Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

A eunuch.

He assassinated a court official.

Am I having a nightmare?!

"Father, mother..."

Blood splattered on Lu Aniu's face, making him look like a hideous demon. "Aniu has avenged you!"

"Whoosh—!!"

He yanked the scissors out and threw them with a backhand motion. The sharp sound of the scissors cutting through the air rang out, and they instantly pierced Lord Suo's throat.

Thunder roared.

To cover up this bloody crime.

Chapter 828: That Rainy Night

"Boom—!!"

A loud clap of thunder seemed to be a wake-up call for Lu Aniu, instantly jolting him awake.

This was a completely impulsive murder, without any prior planning. This was because these two "officials" had been specially transferred to the palace along with other officials responsible for river management.

Judging from their conversation, it seems the emperor wanted to understand the situation regarding the flood control efforts in Jiangnan, which is why he summoned a large number of lower-level officials to the palace at once. Only under such special circumstances would they be allowed to stay overnight in the palace. The next morning, after attending court, these officials would dust off their robes and return to their posts.

If I want revenge, I can only do it tonight.

His only ally was this sudden thunderstorm, which helped him cover up much of his activity. But it also reminded him that he had to take the next step immediately—there wouldn't be a better opportunity! As the thunder and rain subsided, the risk of exposure would increase. At the very latest, by the time he was woken up this morning, someone would definitely come to check the room.

The body and bloodstains cannot be cleaned up in a short time.

If a court official is murdered within the palace, regardless of rank, a comprehensive and thorough investigation will immediately be launched. They would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free of such an offense against the imperial authority. At that point, one would certainly be unable to hide it.

I can't stay in the palace any longer.

"Run."

Lu Aniu himself was surprised. Since entering the palace, his mind had been in a daze, but now it seemed exceptionally clear. He quickly analyzed his current situation based on the limited information available, something that most impulsive murderers could not do.

We have to run! Staying means death, running is the only way to live!

Just then, a basin of hot water was prepared. Lu Aniu wasn't in a hurry to leave. He used the hot water to wash away the bloodstains on his hands as much as possible.

Then, he devised another plan, taking off his eunuch clothes and also taking off the clothes of the two officials.

"Tsk..."

He regretted using something as sharp as scissors; he could have easily used a blunt object. Now, his clothes were covered in blood, and he couldn't change his clothes.

Looking around, Lu Aniu saw a dark red cloak hanging at the door, and felt a sense of relief, letting out a long sigh of relief.

"You look down on us rootless people..." Lu Aniu looked at Lord Huang lying on the ground, gritted his teeth, and said hatefully, "Today, I'll make you a eunuch!"

Having said that, Lu Aniu tore off half of the tablecloth, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into the man's throat to stop the bleeding. Then, he carefully took off Lord Huang's fine robes and put his own eunuch's coat on him.

This is pointless; the investigators could easily verify his identity by removing the eunuch's robes. Lu Aniu's actions seem more like an outlet for his anger, a way of letting everyone know that he, the dignified Governor-General of the Waterways, died at the hands of a eunuch!

After doing all that, he skillfully stole the purses of the two adults.

As expected, a horse won't get fat without night grass; their purses were filled with heavy silver coins, the kind that make a sound when touched.

He picked out a few blood-stain-free garments from Lord Huang's wardrobe, put them on, stuffed the silver away, and then casually grabbed the cloak hanging on the wall. With a graceful swing, he draped it over his shoulder and, with utter ease, pushed open the wooden door.

"crunch-"

In the dead of night, no one paid any attention.

The raindrops pattered down on the ground.

----

"And then?" Evelyn asked, her voice trembling with fascination. "You must have escaped, right?"

"Ah……"

Lu Aniu recalled that rainy night and chuckled softly, shaking his head.

He was surprised that everything went so smoothly. In just half an hour, he successfully avoided everyone's sight and did not return to his residence.

At his residence, there were still some gold, silver, and valuables, all accumulated little by little under Chief Eunuch Wu since he entered the palace. If it were someone else who couldn't bear to part with them, they might not be willing to let them go to someone else so easily and would want to take them back.

But even if he got enough money from the two officials, he wouldn't go back, even if he got nothing at all.

The eunuch's residence was crowded with people and eyes. The more people who saw it, the greater the danger of the situation being exposed. He had to minimize the risk!

Strong winds and heavy rain howled incessantly.

That night, he felt like he had suddenly seen the light, and he made the right choices at every crucial moment.

Before dawn, he arrived at the most secluded spot under the palace wall, and with great effort, he grabbed the bricks and stones of the wall with his bare hands. Relying on the gripping strength of his five fingers, he forcefully left dents on the surface.

The rain poured down, and the crevices, neglected for a long time, were covered with moss, making them wet, slippery, and very difficult to grip.

However, in life-or-death situations, the will to survive can drive people to do things they would never normally imagine. If this is true for ordinary people, it goes without saying that Lu Aniu, with his superhuman physique, is even more so.

He gritted his teeth, bent his fingers into claw shapes, and poked five holes in them with each thrust. Repeating this process, the palace wall seemed to be built of tofu blocks; in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had already scaled the wall and leaped down!

"Boom!"

Water splashes.

He took a deep breath and opened his arms as if to embrace the wind and rain outside the palace walls.

After a brief moment of release, he didn't waste a single second. He took off running at top speed!

Things can't be kept secret forever; they'll be exposed sooner or later.

Such a disturbance occurring right under the emperor's nose would surely enrage him, and he would definitely investigate the case with the utmost effort.

I'm afraid... the capital will be sealed off before dawn. Escaping the palace isn't enough; we must leave this place forever before that happens!

run!

run!

run!

Like a rabbit being chased, he became ferocious, his eyes red, and he ran for his life.

----

Evelyn fell into a brief silence.

She felt that she had heard a different version of the story not long ago, but with a remarkably similar ending. The protagonist of that story was Zhang Renfeng.

But Lu Aniu faced an even more dangerous situation—at that time, he didn't even know kung fu, nor did he have any weapons to protect himself; all he had was superhuman strength.

Right under the emperor's nose, he murdered two court officials and successfully escaped from the most heavily guarded part of the country. That seemingly quiet, yet fraught with danger, stormy night meant that one wrong step or one wrong choice would have led to the worst possible outcome.

Even after Lu Aniu had traveled across the ocean, half a world away from his homeland, he would often return to that night in the dead of night, reliving all the events he had experienced.

When I woke up, my heart was still pounding, and I was covered in sweat; the mattress was soaked with cold sweat.

He knew that as long as he lived, he would never escape that rainy night.

Chapter 829: Peerless Secret Manual, Given as a Gift Upon Becoming a Disciple!

They run from day to night, and then from night to day, finding a not-so-inconspicuous shop to grab a quick bite, drink some wine, and have some meat.

After the food was served, he devoured it in a flash, without speaking or making a sound, and without participating in the other diners' casual conversation. Once finished, he got up and left in a flash, not lingering for even a second longer, to avoid leaving any impression on others.

The cloak was already covered in mud, and Lu Aniu would never wear it again, only wrapping it around his waist. When night fell, he naturally wouldn't stay in an inn; he would find a relatively safe place, curl up on the ground, take out the cloak, and use it as a blanket.

He was a very light sleeper and was easily awakened. Once awake, he would not go back to sleep. After getting up and stretching his limbs a little, he would start fleeing again. He didn't know where to run; his only goal was to get as far away from the emperor as possible.

The emperor is far away, and while it was undoubtedly a sensational case in the capital, its impact would inevitably diminish the further away it was. Who would bother to go to such lengths to arrest a eunuch they had never met before?

Throughout the journey, Lu Aniu deliberately avoided alcohol. Drinking would lead to trouble, and since he was now acting as a fugitive, he was always on edge. As a eunuch, he wouldn't waste his energy and time on women, and by suppressing his desires, he focused all his energy on escaping for his life.

Within a few days, he had already traveled thousands of miles on foot.

He was so dirty that he looked like he had rolled in a mud pit, which was one of the effects he deliberately pursued. In this world, a dirty beggar walking quickly past would not attract anyone's attention.

He didn't know how far he had run, but his ears, strained to hear, still hadn't heard any news of a wanted eunuch. Even so, Lu Aniu didn't dare to relax for a moment, pushing forward with all his might, forging a path through the air with his own two legs.

until……

A bottomless river lay before him.

----

"Boatman, wait!"

Lu Aniu boarded the boat, panting. The wooden boat wasn't large, but there was a boatman at both the bow and stern. They were about to set sail, and when they saw Lu Aniu, their brows furrowed slightly, seemingly somewhat displeased.

One of them waved him away, saying, "This train is full, you'll have to wait for the next one."

"I……"

Based on the principle of "better to avoid trouble than to cause trouble," Lu Aniu originally intended to just let it go and wait for the next bus.

But then his mind suddenly shifted. Almost a month and a half had passed, and he had long since left the capital. He should be considered to have escaped unscathed, right? Although in principle he should still be cautious, there was no need to be as restrained as before.

It was already very late, and they would have to wait for the next trip, and then wait for the boat to be full before they would set sail. They didn't know when that would be.

Once the thought takes hold, it's hard to stop.

He took out the broken pieces of silver and said, "I have money and I don't have any luggage. Could you please squeeze in a seat for me?"

"..."

The two boatmen exchanged a glance, their pupils dilating slightly when they saw the loose silver in his hand. The bearded man waved his hand. "Alright, find a seat."

Lu Aniu's gaze lingered on his beard for a moment without him noticing, before he went into the boat.

He noticed that the people on the boat were mostly elderly, children, women, and infants; there seemed to be very few middle-aged people like himself. Seeing his face covered in mud, his clothes tattered, and his beggar-like appearance, coupled with the fact that he hadn't bathed for a month and a half and reeked of foul odor, everyone frowned. They instinctively made defensive movements, unwilling to be near him.

Lu Aniu had gotten used to it; it was only natural. During the past month and a half of life on the run, all he could think about was how to get away as quickly as possible. He had no time to deal with people's cold stares.

But today... the situation is a little different.

An old man.

An elderly man, whose age was unknown, with white hair and beard, a thin frame, and wrinkles on his face like dragon scales, stared intently at him, making his heart race and his back tremble. After all, he was still carrying the burden of a case involving the murder of a court official, and Lu Aniu's mouth went dry; he wondered if the man had recognized him.

If so, what should be done?

kill him?

What happened to everyone on the boat after that? Were they all killed? What should be done with their bodies? Should they all be pushed into the river?

Since I can't swim, I have to wait until we're on shore before I can start.

Lu Aniu himself was surprised at how quickly his mind could process something as trivial as murder. In that instant, he felt as if he had returned to that rainy night, and could even smell the cold rain.

Making one wrong choice means death.

……

Just as he was having a wild idea, the old man suddenly moved aside, making room for him.

"..."

His current appearance was that of a down-on-his-luck beggar, and any further hesitation would only make him seem more out of place. So Lu Aniu nodded, quickly sat down, and lowered his voice, trying to produce a normal man's deep tone, as he said, "Thank you, sir."

Lu Aniu hoped that this social phrase would be enough to get rid of the other party, but things didn't go as planned.

The old man continued to stare at him, and his gaze grew increasingly brazen, roaming over his body while making clicking sounds. Lu Aniu had no doubt that the old man saw him as a dish to be eaten; if he had a bowl of rice in his hand, he would not hesitate to use himself as a side dish.

This feeling sent chills down his spine, and he moved slightly to the side.

"Young friend, what is your surname?" The old man nodded with satisfaction and asked in a drawn-out tone.

“I have no name or surname,” Lu Aniu said irritably. “I’m just a beggar on the street, I grew up begging for food, I have no name.”

"Oh..." The old man didn't seem to care whether he had a name or not. He stretched out his hand, hovered his withered palm above the old man's head, and said in a low voice, "It's incredible, incredible! A burst of spiritual light is erupting from the top of your head."

"With extraordinary bone structure and exceptional talent, you are a once-in-a-century genius, one in ten thousand. The maintenance of world peace depends on you."

"..." Lu Aniu didn't know what to say, so he turned his head away, not wanting to pay any more attention to him.

"I have other matters to attend to and need to return to Zhongnan Mountain first. After I descend the mountain..."