The eunuch in the cold palace: You get the Nine Yang Divine Skill right from the start!

Ma Guifan's concerns were not unfounded.

The Eastern Depot was mainly responsible for the capital, but when it came to some tricky cases, it always had to send people to all parts of the country. Zhou Kui was the deputy director in charge of this aspect.

As a fellow deputy supervisor, he knew Zhou Kui's strength all too well. There weren't many Blood Core Realm experts who could withstand a single punch from him in a head-on confrontation, let alone Shen Mo, who was only at the late stage of Blood Transformation Realm.

Cao Lingkun sensed his hesitation, so he said calmly, "I know Shen Mo's strength very well. Otherwise, would I have allowed this black-clad fellow to run rampant?"

"As long as the Grand Supervisor understands, that's fine." Ma Guifan said no more, but he was still worried. If Zhou Kui injured Shen Mo, it would be difficult to explain to His Majesty!

At this point, Zhou Kui was already impatient.

He said impatiently, "Are you going to agree or not? As long as your fists are stronger than mine, I'll do whatever you say."

"Would you kneel down, kowtow, and call me grandpa if I asked you to?"

Shen Mo continued to joke, carefully examining the burly, dark-skinned man. Wasn't this the talent he was looking for?

People with simple minds and volatile tempers are not suited for power, but they are definitely a good weapon!

The prerequisite is that you can force it into submission.

"Hehe!" Zhou Kui laughed, exclaiming "Good! Good! You've got quite the nerve. If you truly surpass me in martial arts intent, what's wrong with kneeling down, kowtowing, and calling me grandpa?"

He never even considered the possibility of losing.

Having practiced martial arts for decades, he has never been afraid of anyone in close combat. His Black Tiger Fist technique has been honed to perfection. He once smashed a boulder weighing thousands of kilograms with a single punch, and he has killed countless tigers in the deep mountains with his bare hands.

Seeing that the other party had agreed, Shen Mo said, "Then go ahead and do it. This time I definitely won't dodge."

"If you try to hide, you're my pet!" Zhou Kui said this in advance, fearing that Shen Mo would try to avoid the humiliation again.

"If you want to hit me, then hit me! Why are you being so indecisive, like a woman? It's so frustrating!"

Shen Mo showed an impatient expression, which completely enraged Zhou Kui. He considered himself to be a man of great ambition and hated nothing more than being called fussy and indecisive.

Immediately, the third punch came.

When he was half a body length away from Shen Mo, he suddenly leaped up, his right fist clenched tightly as he fell. It was the most ferocious move in his Black Tiger Fist – Black Tiger Descends the Mountain!

Shen Mo put away his playful expression, and the intent in his right fist had already been gathered.

boom--

The two fists collided perfectly, producing a sound like swords clashing, or like a giant drum and a heavy hammer, making one's eardrums vibrate!

Shen Mo's boots had sunk an inch into the ground.

However, his breathing was steady and unimpeded.

Zhou Kui was sent flying, crashing several meters away. His right fist was badly injured, the wound so deep that bone and flesh were visible.

Clearly, he lost!

"Eunuch Shen, what skill you have!" Cao Lingkun couldn't help but applaud, praising, "In close-quarters, bare-handed combat, this dark-skinned fellow has never met his match. Today, he deserved his defeat against Eunuch Shen!"

Ma Guifan, standing to the side, was so shocked that he was speechless. He finally understood why Governor Cao was so fearless. It turned out that Shen Mo was also a master of overwhelming force!

Zhou Kui was sweating profusely from the pain, his body trembling, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Then, he did something that no one expected.

"Grandpa, I lost!"

Zhou Kui knelt down directly before Shen Mo and kowtowed three times, each kowtow making a loud thud without any perfunctory gesture.

Cao Lingkun covered his face in exasperation; he had completely disgraced the Eastern Depot!

"Since you're calling me grandpa, I'll give you a little something as a gift." After saying that, Shen Mo took out a pill. As soon as he opened the bottle, the refreshing herbal fragrance wafted dozens of meters away.

Cao Lingkun sniffed the air and exclaimed in surprise, "The Hundred Herbs Salvation Pill?"

"What?"

Ma Guifan was even more incredulous. He knew that such miraculous medicines were extremely rare even in the royal family, and Shen Mo was actually going to take one out as some kind of so-called greeting gift?

Zhou Kui was also taken aback for a moment, but did not take it. Instead, he shook his head and said, "I cannot accept a reward without merit! I accept my defeat wholeheartedly. I can recover by taking some other pills and recuperating."

Only by fighting hand-to-hand can one truly appreciate the terrifying power of Shenmo.

He has come to understand this deeply.

"With injuries like this, can other pills guarantee there won't be any hidden ailments?" Shen Mo said irritably, shoving the pill into his hand and continuing, "Just take it. What kind of fuss is this?"

"I......."

Zhou Kui was speechless, but his eyes were already red.

Calm down and think about it carefully, he realized that he had been too rude. Shen Mo not only didn't mind, but also gave him such a precious pill. The Hundred Herbs Crossing Calamity Pill is equivalent to a second life for a martial artist, not to mention the improvement in cultivation after taking it.

Shen Mo ignored him, cleared his throat, and took out the imperial edict: "Cao Lingkun, receive the edict!"

"Your Majesty, I receive the imperial decree!"

Cao Lingkun quickly knelt down.

Shen Mo found it quite novel to read the imperial edict for the first time. The gist of the edict was that Cao Lingkun had to cooperate, providing whatever he needed—people and money—or else he would be disobeying the emperor.

Cao Lingkun smiled bitterly to himself after hearing this. The emperor clearly intended to use the Western Depot to check him, or rather, he was dissatisfied with some of his previous actions.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Cao Lingkun accepted the imperial edict with his palms facing upwards, showing no sign of displeasure.

Shen Mo stood with his hands behind his back and smiled lightly, "Eunuch Cao, I would like to ask you for two people. The first one is this Zhou Kui."

"I have no objection as long as Zhou Kui is willing."

Cao Lingkun hesitated for a moment, then secretly winked at Zhou Kui, signaling him not to agree. Although Zhou Kui was a bit reckless, he was a very useful executioner who had helped him with many important matters.

Little did anyone expect that this was just a blatant attempt to deceive the blind!

Zhou Kui seemed not to have seen it, and immediately clasped his hands and said, "Eunuch Cao, I am willing to serve Eunuch Shen!" His reply was so quick, as if he was afraid that Cao Lingkun would change his mind.

"Good! Your duties will remain the same after you join the Western Depot; you will still be the Deputy Commander."

Shen Mo couldn't help but pat his broad shoulder. This Hundred Herbs Crossing the Calamity Pill was no joke. As the saying goes, it's all about using both kindness and severity. The moment Zhou Kui kowtowed, Shen Mo already had the intention of bringing him under his command.

These men, though impulsive in nature, are true to their word and are fit to be used by me!

Using a single Herbal Salvation Pill to subdue a fierce general is a worthwhile deal.

"Eunuch Shen, Zhou Kui's departure is a great loss to our Eastern Depot; it's as if we've lost an arm!"

Cao Lingkun immediately played the victim, not wanting Shen Mo to poach Ma Guifan as well, otherwise he would have no one to rely on.

However, Ma Guifan is the type who is both brave and resourceful, and his role is much more significant than Zhou Kui's.

Shen Mo couldn't help but joke, "Don't complain to me, Eunuch Cao. I won't take away your other arm, but I'm going to take away a commander—Chu Juji!"

"Eunuch Shen, did you conduct a special investigation?"

Cao Lingkun's smile was more like a grimace. Although Chu Juji was a commander of a thousand households and only had the strength of the Blood Moving Realm, he was the most shrewd, capable, and taciturn among all the commanders.

He originally planned to nurture Chu Juji and promote him to deputy governor once Chu Juji reached the Blood Core Realm.