novelraw Chapter 145 I Will Get the Job Done
Chapter 145 I Will Get the Job Done
I was dodging in a panic, one hand guarding my belt, when my foot slipped. With a loud splash I went headfirst into the hot spring. The monkey, still clinging stubbornly to my belt, was dragged straight into the water with me. There was a sharp ripping sound—not my belt, thankfully—but the dark-purple python robe belonging to Eunuch Wang tore clean off its rack and flew straight into the pool. Hot water erupted like a geyser, splashing all over his face.
I flailed in the water, doing a pathetic dog-paddle. “Get to the shore! This monkey’s gone rabid!”
Eunuch Wang clutched his head and shrieked, “My robe—someone come help—!”
Something drifted past my foot. I grabbed it on instinct and flung it ashore with everything I had.
A wet slap—
The torn python robe landed squarely on the monkey’s face.
The monkey screeched, somersaulted backwards, and tumbled out of the pool. The rest of the troublemaking monkeys froze, then bolted up the rocks and vanished like smoke.
The hot spring was a battlefield. Fruit skins everywhere, overturned teacups, broken trays… and me. I clawed my way ashore, dripping wet from head to toe, hair plastered to my cheeks like a miserable turtle dragged out of a swamp.
Eunuch Wang still had two red scald marks on his face. He stared at me, wide-eyed. “You… actually saved me?”
I gasped for breath, still coughing up warm spring water. “Save you? I… I was just… dragged in by my own belt…”
“Wrong!” Eunuch Wang slapped his thigh. “That was valor! Loyalty!”
I said nothing.
His excitement only grew. “Men! From today onward, this young fellow—Xiao Gong—will serve at my side personally!”
“…Huh?”
Before that single syllable fully left my mouth, the system chimed in with its habitual mockery.
[Ding. Host’s crisis index has risen to 68%. Congratulations, host, for triggering the ‘earn merit with your life’ storyline in the wrong way. Congratulations. You’ve been promoted.]
I cursed in my head. “Shut. Up.”
[Detected excessive hostility in host’s tone. Entering irritable mode?]
“I told you—shut—up!”
Oddly, Eunuch Wang interpreted my suppressed rage as another display of “spirited loyalty” and laughed heartily. “Such a bold young man! Someone fetch him a dry belt before he catches cold!”
I looked down. The belt really was in tatters, making me resemble someone hauled straight out of a mud pit. Still, I endured and bowed properly.
Only one clear thought echoed in my head:
That damned monkey.
After that incident, I essentially shed my status as a captured laborer.
In one bound, I had gone from “forced drudge” to one of Eunuch Wang’s favored attendants.
Not glamorous, but at least I wasn’t starving. I had morning tea, hot springs at night, and Eunuch Wang often had me rub his back or fetch towels. When he was in a generous mood, he’d toss me a couple of small silver ingots. Of course, I never dared pocket them. A “favorite” in this place could disappear at any moment—straight into the array as a living offering.
He originally had four close attendants: two young eunuchs, a medical page, and a female aide. Naturally, none of them were pleased to see me suddenly become the new favorite.
On the first day, someone sprinkled chili powder into the tea set I was cleaning.
Just as I was about to pour hot water into the pot, the system spoke in its flat tone:
[Three feet ahead, traces of irritant powder detected. Possible temporary loss of voice.]
I almost cursed aloud, but forced a harmless smile. “This tea has quite the… distinctive aroma.”
The young eunuch smirked, thinking I hadn’t noticed. “Fresh mountain tea powder. Eunuch Wang loves it most.”
I thought coldly, If it’s so lovely, taste it yourself.
I pretended ignorance and carried the tea straight to Eunuch Wang. As I poured, I raised my voice deliberately: “This is what Xiaodengzi told me to prepare for you—he said it’s your favorite tea powder.”
Eunuch Wang paused mid-scroll, glanced up at me, then at the cup. He took a sniff. Bitter. His brow creased, but he said nothing.
I stood quietly. The silence stretched.
Then he set down the cup. “Go. Call Xiaodengzi.”
“Yes.” I bowed and left.
I knew the moment I turned around—
He suspected something.
The next day, Xiaodengzi, the young eunuch, was nowhere to be seen.
Then the medicine boy tried something. Complained that I hadn’t heated the towel hot enough while wiping Eunuch Wang’s back.
Fine. I soaked the towel in boiling water until it steamed like molten iron. One more second and the basin might have warped.
Then, cheerful as a spring breeze, I presented it. “Eunuch Wang, the medicine boy said you needed it hotter—said there were worms under your skin, and only scalding heat would kill them.”
I pitched my tone perfectly—loud, earnest, as if faithfully relaying instructions.
Eunuch Wang froze mid-step. “Worms?”
The medicine boy went sheet-white. “I—I never said that!”
I immediately feigned surprise and folded the towel. “Ah? Did I mishear? I thought you were worried about Eunuch Wang’s health. That’s why I made it extra hot.”
Eunuch Wang’s gaze grew sharp. “Worried? Hmm?”
The medicine boy crumpled onto his knees. “I—I would never! I said no such thing!”
I stepped in with a concerned expression. “Eunuch Wang, please forgive us. He meant well.”
He snorted and flicked his sleeve. “Three days of reflection.”
The medicine boy dragged himself out, shaking like a leaf.
I resumed wiping Eunuch Wang’s back, subdued and obedient.
He finally relaxed. “Xiao Gong, you’re quite sharp.”
I bowed my head. “You flatter me, Eunuch Wang. I’m only lucky.”
Inside, I amended silently:
Also because that page has terrible luck.
[System notice: Host has successfully activated ‘White Lotus’ trait. Safety index +5.]
I rolled my eyes mentally. “How about warning me earlier next time?”
Three or four days passed like this.
Still no word from Lian.
But serving at Eunuch Wang’s side wasn’t useless. I picked up pieces here and there—enough to form a chilling picture.
Lian and the others who were taken away… were digging.
Repairing the entrance to the array.
Repairing, not opening.
Because the previous group sent in—
Never came out.
Some claimed a cave-in. Others insisted the array “devoured” them.
Either way, it made my spine crawl.
That afternoon, while peeling grapes for Eunuch Wang, I casually asked, “Eunuch Wang, what exactly is that array? How can it be so dangerous? None of the people who enter ever return?”
He lazily flicked his horsetail whisk. “If I knew the specifics, would I still be sitting comfortably here? Only those worthless laborers get sent in. Who else would dare?”
My stomach tightened.
Worthless?
Which category did I fall into?
On the fifth day, something happened.
The entire group, where Lian stays in —
Vanished.