Jun Zhantian and Jun Wuyi had no idea that the matter with Fatty Tang was just the tip of the iceberg. Not only was the root of this incident with Jun Moxie, but all the strange occurrences in the capital over the past few months—including Grand Tutor Li’s Dantian being blasted, the visits from the State Preceptor and Grandmasters, which led to the otherwise rare Golden and Profound Xuan ranks now being as common as dogs in Tianxiang City, with Earth Xuan masters everywhere, Heaven Xuan masters walking around, and God Xuan masters lurking in the shadows—all of it traced back to the innocent-looking young man smiling before them.

“This matter ends here, and it must absolutely not be spread!” Old Master Jun, after all, was deeply calculating. “That old rogue Tang Wanli is probably half mad right now, his green eyes itching to pick a fight… You must bury this matter deep inside you. As long as that fat boy Tang Yuan doesn’t speak, you can pretend this never happened.”

Saying this, Jun Zhantian sighed. “This time, we were lucky it was Tang Wanli’s grandson. If it had been someone else’s grandson, Zhu Zhuzhu would likely have blasted him into dust on the spot. It was incredibly fortunate luck, Moxie. The stunt you and the Fatty pulled was truly dangerous. If anyone had found out, let alone the Eunuch Zhu never letting it go, even Old Man Tang might not have been willing to let it slide.”

“What do you mean? Is Tang Wanli’s grandson somehow special? Although what Fatty and I did this time wasn't exactly honorable, it was merely the folly of juniors, not severe enough for this. Wait, is there some hidden history to this?” Jun Moxie was genuinely confused. Although Eunuch Zhu was a Heaven Xuan master and held extraordinary status in the palace, surely it shouldn't warrant such a reaction.

“That Zhu Zhuzhu is much more than just an ordinary eunuch, Moxie. I know you have improved immensely lately, but you must be even more cautious in your actions going forward—better safe than sorry!” Old Master Jun spoke with heartfelt instruction.

“Grandfather, Moxie knows Eunuch Zhu is a Heaven Xuan master, but he is still a eunuch. You’re not going to tell me he was originally a great general, are you!” Young Master Jun looked disdainful. The great assassin inherently looked down upon those who willingly mutilated themselves to enter the palace as slaves!

“Moxie, this… this is truly your fault for not knowing. Back then, Zhu Yaozhu was more than just a general. In our Tianxiang Empire, his status was second only to myself and Old Man Dugu; at most, only two or three others could compare to him! But fate plays cruel tricks…” The Old Master sighed with genuine emotion!

“Ah! Could it be?” Jun Wuyi interjected at this moment. “Father, you mean that Eunuch Zhu… could he be General Zhu Conglong, the one renowned alongside you and Old Master Dugu Heng back then? But rumor had it he died in battle?”

Old Master Jun shook his head. “The secrets within this matter, only His Majesty, myself, and Tang Wanli—a mere handful of people—know them. Back then, when His Majesty was still the Crown Prince, he led the central army with Zhu Conglong, while I led the right flank, and Dugu Heng the left. Tianxiang was just a small, nascent state then. After that battle, the central army was ambushed; we couldn’t rush to their aid in time, and almost the entire army was wiped out. The Crown Prince, along with the two generals, Tang Wanli and Zhu Conglong, were captured together. The enemy intended to humiliate the Crown Prince and shatter our morale. At that time, Zhu Conglong, possessing a heroic bearing, impersonated the Crown Prince and was locked into the Corpse Marsh.”

“The Corpse Marsh?” Jun Wuyi and Jun Moxie exchanged glances, understanding dawning on them. Just from the name, one could imagine what kind of place that was!

“I rode day and night for a hundred miles toward the enemy to rescue the Crown Prince, fighting them to the death. In the final moments, they brought out Zhu Conglong to threaten me. By then, Zhu Conglong’s entire body was unrecognizable. The Corpse Marsh was teeming with poisonous insects, snakes, and vermin. He was already quite injured when he went in, and his Xuan Qi was sealed… He had over a thousand bites from venomous creatures all over his body, and even his… his lower regions were a wreck… A great general, reduced to this…” Old Master Jun let out a mournful sigh.

So that’s how it was! No wonder such a master had become a eunuch! No wonder he had such severe cleanliness obsessions…

Jun Moxie finally understood. No wonder Eunuch Zhu was so favored in the palace. If not for him, the one who endured all of that would have been the current Emperor. He instantly regretted rashly insulting this respectable general earlier…

This was another lovable aspect of the great assassin: when wrong, he admitted it; when wrong, he never shifted blame. Of course, this was only in his mind; his mouth remained as stubborn as a dead duck—absolutely unyielding!

“The great battle ultimately concluded with our desperate counterattack and a decisive victory, but Zhu Conglong was utterly disheartened. Coupled with his injuries and illness, his appearance withered, no longer resembling his former self. His spirit was broken, and he lost all will to live. For several days, he refused medical treatment, abstained from food and drink, set on following the path to the Yellow Springs. Tang Wanli was with him and said, ‘My life was saved by you. If you don’t live, I won’t either.’ So he fasted alongside him. After three days, Zhu Conglong remained unmoved, on the brink of death. Tang Wanli then took a blade and mutilated himself in front of him, cutting off pieces of his own flesh one by one, saying, ‘If you remain like this, then in front of you, I will cut myself down to a bare skeleton, so that I won’t be more miserable seeing you die first…’”

Jun Wuyi and Jun Moxie looked at each other, filled with horror. Recalling the tragic atmosphere of that time, their souls stirred, and they yearned for the profound righteousness between those old men.

“It wasn't until Tang Wanli had cut himself thirty-three times, severing thirty-three pieces of flesh, that Zhu Conglong suddenly burst into loud weeping and finally started eating and drinking. But Tang Wanli collapsed, his injuries far more severe than Zhu Conglong’s.”

Jun Zhantian sighed. “After the war ended, the Crown Prince ascended the throne, and Tang Wanli was ennobled. But Zhu Conglong adamantly refused any title and voluntarily entered the palace, changing his name to Zhu Zhuzhu to guard His Majesty’s safety. And so it remains. Thus, the army gained a General Zhu Conglong who died for the country, and the palace gained a Grand Steward Zhu Zhuzhu!”

“To this day, the descendants of the Zhu family do not know that Zhu Zhuzhu is Zhu Conglong; their appearances have changed too drastically.” After this secret history was shared, the room fell silent. The iron-blooded camaraderie between these heroic seniors explained why the Old Master said that if it hadn't been Tang Wanli’s grandson, he might have already been blasted into dust. So that was it! No wonder.

Just as the Old Master finished speaking, a servant rushed in to report, “All the women from the Tang residence, carrying the severely injured and barely breathing Tang Yuan, have arrived at the Jun family gate and are requesting an audience with Elder Lord Jun…”

Old Master Jun’s scalp tingled: Had his grandson’s scheme been exposed? They had come knocking!

He came out with a worried heart, only to discover that Tang Yuan had indeed been thrown out of his family home. However, his grandmother, mother, Nana, young mistress, and seven aunts and eight distant relatives, feeling uneasy, had unanimously decided—at the Fatty’s own insistence—that he should temporarily stay at the Jun residence…

The assembled womenfolk were afraid Elder Lord Jun would refuse to take in the Fatty, given his notoriety for misbehavior, which would have been understandable given the Old Master's character. Unexpectedly, the Old Master generously nodded his agreement, sending the Fatty and his accompanying maidservants to settle in Jun Moxie’s small courtyard. Filled with guilt, he exchanged a few pleasantries with the effusive women of the Tang family before making a hasty retreat. Ahem, this was all because of his grandson’s terrible idea! “Third Young Master… What in the world have you done? You’ve ruined me,” Tang Yuan cried, his face pale as he lay on the bed, struggling to lift his head to speak, now that the people around him were gone. His backside was practically pierced through by Zhu Zhuzhu’s palm strike; it was estimated he’d be crawling for the next few months.

“You—you—you said that was an emetic! Damn it! That was an emetic, it was clearly just…” Tang Yuan, though injured, had plenty of breath, gritting his teeth with a ferocious expression. “That was a laxative! Goddammit! The moment I entered the palace, I felt something was wrong. I managed to hold it in, but when that old eunuch used the wooden rod on my… damn it! I couldn’t hold it back anymore, and I just… I just… exploded…”

“Stop talking!” Jun Moxie looked like he was about to vomit blood. “How could it be a laxative? How could my self-mixed medicine be wrong? How could this happen!”

“I ate my breakfast according to your instructions before heading to the palace this morning, and took that pill right before meeting Eunuch Zhu. Oh, heavens, it was potent… and then…” Tang Yuan struggled to prop up his head, pointing an accusatory finger at Jun Moxie, voicing his grievances through tears.

“What?!” Jun Moxie finally realized the problem. “You ate breakfast this morning? Didn’t I clearly explain, emphasizing every point yesterday, that you weren’t supposed to eat breakfast? Why did you eat? Would missing one meal kill you?! That was supposed to be an emetic, more potent than any laxative. How could you stomach anything inside you and still be alright?”

“Huh?!” Tang Yuan froze. Prompted by his words, he immediately remembered, and started pounding his chest in regret. “So I mixed it up…”

“That’s enough. Now, at least your original intent was achieved—you only got hit once, right? Must it be this miserable?” Jun Moxie looked contemptuous. “According to my original design, you should have gotten hit once too, but it wouldn't have been this tragic. Now, you’ve smeared the old man’s face, clothes, and mouth… Ugh…” Jun Moxie dry-heaved, making a gagging sound. “It’s a miracle he didn’t beat you to death.”

“Tell me about it. I was scared to death back then. You have no idea, that old eunuch is actually a Heaven Xuan master! With a pale-blue light sword, commanding the blade with his Qi, he effortlessly stripped me naked without breaking a single layer of skin. At that moment, I thought, ‘It’s over, I’m finished.’ But then it turned out like this. However, that eunuch must have held back then, I heard it was because he had some connection with my grandfather. If it had been anyone else, I’d probably be dead by now!”

As Fatty Tang spoke, he actually started sounding a little proud, utterly carefree. “Grandpa finally gave the order and kicked me out of the family. Luckily, I was prepared years ago. The private savings I’ve accumulated aren’t excessively large, but certainly not small. This is what they call being prepared.” He suddenly tensed up. “Third Young Master, if you need money for gambling, don’t even think about touching mine. Times have changed; this is all I have left, brother.”

Jun Moxie was stunned. What was this guy going on about? He seemed completely unfazed by being kicked out of his family?

Fatty Tang winked. “Third Young Master, what’s wrong with you? We’re all family, you know I’ve been kicked out three times before. Why the shock? One has to put on a show for outsiders.”

Jun Moxie stared at him, speechless, until his neck could no longer support his head. His skull fell with the force of gravity onto the coffee table, bouncing twice!