I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Chapter 559: Chapter 313: Horses Tread the Rivers and Lakes

Upon hearing the phrase “eliminating harm for the people,” Eunuch Yuan almost burst out laughing.

On normal days, he envied Zhou Yi for flaunting his power and fortune outside the palace, feeling quite envious. But today, witnessing an assassin attempt to murder him, he instantly felt much better.

It was a pity that the assassin lacked skill—if he had managed to kill Zhou Yi on the spot, that would have been perfect!

“Eunuch Yi, please, do not be angered, take care to not injure your foundation!”

Eunuch Yuan suppressed his joy and said, “I will go and report to His Majesty immediately. The treacherous rebels from the Heavenly Sword Sect dare to assassinate a high-ranking official of the Imperial Court, and they must be severely punished.”

“Eunuch Yuan, tell His Majesty that I’ve been seriously injured and can’t pay my respects for the time being,” said Zhou Yi, signalling with his eyes. Xiao Yinzi nodded slightly; on the way there, he had already generously tipped in silver.

...

“Sure, sure.”

Eunuch Yuan didn’t like Zhou Yi, but he was willing to do things for him.

Nothing else but for the sake of generosity! Going out of the palace once, saying a few words, then thousands of taels of silver would land in his hands, more than what he would receive from announcing imperial decrees at the residences of the nobles and powerful clans. Thinking about this, he hoped Zhou Yi would live a few more years.

Xiao Yinzi bowed deeply to send off Eunuch Yuan, then turned back into the room to make a small report.

“Godfather, that man is too greedy, always reaching out for silver, and if the amount is too small, he won’t do the job!”

“What do you know?”

Zhou Yi glanced over and saw Xiao Yinzi was far less intelligent in speech and action than Xiao Quzi. However, for close personal service, top abilities weren’t needed—loyalty was far more important.

Xiao Quzi went to Jiangnan and unexpectedly engaged in private dealings with the noble families. No wonder his godfather turned ruthless!

“Ping’an, you tell me, why do we give Eunuch Yuan so much silver?”

“Reporting to father, I believe that with enough silver, things can be done easily. As long as Eunuch Yuan accomplishes the task, we can get back ten times, even a hundred times the silver we sent out,” replied Zhou Ping’an, pausing before adding, “Moreover, that silver is just stored at Eunuch Yuan’s place, and we can take it back at any time, perhaps even with interest!”

“Hehehe…”

Zhou Yi chuckled weirdly, then scolded, “What nonsense are you talking, child? Eunuch Yuan and I have a modest acquaintance, our relationship is profound, we’re truly like brothers and dear friends!”

Zhou Ping’an was right, but he shouldn’t have said it out loud.

The struggles within the palace are even more intense than those in government offices. It’s always a life-and-death battle. You send tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of taels to Eunuch Yuan, he won’t remember your kindness; instead, he will covet your life.

If you die, all the silver is mine!@@novelbin@@

Zhou Ping’an bowed and said, “I have learned my lesson, and will be more careful with my words in the future.”

Seeing this, envy and jealousy flashed in Xiao Yinzi’s eyes.

The supervisor from the Eastern Depot officially had eighteen godsons, known in the palace as the “Eighteen Arhats” and outside as the “Eighteen Hells” or “Evil Spirits,” etc. Yet, these godsons were all aware that they were merely tools for their godfather.

Xiao Quzi, once the favorite, had never been given such direct advice!

Xiao Yinzi secretly thought he must pay close attention to Ping’an in the future. Should the boy prove capable, they could join forces; if not, he would find an opportunity to send him off to die.

Zhou Yi had climbed up from a godson; how could he not see through Xiao Yinzi’s thoughts? But he did not say anything.

Being a sworn son of the supervisor at the Eastern Depot brought more than just power; it also came with great dangers.

If Zhou Ping’an didn’t have the ability to survive, then it was just his fate. Everything in this world comes at a price, so one should not blame fate or others for the path they have chosen.

“Xiao Yinzi, go to the Inspectorate and pass on my order.”

Zhou Yi commanded, “Investigate all information about the Heavenly Sword Sect, including the Sect Master and his disciples’ Nine Clans. Once I’ve recovered from my injuries, I am determined to exterminate their whole families!”

Xiao Yinzi bowed and replied, “Rest assured, godfather, not a chicken or dog from the Heavenly Sword Sect will escape.”

Lin Fu spoke up, “Supervisor, when interrogating the assassin, he boasted that the Heavenly Sword Sect is a well-known faction in the jianghu with ancient traditions, and has good relations with many of the righteous sects.”

“They’re nothing more than a rabble, relying on martial force to bully the common people,” said Zhou Yi coldly.

“Can they oppose the Imperial Court?” he continued disdainfully.

“Certainly not,” Lin Fu agreed, then cautioned, “I am worried about those martial experts. In desperation, they might attempt another assassination; last night was only a junior from the Heavenly Sword Sect, and already they managed to injure you. The Heavenly Sword Sect Master is a top-notch martial artist in the jianghu; we need to take extra precautions!”

Ever since he renounced becoming a subordinate of Zhou Yi, Lin Fu was regarded as a traitor by the scholars and despised by the literati.

Now Lin Fu could only follow this dark path to the end, hoping Zhou Yi would live for many more years until he himself climbed to a high position in the Inspectorate. By then, with a high status and power, he wouldn’t care about others’ opinions.

“Top-notch martial artists? However many come, I’ll kill them all!”

Zhou Yi was disdainful of jianghu martial artists, as they all had resounding titles like Sword God, Sword Saint, Sword Immortal and the like.

Boasting they could easily come and go within the forbidden palace, in reality, besides impulsive youngsters, very few dared to infiltrate the Emperor’s Palace. The Scripture Pavilion stored innumerable secret cultivation techniques, and yet no jianghu masters dared to steal them.

“Nevertheless, being cautious is never a mistake…”

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Yi instructed, “Summon two hundred palace eunuchs from the Hall of Dutiful Service, dress them in Inspectorate’s clothes, and have them serve at my side.”

The palace eunuchs practiced the Epiphyllum Treasure Tome, converting their lifespan into True Qi. With countless cultivation techniques from the Scripture Pavilion, each of them could be considered a martial expert in the jianghu.

“Supervisor, you are wise.”

Lin Fu felt somewhat relieved. If the supervisor truly became enamored with power and lost his caution, it would be time to look for a new patron.

Loyalty, after all, is a joke in the Inspectorate!

In the Inspectorate, everyone sought power, gathering under the supervisor’s command. The day Zhou Yi falls, they would scatter like birds and beasts, or perhaps they would fly away before he even collapses.