The next morning.
While Zhao Feng was teaching Yu'er, Li Xuan shamelessly sidled over.
Chief Steward Zhao glanced at him from the corner of his eye and said irritably, "What do you want now?"
Li Xuan had upset Zhao Feng yesterday and felt very bad about it, so he certainly wasn't there to cause trouble again.
He flirtatiously wagged his big tail, rubbing it against Zhao Feng's leg, looking utterly fawning.
"Hmph, looks like you need something from me."
Seeing Li Xuan's obsequious manner, Zhao Feng knew he was definitely up to no good.
Li Xuan immediately put on an "I'm wronged" expression, shaking his head repeatedly.
"I know you too well."
Zhao Feng didn't believe him for a second and sat directly on the stone chair, signaling Li Xuan to get to the point.
Heaven knows, Li Xuan didn't need anything from Zhao Feng; he just wanted to ask about Dabai's origin.
After upsetting Zhao Feng yesterday, Li Xuan only then remembered he had forgotten to ask something important, having been too busy gossiping about Zhao Feng's younger days.
Upon hearing that Li Xuan was asking about Dabai, Zhao Feng unexpectedly raised an eyebrow: "Just asking about that?"
Zhao Feng had thought Li Xuan needed his help with some difficult matter, but it turned out to be just this?
"Dabai was encountered by the northern hunting party at a border auction house a few years ago."
"At the time, the hunting party thought Dabai was a cub of a Fierce Tiger, so they bought it at a high price."
"Only after raising it did they realize they had been scammed."
"A Fierce Tiger is pure white with deep blue or light blue tiger stripes."
"But this Dabai only has the black tiger stripes of an ordinary white tiger."
"Although white tigers are also uncommon, compared to the value of a Fierce Tiger, they are far inferior."
"Originally, if they had bought a Fierce Tiger, the Imperial family would have paid for it, but since they were deceived, the hunting party had to pay for it themselves."
"Fortunately, they were all people who weren't short on money, otherwise, the bill would probably still be unsettled even now."
Zhao Feng explained with a chuckle.
"So, you're saying Dabai really isn't a Fierce Tiger?"
Li Xuan asked, somewhat unwilling to give up.
"Of course not," Zhao Feng said as a matter of course.
"Li Xuan, if an ordinary fifth-rank master encounters an adult Fierce Tiger, it's a death sentence, especially in an environment like the Great Desert."
"To kill a Fierce Tiger without injury, it would require at least three fifth-rank Flower-Clothed Eunuchs working together."
"To capture one alive, you'd need at least a team of people."
A team of Flower-Clothed Eunuchs from the Internal Affairs Bureau consists of ten people.
Li Xuan nodded upon hearing this, gaining an understanding of the Fierce Tiger's strength.
Based on a comparison of strength, Dabai indeed couldn't be a Fierce Tiger.
Although Dabai's strength was not weak, it was only capable of bullying the Imperial Princes and Princesses who hadn't yet cultivated their true qi.
Against a sixth-rank master who had cultivated true qi, it was somewhat lacking, not to mention a fifth-rank martial artist who could control qi and form it.
Dabai's current strength was only enough to contend with the Third Prince, who had cultivated true qi.
If Dabai were hit by the Third Prince's fire-elemental true qi, it wouldn't fare well.
However, relying on Dabai's terrifying strength, it also had the ability to defeat the Third Prince.
Estimating it this way, Dabai and the Third Prince were probably evenly matched.
"Why are you asking about Dabai?"
"Do you want to train it as well?"
Zhao Feng asked with a strange expression.
Zhao Feng had heard many people mention the several strangely behaving wild cats in the Imperial Garden long ago.
He knew those cats were Li Xuan's companions.
However, now Li Xuan was not only teaching cats martial arts, but also intended to train Dabai, a real tiger.
"Li Xuan, is it really feasible for beasts to practice martial arts?"
Zhao Feng lowered his voice and quietly asked Li Xuan.
"Why not?"
"Am I not a living example!"
Li Xuan spread his paws and retorted righteeously.
"Aren't you a heaven-sent auspicious omen, special?"
"If you have such intentions, I can find some more formidable beasts for you to train."
Zhao Feng gave Li Xuan a meaningful look, and Li Xuan immediately understood his meaning.
"Forget it, I can't even teach Dabai properly, let alone others."
Li Xuan refused Zhao Feng's suggestion without much thought.
Zhao Feng's idea was not difficult to understand.
He surely wanted Li Xuan to train beasts that were already exceptionally talented and stood higher on the food chain, rather than the common wild cats found everywhere in the Imperial Garden.
After all, to ordinary people, a martial arts-practicing wild cat and a martial arts-practicing tiger were two entirely different things.
With the Internal Affairs Bureau's capabilities, finding fierce birds and beasts would certainly not be a problem.
But the problem was, how would Li Xuan teach them?
He and Dabai currently couldn't even communicate verbally, relying on body language, guessing and deducing, primarily through the emotions in each other's calls.
If they were to cross another species barrier, that would be even more ridiculous.
On this matter, Li Xuan was more concerned than Zhao Feng.
He yearned more than anyone to establish a kung fu animal team in Jingyang Palace.
But the difficulty of this matter was also great.
Until now, Li Xuan was lucky to have encountered Cat Overlord and Fat Orange, two feline prodigies.
The other wild cats in the Imperial Garden were far from having such talent.
Communication between beasts, due to the lack of written language, could only convey simple meanings; complex communication was simply impossible.
Under these circumstances, the difficulty for Li Xuan to teach martial arts was even higher.
Just look at Niu Niu; the Tiger Form Ten Styles that were originally taught have deteriorated with practice, and now it only remembers five forms.
It's estimated that after some more time, Niu Niu will forget everything completely.
Zhao Feng knew the benefits of cultivating beasts, and Li Xuan naturally understood them too.
If a group of powerful beasts could be cultivated, then Jingyang Palace would have its most basic foundation.
Moreover, beasts are simple-minded; as long as Li Xuan, their boss, is there to keep them in line, there's no need to consider too many intricate matters, which is much simpler than managing humans.
But for now, Li Xuan could only dream about it.
Cat Overlord and Fat Orange, who were progressing most smoothly in their cultivation, had only just entered the ninth rank, and they still had a long way to go.
Furthermore, it's hard to say what their limits will be in the future; they might reach the growth limit of ordinary wild cats before even completing the Lower Three Ranks of cultivation.
At that time, even if Li Xuan wanted to continue nurturing them, he would only be able to yield to the merciless reality.
Li Xuan was also very aware of how important talent was on the path of martial arts.
For beasts, talent was bloodline.
Some beasts were born more powerful, natural predators.
Conversely, some beasts couldn't even eat meat, surviving only on grass, living each day in fear, constantly evading the pursuit of predators.
Seeing that Li Xuan, as the master, had no intention of taking on more disciples, Zhao Feng couldn't force him.
Moreover, he also felt that Li Xuan's words made sense.
Communication among beasts was indeed a big problem.
"I wonder how those people from the Ten Thousand Beast Villa communicate with beasts?"
Zhao Feng muttered to himself, then, seeing Li Xuan also looking troubled, he said to him:
"Li Xuan, there's a sect in the martial world called the Ten Thousand Beast Villa; they primarily cultivate by controlling beasts, and I hear they have a way to communicate with beasts."
"However, this method is the core secret of the Ten Thousand Beast Villa, and even our Internal Affairs Bureau has no way of knowing it."
"In the future, when you travel the martial world, if you have the opportunity, remember to investigate it thoroughly."
Zhao Feng told Li Xuan about this matter, urging him to pay close attention.
"A way to communicate with beasts?"
"That certainly makes me very curious."
Now that Li Xuan was from a beast's perspective, he wanted to see what the human cultivation of beast-speech ability would sound like to his ears.
"There are indeed many strange sects in the martial world."
Li Xuan sighed, growing even more curious about the vast world beyond the capital.
"Oh, and Li Xuan."
"News has arrived that the Great Desert Envoy Delegation will reach the capital in three days."
"Deng Weixian's side will begin to act."
Li Xuan was a bit surprised, not expecting the Great Desert Envoy Delegation to arrive so soon.
"What exactly do you plan to do?"
Li Xuan still didn't know what Zhao Feng and Chief Steward Shang's intentions were regarding the Great Desert Envoy Delegation.
"It's nothing more than using their own scheme against them."
"The Great Desert Envoy Delegation did not contact my unfilial adopted son before their departure this time."
"So, their purpose for this trip still needs to be clarified by us before we proceed."
"As for what to do in the end, we first need to see what their objective is."
Li Xuan chuckled inwardly: "Improvise?"
But for Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng's level, there was no pressure at all.
"I wonder what the people from the Great Desert look like."
...
Three days later.
The Great Desert Envoy Delegation arrived in the capital, met with Emperor Yongyuan, and presented countless rare treasures and gold and silver.
In addition, they also conveyed the sincere greetings of the Great Desert Wolf Lord.
The first meeting was said to have a very harmonious atmosphere, perhaps because the two sides had not yet discussed points of conflicting interest.
Of course, all of this was unseen by Li Xuan, who was in the inner palace.
However, the Great Desert Envoy Delegation had already contacted Zhao Bugao, and the letter that was supposed to be sent to Zhao Bugao had already been intercepted by Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng.
In Chief Steward Shang's courtyard, Li Xuan looked at the letter on the table and finally understood the purpose of the Great Desert Envoy Delegation's trip.
The content of the letter was quite simple; besides greeting Zhao Bugao, their loyal friend in the Great Desert, it stated their demands.
They demanded that Zhao Bugao use his previous arrangements to begin targeting Wang Suyue, thereby dragging the Zhongwu General Residence into a quagmire, making them too preoccupied to help themselves.
From the content of the letter, Zhao Bugao's previous arrangements were also at the instigation of the Great Desert, which was why he had gradually approached Wang Suyue.
But now Zhao Bugao's undercover identity had been exposed, and the Great Desert's objective was directly revealed under the noses of Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng.
At this moment, besides Li Xuan and the Two Chief Eunuchs, Zhao Bugao and Deng Weixian, as the parties involved, also stood to the side in the courtyard.
The Two Chief Eunuchs sat by the stone table, leisurely sipping tea.
Li Xuan stood on the table, having just finished reading the contents of the letter.
Zhao Bugao and Deng Weixian both secretly glanced at Li Xuan, then fixed their gaze on their own toes, not daring to move.
Deng Weixian also only now realized that his godfather had previously been an undercover agent for the Great Desert, and he himself had unknowingly become a small, cultivated undercover agent.
Previously, when Zhao Bugao said he had lost power, Deng Weixian thought it was just an ordinary power struggle.
Later, when Zhao Feng approached him and brought up matters related to the Great Desert Envoy Delegation, Deng Weixian thought it was a continuation of a task Zhao Bugao had failed to complete before, which was why he wanted to try his luck joining the Internal Affairs Bureau and becoming a secret agent.
It wasn't until that letter was placed on the table that Deng Weixian understood the whole story.
"So, godfather was working for the Great Desert all along, and everything I did before was also for..."
Deng Weixian thought of this and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
"Fortunately, godfather was exposed early, otherwise, how could I have been spared?"
Deng Weixian couldn't help but feel a wave of lingering fear.
If he had done some things for the Great Desert before Zhao Bugao's identity was exposed, he probably wouldn't have the chance to stand here now.
Deng Weixian slowly took two deep breaths, calming himself down.
He had thought that climbing up the ranks wouldn't be easy, but he never expected it to be so perilous.
He, Deng Weixian, had almost unknowingly reincarnated.
"Not only failed to get revenge, but also possibly implicated my sister..."
Before reuniting with Yu'er, Deng Weixian was fearless and single-minded in his pursuit of revenge.
But now, he was a little scared.
It wasn't that he was afraid of losing his own life.
From the moment he decided to seek revenge, Deng Weixian had already staked everything he had.
What Deng Weixian was afraid of now was that after his death, he would also implicate his sister.
His relationship with Yu'er could not be hidden from the three people in the courtyard.
Deng Weixian understood that it was his visit to Jingyang Palace to reunite with Yu'er that had revealed a flaw.
But at that time, when he heard Yu'er's name and age, he simply couldn't resist wanting to confirm it.
"If I can fortunately get through this, I must explain this matter clearly to my sister."
Seeing that Zhao Bugao and Deng Weixian were both obediently bowing their heads to the side, Li Xuan wagged his tail and asked the Two Chief Eunuchs:
"Why does the Great Desert want to deal with the Zhongwu General Residence?"
Chief Steward Shang gestured to Zhao Feng with his eyes, and Zhao Feng immediately wrote on the stone table with his finger:
"Someone in the Zhongwu General Residence is serving on the Great Desert front line, which gives them a lot of headaches."
"Presumably, it's to get rid of this person."
Li Xuan looked at the Great Desert Envoy Delegation's instructions to Zhao Bugao, and according to their methods, this was not as simple as just getting rid of someone; it was likely that the entire Zhongwu General Residence would be raided and annihilated.
And Zhao Feng continued to write:
"Li Xuan, you are already famous in the palace."
"If you rashly intervene in Deng Weixian's actions, I'm afraid it will cause him to misunderstand. Therefore, we plan to let you two get acquainted, how about it?"
Zhao Feng's intention was to introduce Li Xuan to Zhao Bugao and Deng Weixian.
Otherwise, if Deng Weixian encountered danger, even if Li Xuan rescued him, Deng Weixian would likely find it difficult to trust him.
After all, Deng Weixian was working as a double agent; one wrong step could lead to eternal damnation.
Li Xuan nodded, understanding the meaning of the Two Chief Eunuchs.
In his opinion, Deng Weixian was already one of them, so letting him know about his existence was completely fine.
The problem was...
"Old Zhao, can your adopted son still be trusted?"
Li Xuan's relationship with the Two Chief Eunuchs was not ordinary, so he didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.
In his opinion, a person who had betrayed once could betray a second time, a third time...
Li Xuan always believed that with such things, it was either zero times or countless times.
In this operation, if anything went wrong, Deng Weixian, as the executor of the task, would not be able to escape death.
Regarding Li Xuan's question, Chief Steward Shang merely swept his gaze, waiting for Zhao Feng's reaction.
Zhao Feng gave a bitter smile, lowering his head, unsure how to face Chief Steward Shang's gaze, then turned to Li Xuan and pleaded:
"Just trust me this once."
"Alright, Li Xuan?"
Li Xuan looked at the words Zhao Feng wrote and his pleading gaze, feeling a little uneasy.
Zhao Feng, as the Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau, although he usually joked around with Li Xuan, had never used such a tone before.
This showed that Zhao Feng had deep affection for his adopted son, Zhao Bugao, and was willing to humble himself for him.
Li Xuan didn't ask any more questions, simply replying with one word:
"Good."