From street beggar to high-ranking official

This bloody scene instantly shattered Xiao Shunzi's plans. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed, begging for mercy.

"Eunuch Lu, it was my fault, Eunuch Lu, I kowtow to you, please spare my life."

Seeing Xiao Shunzi, who had originally wanted to force him to kneel down and kowtow, Lu Li felt a strange sense of pleasure. This pleasure was even more comfortable than when others called him "Eunuch Lu." Lu Li thought to himself with a dazed look that it was no wonder Eunuch Chen loved to see others kowtow to him.

Enjoying yourself is fine, but serious business still needs to be done.

"Hehehe, isn't Xiao Shunzi going to repay Xiao Fengzi's kindness as a teacher?" Lu Li's expression was strange and he wouldn't let it go.

"No!" Xiao Shunzi roared in anger upon seeing this. He was filled with anger, grief, and fear. He had lost all will to fight Lu Li and ran straight out of the main room.

Lu Li immediately gave chase.

Since he had already killed Xiao Fengzi, Lu Li didn't mind taking Xiao Shunzi's life as well and making them a pair.

He channeled his inner energy into his feet and quickly caught up. The severely injured and terrified Xiao Shunzi could not outrun the invincible Lu Li. Moreover, Xiao Shunzi's inner energy was exhausted at this moment, and he could not put up any resistance. Lu Li, who had caught up, slapped him on the head from behind.

Clack clack!

As Xiao Shunzi fled for his life, Lu Li immediately snapped his neck with a single blow, and he fell to the ground lifeless.

Lu Li slowly approached. Even though the feeling of breaking the spine was correct, he dared not let his guard down. He had heard that after a person dies, they would stare at the last person they saw and possess them. Even if there was no chance of that happening, Lu Li was still afraid that Xiao Shunzi's evil spirit would haunt him.

Only after the crimson blood slowly flowed onto the ground did Lu Li leisurely walk over and begin searching the person for silver.

Only when Lu Li touched the blood-soaked red envelope did he realize that the dead Xiao Shunzi was staring intently with his head tilted to the side, his eyes bloodshot, whether at the red envelope or at Lu Li.

"What bad luck! He won't even rest in peace after he dies," Lu Li cursed, stuffing all the silver he had into the red envelope and returning it to Xiao Shunzi.

He looked around and began to kneel on the ground, using his inner energy to kowtow.

......

When someone reported it, the eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs and Chen Gonggong from the Martial Arts Training Ground arrived at the scene. All they could see were two gruesome corpses on the ground and Lu Li kneeling on the ground.

"What happened?" Eunuch Chen stepped forward and picked up Lu Li. Only then did he realize that the boy was seriously injured. His gray clothes were covered in blood, and there was even a bite mark on his thigh.

"Please, sir, do me justice!" Lu Li sobbed hoarsely. His forehead was already broken, and sand mixed in with the wound, making him look even worse than when he practiced kowtowing in the martial arts arena.

With a look of suspicion, Eunuch Chen reached out and grabbed Lu Li's wrist to examine it, only to find that the other party's true energy had been exhausted and even his pulse was sluggish and unstable.

"Young Master Lu, is it?" The eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs approached Lu with a friendly expression and helped him up. "Tell me what happened, and Eunuch Chen will uphold justice for you."

The messenger eunuch took out a small jade bottle and poured out a pill. The junior eunuch following him had already prepared water and helped Lu Li swallow the white pill with the water.

The white pill dissolved upon contact with water, and its medicinal properties locked away Lu Li's pain, allowing the hoarse-voiced Lu Li to recover.

"Please, sir, do me justice!" Lu Li cried even louder, but he also sobbed as he recounted the whole story.

Out of jealousy of Lu Li's performance, Xiao Fengzi and Xiao Shunzi teamed up to force Lu Li to kowtow, beg for mercy, and hand over silver.

That's how Lu Li got the bruise on his forehead. Even the accompanying eunuch found the two people's share of silver in Xiao Shunzi's red envelope.

Lu Li tried to resist but was instead humiliated. However, Lu Li was stronger after all, and in his desperate resistance, his groin kick actually hurt Xiao Fengzi. Unable to contain his anger, Xiao Fengzi bit off a chunk of flesh from Lu Li's thigh...

As Lu Li recounted his account, each point he made was true. Eunuch Sui Xin had indeed found the flesh on Lu Li's thigh in Xiao Fengzi's mouth, and he had indeed found the extra silver on Xiao Shunzi's body. The injuries on Lu Li's body were also genuine.

If Lu Li hadn't been more skilled in martial arts and hadn't dealt with Xiao Fengzi first with his groin kick, Lu Li himself would have been the one to die here.

"Since that's the case, then the matter is settled." The messenger clapped his hands: "Little Shunzi, Little Fengzi bullied others by abusing his power, and Little Luzi retaliated after being humiliated. What does Eunuch Chen think?"

Eunuch Chen snorted and said indifferently, "It's good that Eunuch Sun has investigated thoroughly."

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs' assessment has ended, and this group of junior eunuchs is no longer under Chen Gonggong's control. Whether they live or die is none of his concern. The messenger eunuch Sun Gonggong was only giving him face by saying those words.

Only when both parties agree can things be truly good for everyone.

The accompanying eunuch handed the stolen silver to Lu Li and then left with Eunuch Sun. Eunuch Sun wouldn't care about this small amount of silver, and according to the "Great Qian Law," as long as the evidence was conclusive, the silver rightfully belonged to Lu Li.

Eunuch Chen was about to leave when, as soon as he took a step, the still-wounded Lu Li looked at Eunuch Chen's back and knelt down, kowtowing deeply.

"Little Lu is grateful to Eunuch Chen for saving his life."

Eunuch Chen glanced at Li Lu in surprise: "You saved your own life; it has nothing to do with our family."

With his keen hearing, Lu Li was able to discern the subtle shifts in Chen Gonggong's emotions.

"If it weren't for Eunuch Chen's permission, Eunuch Sun from the Directorate of Ceremonial wouldn't have left so readily. Moreover, Eunuch Chen taught me the rules, which has been a great kindness in imparting knowledge and resolving my doubts. I would never forget that." Even Lu Li was surprised that these words came out of his mouth so easily.

His head remained kowtowed to the ground, but his prostrate hands reached out to offer gleaming silver: "I have begged for many years before entering the palace, experiencing the coldness of human relationships and witnessing the deceit and treachery among my classmates. Yet, Eunuch Chen has always been fair and just, and he is meticulous in teaching me the rules, a strict teacher like a father!"

The 120-odd taels of silver were nothing more than a drop in the ocean for Eunuch Chen, but it was the last four words that really appealed to him.

Even without saying it explicitly, Lu Li had already given Eunuch Chen a head start.

Where there is a rise, there must be a fall.

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Chen's expression changed slightly, and he clicked his tongue repeatedly: "Good lad, we don't need your money, but we can show you a clear path."

"Please enlighten me, Eunuch Chen!" Lu kowtowed again, his words sincere.

"Take good care of yourself these next few days. The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs may summon the eunuchs at any time to arrange tasks. Remember to give them some silver." Eunuch Chen continued talking.

"Money is a small matter, but favors are a big matter. It's easier to get past the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings. If you give money to the messenger eunuch, he won't speak ill of you when he reports back. You can't have too much money, and you can't have too little. After he takes the money, he has to give some to his superiors. He might not remember the names of those who gave him money, but he will remember clearly who didn't. If you keep even a little bit, people will resent you."

Don't be stingy with the money. Also, keep some for yourself so you can better deal with your colleagues when you're on duty later, and avoid being targeted or treated unfairly.

"This servant thanks Eunuch Chen for his instruction!" Lu Li kowtowed three more times, placing his hands on his ears, keeping his thighs straight and his buttocks sticking out, bowing his head with only his upper body. He had practiced this movement hundreds of times, and it was exactly the same as what Eunuch Chen had taught him.

"What else should we call ourselves?"

Hearing the subtle laughter in Eunuch Chen's words, Lu Li suddenly looked up, a sudden inspiration striking him, and called out with deep emotion:

"Godfather!"