Hu Xiaotian answered and followed Liu Yuzhang's instructions, finding an object in the drawer: a rod-shaped thing wrapped in golden brocade. Hu Xiaotian was not quite so obedient as all that. He unwrapped the brocade for a look first and found a tiger penis inside. He could not help wondering, What does a eunuch want with a tiger penis? Eating it won't do him any good. It's not as though he can graft the thing onto himself. Besides, it had been dried for years and had long since lost all biological activity. Liu Yuzhang was already urging him to hurry from below, so Hu Xiaotian quickly wrapped the tiger penis again and carried it downstairs.
Liu Yuzhang took the bundle and opened it in front of Hu Xiaotian, who asked a question he already knew the answer to. "Oh! What is that, Eunuch Liu?"
"A tiger penis!" Liu Yuzhang spoke with an unprecedented air of authority. Apparently, the thing really was brimming with yang energy-even a eunuch sounded full of vigor once he held it.
"A tiger penis? I've seen those before!" Hu Xiaotian said, implying that it was nothing unusual. Indeed, his family had owned such things back when he was still a minister's son.
Liu Yuzhang chuckled. "Tiger penises are common enough, but the Black Tiger Whip is exceptionally rare. This one was a gift from the ruler of Great Yong to the Retired Emperor. Black tigers are creatures of supreme yang, born in bitterly cold lands. Vast as Great Kang's territories are, you won't find a single one here. Even in Great Yong, they've become quite rare."
"In that case, it really is a rarity," Hu Xiaotian said.
Liu Yuzhang sighed. "Eunuch Rong said he wanted to take it for His Majesty." His voice betrayed considerable reluctance.