Princess Xinyue's words hit the mark for Chu Chen. After a feigned refusal, he stepped into the courtyard.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Never mind that! All of you, stand aside. This princess wants to see what skills this little eunuch actually possesses!"
Upon hearing that a eunuch dared to show off his martial arts before the princess, the soldiers present were filled with curiosity.
"Martial arts? Cultivating martial arts requires a solid foundation. He doesn't even have a root, how can he practice?"
Someone in the crowd muttered softly, causing a group of soldiers to sneer.
Chu Chen, unhurried, walked to the center of the courtyard and bowed to Princess Xinyue:
"Since Your Highness wishes to see, this servant will presume to display his meager skills!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Chen assumed a stance and performed a set of punches in the air.
His movements were powerful and his footwork agile and natural. Without over ten years of practice, he would never have reached this level!
"A mere eunuch actually possesses martial arts?"
"It's just some fancy footwork to please the princess! If it came to a real fight, how many blows could his scrawny body withstand!"
Despite Chu Chen's elegant boxing, many still held him in disdain.
Fortunately, Princess Xinyue watched with great interest. After all, in her many years in the palace, this was the first time she had seen a eunuch practice martial arts!
"Well done! Can you do anything else?"
"Replying to the princess, this servant also knows some weapon skills!"
"Alright! Guards, bestow a sword!"
Princess Xinyue gave the order, and a soldier quickly handed his long sword to Chu Chen.
The moment he grasped the hilt, Chu Chen's movement changed instantly, and he immediately performed a set of flashy sword techniques.
The sword light was like a潜龙 (qianlong - hidden dragon) in the abyss, constantly shifting and flashing, and the air was filled with sharp whistling sounds.
Seeing Chu Chen's swordplay, even many veteran soldiers were dumbfounded!
"This sword technique is new to me. It doesn't seem like a technique from Yun Yue Kingdom!"
"When we fought the barbarians back then, we didn't see them use such swordplay!"
"Could it be... this sword technique comes from the West?"
With the boost from the True Essence Profound Art, Chu Chen had already entered the Intermediate Ancient Martial Realm overnight.
This realm far surpassed the soldiers present, so his moves were naturally not something they could easily discern.
For a moment, everyone speculated about the origin of Chu Chen's swordplay, each holding their own opinions.
Princess Xinyue, too, was gazing intently at Chu Chen. Seeing his agile movements, a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes.
She had always wanted to find someone to learn martial arts from, but her surrounding guards had ordinary techniques, offering nothing worth learning.
Moreover, these guards were timid and afraid, never daring to teach her privately!
Unexpectedly, she had now encountered a little eunuch with such high martial prowess!
"Mother only said I couldn't learn martial arts from the Imperial City guards. She didn't say I couldn't learn a few moves from a eunuch in the Imperial Study!"
Princess Xinyue's lips curved upwards, revealing a playful smile.
"Chu Chen, come here!"
Chu Chen sheathed his sword and returned to Princess Xinyue's side.
"Does Your Highness have any commands?"
"Your swordplay is quite good. From now on, you will be this princess's personal guard!"
"What?!"
This statement startled those around them, and even Chu Chen was caught off guard.
He had intended to pique the princess's interest first and then slowly reveal more of his hidden talents.
But he hadn't expected the princess to be so direct, promoting him from eunuch to guard right away!
"Your Highness, this is absolutely not permissible! Your guards can only be chosen from the elite of the guard unit! He is just a little eunuch and has no qualifications! If His Majesty finds out, he will be punished!"
"Indeed, please Your Highness reconsider!"
A group of maids bowed in unison, fearing that Princess Xinyue would act on impulse.
Although becoming a guard would bring many benefits to Chu Chen, he was not blinded by it.
Yesterday, a few words of praise from the princess had already aroused jealousy in others.
If he were to suddenly become a guard, wouldn't it be even easier to incur dissatisfaction?
"Your Highness, this servant only knows some fancy footwork. How dare I overestimate myself!"
"Hmm... then let's change that. Starting tomorrow, you will perform swordplay at Qingming Palace every day. Unless this princess orders otherwise, rain or shine. Do you understand?"
Upon hearing this, the maids finally breathed a sigh of relief, and Chu Chen, without a word, quickly agreed.
Being qualified to enter and exit Qingming Palace meant his plan had achieved its first step.
What he needed to do next was to seize the opportunity to get close to Princess Xinyue.
"Little Chenzi? You're still alive?"
Seeing Chu Chen return to the Imperial Study unharmed, Manager Chen and the others were all surprised.
"The princess was furious just now, I thought you were going to lose your life!"
"Manager, unlike Zhang Sheng, I know my place. How could I lose my life?"
"That's true! Hey? What is this? Who allowed you to bring weapons into the Imperial Study?"
Seeing that Chu Chen was wearing a long sword at his waist, Manager Chen's face turned pale with fright.
Normally, only guards were allowed to carry swords. When did a eunuch dare to be so presumptuous?
"Manager, this is a precious sword just bestowed by the princess. She has specifically permitted this servant to carry a sword!"
"What? The princess? How could this be? What exactly did you do just now?"
Now Manager Chen was even more bewildered.
He had only ever seen guards with swords, but a eunuch with a sword? This was the first time!
Seeing their curious expressions, Chu Chen did not hide anything and recounted everything that had happened.
"I never thought you were not only skilled in cultivation but also in martial arts! If I had known, you shouldn't have entered the palace as a eunuch. You should have joined the guard unit as a soldier!"
Chu Chen outwardly agreed, but his heart did not think so.
If he had become a soldier, perhaps he would never have had the chance to get close to the princess!
Returning to the third floor of the Imperial Study, Chu Chen found a quiet corner and opened the True Essence Profound Art in his system.
"I have to learn some new tricks before I demonstrate my martial arts to Princess Xinyue tomorrow!"
Chu Chen browsed for a while, and a basic cultivation technique caught his attention.
"Bone-Melting Palm. This move seems good. It has no cultivation requirement and can overcome hardness with softness, which is perfect for the princess!"
"If I can teach this move to the princess, wouldn't I become her confidant?"
Chu Chen concentrated his mind and began to comprehend the cultivation technique.
Relying on his mental state at the Intermediate Ancient Martial Realm and his "Exceptional Memory" skill, even without performing the movements, Chu Chen could mentally practice each palm strike.
In less than an hour, he had completely mastered this basic cultivation technique.
Now that everything was ready, it was time to see how he would perform tomorrow!
Just as he was thinking this, Manager Chen's voice came from the first floor.
"This servant greets the esteemed lords!"
Chu Chen thought some important figures had arrived and quickly looked down.
However, what met his eyes were three people wearing armor and carrying swords.
The leader also wore a waist token engraved with the characters "General Affairs."
"It's them?!"