Entering the palace

By the time Yu Huatian returned to the West Depot, it was almost three in the morning.

After dismissing the West Depot's men, Yu Huatian entered the Commander's Residence and went straight to his private chambers.

"Your servants pay their respects, Commander!"

Two soft, sweet voices rang out. Two maids approached with graceful steps and began helping Yu Huatian undress and bathe.

Hot water had already been prepared in the room. Steam rose from it, warming the room by several degrees.

As Yu Huatian looked at the two stunningly beautiful maids with their alluring figures, a thousand emotions stirred within him.

With looks like these, they could easily rival the internet celebrities and movie stars from my previous life.

Too bad my little bird is useless...

At that thought, Yu Huatian sank into contemplation.

The original owner of this body had possessed exceptional intelligence, martial skill, and looks, yet he alone had been deprived of the pleasures of being a man.

Otherwise, his looks alone would have been enough to earn him a living.

I wonder if I'll ever have a chance to restore this incomplete body...

So Yu Huatian thought.

If an opportunity to remedy his deficiency arose, he certainly would not let it pass.

Although he liked the original owner's personality, that did not mean he wanted to spend his entire life as a eunuch.

A true man stands between heaven and earth... how can he have no bird to use?

"I wonder whether this world has any martial arts that can regrow severed limbs..."

Yu Huatian murmured under his breath.

Then he shook his head and temporarily suppressed those thoughts.

It was still far too early to think about such things.

The ceiling of martial power in this world was by no means low. It was said that those who reached profound heights could even shatter the void and ascend to immortality.

His current Grandmaster realm amounted to little.

What he needed to consider now was how to survive in this world and climb, step by step, to its summit.

Once he reached that point, it would not be too late to seek a way to restore his body.

He gathered his wandering thoughts.

Yu Huatian stepped into the bathtub and let the two maids wash his body.

The original owner had been fastidious about cleanliness. After inheriting his body and memories, Yu Huatian had also developed a mild obsession with it.

He had just killed someone. Although no blood had splashed onto him, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Yu Huatian reclined in the tub with his hands resting on its edges. Ignoring the two maids' adoring gazes, he closed his eyes and savored this rare comfort and peace.

"System, open the information panel."

"Ding!"

Host: Yu Huatian

Realm: Mid-stage Grandmaster

Martial arts: Virgin Boy Art (perfection), Sunflower Manual (perfection)

Plundered fate: 8,088

Looking at the fate displayed on the system interface, Yu Huatian fell into thought.

Zhao Huai'an had been the protagonist of a martial arts drama, after all. Yu Huatian had never expected to plunder only 8,088 points of fate after killing him.

It seemed that fate was not so easy to obtain.

Yu Huatian began mentally preparing himself for that reality.

Then he started considering how to allocate these 8,088 points of fate.

A bronze draw cost one thousand points of fate, while a silver draw cost ten thousand.

Should he use these 8,088 points for eight bronze draws first, or save up ten thousand for a single silver draw?

Soon, Yu Huatian made his decision-

I'll try the bronze draws first. What if I get something good?

He acted immediately, calling out in his mind, "System, give me five bronze draws first!"

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Smiling Half-Step Death.]

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Corpse-Dissolving Powder.]

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained One-Day Death Powder.]

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Sorrowful, Crispy Breeze.]

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained a Lesser Restoration Pill.]

A moment later.

As he stared at the five medicinal substances sitting in the system's storage space, Yu Huatian's mouth twitched.

"It really does live up to its name as a villain system!"

Five draws, and four of them were poisons!

Only the Lesser Restoration Pill had any real use. It could rapidly restore his true qi, essentially providing a quick "mana refill."

Better than nothing!

Yu Huatian shook his head and completely abandoned the idea of making any more bronze draws.

I'll save up ten thousand and try a silver draw instead!

Closing the system, Yu Huatian focused on enjoying the maids' washing and massage.

The two maids' lovely faces were flushed red. Their delicate hands slid over Yu Huatian's body, and as they gazed at his handsome face so close to theirs, their eyes grew dreamy, their admiration utterly undisguised.

Even knowing that the Commander's body was incomplete, they did not care.

In their hearts, serving this Commander, whose beauty seemed beyond mortal reach, was the greatest honor of their lives.

The two women had served the original owner for many years, so Yu Huatian paid little attention to their small gestures.

Thinking it over carefully, the original owner had actually treated those around him quite well, so long as they did not cross his boundaries.

Although Yu Huatian had inherited the original owner's body and memories, his own personality was not very different.

Both were ruthless toward outsiders but relatively easygoing with their own people.

The only difference was that, ever since entering the palace and being castrated, the original owner had pursued only martial power and authority, with no interest left for women.

But Yu Huatian was different.

He had been a man in his previous life, one perfectly normal in both body and mind. If he could remain unmoved while two beauties as lovely as flowers and jade teased him, he could hardly call himself a man.

Unfortunately, because of his body's deficiency, however fiercely desire burned within him, the flames had nowhere to go. They only left him agitated and restless.

After a while, Yu Huatian sighed helplessly and waved a hand. "Go outside. I'll wash myself."

At his words, terror immediately appeared on their faces. They hurriedly knelt on the floor and said in trembling voices, "We know we were wrong! Please spare our lives, Commander!"

Seeing the panic in their eyes, Yu Huatian paused. "Am I really that frightening?"

The two women also froze. Thinking it over, although the Commander was usually stern and serious, he never took particular issue with anything unless they made an especially grave mistake. Put that way, he really did not seem so frightening...

Seeing their reactions, Yu Huatian sighed again and waved them away. "Go outside."

The two women withdrew in a daze.

Yu Huatian sat alone in the bathtub, feeling the stillness around him. At that moment, an inexplicable loneliness rose within his heart.

The original owner's ideals and ambitions were indeed beyond the understanding of ordinary people. As a result, he had not a single like-minded friend, or even anyone to talk to.

Apart from Consort Wan in the palace, the people he dealt with most each day were the West Depot's section chiefs.

But with Consort Wan, he had merely played along. After all, he still needed her to whisper into the emperor's ear and secure his current position.

As for the West Depot's section chiefs, their reverence for the original owner ran bone-deep. They would carry out his orders to the letter, but never engage him in idle conversation.

"Perhaps this is the loneliness reserved for the strong..."

Yu Huatian sighed.

After washing himself thoroughly, Yu Huatian stepped out of the tub, put on his clothes, and went alone to the meditation chamber, where he sat cross-legged to cultivate.

His internal energy had not yet been fully converted into the Sunflower Manual's Sunflower true qi. To secure his footing at court and truly stand "beneath one man and above ten thousand," he had to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

Yu Huatian dared not waste a moment.

Early the next morning.

Yu Huatian had just emerged from cultivation when a knock sounded at the door.

He rose and left the meditation chamber, stretching his body. Sensing the surging true qi within him, he nodded in satisfaction.

Nearly half his internal energy had now been converted into Sunflower true qi. At this rate, the conversion would be complete in half a month at most, bringing a qualitative leap in strength!

"Come in."

Yu Huatian looked toward the door and spoke.

After an entire night of secluded cultivation, he was not tired at all. Instead, he felt clearheaded and refreshed. That was one of the benefits of practicing martial arts.

Clunk...

As the door opened, Tan Luzi stepped inside. With a respectful expression, he cupped his hands and said, "Commander, Consort Wan has sent someone again."

Yu Huatian frowned at those words. Will that lustful wench ever stop?

According to the original owner's memories, ever since Consort Wan first saw him in the palace, she had found excuses to summon him every few days. This had continued even throughout the six months since he became Commander of the West Depot.

If he had not needed to accommodate Consort Wan, the original owner's cunning and methods would long since have made the West Depot more powerful than the East Depot.

Unfortunately, Consort Wan was the reigning emperor's most favored consort, and the original owner had become Commander of the West Depot through her connections. Thus, however irritated he felt, he still had to take her wishes into account.

"Sometimes, being too handsome is a burden..."

Yu Huatian rubbed his head, feeling somewhat helpless.

Exhaling softly, Yu Huatian looked at Tan Luzi and instructed him, "Keep a close watch on the East Depot. Report any movements to me immediately."

"Yes, Commander!"

Tan Luzi replied respectfully.

Yu Huatian said nothing more. After a quick wash, he headed out toward the palace.

Tan Luzi stood respectfully where he was and watched him leave, his eyes filled with envy.

Having the emperor's most favored consort so infatuated with him was something countless men could only envy, yet the Commander actually found it so distasteful.

Could Consort Wan be unattractive?

But if she were unattractive, why would the emperor favor her so much?

Tan Luzi was utterly bewildered.

But he could not begin to imagine Yu Huatian's suffering.

If Yu Huatian had possessed a normal body, he would not have minded something happening between him and Consort Wan.

Unfortunately, his body was incomplete.

To others, this was something they could not obtain no matter how desperately they begged.

But to Yu Huatian, it was nothing short of torment...

(End of chapter)