From street beggar to high-ranking official

Congratulations, Eunuch Ji!

Upon returning to the martial arts academy, a group of young eunuchs offered their congratulations, showering him with auspicious and flattering words.

Xiao Jizi was already immune to the flattery he was used to hearing, but he was very eager for the little bit of power he had. He coughed lightly, and the whole room fell silent.

"Our godfather said that rote learning like this won't work at the martial arts academy. From now on, we'll have to memorize and write down the books, and he'll teach us how to do it."

After listening, the ladies not only had no objections, but also praised Eunuch Ji for his compassionate heart in educating people. They were even more willing to work hard for little Ji, who had become the second "eunuch" in the school.

A young eunuch flattered him, saying, "Why don't we just call him 'Young Eunuch Ji'?"

Immediately, voices of praise and agreement abounded.

The task of investigating and finding fault fell to Xiao Jizi, and even the most inconspicuous eunuch couldn't help but come forward to try and get to know Xiao Jizi.

The old practice of reciting the text and then practicing martial arts was no longer in place. Instead, the eunuchs began to write it down from memory on their desks. Xiao Jizi did not demand that they write the entire text from memory at once, but instead assigned them to a single page, which was counted in one hand.

It's not a big deal if you fail the dictation test; you'll just have to go back and rewrite it. If you make too many mistakes, Xiao Jizi might even punish you by making you drink ink, saying that you need to be well-read to write well.

If all the answers are correct, Xiao Jizi might even offer a gentle reminder or two.

Even seemingly useless words like "correct handwriting" were instantly understood by those who heard them, who squeezed out tears and pretended to weep.

Lu Li was naturally among them.

But Xiao Douzi got anxious instead.

From the very beginning, he had Lu Li teach him martial arts, but he was inferior in memorizing words and phrases, and he spent every morning in the hall memorizing them by rote.

Xiao Douzi wasted a lot of time practicing martial arts because of this, and only one hour at night was not enough.

But Xiao Douzi was already of lowly status in the hall and dared not disobey Xiao Jizi's orders, so he became increasingly impatient and chased after Lu Li, asking him to teach.

"Little Lu, it's 11 PM tonight."

......

"Little Lu, it's still Hai hour (9-11 PM)."

......

"Little Lu, arrive half an hour earlier tonight!"

......

Lu Li simply agreed, watching as Xiao Douzi grew increasingly impatient night after night, even asking Lu Li to help him copy things in the middle of the night to speed things up, while during the day he would hold a piece of scrap paper and take quick notes, just to get past Xiao Jizi's hurdle first.

"The 'Secret Manual of the Inner Landscape of the Hidden Court' states: 'Sever external influences and guard the center; sever thoughts of romantic love between men and women.' 'Guarding the center' means guarding the source of true qi within the body and maintaining balance of mind and nature, being neither biased nor arrogant, neither humble nor overbearing. This is probably what it means."

Lu Li squatted on the ground and glanced at Xiao Douzi, who was copying the text quickly. With such a temperament, even if he could recognize the words, he would not be able to practice martial arts, let alone Xiao Douzi, who was just memorizing by rote and had no idea how to adapt.

During the time that Xiao Douzi was away from the meditation room, Lu Li did not stop cultivating. He learned from listening to the cultivation techniques and internalized them, until today he comprehended them on his own.

In terms of knowledge and martial arts, Lu Li had already surpassed Xiao Douzi by a great margin. Even though Xiao Douzi had also cultivated martial arts, Lu Li was confident that he could kill him on the spot.

But he was not in a hurry.

Lu Li couldn't confirm whether Xiao Douzi had said anything to anyone else. What if, after we kill him, a eunuch jumps out and reveals the truth...?

At least on the surface, it seems that Xiao Douzi's death has nothing to do with our family.

I looked up.

The moon had set high in the sky; it was well past the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).

"It'll be soon," Lu Li thought to himself, gathering his inner energy in his palm and mimicking Xiao Douzi's crooked handwriting with a charcoal pencil.

Little Douzi only knows how to study, this kid only cares about how to practice his skills, perhaps this is our family's opportunity.

A piece of scrap paper, identical to Xiao Douzi's handwriting, was gradually filled with writing. The position and number of characters were basically the same, with only two characters changing.

Seeing that Xiao Douzi's eyes were dark, he looked dazed, and he was yawning constantly, Lu Li said, "It's past 1 AM, you should go back and rest."

"Go back if you want, our family is just one page short." Xiao Douzi refused outright.

Lu Li stood up and left without looking back. The original manuscript, which had been crumpled into a ball in his hand, was crushed into ashes by his true energy.

......

The Grain in Ear season has passed, and the Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner.

Xiao Douzi started arriving later and later each time for his morning recitation, and once he even came on an empty stomach. Xiao Jizi, who was in charge of school discipline, didn't say anything, but he remembered it.

In his mind, a little eunuch like Xiao Douzi, with a bad face, messy handwriting, and always arriving late, was a poor student!

Perhaps Eunuch Ji didn't care about anything, but Little Ji had naturally come to compare his own face to Eunuch Ji's face.

Even though Xiao Douzi used to shower us with compliments and praise just as much as anyone else, our family doesn't need another underachiever.

We don't need to deal with the weak!

It was another dictation test. Lu Li filled five pages early, but instead of handing them in early, he did so after Xiao Fengzi.

Xiao Fengzi was very satisfied with Lu Li's performance; in his eyes, it showed he knew what was important. But in Lu Li's eyes...

Xiao Fengzi even asked why Lu Li always chose the left side when selecting a quiet room. Lu Li smiled slightly and said, "The Great Qian Dynasty inherited the old system of the previous dynasty, which regards the left as the superior position. It is only right that we choose the right side."

When Eunuch Chen was training in the martial arts field, he would often talk about the etiquette and rules of the palace. As always, he would only say it once, so few people could understand it clearly, and even fewer could apply it!

For example, Xiao Jizi's quiet room was chosen on the far left, separated from Ji Gonggong's study by only one wall!

With a single sentence linking it to the hierarchy of etiquette, Xiao Fengzi became increasingly satisfied with Lu Li, and proactively put his arm around Lu Li's shoulder, smiling broadly as he said, "From now on, Xiao Lu is family!"

Inside the quiet room, Lu Li continued his daily practice of circulating his internal energy, when soon he heard shouts and curses coming from inside the school.

"You bastard! How dare you write our godfather's name!" Xiao Jizi's shrill voice entered the quiet room.

"Please spare me, Eunuch Ji! I really didn't know, I really didn't know!"

Then came a series of muffled thuds as people kowtowed. Xiao Fengzi and Xiao Shunzi curiously stepped out of the quiet room to look, as did Lu Li, wondering what was happening outside.

"What's wrong with Xiao Douzi?"

"Xiao Jizi is usually fair and just, why is he so angry today?"

"Hehehe, this is going to be good."

More and more eunuchs gathered around. Xiao Jizi was relentless. Xiao Douzi tried to fight back, but he was no match for Xiao Jizi's powerful internal energy. With a single tug, Xiao Douzi's robe was torn to shreds.

Seeing that Xiao Jizi seemed to be really angry, the usually attentive eunuchs all came to help. With so many people suppressing him, even if Xiao Douzi had three heads and six arms, he couldn't do anything about it.

But as Xiao Jizi unfolded the page of scrap paper he had copied, Xiao Douzi, for some reason, suddenly unleashed his true energy, instantly breaking through the suppression. The people who had been suppressed were caught off guard and all took a few steps back.

"A bunch of trash." Xiao Jizi shouted coldly, and was about to make a move when several people blocked his way, one of them kicking him.

The eunuchs watching immediately felt their legs tremble, and those who were close even subconsciously shrank back, unable to bear to look.

Xiao Douzi stood frozen in place, unable to utter a sound. He bent over and rolled on the ground like a shrimp, his body convulsing uncontrollably, in great pain.

"Eunuch Ji, we'll protect you." It was Xiao Fengzi who spoke, but it was Lu Li who moved the legs.

Xiao Jizi's eyes lit up: "Great, we knew we hadn't misjudged you!"

The group realized that the opportunity to "save the emperor" had passed, and rushed forward to grab the "remaining merit." The unconscious Xiao Douzi was immediately locked up and awaited Xiao Jizi's judgment.

"What's going on?!" Eunuch Ji, who was already in his study working on his calligraphy, came over upon hearing the commotion. Young Ji immediately kowtowed and reported the incident, and the remaining eunuchs in the school also knelt down and kowtowed.

The small bucket that had been propped up suddenly crashed to the ground.

As Eunuch Ji listened to Young Master Ji's report, the wrinkles on his old face deepened, and his once handsome face now contorted into a hideous demon's expression.

"Heh heh heh, disheveled attire, classmates killing each other; rebellious and defying the established order; violating names and etiquette, losing morality and breaking rules, completely losing one's true nature."

The eunuchs in the school were silent with fear. It was just a fight, but Eunuch Ji had come up with all sorts of reasons, each one of which was reasonable and convincing.

"Drag it away!"

"I'll do as my godfather says!" Little Ji replied immediately.

And so the farce came to an end.

......

During dinner, Xiao Fengzi, unusually, took the initiative to talk to Lu Li, his smile growing wider as he spoke: "Thanks to Xiao Lu, otherwise we really wouldn't have had time to react."

"That's right, Lu Zi is always diligent and hardworking, he deserves this blessing." Xiao Shunzi agreed.

Even the usually silent Xiaoyuzi spoke up: "Xiao Luzi's matter has probably caught Xiao Jizi's attention. He'll rise to great heights and enjoy boundless glory in the future."

Lu Li, however, appeared quite humble. He put down his chopsticks and chatted with a smile: "Xiao Fengzi deserves the most credit. If it weren't for the initial protection of you gentlemen, where would we get such cleverness? We would probably have been bullied like Xiao Douzi."

"See? I told you, Lu Zi has the sweetest tongue." Xiao Feng Zi smiled.

The relationship between the four seems to be growing closer quickly.

Lu Li, however, put aside a major matter on his mind, dealt with Xiao Douzi, eliminated the possibility of falling out with Xiao Fengzi in the future, and brought the four of them closer together, earning Xiao Jizi's praise.

The death of a eunuch brings three benefits!

"Little Douzi, you are truly our family's lucky star."

Upon arriving at the martial arts training ground, Xiao Douzi was already placed there, his limbs twisted like a puppet, his five fingers severed and nowhere to be found, deaf, blind, and unable to speak. Forget about learning literature and martial arts, he would be expelled from the palace the very next day!

"Hehehehe..."

A sharp, owl-like laugh echoed across the training ground, startling a flock of swifts and sparrows.

The next day at dawn, inside the martial arts hall.

Grandpa Ji's lips moved slightly: "Open the 'Shuowen Jiezi' and read it to me..."

"One, the very beginning... all things belonging to the category of 'one' follow 'one'."

"Yuan means beginning..."

"Heavens, utterly chaotic..."

"Pi, Taiya..."

"An official is one who governs people!"