Hu Xiaotian received a thorough scolding at Samantabhadra Courtyard, but the Old Emperor did no more than berate him; there was no actual punishment. When Hu Xiaotian returned to Five Contemplations Hall, the bodyguards crowded around him, asking after his well-being. With Qi Danai missing, they had lost their guiding pillar, and after Hu Xiaotian displayed his strength, he had successfully cowed them all.
Zuo Tang was the quickest to trim his sails to the wind. Beaming at the sight of Hu Xiaotian, he hurried over ahead of the others. "Lord Hu, you're back! Are you tired? Why not let me pound your back and massage your feet?"
Surprisingly, Hu Xiaotian did not refuse. He nodded, and Zuo Tang immediately sent someone to fetch hot water.
Surrounded by the others, Hu Xiaotian returned to his room. Someone promptly brought in a basin of hot water, and he soaked his feet while Zuo Tang moved behind him and began pounding his back and kneading his shoulders, fawning over him with all his might.
One bodyguard asked, "My lord, was it hard going in Cloudsplit Valley?"
"It was extremely hard," Hu Xiaotian said. "But His Majesty commanded it, and no matter how hard it was, this eunuch had to obey!" Without thinking, he had slipped back into a eunuch's way of speaking.
The bodyguards wanted to laugh but dared not, and holding it in was agonizing. Hu Xiaotian mocked himself. "I spent so long undercover in the palace on imperial orders that I nearly forgot I was a normal man. There can't be many men in this world who became a eunuch first and a monk afterward, like me."
"Your wholehearted loyalty inspires admiration, my lord," Zuo Tang said. "From now on, we shall take you as our example and learn all