Chapter 88: A Change of Name

Capital City, just outside the Imperial City, in the Purification Chamber.

At this moment, an extraordinary scene was unfolding.

The oldest eunuch wielding a knife in the Purification Chamber, who had been doing this work for over fifty years, witnessed a spectacle he had never seen before.

Many renowned eunuchs had passed under his blade. To name a few, Yu Huatian of the Western Depot and Liu Xi of the Eastern Depot, both now in the height of their power, had started their careers as eunuchs under his hand.

Back then, even these famous eunuchs had screamed in agony when it was their turn. Yet today, this new man—after the knife had fallen, after the bleeding had stopped—never uttered a sound. Had it not been for the occasional blink of his eyes, one might have thought he had slipped into unconsciousness.

The old eunuch found himself doubting: had all his years of honing his craft reached a point where his blade could sever pain itself? Was this the result of a lifetime’s mastery, a cut so refined the victim felt nothing?

He pondered this as he moved to the next, but the next man’s scream nearly burst his eardrums. He realized he had been overthinking it.

Still, it was remarkable. Before even crossing the palace gates, this man had already made a name for himself among the eunuch circles.

Now, with his manhood gone, Old Li also felt his last vestiges of softness leave him.

The eunuch from the Purification Chamber wheeled Old Li to the registration desk.

A eunuch holding a brush gave a cursory glance at Old Li, seated in a specially made wheelchair, and asked,

“Name?”

“Li Jinzhong.”

“Why choose to become a eunuch?”

Li Jinzhong hesitated, then answered, “I had too many gambling debts. Sold myself to pay them off.”

“Tch, another gambler. I thought you were someone special, but you’re just another waste. I was hoping you’d give me something interesting to laugh about.”

At the eunuch’s mocking tone, Li Jinzhong furrowed his brow and asked, “Is there anything else, sir? If not, I’d like to go and recover.”

“What’s the rush? Off to be reborn? There’s one last question.”

“Yes, please.”

“When you enter the palace, it’s like being reborn, but without drinking the soup of forgetfulness. You must make a clean break with your past life. There’s a rule here: before entering the palace, every person who’s undergone the knife must give himself a new name, to remind him to sever all ties with the past. The name can be anything—you can call yourself Cat or Dog for all I care. Once inside, you eunuchs don’t deserve names anyway.

Don’t blame me for being blunt, and don’t bear a grudge thinking you’ll take revenge once you’re in power. Let me tell you, give up that dream. Don’t look down on the Purification Chamber—this isn’t a place anyone can touch. If you ever do rise to power, I’ll be the first to curry favor with you.”

The brush-holding eunuch’s words dripped with sarcasm, all because Li Jinzhong hadn’t offered a bribe beforehand.

Without payment, he naturally had to vent his displeasure.

“I wouldn’t dare, sir, you’re too kind,” Li Jinzhong replied politely, as though unfazed by the eunuch’s barbs.

“So much dawdling. Have you chosen your name or not? If not, I’ll pick one for you and stop wasting my time.”

“No, no, I’ve chosen.”

“Then out with it.”

Li Jinzhong closed his eyes, gathering himself. After a moment, he opened them and declared with solemnity, as though making an oath, “From this day forth, my name is Wei Zhongxian.”

A strange aura seemed to rise from him, startling the eunuch behind the desk.

“Oh… a good name, indeed. That’s all, you can go and rest now,” the eunuch said, his tone now tinged with caution.

Wei Zhongxian nodded, and wheeled himself away.

The eunuch watched as Wei Zhongxian’s figure receded, feeling a sudden, inexplicable sense of unease.

It wasn’t that he feared Wei Zhongxian; rather, the name brought his predecessor to mind.

Since he called him his predecessor, the man was long dead.

The cause of death was simple: he’d foolishly mocked Yu Huatian right after his own castration.

One could say his predecessor’s death was both unjust and justified. He had bullied Yu Huatian, and while Yu Huatian, once in power, had likely forgotten such a small fry, the old eunuch could never forget.

Haunted by fear, his predecessor had lived in constant dread, unable to eat or sleep, nearly driven mad.

Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, he took his life’s savings to apologize to Yu Huatian. But by then, Yu Huatian was already the Grand Eunuch of the Western Depot. What use had he for a few bits of silver?

So, the predecessor’s death was particularly miserable—rumor had it he endured every punishment the Western Depot could devise.

Though the brush-wielding eunuch didn’t know why this memory surfaced, he decided it wise to be more restrained. Sometimes, he’d heard, intuition could save your life. On impulse, he resolved to invest early in a few promising candidates today.

By promising, he meant young, savvy eunuchs with a knack for currying favor and a talent for martial arts.

As for Wei Zhongxian? With that wrinkled face, if he ever rose to power, the eunuch would gladly offer his head as a chamber pot!

...

Affairs in the capital thus settled, let us speak of Zhu Yu.

At this moment, Zhu Yu was still on the road. By his calculations, he would reach the Summer Resort he so longed for by tomorrow. The land was at peace, the perfect time for leisure and rest.

Though the Jing Dynasty appeared tranquil and harmonious, the martial world was slowly beginning to boil.

Somewhere, sometime, a rumor had appeared and spread like wildfire, now permeating most of the martial world.

The tale went thus: a gang of tomb raiders had stumbled upon the grave of a Grandmaster. Of the dozen seasoned thieves, only three emerged alive.

But these survivors brought out no gold, no jewels—only a treasure map.

Human nature being what it is, the three, fresh from death’s door, immediately fought over the map. Too exhausted to kill one another, they tore the map into three pieces, each fleeing with a fragment, vanishing without a trace.

Because it was the tomb of a Grandmaster, speculation ran rampant. Some said the map led to a Grandmaster’s lifetime of riches; others claimed it hid a peerless martial art; some whispered of legendary weapons.

Rumors varied, but one thing was certain: now, half the martial world was searching for these three tomb raiders.