Martial Arts: Starting from a Seemingly Real System

Qiu Xiong came over to greet the old man and addressed him as "Sir, the Internal Official".

The eunuch?

Qiao Rui was a little surprised, but he reacted immediately. He had guessed something about this person's shrill and feminine voice before, but he was misled by his constant calling of "old man". It seemed that this person must have a high status and an extraordinary origin.

The old man waved his hand impatiently, signaling Qiu Xiong to leave, and then said to Yu Deshui: "Well, you go back and prepare the documents and contracts. I will take Qiao Rui in for a look."

Old Yu was stunned when he heard this, and then his brows lit up with joy. Since the old eunuch said so, it proved that Qiao Rui had passed the assessment. Is this deal done?

"Yes!" Old Yu timidly bowed to the old eunuch, nodded to Qiao Rui, and rode back to the city excitedly.

As everyone knows, in the martial arts world, monks, Taoists, women, children, and eunuchs who are different from ordinary people are not to be messed with. This old eunuch seems to have a transcendent status and high martial arts skills, but I don't know if his temperament is as capricious as the legend said. Old Yu saw that there was nothing for him to do, so he was happy to leave early.

Seeing that everyone had left, the old eunuch nodded to Qiao Rui and said, "Follow me!"

As he said this, he turned and walked towards the city gate. His figure was light and his steps seemed slow, but in fact he was as fast as a phantom and was gone in the blink of an eye.

Qiao Rui smiled slightly, activated his top-level lightness skills, took a step forward nearly a meter, and quickly caught up with the old eunuch.

The two of them walked through the tall and heavy gatehouse, and the view inside suddenly opened up. The valley was covered with green grass and shady trees, with many houses standing on both sides in an orderly manner. In the center, a tall and majestic palace was surrounded by stars like the moon surrounding it, and it looked particularly magnificent.

This is the former emperor's palace in the Yulong Courtyard. It is fully equipped with pavilions, terraces, corridors, and halls, displaying its splendor and luxury.

Walking to the innermost back garden of Yulong Villa, which is the deepest part of the valley, there is a cold pond with rippling blue waves. Behind it are steep cliffs, and a waterfall like a white gauze flows down from the top of the cliff.

The old eunuch suddenly stopped in front of the cliff, then he pointed his toes and flew into the air like a big bird, and then continued to use the smooth cliff to gain leverage, and finally landed on a platform.

Seeing this, Qiao Rui followed suit and with a few leaps and bounds, came to the old eunuch's side.

This is a huge rock protruding from the cliff, with a waterfall next to it. It is difficult to find without careful observation.

There was actually a cave behind the boulder. The old eunuch didn't go in, so Qiao Rui didn't want to explore it.

There were two rattan chairs and a coffee table on the stone platform. There were cups and tea sets on the coffee table. There was also a small stove next to it with a kettle on it. The water in the kettle had just boiled, making a "puff" sound.

The old eunuch took the kettle and made two cups of tea, then sat in the rattan chair and sipped the tea happily.

Qiao Rui also sat down. The view here was wide. Sitting here, he could have a clear view of the Yulong Valley below.

Apart from the scattered buildings, the rest of the Yulong Valley is silent, empty and quiet. However, there are many dark figures on the pass walls.

"Don't blame Qiu Xiong for making things difficult for you, he is also a pitiful man!"

The old eunuch had his eyes half closed, but he seemed to know what Qiao Rui was looking at.

"He was originally an orphan who begged for food when he was young. When he was on the verge of death, he met the late emperor, who took him in and taught him some martial arts. From then on, he followed the late emperor wholeheartedly, through thick and thin, from a small soldier to a general..."

"After the late emperor passed away, he lowered his rank and asked to stay at the Imperial Dragon Courtyard, just to guard the late emperor's last legacy..."

"It's understandable that he has emotions about the sale of Yulong Villa this time!"

So that's how it is. Qiao Rui was stunned, then nodded to show his understanding.

"But what Qiu Xiong said is not without reason. Your martial arts skills are sufficient, but in terms of contribution, it is still not satisfactory to take over the Yulong Villa!"

"Ok?"

How come it's not satisfactory? Qiao Rui wanted to explain, but the old eunuch waved his hand.

"You went to track down the red apricot for the first time just to find your lover Liu Xinyue who is currently staying in Huashan, right?"

The old eunuch's light words made Qiao Rui very nervous. How did he know?

"Even if you killed Yizhi Hongxing later, it was because you were tracking down the mastermind who did harm to your Yunlai Inn, and it just happened to happen!"

There was a gleam in Qiao Rui's eyes, but he remained silent. What the old eunuch said was exactly right.

"Later, you defeated the provocative frontier young master in Shushan in order to gain fame and save your other confidante Tian Jing. Even when you attacked so many underworld water strongholds on your way back to Longxing City, it was only for experience... and the achievements of the Qingtian Guards. Am I right?"

"This……"

Qiao Rui was shocked. How did he know so much? Could it be that... he was a high-ranking member of the Skyguard?

"A few days ago, you broke into Lujia Village and rescued those abducted children. Your original intention was just to find a child adopted by your grandfather..."

"In every case, was there any time when you took the initiative to serve the country and the people out of public interest?"

The old eunuch said all this in one breath, looking at Qiao Rui with burning eyes.

"I……"

Qiao Rui didn't expect that all his chivalrous deeds would be viewed in this way by the old eunuch, but it seemed to make sense.

"If you do good intentionally, you will not be rewarded, but if you do evil unintentionally, you will not be punished!"

The old eunuch took a sip of tea and said in a somewhat cold voice, "For the country and the people, we should judge by our heart and deeds, not by other purposes. Hundreds of years ago, the Monk of the East, the Evil of the West, the Monk of the South, and the Hero of the North all contributed. Why is only Guo Jing called a hero?"

The old eunuch put down the teacup and looked at Qiao Rui steadily, his cloudy eyes seemed to be shining brightly.

Qiao Rui's face turned red, and he opened his mouth to refute, but finally lowered his head and remained silent.

"Of course, you did a good deed after all, and this achievement cannot be erased, but..."

"Since you want to take over the late emperor's villa, you should follow his will, take the peace of the world as your own responsibility, punish the powerful officials and suppress the rebellion, and bring peace back to the court and the world!"

"Execute the powerful officials and quell the rebellion?" Qiao Rui muttered to himself, somewhat unable to understand. "I am just a wanderer seeking to protect myself..."

"Don't underestimate yourself!" The old eunuch's eyes were sharp and imposing. "You have already reached the top. As a small group of people at the top of the world, you have the ability and should also bear the corresponding responsibilities."

"Your Majesty has just taken power, but he is being hindered by powerful officials everywhere. There are also giants stirring up trouble in the martial arts world. You have been smooth sailing all the way until you reached the upper-middle level of the Qingtian Guards. You have been cared for by the royal family and enjoyed the power and benefits. Both publicly and privately, you should die for the country instead of passively coping."

"Otherwise, how can you live here?"

"..." Qiao Rui's eyes flickered and he was speechless. Every word the old eunuch said struck his mind, "It turns out that the 'Dragon Subduing Hero' praised by the martial arts world is really shit..."

To serve the country and the people, one must have a chivalrous heart and do chivalrous things. Only when your heart and actions are in harmony can you be a true hero!

Qiao Rui stood there in a daze, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind, and all the past events flashed through his mind.

The Chennian Lu Jia at the bottom, the high-level people like Hong Gang and Diwu Qingcheng, the Yuan Fei Tushan who was ready to die, the mysterious Grand Commander...

These people are all silently contributing to world peace, while they are always busy with their own private affairs...

Suddenly, he stood up and bowed to the old eunuch.

"Junior, I am grateful for your teaching!"