Roaring Dragon-Chapter 95: The Two Eunuchs

Night deepened over Wanan’s Thousand-Household Command.

Over a dozen Chilin Guards stood in red robes, hands resting on their blades, forming two rows on either side of an ornate palanquin.

Sitting in the center atop the palanquin, wearing a tall ceremonial hat, was the silver-haired eunuch Cao Fo’er. He lazily stirred floating tea leaves in a white porcelain cup, the fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes giving him a perpetually sleepy look.

On one knee before him was Cao Huai’an, the Commander of Tranquility and Suppression. Behind him lay four corpses shrouded in white cloth. Though he was feared in the capital like a living Yama, his brow was beaded with sweat now, and his voice carried a rare tremor:

“Forgive me, Lord Cao. This was a failure in my oversight. I will get to the bottom of this within three days and give you a full report...”

Chief Eunuch Cao Fo’er had served as the Emperor Qian’s closest companion since youth. During the chaos of Jian’an, he rendered outstanding service during the Dragon Ascension and was forcibly elevated to a transcendent rank in the Buddhist-Daoist system as the Emperor’s most trusted guardian.

Though officially one of the capital’s only two transcendent elders, his cultivation was somewhat inflated—he lacked the commanding aura of true invincible patriarchs.

If anything, Cao Fo’er resembled a chubby, kindly old man with a soft, effeminate tone:

“You're not reporting to me, you’re reporting to the Prince’s heir.”

“Just now, the Dan Prince’s heir was bawling at the palace gates, screaming that the Chilin Guard had turned traitor and tried to assassinate him—blabbering on about trying to drive a wedge between His Majesty and the Dan Prince. It startled the Emperor right out of bed.”

“Sure, the heir is despised by the Dan Prince, the Emperor, and even the Crown Prince—but he's still the Emperor’s nephew.”

“If you can’t give a proper explanation, then even if I wanted to protect you, the Prince’s heir won’t let it go...”

Cao Huai’an had already pieced most of it together after hearing what happened at the Golden Tower. He was about to explain when more footsteps echoed from the entrance.

Tap, tap, tap...

Turning to look, he saw an older man in brocade robes enter briskly, attendants in tow. From the distance, the man clasped his hands:

“Lord Cao? What a coincidence to see you here...”

Cao Fo’er didn’t rise. Instead, he drawled mockingly: 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“Oh my~ What brings Lord Li out so late? Not at home with your concubines tonight, and instead gracing the Chilin Guard [N O V E L I G H T] with your presence?”

Li Gongpu, the Yellow Gate Officer, was known behind his back as “Lord Eunuch Li.” Very few dared call him that to his face.

Cao Fo’er, however, was the Chief Eunuch—he usually didn’t meddle in Guard affairs. When the Emperor issued orders, it was typically Li Gongpu who delivered them. Over time, Li had become the de facto second-in-command in the eyes of outsiders.

But to the Chilin Guard themselves, he was merely the Emperor’s mouthpiece—obeyed only because of the source.

Unfazed by the jab, Li Gongpu smiled:

“I heard there was trouble at the Golden Tower and came to check it out. Any progress on how Han Jingchuan died?”

Cao Fo’er glanced at the corpse:

“Does it even need investigating?”

Knowing the feud between Xie Jinhuan and Han Jingchuan, Cao Huai’an stood and explained:

“Han Jingchuan led a team to ambush Xie Jinhuan inside his room. He even carried a cursed blood object to frame him.”

“But then cultists from the Underworld God Cult showed up too, also trying to silence Xie Jinhuan. The two sides clashed.”

“Xie Jinhuan sensed something wrong beforehand, hid himself, and struck from the shadows—killing Han Jingchuan by mistake.”

Li Gongpu had already learned the gist. He narrowed his eyes at the corpse, pointing to the hammer wound dead-center in the chest:

“A strike that accurate couldn’t be accidental. Are we really calling this a ‘mistake’?”

Even if Cao Fo’er was a watered-down transcendent, he was still a transcendent. He calmly added:

“That hit was delivered with every ounce of strength in the body. No question, it carried personal hatred.”

“Exactly.”

Li Gongpu asked plainly:

“Since it wasn’t an accident, won’t Lord Cao investigate?”

Cao Huai’an replied first:

“There were witnesses both inside and outside the Golden Tower. Han Jingchuan wore black, masked, blade in hand, hidden in another man’s room with malicious intent. Even if Xie Jinhuan acted on purpose—it was Han who brought death upon himself. What do you plan to investigate?”

“......”

Li Gongpu had hoped to stir trouble—but Han Jingchuan had been so stupid that Xie Jinhuan hadn’t even left a scrap of leverage behind.

Seeing the father and son dismiss the matter, he shrugged:

“A Chilin Guard Thousand-Man Commander died. I only asked out of concern. It’s naturally up to Lord Cao whether to proceed.”

Cao Fo’er knew Li Gongpu’s nature and asked directly:

“So was this your doing?”

Li Gongpu didn’t deny it:

“I’m not that foolish. Han Jingchuan came to me yesterday for advice. I told him to hold back and stay alert.”

“If Xie Jinhuan had no grudge, they could coexist peacefully. If he really planned an assassination, then regardless of outcome, the Guard could investigate him thoroughly. Who’d have thought he’d hand Xie Jinhuan a blade instead?”

Cao Fo’er nodded lightly:

“Typical of Lord Li to scheme in the open. If Xie Jinhuan saw through it, he must’ve had help. Unfortunately, you played a bad piece.”

“Still, a Thousand-Man Commander is dead. We can’t just let this go. But it’s hard to justify investigating Xie Jinhuan... unless, perhaps, Lord Li could lend me something to use as an excuse?”

Li Gongpu frowned slightly and leaned in:

“What does Lord Cao want?”

“Your head.”

Cao Fo’er stroked his chin seriously:

“Xie Jinhuan strikes me as someone who never forgets a grudge. He’ll come for you. But I could use your own tactic—if you suddenly drop dead within a month, the Chilin Guard will arrest him instantly. Even with heaven-defying skills, he couldn’t escape.”

“But if you don’t die, that means he bears no grudge. Then Han Jingchuan simply brought ruin on himself, and we’ve no right to blame the innocent.”

“......”

Using Lord Li’s head as bait...

Sure, Li Gongpu had offered up Han Jingchuan as a pawn—but his own head? Not a chance. He chuckled:

“You jest, Lord Cao. But laws must be upheld. If that boy really dares attack me, I trust you'll judge fairly—and not let personal feelings interfere.”

Cao Fo’er didn’t reply. He merely lifted his teacup, blew gently, and took a sip:

“Mmm~ This tea is quite good.”

Tea raised = time to leave.

Li Gongpu’s eye twitched. He forced a smile and said:

“Your ‘Immovable Diamond Zen’ must be nearing perfection, Lord Cao. Still flinching from hot tea?”

“With all that lard in your belly, you shouldn’t fear the cold either. Yet here you are, layering up for autumn.”

?

Li Gongpu couldn’t win this war of words with a eunuch and wisely chose silence. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and left.

Cao Huai’an remained standing with a hand on his blade until Li Gongpu exited. Then he asked quietly:

“Foster father, why is Lord Li more favored than you?”

Cao Fo’er frowned slightly:

“I’m still a human being. Don’t compare me to a damn lapdog.”

Cao Huai’an found that answer fair enough and asked:

“With how Xie Jinhuan acts, he’ll probably cause trouble for Li Gongpu. And Li won’t let him grow unchecked either. Should we get involved or not?”

Cao Fo’er raised a hand, signaling attendants to lift the palanquin:

“Even to beat a dog, you look at its owner first. Xie Jinhuan won’t be dumb enough to assassinate Li Gongpu. And if he could be outplayed by someone like Li, then he wouldn’t live long anyway.”

“Got it...”

...

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

The dim light of candles still illuminated the corners of the underground chamber.

The plank bed by the wall had now become two.

He Can sat up slowly, bandages wrapped around his waist, gobbling down his food like he’d just struck a silver vein. Eyes gleaming, he sneered:

“Ohhh~ look who’s eating karma now. And you call yourself an Incense Master of the Underworld God Cult? If that’s the standard, I should be one too!”

Zhang Chu lay nearby, shirtless and bandaged around the waist. Two bloody gashes still peeked through. But rather than anger, his eyes were full of confusion:

“Why the hell was Han Jingchuan hiding in Xie Jinhuan’s room? He stabbed me twice and then got wiped out by Xie. I’ve been in this city for years, and I’ve never seen someone this brainless...”

He Can shrugged:

“Welcome to the martial world. If everyone could read the situation and predict outcomes, there’d be no backstabbing left. Honestly, the fact you made it back alive? That’s already a surprise.”

“But don’t get too comfy—Xie Jinhuan’s marked you. You won’t live long...”

In the corner, an elderly man with snow-white hair was examining Zhang Chu’s injuries. After a long pause, he spoke calmly:

“Three years ago, during the haunted palace case, Han Jingchuan couldn’t trace us. To dodge responsibility, he colluded with Li Gongpu and framed Xie Jinhuan’s father.”

“Xie Jinhuan still doesn’t know the truth, so he’s pinned the grudge on Han Jingchuan.”

“Han got scared and made the first move. When he couldn’t find Jinhuan inside, he laid in wait. Then you panicked, tried to clean up, and boom—flood hit the Dragon King Temple.”

Zhang Chu ground his teeth, unsure who to blame. After a moment, he asked:

“This kid’s got scary luck. He’s bound to become a serious problem. What should we do?”

He Can chimed in:

“This one I know—pass the blame! Since Xie doesn’t know the real story, pin it on Li Gongpu. That old dog’s reputation is so ‘spotless,’ you could point to a corpse and say ‘he did it,’ and the body would question its own memory before suspecting him.”

The elder knew full well the weight behind the name “Lord Eunuch Li” and shook his head:

“Li Gongpu was already the mastermind behind framing Xie Jinhuan’s father. We don’t need to divert anything.”

“Knowing him, he won’t let Xie rise unchecked. He’ll act soon.”

“Framing would only complicate things. Let’s focus on our own business. Since things in Danyang fell apart—we need to refine another Blood Demon Pill as soon as possible.”

He Can perked up:

“Where? Who’s leading the operation this time?”

The elder gave him a sideways glance:

“Since you know how famous your master is, maybe don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. Heal first.”

“Sheesh, what am I gonna do—sell you out?”