News of the "Eternal Youth" Matching Divine Weapon

"Your Excellency, do you not know that I have already retired? I have even resigned from my post as Yun Zhang Academician. How could I possibly be called upon to deal with the Prince of Wu now?" Murong Xuan looked at the eunuch before him, his tone carrying the air of an old man who could no longer endure such turmoil.

"The Prince of Wu's rebellion is high treason, a crime..." The eunuch's voice brooked no argument.

But this time, Murong Xuan cut him off: "Your Excellency, I am already eighty-five years old."

The eunuch fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then stated his true purpose: "Though Academician Murong is aged, you have nurtured a disciple worthy of the title 'Enemy of Ten Thousand.' If this one, known in the jianghu as the Golden Crow Divine General, were to take the field, he would surely be able to slay the Prince of Wu."

Their target was never Murong Xuan. They knew he was old, his exploitable value nearly spent, and they were about to abandon him entirely. Yet at the last moment, he had given them a surprise—Lu Xingshi had burst onto the scene, and his combat prowess surpassed even Murong Xuan's.

"Hahaha, Your Excellency really knows how to joke." Murong Xuan laughed. "You want a cripple to go against the Prince of Wu? Are you trying to make them die of laughter?"

"A cripple?" The eunuch frowned, not understanding Murong Xuan's meaning.

"Your Excellency doesn't think my disciple emerged unscathed after capturing the Barbarian Chieftain amidst ten thousand foes and forcing the barbarians to retreat, does he?"

"By the time I arrived with the Prince of Liao, my disciple's Inner Force was already exhausted, his qi and blood withered. Now he is inferior to even an ordinary man. How could he take the field against the Prince of Wu?" As Murong Xuan said this, a look of distress crept onto his face.

The eunuch's pupils contracted at these words, and he understood in his heart why Murong Xuan had resigned his post and refused to serve the Imperial Court any longer.

Anyone would lose heart. To have painstakingly raised such a disciple, hoping he would see you through your old age and lay you to rest, only for him to be crippled and possibly die before you—it was a bitter blow.

At the same time, resentment festered in the eunuch's heart. If the man was already a cripple, why not just say so? He had made this trip for nothing.

"In that case, I shall take my leave." The eunuch's attitude shifted abruptly. Since there was no value to be had, there was no need to say more.

After the man left, Lu Xingshi emerged and remarked with a wry tone: "Master, are you sure you and the Emperor were teacher and friend? From that eunuch's attitude, it seems more like you were a blade in their hands."

"That eunuch is not the Emperor's man," Murong Xuan said calmly. He hadn't known before, but now he did.

"So that means even the harem is under control?" Lu Xingshi understood instantly.

"The Empress is also part of imperial power. She can mobilize the eunuchs," Murong Xuan explained.

If even the Emperor was a puppet, then what was the Empress? Nothing more than a figure decided by the lords of the court.

And it wasn't just the Empress alone—consorts and concubines could also be screened and inserted as extensions of that control.

"From the looks of it, the Prince of Wu is putting up quite a fight, or else they wouldn't have sent a eunuch to drag us into this," Lu Xingshi said with interest.

As he spoke, his gaze sharpened. "Get the hell out here!"

Before Murong Xuan could react, Lu Xingshi moved like a roc, his hand transforming into a claw in an instant, dragging a man out from the shadows.

The man had only just arrived and hadn't even crouched down before Lu Xingshi spotted him.

The inheritance of "Kun Peng Devouring the World" was nothing like "Eternal Youth"—this was a true martial art of slaughter.

That claw of his was one of the supreme techniques of the Peng division within "Kun Peng Devouring the World." Paired with his formidable strength, if he hadn't pulled his strike, the man would already be dead.

The man was middle-aged, pinned firmly by Lu Xingshi, with a deep claw wound on his shoulder that reached the bone—a mark left by Lu Xingshi.

"Let go!" The man was still arrogant enough to say that.

"I won't. Bite me if you've got the guts," Lu Xingshi replied, not indulging him in the slightest.

"Xingshi, let him go. He's from the Inner Guard," Murong Xuan spoke up.

"Oh, the Emperor's lackey," Lu Xingshi said, releasing him without a care. He wasn't afraid the man would run—the Peng division of "Kun Peng Devouring the World" also contained a lightness skill that could easily rank among the top ten in the world.

Otherwise, how could "Kun Peng Devouring the World" have been the royal inheritance of the former Yan dynasty?

The Inner Guard stood up, ignoring his injury and not bothering to tangle with Lu Xingshi. He spoke directly: "His Majesty commands: Aid the Prince of Wu in entering the capital!"

"Apologies, please inform His Majesty that I once guarded the realm for Great Song..." Murong Xuan began to refuse without a second thought.

"His Majesty has a personal letter." The Inner Guard cut him off before he could finish, producing a letter and handing it to Murong Xuan.

After reading it, Murong Xuan's face shifted between uncertainty and unease.

"Wait a moment. Let me discuss this with my disciple first." Murong Xuan led Lu Xingshi aside and handed him the letter.

Lu Xingshi scanned the contents. The first half appealed to emotion and reason, playing on sentiment and pity while binding him with righteousness.

He had no reaction to any of that—until the latter half, which mentioned a Divine Weapon tied to the "Eternal Youth" inheritance of Langya Pavilion, a Divine Weapon named Kunlun. If Lu Xingshi helped the Prince of Wu, Kunlun would be gifted to them, regardless of success or failure.

"Xingshi, what do you think?" Murong Xuan asked.

"What do I think..." Lu Xingshi wasn't focused on why they had come to him. Instead, he was pondering one thing: why had Kunlun delivered itself to his doorstep?

Then he glanced at the last entry of the North Sea—Heavenly Mandate +100. Perhaps this entry had done its work.

Heavenly Mandate was nothing more than luck or fortune. His "Eternal Youth" lacked a Divine Weapon, and so Kunlun had come.

"I can go, but I'll go alone. Master... don't stay in Langya Pavilion either. Find a place to lie low," Lu Xingshi said. He had initially thought to tell Murong Xuan to stay put, but given the situation, if he really went to aid the Prince of Wu and was exposed, the lords of the court would surely retaliate.

And then Murong Xuan would be in danger.

"Alright, I'll follow your lead." Murong Xuan knew that his own strength was now a burden to Lu Xingshi.

Having reached an agreement, the two quickly went back to speak with the Inner Guard.

"I can go, but my master won't," Lu Xingshi said first. This time, Murong Xuan remained silent.

The Inner Guard naturally had no objections. What they valued was Lu Xingshi, the Golden Crow Divine General, not the decrepit old man Murong Xuan.

"So, where's Kunlun? How do I get it?" Lu Xingshi asked bluntly, without any pretense.

"Kunlun is in the hands of His Highness of Wu. Young Hero Lu, take this Golden Token, and the Prince of Wu will give you Kunlun," the Inner Guard said, producing a small token.

Lu Xingshi took it. In truth, he had little hope for the Prince of Wu's success. The odds of failure were far greater.