Back to Ancient Times as a Eunuch

The Great Xia Imperial Palace, its opulent halls gleaming under the scorching sun, and White Jade steps leading straight to the heavens, stretched endlessly. Countless magnificent palace buildings, too numerous to count, showcased the Xia Dynasty's peak of power. This was its zenith, yet in the eyes of those with foresight, it was also a harbinger of its impending collapse.

Great Xia was simply too powerful. This millennium belonged to Great Xia, its might shaking the Divine Land, unrivaled. Across the vast Divine Land, there were over a hundred dynasties, yet only Great Xia had stood for a thousand years, unyielding, immortal, and immensely prosperous.

The inescapable law of rise and fall dictates that even the invincible Great Xia could not remain so forever. In the past century, signs of decline had begun to appear. No enlightened ruler emerged, capable officials withered away, and coupled with the growing strength of the Ancient Mongol Royal Court to the north, the Eternal Night Divine Cult, dormant for a millennium, also reappeared. The future of the Xia Dynasty was far from as bright as it currently appeared.

The Emperor of Great Xia was not particularly enlightened, falling far short of the emperors who had expanded Great Xia's territories in the past. Fortunately, the foundation laid by Great Xia's predecessors was deep, and the current Emperor, while not achieving great feats, was not entirely incompetent either, having committed no major blunders.

The iron cavalry of the Northern Ancient Mongol Royal Court had crossed the Northern Zhangyuan border multiple times, completely disregarding Great Xia's authority. Disputes between the pro-war and pro-peace factions in the court grew increasingly fierce. As the Great Xia Emperor aged, his mind became more indecisive. His stance on the Ancient Mongol Royal Court remained ambiguous, neither fighting nor seeking peace.

However, compared to the Northern Ancient Mongol Royal Court, what troubled the Great Xia Emperor most now was the resurgence of the Eternal Night Divine Cult. The cult's origins were too ancient to trace, and it was a force that successive dynasties in the Central Plains had always feared. When Great Xia's ancestors were at their peak, they fiercely suppressed the Eternal Night Divine Cult, almost wiping it out. However, after a millennium of dormancy and recovery, the cult's return was an inevitable disaster.

The Eternal Night Divine Cult's power stemmed not only from its millennia-old foundation of terrifying faith but also from its profoundly unfathomable martial support. How mighty was Great Xia back then? Martial arts were forbidden in the Divine Land, and the world submitted to it, yet it still failed to completely destroy the Eternal Night Divine Cult. The cult had merely retreated into the shadows, biding its time, all for this day of reappearance.

Under the cover of night, the Heavenly Edict Hall remained as bright as day. The Three Grand Ministers were silent, and the various officials prostrated themselves. On the dragon throne in the Heavenly Edict Hall, the Great Xia Emperor's brows furrowed repeatedly, his expression exceedingly grim.

"Your Majesty, we can't wait any longer. The northern generals' calls for battle are growing fiercer. If the court continues to show no resolve and repeatedly tolerates this, I fear it will disheartened these soldiers who have shed blood and sacrificed for the nation."

"No! Once war breaks out, it will become uncontrollable, causing displacement for the common people. Moreover, the Eternal Night Divine Cult has already emerged. If they seize this opportunity to cause trouble, our dynasty will be attacked from both front and back."

"Hmph, appeasing evil will only make the Ancient Mongol Royal Court more presumptuous. Our heavenly dynasty's brave and skilled warriors will not allow others to bully us just because of some Eternal Night Divine Cult!"

"..."

The debate in the grand hall was exceptionally fierce, with everyone arguing back and forth, refusing to yield an inch. Only the Three Grand Ministers remained silent, neither speaking nor moving.

It was rare for the Three Grand Ministers to participate in political discussions since the founding of Great Xia. Not that they couldn't, but they chose not to. Unless absolutely necessary, the Three Grand Ministers would not speak. This was a shared understanding, so even with the intense debate among the officials in the hall, no one would ask the Three Grand Ministers to make a decision.

A flicker of hesitation crossed the Great Xia Emperor's eyes on the dragon throne. To dispatch troops or not was truly not an easy decision to make.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a sharp silver light pierced through the officials below the throne and shot directly towards the Great Xia Emperor on the dragon throne. The arrow, appearing without warning, made everyone's vision blur, leaving no time to react.

It was an astonishingly brilliant arrow, arriving silently, without a trace. The Heavenly Edict Hall, the Emperor, and his officials, all had their minds captivated by the arrow's sharp edge.

However, this unstoppable arrow was caught by a withered hand. Behind the Great Xia Emperor, the old eunuch, who had been silently standing there, had moved to the front of the dragon throne at some unknown point. With a single hand, he covered the sky, shielding the Emperor from all danger.

"Assassin! Catch the assassin!" At this moment, everyone in the hall finally reacted, their faces changing dramatically as they shouted fiercely.

At the head of the officials, the Three Grand Ministers, who had been quiet, also rose, their eyes cold as they looked in the direction the arrow had come from. What audacity! In thousands of years, this was the first time someone had entered the palace to assassinate, and right before their very eyes.

On the dragon throne, the Great Xia Emperor rose in anger, his face ashen, and spat out two words, "Investigate thoroughly!"

"Yes!"

The Emperor's fury sent shivers down the spines of the officials below. Their minds raced; the timing of this assassination was too delicate, truly ill-timed.

The next moment, a series of commands were issued. The Imperial Palace was locked down, its gates sealed. The entire palace was surrounded by tens of thousands of Imperial Guards, with guards every five steps and sentries every ten. The tight security meant that not to mention a living person, not even a fly could escape.

"What's going on?"

Inside the palace, Ning Chen watched the continuous stream of Imperial Guards passing by his window, feeling quite confused. However, when he thought about his fate soon, he lost all interest.

Not far away, several youths similar in age to Ning Chen were also in low spirits. They were all from poor families, and choosing this path was truly their only option.

"Oh, what should I do?"

Ning Chen rested his chin on his right hand, thinking quietly. Becoming a eunuch was worse than dying, he thought. Although one should make the best of a situation, the transition from a strong, healthy young man to a physically disabled but resilient little eunuch—the gap was too vast.

"Such despair, such despair,"

Ning Chen sighed softly. He wanted to escape, but a glance at the pairs of Imperial Guards passing by in the distance immediately dispelled that suicidal thought. He didn't want to be minced into meat. He heard that in this era, there were also methods like slow slicing, dismemberment by five horses, flaying, live burial, and chariot dismemberment... Ah, no more thinking, it gave him a headache.

"Once you enter the palace gates, it's like the deep sea; from then on, you're a stranger to all you once knew."

His soft sigh drew looks of disdain. Ning Chen looked up and offered a sheepish smile. He had almost forgotten that everyone was in a bad mood.

The clanking of the Imperial Guards' armor grew louder, indicating that more and more Imperial Guards were being mobilized within the palace. The Emperor's assassination was a matter of utmost gravity. Orders from the Heavenly Edict Hall came one after another, each more urgent than the last. The Three Grand Ministers and all the officials awaited a result.

Seeing the boys in line ahead of him being castrated and carried away one by one, Ning Chen's heart was scratched by anxiety like a cat. But with so many Imperial Guards outside, and comparing his own slender arms and legs, he dared not entertain any mischievous thoughts.

"Heaven, just strike me down with lightning!"

Finally, the last boy was also carried away by two young eunuchs. Ning Chen looked out the window, shouting inwardly.

Boom!

No sooner had his thought faded than the dark night sky above the Imperial Palace suddenly brightened. A dazzling bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a rumbling thunderclap. The sudden earth-shattering sound startled everyone.

"I—"

Ning Chen was also startled by the thunder. "Heaven, I was just saying it, don't take it seriously!"

Rumble!

Another massive roll of thunder, followed by a torrential downpour. The torches used by the Imperial Guards for illumination were immediately extinguished by the heavy rain.

In that brief instant, a dark figure flashed from a nearby corner into the room. A sword light streaked, and the old eunuch, who was cleaning the knife used for castration, instantly widened his eyes and fell to the ground powerlessly.

Only Ning Chen, who had been bored and daydreaming, was left in the vast castration room. The assassin in black had intended to silence him, but he had been wounded by a hidden master among the Imperial Guards during his escape earlier. With his movements restricted, he could only kill the closest eunuch with a single sword stroke. As for Ning Chen, if he were to shout, the assassin would not be able to stop him immediately.

"I can help you get out."

In the instant their eyes met, Ning Chen blurted out. His sudden words momentarily stunned the assassin in black.

Seeing the assassin look stunned, Ning Chen quickly continued, desperate not to die, "There are Imperial Guards everywhere outside; you can't escape. And the Imperial Guards will search here very soon, so hiding is impossible. Either way, it's death; you have no way out."

Having spoken all at once, Ning Chen almost choked himself. He quickly took a breath and said, "You have no choice but to trust me."

"Who are you?" the assassin asked, her voice cold and devoid of emotion.

A woman? Ning Chen's mind froze, and he instinctively blurted out, "I'm a eunuch."

Ugh, what a jinx.

After saying that, Ning Chen's eyes involuntarily drifted towards the woman's chest. Sure enough... it was completely flat. Was she binding her chest? Or was she just that flat?

Whoosh!

A flash of sword light, incredibly close, startled Ning Chen into quickly looking away. He silently scorned himself. At a time like this, how can I still be thinking about such things?

"Calm down, calm down. But before that, you have to do me a very small favor."

Having temporarily appeased the woman, Ning Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He then took a few steps forward and stripped the clothes off the dead old eunuch on the ground. "Quickly, put these on, or it'll be too late."

As he spoke, Ning Chen smeared the blood gushing from the old eunuch's neck over most of his pants, especially soaking the crucial area between his legs until it was bloody and quite horrifying.

After doing all this, Ning Chen blew out most of the lights in the room, plunging the entire space into darkness. Although vision was still possible, it was difficult.

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 this kid was quite resourceful, and perhaps he really could help her escape this predicament.

She wasn't afraid of death, but if she could live, no one would willingly choose to die.

Ning Chen turned around and saw the woman's face. It was so bright and captivating that his eyes couldn't leave it. At the peak of her youth, she was enchanting, truly feminine...

However, at this moment, looking like this was quite a headache.

Ning Chen thought for a moment, smeared his hands with the bloodstains on his body, then rubbed them on the ground. He then walked up to the woman, flashed a brilliant smile, and then thoroughly smeared his blood and dirt-covered hands all over the woman's face.

Of course, Ning Chen had given her a heads-up—a warning glance, tinged with a bit of smugness, a bit of triumph, and yet more triumph.

The woman didn't utter a sound, coldly enduring as her bright face became disfigured and unrecognizable...

(PS: Yan Yu's new book is out. I hope new and old friends will come to support it. Reader group: 102176072. The new book is still very fresh and urgently needs red tickets and collection support. All you dear readers, don't hold back! Also, during the new book period, 10,000 words a day is a certainty, so everyone doesn't need to worry about updates!)