Longevity: Sweeping Across the World as an Eunuch

Chapter 49: Chapter 48: Mysterious Little Turtle

"Forget it."

’I’ll spare you.’

Su Chen decided not to harm the Little Turtle after all. He found a medicine jar, placed the turtle inside, and left for the Imperial Hospital.

Back in the first month of the Eleventh Year of Jianwu, he had stunned the world, his one sword strike conjuring a blizzard. He defeated three First-Grade masters to reach the Second-Grade Internal Organ Realm, a feat known to all under heaven.

Now.

It was the fourth month of the Twelfth Year of Jianwu.

He was still in the stage of Washing the Five Viscera.

’Too slow.’

’Now that I know of the Immortal Footprint, how can I not go and see it for myself? The Second-Grade Internal Organ Realm is a bit too weak. Perhaps a First-grade Leakless Minor Grandmaster would be enough.’

’A blessing and a curse.’

’The Three Extreme Realms made me the world’s strongest Second-Grade cultivator, but they also increased the potential of my Internal Organs. Cleansing them is far more difficult than it is for anyone else in the Second-Grade Internal Organ Realm.’

’Only by cleansing my Internal Organs to the Third Layer can I suppress this body of flesh, sinew, bone, and Jade Marrow and step into the First Grade...’

「Imperial Hospital.」

Su Chen knew the place like the back of his hand.

He had sneaked in to "borrow" herbs from here more than a few times over the years.

The Blood, Marrow, and Bone Treasure Medicine he’d used to break through to the Second Grade had been acquired from this very place.

The Imperial Hospital’s archives were packed with medical texts. Su Chen sifted through the Treasure Medicine Record, searching the entries from the Jianwu Period, the Tianluan Period, the Tianwu Period...

Nothing.

Still nothing.

Finally, his eyes narrowed as he read an entry in the Treasure Medicine Record from the Liang Wu Period.

’Found it.’

A hundred years ago, after Great Zhou’s defeat, the tribute they offered as a vassal state included one Five-organ Grass Seed and some Six Viscera Flower Leaf Seeds.

However, when Emperor Wu of Liang passed away and power was transferred to the Tianwu Emperor, a Demon Fiend uprising occurred. During the chaos, a Prince disappeared with a batch of Palace Secret Treasures.

Among them were the Five-organ Grass Seed and the Six Viscera Flower Leaf Seeds.

’A hundred years ago?’

Su Chen closed the record and made a trip to the Cold Palace.

He was looking for Emperor Jianwu.

No Prince could escape the fate of having their heart and liver dug out and devoured by him.

During the Tianwu Period, a Prince who wore white robes embroidered with dragons learned of this. Terrified, he frantically gathered allies and launched one rebellion after another.

The missing Prince from the end of the Liang Wu Period had likely ended up in his stomach long ago.

"Why are you asking about these two things...?"

"Hm?"

"Could it be that you’re a Third Realm Extreme One?"

Emperor Jianwu was baffled.

Then.

As if struck by a realization, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Of course."

"If you weren’t a Third Realm Extreme One, you couldn’t be called the strongest Second-Grade cultivator. Without those two Miracle Medicines, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to finish Washing the Five Viscera even if you spent your entire life trying..."

The last time they met, Emperor Jianwu had been a young boy of seven or eight. Now, after only two or three months, he looked like a young man of eighteen or nineteen.

His features were as sharp as a sword.

He cut a dashing and heroic figure.

Though still a youth, he already possessed an Emperor’s aura.

"But so what if you find the Five-organ Grass and Six Viscera Flower? They were never planted. They’re still just a seed and flower seeds."

"Your path of cultivation is cut off..."

A cold sneer flashed in Emperor Jianwu’s eyes.

’So what if he reached the Ultimate of the Third Realm and is dazzlingly talented?’

’The strongest Second-Grade is still just Second-Grade.’

No cultivator in this world has ever reached the pinnacle of the Internal Organ Realm, where the Third Layer gives birth to Qi Merging.

Without reaching the Third Layer of the Second-Grade Internal Organ, how could you possibly suppress the foundation laid by the Three Extreme Realms and step into First Grade?

The Third Layer of the Internal Organ Realm, Vital Organ Integration and Qi Merging, can only be achieved with thousand-year-old Five-organ Grass and Six Viscera Flower Leaves.

However.

Those two thousand-year-old Miracle Medicines have long since vanished from the world.

"Achieving Third Realm Extreme One... for all its monstrous talent, it’s simply the most foolish path one could take."

Emperor Jianwu let out a short, dismissive laugh.

"That’s not for you to worry about."

Su Chen left.

He had his answer.

’Northern Garrison!’

When he was still the Tianwu Emperor, he had bestowed an ancient piece of jade containing the seeds upon the Marshal Northern Garrison of that era—the man who would later become the First-Grade Prince Northern Garrison during the Year of Tianluan.

The Prince Northern Garrison’s Mansion had long been abandoned.

Su Chen set foot on the desolate grounds.

Twelve years had passed.

The Prince Northern Garrison had betrayed Great Liang, amassing his own army and seizing several border cities to establish a new nation. After three years, in the Third Year of Jianwu, the Prince Northern Garrison died a sudden, mysterious death, and his kingdom collapsed.

’Alas, the place remains, but the people are gone.’

’I wonder if the Jade Token still exists in this world.’

Su Chen’s search yielded nothing.

Back in the Imperial Palace, he found Xu Han and told him directly that he wanted the Jade Token once held by the Prince Northern Garrison. The Chief Eunuch of the Western Depot said nothing, merely nodding in response.

「The next day.」

The Imperial City was in an uproar.

All across Great Liang, more than ten thousand Western Depot Imperial Guards had been mobilized, all of them racing toward the former Northern Border Country.

That day, the imperial court was in turmoil. Countless Civil and Military Officials were clamoring for the impeachment of the Chief Eunuch of the Western Depot.

Even the Little Emperor took notice.

"The entire court is calling for your impeachment. Even the new Minister of Purple and Red wants to use you as a stepping stone to establish his authority."

"Aren’t you worried?"

Su Chen sipped his tea, glancing at the figure in the Big Red Python Robe beside him.

"He is but a mere Second-Grade. Killing him is a simple matter."

Xu Han’s tone was placid as he meticulously prepared the tea, as if the life of a Minister of Purple and Red was worth less than the hot cup before him.

「The following day.」

A scream echoed from the Governor’s Mansion.

A farmer delivering vegetables pushed open the gates to the Governor’s Mansion to find the inside drenched in blood. The Governor and his entire family had vanished without a trace, leaving neither bodies nor survivors.

A court official loudly questioned Xu Han in Jinluan Hall, pleading for an imperial decree. The Little Emperor simply replied with two words: "I know."

After the court session ended, that official disappeared as well.

After that, the court fell silent.

Not a single one of the Civil and Military Officials dared to speak ill of the Western Depot or curse the Eunuch Faction again. They were reminded of the terror they once felt under the thumb of the Chief Eunuch of the Eastern Depot!

This Chief Eunuch of the Western Depot was even more ruthless! He had truly earned his reputation as a man who would slaughter old friends and former subordinates from the Eastern Depot just to climb another rung on the ladder.

"Are you trying to become the third Nine Thousand Years?"

Hearing the eunuchs who came for treatment discussing the matter, Su Chen’s expression grew complicated. The last Chief Eunuch to hold the title of Nine Thousand Years had not met a pleasant end.

「Night deepened.」

He saw out the last Little Eunuch seeking treatment.

"Not eating?"

"Then go ahead and starve."

"You’re so picky. If I have to feed you True Qi every day, how could I possibly afford you? Don’t even think about it. Just starve, you little rascal."

He glanced at the ceramic jar; the beef, mutton, and milk he had put inside were completely untouched.

He was strictly following the method recorded in the Ancient Books for raising a young Double-faced Profound Turtle. If it refused to eat this, then one of two things was true: either it wasn’t an Upper-Rank Great Demon Fiend Double-faced Profound Turtle, or the Little Turtle was just impossibly picky.

The Little Turtle made a sorrowful face.

The Little Turtle seemed to understand Su Chen, its little head drooping pitifully.

’I’m really not being picky.’

’This food isn’t just disgusting, it doesn’t even fill me up!’

"Hungwy... want to eat Qi-Qi..."

The Little Turtle whimpered and shuffled closer, trying to nuzzle against Su Chen, but Su Chen just put the lid back on the jar.

"Go on and starve, then."

Su Chen went out again.

Recently, the Little Emperor had been seen around the Imperial Palace less and less.

Moreover, he had heard that the Little Emperor had replaced his Commander of the Three Guards, swapping them for three bizarre-looking individuals.

He decided to find the former Commander of the Three Guards and see if he could get any information about the Northern Garrison Jade Token.

「After Su Chen left.」

Outside the dispensary, two figures crept closer. They were tall and wore Forbidden Army Armor, but their faces were ugly, almost inhuman.

"Is this really a good idea? Sneaking out for a snack behind the three commanders’ backs."

"What’s there to be afraid of!"

"I’ve already scouted the place. This area is full of ordinary people who wouldn’t be missed if they disappeared. We’re two Third Grade Blood Demons. Together, we’re nearly as strong as a Second-Grade Cultivator. Even if we get caught eating someone, you think they can actually kill us?"

As they spoke, the two Demon Fiends pushed open the dispensary door.

Inside the jar, the Little Turtle drooled.

The Little Turtle poked its head out of the ceramic jar. It clambered out and instantly swelled in size, its eyes gleaming as it swallowed a mouthful of saliva. ’Yummy food is here.’

"Heh heh!"

"Weak little human, come on into your grandpa Demon Fiend’s belly!"

The two Demon Fiends pushed open the dispensary door with savage grins.

In the next instant.

Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Before them was a gigantic turtle head with its mouth wide open, as if waiting for them to walk right in.

"What the fuck?"

"A Great Demon Fiend!!"

"Damn it! Why is there a Great Demon Fiend here...?"

The two Demon Fiends were scared witless. Their feet slipped beneath them as they turned to flee.

But it was too late.

They were swallowed in a single gulp.

’See how good I am?’

’If you don’t feed me, I’ll hunt for myself.’

’And save you money, too.’

’Full now.’

The Little Turtle let out a muffled burp, then rolled over and shut the door.

Then,

it crawled back into the ceramic jar and pulled the lid shut behind it.

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