Chapter 38: The Master of the Imperial Court (Part 1)

  "What's the big deal about this request, what's so difficult?" The emperor waved his hand and loudly agreed: "I'll arrange it for you right away." Just as he said that, he suddenly looked at Qin Yifan again: "Are you really having trouble or just trying to make me feel better? I don't want you to be perfunctory!"

  He smiled and said, "No nonsense, Your Majesty. I really encountered a bottleneck, otherwise I wouldn't have asked the number one expert to come out."

  Looking at Qin Yifan's serious expression, it didn't seem like he was lying. The emperor nodded: "Alright, I agree to your request. But there's one more thing, you must be careful!" His gaze was piercing, as if warning that if Qin Yifan made another demand on the spot, he would turn against him immediately.

  This time, Qin Yifan did not bring it up on the spot like he usually would outside. He simply nodded heavily and said, "I remember that Your Majesty owes me a request. When I think of it, I will ask you!" His tone was very serious.

  The emperor finally stopped and did not entangle too much on this issue: "You tell me carefully, from the time you left, what have you been doing? I heard from Li Shuiqing that your days are very carefree!"

  It seems that the formalities have already been concluded, and what remains is basically just two old friends who haven't seen each other in many years chatting nonstop. However, this place for reminiscing is really too extraordinary - today, it's the imperial study where the emperor usually reads books, and among all people under heaven, except for a few high-ranking officials, no one else has the qualifications to enter the imperial study, let alone be received by the emperor here.

  Qin Xiaoling followed Qin Yifan this time and opened her eyes wide, not only did she get to appreciate the scene of the emperor's grand feast for his ministers up close, but also got to see the wonderful solo performance by the foreign envoy. On top of that, she could even visit the imperial study, an experience that would make many people jealous if it were told.

  Long Tongling and Neiting Zongguan did not dare to slack off in the slightest. However, Long Tongling was afraid of Qin Xiaoling, this thousand-year-old mobile corpse, fearing that she would suddenly lose control. As for Neiting Zongguan, his eyes were fixed on Qin Yifan, who sat opposite the emperor, and it was unknown what he was thinking.

  It's rare to see someone who can sit so calmly in front of the emperor, as any official who is granted a seat by the emperor would be grateful and only sit on half their buttocks. Qin Yifan is the first one to sit like this. Moreover, he talks freely with the emperor, sometimes even spitting saliva onto the emperor's face. In the past, it was never seen that the emperor had such great tolerance and magnanimity.

  The feast in front seemed to be not enough for the Emperor and Qin Yifan, so they let the palace servants bring some snacks and wine. The two sat facing each other, sipping lightly, chatting and laughing. If any of the Emperor's favorite officials saw this scene, they would probably be shocked to the point of dropping their jaw. Even if they were favorites, who else could receive such treatment, speaking freely with the Emperor like this?

  After all, the emperor's body was not as good as Qin Yifan's. At night, he could no longer hold on and today's excitement and joy had already made him extremely tired. When the eunuch wanted to help him back, he still didn't forget the condition he promised Qin Yifan: "Little Li, you go and dispel his doubts for him, be diligent and don't hold back!"

  "By your order, Your Majesty!" The eunuch in charge of the inner court bowed deeply. Looking at this old eunuch who seemed to be trembling even when walking, Qin Yifan couldn't believe his ears. Could this really be the number one master of the imperial palace? Long Tongling, on the other hand, was expressionless, as if he had known all along.

  Several people had escorted the emperor, and the old eunuch finally opened his eyes, which had been narrowed all along, took another look at Qin Yifan, then drooped his eyelids again, shook off the dust on his hand, and said in his characteristic sharp and shrill voice: "Follow me!"

  Qin Yifan passed by, Qin Xiaoling and Lin Qiulü definitely followed. In the imperial palace, with Qin Xiaoling around, even Long Tongling didn't dare to slack off, always having a few Dragon Phoenix Guards nearby.

  Everyone came to the rare charcoal yard in the palace, and now it was time to light the lanterns. Originally, there were no people around. There was only one eunuch on duty who saw the general manager and Long Tongling coming together. How dare he say anything? After letting everyone in, he slipped away far away, not wanting to be silenced for knowing something he shouldn't know.

  "Hmm, I've seen your skills." The old eunuch still had that unflappable tone: "Technique is so-so, speed barely passes, but to say it's great, you're far from it. What kind of problem are you facing now?" He was straightforward, not beating around the bush. It seems that the emperor's orders carry a lot of weight in his mind, loyalty beyond doubt, no wonder he's the head of the inner court, the emperor's personal attendant.

  Before Qin Yifan could say anything, Qin Xiaoling behind him seemed to be enraged by the old eunuch's unceremonious evaluation of Qin Yifan and attacked without saying a word. Lin Qiulü was about to stop her but was held back by Long Tongling beside her. The Qin Yifan in front didn't even have the slightest intention of reprimanding Qin Xiaoling, just watching as she charged forward.

  Inside the palace, Qin Xiaoling could feel the protection of that mysterious power and didn't dare to use her escape technique. However, she wasn't afraid of anything with her innate ability to withstand swords and guns, but the old eunuch actually looked down on Qin Yifan like this.

  Naturally, this caused Qin Xiaoling's discontent.

  If it was said that Qin Xiaoling helped Qin Yifan in the land of evil spirits before because Qin Yifan gave her a sense of belonging and comfort, then now, it's not just that simple instinctual kindness.

  Qin Xiaoling had just retrieved her control ring, and her soul seal was still too tight to have any thinking ability. Before becoming a yin corpse, Qin Xiaoling's nature was still kind, so after regaining control of her body, she still harbored a sense of gratitude and desire for revenge. Helping Qin Yifan was also an instinctual act. Another point was that at the time, it seemed like only Qin Yifan could communicate with her, and under the influence of Lake Brother, Qin Xiaoling could only feel Qin Yifan's intense likes and dislikes.

  After a period of time, Qin Xiaoling gradually regained control over her body and soul, and her consciousness and soul were fully restored. At this point, she could clearly distinguish right from wrong, knew who was truly good to her and who was bad. Her personality also returned to its former bright and cheerful state, so she would occasionally come up with ideas that made Qin Yifan somewhat headache-inducing.

  Qin Yifan couldn't just ignore Qin Xiaoling, if he let her be, with her terrifying abilities, once she turned evil, the consequences wouldn't be limited to just a few people. It was rare for him to get along so well with Qin Xiaoling, and only he could take charge of restraining her.

  For Qin Xiaoling, since Qin Yifan knew about her experience of being called a "yin corpse", he also had some sympathy for her in his heart. Many times, as long as it wasn't excessive, he would basically satisfy Qin Xiaoling's requests, including this time when they went to the capital to watch the excitement.

  So in Qin Xiaoling's original girlish thoughts, Qin Yifan was like a meticulous and caring brother, also the only one who could make her feel warm. Now the old eunuch actually treated Qin Yifan so rudely, she immediately rushed up to him.

  Knowing Qin Xiaoling's characteristics, and also knowing that she wouldn't get hurt, Qin Yifan watched Qin Xiaoling attack with a peace of mind, without stopping her. He also wanted to see just how strong the number one expert in the imperial palace was.

  Qin Xiaoling's body shape wasn't very fast, but her strength was boundless and visible to everyone in the open court. The old eunuch merely hummed softly, not even looking at Qin Xiaoling, and with a flash of movement, easily dodged out of the way. Qin Xiaoling's strength was great, without using evasive techniques, yet she couldn't even reach the hem of the old eunuch's clothes.

  In just this flash, Qin Yifan broke out in a cold sweat. This old eunuch, being known as the number one master of the imperial court, definitely wasn't using magic. The range of his movements didn't exceed one step, but his swift speed made his body seem like a ghostly apparition.

  Even Qin Yifan himself, who was confident that he would not be second to anyone in knife skills, felt a sense of unease for the first time when faced with such speed. Although it was Qin Xiaoling who made the move, Qin Yifan's keen eyesight naturally allowed him to see through the depth of her attack.

  Qin Xiaoling didn't think much of it, and with one strike not hitting its mark, she immediately turned back to strike again, without any sign of fatigue. However, the old eunuch chuckled: "Little girl, at this speed, you'll never catch up to me in your lifetime!" His body flashed, avoiding Qin Xiaoling's fist that was about to hit him by a hair's breadth, and with a flick of his wrist, he tried to deflect Qin Xiaoling's punching force.

  However, the old eunuch still underestimated Qin Xiaoling's strength. Originally thought that Qin Xiaoling's ability to hold five oxen was already the limit, and the force used was just right, but unexpectedly this time it did not achieve the effect he wanted. The fist continued to rush past in the original direction.

  The old eunuch was shocked: "What a great strength, I'm afraid it's not less than 10,000 jin! You little girl, you're quite interesting!" With a ghostly turn, he had already arrived behind Qin Xiaoling and slapped down with one palm.

  "Bang!" The palm force and body, Qin Xiaoling's figure did not move at all, as if nothing had happened, turned her body around. The old eunuch frowned, before Qin Xiaoling could react, another heavy slap came down.

  Just now, I was worried about hurting Qin Xiaoling and didn't dare to use my full strength. Now it seems that she not only has great power but also possesses excellent horizontal training skills. No wonder she needs to cover her whole body with a black veil; a girl who trains her horizontal skills to this extent must be stunningly beautiful.

  This palm was the old eunuch's true skill, Qin Xiaoling finally couldn't stand still and was hit by a palm, retreating several steps in a row, just retreating to Qin Yifan's front. Qin Xiaoling was about to turn around and attack, but Qin Yifan shook his head and pulled her behind him.

  "You personally take action, just watching the performance can't know your current martial arts level!" The old eunuch also didn't continue to advance after taking action: "I haven't moved my hands for a long time, and it's good to accompany you to exercise your muscles and bones. I heard that you broke into the emperor's forbidden guard camp a long time ago, although the emperor doesn't mind, but I also want to speak out for the emperor!"