As the storms came one after another, peaceful days finally arrived.
Nothing happened in the following days.
Li Xuan continued to focus on his cultivation.
After guiding Yu'er in her cultivation, Zhao Feng, as usual, helped Li Xuan adapt to his new strength.
One person and one cat sparred, each displaying their techniques.
But overall, it was Li Xuan attacking with all his might, and Zhao Feng effortlessly deflecting.
Until today, Li Xuan had not been able to break through Zhao Feng's qi or even touch him.
However, compared to a few days ago, Zhao Feng was clearly attacking more often.
Princess Ankang and Yu'er watched their sparring intently from the side.
Even after watching for several days, they still found the scene magical.
Zhao Feng's strength was unquestionable; as the Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau, he certainly wouldn't be powerless.
The two young girls had anticipated this point.
But they never expected their own cat to be so formidable.
Li Xuan's movements were almost imperceptible to their naked eyes; they could only see streaks of black afterimages.
If they were in the arena, they would probably be hit instantly, without even time to react.
And it wasn't just about speed; who would have thought that a Little Cat could possess such terrifying power?
It was as if that tiny body was filled with countless thunderbolts from the nine heavens, each explosion breathtaking.
A thousand thunders and ten thousand bolts, swirling around his body, hail, snow, rain, and sleet, all falling at once.
In the eyes of Princess Ankang and Yu'er, Li Xuan's attacks could only be described this way.
"Li Xuan is so amazing!"
Princess Ankang exclaimed excitedly, her bright eyes wide.
In the past, Princess Ankang couldn't get up this early.
However, as her health improved, the amount of sleep she needed also significantly shortened, allowing her to wake early and watch Li Xuan and Yu'er practice.
Although Princess Ankang also wanted to participate, Li Xuan wouldn't allow it.
With her current health, doing some morning exercises was not a problem.
For example, the Tiger Form Ten Styles, though it had lost its cultivation function, was still fine for physical activity.
But Li Xuan did not want others to know about Princess Ankang's improving health.
Who knew how many people in the palace genuinely wished for Princess Ankang to be healthy?
Even her own imperial father, Li Xuan couldn't quite figure out.
Therefore, it was better to keep it a secret.
At least when she was in poor health before, not as many people came to trouble Princess Ankang.
A quarter of an hour later, Li Xuan lay on the ground, panting and utterly exhausted.
It must be said that Zhao Feng's method was indeed very effective.
Each time Li Xuan depleted his stamina and then recovered, he was able to rapidly accelerate his control over his body.
Now, even if he attacked Zhao Feng with all his might, he wouldn't cause damage to the surrounding environment due to the dissipation of power.
Otherwise, Li Xuan wouldn't have been willing to be so conspicuous in Jingyang Palace.
Although Jingyang Palace was dilapidated, it was home after all; if anything, even a blade of grass or a tree, were damaged here, Li Xuan would feel heartbroken for a long time.
It was a completely different feeling from being in someone else's home.
Zhao Feng retracted the qi from his body, then walked to Li Xuan's side, squatted down, and gently stroked his round head with a finger.
"Li Xuan, you can now freely control the power within your body."
"Starting tomorrow, there's no need for this kind of training anymore."
Hearing this, Li Xuan couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Such a large amount of exercise first thing every morning was not easy to endure.
Li Xuan meowed, struggled to get up, and nodded at Zhao Feng.
Zhao Feng had helped him greatly with this matter; he still needed to thank him.
Although Zhao Feng always found opportunities to bully him, he was still very useful at critical moments.
Seeing Li Xuan nod in thanks, Zhao Feng couldn't help but narrow his eyes and smile.
"So well-behaved."
Zhao Feng paused, then softly said, "Speaking of which, thanks to you these past two days, my problems have been resolved with ease."
"Come to think of it, since I met you, many more things have gone smoothly."
"Li Xuan, you truly are a lucky star."
Zhao Feng seemed to be in a very good mood; Li Xuan figured it must be because the other Grand Eunuchs were having bad luck.
He had already turned Wei Chengji into his informant, so there was no reason not to win.
It must be said that Zhao Feng's own ability was one aspect, and his good foster father was another.
Moreover, Zhao Feng might not even know what Chief Steward Shang was doing behind the scenes right now.
Li Xuan yawned tiredly and lay back down on the ground to rest.
"Anyway, I'll accept the title of 'lucky star.'"
He thought silently, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and waited for breakfast.
But Zhao Feng was still poking Li Xuan's head with his finger, showing no intention of leaving.
"What does this old man want to do?"
"Is he trying to mooch a meal?"
"I just thanked him; how could he have the nerve to mooch a meal again?"
Li Xuan cast a sidelong glance at Zhao Feng, wondering what he was up to now.
Li Xuan could tell that Zhao Feng seemed to be hesitating too.
After a long while, Zhao Feng finally whispered in his ear, "Li Xuan, do you know Deng Weixian?"
Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a calm expression.
He looked at Zhao Feng, unsure what he meant by asking this.
Zhao Feng saw Li Xuan looking at him and subtly glanced at Yu'er nearby.
This made Li Xuan's heart jump into his throat instantly.
From Li Xuan's reaction, Zhao Feng got his answer.
He gently stroked Li Xuan's soft fur and said softly, "Don't worry, don't worry..."
"I bear no ill will towards the siblings."
"On the contrary, I like them very much."
"Especially Yu'er, her ability to master the Fish Dragon Three Transformations is quite important to me."
"As for that younger brother..."
At this point, Zhao Feng paused, then continued:
"Although I've only met him a few times, I have a good impression of him."
"I only brought him up because I wanted to ask Li Xuan."
"Do you care about Deng Weixian?"
Zhao Feng laid out the relationship between Yu'er and Deng Weixian, and asked very seriously. Li Xuan no longer concealed it, staring at Zhao Feng and slowly nodding.
"I understand."
Zhao Feng received Li Xuan's reply and withdrew his hand.
"I will give him a choice."
"If it's impossible, I will try my best to send him to Jingyang Palace."
"Don't worry, I won't harm him."
Having said that, Zhao Feng got up and left.
He lingered in Jingyang Palace today just to ask these questions.
Li Xuan watched Zhao Feng's figure disappear behind the wall, feeling a sense of unease.
"What does Zhao Feng want to do?"
But recalling Zhao Feng's final promise, he wasn't overly concerned about Deng Weixian's safety.
Zhao Feng had no need to lie to him.
He could have secretly done what he wanted without asking Li Xuan.
Moreover, if Deng Weixian were sent to Jingyang Palace, Li Xuan didn't think it was a bad option.
At least the siblings could be together and rely on each other.
They wouldn't have to go through so much trouble just to meet, unlike now.
However, would Deng Weixian be willing?
Li Xuan knew that Deng Weixian had hidden some things from Yu'er.
A large part of why he had persevered in the palace until today was because of the things he kept hidden in his heart.
Based on Li Xuan's understanding of him, if he had a choice, Deng Weixian would not come to Jingyang Palace.
It wasn't that he didn't want to be with his sister, but that he couldn't find an opportunity to climb higher in Jingyang Palace.
"I hope Little Deng can make a choice he won't regret."
Li Xuan sighed, planning to go to Yan Qu Hall later.
After breakfast, Li Xuan went to Yan Qu Hall.
When he arrived, he found that it was unusually lively today.
It wasn't Zhao Feng coming to trouble Wei Chengji again, but his adopted son, Zhao Bugao.
"Is this father and son working together?"
Li Xuan thought to himself.
But after watching for a while, he found that the atmosphere between Wei Chengji and Zhao Bugao wasn't so tense.
In fact, it seemed quite harmonious.
"Deputy Steward Zhao, this is the boundary between the front hall and the back hall. The front hall is the activity area for the Talent, while the back hall is mostly where the servants live and work."
Wei Chengji introduced with a straight face, his attitude somewhat cold.
Zhao Bugao, on the other hand, didn't mind Wei Chengji's attitude at all and replied with continuous giggles, "Oh, Eunuch Wei, what are you doing? Why are you still calling me Deputy Steward Zhao?"
As he spoke, Zhao Bugao lightly punched Wei Chengji's chest with his large, casserole-sized fist.
It was quite a feat for Zhao Bugao, with his burly physique, to make such a effeminate gesture.
Wei Chengji's mouth twitched, almost failing to maintain his expression.
"I'm no longer the Deputy Director of the Internal Affairs Bureau; I'm the Supervising Eunuch of Yan Qu Hall."
"I am your Eunuch Wei's—"
"Per~sonal~as~sis~tant~yo!"
Zhao Bugao enunciated each word, even winking and sending a suggestive look, which made Wei Chengji's heart pound.
Having been in the palace for so many years, there was no eccentric he hadn't seen.
But even Wei Chengji had to admit that Zhao Bugao was truly a treasure among eccentrics.
Indeed, a large portion of eunuchs would exhibit deviations in behavior and mental awareness due to their physical incapacitation.
But Zhao Bugao was among the most prominent of that type.
Wei Chengji couldn't find anyone in his Yan Qu Hall who could rival Zhao Bugao in terms of effeminacy.
However, this matter was something he had agreed upon with Zhao Feng, so he had to tolerate Zhao Bugao for a while.
Li Xuan was somewhat surprised.
From Zhao Bugao's words, it seemed he had been demoted.
He was originally the second-in-command of the Internal Affairs Bureau, and now he was directly demoted to the second-in-command of Yan Qu Hall.
This was a huge leap.
But it was probably related to what Zhao Feng asked him this morning.
And it looked like Wei Chengji didn't welcome Zhao Bugao's arrival.
The accompanying eunuchs behind both of them were also clearly divided.
Wei Chengji was followed by a group of yellow-clothed accompanying eunuchs, while Zhao Bugao was followed by Flower-Clothed Eunuchs from the Internal Affairs Bureau.
From their demeanor alone, Zhao Bugao seemed more like the person in charge of Yan Qu Hall.
And no matter who looked at it, it would seem that Zhao Feng had planted a spy under Wei Chengji's nose.
But Li Xuan knew that these two had reached an agreement.
This scene right now was probably also deliberately put on for others to see, digging a pit for people to fall into.
However, this should also be a tactic for Zhao Feng and Wei Chengji to scheme against other Grand Eunuchs; it shouldn't involve Deng Weixian at all.
"Forget it, I'll just keep watching."
"If Deng Weixian is in danger, I'll go help him then."
Wei Chengji continued to lead Zhao Bugao to familiarize himself with the environment of Yan Qu Hall, giving simple introductions.
The two groups walked and walked, arriving outside Wang Suyue's courtyard.
Zhao Bugao suddenly spoke:
"Eunuch Wei, this is Consort Wang's courtyard, isn't it?"
"That's right."
Wei Chengji replied indifferently.
"I'm new here, so I should pay my respects. How about Eunuch Wei introduces me?"
Wei Chengji frowned, but after thinking it over, he agreed.
He sent someone in to announce them, and soon they were granted an audience with Wang Suyue.
Wang Suyue naturally knew Zhao Bugao and knew he was Zhao Feng's adopted son.
Now that she heard Zhao Bugao was coming to Yan Qu Hall for a position, she was naturally happy.
"No wonder Zhao Feng was so confident; so there was another arrangement."
Wang Suyue thought happily, recalling Chief Zhao's dashing figure as he left that day.
As the saying goes, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Wang Suyue was still a little worried that she and Wei Chengji were always in Yan Qu Hall together, and she might be secretly harmed someday.
Now having Zhao Feng's adopted son by her side to assist, this gave Wang Suyue more a sense of security.
"Eunuch Zhao, now that you've taken up the post of Supervisor in Yan Qu Hall, please take good care of me in the future."
"Oh, Consort Wang, you're too kind, too kind." Zhao Bugao waved his hand, quickly and politely saying, "It's all our duty as servants; we naturally have to serve with all our heart."
Wang Suyue and Zhao Bugao exchanged glances, then burst into happy laughter.
Only Wei Chengji on the side felt a bitter taste in his mouth; he merely twitched his lips and reluctantly forced a laugh to accompany them.