The First Lackey Under The Empress

“Your Majesty, Benefactor Yunyang is inside.”

Time rewinds.

Before Zhao Du'an was drawn in by the singing, the Empress walked to the outside of the meditation room and saw the young nun stop, her hands pressed together, her delicate eyebrows gesturing towards the room:

“This humble nun will wait outside.”

With that, she retreated to the distant garden.

Xu Zhenguan nodded in satisfaction, moved with light lotus steps, and raised her hand to press it against the door.

With a "creak," the candlelight from inside the room spilled out along the threshold.

The furnishings inside the meditation room were extremely simple, practically offering a complete view at a glance.

On the floor covered with mats, a figure was lying on their side.

On the low table next to them, an oil lamp flickered like a bean.

A torn scroll of scriptures was carelessly discarded to the side, and scattered on the ground were sheets of paper filled with writing.

Xu Zhenguan bent down and picked up a sheet, seeing the character "Xu" written on it in large ink characters.

“Who is it?”

Half-asleep, the Eldest Princess awoke, sitting up warily and turning her head.

Wrapped around her was no longer her signature red dress, but a plain nun's robe.

Only her thick hair was still messily coiled up, and her originally plump face was noticeably thinner.

“It's you!”

The almost forgotten Princess Yunyang was first stunned, then her expression turned cold:

“How is it that His Majesty, who manages ten thousand affairs every day in our Great Yu Dynasty, has time to come here?”

Xu Zhenguan pinched the white paper filled with the character "Xu," and sighed softly.

Releasing her fingers, letting the paper fall, she gazed sadly at her aunt and said:

“Prince Jing has sent secret agents to the capital again. Tonight, Zhao Du'an used a plan to kill all those agents, and also ferreted out the ministers who had sided with Uncle Jing.”

Princess Yunyang, who had been wearing a sneer, froze, then suddenly cursed with schadenfreude:

“The men of the Xu family have never been any good!”

… …

… …

Prajna Bodhisattva?!

In the secluded courtyard.

The moonlight illuminated the female nun by the pond and the uninvited guest standing by the bushes not far away.

Although Zhao Du'an had never seen a portrait of Prajna Bodhisattva, he instinctively guessed the other person's identity.

Because with just a clash of gazes, he clearly felt a faint pressure that was vast and unstoppable.

That was definitely not something that a Spirit Manifestation Realm could give him.

That was an even stronger aura than the one he had personally felt from the Monk Bianji losing his composure in the restaurant that day.

But then, another thought immediately followed:

“She's fifty-two?!”

Zhao Du'an remembered the information Zhenbao had given him.

But the Bodhisattva in front of him, where was there any sign of old age?

Well… she as a whole, presented a sense of youthful incongruity.

That is, from the appearance of her outer skin, there was not much difference from the Empress in age.

But her eyes, and the aura on her body that could only be refined by time, unique to a “mature woman,” added to her mature charm.

Appearance of twenty-eight, eyes of fifty-two…

The great cultivator's technique of preserving youth?

Zhao Du'an was a little hesitant. People like Ma Yan and Xue Shence also had good cultivation, but they didn't look young… If he said that the sorcerers were special… But Old Wang of the Celestial Master Mansion also looked like an old man…

Well, speaking of which, that Monk Bianji was indeed young… But his age itself was not considered old…

Many strange thoughts only surfaced for a moment before he extinguished them.

Zhao Du'an took a deep breath and tentatively said:

“Prajna Bodhisattva?”

The Bodhisattva by the pond smiled more and more compassionately, her eyes filled with a smile, and she nodded gently.

It really was… Zhao Du'an clicked his tongue in wonder, thinking that this was… a bit different from what he had imagined.

“Junior Zhao Du'an greets the Bodhisattva.”

He restrained his chaotic thoughts and bowed solemnly:

“Does the Bodhisattva know me?”

Faced with a cultivator of this level, he did not put on the airs of an “official,” only referring to himself as “Junior.”

He also did not explain how he appeared here… He believed that the other party could definitely sense the arrival of the Empress, or at the very least, the other nuns encountered along the way would report it.

At the same time, he noticed that when the other party said his name, they used a declarative tone.

Prajna Bodhisattva, who had been bathing in the pond not long ago and was now half-dry, examined him and said with interest:

“I heard that a few days ago, Bianji met with you, his Buddhist heart wavered. After returning, he hurriedly went to see Xuan Yin to stabilize his mind.”

… Damn it, I'm afraid I've been resented… However, his Buddhist heart wavered?

Alarming the Heavenly Human Realm Abbot Xuan Yin?

Did it have to be so exaggerated…

Zhao Du'an opened his mouth, recalling the scene of his last encounter with Bianji.

He really didn't expect that there would be so many things afterward.

And he subconsciously thought that the Bodhisattva in front of him deliberately mentioned this matter to make trouble for him…

Involving the cultivation path of someone from the same sect, this didn't sound like a small matter.

“Chuckle.”

Prajna Bodhisattva seemed to see through the concerns in his heart, or perhaps found the tense and uneasy young junior particularly interesting, and let out a soft laugh.

Shaking her head slowly, she said:

“No need to worry, although Bianji and I are from the same sect, we are not the same kind of people, and I will not take my anger out on you on his behalf. Heh, as for Xuan Yin, he has nothing to do with me.”

Eh… It sounded like something was up… Could it be that these high-level figures in the Divine Dragon Temple were not of one mind?

Well, many ministers in the court were political enemies… It was not surprising that there were struggles within the Divine Dragon Temple…

Zhao Du'an's thoughts raced, and a look of gratitude appeared on his face as he smiled:

“Thank you for the Bodhisattva's guidance. This junior really didn't know that Dharma Master Bianji's state of mind was disturbed. I can only apologize to him in person when we meet again in the future.”

The Prajna Bodhisattva looked at him, finding him even more interesting, and shook her head:

“I didn't intentionally guide you. On the contrary, you are indeed as rumored, with a clever mind.

What is even more rare is that you can make Bianji waver, you must have extraordinary wisdom roots. Are you willing to help me cultivate?”

Eh…?!

The first sentence was still normal, but by the second half, Zhao Du'an's expression was blank and his brain briefly crashed:

“Does the Bodhisattva want me to become a nun?”

This sentence was almost subconsciously blurted out.

After speaking, Zhao Du'an grinned, feeling a little outrageous.

As for the four words “help me cultivate,” he automatically translated them as inviting him to join the Buddhist sect.

Thinking about it, he knew that he, a mere mortal, could not help a Worldly Perfection Realm cultivator in the slightest?

“This humble nun also lacks a male disciple under her seat.” Prajna Bodhisattva showed a Mona Lisa-like smile.

Zhao Du'an smiled awkwardly, putting forward a shield:

“Bodhisattva, please don't joke. This junior is an official of the Great Yu. If His Majesty heard these words, this junior would not be able to explain it.”

The white-clothed Bodhisattva seemed not to have heard clearly, put down the comb in her hand, and beckoned:

“Come closer, this humble nun will see what your wisdom roots are like.”

Zhao Du'an frowned, thinking, could it be that even the Empress's name was not effective?

In the next second, he froze, seeing a glimmer of wisdom flashing in the Bodhisattva's slightly strange eyes by the lake.

Their eyes met.

Zhao Du'an felt as if struck by lightning, the qi sea in his body churning like a tide.

The qi that circulated through the meridians of his entire body seemed to be grasped by an invisible hand and pulled out fiercely!

“Boom!”

Zhao Du'an only felt all the blood in his body rushing to his head, his eyes bloodshot, and his soul seemed to leave his body.

In the next second, the soul that was about to leave his body suddenly fell and returned to his body, the qi rushing around inside his body like a flood.

But there was no pain, instead, there was a faint sense of joy and ease…

It was as if his cultivation had been forcibly raised by a level…

Unfathomable!

“Bodhisattva…”

Zhao Du'an was about to ask when he was shocked to realize that he had lost control of his body.

He watched helplessly as his legs moved, walking straight towards the white-clothed Bodhisattva beckoning by the pond.

Something was wrong!

Anxiety suddenly arose in Zhao Du'an's heart, and sweat dripped from his forehead.

He could sense that as the two sides approached, the “Half-Step Divine” entrenched in the depths of his dantian showed signs of awakening.

And at this critical moment…

An indescribable, formless force field quietly covered the entire Jizhao Nunnery.

The pond filled with withered lotuses inexplicably rippled in layers, then rolled and boiled, the momentum like a tide.

Prajna Bodhisattva sighed helplessly.

A night breeze easily severed the mysterious connection between the female Bodhisattva and Zhao Du'an.

Zhao Du'an instantly regained control of his body.

At the same time, he saw a bright yellow dragon robe slowly falling in front of him.

“Your Majesty!? You're out?” Zhao Du'an almost cried with joy.

Xu Zhenguan gently "Mmm"ed and protected her henchman behind her.

She looked expressionlessly at the lightly dressed Prajna Bodhisattva by the pond.

Frowning, "We need an explanation."