Daoist Xue and Zhong Xingwen ate and drank their fill in the Heavenly Prison, but the old eunuch who returned to the palace felt somewhat troubled.
The older the emperor grew, the more suspicious and irritable he became, and the more nebulous the things he pursued. As one of his close attendants, the old eunuch naturally understood his temper quite well.
Returning with so little would clearly fail to satisfy the emperor. Yet, thinking back now, that nod from the Daoist Priest seemed to leave some room for interpretation.
Before long, the old eunuch met the emperor in the Imperial Study. The emperor was clearly very concerned about the special prisoner in the Heavenly Prison, setting down his book to question the eunuch the moment he returned.
"Well? Is Daoist Xue doing all right?"
The old eunuch hurriedly nodded and replied.
"Your Majesty, Daoist Xue is in good spirits, with no injuries or ailments. Instructions have already been given to the Heavenly Prison. The guards are to attend to him properly without fail!"
The old emperor nodded.
"Then did Daoist Xue have anything to say about what happened this morning?"
The old eunuch hurriedly moved a little closer.
"Your Majesty, this old servant asked Daoist Xue, but he was extremely reticent about the matter. Still, he saw everything that happened on Dragon Painting Mountain, and saw it clearly-at least more clearly than we did. However..."
"However, what?"
The emperor pressed him at once, while the old eunuch hesitated before answering.
"However, the Daoist Priest clearly still harbors some resentment over his earlier appeal to Your Majesty. After this old servant asked a few simple questions, he was unwilling to say more. This old servant thought there would be plenty of time ahead, and pushing too hard today would only provoke