Chapter 518: Chapter 380 Hard to Co By_2
Nearing the kitchen.
Little Zheng suddenly said, “Xiao Xi shouldn’t have been so eager to stand out. His Majesty’s question wasn’t difficult. How could no one have answered it?”
Little Round followed up, “It’s just that they didn’t dare, that’s all. There are only so many positions in the palace, one radish for each hole. If you win the Emperor’s praise, isn’t it because you want to knock soone else out of their spot?”
Zhou Yi remained silent, but his heart was in turmoil, like stormy waves crashing.
Perhaps influenced by Xiao Xi, or maybe due to the desires within his own heart, Zhou Yi also dread of power.
Wouldn’t it be glorious to return ho with the reins of a departnt in hand, bringing honor to my ancestors?
Now, listening to Little Zheng and Little Round, it seed as though Xiao Xi, having earned the Emperor’s praise, was intentionally given trial dicine by Eunuch Xu and then died from poisoning!
Little Zheng said solemnly, “The waters in this palace are too deep. We don’t aspire for great power in the future, just to keep our lives safe, to flatter the nobles, and to receive so rewards.”
Little Round nodded, “When we get old and leave the palace, we can also use the money to find a place to live, so we don’t end up holess and begging on the streets.”
Zhou Yi remained silent, yet his face turned sowhat colder and more withdrawn, showing no sign of happiness, anger, sorrow, or joy, just like Little Zheng and Little Round walking ahead.
After breakfast, as usual, he went to the study.
The teacher continued to explain the Epiphyllum Treasure To, displaying more patience than when teaching literacy. He would provide detailed explanations where the eunuchs had questions.
Zhou Yi wrote down all his questions in a notebook, a thod Xiao Xi had told him about that seed to be sothing like ‘a good mory is not as practical as a bad pen.’
The handwriting was crooked, barely legible as words, indecipherable by anyone other than Zhou Yi.
Back in his room.
Zhou Yi flipped through the questions he had noted down, and indeed, he had forgotten most of what the teacher had explained during the lesson.
He recited them repeatedly and gained a little understanding.
He had acquired a rough understanding of the acupoints, ridians, and circulation of True Qi, but Zhou Yi had not attempted to practice cultivation.
After all, based on his guess, this was a Cultivation Technique that consud one’s lifespan!
Days passed, and nights followed.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
The teacher finished explaining the secrets of the Epiphyllum Treasure To, his black and white pupils sweeping over all the eunuchs.
“All right, no need to co for lessons anymore. Go to practice diligently!”
Not far to the south of the study, there was a row of Training Rooms, and from then on, the eunuchs began their martial arts training. After a year, they would be assigned to different posts based on their martial arts strength.
The coursework ended.
The eunuchs left the study in groups of three or five, discussing which Training Room to go to, as sticking together in groups ant less likelihood of being bullied by the elders.
Zhou Yi had filled four notebooks with questions, a thick stack. After all the other eunuchs had left, he took the notebooks to the teacher and kowtowed three tis.
“I’m grateful to you, Teacher.”
“Hee hee hee…”
The teacher’s laugh was like an owl’s hoot, sizing up Zhou Yi as he said, “You’re quite sensible, lad. In this palace, one who bows more, lives longer.”
When Zhou Yi t his gaze, he felt a chill crawl over his skin, as though snakes were slithering over him, sending shivers down his spine.
“Thank you for your instruction, Teacher.”
He quickly rose, practically fleeing the room.
The next day.
Zhou Yi followed Little Zheng and Little Round to Training Room Jia Seven.
The spacious Training Room, divided into small cubicles by wooden planks, was furnished with soft couches, ditation mats, and incense burners. The wooden planks were marked with ssy inscriptions, seemingly the martial insights of predecessors.
“That cubicle over there is empty. Mark the door, Little Yi, and then no one will take it from you in the future,” Little Round pointed to his cubicle with a square inside a circle on the door. “Just rember, in this palace, you can only rely on yourself. If soone truly contends with you, we won’t get involved!”
“Thank you, Brother Round,” Zhou Yi said, bowing slightly, then turning to another eunuch and bowing. “Thank you, Brother Fang.”
After marking his territory, he entered the cubicle and sat cross-legged on the ditation mat.
Monts later, his mind cald, Zhou Yi recalled the opening chapter of the Epiphyllum Treasure To, focused his breath, inhaled in reverse for twelve breaths, and directed thin wisps of breath through his ridians, finally accumulating in his Dantian.
When he completed a cycle, Zhou Yi slowly opened his eyes, sensing the True Qi in his Dantian.
“The teacher said that once the cycle is done, those with excellent aptitude will have ten strands of True Qi, the average will have five, and my three strands indicate a lower aptitude…”
“If the Epiphyllum Treasure To does indeed consu lifespan, then I’d have to sacrifice threefold just to match the eunuchs with excellent aptitudes!”
Zhou Yi frowned at the difficult choice before him.
One path was to live a shorter life but practice vigorously to secure a good assignnt. The other was to live longer with shallow skills, relegated to patrolling the palace walls.
After much contemplation, Zhou Yi resud his training.
“Patrolling won’t earn Silver. It leaves no chance to leave the palace, forever preventing from seeing my parents again!”
Eunuchs, according to the law, were not allowed to leave the palace; however, certain powerful eunuchs managed to sneak out in their free ti. As Xiao Xi ntioned, many eunuchs had hos in the capital where they kept wives and children that they had bought.
Zhou Yi didn’t care about a wife; all he wanted was to bring his parents to the capital so they would never have to starve again.
“Even if my lifespan is exhausted, it’s not bad as long as my parents can live well!”
Holding that thought, Zhou Yi spent the entire day practicing, accumulating over thirty strands of True Qi in his Dantian.
In the evening, he returned to his room, repeatedly reviewing the notebook where he had recorded his questions and recalling the Teacher’s techniques, striving to improve the efficiency of his Cultivation Technique.
Initially, it took a quarter of an hour to complete a cycle, but after half a month, it took only a fraction of the ti, and it was halved again after half a year.
That day.
Upon rising in the morning.
Zhou Yi followed the two eunuchs, silently pondering the secrets of True Qi circulation.
Little Fang suddenly stopped, and Zhou Yi almost stumbled into him, only to hear him say, “Little Yi, haven’t you been focusing on your practice?”
Zhou Yi was montarily taken aback, not understanding the reason behind the question.
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