"Doesn't the eunuch know that I have already retired from the world? I even resigned from my post as Yun Zhang Academician. How could I possibly be invited to deal with the Prince of Wu now?" Murong Xuan looked at the eunuch before him, his tone saying that he was already old and could no longer endure such turmoil.
"The Prince of Wu's rebellion is a heinous act, a crime..." The eunuch's tone brooked no doubt.
But Murong Xuan interrupted him this time. "Eunuch, I am already eighty-five."
The eunuch fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then revealed his true purpose. "Though Academician Murong is old, you have trained an outstanding disciple who is an Enemy of Ten Thousand. If this Golden Crow Divine General, as he is known in the martial world, takes action, he will surely capture the Prince of Wu."
Their target had never been Murong Xuan. They knew he was old, with little value left to squeeze from him; they had nearly given up on him already. Yet at the very end, he had given them a surprise—Lu Xingshi had emerged out of nowhere, and his combat prowess was even fiercer than Murong Xuan's.
"Hahaha, you really know how to joke." Murong Xuan laughed. "You want a cripple to deal with the Prince of Wu? Are you planning to make them laugh themselves to death?"
"A cripple?" The eunuch frowned, not understanding what Murong Xuan meant.
"Could it be that the eunuch believes my disciple suffered not the slightest injury after seizing the Barbarian Chieftain from amid ten thousand men and driving back the Barbarians?"
"By the time the Prince of Liao and I arrived, my disciple's Inner Force was exhausted and his blood and vitality had withered. He is now weaker than even an ordinary man. How could he take the field and face the Prince of Wu?" As Murong Xuan spoke, an embarrassed expression appeared on his face.
Hearing this, the eunuch's pupils contracted. He finally understood why Murong Xuan had resigned and refused to serve the Imperial Court any further.
Anyone in his place would have been disheartened. He had painstakingly trained such a disciple and had even hoped the man would care for him in his old age and see him through his final days. Yet his disciple had been crippled, and might not even live as long as he did.
At the same time, the eunuch felt resentment welling in his heart. If the man was crippled, why not say so directly? He had made him come all this way for nothing.
"Since that is the case, I shall take my leave." The eunuch's attitude changed at once. Since there was no value to be had, there was no need to say anything more.
Only after the man left did Lu Xingshi come out, grumbling, "Master, are you sure you and the Emperor are both teacher and friend? Judging by that eunuch's attitude, why do you seem more like a blade in someone else's hand?"
"That eunuch is not the Emperor's man," Murong Xuan said calmly. He had not known before, but now he did.
"Then doesn't that mean even the inner palace has been brought under control?" Lu Xingshi understood at once.
"The Empress is also part of imperial power. She can mobilize Eunuchs as well," Murong Xuan explained.
Even the Emperor was a puppet. Then what sort of person the Empress was, was that not for the lords of the court to decide?
And it was not just the Empress. Concubines and the like could also be deliberately selected and placed within the palace, extending their reach.
"From the looks of it, the Prince of Wu is fighting like a raging storm. Otherwise, they would not have sent a eunuch to ask us to act." Lu Xingshi sounded somewhat interested.
As he spoke, his gaze sharpened. "Get out here!"
Before Murong Xuan could react, Lu Xingshi moved like a great roc. In an instant, his hand became a claw and dragged a man out from the shadows.
The man had only just arrived; before he could even crouch down, Lu Xingshi had discovered him.
The inheritance of "Kun Peng Devouring the World" was unlike "Eternal Youth." This was a genuine martial art of slaughter and conquest.
That claw strike was one of the supreme techniques of the roc branch within "Kun Peng Devouring the World." Combined with his formidable strength, if he had not held back, this man would already have been dead.
The man was middle-aged. Lu Xingshi pinned him down so firmly that he could not move, and a claw wound deep enough to expose bone marked his shoulder, left by Lu Xingshi's grasp.
"Let go!" The man still had the arrogance to say that.
"I won't. If you have the ability, bite me." Lu Xingshi did not indulge him in the slightest.
"Xingshi, release him. He is one of the Inner Guard," Murong Xuan said.
"Oh, one of the Emperor's lackeys." Upon hearing that, Lu Xingshi released him directly, utterly unafraid that he might flee. The roc branch's supreme techniques in "Kun Peng Devouring the World" also included movement arts; without exaggeration, they ranked among the top ten movement arts in the world.
Otherwise, how could "Kun Peng Devouring the World" have been the royal inheritance of Former Yan?
After the inner guard got to his feet, he ignored his injury and did not argue with Lu Xingshi. Instead, he stated directly, "By His Majesty's decree, assist the Prince of Wu in entering the capital!"
"My apologies. Please inform Your Majesty that, back when I guarded Great Song..." Murong Xuan refused without a second thought.
"His Majesty has a handwritten letter." Before Murong Xuan could finish refusing, the inner guard interrupted him, then took out a letter and handed it over.
After reading it, Murong Xuan's expression shifted between light and shadow.
"Wait here. I will discuss it with my disciple first." Murong Xuan spoke as he led Lu Xingshi aside and handed him the letter.
Lu Xingshi read its contents. The first half appealed to sentiment and reason alike—playing the emotional card and lamenting their misery on one hand, while using righteousness as shackles on the other.
Lu Xingshi had no reaction to any of that. It was only when he reached the latter half, which mentioned the Divine Weapon of Langya Pavilion's "Eternal Youth" inheritance—a Divine Weapon named Kunlun—that his attention was caught. If Lu Xingshi assisted the Prince of Wu, Kunlun would be given to them, regardless of whether the matter succeeded or failed.
"Xingshi, what do you think?" Murong Xuan asked.
"What do I think..." Lu Xingshi was not concerned that they had come looking for him. Rather, he was pondering one question: why had Kunlun delivered itself to his door?
Then he thought of the final entry for North Sea: Heavenly Mandate +100. Perhaps that entry had taken effect.
Heavenly Mandate was nothing more than luck or providence of that sort. His "Eternal Youth" lacked a Divine Weapon, so Kunlun had come.
"We can go, but I alone will go. Master, you... should not stay in Langya Pavilion either. Find somewhere to hide for a while." Lu Xingshi had initially intended to tell Murong Xuan to stay put, but given the present situation, if he truly helped the Prince of Wu and was exposed, the lords of the court would certainly retaliate.
Then Murong Xuan would be in danger.
"Very well. We shall do as you say." Murong Xuan knew that his current strength would only hold Lu Xingshi back.
Having reached an agreement, the two soon went back out to speak with the Inner Guard agent.
"I can go. My master will not." Lu Xingshi spoke first. This time, Murong Xuan said nothing.
Naturally, the Inner Guard agent had no objection. What they valued was Lu Xingshi, the Golden Crow Divine General, not the decrepit Murong Xuan.
"So where is Kunlun? How will you give it to me?" Lu Xingshi asked directly, without the slightest reservation.
"Kunlun is in Your Highness of Wu's possession. Young Hero Lu need only carry this Golden Token, and the Prince of Wu will naturally give Kunlun to you." As the Inner Guard agent spoke, he took out a small token.
Lu Xingshi accepted it. In truth, he did not hold much hope that the Prince of Wu would succeed; the odds of failure were likely even greater.