Chapter Thirty-One: Preparing to Learn Martial Arts!

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

On the phoenix bed, the two figures gradually awoke. Xu Boqing, with Chen the Empress Dowager in his arms, idly played with her hair, lost in his thoughts, his gaze unfocused.

Perhaps it was the familiarity that bred comfort after their first night together, for the beautiful woman in his embrace, upon waking in a sleepy haze, did not feign sleep as she had the previous day, but instead languidly shifted into a more comfortable position.

Remembering the fierce battle of the night before, and how she had ultimately surrendered to this young rogue’s many tricks, she felt a twinge of vexation, mingled with a reluctant tenderness, and bit his shoulder in reproach.

She had intended to hear him cry out in pain, but instead of a cry, his arm only tightened around her, drawing her in closer.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“It does.”

She looked up, just in time to meet his smiling gaze fixed on her. For a reason she could not name, her heart fluttered with an unsteady confusion.

“Your Majesty is troubled by a heaviness of spirit,” Xu Boqing said, gently brushing the stray strands from her face, his tone growing solemn. “If I could dispel this gloom for you, not to mention a single bite, even if you were to bite me a thousand, ten thousand times, flay me with a thousand cuts, it would be worth it.”

“Don’t say such things!”

“Then I—”

“And don’t refer to yourself as ‘this humble one’!”

The Empress Dowager turned away with a huff of displeasure. “In private, I no longer wish to hear you refer to yourself as ‘this humble one’ or ‘your servant’.”

At the mention of those forms of address, she could not help but be reminded of the chasm between their statuses, and all the rules and taboos it entailed. She could already imagine the fate that would befall this rogue if their secret were ever discovered…

Just as she was seething in silence, her brows arched slightly.

“Don’t be upset, Your Majesty…” Xu Boqing shifted, sheathing his sword with a casual hand, and soothed her softly, “I did not mean to address myself so; it is just that your position is so exalted, there is a unique feeling when I speak in that humble way… But since it displeases you, I shall change.”

“You—” The Empress Dowager’s expression changed in shock, but before she could speak, his lips silenced her own, leaving her unable to utter another word…

The sun climbed high into the sky.

Xu Boqing explained that he needed to visit Chief Eunuch Huang to practice martial arts during the day, and might have to go out to the imperial prison to visit his family, so he would not be able to come by. After dressing, he took his leave.

Reclining languidly on the phoenix bed, her cheeks still flushed, the Empress Dowager watched his departing figure and muttered inwardly, “No time to come during the day, so you made up for it in advance, you little scoundrel…”

The two old nursemaids at the door acted as if they saw nothing. They were veterans of the Cining Palace and knew exactly when to play the blind.

Xu Boqing paid them no mind either.

Yet as he walked through the corridor, he suddenly paused, frowning as he noticed an elderly eunuch sweeping in the distance.

He distinctly remembered that the corridors had always been swept by a young ‘junior eunuch’. That ‘junior eunuch’, though delicate and pretty to the point of seeming not at all like a man, was in fact—like Xu Boqing himself—no true eunuch.

Since he swept the corridor while Xu Boqing cleaned the gardens, their paths often crossed, and they had exchanged a few words. Xu had even once considered him a potential rival.

So the impression was vivid.

Could it be that he had retreated in the face of difficulty?

Xu Boqing called the elderly sweeper over to inquire, and learned that the young ‘junior eunuch’ had just been reassigned to another place earlier that morning by Chief Eunuch Huang.

He nodded thoughtfully and asked no further. When he reached the study, he happened to meet Chief Eunuch Huang returning from outside. They exchanged a smile and entered together.

“Have you just returned on some errand, Chief?”

“Just taking care of some people and matters,” Huang replied offhandedly, waving his hand. “But as for you, now that you’re of the Cining Palace, even if you die, you’ll be its ghost, understand?”

“I understand, sir,” Xu Boqing replied.

On the way there, when he’d learned of the young eunuch’s reassignment, he’d started to suspect something. After careful observation, he realized there was not a single young eunuch to be seen. Now, hearing that ‘taking care of people and matters’, it was clear who these ‘people’ referred to.

He had emerged from the ranks of ‘reserves’. The Empress Dowager’s attention was not going to shift for some time, and those other ‘junior eunuchs’, all being imposters, had outlived their usefulness.

Chief Eunuch Huang was unaware that Xu Boqing had already seen through the identities of those ‘junior eunuchs’, so he kept his words vague, using “even in death you are Cining Palace’s ghost” as a warning.

There would be no leaving, ever.

This was a great and binding fate.

Ever since he’d realized he possessed a golden finger and that this was a world of spirits and immortals, Xu Boqing’s ambitions had grown. Even emperors could not resist the allure of cultivation and immortality; how could an ordinary man like himself?

Everything he did now—serving the Empress Dowager, seeking martial arts—was merely for survival. And when the time was ripe, he would seek out that elusive path to transcendence.

He would not let this life be wasted.

But as things stood, Chief Huang’s meaning was clear: Xu Boqing belonged to Cining Palace, with no room for refusal. He had no choice but to accept.

Was this not a mighty karmic bond?

Seeing him deep in thought, Chief Huang assumed he was pondering martial arts. He turned to the bookshelf, retrieving several aged booklets.

“Last night, I picked out a few basic martial arts primers for you, as well as some internal and external disciplines for you to major in.” Chief Huang paused, arranging the booklets on the table. “Don’t look down on these just because they’re primers. They embody the wisdom and techniques of the greatest imperial masters through the ages. In the world of the martial sects, these would be treasured heirlooms. Study them closely. If you grasp their essence, you’ll avoid many missteps in your training.”

“My deep thanks for these treasures, Chief,” Xu Boqing replied with a broad grin, tucking the booklets into his robes. His gaze, however, grew eager as he eyed the other manuals in Huang’s hands.

For the moment, thoughts of fate and karma could wait. The future could be reckoned with later.

“Oh, very well. They’ll be yours sooner or later anyway.” Seeing his expression, Chief Huang relented and laid out the remaining manuals for major internal and external disciplines on the desk.

“I’ve observed your energy—upright and pure, but with a hidden fervor. My own internal arts wouldn’t suit you, so I found others for you to consider. Take a look and make your choice…”