At fifty, a eunuch can apply to leave the palace. That is the rule. Wang Li left, so did Zhang Yong. Now it is Li Qing's turn.
But Li Qing didn't want to leave. Nowhere outside was as safe as the palace.
Only, this time… the situation was serious. Too serious.
The Emperor, gravely ill, had pushed Chancellor Lu to rebel. And it seemed Chancellor Lu would have no choice but to go through with it.
Seven years ago, Consort Qi had been attacked. Though the Crown Prince had publicly stood up for Consort Lu, in truth, there was no real trust between them. That gesture was just to show the Empress Dowager where he stood: if she handed power back to the Emperor, he promised there'd be no reckoning later.
Since then, Consort Lu had grown even closer to the Second Prince. Clearly, she had ambitions of her own.
Given Emperor Taikang's history of losing more battles than he won, Li Qing had little faith in him pulling this off.
If he lost this power struggle, there'd be a purge in the palace. A brutal one.
"What should I do?" Gong Yue was panicking. He wasn't fifty yet. He couldn't leave.
"Go hide out with Eunuch Zhao in the kitchens," Li Qing advised. "You're not trained in martial arts. Even if His Majesty falls, they won't be looking for someone like you. There are too many nobles in the palace to serve. They're not going to kill all the eunuchs."
"That… might actually work," Gong Yue said, eyes lighting up.
....
That same afternoon, Li Qing went to the Imperial Household Department and submitted his retirement request.
No one gave him a hard time. Once his age was verified, they crossed his name off the eunuch registry in the Cold Palace and handed him a departure token.
With that token, he could leave the palace within two days.
He also paid ten taels of silver to buy back his pair of balls.
And just like that, Li Qing was no longer a eunuch of the Cold Palace.
Didn't think I'd be retiring at fifty. Still, I've got property in the capital. Zhang Yong's already living outside the palace. It's not so bad.
I've opened my Ren and Du vessels. I'm more than capable of defending myself for now.
If this all blows over and the Crown Prince comes out on top, getting reassigned to the Cold Palace won't be hard.
Li Qing headed back to the Cold Palace to pack up his things. But just as he reached the eunuchs' sleeping quarters, he saw someone waiting at the door. It was Wei Yang.
Wei Yang was only thirty-three, yet his hair was already completely white, his face lined with deep wrinkles. Who knew what kind of demonic cultivation he'd been cultivating? His presence radiated danger. He was far stronger than Li Qing, who had only just opened two vessels.
"Chief Eunuch Wei…" Li Qing started.
It had been years since they last met. Wei Yang had risen high in rank, and Li Qing moved to bow, but Wei Yang quickly stepped forward and steadied him.
"No need to be so formal, Master Li. Just call me Little Wei, like you used to."
Li Qing smiled faintly, then nodded and gently said, "Little Wei."
Wei Yang beamed. That one phrase brought them right back to the bond they'd shared years ago.
"Walk with me a moment."
He led Li Qing to an empty side room deep in the Cold Palace.
"What is it?" asked Li Qing, curious. This was only the second time he'd seen Wei Yang since he left the Cold Palace over four years ago.
"You helped me back then, Master Li," Wei Yang said solemnly. "I owe you. I came to warn you. The situation inside the palace is unstable. Someone like you, who asks for nothing and keeps to himself… it might be best to leave for a while."
He pulled out a token etched with a dragon pattern and handed it to Li Qing.
A dragon-pattern token. Custom-made for the imperial palace's elites. With it, the holder could come and go from the palace freely.
The term "imperial palace elite" didn't refer to the martial eunuchs of the Martial Supervision Bureau. It meant those serving eunuchs from the Martial Pavilion. Every one of them had surpassed the peak of Six Vessels cultivation.
They were the true cornerstone of the Great Qian Dynasty's imperial palace.
Li Qing was a little surprised. So this kid, Wei Yang, had really made it. Impressive.
Just like the Empress and the Crown Prince; people who might ignore you for years, but when it truly mattered, they still remembered you.
Unfortunately, he'd come a little too late.
Li Qing shook his head. "I just filed my retirement request. I'm leaving the palace."
"Oh?" Wei Yang didn't look surprised. In fact, he nodded slightly. "That's exactly what I'd expect from you, Master Li. Sharp instincts. Keep the token anyway. You can pass it down. It's good for three generations. Personally granted by His Majesty."
Li Qing took the token and stood in silence for a long moment. A feeling crept over him. This wasn't just about repaying a favor. Wei Yang had come to say goodbye.
After a pause, Li Qing finally asked, "Is it that dangerous this time?"
"I don't think I'll survive it," Wei Yang said quietly, turning to stare at the blank wall.
"What are you doing this for?" Li Qing asked, puzzled.
He had never been able to see through Wei Yang. He used to think the man was just hungry for power, climbing his way up. But now… that didn't seem to be it.
The white hair, the hollow look. Anyone could tell his life force was nearly spent.
People obsessed with power didn't throw away their lifespan so easily.
"To avenge someone," Wei Yang said simply, still facing away.
"My original name was Wei Jiuren. I was born to a poor family on the outskirts of the capital. My parents died young, leaving just me and my older sister behind. She raised me on her own. When I was seven, the third son of the Lu clan took a liking to my sister. She was only fourteen at the time. He forced her to become his concubine. She refused. So they sexually abused her until she died.
"I was eight back then. I made the choice to castrate myself, changed my name to Wei Yang, and entered the palace as a eunuch. I did it so I could learn powerful martial arts, gain real power, and one day avenge my sister by wiping out the entire Lu clan."
Wei Yang spoke calmly, his voice flat and even, like he was just stating a simple fact.
Li Qing fell silent again. After a long pause, he finally said four words, quiet but firm: "The Lu clan deserves it."
Wei Yang turned and pulled out two books.
One was called the Great Lotus Marrow Cleansing Sutra. The other, The Twelve Golden Needles Meridian Technique.
"You remember Concubine Ke and Consort Li, don't you?" asked Wei Yang.
"I do." Li Qing immediately recognized the Twelve Golden Needles Meridian technique he'd long dreamed of learning. But he didn't even glance at the book; he just gave a simple nod.
It seemed some long-buried secrets were finally about to come to light.
"Both Concubine Ke and Consort Li were members of the White Lotus Sect," Wei Yang said. "Consort Li was actually the Sect's current Saintess.
"Back then, the Grand Empress Dowager held power. The Great Qian Empire was stable, the people supported the ruling house, and there was no chance for rebellion. So the White Lotus Sect made a bold move. They sent the Saintess into the palace to support Emperor Taikang from within, hoping to stir up internal chaos during the power struggle.
"But somewhere along the way, the Saintess fell in love with the Emperor."
"In the twelfth year of Taikang's reign, during the assassination attempt on him, she revealed her cultivation to protect him. That exposed her identity as the White Lotus Saintess. The Grand Empress Dowager had her thrown into the Cold Palace."
Wei Yang spoke slowly. "Later, Ke Daoling sent his younger sister, Concubine Ke, into the palace to find out what had happened to the Saintess. But she slipped up while she was there. The Eastern Depot found out that Ke Daoling was a White Lotus protector, and that was the end of him. They raided his home.
"I had learned all kinds of White Lotus secret techniques from Concubine Ke back then. I used those same techniques to pose as a disciple of the White Lotus and got close to Consort Li. She trusted me, and that's how I got my hands on the Twelve Golden Needles Meridian technique.
"You should take a look, Master Li.
"The Twelve Golden Needles for Meridian technique is a secret method used to train White Lotus death warriors.
"Concubine Li was the Saintess of the White Lotus. The only reason she was still alive was because the Empress Dowager didn't want to embarrass the Emperor. The Empress Dowager was also using her as bait, hoping to lure out more White Lotus members. Once I had learned the technique, I killed the Saintess."
Wei Yang handed over the book.
He spoke of killing Consort Li as if it were nothing, like it was just another day.
Li Qing took the book and flipped through it carefully.
It didn't take long for him to understand why Wei Yang's hair had turned completely white.
The Twelve Golden Needles for Meridian technique was indeed a powerful technique for strengthening the physique. It was made specifically for White Lotus death warriors.
But it had a terrible flaw: it could only be used three times. Each time cost twenty years of a person's lifespan.
Looking at Wei Yang now, there was no doubt he had used it three times. Sixty years shaved off his life.
No wonder he looked so worn out at just thirty-three.
Li Qing's eyes lit up, nevertheless.
He didn't have eternal life, but he did have a hundred lifetimes' worth of lifespan. He wasn't afraid of shortening it.
Sixty years meant nothing to him.
"This technique has serious flaws," Wei Yang said lightly. "I wasn't planning on giving it to you, Master Li. But if you only use it once, it only costs twenty years. And if you pair it with the Great Lotus Marrow Cleansing Sutra, it can create a warrior with incredible talent. If you ever want to pass something down, this wouldn't be a bad choice."
Li Qing calmly accepted both manuals. "How much time do you have left?" he asked.
Wei Yang shook his head. "No more than six months."
He paused, then went on, "There's one more thing I'd like to ask of you.
"The Emperor has sent Consort Lu to the Cold Palace. It's a clear move meant to force Chancellor Lu into rebellion. Once I kill Consort Lu, he'll have no choice but to rise up. War will follow. I don't have long to live, so I'll be the first to charge into battle. Even if the Emperor wins, I won't survive. All I ask is that you see to my burial. Lay me to rest beside my sister.
"There's an unmarked grave on the cliffside of Luobai Mountain, north of the capital. That's where she rests."
"Of course," Li Qing said solemnly. "You have my word."
Still, there was one thing he couldn't understand. "Why is the Emperor in such a hurry? The Crown Prince commands the army outside the capital. If he returns with his troops, he could probably secure the throne without all this."
Wei Yang shook his head. "That's not something I can explain. But in time, Master Li, you'll understand."