once war begins, it will be impossible to rein in, leaving the common people homeless and scattered. What is more, the Eternal Night Divine Cult has already emerged. If it chooses this moment to make trouble, our dynasty will be attacked from both front and rear."
"Hmph. Indulging evil only makes the Ancient Mongol Royal Court grow more outrageous. The sons of our heavenly dynasty are brave and skilled in battle. How could we let others bully us right to our faces over some Eternal Night Divine Cult?"
"------"
The debate in the great hall was exceptionally fierce. One spoke after another, and no one would yield even half a step. Only the Three Grand Ministers remained silent, saying neither word nor phrase.
Since Great Xia's founding, it had been rare for the Three Grand Ministers to deliberate on state affairs. It was not that they could not, but that they did not wish to. Unless matters reached the point of utter necessity, the Three Grand Ministers would not speak. This was the shared understanding. Thus, no matter how fiercely the officials argued in the hall, no one would ask the Three Grand Ministers to make the decision.
Hesitation flashed through the Great Xia Emperor's eyes upon the dragon throne. To send troops, or not to send them—this was truly no easy matter to decide.
Whoosh
Suddenly, a sharp silver flash shot through the officials below the hall and straight toward the Great Xia Emperor on the dragon throne. The arrow came without the slightest warning, making everyone's vision blur. There was not even time to react.
It was an arrow of astonishing brilliance, arriving without sound, without breath. Heavenly Edict Hall, Emperor and ministers alike—all their minds were seized by the sharpness of that arrow.
Yet this unstoppable arrow was caught by a withered hand. Behind the Great Xia Emperor, the old eunuch who had remained unnoticed all along had somehow stepped before the dragon throne. With one hand shielding the heavens, he blocked every storm before the Emperor.
"Assassin! Seize the assassin!" At last, everyone in the hall came to their senses. Their expressions changed drastically as they shouted sharply.
The Three Grand Ministers, leaders of all officials and silent until now, also rose to their feet. Their eyes were icy as they stared in the direction from which the arrow had flown. What audacity indeed. In all the hundreds and thousands of years, this was the first time anyone had entered the palace to carry out an assassination—and right before their eyes, no less.
On the dragon throne, the Great Xia Emperor rose in fury, his face livid. He spat out two words harshly. "Investigate thoroughly!"
"Yes!"
The Emperor's wrath shook the court. The officials below turned solemn, their thoughts spinning through countless turns. The timing of this assassination was too delicate. It had truly come at the worst possible moment.
The next instant, orders were issued one after another. Travel within the imperial palace was forbidden, the palace gates were shut tight, and tens of thousands of Imperial Guards encircled the entire palace layer upon layer. A sentry stood every five steps, a watchpost every ten. With such dense defenses, let alone a living person, even a fly would struggle to fly out.
"What happened?"
Within the imperial palace, Ning Chen watched squads of Imperial Guards pass outside the window, deeply puzzled. But once he thought of the fate awaiting him shortly, he lost all interest.
Not far away, several youths around Ning Chen's age also looked dejected. They were all children of poor families. They had truly had no choice but to take this step.
"Ah, what should I do?"
Ning Chen propped his chin on his right hand and pondered quietly. Making him a eunuch—he would rather die outright. Though one should make peace wherever one found oneself, going from a strong, capable outstanding young man to a little eunuch with a mutilated body and an unbroken will—wasn't that gap far too wide?
"Worry, worry."
Ning Chen sighed softly. He wanted to flee, but one glance at the squads of Imperial Guards passing by outside immediately crushed that suicidal idea. He did not want to be chopped into mincemeat. He had heard this era even had death by a thousand cuts, dismemberment by five horses, flaying and tendon-pulling, live burial, being torn apart by chariots... Ah, better not think about it. His head hurt.
"Once you enter the palace gates, they are as deep as the sea; from then on, Luo Fu is but a stranger."
His soft sigh drew wave after wave of disdainful looks. Ning Chen raised his head and answered with an embarrassed smile. He had nearly forgotten—everyone was in a terrible mood.
The clanking of the Imperial Guards' armor grew louder and louder, showing that more and more guards were being mobilized within the palace. The Emperor's assassination attempt was a matter that shook the heavens. Orders from Heavenly Edict Hall came one after another with ever greater urgency, while the Three Grand Ministers and all the officials waited for a result.
Watching the youths lined up ahead get castrated one by one and carried away, Ning Chen's heart itched as if clawed by a cat. But with so many Imperial Guards outside, and then comparing them with his own skinny arms and legs, he did not dare entertain those little thoughts no matter what.
"Heavens, just strike me dead."
At last, the final youth was carried away by two young eunuchs. Ning Chen looked out the window and cried out in his heart.
Rumble
The instant that thought fell, the pitch-black night sky over the imperial palace suddenly lit up. A dazzling bolt of lightning tore across the nine heavens, followed by rolling thunder. The sudden earth-shaking roar startled everyone.
"I—"
Ning Chen was jolted by the thunder as well. "Heavens, I was only saying it. Please don't take it seriously!"
Rumble rumble
Another massive peal of thunder rolled across the sky, followed at once by a torrential downpour. The torches the Imperial Guards used for illumination were immediately doused by the rain.
In that brief instant, a shadow flashed in from the corner of a nearby wall and entered the room. Sword light swept past. The old eunuch who had been cleaning the blade used for castration in his hand froze, then collapsed weakly to the ground.
In the spacious Eunuch's Quarters, only Ning Chen remained, idly staring into space. The black-clad assassin had intended to silence all witnesses, but she had been injured by a hidden expert among the Imperial Guards while escaping earlier. With her movements restricted, she could only kill the nearest eunuch with one strike. As for Ning Chen, if he shouted, she could no longer stop him at once.
"I can get you out."
The moment their eyes met, Ning Chen blurted it out. His sudden words left the black-clad assassin stunned for a moment.
Seeing the assassin hesitate, Ning Chen hurried on in order to stay alive. "The Imperial Guards are everywhere outside. You can't possibly escape, and they'll search here soon. Hiding is impossible too. Either way, it's death. You have nowhere left to go."
After rushing out the entire speech in one breath, Ning Chen nearly suffocated himself. He hastily took a breath and said, "You have no choice left. You can only trust me."
"Who are you?" the assassin asked. Her voice was cool and clear, without the slightest ripple.
A woman? Ning Chen's mind went blank, and he answered instinctively, "I'm a eunuch."
Damn it, what a crow's beak.
After speaking, Ning Chen's eyes involuntarily drifted to the woman's chest. Sure enough... flat as a plain. Was she binding her chest? That was far too flat, wasn't it?
Swish
Sword light flashed before him, close enough to touch. Ning Chen hurriedly withdrew his gaze, fiercely despising himself in his heart. At a time like this, he still had the mind to think about such things.
"Calm down, calm down. But before that, you have to do me one very small favor."
Having temporarily steadied the woman, Ning Chen secretly let out a breath of relief. Then he stepped forward, stripped the clothes from the dead old eunuch on the floor, and said, "Hurry and change into these, or it'll be too late."
As he spoke, Ning Chen smeared the blood flowing from the old eunuch's neck across most of his trousers. The crucial area between the legs was especially soaked in blood, making for a terrifying sight.
Afterward, Ning Chen extinguished more than half the lights in the room. The entire room immediately dimmed. One could still see, but only barely.
Not far away, the woman had already changed into the old eunuch's clothes. She glanced at Ning Chen's actions but said nothing. She could tell that this boy had a measure of cleverness. Perhaps he really could help her escape this calamity.
She was not afraid of death, but if she could live, no one would choose to die.
Ning Chen turned around and saw the woman's face. Its radiance dazzled the eyes and made them unwilling to look away. She was in the bloom of youth, enchanting, utterly feminine...
But at a time like this, looking like that was truly a headache.
Ning Chen thought for a moment, rubbed both hands through the bloodstains on his body, then scraped them against the ground. He walked before the woman with a brilliant smile, then ruthlessly smeared his hands, covered in blood and dirt, across her face again and again.
Naturally, Ning Chen had given her warning first—a look of caution, carrying a trace of smugness, a trace of smugness, and still a trace of smugness.
The woman made no sound. With cold indifference, she endured as her radiant face became utterly unrecognizable, too dreadful to behold...
(P.S.: Yan Yu's new book has been released. I hope both new and old friends will come support it. Reader group: 102176072. The new book is still very young and urgently needs votes and favorites. Don't hold back, everyone. Also, during the new-book period, ten thousand words a day are guaranteed, so there's no need to worry about updates!)
Before you continue