Longevity: Sweeping Across the World as an Eunuch

Chapter 38: Chapter 37: Keeping Vigil

Great Liang had always been in turmoil, though Su Chen didn’t know why.

The Major Sects of the Martial World and hidden Secret Sects wanted to see Great Liang fall, and now even the neighboring nation of Great Zhou was getting involved, despite three hundred years of peace between the two countries.

Standing at the entrance of a funeral parlor, Su Chen mulled for a moment before deciding not to get mixed up in it. He turned and headed for another Funeral Hall.

Soon enough, Su Chen was thrown out.

"Three hundred taels of silver, and you want a plot in the Burial City Suburb? And a grand funeral, at that? What are you dreaming of? Every inch of land in the suburbs is worth its weight in gold. Even the worst grave costs at least a thousand taels of silver..."

The funeral parlor attendant sneered, the contempt he felt for the poor wretch all but written on his face.

"Is it really that expensive?"

’Three hundred taels is already a lot of money.’

This was all he had managed to save over three years of treating the illnesses of Palace Maids and Eunuchs. He never imagined it wouldn’t even be enough to buy a decent burial plot.

Just as Su Chen was about to return to the palace to steal a couple of treasures to sell, he spotted a Black Tiger Mark in a corner of an Imperial City Street, with a Black Lotus symbol next to it...

The Black Tiger Mark represented the Sect Leader, while the Black Lotus represented a Saint.

This meant someone from the Sect Leader’s faction was preparing to meet with the Black Lotus Saint. Their rank wouldn’t be low—a Purple-clothed Guardian at the very least.

’The Black Abyss has a Sect Leader and Saints. The Sect Leader is First Grade and commands the three thousand Demon Ghosts, with three Second-Grade Purple-clothed Guardians under him. A Saint is Peak Second Grade and commands numerous secret agents, with three Third-Grade Black-robed Envoys under them...’

’Three years ago, two Major Sects of the Martial World vanished into thin air. The Black Abyss was involved and was severely weakened. To think someone would still dare to remain in the Imperial Palace, and a Purple-robed Envoy at that?’

It was only a Second Grade. Su Chen wasn’t afraid. He had just finished off a master at the Peak Second-Grade Fury Gang Realm.

He had nothing better to do anyway.

It would be a good opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

The blame for the great disturbance in the Imperial Palace had to be pinned securely on the Black Lotus Saint. No one could find out that Su Chen was involved.

The Tree Whiskers stirred.

Su Chen transformed into the likeness of the Black Lotus Saint: a man of about forty with deep, profound eyes, dressed in an ink-black robe, and a Bamboo Wooden Token hanging from his waist. He followed the signs to a shop.

It was the very same perfume and soap shop where, three years ago, Su Chen had killed a Black-robed Envoy, taken the identity of Huang Ba, and returned to the Imperial Palace.

’This place is actually a Black Abyss stronghold?’

Su Chen was welcomed inside.

In the innermost hall, there were three people.

The leader was a man in purple robes with a full beard. With every breath, the air from his nose and mouth formed a visible white stream—a master of the Second-Grade Internal Organ Realm.

Beside him sat a girl of seventeen or eighteen, a golden hairpin in her hair, exuding an air of nobility. It was none other than Princess Yunyang.

As for the last person, he wore an Asura Ghost Face mask. He was a Third-Grade leader of the Demon Ghosts, and for some reason, he was seated as an equal across from the Second-Grade Purple-clothed Guardian.

"Su Han, your brother’s betrayal of the sect was an unforgivable crime. But the Sect Leader holds no grudge and has not only provided for your cultivation but has also granted you this opportunity. Are you willing?"

"For the sake of the grand plan, I will not fail my mission! Great Liang should have been destroyed long ago."

"Very good."

"Then you shall enter the palace."

The three of them seemed to be plotting something. Su Chen only caught bits and pieces of their conversation. The name Su Han sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

As Su Chen walked into the inner hall, the three of them instantly fell silent. Princess Yunyang humbly lowered her head before him, but the Purple-clothed Guardian was seething with uncontrollable rage.

"Black Lotus, have you gone mad?"

"Do you have any idea that the Sect Leader is still in the Imperial Palace recovering from his injuries? You crazily killed the First Red Robe and caused a massive commotion. Are you trying to get all our sect brothers wiped out by Great Liang’s soldiers?"

In response, Su Chen remained indifferent. He sat down in the seat of honor without a word, sizing up the three of them before revealing a cold sneer.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Heh."

’So that old bastard didn’t die three years ago. And he’s been recovering deep within the palace, just like me? The Demon Ghosts being wiped out has nothing to do with me...’

After that thought, Su Chen looked at Princess Yunyang and spoke.

"Bring me three thousand taels in silver notes."

Princess Yunyang nodded in assent, trotted off, and quickly ran to the front hall, returning with three silver notes, each worth a thousand taels.

The Sect Leader and the Saints were like fire and water; everyone in the sect knew this. If he were to listen respectfully to a mere Purple-clothed Guardian, *that* would be the real problem.

What Su Chen hadn’t expected was that the Sect Leader was still alive. He had assumed that all dozen or so of the First-Grade Minor Grandmasters who had stormed the Imperial Palace with Zhang Gui three years ago had perished.

"You!"

The Purple-clothed Guardian’s face was filled with fury, but he didn’t dare say more. In a stiff tone, he continued.

"The Sect Leader has an order."

"The Black Abyss has suffered a great disaster. The brothers of the sect must be united. Since the Saint is still alive, please go to the Purple Sun Palace to meet with him. There are important matters to discuss concerning the ’Sacred Land’..."

The Purple Sun Palace was a deserted Cold Palace.

As for the Sacred Land, Su Chen had memories of it. Legend had it that within the Black Abyss Sacred Land were countless Cultivation Technique Manuals, Divine Weapons, Treasure Medicines and Strange Pills, and even Celestial Soldiers and Generals. Most importantly, an ancient ancestor of the Black Abyss was slumbering inside...

Once this ancestor awakened, he could single-handedly manipulate the affairs of the world as if they were mere playthings...

"Hah!"

"We’ll see if I have the time."

Su Chen gave a cold sneer, took the three thousand taels in silver notes, and left with a flick of his sleeves.

His demeanor was a perfect imitation of the Black Abyss Saint.

The moment he was out of sight, Su Chen changed his appearance again. He slipped into a Funeral Hall, exchanged the silver notes for silver coins, and secured the burial plot in the suburbs for Chen Ge.

「Late at night.」

The wind and snow gradually subsided.

Su Chen returned to the Imperial Palace, changed into his Xu Ge disguise, and slipped into the pharmacy. Dressed in mourning clothes, he continued his vigil for Elder Chen, steadily burning joss paper. He looked nothing at all like the powerful assassin who had thrown the palace into chaos.

Outside the pharmacy, hundreds, even thousands, of Hidden Guards and patrolling Imperial Guards were knocking on every door, searching for the assassin who might still be in hiding.

"Out of the way!"

"Imperial Guard business! We’re searching for the assassin!"

The ferocious Imperial Guards stormed in, turning the mourning hall into a complete mess. They even pried open the coffin lid to inspect Chen Ge’s remains.

"Sirs, please don’t disturb the deceased..."

Su Chen rushed forward to try and stop them, but one of the brutish guards sent him flying with a kick. A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"What a downer. Just a dead old eunuch!"

"Hm? What’s this...?"

"Heh heh, an unexpected bonus."

The Imperial Guards smashed the jar inside the coffin. Their faces lit up with surprise as they immediately divided the three hundred taels of silver among themselves, right in front of Su Chen.

"Master Xu, just bear with it..."

Just then, the Little Eunuch Jiyun hurried over. He stopped Su Chen, who looked ready to erupt, and shielded him, offering the Imperial Guards a fawning smile.

"Masters, please consider it a gift for your troubles. There’s no assassin here, so why linger and taint yourselves with bad luck..."

The Imperial Guards left.

Jiyun looked at the ransacked mourning hall, then at the clearly indignant Su Chen, and couldn’t help but try to persuade him.

"Master Xu, we’re just Little Black-robed Eunuchs with no cultivation and no backing. We can’t possibly stand up to these Imperial Guards. Elder Chen is gone, but you still have to live..."

"In the Imperial Palace, suffering a small loss is always better than losing your life..."

"The Steward has been asking... when are you going to hand over Elder Chen’s remains..."

To this, Su Chen remained stubbornly unmoved.

"I said I would hold a vigil for Elder Chen for three days, and three days it will be!"

"Not one day less."

"You can go. I’ll deal with the Steward."

Jiyun sighed and left.

Only Su Chen was left in the pharmacy’s mourning hall, cleaning up the widespread mess by himself.

「Meanwhile.」

After leaving the pharmacy, Jiyun trotted over to the Imperial Guards. His expression changed in an instant as he glanced back at the pharmacy with a cold sneer.

’Without Elder Chen to protect you, how dare a mere Little Black-robed Eunuch like you show off your wealth? You can’t blame me for this.’

He then rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"See? I was right, wasn’t I?"

"Chen Ge is dead, and I saw with my own eyes that there were three hundred taels of silver in the coffin. I’m the one who gave you the tip, so I should get at least thirty taels..."

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