Chapter 33: Turbulence

“Emperor Jianwu—no, Grand Ancestor Liang—did he slip up?”

Su Chen grew interested. The tree-like tendrils on his body surged, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into another person: an anonymous nobody who had once died at his hands.

As long as Su Chen had seen someone, he could simulate seventy percent of their appearance. If his tendrils had ever touched them, he could achieve seamless perfection, mimicking even their expressions and movements with one hundred percent accuracy.

This was precisely why, having remained in hiding until now, Su Chen had managed to avoid exposure while living under the identity of Xu Ge, a pharmacy eunuch.

“Grand Ancestor Liang is a Grandmaster-level Great Demon, unique in all of Great Liang. How on earth did he fall at the hands of a mere child?”

Su Chen drew closer, tilting his ear to eavesdrop on any secrets.

However.

At that very moment.

Among the five figures in red robes, an elderly leader with glaring eyes instantly locked onto Su Chen's hiding spot.

“Presumptuous!”

“What manner of rat dares to spy upon His Majesty’s divine countenance?”

“You seek death!”

In an instant, this second-rank expert struck with an angry palm. A faint sound of wind and thunder gathered within the strike—this was clearly a powerful second-rank killing move.

This individual was in the second-rank Fury Astral Realm, vaguely touching upon the celestial sensation of first-rank True Essence.

“I haven't even heard anything yet.”

Su Chen’s face turned slightly pale with dread as he turned to flee.

In the next instant.

A palm strike of wind and thunder descended.

“Kid, it seems you know that this old man’s second-rank cultivation is not something you can withstand...”

The red-robed old eunuch let out a sinister laugh.

Faced with this, seeing that escape was impossible, Su Chen surged his internal Jade Marrow. He countered with a palm strike of his own. He did not dare use the True Intent of the Wind and Rain Sword for fear of exposing his identity, and his Thunderous Might was too weak to be effective on its own.

He had no choice but to tap into the foundation of his third-rank Jade Marrow to barely hold his ground.

“I remember this old thing is called Mu Xuan. He took over the position of the deceased Martial Pavilion Chief, and along with my position, he became the second red robe below the purple ones?”

“When Zhang Gui was around, this old fellow would bow and scrape to me like a slave. I didn't expect him to be this strong...”

Feeling the force in the palm strike, Su Chen felt a wave of bitterness.

“I thought he was some formidable character, but he’s just a third-rank White Marrow...”

“Manager Mu’s palm strike is something even an ordinary second-rank Visceral Expert would struggle to parry. With this third-rank Marrow Cleansing, one hit would likely cause a person's body to explode.”

The other red-robed managers all sneered.

Hearing this, the young Emperor also withdrew his gaze.

He had no interest in a dead man.

Two figures collided. The sound of wind and thunder clashed with the brilliant radiance of Jade Marrow.

*Boom!*

Su Chen was sent flying.

Seeing this, Mu Xuan stroked his white beard, a look of triumph appearing on his face.

“See?”

“One palm from this old man is enough to make him vomit blood and die on the spot.”

To his surprise.

Not only was Su Chen unharmed, but he also twisted his body in mid-air, leaping onto a roof beam and vanishing without a trace.

“Huh?”

Mu Xuan’s hand, which was stroking his beard, froze.

He escaped?

The scene fell into a stunned silence.

The First Red-Robed Manager, Mu Xuan—this peak second-rank expert—stared at the direction Su Chen had fled, then looked at his own palm, checking back and forth several times before finally reacting with a cry of shock.

“What is wrong with this kid?”

For a moment, Mu Xuan questioned his very existence.

What was going on?

The opponent was a third-rank Marrow Cleansing, not a second-rank Visceral Expert.

That palm strike should not have just failed to cleanse his marrow; even a second-rank Visceral Expert would have been coughing up blood, kneeling on the ground, and begging him to stop.

Yet, this third-rank Marrow Cleansing practitioner took his hit completely unscathed and simply turned and ran away.

“Manager Mu, did you... hold back?”

Not only were the other red robes looking at him in astonishment, but even the young Emperor cast a questioning glance his way.

“This old man...”

Mu Xuan’s face flushed red.

Whether he had held back or exerted his full strength, he knew better than anyone. But how could he explain that he, the dignified peak second-rank First Red-Robed Manager, had failed to take down a mere third-rank White Marrow?

Under the moonlight, though there was a difference in the luster between White Marrow and Jade Marrow, it was impossible to distinguish in a rush. Furthermore, the records of Great Liang stated that the highest level of Marrow Cleansing foundation was merely third-rank Golden Marrow.

“That’s right, this old man held back.”

“I didn't expect this third-rank White Marrow assassin to have some skill. It was my oversight for not using my full strength...”

“Consider him lucky that he ran fast.”

Mu Xuan spoke with a cold sneer, but his right hand, which had delivered the strike, was tucked behind his back, trembling uncontrollably from the pain.

This assassin was truly eerie.

The palm strike didn't kill him; instead, it left this second-rank Fury Astral expert's hand throbbing with pain.

Was this guy really White Marrow? Was he sure he wasn't the legendary third-rank Golden Marrow?

“So he did hold back.”

“No wonder.”

“I almost thought the assassin was a monster like the Grand Ancestor, a third-rank Golden Marrow.”

“Golden Marrow? Didn't you see clearly? Under the moonlight, the luster on that kid was white. A third-rank White Marrow, the most common sort...”

The red robes present were all discussing the matter.

The expressions of the Three Guard Commanders were not good, for they were all third-rank White Marrow practitioners following the Path of the Body—exactly the "common sort" the red-robed managers were describing.

Little did they know.

Su Chen was not Golden Marrow, but something above the first of Great Liang's Golden Marrows: third-rank Jade Marrow.

***

“Go get the coffin nails left by Master Chu.”

“Keep everything simple. We shall carry the coffin into the Imperial Mausoleum today. It is better for my father to be laid to rest early.”

The young Emperor did not care about the so-called assassin. He pressed down hard on the coffin lid, feeling the impacts coming from within, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

If his "Imperial Father" did not enter the earth, then he would be the one whose heart and liver were carved out to be replaced.

As for the chaos in the world caused by the loss of a Grandmaster or the invasion by the Great Zhou, he did not care.

Moreover.

With Master Chu, the world might not necessarily fall into chaos.

...

...

The next day.

At the crack of dawn.

Dark Guards moved in groups of three or five, armed and armored, searching room by room. They quickly reached the pharmacy, startling the elderly Chen Ge, who was sitting in a lounge chair.

“My lords, the Dark Guards, what is this?”

“Searching for an assassin! Stay put!”

The Dark Guards burst through the door. Su Chen, walking out with a sleepy face, was nearly kicked over by the breaching guards. Terrified, he scrambled and crawled to Chen Ge’s side, trembling.

“Old Chen, what’s happening?”

“Is there another assassin on the loose?”

Seeing the Dark Guards rummaging through the secret compartment under his bed and stuffing all the silver he had saved from treating eunuchs and palace maids over the years into their pockets, Su Chen grew anxious.

“My lords, that is my silver...”

Su Chen’s mouth was covered.

Though Chen Ge was over sixty and his eyes were dim and his movements slow, he was exceptionally agile at this moment. He covered Su Chen’s mouth and spoke sternly.

“The Dark Guards are all fourth or fifth-rank cultivation experts. You and I are nothing but lowly, uncultivated bottom-tier eunuchs. You must never provoke them, otherwise, they might claim you are an accomplice to the assassin and cut you down, and you'll have nowhere to turn for justice...”

As he spoke, Chen Ge flashed a fawning smile and cupped his hands toward the Dark Guards.

“My lords, please take the silver as a tribute. There are also some aged medicinal herbs in the storeroom; if they are of use to you, please take them. A few herbs won't matter.”

“Hahaha!”

“At least you old man know your place.”

“Otherwise, based on those two remarks just now, we would have dragged this little one to the water dungeons to be 'served' for a couple of days.”

Several Dark Guards laughed arrogantly.

Soon, Chen Ge, smiling all the way, saw the band of ferocious Dark Guards off, leaving behind a messy pharmacy courtyard.

“Sigh.”

“Since the rebellion of the Director, our eunuch class has declined. We used to have Vice Chief Xu of the Martial Bureau to support us, but three years ago, Vice Chief Xu was also exiled to hunt down the remnants of the Eastern Depot.”

“Don't fight fate. In the palace now, aside from the Red Robes, even the Blue Robes must walk on eggshells. You can ignore the Martial Guards outside, but you must respect the Imperial Guards and the Dark Guards in the palace, otherwise, your head might roll before you know it.”

Chen Ge patted Su Chen on the shoulder, then began cleaning up the courtyard without another word.

In response, Su Chen actually felt a sense of guilt. After all, he truly was that "assassin" from last night; the pharmacy was suffering this undeserved calamity because of him.

“I’ll have to start saving retirement money for Old Chen again.”

Su Chen didn't care much for silver; as long as he had enough to spend, he was fine. Old Chen was nearing the age to leave the palace, so this money was being saved for him.

He had to find a way to steal the silver back.

No, that was wrong.

The silver was his to begin with; it wasn't stealing, it was reclaiming.

Su Chen deeply memorized the faces of those Dark Guards.

“By the way.”

“An old acquaintance of mine has returned these past few days. Go to the Library and deliver some food to him.”

“He should be in the Library lately—the one that belonged to that Eunuch Su, the place that Emperor Jianwu burned to the ground...”

As if remembering something, Chen Ge turned and gave Su Chen his instructions.

(End of Chapter)