The white marble steps in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony were gleaming like mirrors after the overnight downpour, reflecting the silhouettes of the entire court trembling in the light. This night would mark the bloodiest twilight that the Great Qian Dynasty had witnessed in a century — and the culmination of a decade of plotting by Xiao Wuchen.
"Xiao Wuchen, you castrated bastard! Dare you covet the position of Commander-in-Chief?"
The foremost martial artist of the Left Commandery, Lei Heng — a perfect Vajra Realm cultivator known as 'Mountain-Shattering' — roared with fury, his body radiating a brilliant pale-gold glow. His body, honed to the pinnacle of physical fortitude, stood before the steps like an impenetrable wall of bronze and iron.
Xiao Wuchen's black brocade robe fluttered in the wind. His face, almost demonic yet pale as death, showed no emotion whatsoever.
"Vajra Realm?" Xiao Wuchen murmured softly, his fingertips lightly brushing the 'Shenmo Sword' at his waist.
In that instant, the air in the entire space seemed to be sucked dry.
"The living become dust; the extinguished turn to ashes. Your so-called indestructibility is worthless in the face of my suffering.'
The first form of the Birth-Death Sword Intent: Silent Extinction.
There was no earth-shattering explosion. Only a sliver of sword energy, as thin as a strand of hair yet as black as the abyss, flashed and vanished. The Vajra Dharma Form, which could withstand a thousand armies and had shielded Lei Heng, crumbled instantly upon contact with that sliver of energy. Like snow melting under the scorching sun, it dissolved without a sound.
The crisp crackling echoed jarringly across the deathly silent plaza. Lei Heng's eyes widened in disbelief as a crimson line slowly formed between his brows. Staring at Xiao Wuchen in utter shock, his body dissolved into a mist of blood filling the sky within the aftereffects of the sword intent — erased from existence by that single strike!
One blow. Vajra fallen.
Xiao Wuchen stepped over pools of blood, holding a stack of bloodstained secret dispatches. He entered the Golden Throne Hall, an aura of oppression as vast as mountains and seas surrounding him.
Within the hall, the aged Emperor of Da Qian sat upright, his eyes filled with shock, doubt and dread.
'Your Majesty,' said Xiao Wuchen, kneeling on one knee. His voice was as crisp and resolute as jade clashing. 'Left General Lin Canghai has colluded with the Eight Great Families of Jiangnan. He has embezzled thirty million taels of military funds and secretly crafted an imperial robe. His treasonous intent warrants execution. Here are the correspondence and ledgers between the families for your inspection."
As Xiao Wuchen laid irrefutable evidence upon the imperial desk, scroll after scroll, the Emperor's hand trembled slightly. He stared at the familiar clan seals, at Lin Canghai's treasonous ambition, and finally at the slender young man below the dais who now held the power of life and death.
"Granted..." The emperor's voice was aged and feeble. 'Effective immediately, Lin Canghai is stripped of his position as Left General. His entire household is to be imprisoned, and he is to be executed after the autumn harvest. His subordinates are to be dealt with by Minister Xiao."
Lin Canghai collapsed in defeat upon the palace floor. Despite his cunning scheming, he had never anticipated that Xiao Wuchen could single-handedly shatter his martial legend and sever his political roots within the court.
"Transmit my imperial decree!"
The Grand Eunuch's trembling voice echoed through the palace halls.
'Xiao Wuchen, Commander of the Black Robe Guards, has distinguished himself in protecting the throne. His military prowess and political acumen are unparalleled in the court and the realm. Effective immediately, he shall assume command of all Black Robe Guards across the empire. He is hereby elevated to the position of Chief Eunuch of the Office of Ceremonial Affairs and granted permission to ride within the Forbidden City. He is also appointed to advise on state affairs and oversee all matters both within and outside the palace!"
Seal of Authority.
These two words carry more weight than a thousand jun.
In this moment, Xiao Wuchen finally reached the pinnacle of eunuch power, becoming the true 'second emperor' of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Xiao Wuchen rose slowly to his feet. He turned and gazed towards the hall's entrance. The civil and military officials who had once looked down on him, humiliated him and dismissed him as flawed now knelt in unison, their foreheads pressed firmly against the cold stone floor. Not one of them dared to breathe a word.
'Your servant acknowledges the imperial decree and expresses gratitude.'
He bowed slightly, a mocking and desolate curve forming at the corners of his mouth.
Vengeance was fulfilled and power was unrivalled.
Xiao Wuchen trampled on the dignity of his political enemies, climbing step by step to the pinnacle of authority. Yet, as his crimson robes billowed, his mind drifted back to the night years ago when his family was destroyed and a piercing blade sent him into the palace gates.
He now possessed the mightiest sword intent in the Nine Provinces, and wielded the authority to command heaven and earth. But he could never reclaim his youth.
He reached out as if grasping at the elusive sunlight.
"You have lost. This world shall forever bear the surname 'Xiao'."
Though his body was broken, he created an eternal monument called 'Xiao Wuchen' for the people — a monument built with power as its bones and the cycle of life and death as its soul.
The night in the Forbidden City was so still that one could hear the snow falling from the vermilion walls.
In the Office of Ceremonial Affairs, the scent of dragon saliva incense mingled with the heavy stench of blood, creating an overpoweringly sweet aroma. Xiao Wuchen discarded the black brocade robe he had worn while slaughtering his enemies in the Golden Hall and replaced it with a fiery crimson python-skin robe.
This was the emblem of the Chief Steward of the Office of Ceremonial Affairs — a blood-red glory coveted by countless eunuchs.
Xiao Wuchen sat in the wide rosewood chair, his right hand trembling slightly without him noticing.
This was the lingering poison left by the 'Sword Intent of Birth and Death'. This sword intent was beyond the endurance of ordinary mortals; each swing of the blade further damaged his already fragile meridians.
Slowly, he undid his collar. The mirror reflected a body scarred beyond recognition. Where the 'Bone of All Living' had once been brutally carved from his chest, a hollow remained. Though new flesh had grown over the wound, it now bore an eerie, dark purple hue.
'Power...' He let out a low, self-mocking chuckle; his laughter was tinged with chill.
He stood atop the Nine Provinces, crowned the 'Nine Thousand Years' above all men. Yet his crippled body constantly reminded him of the humiliation and betrayal he had endured. He wore the most splendid crimson robe in the realm, but he had lost his humanity forever. The extreme emptiness he felt after reaching the summit was worse than a thousand cuts.
"Bring her in."
Xiao Wuchen fastened his collar once more, his voice returning to its cold, emotionless tone.
Moments later, Miss Lin, the once-lofty daughter of the Left General, Lin Canghai, was dragged in, bound and gagged. Once hailed as the capital's foremost scholar lady, her hair was now in disarray and her delicate skin was marked with crimson bruises from interrogation by the Black Robe Guards.
Kneeling at Xiao Wuchen's feet, her body shook uncontrollably. She had seen him before at her father's banquet, but back then she had refused to even glance at this 'crippled house slave'.
"Xiao... Xiao, Chief Seal Keeper, spare my life..." Lin Qingshuang's voice trembled with tears as she was humbled to the dust.
Xiao Wuchen extended his icy fingers and lifted her chin. His gaze held no desire, only the cold indifference of someone surveying an insect.
'Miss Lin,' he murmured, leaning closer in a way that sent shivers down her spine. 'I recall you once said that someone like me wasn't fit to guard your family gate. Now, your father awaits death in the dungeon. The lives of all three hundred members of your household rest upon this single seal.'
Casually picking up the heavy seal of the Office of Ceremonial Affairs from the desk, he pressed it lightly against Lin Qingshuang's forehead.
"From this day forward, you are no longer the eldest daughter of the Lin family. You will serve as a lowly maid in the Office of Ceremonial Affairs, emptying chamber pots. I want you to witness firsthand how I will transform the 'Golden Age of Integrity' that your father built into my own 'Hell of Torment'."
Lin Qingshuang collapsed to the floor. For Xiao Wuchen, that sense of crashing from the clouds into the mud was the most satisfying revenge.
Xiao Wuchen rose to his feet and walked over to the window.
Outside, the shadow sentries of the Black Robe Guards were scattered throughout the palace like ghosts, each awaiting his next command.
'Issue the order,' Xiao Wuchen murmured, tracing the hilt of the concealed Sword of Birth and Death within his sleeve. "Seal off the secret treasuries of every aristocratic house in the capital. I shall ensure that every inch of Great Qian's land bears the seals of the Ministry of Ceremonial Affairs.'
He knew the ancient, stubborn Jiangnan aristocratic clans would never accept their fate passively. They would denounce him as a villainous eunuch who had brought ruin upon the nation and its people by organising so-called 'purges of the court's corrupt elements'.
"Very well."
Xiao Wuchen gazed into the deepening night, his eyes flickering with a maddened flame.
'If this empire shall not bear the surname Xiao, then let it shatter completely at the hands of the Sword of Birth and Death.'