Chapter 252: [Purification Room] (Part 1)

Quan De'an's hunchback grew worse, making him look like a drawn bow; now Quan De'an is a bow brimming with power, a bow with tyrannical strength capable of destroying all, his stooped frame suddenly straightened, and the eight feathered arrows he had seized reversed direction, shooting back at the men in black.

The arrowheads ripped through the night with a sharp whine; the high-speed arrowheads heated quickly from air friction, their tips turning red and glowing.

The advancing black-clothed men had to halt, drawing their long blades to block the eight feathered arrows aimed at them. After continuous clinking, they were forced to retreat repeatedly to offset the arrows' tremendous force; the blade could not endure the blows, cracking with a snap, and the final feathered arrow pierced the blade-woven defense, flying straight for the black-clothed man's throat.

The black-clothed man's body bent backward in a near-ground waist fold, letting him dodge this deadly arrow.

Quan De'an's gray-white eyebrows relaxed; the sandalwood bead bracelet on his wrist slipped to his palm, his sharp nails like blades cut the red cord, and he pinched a prayer bead, which shot out with a "bo!"

The black-clothed man could dodge the eight soul‑chasing arrows, but not this prayer bead; it struck his calf, unavoidable, he had to endure the blow, his right calf felt as if hit by a heavy hammer, pain accompanied by clear bone‑cracking sounds spreading, his body staggered and he collapsed in the lingering dust. Quan De'an's mouth curled into a cold smile; his lethal sword reached his chest in an instant. His withered right hand then extended, middle and index fingers firmly gripping the blade, preventing it from moving an inch.

The assassin pressed a finger on the sword hilt, clang! A sword within a sword. A narrow blade was drawn from the long sword; within a short distance it still shook out three chilling sword blossoms that flew straight at Quan De'an's throat.

Pa! Quan De'an exerted force with his fingers, snapping the sword tip into two segments, each shooting toward the opponent's body.

The assassin had to use his narrow sword to block the incoming blade fragments, blocking one but unable to stop the following blade tip; the gleam again like a cold star pierced his shoulder and then passed through.

Without Quan De'an's feet moving, he suddenly appeared behind the assassin; his bird‑claw‑like right hand struck the assassin's back. Silent and soundless, a mighty potential surged like wave after wave against the assassin's meridians, injuring his five viscera and six bowels; he spat out a mouthful of blood with a puff, his body going limp on the ground. Two eunuchs approached, each subduing an assassin, removing the veils covering their faces. The archer who earlier fired the cold arrow was Zhan Peng; the person who secretly attacked Quan De'an from behind was none other than the capital's top female constable, Murong Feiyan.

Murong Feiyan's lips bled steadily, contrasting with her snow‑white pale face, making her look all the more shocking.

Hu Xiaotian never imagined Murong Feiyan would come to his rescue; for a moment his heart was both excited and worried, his voice trembling as he said: "You… you how did you come?"

Murong Feiyan and Zhan Peng had not yet had a chance to speak; Quan De'an pointed in mid‑air, sealing their mute points, and said softly: "First send them to the Grace‑bestowing Manor; after Zajia finishes its business, we will interrogate them thoroughly."

Hu Xiaotian gazed at Murong Feiyan; Murong Feiyan's bright eyes fixed on Hu Xiaotian, as if she wanted to say something, but her mute point was sealed, she could make no sound. Her eye sockets reddened, crystal‑clear tears glimmered in her beautiful eyes. Her cherry lips moved, finally revealing a smile as bright as spring flowers. This smile contained everything; from her smile Hu Xiaotian read her heart, and he too smiled.

Hu Xiaotian never wanted many people involved in trouble, yet he found the situation worsening.

The Senior Eunuch is a stubborn person; once he decides something, he seldom changes it, just as he decided to go to the Purification Room and to purify Hu Xiaotian tonight—he would not rest until his goal was achieved.

Hu Xiaotian unexpectedly calmed down; he stopped calling for help and ceased any resistance, for he finally understood that whatever he did would only implicate more friends; even if he resisted or called for help, it would be useless—it seemed his fate was already sealed.

The two eunuchs bound Hu Xiaotian to the bed; the room always smelled of blood. Lying on the cold bed, Hu Xiaotian closed his eyes, not only thinking but also quietly calming his emotions.

Quan De'an waved his hand, signalling the two eunuchs to leave; the iron door's closing sound echoed in the empty Purification Room.

Hu Xiaotian opened his eyes; under the cold light he saw Senior Eunuch Quan De'an holding a sharp small knife, sitting opposite in a chair, idly filing his nails—this knife must be the one used to purify him. This old eunuch is truly disgusting, lacking any notion of sterility; at least you should disinfect it with alcohol!

Quan De'an said: "I never expected someone would sacrifice life and limb to come save you; you came to find me, so you indeed left a backup."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "I didn't know they would follow me; those two have nothing to do with this matter, they came on their own initiative, secretly following; please spare them."

"They want to kill Zajia; do you think I'll let two people who tried to assassinate me go? Do you think Zajia dislikes a long life?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "If it weren't for Murong Feiyan speaking for you, I would never have taken you and the little princess in at Lanuo Temple; if Murong Feiyan hadn't risked her life to save you, the little princess wouldn't have safely reached Xie Prefecture—she is the little princess's lifesaver, you absolutely cannot kill her!"

Quan De'an sneered: "Even if I killed her, who would know?" His cold gaze fell on Hu Xiaotian like a razor.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Spare them, I promise you—I will enter the palace to serve the Emperor."

Quan De'an gave a weird laugh, then slowly rose from the chair, slowly approached Hu Xiaotian, the bloody cold razor pressed against Hu Xiaotian's cheek, moving bit by bit until it reached his throat: "You're quite the sentimental fool—willing to sacrifice your life for your parents, and for Murong Feiyan you'd even give up your manhood, tsk tsk; it seems that girl means more to you than your parents."

Hu Xiaotian said: "They have nothing to do with this; release them, rescue my parents, and I will do anything for you!"

"So you agree to be purified?"

Hu Xiaotian gritted his teeth, shut his eyes tightly, and nodded firmly.

Quan De'an slowly moved the knife in his hand to Hu Xiaotian's throat: "It seems you're not resigned."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Eunuch Quan, can you answer me one question?"

"Speak!"

"If time could start over, would you still choose to be purified and enter the palace?"

Quan De'an's cheek muscles twitched violently; the small knife in his hand slid from Hu Xiaotian's throat down to his waist, frightening Hu Xiaotian into a loud scream; the blade cut his inner clothing but did not pierce his skin. After a brief pause, the knife tip moved, cutting his belt in half.

Hu Xiaotian felt a chilling seep through his underpants straight to his interior; this chill made his whole body feel as if plunged into an ice cave, his hands and feet went numb, his lips trembled. "If I could start over, I would rather die in my former world than be reborn here as a eunuch."

Quan De'an said: "Do you look down on me? In your eyes, am I neither human nor ghost?"

Hu Xiaotian stared at Quan De'an's somewhat mad eyes, feeling afraid inside, but at this moment being afraid is useless—I am the meat on the chopping block, the knife in your hands; I can only be slaughtered. When it comes to this point, there's actually nothing to fear. Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "I have never looked down on you; I merely feel pity for you."

Quan De'an seemed to have heard the funniest thing in the world; he threw his head back and laughed loudly, the laughter lasting a long time before stopping: "Pity me? What right do you have to pity me? I was born and died for the Emperor, I served Dakang loyally, I enjoy the Emperor's deep favor; a single word of mine can decide the life and death of your Hu clan, I can spare you a path to life, or just as easily make you wish you were dead."

Hu Xiaotian said: "You have no relatives, no friends—what use is power and status? Can your power surpass the Emperor's? You sacrificed life and limb for him, yet would he regard you as his benefactor? In his eyes you are merely a slave; do you really think he cares about your life or death? He simply thinks everything you do is what you ought to do."

Quan De'an's heart felt as if pricked by needles; he suddenly struck Hu Xiaotian's chest with a palm, Hu Xiaotian felt his chest tighten and his vision went dark.

After a brief faint, Hu Xiaotian woke up dazed; the first thing he felt upon waking was fear—the Senior Eunuch's slap had knocked him out, afraid that while he was unconscious his manhood had already been cut off, oh heavens! If that were truly the case, what pleasure would he have left in life afterward?

But soon he felt no pain between his legs; his manhood should still be intact.

Quan De'an had already returned to his seat and sat down; from his expression he seemed to have regained composure, and Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but regret—he really shouldn't have provoked this old eunuch just now.

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