Chapter 372: It’s Hard to Find Glory

There is no free steamed bun in the world!

When Zhou Yi heard about the Epiphyllum Treasure Book, his first thought was what his father had said, that if someone lets you eat steamed buns for free, it is either poisonous or you are asking for your life.

"Momentary beauty!"

Thinking carefully, there is a description in "Shuowen Jiezi" that it is like a beauty that fades easily, like fireworks that pass away in an instant, and like a withering finger...

Zhou Yi suddenly thought of something and looked up at the gentleman who was talking freely.

Since coming to the palace a year ago, there are two people who make Zhou Yi very close. Xiao Xizi is like a brother and friend, and the gentleman is like a master and apprentice parent, bringing warmth to the cold palace.

Now the gentleman is patient and persuading, not mentioning the flaws of the Epiphyllum Treasure Book at all, and only saying that he should practice hard to get promoted and make money, and have a bright future.

"After all, they are not real master and apprentice!"

Zhou Yi sighed helplessly, being in the inner courtyard of the palace, there is no warmth.

The master boasted about the benefits of the technique, and most of the eunuchs were excited and dreamed of becoming eunuchs Hai and Wei. They recited the Epiphyllum Treasure Book word by word, and worked harder than when they learned to read.

A few had flickering eyes, but whether you believed or doubted, you couldn't resist.

The wells in the palace were all smelly, so it didn't matter if one more corpse was thrown in!

The Epiphyllum Treasure Book has more than 3,000 words in total, and there are more than 2,000 words of exercise tips at the back, involving many meridians and acupoints, as well as mysterious Taoist concepts.

Zhou Yi can basically recite it after reciting it for a day, and listen carefully to the master's explanation word by word.

What is true qi, where are the acupoints and meridians, and how to gather true qi into the dantian, the explanation is extremely detailed, and from this aspect, he looks like a real teacher.

In the evening.

Zhou Yi returned to his residence and saw Xiao Xizi lying on the bed.

He hummed and moaned.

Looking closer, Xiao Xizi's temples were gray, and he looked more than ten times older than a year ago, with a strange purple-red color on his face.

Zhou Yi hurried forward and asked with concern: "Brother Xizi, what's wrong with you?"

"Xiao Yizi..."

Xiao Xizi's voice was weak and subtle, with only exhalation and less inhalation, and a smile on his face: "A few days ago, I saw His Majesty, only a few feet away, and His Majesty asked a question."

Zhou Yi gently stroked Xiao Xizi's chest and breathed: "This is a good thing, did Brother Xizi answer it correctly?"

Xiao Xizi's dream is to serve His Majesty and become a figure like Eunuch Hai, the peak of martial arts, and awe-inspiring in the world.

"I have been preparing for ten years, of course I answered it correctly!"

Xiao Xizi coughed violently a few times, and his face showed a proud red: "His Majesty asked a question, and no other eunuchs could understand it. I answered it by quoting classics, and His Majesty praised me for being smart and solid, hahaha..."

The laughter was as sharp as a night owl, and it was intermittent due to lack of breath.

Zhou Yi asked in confusion, "What happened today?"

"Today, the Qianyuan Palace has refined the elixir of immortality, and the eunuch department needs to test the medicine first."

Xiao Xizi said, "Eunuch Xu, who is on duty at the palace, personally named me and said that I was praised by His Majesty and should be tested for the medicine. But I was poisoned after taking the elixir!"

"Poisoned?"

Zhou Yi exclaimed in horror and asked, "Then the elixir maker wants to harm His Majesty?"

Xiao Xizi shook his head and said, "I heard that the elixir of immortality is not complete. The elixir maker has to re-prepare the medicine, and I, the elixir tester, can only wait to die."

Zhou Yi looked at Xiao Xizi, whose breath was gradually weakening, and didn't know how to save him.

I don't know what happened tonight. Xiao Zhengzi and Xiao Yuanzi have not left their duty yet. They are both powerful and may be able to help Xiao Xizi to detoxify.

"I hate it!"

Xiao Xizi's pupils began to dilate: "I hate that I can't be loyal to His Majesty, I hate..."

He didn't say the second half of the sentence, and he completely stopped breathing, his eyes wide open and he died with his eyes wide open.

Zhou Yi was so scared that his hands and feet went numb and he was restless. He didn't know how to deal with the corpse. According to the rules of the village, the body should be kept for three days, and then buried in the ancestral tomb after relatives and friends paid their respects.

Eunuchs cut off the incense of their ancestors, which was a great disrespect, and they were not qualified to be buried in the ancestral tomb.

Just when he was terrified and at a loss, Zhou Yi heard the sound of the door opening. He turned around and saw that it was Xiao Zhengzi and Xiao Yuanzi.

Xiao Zhengzi glanced at the corpse, and a flash of sadness flashed in his eyes. He said: "Tomorrow I will report to the governor, and the eunuchs will be sent to bury Xiao Xizi in the eunuch tomb."

Xiao Yuanzi looked gloomy, stared at Zhou Yi for a long time, and returned to the bed silently to rest.

Anger flashed in Zhou Yi's eyes. He had understood that the two were waiting outside and not entering the door, deliberately not helping Xiao Xizi to heal his injuries.

Such indifference made Zhou Yi feel chilled!

Xiao Xizi was lively and helpful. He usually helped his roommates with things, but he watched him die!

"Dad is right, when people leave, the tea gets cold, and when you cross the river, you will destroy the bridge..."

Zhou Yi lay in bed, unable to sleep. He lost his teacher and good friend in one day, and next to the cold corpse, he always felt that Xiao Xizi's face floated in front of him.

He tossed and turned with his eyes closed, wanting to question his two roommates, but he didn't have the courage.

The next morning.

Zhou Yi, who had already developed a habit, suddenly opened his eyes and got up and dressed quickly.

Xiao Zhengzi and Xiao Yuanzi walked in front, and Zhou Yi followed behind with his head down. Unfortunately, without Xiao Xizi who liked to talk, it seemed very quiet along the way.

Passing through the palace gates, the three of them knelt down and saluted from a distance when they met the nobles passing by.

Carefully waited for the nobles to walk away before getting up and continuing to walk. It would rather be late and miss the meal than be impolite.

The eunuchs in the palace were of low status, just the emperor's servants. If the nobles were not happy with them, they would be dragged out and beaten to death without any reason.

Near the kitchen.

Xiao Zhengzi suddenly said: "Xiao Xizi shouldn't have been so aggressive. Your Majesty's question is not difficult, how come no one can answer it?"

Xiao Yuanzi continued: "I just don't dare. There are only so many positions in the palace, and everyone has their own position. You have been praised by Your Majesty, do you want to push someone down?"

Zhou Yi remained silent, but his heart was surging.

Perhaps influenced by Xiao Xizi, or perhaps it was the desire in his heart, Zhou Yi also had a dream of power.

One day he would be in charge of a prison and go home in glory, which would be a great honor for the family, right?

Now listening to Xiao Zhengzi and Xiao Yuanzi talking, it seems that Xiao Xizi was praised by His Majesty, and Eunuch Xu deliberately let him try the medicine, and then he died of poisoning!

Xiao Zhengzi said in a deep voice: "The water in this palace is too deep. We don't ask for much power in the future. As long as we can save our lives and coax some rewards from the nobles, it will be fine."

Xiao Yuanzi nodded and said: "When I get old and leave the palace in the future, I can also spend money to find a place to live, so as not to become a beggar on the street."

Zhou Yi remained silent, but his face became a little gloomy and cold, and he could not see any joy, anger, sorrow or happiness, just like Xiao Zhengzi and Xiao Yuanzi who led the way in front.

After breakfast, he went to the study as usual.

The teacher continued to talk about the Epiphyllum Treasure Book, with more patience than teaching to recognize characters. If the eunuchs had any doubts, he would explain them in detail.

Zhou Yi wrote down all the questions in the book. This was the method that Xiao Xizi told him. It seemed that a good memory is not as good as a bad pen.

The handwriting was crooked and could barely be counted as a word. No one except Zhou Yi could recognize it.

Back to the room.

Zhou Yi read the questions he had written down from the beginning. Sure enough, he had forgotten most of what the teacher said in class.

Reciting it repeatedly, he gained a little.

Zhou Yi had a general understanding of the acupoints, meridians, and the circulation of true qi, but he did not try to practice.

After all, according to speculation, this is a method that consumes life!

The sun rises and the moon sets.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

After the teacher finished explaining the secrets of the Epiphyllum Treasure Book, his pupils, which were mostly white and a little black, swept over all the eunuchs.

"Okay, you don't need to come to class in the future, just practice well!"

Not far to the south of the study, there are rows of practice rooms. From then on, the eunuchs began to practice martial arts. After a year, they would be assigned to guard the boundaries according to their martial arts strength.

The class was over.

The eunuchs left the study in groups of three or five, discussing which practice room to go to. They would not be bullied by the old man if they were in groups.

Zhou Yi wrote down all the questions in four thick books. After all the eunuchs left, he came to the teacher with the books and kowtowed three times.

"Thank you, sir."

"Hehehe..."

The sir laughed like a night owl, looked Zhou Yi up and down, and said: "You are quite sensible. You can live longer in this palace if you kowtow more!"

When Zhou Yi met his gaze, he felt cold all over, as if a poisonous snake was crawling around, which made people shudder.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir."

He got up quickly and left as if escaping.

The next day.

Zhou Yi followed Xiao Zhengzi and Xiao Yuanzi to the Jiaqi training room.

The training room was five or six feet wide, divided into small single rooms by wooden boards. There were soft couches, futons, and incense burners inside. There were messy handwriting on the wooden boards, which seemed to be the martial arts insights left by the predecessors.

"There's no one in the room next to it. Xiao Yizi, leave a mark on the door, and no one will come to occupy it in the future."

Xiao Yuanzi pointed to his single room, on which there was a square in a circle: "Remember, you can only rely on yourself in this palace. If someone really competes with you, we won't care!"

"Thank you, Brother Yuanzi."

Zhou Yi bowed slightly, and then bowed to Xiao Zhengzi next to him: "Thank you, Brother Zhengzi."

Draw a mark, enter the single room, and sit cross-legged on the futon.

After a while, his mind calmed down. Zhou Yi recalled the beginning of the Epiphyllum Treasure Book, concentrated his mind and calmed his breath, and breathed in reverse for twelve breaths. A wisp of breath circulated in the meridians and finally returned to the Dantian.

After practicing for one week, Zhou Yi slowly opened his eyes and sensed the true qi in the Dantian.

"The teacher said that after completing the Zhoutian, those with excellent talents can obtain ten strands of true qi, and those with mediocre talents can obtain five strands. Our three strands of true qi belong to the inferior talents..."

"If the Epiphyllum Treasure Book reduces life span, we have to reduce it three times to be comparable to the eunuchs with excellent talents!"

Zhou Yi looked embarrassed. There were two paths in front of him.

One is to live a short life, practice hard, and get a good job. The other is to live a long life, but have shallow skills and can only patrol the palace walls.

After thinking for a long time, Zhou Yi started to practice again.

"I can't earn money from patrolling, and I can't leave the palace. I can't think of seeing my parents in my life!"

According to the law, eunuchs are prohibited from leaving the palace, but some powerful eunuchs can sneak out in their spare time. I heard from Xiao Xizi that many eunuchs have courtyards in the capital and raise bought wives and sons.

Zhou Yi doesn't care about his wife, he just wants to bring his parents to the capital so that he won't have to starve.

"Even if my life span runs out, it's good for my parents to live a good life!"

Thinking of this, Zhou Yi practiced all day, and accumulated more than 30 strands of true qi in his dantian.

At night, he returned to his room, repeatedly flipped through the book that recorded the problems, recalled the tricks of practicing that the teacher had taught, and tried his best to speed up the efficiency of the practice.

Originally, it took two quarters of an hour to complete a cycle, but it only took one quarter of an hour after half a month, and it was reduced by half again after half a year.

That day.

Get up early in the morning.

Zhou Yi followed the two of them, silently thinking about the tricks of true qi circulation.

Xiao Zhengzi suddenly stopped, and Zhou Yi almost bumped into him. He only heard him say: "Xiao Yizi, are you not concentrating on practicing?"

Zhou Yi was slightly startled, not knowing why.

Xiao Yuanzi said: "The Epiphyllum Treasure Book shortens lifespan. The more diligently you practice, the faster you age!"

Zhou Yi was surprised and said: "You two know this?"

"Such an obvious thing, who doesn't know it?"

Xiao Zhengzi said coldly: "If the palace hadn't taken care of our food and drink, we would have starved to death several times. Now that we are full and satisfied, we should work hard for His Majesty!"

Xiao Yuanzi said: "Those eunuchs who guard the palace walls work hard all their lives and are bullied by others. They can't leave the palace until they die. It's better to have deeper skills, get a good job, and take care of relatives at home."

"Thank you for your teachings, brothers!"

Zhou Yi frowned slightly, feeling that something was wrong. He had tried his best to practice.

If it was when he first entered the palace, Zhou Yi would definitely express his doubts, but now he was more careful and planned to see the changes in his classmates after practicing.

Arrived at the kitchen.

Zhou Yi looked around and saw several classmates.

Only half a year had passed, and the teenagers who were teenagers at the time had aged, and their black hair had turned gray. Some even had wrinkles on their faces, gray hair, and cloudy eyes.

"No wonder they suspected that I didn't practice martial arts!"

Zhou Yi's heart was filled with confusion, surprise, and helplessness.

"Why don't I age? Is it because of my special constitution or because I live a long life? What will happen if someone finds something abnormal? Will I be rewarded if I report it to His Majesty..."

In the eyes of the common people, the emperor is the supreme god.

Zhou Yi was a little moved, and soon thought of Xiao Xizi who died after taking the elixir. In order to refine the elixir of immortality, His Majesty asked countless eunuchs to test the medicine.

"If His Majesty knew that I would not age, would he refine the elixir and eat it?"

The more he thought about it, the more he thought so. Zhou Yi respected the emperor, but he didn't want people to burn or steam it. He suppressed his fear and thought about how to cover up the fact that he would not age.

"The best way is to disguise yourself and look old on the surface!"

"The second is to have less contact with people, at least for the next six months, go out early and come back late to avoid being discovered!"

"The third is to go to a place with few people to work. If you have contact for a long time, you will also reveal your flaws!"

"But... where can I find a disguise technique?"

Zhou Yi fell into deep thought until he heard a voice in his ear. He turned around and saw that it was Xiao Yuanzi, who showed an impatient look on his face.

"What are you thinking about? You didn't respond after calling me a few times. Are you full?"

"Okay, okay."

Zhou Yi didn't have the heart to eat. If he didn't solve the problem of aging, he would be caught and used to make pills sooner or later.

On the way to Jiaqi's training room, Zhou Yi carefully considered his words and asked in a low voice.

"Brother Yuanzi, do you know the art of disguise?"

Little Yuanzi raised his eyebrows: "Why, do you want to cover your face and pretend to practice hard?"

Zhou Yi said with a sad face: "My family suffered from drought, my parents and brothers and sisters all starved to death, where is the family left? I just want to live longer and pray for my parents!"

Little Zhengzi said faintly: "This look is not as real as the actors' performance."

"There is a great terror between life and death, and you don't need a reason to live longer!"

Little Yuanzi said: "There are many eunuchs in the palace who don't want to practice the Epiphyllum Treasure Book. They have their own way to pretend to be old, but they need to spend money to buy ointment."

Zhou Yi was secretly happy in his heart, with a sad face on his face. He didn't have a penny inside and outside.

Little Yuanzi looked at Little Zhengzi and asked what he meant.

Little Zhengzi nodded slightly: "We can lend you the silver. You can repay it with the regular silver in the future, and you have to do things for us."

"Thank you, brother Zhengzi."

Zhou Yi bowed repeatedly and agreed. He first made his face look old to avoid being caught and used to make elixirs. He would talk about the future later.