The First Lackey Under The Empress

“Why worry?”

Outside the pavilion, by the pond.

The white-robed Empress held a heavy celadon jar in her slender hands.

Her nearly transparent jade fingers hovered over the water, gently rubbing, fish food falling from between her fingers.

Ripples spread out in circles, like the scene of falling rain, and the koi in the pond also eagerly poked their heads out of the water, opening their mouths to absorb oxygen.

Mo Chou said:

“Ever since the Faceless Divine Lord assassinated officials of the Imperial Party, you have secretly ordered the Imperial Guards to disperse and keep an eye on some key figures, even investigating their relationships in advance…

After all, those rebellious parties are good at disguising assassinations, and they like to start with people close to them. The better the disguise, the more they need to observe and scout in advance, which means ‘there are traces to follow’.

“Since Zhao Jisi is on the list, the You family has been included in the Imperial Guard's investigation, and it was from this that we learned that the so-called Young Master Lu, Lu Baifeng, is of dubious identity.

The You family booked the Drunken Moon Tower yesterday, and Zhao Jisi went to the South City this morning… It's possible that there's a trap waiting.”

After speaking for a while, she suddenly realized:

“Your Majesty, could it be that you have already arranged measures, so you are not worried?”

Xu Zhenguan was as aloof as a fairy, looking down at the dozens of koi carp crawling at her feet.

She did not answer directly, but only said:

“The Jianghu Shadow Guards previously reported that this Faceless Divine Lord is meticulous in his actions and is a complete assassin. Each time he strikes, he makes thorough preparations. Since he became famous, he has rarely failed. If he can't succeed, he retreats.

Therefore, few people in the Jianghu know the details of his skills. They only know that he is in the Divine Manifestation Realm, like a martial artist, like a sorcerer.

In addition to his superb disguise skills, he also possesses a weapon ranked in the top hundred of the Jianghu Weapon Compendium.

It is said to be a sword, but some say it is an umbrella, and it has some connection with the White Robe Sect, a Jianghu sect that believes in ‘Loss of Divinity’ and is good at curses.

This weapon has the power to make the cursed person's luck worse, their mind dizzy, and lose their vigilance. Each time he assassinates an important person, he often performs a curse for at least seven days in advance, in order to expose the target's flaws…

Zhang Tianshi's fourth disciple seems to be quite accomplished in cultivating both the Joy and Loss deities, and in shifting and transforming fortune.”

Mo Chou sighed:

“It is an honor for a mere Divine Manifestation cultivator to be remembered so clearly by Your Majesty.”

Xu Zhenguan sighed softly and said:

“It is not an honor for the officials in the capital to have this person unremoved.”

Mo Chou said:

“Since Your Majesty has already made arrangements, if the other party appears today, they will surely be captured, so as to resolve the recent unrest in the court.”

Xu Zhenguan was silent, could they capture him? She didn't know.

But she was suddenly very curious whether the little Imperial Guard was afraid, and how many moves he could withstand from the opponent.

… …

… …

“Faceless Divine Lord!”

Inside the Drunken Moon Tower, the air was filled with invisible power of curses.

It is said that no one has ever seen the true face of the Faceless Divine Lord, but at this moment, how could Zhao Du'an not guess?

Numerous clues converged in his mind, and he understood what had happened.

He said expressionlessly:

“You are the aristocratic son that You Zhande met on the way to Beijing. Today, you induced him to lead me into this death trap?”

At the beginning, he didn't pay too much attention to this small detail reported by his subordinates, but he didn't expect that it was related to the rebellious party of the Kuangfu Society.

Reasoning in reverse like this, this new branch leader must have been planning to target him before entering Beijing.

But perhaps considering the fate of Frostmourne, he did not rashly assassinate him, but instead used the identity of “Lu Baifeng” to get acquainted with You Zhande, laying the groundwork for this line.

After that, he began to assassinate officials one by one, drawing everyone's attention away.

And today, the dagger is revealed.

“You react quickly,”

The Faceless Divine Lord smiled as he scrutinized him, as if seeing through his thoughts, and said smugly:

“You guessed right, the first target for this deity's visit is you. These days, killing those small fries is not only to create a smokescreen and distract the court's energy, but also to lower your vigilance.

Heh, through those blood letters, I made you think that I was going to borrow a knife to kill someone this time. The more you think like this, the less you will think that I will come to kill you.”

He looked down with disdain and sneered:

“I thought that even with these schemes, coupled with the curse of fortune, it would be difficult for you to fall into the trap, but you are easier to deceive than I imagined. Of course, this is also due to the credit of your relatives.”

On the ground.

You Zhande was already stunned.

His mind was buzzing, and through the conversation between the two, he straightened out what had happened.

Faceless Divine Lord… Of course, he knew about the rebellious assassin who had been rumored in the city these days.

But he never imagined that the rebellious party was by his side… Even earlier on the way to Beijing, the other party had painstakingly approached him… How ridiculous, he still believed it to be true and became a tool without knowing it.

As for You Shi and the fat teenager, they had already fainted.

Zhao Du'an stood at the staircase, seemingly without the fear of facing a life-and-death crisis, or perhaps he was feigning calmness:

“You are so confident that you can kill me? Last time, Frostmourne was also like this, flaunting and complacent in front of this official.”

The Faceless Divine Lord said with interest:

“I am also very curious as to how you killed him in the first place. Also, the Taixu Painting Scroll he carried is on you, right? If you honestly offer it up, I will let you die quickly… Huh.”

Speaking of this, he raised his eyebrows.

He found that under the state of illness granted by the curse, the physical condition of the court dog in front of him had not deteriorated rapidly.

Instead, it stabilized, although still weak, it resisted the power of “Loss of Divinity”.

“Is it because of the martial arts inheritance of the Great Yu Taizu?”

The Faceless Divine Lord made a reasonable speculation.

He did not know that it was the dragon soul in Zhao Du'an's Qi Sea, which was showing signs of awakening, that was gradually clearing the negative curse.

That illusory dragon-shaped demigod seemed to sense the external danger and was in a state of being about to awaken.

The Faceless Divine Lord was wary of Zhao Du'an. The reason for the nonsense was also to wait for the curse power to strengthen.

Seeing this, how could he continue to wait? While speaking, the fan in his hand suddenly spun and flew out.

“Woo—”

The seemingly ordinary folding fan actually concealed hidden secrets and was a golden iron fan bone.

At this moment, with the blessing of the Divine Manifestation Realm Qi, it danced like a wheel, pulling out afterimages, and in a blink of an eye, it slashed fiercely towards Zhao Du'an's chest.

This attack was extremely sudden, even if Zhao Du'an was in complete condition, it would be difficult to dodge.

Not to mention now?

However, this iron fan, powerful enough to shatter a wall, struck Zhao Du'an's chest with a resounding clang of metal against metal.

Accompanying it were dazzling sparks.

Zhao Du'an's clothes were torn at the chest, faintly revealing a soft armor worn underneath.

At the same time, the space around him distorted, and six golden talismans materialized out of thin air, existing as beams of light.

They circled him, creating a three-foot radius of isolated space as they slowly rotated.

A suit of illusory full-body armor also covered Zhao Du'an's entire body.

"Six Talisman Armor!"

Thousand-Faced Divine Lord was stunned, then uttered the name with a mixture of surprise and joy.

The maid Qingniao, carrying the large black umbrella, was also taken aback.

As a member of the Jianghu, how could she be unfamiliar with this well-known defensive item from the Martial Emperor City lineage?

"The false Emperor actually bestowed this armor upon you for self-defense? No wonder you're so calm and composed, thinking that donning this tortoise shell will make me helpless against you?"

Thousand-Faced Divine Lord's tone was bitter, his eyes greedy.

Amidst his shock, there was both anxiety and delight.

Anxiety because this tortoise shell was rumored to be able to withstand attacks from the World Realm, making it difficult for him to break through its defense and kill the Zhao traitor in a short time.

Delight because if he succeeded today, the spoils would be abundant.

This armor alone was worth risking his life for.

"Today, I will let you know the extent of this Divine Lord's abilities."

Thousand-Face tapped his toes, and the handsome young nobleman instantly revealed his ferocious nature.

He pounced towards Zhao Du'an.

However, the next second, a fist with surging power slammed over with earth-shattering force!

Thousand-Faced Divine Lord's expression changed, and with a gentle flick of his sleeve, he emitted a "snap" sound, his right arm sweeping across, forcibly blocking You Zhande's fully charged punch.

"Chi Chi..."

As their limbs collided, the sleeves were torn into shreds by the airflow.

And You, the family head, whose cultivation was somewhat superficial but still possessed the apparent high-grade mortal realm cultivation of a martial artist, was also forced back by the Divine Chapter Realm cultivator.

His feet "thumped, thumped, thumped" as he retreated continuously, each step leaving a deep footprint on the floor!

"Wah!"

The portly You Zhande spat out a small mouthful of blood, his teeth crimson, but his eyes carried a hint of madness.

Zhao Du'an was stunned, surprised by this person's sudden outburst.

"Are you seeking death?"

Thousand-Faced Divine Lord's face twisted, seemingly angered by the fact that he was ambushed by a sloppy martial artist.

You Zhande wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with determination as he charged forward again.

His legs approached in a walking stance, his hands clenched into fists, and his back arched like a bow.

He was not acting for Zhao Du'an's sake, but for the sake of his family.

When he realized that he had become an accomplice in the rebel's plot to harm Zhao Du'an.

This middle-aged man, who had established himself in Xiping Dao for most of his life and built a fortune through many shady means, knew that his entire family had no way out.

If Zhao Du'an died here today, regardless of whether Thousand-Faced Divine Lord would spare his family of three.

Once the imperial court's experts arrived, the enraged Empress would surely unleash her fury on the entire You family.

Under the charge of colluding with rebels, the entire family would be uprooted.

You Zhande had no doubt about the Empress's ruthlessness, because any matter involving rebels was a heinous crime punishable by extermination.

Therefore, his only chance of survival was to gamble!

Gamble that Zhao Du'an still had trump cards, gamble that the imperial court's experts could arrive as soon as possible...

The worst outcome was nothing more than death.

If he and his family died, but he could prevent his family from being exterminated, then he, as the family head, would at least dare to face his ancestors in the underworld.

"Rumble rumble rumble..."

At this moment, You Zhande, with the determination to die, used his family's unique skill, and even though he was burdened with many curses and illnesses and was in extremely poor condition, the force of his fist still broke through the wind, creating a series of sonic booms.

This punch revealed his true martial arts level.

However, Thousand-Faced Divine Lord only stepped on his feet, and his figure flickered, strangely avoiding the punch.

He came to his side, and two iron-like fingers pressed towards You Zhande's shoulders.

"Puff!"

The fingers instantly pierced through the shoulder blades, and two blood holes spurted out bright red blood.

The maid Qingniao, carrying the umbrella, approached like a ghost and pressed her palm down.

You Zhande rose into the air, crashing through the railing like a cannonball, falling towards the hall on the first floor, crashing to the ground, unable to climb up again.

Zhao Du'an calmly watched this scene.

In his two drooping sleeves, his arms were each holding something.

His left hand held a delicate, palm-sized silver scroll, which, when activated, could unfold the Illusionary Realm of Grand Void, buying him a short amount of time.

Most importantly, on the surface of the scroll, a purple jade pendant faintly glowed.

As long as it was shattered, even if he was in a desperate situation, he could teleport back to the Empress's palace.

His right hand held the Golden Crow Flying Knife, the blade already vibrating and stacking force several times.

Within his Qi Sea, the Dragon Soul also showed signs of awakening.

Zhao Du'an had a premonition that as long as he was willing, he could pour the power of the Dragon Soul into the flying knife.

Back then, when he was in the middle grade of the Mortal Realm, he broke through the defense of the Divine Chapter Realm's Frost Sword with a full-force flying knife strike.

Now, after being trained by the Empress, as a high-grade martial artist, with the cooperation of a semi-divine treasure like the Dragon Soul, what would be the scene if he unleashed a full-force knife again?

Could he cut off the head of a Divine Chapter?

Should he play it safe, or should he take a chance?

Zhao Du'an's hands were still wavering.

Or rather, he was waiting for something.

At this time, Thousand-Faced Divine Lord, who had dealt with You Zhande, approached again, the corners of his mouth rising, revealing a bloodthirsty smile.

Zhao Du'an's twitching hands finally made a decision.

His right hand gripped the hilt of the Golden Crow Knife, and the Dragon Soul raised its head within his Qi Sea.

However, the next second, Zhao Du'an released his hand, and the Dragon Soul suddenly fell back into slumber.

He sighed softly and said:

"If you don't show yourself soon, I'm really going to die."

...

Outside Drunken Moon Tower.

On the roof, the Grand Internal First Offering, wearing a bright red python robe, gently stepped down.

As his boots landed, the solid tiles shattered into powder, and a large hole was pierced through the roof of the building.

The old eunuch, with his hunched figure and infant-like face, fell gracefully like an autumn leaf, his hands still behind his back.

However, the sound of coughing already echoed throughout Drunken Moon Tower:

"Cough cough, young people are just impatient, insisting on tormenting this old man's bones..."