Chapter Seventeen: Godfather Has Arrived
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At these words, Qiu Zhuo finally lifted his head.
“Difficult to apprehend? Is there some background to this?”
Zhang Shiye was always cautious and prudent in his work. If he said someone was hard to capture, there had to be a reason behind it.
Zhang You replied, “The cult established by that sorcerer, the Taiping Sect, now numbers tens of thousands.”
Upon hearing this, Qiu Zhuo suddenly slammed the brush on the desk.
He stood up abruptly.
“What?!” he exclaimed.
“Tens of thousands? Does that mean more than half the people of Taiyang County have joined this so-called Taiping Sect?”
“What have you all been doing? Letting the Taiping Sect grow to this size before reporting to me?”
Rage burned fiercely in Qiu Zhuo’s heart.
If a sorcerer was leading tens of thousands of followers and caused trouble, would his official hat remain secure?
Zhang You explained helplessly, “I truly did not expect that sorcerer’s ability to manipulate minds would be so strong.”
“In less than a month, he managed to incite so many foolish people.”
“Even I only just learned of this matter.”
Qiu Zhuo fell silent for a moment.
Such rapid indoctrination was indeed unexpected.
Moreover, with the recent plague ravaging the county, both the town and the county offices were sealed, causing communication to break down.
This gave that sorcerer a perfect opportunity to act.
“Shiye Zhang, how do you think we should handle this?” Qiu Zhuo asked.
He knew Zhang You to be meticulous and always prepared with a plan before reporting.
Sure enough, Zhang You answered, “County Lord, the Taiping Sect is a serious threat that must be eradicated.”
“But since the sect has so many followers, these fools won’t listen to reason. If we directly go to arrest people, it might backfire.”
“I think the best approach is to capture the kingpin first. If we manage to secretly apprehend the sorcerer, then the county office can issue a public order to pacify the people, and the Taiping Sect will collapse on its own.”
Qiu Zhuo found this reasoning sound.
With the general strategy set, the details could be left to his subordinates to work out.
He immediately made a decision: “I’ll entrust this matter to you.”
“I will give you full support and order every department to cooperate with your operation.”
“The action must be decisive and accurate; do not give the sorcerer any chance. Better to kill him than let him escape.”
“Handle this quickly. Do not disappoint me.”
Zhang You was Qiu Zhuo’s trusted confidant.
Given the gravity of the matter, entrusting it to Zhang You gave Qiu Zhuo peace of mind.
Zhang You promptly responded, “I will not fail in my mission!”
…
…
Palace.
The cleaning quarters.
“Zhao Bao, a eunuch from the cleaning quarters, has diligently trained and is now a ninth-rank martial artist.”
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“Effective immediately, he is transferred to the Martial Training Office with a new heavy responsibility.”
The order concerning Zhao Bao’s transfer was quickly conveyed to the cleaning quarters.
The senior eunuch Ma Shenggui and a group of junior eunuchs were stunned upon receiving the order.
How did Zhao Bao suddenly become a martial artist?
Within the imperial palace, martial artists were not rare.
Among the tens of thousands of eunuchs, at least a tenth were martial artists.
But becoming a martial artist meant more opportunities for advancement.
After all, the Martial Training Office’s duty was to recruit and train eunuch martial artists, then assign them to key positions in various palace departments or to serve imperial relatives.
Now Zhao Bao’s sudden rise to martial artist rank infuriated Ma Shenggui the most.
“Zhao Bao!”
“You sly one, hiding and secretly practicing martial arts, and you’ve actually become a martial artist?”
“Why didn’t you tell your master when you were training?”
“Do you not respect me as your teacher?”
Ma Shenggui immediately called Zhao Bao over to confront him.
The junior eunuchs around him glared angrily at Zhao Bao.
Who knew how far Zhao Bao’s martial skills might develop?
If he had great talent and became a seventh-rank martial artist someday, Ma Shenggui would have to bow to him.
Zhao Bao looked at their furious gazes with a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.
He bowed and replied, “Master, how could I ever disrespect you?”
“Your kindness is as vast as the ocean; I will remember it clearly for my whole life.”
“Our days ahead are long; someday I will surely repay your great favor.”
Though his words seemed sincere, his tone betrayed a venomous and cruel intent beneath the surface.
It sent chills down the spine.
His gaze slowly swept over the other junior eunuchs, as if memorizing their faces.
“And all of you, I will remember you as well.”
Those under his gaze felt as if a venomous snake had locked eyes with them, causing involuntary goosebumps.
They knew Zhao Bao was plotting revenge.
After all, they had never been gentle towards Zhao Bao.
Ma Shenggui suddenly laughed loudly.
“Hahaha! Zhao Bao, you haven’t even left the cleaning quarters’ gates and you’re already getting cocky?”
“You’re only a mere ninth-rank martial artist, and such are a dime a dozen in this palace.”
“Besides, your old grandmaster’s position is still higher than yours!”
“If I decide to deal with you, you little brat, it would be effortless!”
His face darkened as he pointed at Zhao Bao and shouted fiercely, “Zhao Bao, in my eyes, you will always be a shit-eating dog!”
“Boys! Attack!”
“First, cripple this shit-eating dog so he won’t dare bite us back in the future!”
Ma Shenggui was resolute.
He knew he had thoroughly offended Zhao Bao, and now that Zhao Bao was transferred away, if he rose to fame later, he might seek revenge.
Better to eliminate Zhao Bao in advance.
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Disabling a ninth-rank martial artist who hadn’t yet officially joined the Martial Training Office was a responsibility Ma Shenggui was willing to bear.
“Master’s orders!” the junior eunuchs shouted as they grabbed wooden sticks and aimed at Zhao Bao.
Zhao Bao was indeed a martial artist, but only a ninth-rank, and newly promoted.
A ninth-rank martial artist was stronger than ordinary people but could still be overwhelmed by numbers.
Zhao Bao stood there, a sinister smile playing on his lips, motionless.
The junior eunuchs exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
“Kill him!”
They all understood that if they didn’t eliminate Zhao Bao today, there would be endless trouble.
The sticks rose high, ready to strike Zhao Bao fiercely.
Suddenly—
A sharp voice rang out, “Let’s see who dares to move!”
As the words fell, a powerful palm wind surged forth.
The junior eunuchs surrounding Zhao Bao were blasted back as if struck by a heavy blow, spitting blood and collapsing.
The next moment,
A group of imposing eunuchs charged in.
All wore dark red robes, blue gauze caps, and black boots with white soles.
“It’s the Martial Training Office!”
The sudden arrival startled Ma Shenggui.
But the next person to appear made Ma Shenggui tremble and fall to his knees.
“Forgive us, Eunuch Li, we did not know you were present. Please pardon us!”
With the Martial Training Office eunuchs came a stout senior eunuch with a large belly.
His round face wore a constant smile, but it was unsettling to behold.
This was Li Dafu, head of the Martial Training Office.
Not only was he highly ranked and powerful, his martial arts were profound and unfathomable.
Remarkably, he was also known in the palace as “Great Benefactor Li.”
Though dubbed the “Great Benefactor,” Li Dafu was no less intimidating.
Small-time figures like Ma Shenggui were mere ants before a grand eunuch like Li Dafu.
“Who dares to bully my godson?” Li Dafu asked with a squint and a smile.
His words struck like thunder, causing Ma Shenggui and the junior eunuchs to exchange nervous glances.
Godson?
Who was Li Dafu’s godson?
In this place, were there such powerful allies?
The next moment,
Zhao Bao approached Li Dafu, bowing slightly.
“Godfather, you’ve finally arrived.”
These words nearly made Ma Shenggui’s soul fly away in terror!