Volume One, Chapter Seven: The Soaring Dragon Probes the Clouds, Masterful Hands Pluck the Flowers
“Master Duo!”
“We were wrong!”
“We promise we’ll never dare to do it again!”
Before long, several eunuchs, their cheeks red and swollen, necks twisted, were crying bitterly. They begged for mercy, repeatedly promising never to bully Little Duo again.
But Little Duo showed no sign of stopping.
Seeing Little Duo’s hands reddened from the lashes, Cao Mo finally spoke: “Alright, that’s enough.”
At his words, Little Duo immediately stopped, looking at Cao Mo expectantly. “Brother Cao, I didn’t embarrass you, did I?”
“Not bad.”
Cao Mo smiled. He dreaded encountering hopeless cases, but this kid was a talent with great potential.
Receiving Cao Mo’s approval, a smile finally appeared on Little Duo’s face.
Seeing him like this, Cao Mo couldn’t help but ask, “Feeling good?”
“Good.”
Little Duo nodded without hesitation.
“Are you calmed down now?”
Little Duo nodded again: “Calmed down.”
“Remember—”
Cao Mo patted Little Duo’s shoulder earnestly, “The more you don’t resist, the easier you are to be bullied.”
“Brother Cao, I understand now. I won’t let anyone bully me again!”
Little Duo had a sudden realization.
From now on, even if he couldn’t beat others, he wouldn’t let anyone mistreat him at will!
He would climb step by step to the top!
No!
The second highest!
The top spot was reserved for Brother Cao!
[Task “Eunuch Little Duo’s Request” completed.]
[Reward received: Yellow-grade Manual “Flying Dragon Cloud-Seeking Hand,” five years of martial cultivation.]
Seeing the task completed notification pop up on the interface, Cao Mo glanced at the few beaten eunuchs nearby: “Surrendered?”
“Yes, yes!”
They nodded hastily.
“Go!”
“Yes!”
They quickly left, but just as they were about to disappear, Cao Mo suddenly called out: “Wait—”
“Brother Cao, any orders?”
They paused in their steps.
“Just leaving like that?”
Cao Mo glanced at them: “Since you like to extort silver from others, well, I’m a bit short lately, so lend me the silver on you for a while.”
One had to admit, Cao Mo had indeed taken to heart the words of the steward of the Internal Affairs Office.
Though the steward didn’t say whose silver it was, it was hidden somewhere.
“This…”
They exchanged glances, then bit their lips and handed over all their silver.
Cao Mo weighed the silver in his hand.
Together, they had over a hundred taels.
It seemed these guys often extorted silver from other eunuchs.
But as Cao Mo said before, he wasn’t one to meddle unnecessarily; once the silver was in his pocket, it was his.
“Brother Cao, I worked hard today teaching you to be a better man!”
Cao Mo toyed with the silver, leisurely tying it around his waist, then looked at them again: “Say it, thank Brother Cao!”
They looked humiliated but still managed to squeeze out: “Th-thank you, Brother Cao…”
“Go!”
Cao Mo waved his hand.
They dared not linger, clutching their twisted necks, and hurriedly ran away.
“Brother Cao, I don’t think they’ll just let it go, especially that Zhang Qian. His godfather is the eunuch steward before the emperor. He definitely won’t swallow this grievance.”
Watching them leave, Little Duo shared all the information he knew with Cao Mo.
“So what?”
Cao Mo patted Little Duo’s shoulder carelessly: “Life and death are nothing; if you’re not convinced, fight!”
He naturally knew it was impossible to make those eunuchs truly submit, especially with one having a powerful eunuch steward as godfather.
But if they dared bare their teeth in front of him, Cao, he wouldn’t tolerate it!
Life and death are nothing; if you’re not convinced, fight?
Little Duo understood once more and looked at Cao Mo with great enthusiasm: “Brother Cao, today you saved me twice and taught me how to live with dignity. Whatever you want to eat, the kitchen is on me tonight!”
“Alright, you said it.”
Cao Mo didn’t hold back, putting an arm around Little Duo as they headed to the kitchen.
He deserved it!
…
After finishing the late-night meal on Little Duo’s treat, Cao Mo leisurely returned to the small courtyard, closed the gate, entered his room, and tossed the silver tied at his waist onto the bedside table.
*Clink!*
Listening to the pleasant sound of silver coins clinking together, Cao Mo felt rather pleased.
This trip out not only completed a task on the interface but also came with food and silver—truly a good fortune!
However, this incident gave Cao Mo a deeper understanding of the interface’s functions.
It seemed the interface wasn’t limited to the Empress alone; others could trigger tasks, though the rewards likely correlated with the task’s difficulty.
Helping Little Duo escape bullying earned a much less generous reward compared to helping the Empress on her wedding night.
Of course, it might also relate to the person who triggered the task.
After all, what was Little Duo’s status compared to the Empress’s?
“In that case, it looks like I need to stay close to the Empress more often.”
Cao Mo murmured to himself. At that moment, the interface popped up again:
[Host]: Cao Mo
[Age]: 18
[Martial Cultivation]: Grandmaster Level Seven
[Manual]: “Kuiyuan Nei Jing” (Heaven-grade · Intermediate)
[Martial Skill]: “Flying Dragon Cloud-Seeking Hand” (Yellow-grade · Novice)
[System Item]: Five years of martial cultivation (unused)
Cultivation levels vary, and manuals and skills naturally differ in rank.
From what Cao Mo learned from the old eunuch Cao, the manuals and martial skills in this world are graded from high to low as Heaven-grade, Earth-grade, Profound-grade, and Yellow-grade.
A Heaven-grade manual can be cultivated to the level of a celestial being.
Just like the manual Cao Mo was currently cultivating, “Kuiyuan Nei Jing,” a rare Heaven-grade masterpiece.
Reaching its highest realm would allow him to enter the great longevity of celestial beings.
As for the “Flying Dragon Cloud-Seeking Hand,” it was only Yellow-grade, clearly mediocre.
Cao Mo glanced at it lightly—indeed, nothing special!
It was a martial skill summarized by an old street thief, and even at its peak, it only allowed one to silently remove a woman’s undergarments, a skill for petty theft of intimacy.
How could he, Cao the Eunuch, stoop to such deeds?
[Year One: You diligently practice “Flying Dragon Cloud-Seeking Hand,” like a fish in water. In just three months, you reach intermediate level; within a year, you achieve mastery!]
[Year Two: With your extraordinary talent, “Flying Dragon Cloud-Seeking Hand” reaches perfection, far surpassing its creator. Through your research and improvement, its grade is upgraded to Profound-grade. Even from several meters away, you can deftly remove a woman’s undergarments with ease!]
[Martial Skill]: “Flying Dragon Cloud-Seeking Hand” (Profound-grade · Perfect)
No!
Slander!
Barefaced slander!