The First Lackey Under The Empress

The time spent talking with the Empress was always short.

Before long, the royal carriage stopped in front of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Today's visit had been announced in advance, and at the entrance of the imposing Taoist headquarters, several old priests wearing embroidered red thread ceremonial robes were waiting with their heads bowed.

Zhao Du'an followed the Empress out of the carriage, and as a "attendant guard," he followed behind Xu Zhenguan's group.

He immediately appeared inconspicuous.

"Congratulations to the Great Heavenly Sage Emperor for arriving…"

The square-faced Taoist at the head held a horsetail whisk and respectfully bowed, followed by many priests behind him.

Xu Zhenguan smiled and nodded slightly.

Years ago, as a princess, she had also stayed in the Celestial Master's Mansion for a short time, seeking guidance from Zhang Tianshi in cultivation.

Therefore, although she was an emperor, she dressed as a female Taoist today.

After a brief exchange of greetings, the group entered through the main entrance.

It is worth mentioning that the last time Zhao Du'an came, he was led in through the side door by a gatekeeper, and did not walk through the main straight path of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Today, thanks to the Empress, he had the opportunity to witness the true appearance of this Taoist temple, which has been passed down for thousands of years.

Stepping through the main entrance, the first thing that came into view was an extremely spacious square, the ground paved with white stone, inlaid and outlined with a Tai Chi Bagua diagram of a very large size.

The group walked on the Tai Chi diagram, and a sense of awe arose spontaneously.

At this moment, on both sides of the square, many low-ranking priests stood far away, and because they were far away, they could not see clearly, but everyone carried a sword on their back, and from a distance, the sword tassels looked like a tide.

After passing through the main entrance, another archway-like second gate rose in front of them.

The couplet on the left and right… Xu Zhenguan raised her eyes and looked, and couldn't help but let out a soft "Huh," and read:

"As Heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman strives for self-improvement… As Earth's condition is receptive devotion, a gentleman upholds the outer world."

She shifted her gaze upwards and saw four large characters on the horizontal scroll:

Tao Follows Nature

"When I came last time, I remember it wasn't this."

Xu Zhenguan stopped to savor it, slightly surprised.

The old priest leading the way smiled and said:

"It was indeed replaced not long ago to encourage young priests to learn."

Xu Zhenguan nodded her head gently, her eyebrows relaxed:

"Compared to the old couplet, it has a different kind of atmosphere. I wonder who wrote it?"

The old priest shook his head and said: "This is not very clear, it was approved by the Celestial Master anyway."

Xu Zhenguan nodded, and carefully stared at the words on the archway a few more times.

At first glance, it was already amazing, but after careful observation… The upper and lower couplets were fine, but the four characters of the horizontal scroll looked a little out of place with the two couplets, as if they were forcibly pieced together.

But… there was a bit of profound meaning in it.

But… no one noticed that Zhao Du'an behind the Empress had a constipated expression, and was frantically complaining in his heart:

"Old Wang ah, Old Wang, you really are not a good thing, you kept not giving me the reward, I thought you didn't use my sentences, but the archway was changed long ago, you insisted on dragging it until I exchanged it for the Thousand-Faced Divine Monarch…"

"Oh, speaking of which, the Empress has come, why didn't I see Old Wang among the priests receiving her? Hmm, is it because his status is not high enough, or is it because his 'scattered official' status makes him not join in the fun?"

Muttering in his heart, the group passed through the second gate, and in front of them was the Ancestral Master Hall with its soaring eaves and brackets.

Zhao Du'an had brushed past it from a distance last time, and had a distant view of it, knowing that it enshrined the portraits of the past "Celestial Masters" of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

After passing the Ancestral Master Hall, what rose from the ground was a huge and majestic bell tower like a giant.

The bell tower was gray and dusty, and a sundial was embedded in the front wall above.

The sunlight hitting the sundial would cast a huge "pointer" on the ground.

Further up was the "Yellow Bell" fixed at the top of the bell tower, but unfortunately, it was too high, and it was not clear when looking up.

Zhao Du'an looked at the mottled wall of the bell tower, weathered by wind and rain.

Suddenly, he remembered the city bell that he heard faintly in the torrential rain on the day he transmigrated.

It was from this bell tower.

"You wait here, I'm going to Zhang Tianshi's residence," Xu Zhenguan instructed the people behind her.

The bell tower was like a boundary, dividing the Celestial Master's Mansion into inside and outside.

Zhao Du'an noticed that those old priests who were leading the way, and whose ranks were not low, also stopped.

It seemed that he couldn't directly follow the Empress in… No wonder the Empress said that whether he could see the Celestial Master depended on luck… Did she mean to wait for a summons?

Zhao Du'an was a little disappointed, feeling that this was hopeless, while the old priest smiled and led them, these close attendants, to wait in a nearby hall.

"Envoy Zhao, please stop," suddenly, one of the middle-aged priests stopped him and smiled:

"Priest Gongshu learned of your arrival and asked me to invite you over for a chat."

Priest Gongshu? Jin Jian's fifth senior brother?

That fat man who cultivates the Artisan God… Zhao Du'an was a little tempted, but hesitated.

The priest smiled and said:

"Envoy, don't worry. Every time His Majesty comes, she spends at least an hour chatting and discussing Tao with the Celestial Master. Moreover, if there are any changes, you will naturally be found and it won't be delayed."

So that's how it is… Zhao Du'an readily nodded:

"Please lead the way, priest."

Zhenbao said that it would be beneficial and harmless to build a good relationship with him, and Zhao Du'an listened.

In the officialdom, more connections mean more paths.

…

…

"Haha, Envoy Zhao, you've finally come. I just said yesterday that I would come over when I had time, but I didn't expect to meet again today."

Zhao Du'an was led to the front of a courtyard.

He saw Priest Gongshu Tianyuan, wearing a crumpled dark gold thread priest's robe, with a slightly comical fat face and squinting small eyes, smiling to greet him from the gate.

However, Zhao Du'an was startled.

Because this young, fat priest looked haggard, with huge dark circles under his eyes like a panda, and the smile was a little crazy, and the look in his eyes was actually carrying a trace of fiery heat.

"Why would Priest Gongshu bother to greet me in person?"

Zhao Du'an took a step back without leaving a trace, but was still forcibly shook hands by the former. His hand felt greasy, and he wiped it behind him without leaving a trace, and said with concern:

"Priest, you look a little tired."

Gongshu Tianyuan's fat face stiffened, and he squeezed out a smile:

"It's okay, I just slept a little less. Please come in… Haha, my humble abode is simple… I only learned just now that Envoy came with His Majesty, so I ventured to ask someone to invite you."

It was more than just sleeping a little less?

He didn't sleep at all last night!

Originally, with his cultivation, it wouldn't be a big problem not to sleep for several days in a row, but the premise was that he didn't expend much energy.

If he stayed up late while frantically squeezing his brainpower and energy, operating his mind at a high load, and carrying out thinking and experiments… Even if his realm was higher, he couldn't withstand it.

As for the "culprit," it was undoubtedly the few strokes that Zhao Du'an casually left on that glasses blueprint, the principle of lenses.

This was also the reason why Gongshu Tianyuan was eager to invite him over.

Zhao Du'an curiously followed and entered this workshop-style courtyard.

Unlike the courtyards of literati, the large rooms in the courtyard were filled with various messy objects.

The room the two entered was quite spacious, but only a small bed was placed in the corner.

Besides that, there were only a few large desks in the room, with various tools on them.

Next to the wall.

There was a row of shelves, filled with all kinds of strange things, like a simple industrial museum.

"Haha, the place is a little messy."

Seeing Zhao Du'an looking around curiously, Gongshu Tianyuan's chest puffed up slightly, and a proud expression appeared on his tired, fat face.

In his previous life, Zhao Du'an had met some technical experts with leaders, and he knew the temperaments of these people well.

Without pleasantries, he proactively revealed his ignorance and curiosity:

"I've heard that the expensive recording scrolls on the black market are the work of divine officials? Is this where magical artifacts are crafted?"

Gongshu Tianyuan smiled slightly. What he liked most was showing off his creations.

Of course, that was on the premise that he thought highly of the person.

Seeing Zhao Du'an's question, he cleared his throat and led him to the display shelves, introducing them:

"That's right. My cultivation lineage requires the constant creation of objects. These are some of my works. For example, this one."

He casually picked up a palm-sized plate from the shelf.

He tapped it twice, and flames suddenly appeared in the plate. He casually flipped the plate back and forth, but the fire did not go out.

Gongshu Tianyuan smiled and said:

"This object is called 'Wood-Fire Conduit.' I often need fire when refining magical artifacts, so I created this thing. It doesn't need to be ignited and won't spread, like a candle. It will only be exhausted when the inner mana is used up."

He tapped it twice again to extinguish it.

A lighter… Zhao Du'an nodded, finding it quite interesting.

Turning his head, he saw a wooden figure dressed as a Western Regions merchant, holding a pot of wine in his hand, and asked curiously:

"This is?"

Gongshu Tianyuan said "Oh" and smiled:

"This is a Wine-Offering Merchant. Cough, cough, I like to study cultivation and am not good at socializing. Every time I gather with my fellow disciples, I am frequently toasted, which is extremely annoying, so I created this little man.

As long as it is placed on the banquet table, it will offer wine to everyone. Anyone who is toasted by it, as long as their realm does not exceed Divine Chapter, no matter what they are doing, will be forced to drink a cup of wine before they can break free…"

Well, what he didn't say was that when it was first developed, an operational failure caused a group of sorcerers to be forcibly controlled for an entire night, with no one able to escape.

They were so drunk that they slept for three days before waking up…

"…" Zhao Du'an took a light breath.

He then saw another wooden monk, as tall as a wine barrel, next to the little man, holding a broken bowl and a Zen staff:

"What is this?"

Gongshu Tianyuan folded his sleeves and said with a look of reminiscence:

"This is one of my early works. At that time, I didn't like the monks of the Shenlong Temple, so I made a 'Begging Monk' and threw it into the Shenlong Temple. Anyone who saw it would have to take out money to fill the bowl to receive a 'Thank you for your donation.'"

What kind of weird thing is this… Zhao Du'an asked vigilantly:

"What if you don't give money?"

Gongshu Tianyuan pondered for a moment, patted the monk's bald head, and said lightly:

"If you don't give it, it will raise its Zen staff and teach the other party some martial arts until the alms are successfully collected and it returns to report."

Zhao Du'an: "…"

Gongshu Tianyuan said with a look of regret:

"Unfortunately, the bald donkeys of the Shenlong Temple quickly came looking for me, and Master even scolded me."

Zhao Du'an steadied his mind and looked hesitantly at a yellow paper skirt:

"This one, it won't attack people, will it?"

"Oh, this is a good thing," Gongshu Tianyuan's eyes lit up, and he said rather proudly:

"When female cultivators are traveling outside, they are often most afraid of their period coming… Because the bleeding doesn't stop, the Great Mother Goddess will cause the female cultivator's mana to decline, entering a period of weakness for several days. As long as you calculate the days and wear this paper skirt in advance, then take it off, you can eliminate a weakness caused by menstruation…

Unfortunately, this thing is difficult to make and expensive, and even the noble ladies in the capital are rarely willing to buy it.

Only female cultivators are willing. I once went to the Jizhao Nunnery to try to sell it to those Buddhist female bodhisattvas, but they didn't recognize its value."

Speaking of the latter, this craftsman god's successor, with his unique thinking, looked lonely.

He seemed frustrated because his work was not recognized.

…No, how much hatred do you have with the Buddhist sect? Although this thing sounds very powerful, wouldn't it really be considered a provocation and harassment…

Also, this is completely different from the forging master who can create divine weapons, or the Taoist divine official who can refine a furnace of pills only once every sixty years… Zhao Du'an's expression was complicated.

"Heh heh, I've made the envoy laugh. You also think these things are flashy and impractical, right?"

Gongshu Tianyuan smiled self-deprecatingly and suddenly sat down with a thud.

In the corner, a long-legged stool ran over to support his buttocks.

No… this isn't a matter of being flashy and impractical… Zhao Du'an didn't know what to say.

The look of loneliness on Gongshu Tianyuan's face became even stronger.

Suddenly, he switched from an excited state to a depressed and low mood, muttering to himself:

"It's not that I have to create these strange things. It's just that the craftsman god lineage must create breakthrough creations to make progress.

Swords, armor, talismans, whisks, these things have already been elevated to extremely high levels by the sorcerer predecessors of the past few thousand years… Even if I imitate a thousand of them, my cultivation realm will not be able to break through. I can only find another way…"

Zhao Du'an was moved, not expecting sorcerer cultivation to be so difficult:

"Didn't you ask the Celestial Master?"

Gongshu Tianyuan lowered his head even more:

"Master also said that I went in the wrong direction, saying that the craftsman god was formed by the faith of mortals. Therefore, the craftsman god was originally for creating things for the common people, but the magical artifacts I create have extremely narrow uses…

But I can't think of anything new that the common people need… Until I saw that blueprint of yours!"

With dark circles under his eyes and a dirty robe, Gongshu Tianyuan suddenly raised his head, looking excited:

"Although the ice-making method benefits the people, it is not really a craft. However, the few words mentioned on the blueprint for the glasses you gave to Sixth Sister made me see a new possibility!"

He jumped up, grabbed Zhao Du'an's hand, looking excited and speaking earnestly:

"This time, I invited the envoy here only for the principle of light refraction you wrote. I implore the envoy to explain it in detail?"

Zhao Du'an was stunned.

His expression slowly became strange.

Only at this time did he understand why Zhang Tianshi's fifth disciple had approached him.

"This… could it be that the divine official is overthinking it? It's just some mundane knowledge…" Zhao Du'an tried to pull his hand back, but couldn't move it.

Gongshu Tianyuan shook his head, his expression firm. He had a strong premonition that if he could figure out the so-called principle, he might be able to create wonderful objects that do not require mana support.

As Master said, this is the right path of cultivation and an opportunity for him to go further.

"Please teach me, Envoy!" Gongshu Tianyuan spoke earnestly, with tears in his eyes.

Zhao Du'an sighed softly and said:

"Then I'll just explain it simply, but I can't guarantee whether it will be helpful to you."

Gongshu Tianyuan was overjoyed and hurriedly took out the blueprint, and also pulled out a whiteboard for easy use.

Zhao Du'an cleared his throat, turned around and wrote a few words on the whiteboard, and said at the same time:

"To explain light clearly, first, you must understand two words."

As if once again, returning to the Xiuwen Hall.

Zhao Du'an wrote two large characters on the whiteboard:

"Physics"

…Spelling errors will be corrected later

Thank you to Masked Superman of Mercury for the 100 coin reward support