Chapter 1

In the grand palace of the Great Xia, the golden and splendid palace shone brilliantly under the scorching sun. The marble steps, made of white jade, led straight to the heavens, and the magnificent palace buildings, one after another, were so numerous that they could not be counted. The Great Xia, at the peak of its power, had reached the pinnacle of what a dynasty could achieve. This was the zenith, but to those with foresight, it was also a sign of the impending collapse of the grand structure.

The Great Xia was too strong; this millennium was the millennium of the Great Xia, whose might shook the land of China, unmatched by any. On the vast land of China, there were over a hundred dynasties, but only the Great Xia stood firm for a thousand years, unyielding and undying, enjoying unparalleled prosperity.

However, the law of prosperity leading to decline is an irreversible rule. The invincible Great Xia could not remain invincible forever. In the past hundred years, signs of decline had already begun to appear. There were no wise rulers, and the virtuous ministers had dwindled. Moreover, the ancient Mongol court in the north had grown increasingly powerful, and the Eternal Night Cult, which had been dormant for a thousand years, had reappeared. The future of the Xia Dynasty was far from as bright as it seemed today.

The emperor of the Great Xia was not enlightened, falling far short of the several emperors who had expanded the Great Xia's territory in the past. Fortunately, the foundation laid by the previous generations of the Great Xia was solid, and the current emperor was not completely incompetent, though he had neither great achievements nor great faults.

The iron cavalry of the ancient Mongol court had crossed the boundary of the Northern Plain several times, disregarding the authority of the Great Xia. The debate between the war and peace factions in the court had become increasingly intense. The emperor of the Great Xia was getting older, and his decisions were becoming increasingly indecisive. His attitude towards the ancient Mongol court was ambiguous, neither fighting nor making peace.

However, compared to the ancient Mongol court in the north, what troubled the emperor of the Great Xia the most was the resurgence of the Eternal Night Cult. The origin of the Eternal Night Cult was so ancient that it could not be traced. It was a force that all dynasties in Central China had feared. The ancestors of the Great Xia had suppressed the Eternal Night Cult with great force, almost leading to its destruction. However, after a thousand years of dormancy and recovery, the return of the Eternal Night was an inevitable disaster.

The strength of the Eternal Night Cult not only lay in its terrifying faith, which had lasted for thousands of years, but also in its formidable and unfathomable martial power. The Great Xia was once so powerful that it banned martial arts in China, and the whole world submitted, yet it could not destroy the Eternal Night Cult. It temporarily retreated into the darkness, waiting for the day to return to the world.

Under the night sky, the Heavenly Edict Hall was as bright as daylight. The three dukes were silent, and the ministers were prostrate. The emperor of the Great Xia, sitting on the dragon throne, his brows furrowed, his face grim.

"Your Majesty, we cannot wait any longer. The voices of the northern generals requesting war are becoming more intense. If the court does not respond, and continues to tolerate, it will chill the hearts of the soldiers who have shed blood for the country."

"No, once the war starts, it will be uncontrollable, causing the people to suffer. Moreover, the Eternal Night Cult has already emerged. If it takes advantage of the situation, our dynasty will be attacked from both front and rear."

"Hmph, indulgence will only make the ancient Mongol court more arrogant. Our brave soldiers, how can they be intimidated by the Eternal Night Cult?"

"..."

The debate in the hall was intense, with each side unwilling to back down. Only the three dukes remained silent, neither speaking nor moving.

The three dukes rarely participated in political discussions since the founding of the Great Xia. It was not that they could not, but that they did not want to. They would only speak when it was absolutely necessary. This was a consensus, so even if the ministers debated fiercely, no one would ask the three dukes to make a decision.

The emperor of the Great Xia, sitting on the dragon throne, showed hesitation in his eyes. Whether to send troops or not was not an easy decision to make.

"Swoosh"

Suddenly, a sharp silver light shot straight at the emperor on the dragon throne, passing through the ministers. The unexpected arrow left everyone stunned, with no time to react.

The arrow, a masterpiece of skill, came silently and without a trace. The Heavenly Edict Hall, the emperor, and the ministers were all captivated by its sharpness.

However, this unstoppable arrow was caught by a withered hand. Behind the emperor, an old eunuch, who had been silent, had walked to the front of the dragon throne, shielding the emperor from all the storms.

"Assassin, catch the assassin!" At this moment, the ministers finally reacted, their faces changing, and they shouted loudly.

The three dukes, who had been silent, also stood up, their eyes cold, looking in the direction from which the arrow came. It was a heavy burden; for the first time in a thousand years, someone had attempted to assassinate the emperor in the palace, and right in front of them.

The emperor of the Great Xia, rising from the dragon throne, his face ashen, spat out two words, "Strict investigation!"

"Yes."

The emperor's anger made the ministers below tremble, their minds racing. The timing of this assassination attempt was too delicate, coming at the worst possible time.

The next moment, orders were issued, the palace was closed, and the gates were tightly shut. The entire palace was surrounded by tens of thousands of imperial guards, with a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten steps. The tight security meant that not even a fly could escape.

"What's happening?"

In the palace, Ning Chen looked out the window at the passing imperial guards, feeling very puzzled. However, thinking about his fate, he lost all interest.

Not far away, several young men, about the same age as Ning Chen, were also in low spirits. They were all from poor families, and they had no choice but to take this step.

"Sigh, what can we do?"

Ning Chen, resting his chin on his right hand, thought quietly. Being made a eunuch was worse than dying. Though he had come to accept his fate, the gap between a strong, excellent young man and a disabled, determined little eunuch was too great.

"Worried, so worried."

Ning Chen sighed softly. He wanted to escape, but one look at the imperial guards patrolling outside was enough to dispel that suicidal idea. He did not want to be minced into meat, and he had heard of the cruel punishments of this era: dismemberment, being torn apart by five horses, being skinned and drawn, being buried alive, being torn apart by a chariot—no, he didn't want to think about it, it was too painful.

"Once you enter the palace, the sea is deep, and from then on, Luo Fu is just a passerby."

Ning Chen sighed softly, drawing looks of disdain from the others. He almost forgot that everyone was in a bad mood.

The sound of the imperial guards' armor grew louder, indicating that more guards were being mobilized in the palace. The assassination of the emperor was a major event, and the orders coming from the Heavenly Edict Hall were becoming more urgent. The three dukes and the ministers were all waiting for a result.

Seeing the young men in front of him being castrated and carried away one by one, Ning Chen's heart was like a cat's claws, but with so many imperial guards outside and his own weak physique, he did not dare to resist.

"Lord, just strike me dead."

Finally, the last young man was carried away by two eunuchs. Ning Chen looked out the window, shouting in his heart.

"Boom"

As soon as he finished his thought, the dark night sky above the palace suddenly lit up, a dazzling lightning bolt streaking across the sky, followed by a loud thunderclap that startled everyone.

"I—"

Ning Chen was also startled by the thunder, "Lord, I was just talking, don't take it seriously."

"Boom"

Another loud thunderclap rolled, and then a torrential rain poured down, extinguishing the torches used by the imperial guards for lighting.

In that brief moment, a black shadow flashed from a corner of the wall into the room. A sword flashed, and the old eunuch, who was cleaning the knife used for castration, immediately fell to the ground, his eyes wide open, lifeless.

The large castration room was left with only Ning Chen, who had been idly staring. The black-clothed assassin, intent on silencing the witnesses, had been injured by a hidden expert among the imperial guards during the escape, limiting his abilities. He could only kill the nearest eunuch. As for Ning Chen, if he shouted, the assassin could not stop him in time.

"I can save you."

In the moment of eye contact, Ning Chen blurted out. The sudden words made the black-clothed assassin pause for a moment.

Seeing the assassin's hesitation, to avoid death, Ning Chen quickly continued, "Outside are all imperial guards, you can't escape. The imperial guards will soon search here, and hiding is impossible. Either way, you have no choice but to die, and you have no way out."

After speaking in one breath, Ning Chen almost suffocated himself, and he hurriedly took a deep breath, "You have no choice but to trust me."

"Who are you?" the assassin asked, his voice cold and emotionless.

A woman? Ning Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously said, "I'm a eunuch."

Spit, what a jinx.

After saying that, Ning Chen's eyes involuntarily looked at the woman's chest. Indeed... it was flat. Was she wearing a chest binder? It was too flat.

"Swish"

A sword flashed, close at hand, scaring Ning Chen into quickly retracting his gaze, inwardly despising himself. What was he thinking at such a time?

"Calm down, calm down, but before that, you must help me with a small favor."

Ning Chen temporarily calmed the woman, then took a few steps forward and stripped the dead old eunuch of his clothes, "Hurry up and change, or it will be too late."

As he spoke, Ning Chen smeared the blood flowing from the old eunuch's neck all over the pants, especially the critical area between the legs, making it look very frightening.

After doing this, Ning Chen blew out most of the lights in the room, making it dim, though still barely visible.

Not far away, the woman had already changed into the old eunuch's clothes. She glanced at Ning Chen's actions but did not say anything. She could see that this boy was quite clever and might really help her escape this crisis.

She was not afraid of death, but no one wanted to die if they could live.

Ning Chen turned around and saw the woman's face, which was so bright that it made him unable to look away. She was in the bloom of youth, very alluring, very feminine...

However, at this time, such beauty was a headache.

Ning Chen thought for a moment, smeared some blood on his hands, and then rubbed them on the ground. He walked up to the woman, smiled brightly, and then smeared his blood-stained and dusty hands all over her face.

Of course, Ning Chen had warned her with a glance, a look of warning, and a few smug looks.

The woman did not make a sound, coldly tolerating her beautiful face being disfigured, looking terrible...

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