Snowy Night

The bandits' stolen wealth was still tied to the horses. Ning Chen released all the horses, keeping only one small white horse. The white horse was still young, and if released, it would likely not survive.

The little white horse was clearly startled, standing timidly beside Ning Chen, not daring to even breathe.

Ning Chen tied the white horse's reins to the back of his wheelchair. For every step he took, the white horse followed.

The white horse carried its own provisions, and Ning Chen carried his own dry rations. Neither bothered the other; they were simply companions on the journey, nothing more.

He found many things on the bandits and their horses. In addition to gold, silver, cloth, poisons, and sedatives, there was also a letter, an unopened one.

Ning Chen's brows furrowed when he saw the wax seal on the letter. After reading its contents, his frown deepened even further.

For such important news, was the sender too confident or too foolish to entrust it to an ordinary person?

Ning Chen believed it was the latter, because the letter had ultimately fallen into his hands.

The journey north wouldn't change because of one letter. Ning Chen continued northward. With the little white horse, his speed had increased considerably.

The white horse didn't have much feed; it seemed the bandits hadn't planned to operate outside for long. Ning Chen still had some dry rations, but he wasn't sure if the white horse would eat them.

After traveling for most of the day, the white horse's wariness towards him noticeably lessened. Sometimes, it would even proactively nuzzle his face with its mouth.

At these times, Ning Chen would always push the white horse away. This fellow is too unhygienic.

A journey with company is always less lonely. Although the little white horse wasn't human, it was much smarter than many people.

It knew that it would likely be following this human from now on, so its attitude towards him became increasingly affectionate.

Ning Chen was very bothered, so annoyed that he simply untied the reins and left the white horse to fend for itself.

However, the clever little white horse always followed him. For every step Ning Chen took, it followed.

Who said humans were the thickest-skinned animals in the world? Ning Chen felt the little white horse's thick skin surpassed that of most humans.

With no other choice, he could only let the white horse follow. He didn't even bother tying the reins; it could do whatever it wanted.

The little white horse also sensed Ning Chen's displeasure and dared not approach him easily.

Thus, a peculiar sight appeared across the wilderness: a man and a horse, neither paying attention to the other.

Snow began to fall again, a sky full of white, floating feathers, very beautiful. Ning Chen didn't know that shortly after he left, three figures appeared outside the desolate forest—a man, a woman, and a eunuch. Upon seeing the bandits' corpses scattered on the ground, they couldn't help but frown.

The man, from the three, carefully searched the thirteen bandit corpses, then shook his head and said, "The letter has been taken."

The woman examined the wounds on the bandits' bodies and calmly stated, "The sword wounds are identical. It was one person."

"Pursue them quickly!"

The Old Eunuch glanced at the wheelchair tracks and horse hoof prints on the ground and said in a deep voice.

Unfortunately, after a short pursuit, the wheelchair tracks and hoof prints were re-covered by the freshly fallen snow, making it impossible to find their direction.

"Split up and pursue!"

The Old Eunuch looked at the three directions other than the one behind them and made a decisive command.

The man and woman nodded, each choosing a direction, while the Old Eunuch continued to pursue north.

However, in the vast snowy weather, catching someone alone was easier said than done, especially since Ning Chen had no specific destination and was just walking aimlessly.

The north was vast, unusually vast. When Ning Chen grew tired, he saw a nearby village and stayed there for the night.

Actually, the main reason was that the little white horse didn't want to walk anymore and was biting Ning Chen's sleeve, preventing him from leaving.

Although all things have spirits, a horse this intelligent was indeed quite a headache.

The Old Eunuch chased too quickly and also veered off course. He hadn't expected Ning Chen's pace to be halted by a horse, causing him to stop.

The village where Ning Chen sought shelter was as ordinary as could be. Simplicity and warmth were the true nature of the villagers.

The family that welcomed Ning Chen was a family of three: an elderly mother, and a pair of unmarried siblings.

The elder brother was a straightforward, honest man, and the sister was a virtuous girl, not beautiful but very delicate.

The man's hospitality contrasted sharply with the girl's shyness. After Ning Chen entered the house, the man called his sister to prepare food, while he himself helped with household chores.

As a guest, Ning Chen was settled by the man next to the warmest stove in the house, not allowed to lift a finger.

Their father had been bedridden for many years, unable to even speak. The family had relied solely on the brother's support all these years, which not only delayed his marriage but also made the sister's marriage problematic.

The saying "Children of the poor start early" perfectly described the brother and sister.

Ning Chen said nothing, quietly approaching the elder. He gently placed his right hand on the elder's back, and a faint silver light immediately glowed. Threads of zhenqi flowed into the elder's body through his right hand.

A moment later, Ning Chen withdrew his right hand, turned his wheelchair, and returned to the stove.

He had done all he could. The elder was already at the end of her life, her lamp running out of oil. Recovery was impossible. All he did was make her feel a bit better, less painful.

As for whether she could recover enough to, say, utter a word or two, that was beyond his control.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the most unchangeable aspects of this world. He couldn't change them, the Emperor couldn't, nor could the Xiantian Realm.

If anyone could, it would only be a deity. Unfortunately, he had only seen Ox-Head and Horse-Face and Black and White Impermanence; he had yet to see a deity.

"Thank..."

On the bed, the elder's mouth trembled, speaking very softly. No one but Ning Chen could hear it clearly.

Ning Chen grinned, nodded in response, and thought, See? Good people always get good rewards.

It wasn't long before the young woman had finished cooking and brought the food to the table. Ning Chen wheeled himself over, his appetite immediately piqued. He had been hungry for ages, having eaten nothing but dried rations day after day, almost wearing out his lips.

The meal was simple, made from dried vegetables the family had prepared for winter. The young woman's cooking was excellent, making even these humble ingredients incredibly fragrant.

Ning Chen ate until he was completely full, unable to eat another bite. The man's enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming, and Ning Chen felt awkward refusing him. In the end, he was so stuffed that he finally had to decline the man's frightening generosity.

The young woman ate very little. Perhaps it was because there was a stranger present, but her face remained flushed, making Ning Chen feel quite awkward. He had never met such a shy girl.

The women he had encountered before were all quite formidable—for example, Mu Chengxue, Qing Ling, the Ninth Princess, Xia Miaoyu… Never mind, let's just eat.

After dinner, Ning Chen naturally couldn't help with the dishwashing. The young woman's diligence was enough to make those earlier women ashamed to death. He even wondered if Mu Chengxue or Qing Ling even knew what a seedling looked like.

The Little White Horse's dinner was still the rations it carried itself. Ning Chen had no intention of improving its diet. Besides, where would he find anything to improve its food in such heavy snow?

When it was time to rest that evening, another problem arose.

There were only two beds in the house, one large and one small. Normally, the elderly woman and the young woman squeezed onto the larger bed, making it easier for the young woman to care for her mother.

In truth, Ning Chen didn't need to lie down to rest at all. Most of the time, he simply sat in his wheelchair, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing, treating his cultivation as a form of rest. However, the man absolutely refused to let him do that and insisted that Ning Chen get into a bed to sleep.

Ning Chen, helpless, could only comply. The man then gave a simple, honest smile, and casually found a few wooden planks to lay across two stools, creating a makeshift bed.

The wind howled loudly that night. Ning Chen lay in bed, quietly listening to the wind outside, but he felt no hint of sleepiness.

It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep; it was that it was snowing again outside.

The sharp pain in his legs intensified in waves. Ning Chen was used to it, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel it.

Suddenly, dog barking came from outside the village. The next moment, the barking stopped, vanishing without a trace.

Under the shed not far from the house, the Little White Horse was snorting heavily, seemingly trying to alert someone inside.

Ning Chen got up, settled into his wheelchair, and quietly went outside.

Someone was here, and they were a martial artist.

Ning Chen wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he was much smarter than most people. He knew that the newcomer was after the letter in his possession.

The Old Eunuch clearly froze when he saw Ning Chen in the wheelchair. Apparently, he recognized Ning Chen's appearance.

Indeed, many people in the palace had seen Ning Chen. At that time, he was a talented scholar, a hero—he was lightning, he was light, he was the sole legend.

Today, however, he had become a cripple, hunted by others.

The Old Eunuch was puzzled. In his memory, the Ning Chen before him should still be in Zhenji Kingdom. How could he be here?

Ning Chen didn't recognize the Old Eunuch. With so many eunuchs in the palace, how could he know them all? But he was very familiar with the clothes this dead eunuch was wearing.

These were the clothes of the Western Palace. The clothes of the various palaces within the Summer Palace were largely similar but had subtle differences. He had spent a considerable amount of time in the palace and naturally knew a thing or two.

After chasing Ning Chen and failing to find him, the Old Eunuch had no choice but to return. Passing through the village, he heard that a young man had entered the village that evening, and he knew he had found the right place.

The Old Eunuch was a sixth-rank martial artist, much stronger than Ning Chen. Not to mention, one was a normal person, and the other was disabled.

Oh, no, both were disabled, just in different ways.

But no matter what, the difference in their strength was truly significant.

The Old Eunuch was determined to kill anyone who had seen the letter. So, without another word, he struck out at Ning Chen with his palm.

Ning Chen raised his blade to block, immediately feeling a tremendous force. His body, along with the wheelchair, was BLAMMED backward three zhang, overturning the Little White Horse's shed.

The Little White Horse was alarmed and angry. This was where it hid from the snow; where would it sleep tonight if it was ruined?

The Little White Horse used both its mouth and hooves to dig Ning Chen out of the pile of hay, only to see the latter vomit a mouthful of fresh blood, staining the large expanse of white snow in front of him.

"Get out of the way, don't be a hindrance!"

Ning Chen pushed the Little White Horse away. This is a fight between disabled people; what are you, a horse, getting involved for?

Even if you're helping a disabled person, it shouldn't be you, a horse.

Ning Chen righted his wheelchair and then sat back in it. Luckily, his hands weren't disabled, or he wouldn't even be able to get back into his wheelchair.

The Woodcutter's Blade in his hand was already deformed, with a large dent. The Old Eunuch's right hand was extraordinarily powerful, which had nauseated Ning Chen for quite a while.

How am I supposed to fight? I can't fight at all.

He tried to bend the warped Woodcutter's Blade back with his hands, but he realized the blade was basically ruined. It couldn't be straightened no matter how much he tried.

The Old Eunuch had initially been worried that Ning Chen had some hidden moves. However, after one exchange, he understood the latter's strength perfectly.

Four words: utterly useless.

His cultivation was poor, his moves were poor, and his experience was even worse. Aside from being quick to react, he was good for nothing else.

Ning Chen didn't know what the Old Eunuch was thinking, otherwise, he would have been furious.

He felt that the Old Eunuch was very strong, stronger than him.

In fact, their respective assessments of each other already illustrated the gap in their strength: one was a martial arts rookie, the other an old hand in the jianghu. There was truly no comparison.

The wind and snow outside grew heavier and heavier, and Ning Chen's eyes narrowed further and further. This fight was going to be troublesome…

Sogou Novel first released the latest chapter of "First-Rank Blade-Wielding Eunuch" at high speed. This chapter is [Chapter Title], and the address is // . If you find this chapter good, don't forget to recommend it to your friends in your QQ groups and on Weibo!