Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 17: The Black Wind Riding the Horse! The Assassin's Last Stand! The Emperor's Thor

Black Wind is old.

Its head was almost bald, and it was panting weakly with its mouth open.

Lying diagonally on the ground covered with withered grass, its eyelids were almost drooping.

"Godfather, should we tell the palace...? This Black Wind is the Emperor's horse..." Little Stool's voice trembled, and he said with a sob in his voice!

"Let's go to the Imperial Hospital and have someone take a look," Chen Fan nodded.

"We'll see what the imperial physician says before we know whether we can tell the Emperor."

"Okay!" Little Stool replied and turned to leave.

After the people left, the horse pen returned to silence.

Looking at the black wind in the sky-high room, Chen Fan squinted and sighed.

He patted Black Wind's head and said in a deep voice:

"Even horses must die eventually, old friend. You should go first; maybe you can even be buried in the imperial mausoleum."

Black Wind, of course, cannot speak human language.

However, horses have a spirit, especially king horses like this one.

Having lived with Chen Fan at the Imperial Horse Stable for over a decade, it had developed a bond with him.

Black Wind, who could understand human speech, seemed resigned to his fate and lay motionless on the ground.

Seeing this, Chen Fan didn't say anything more, casually added a handful of fodder, got up and left.

Black Wind merely sniffed it, then continued to lie on the ground, waiting to die.

The stables only became lively after people from the Imperial Medical Academy arrived.

The person who came was Physician Song from the Imperial Medical Academy, who was skilled at treating birds, beasts, cats, dogs, horses, and so on.

I had visited the Imperial Stables twice before and was acquainted with Chen Fan.

"Greetings, Eunuch Chen..."

"You're too kind, Doctor Song. It's His Majesty's Black Wind that's nearing its end."

Seeing the plump Dr. Song with a smile on his face, Chen Fan nodded in greeting.

"Where is it? Take me there quickly!" The smile on Dr. Song's face vanished, replaced by a hint of urgency.

"That horse is His Majesty's favorite; we absolutely cannot allow anything to happen to it."

Chen Fan, who was leading the way, nodded slightly.

The group disembarked one after the other and soon arrived at the Tianzi room in the horse stable.

Upon seeing the dying Hei Feng, Doctor Song rushed over to take his pulse and examine him.

Seeing this, Xiao Dengzi wisely went up to lend a hand.

Only Chen Fan stood aside, watching silently.

"Alas... this horse was injured before, which shortened its lifespan. Now, sixteen years have passed, and its lifespan is coming to an end!"

After examining the patient for a while, Doctor Song stood up and sighed:

"Eunuch Chen, Hei Feng died of old age; it's beyond medical help."

"We understand." Chen Fan glanced at Hei Feng, whose belly was shrunken, and a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes.

Having spent over sixty years in the horse stable, he could naturally tell at a glance that Black Wind was about to die of old age.

The reason for having the Imperial Medical Academy make the final decision was to comply with established procedures.

Otherwise, if a mere eunuch dared to presume to decide the fate of the imperial horse, that would be a capital offense.

After seeing Dr. Song off, Chen Fan and Xiao Dengzi returned to the horse pen.

The birth, aging, sickness, and death of imperial horses are normal and have little to do with them.

Now all they need to do is wait for Hei Feng to die, and then report it to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

"Godfather, Black Wind is so pitiful. It won't even eat grass. It's going to starve to death like a horse!" Little Stool sighed, unable to bear it any longer.

"It's the same when people get old; it's normal to not be able to eat," Chen Fan replied casually, as if he were talking about himself.

"Godfather... I'll go get some water for Black Wind." Little Stool, his eyes red-rimmed, turned and left.

Chen Fan, standing in front of the horse pen, shook his head inwardly.

After glancing at Black Wind, he suddenly thought of something.

Out of curiosity, Chen Fan then touched it in his pocket.

Soon, a large white radish appeared in his hand.

Without the slightest hesitation, he threw the radish directly in front of Black Wind's mouth.

Hearing the noise, it instinctively sniffed the ground.

Hei Feng, who initially thought it was just an ordinary radish, immediately opened his mouth and ate it.

With its teeth still intact, it took a bite, splattering radish juice everywhere, and finished it off in just a few chews.

Seeing this, Chen Fan, with a smile on his face, tossed in two more large white radishes.

Black Wind accepted everything offered and finished it all in just a few bites.

Its eyes regained their light, and its body seemed to regain its vitality, no longer lying on the ground.

"That's all, we don't even have enough to eat at home," Chen Fan said, patting Black Wind's head.

"We've done everything we can to help you. The rest... is up to fate..."

After saying this, Chen Fan left the horse pen without looking back.

Not long after the person left, Xiaodengzi returned carrying water.

When he saw Black Wind stand up, he exclaimed in surprise:

"Huh...you've come back to life?"

……

Five more days passed quickly.

After nearly ten days of martial law and searches, the imperial city has finally reopened.

Perhaps it was because the Lantern Festival was approaching, but the palace was filled with a lively atmosphere again.

But as long as those eunuchs from the Eastern Depot remained, some people still lived in fear and trepidation.

This includes Chen Fan.

He diligently stayed in the Imperial Stables every day to cultivate, never venturing out of the gate.

He was terrified of being targeted by these eunuchs from the Eastern Depot, so he lived with extreme caution.

Fortunately, the eunuchs from the Eastern Depot never came to the Imperial Horse Stable again, which put Chen Fan's mind at ease.

As always, he got up at 3:45 a.m. to feed the horses and boil water.

After arriving at the horse pen.

Chen Fan went to check on Black Wind first.

The old man's life was clearly extended after eating the radish.

And with him feeding him a radish every morning, his energy has been getting better and better.

It seems that new hair has grown on that bald head.

Chen Fan attributed all the changes in Hei Feng to the golden bowl.

He was generous and, after feeding the child a radish, turned and went to the kitchen.

Perhaps it's because the weather is getting warmer, but the little stools are being placed earlier and earlier these days.

Often, before Chen Fan even arrives, he has already started the fire and warmed the water.

"Godfather, why are you here again... Didn't your son say you could rest in the morning?" Little Stool quickly made room for his godfather when he saw him arrive.

"Cough cough... I'll only feel at ease if we come and see for ourselves." Chen Fan, with his white hair and hunched back, coughed.

"Godfather, your health is the most important thing..." Looking at his increasingly aged godfather, Xiao Dengzi couldn't bear it and said:

"Let our son handle all these chores; you can rest."

Chen Fan remained silent.

Leaning against the stove, he squinted his eyes to keep warm, like an old cat.

"By the way, godfather," Little Stool said, initiating the conversation.

"When Xiaodengzi was buying medicine in the palace yesterday, he overheard other palace eunuchs saying that another treasure had gone missing from the Martial Arts Pavilion, and that the Emperor had ordered the Eastern Depot to search it..."

Chen Fan's eyes flickered.

Isn't the Concealment Technique something that female assassin possesses? How does it end up being related to the Martial Arts Pavilion?

Feeling that the matter was becoming increasingly perplexing, he felt that it was quite troublesome.

"How did you check... Didn't you just finish checking?" Chen Fan asked.

"They say they sent people to search outside the palace," Little Stool gossiped.

"Godfather, Little Stool heard from those eunuchs that the Emperor has issued a death order to investigate, and he won't rest until those treasures are found!"

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow.

Hearing what Xiao Dengzi said, he felt completely overwhelmed!