"It seems those two eunuchs from before aren't coming back," Li Xuan thought, feeling relieved deep down when he saw Little Deng and Xiao Zhuozi settle in successfully.
As long as Chief Steward Shang wasn't constantly watching Jingyang Palace, everything would be fine.
Li Xuan could also end his seclusion and go out for more strolls.
The Yan Qu Hall became a bit boring after that.
After finishing their lunch, the Royal Concubines only rested for half an hour before resuming their afternoon etiquette training.
Meanwhile, the palace maids and eunuchs continued with their various chores, no different from the morning.
Li Xuan saw Deng Weixian also adapting here, working alongside the new Xiao Zhuozi.
However, as newcomers, the tasks they were assigned were inevitably a bit of a raw deal.
It was cleaning chamber pots!
Li Xuan merely glanced from afar and lost interest in observing Deng Weixian further.
It seemed that no matter where one went, there was always this tradition of bullying newcomers.
He stopped paying attention to Yu'er's younger brother and instead went to observe the Royal Concubines' etiquette class.
Li Xuan had no ulterior motives!
He simply wanted to watch beautiful women.
This was a long-standing concentration training that not only prolonged life but also soothed the mind.
Although Li Xuan was just a small cat now, he had to practice martial arts and support two little girls at home who were eagerly awaiting food.
The psychological pressure was immense, so he naturally needed to look at beautiful women more often.
He looked at beautiful women all for the future of Jingyang Palace.
To ensure Princess Ankang and Yu'er lived better lives.
Naturally, there were no selfish motives involved.
Of course, listening to the Royal Concubines' gossip might also provide some useful information.
In Jingyang Palace, Princess Princess Ankang and Yu'er were both the quiet type.
Unlike the Royal Concubines in Yan Qu Hall, who were all chattering away, always having endless topics to discuss.
It was thanks to their gossip that Li Xuan learned about the family backgrounds of Liang Chuchu and Wang Suyue.
These two were similar in age and had been at odds since childhood, growing up together amidst constant bickering.
Their troublesome relationship continued even in the palace, with quarrels breaking out every few days.
If it weren't for their influential families, Eunuch Yin would have long ago disciplined them into submission like quails.
However, the officials from both families held high positions, so even Eunuch Yin of Yan Qu Hall was unwilling to meddle in their affairs.
Listening to the Royal Concubines' casual chats, it seemed that Liang Chuchu and Wang Suyue's animosity, besides their personal temperaments, was related to their families belonging to different factions.
It was common knowledge that the official group led by the Grand Secretary and the noble group led by the Loyal and Martial General were clearly distinct and disliked each other.
Li Xuan, having lived in the Cold Palace for a long time, had never heard such information, and couldn't help but linger in Yan Qu Hall, forgetting to return for dinner and having to quickly grab a meal there.
"Anyway, Liang Chuchu is unconscious, so not eating it would be a waste."
Li Xuan upheld the excellent Chinese tradition of diligence and frugality, not wasting a single grain of rice.
In fact, he had long discovered that Liang Chuchu had already woken up.
Liang Chuchu lay in bed, her eyelids twitching incessantly, merely feigning unconsciousness.
She was probably faking illness to be lazy and avoid work.
However, her acting was truly terrible; with her swollen face, her eyes darted around under her eyelids, never staying still for a moment.
Eunuch Yin of Yan Qu Hall, fearing she was truly severely injured and he couldn't explain it to his superiors, specifically came to visit Liang Chuchu, only to find her faking illness, and immediately left in a huff.
Li Xuan was truly impressed by Liang Chuchu; with such behavior, she still hoped to gain the Emperor's favor and be conferred as a concubine?
She would probably be sold off and lose her way home before that day came.
With so many people in the palace, it was truly difficult to find someone more clueless than her.
Soon, night fell, and the Royal Concubines all washed up and went to bed early.
It wasn't easy for these young girls; the physical exertion of the day was considerable, and if they didn't go to bed early to rest, they might not be able to cope with the next day's training.
Li Xuan, perched on the wall, let out a big yawn.
It was already late, and he planned to take one last look at Deng Weixian before going back to sleep.
Deng Weixian was Yu'er's younger brother after all, and Li Xuan could see that Yu'er cared for him deeply, so he also paid some attention.
So far, Li Xuan's impression of Deng Weixian was neither good nor bad.
This child hid his emotions and thoughts too deeply, making him inscrutable.
Coupled with his mysterious Godfather, Li Xuan truly couldn't figure out what his ultimate goal was.
Any extra concern now was mostly for Yu'er's sake.
Arriving at the familiar courtyard in Yan Qu Hall, Deng Weixian happened to be standing there.
Li Xuan looked at the sky; it was indeed midnight.
Sure enough, Deng Weixian began to assume the stance of the Tiger Form Ten Styles, concentrating on his martial arts practice.
It must be said that Deng Weixian's character was excellent; ever since Li Xuan discovered his nightly martial arts practice, he had never seen him slack off for a single day, even in wind or rain.
Knowledge comes from diligence, and skill from perseverance.
Li Xuan was also influenced by him and began practicing on the wall.
The Tiger Form Ten Styles served as a warm-up, followed by the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw, which they had both just learned.
In this martial art, Deng Weixian's proficiency was far inferior to Li Xuan's.
After all, he didn't possess Li Xuan's extraordinary talent and could only rely on diligent practice.
Although the Tiger Form Ten Styles they practiced before also contained offensive techniques, they were clearly not as fierce and powerful as the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw.
Evidently, the Tiger Form Ten Styles merely laid a physical foundation, while the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw was the true application of skill.
Half an hour later, Deng Weixian was panting, looking at his palms with a puzzled expression.
Li Xuan on the wall had a similar expression and action.
The physical exertion of the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw was much greater than that of the Tiger Form Ten Styles.
But after practicing, one could clearly feel a warm current gathering in the palms, and several visible small red lines were slowly spreading across the center of the palms.
Deng Weixians Godfather had once said that with this technique, breaking through to the Ningxue Realm and becoming a Ninth-Rank martial artist would be no problem.
And the changes occurring in their bodies might be related to this Ningxue Realm.
"Ninth-Rank, Ningxue Realm."
"Above this, what kind of realm would it be?"
Even Li Xuan himself hadn't realized that his craving for power was growing increasingly intense.
However, the reason for their puzzled expressions was not just the red lines appearing in their palms.
Li Xuan believed that Deng Weixian must have also noticed.
The consumption from practicing the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw was somewhat abnormal; it wasn't just physical exertion, but more like a fundamental power within the body was being consumed.
Although this feeling was faint, it was real.
Especially when Li Xuan saw the progress increase, he fell silent.
Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw: 12%
He had practiced once last night, gaining three points of progress, increasing the initial seven percent progress to ten percent.
But just now, the progress only increased by two percent.
"It's slower…"
"And what's worse, I don't feel hungry at all."
This made Li Xuan realize that perhaps simply eating wasn't enough to support him in perfecting the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw and breaking through to the Ningxue Realm.
"Coagulation, could it be refining the power within the blood?"
"And how should one do that?"
Li Xuan felt that Deng Weixian should have the same doubts as himself.
When his Godfather passed down this Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw, he only said that this technique was enough to allow him to advance to the Ningxue Realm, but he never mentioned what needed to be paid attention to during this process.
"There must be other secrets within this."
"I need to keep a close eye on Deng Weixian; if I miss his Godfather coming to find him, I might never get this answer."
Li Xuan sat on the wall, resting while observing Deng Weixian in the courtyard.
Deng Weixian stood in thought for a moment, then walked back into the room, and there was no further movement, seemingly having gone to rest.
He still had to work tomorrow, and practicing at night was already very tiring; if he didn't rest early, his body might not be able to endure it.
Li Xuan waited for a while, and after confirming that Deng Weixian had gone to rest, he planned to leave and return tomorrow.
But just as he climbed down from the wall, he faintly heard the sound of a door opening from inside the courtyard, followed by a series of stealthy movements.
Li Xuan's eyes showed surprise, then he smirked:
"Good boy, you're trying to pull this on me, huh?"
Thanks to fellow reader Sheng Han for the monthly pass support.
Dong — — — — — — — — — —
Bai Miao bows to you with a world-shattering kowtow!