Wei Xiaobao still wore a blank smile.
His gaze remained fixed and devoid of emotion.
In truth, however, his heart was a volcano of burning fury, his thoughts racing wild and fierce.
Flashes of memory surfaced in his mind.
That made Gu Xinchao understand why Hai Guozhong had spoken those words.
In his past life, he had read a martial arts novel called *The Deer and the Cauldron*.
If he recalled correctly, there was a line in it saying that the imperial palace and the brothels were the two filthiest places in the world, and that compared to the brothels, the palace was far more hideous.
He had forgotten the exact phrasing.
The general meaning was much the same.
Now, it seemed that observation was far from untrue.
"I don't know what you're hesitating for."
"If you stick with Eunuch Wu and guard the Cold Palace, there's not a single scrap of profit to be had. Even if there were perks, they aren't things small fry like you could ever touch—especially you, always stuck doing the dirtiest, most exhausting work. What's the point?"
"Eunuch Xi likes pretty young eunuchs and asked for you by name. All you have to do is surrender to him, bend over, and enjoy a life of ease!"
With that, Hai Guozhong let out a leering chuckle.
*Duishi!*
The imperial palace had a long tradition of *duishi*.
It was an arrangement where palace servants and palace maids formed couples to live together as husband and wife.
Naturally, this kind of situation usually occurred among ranked eunuchs. As for unranked servants like Xiao Guizi, no palace maid would ever agree to a *duishi* with them—not even in pretense. If you had no future and no strength, nobody would ever cast a second glance your way.
It was the same in any world!
Be it his past life or the present...
The core of it all had never changed.
Speaking of *duishi*, some eunuchs had no taste for women and instead fancied handsome young eunuchs. Eunuch Xi was precisely that sort of man.
Disgusting!
Playing those games even without balls?
Gu Xinchao couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
"I am the Godfather's man. Godfather..."
Wei Xiaobao said with a rustic, honest smile.
"Cut it out!"
Hai Guozhong waved a hand dismissively.
"I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart, don't throw my kindness back in my face..."
"Eunuch Xi may not hold as high a rank as Wu Dafu, but he has the Emperor's ear far more than Eunuch Wu does. He's young, promising, and has a bright future—even Eunuch Wu wouldn't dare cross him."
"Right now, this is just a private arrangement."
"If you agree, everyone wins."
"Should something go wrong..."
Hai Guozhong gave a cold, dry laugh.
"If Eunuch Xi decides to take you by force, I wouldn't count on your Godfather stepping up to shield you. Unless, of course, half of your backside already belongs to Old Master Wu..."
He burst into a loud guffaw.
Wei Xiaobao was smiling too, though his eyes had turned chillingly cold.
At that moment, Hai Guozhong had his head thrown back in triumphant laughter and failed to notice the look in Wei Xiaobao's eyes.
"What's to be done with Xiao Guizi's body? What does Eunuch Wu want?"
Hai Guozhong asked.
"Burn it!"
Wei Xiaobao replied.
"A fresh burn or a stale burn?"
Hai Guozhong pressed further.
"A fresh burn!"
Wei Xiaobao answered.
"Fresh burn" and "stale burn" were secret cant used in Dingfu Village.
A stale burn meant that once the body was incinerated, the person known as Xiao Guizi ceased to exist, and his name would be struck from the official roster.
A fresh burn, however, was a different matter entirely.
Even though the man himself was dead, the name "Xiao Guizi" would remain on the books. A new eunuch brought in through the Cleansing House to have his manhood removed could continue using that name, thereby saving them the trouble of crossing it off the roster.
However, filling that vacancy took time.
Sometimes it could take half a month, or even a full year.
During this period, because the name Xiao Guizi remained on the register, his monthly stipend would continue to be issued and collected by the eunuch in charge of him.
"A fresh burn, eh?"
Hai Guozhong chuckled.
"Ten taels of silver!"
A stale burn was free, but a fresh burn required a tip; that too was standard practice.
"Wasn't it always eight taels?"
Wei Xiaobao frowned.
"Prices went up!"
Hai Guozhong was supremely confident, his long, horse-like face beaming with smug satisfaction.
Forget about Wei Xiaobao; even Gu Xinchao felt a surge of revulsion just watching him, itching to march right up and plant a fist square in the fellow's face.
He certainly had the power to influence Wei Xiaobao to do just that.
However, there was no need.
For the time being, he had no desire to interfere in Wei Xiaobao's life. He would observe him for a couple of days first; there was no urgent rush to switch hosts.
"Oh!"
Wei Xiaobao gave a dull, dazed nod.
With that, he fished out the ten taels of silver Wu Dafu had given him and handed them over to Hai Guozhong.
Hai Guozhong reached out, took the silver, and tossed it up and down in his palm. Though he didn't expect a simpleton like Wei Xiaobao to pull any fast ones, he still pulled out a small scale to weigh it.
"Good!"
He told Wei Xiaobao.
"Leave it here for now. We can't fire up the kiln to burn the body until nighttime, so come pick up the ashes tomorrow. Same old rules: you go into the kiln yourself to gather the remains. Remember to bring an ash urn, don't forget! If you don't have one, bring two taels of silver to buy one!"
With that, he turned and walked off to one side.
Wei Xiaobao pushed his handcart along behind him, passing through a courtyard stacked high with logs and firewood, until they reached a spacious room. Along one wall were stacked dry firewood and a pile of bricks, while the other side housed a structure resembling a kiln cave.
Wei Xiaobao unloaded Xiao Guizi's body from the handcart and, under Hai Guozhong's direction, placed it inside the kiln.
The interior was stacked with numerous chunks of wood, with the corpse laid right in the middle.
Hai Guozhong crawled inside, plastered a few fire-starting talismans along the narrow walls of the kiln, and then crawled back out, looking somewhat disheveled.
Once out, he turned and spat on the ground.
He said with a wave of annoyance,
"I was supposed to be on duty alone today, meaning I could've had a few cups and a proper sleep. But you, Xiao Guizi, you turtle's grandson, had to go and..."
"Eunuch Hai, we're still opening the kiln at the Hour of the Rat?"
Wei Xiaobao asked.
"Of course!"
"That hour was set by the astrologers of the Imperial Directorate of Astronomy, who would dare mess with it?"
Hai Guozhong shot Wei Xiaobao a sideways glance.
"Right then, I'll be off. I need to go back and report to Godfather, and I'll be back tomorrow morning!"
Wei Xiaobao wore his usual rustic, honest smile.
"Mhm."
Hai Guozhong nodded.
"Make sure you're here before the Hour of the Dragon, don't be late!"
He cast a worried glance at Wei Xiaobao and gave him a stern reminder.
"I will!"
Wei Xiaobao answered dully.
Then, he pushed his handcart away.
Hai Guozhong watched his receding figure vanish from sight, smiled, and shook his head.
"Such a waste of a good skin, absolute idiot!"
...
By the time they left Dingfu Village, the sky was already dimming into dusk.
Wei Xiaobao pushed the handcart back to Wu Dafu's small courtyard and then returned to his own quarters—a solitary detached cottage.
Inside the small yard sat over a dozen nightsoil carts.
Though the carts had been cleaned, the stench remained thick. Even though there were individual rooms here where one could live alone, very few people chose to stay in this area.
Upon returning, standing before a copper mirror marked with several cracks, Wei Xiaobao looked at his reflection. The dull, foolish expression vanished completely. His face grew gloomy, his eyes sharp and fierce. Only now, in total solitude, did he drop his disguise.
Gu Xinchao gazed at Wei Xiaobao through the copper mirror.
He sensed the thoughts running through the young man's head.
He couldn't help but smile.
Interesting!
At the third quarter of the Hour of the Boar.
Wei Xiaobao opened his eyes.
Before climbing out of bed, he stripped off his plain cyan tunic and slipped into a suit of black night-raid garments. In a single fluid motion, he sprang to his feet.
Next, he fished a foot-long short saber out from under his pillow.
He arranged his bedding to look as though someone were still fast asleep inside, slipped out through the open wooden window, and let it drop shut behind him.
*Tap!*
With a crisp click, the latched hook fell into place.
With a few swift leaps, Wei Xiaobao glided across the courtyard like a great bird, vaulted over the perimeter wall, and landed without a sound.
Bounding across the rooftops in a blur of motion,
he vanished into the dark.
The Qi Refining Realm!
He was actually a martial artist of the Qi Refining Realm who had cultivated inner qi.